Linearity and accuracy of ultraviolet and visible wavelength photometer: an interlaboratory survey.

A survey was made to determine the linearity and accuracy of ultraviolet and visible wavelength photometers used by laboratories in New York State. Two solutions each of high-purity potassium dichromate and cobalt ammonium sulfate were submitted for photometric performance studies. The majority of the participant spectrophotometer results showed good correlation with reference data. Broad half-band width (greater than 10 nm) photometers showed little deviation from linearity. Coefficients of variation for the models surveyed were 5-10%.     

Differences in Knee and Hip Adduction and Hip Muscle Activation in Runners With and Without Iliotibial Band Syndrome

Background

Iliotibial band syndrome has been associated with altered hip and knee kinematics in runners. Previous studies have recommended further research on neuromuscular factors at the hip. The frontal plane hip muscles have been a strong focus in strength comparison but not for electromyography investigation.

Kinetics of the inactivation of human and bovine trypsins and chymotrypsins by alpha1-proteinase inhibitor and of their reactivation by alpha2-macroglobulin.

The time dependency of inactivation of human cationic trypsin and chymotrypsin II and of bovine trypsin and alpha-chymotrypsin by human serum has been investigated. Since the molar concentration of serum alpha1-proteinase inhibitor is much higher than that of other inhibitors, this time dependence could be used to calculate the rate constants kass for the association of alpha1-proteinase inhibitor with the four proteases. The association process was found to be second order, with kass ranging from 1 x10(4) s-1 (human trypsin) to 2.6 x 10(6) s-1 (bovine chymotrypsin). The human proteases react much more slowly with human alpha1-proteinase inhibitor than the bovine ones. But, whatever the species, chymotrypsin is inhibited more quickly than trypsin. Addition of alpha2-macroblobulin to the inactive complexes resulted in a time-dependent regeneration of enzymic activity due to the formation of alpha2-macroglobulin-protease complexes. The reactivation (i.e. dissociation) process was first order and extremely slow: the half-life of the alpha1-proteinase inhibitor-proteinase complexes ranged from 8 days (bovine chymotrypsin) to 9 months (human chymotrypsin). The human proteases formed the most stable complexes with alpha1-proteinase inhibitor. The pathological implications of these findings are discussed.     

Smoking and serum alpha 1-antitrypsin in 1296 healthy men (author's transl)]

Serum alpha 1-antitrypsin (alpha 1AT) was measured by radial immunodiffusion in 1296 healthy men aged 18--50 years. Other biological criteria, including leukocyte count and alpha 2-globulins were measured and the subjects were given a detailed questionnaire on their smoking habits. Results showed a very strong positive relationship between smoking and serum alpha 1AT: the heavy smokers had a serum alpha 1AT 20% higher than the non-smokers, and among subjects who stopped smoking, the level returned rapidly to normal. There were also close interrelationships between serum alpha 1AT, smoking, leukocyte count and a alpha 2-globulins. A discussion of these results is presented.     

Depression,anhedonia and anxiety in temporomandibular joint and other facial pain syndromes

Depression, anhedonia, state anxiety (A-state), trait anxiety (A-trait), and self-reported pain estimate were measured in almost 500 facial pain patients. These patients were divided into 3 diagnostic categories: myofascial pain dysfunction syndrome (MPD) [8], arthritis of the temporomandibular joints (TMJ arthritis), and trigeminal neuralgia. Three control groups were measured for comparison. They consisted of a normal, or non-patient group, a group of arthritis patients, and a group of movement disorder patients attending a neurology clinic. Among the facial pain patients and the normal controls few differences were found with regard to anhedonia and depression. The arthritis and neurology patients produced significantly higher depression and anhedonia scores than did several of the facial pain groups. Pain estimate ranged from 0 for the controls, to a mean of 67.6 ± 31.3 for the trigeminal neuralgia patients with the MPD ($\text{x}\text{= 56.2 ± 32.5}$) and the TMJ arthritis patients ($\text{x}\text{= 46.7 ± 30.8}$) somewhat lower. Clinical variables such as duration of pain, help seeking behavior and total number of symptoms were correlated with depression but not with anhedonia scores. It is hypothesized that anhedonia is a measure separate from depression and may be more closely linked to suffering behavior than to pain behavior. Psychological variables did not discriminate among facial pain patients and in particular did not distinguish between so-called functional and organic illness.     

Within-Session and Between-Session Reliability,Construct Validity,and Comparison Between Individuals With and Without Neck Pain of Four Neck Muscle Tests

Background

A variety of tests have been proposed to measure the performance of neck flexor muscles, but head-to-head comparisons hardly have been documented.

The effect of pre-incubation and direct procedure for the alanine transaminase assay in two kits compared.

The kinetic measurement of serum alanine transaminase was carried out on two enzyme kits (Roche and Calbiochem), done as a direct method and a pre-incubation method. Variable results from commercial control sera and patient sera by these four procedures were obtained. Pre-incubation enzyme values were generally lower than the direct values (mean difference 10%), but there were marked differences between the results from the two kits. This finding has important significance especially for laboratories participating in external QC Programmes. Frequent precision checks of the method and a local reference range are therefore necessary.     

Deep Neck Flexor Endurance in the Adolescent and Young Adult: Normative Data and Associated Attributes

Background

Deep neck flexor (DNF) muscles stabilize the neck and contribute to head acceleration control. The function of DNF in cervical spine dynamic stabilization has not been examined in athletes of any age group, including adolescents. This investigation was necessary prior to studying the DNF muscles’ role in cervical spine injury patterns.

Simultaneous estimation of urinary steroids by semi-automated gas chromatography. Investigation of neo-natal infants and children with abnormal steroid synthesis.

Development of a method for multicomponent analysis of urinary steroids on open-tubular columns is described. The urinary steroid conjugates were hydrolysed enzymatically, extracted on Amberlite XAD-2 columns, purified on columns of Sephadex LH-20, then analysed as methyloxime trimethylsilyl ethers on a gas chromatograph on which up to 24 samples may be automatically injected. All major urinary steroids from 17-oxosteroids to cortisol metabolites were analysed and these were quantified relative to internal standards, 5alpha-androstane-3alpha, 17alpha-diol and cholesteryl butyrate added to the samples prior to derivatisation. The precision of the full technique and reproducibility of repetitive automatic solid injection was found to be acceptable for the purpose of profile analysis. Examples of urinary steroid profiles in normal infants and infants with disorders of adrenal steroid production and excretion are given.     

Measurement of angiotensin II in human plasma: technical modifications and practical experience.

This paper presents our experience in measurement of plasma angiotensin II concentration according to the method described by Düsterdieck, G. and McElwee, G. (1971) Eur. J. Clin. Invest. 2, 32-38. Certain technical modifications of the procedure have been worked out. For each individual plasma sample, the recovery across extraction and elution steps is determined by addition of radio-iodinated angiotensin II. A time-saving recycling elution procedure is described. Evidence for the clinical applicability of the modified method is presented.     

A simple and rapid procedure for the preparation of human LDH-1 and LDH-5 using an ion-exchange mini-column.

A simple and rapid preparation of LDH-1 and LDH-5 from heart and liver homogenates is described. The preparation is carried out on a 3 ml mini-column of DEAE-Sephadex A-50. The fractions of heart homogenate containing LDH-1 were eluted with an NaCl gradient after salt elution of other isoenzymes. This semi-purified fraction was re-applied to a second column and the whole cycle was repeated. This procedure takes less than 90 min to complete and a 70% yield of LDH-1 can be obtained. The fractions of liver homogenate containing LDH-5 were eluted by simple washing of the gel column with Tris-HCl buffer. The semi-purified fraction was re-applied to a second column and the wash procedure was repeated. This preparation took less than 30 min to complete and a 70% yield was obtained. No apparatus other than a small mini-column is required for this purification.     

Case Report: Aquatic Therapy and End-Stage Dementia

A 54-year-old woman, retired due to progressive cognitive decline, was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer dementia. Conventional medication therapy for dementia had proven futile. Initial evaluation revealed a nonverbal female seated in a wheelchair, dependent on 2-person assist for all transfers and activities of daily living. She had been either nonresponsive or actively resistive for both activities of daily living and transfers in the 6 months before assessment. After a total of 17 1-hour therapy sessions over 19 weeks in a warm water therapy pool, she achieved the ability to tread water for 15 minutes, transfers improved to moderate-to-maximum assist from seated, and ambulation improved to 1000 feet with minimum-to-moderate assist of 2 persons. Communication increased to appropriate “yes,” “no,” and “okay” appropriate responses, and an occasional “thank you” and “very nice.” The authors propose that her clinical progress may be related to her aquatic therapy intervention.

Efficacy and quality of ibuprofen and acetaminophen plus codeine analgesia

A major problem in the understanding and psychological treatment of chronic pain patients is the inadequacy of available assessment procedures. Currently, the most frequently used instrument is the Pain Rating Index (PRI) of the McGill Pain Questionnaire, designed to assess 3 components of pain (i.e., sensory, affective, and evaluative) postulated by the Gate Control Theory. The PRI has been used in many studies to make differential diagnoses, to describe different groups of pain patients, and to identify the factor composition of the instrument itself. To date, however, no study has appropriately tested the a priori structure of the PRI or cross-validated it. Confirmatory factor analytic procedures employed in the present study supported Melzack's postulated tri-component structure of the PRI in 2 diverse samples of pain patients from different hospitals. However, the 3 components were found to be highly intercorrelated. Subsequent analyses revealed that the 3 components of the PRI do not display adequate discriminant validity. The current use of 3 subscales to establish differential diagnoses or patterns of different pain syndromes may lead to inappropriate classification and treatment decisions. The major conclusion of these findings is that use of only the total score of the PRI is appropriate for pain assessment.