Monitoring and characterization of ink vehicle autoxidation by inverse gas chromatography.

It is now well-established that increased usage of vegetable oils in offset ink formulas aggravates the deinking problems in recycling plants during summer months. The seasonal loss of brightness of recycled paper has been ascribed to increased bonding of oxidatively aged prints to the paper surface. The progress of the oxidative aging of soya bean and linseed oils was followed by inverse gas chromatography. We first report here the rate and extent of vegetable oil oxidation, by measuring the changes in Kovats retention index as a function of the oxidation time. We then characterized the physicochemical changes accompanying the oxidation of vegetable oils from measurements of the partial heat of mixing in the infinite dilution regime.

Emotional distress reported by women and husbands prior to a breast biopsy.

The purpose of this study was to describe the emotional distress of women (N = 300) and husbands (N = 265) prior to the women's breast biopsy and to identify factors related to their levels of distress. Standardized instruments were used to measure social support, uncertainty, marital satisfaction, family functioning, concurrent stress, hopelessness, and emotional distress. Women reported moderately high levels of emotional distress and significantly more distress than their husbands. Forty-two percent of the variance in women's distress scores and 42% of the variance in husbands' distress scores were accounted for by the independent variables. Concurrent stress, lower education, hopelessness, and uncertainty explained the most variance in women's distress, while concurrent stress, hopelessness, and family functioning explained the most variance in husbands' distress.

Factors affecting couples' adjustment to recurrent breast cancer.

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that affect the adjustment of women and their husbands to recurrent breast cancer and to examine the mutual effect that partners have on one another. An exploratory study was designed to determine the relationship between four predictor variables (support, uncertainty, symptom distress, hopelessness) and women's and husbands' adjustments. The sample consisted of 155 subjects; 81 women, who had a first recurrence of breast cancer, and 74 husbands. Multiple standardized instruments with established reliability and validity were used to measure the study variables. The independent variables were measured with the Social Support Questionnaire, the Mishel Uncertainty in Illness Scale, McCorkle Symptom Distress Scale and the Beck Hopelessness Scale. The dependent variable, psychosocial adjustment, was measured with the Brief Symptom Inventory and the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale. The results indicated that the independent variables accounted for 43% of the variance in women's distress and 32% of the variance in husbands' distress; they also explained 66% of the variance in women's role adjustment problems and 57% of the variance in husbands' role problems. Symptom distress and hopelessness accounted for the most variance in women's and husbands' levels of adjustment. A significant and positive relationship was found between women's and husbands' adjustment scores, indicating that partners have a mutual influence on one another. The findings suggest that there are multiple factors that influence couples' adjustment to recurrent breast cancer, and that these factors need to be taken into consideration when planning care for women and their partners.

An advanced practice model: inpatient collaborative practices.

Advanced practice nurses play a key role in optimal patient care. In primary care, their functions include history taking, physical examination, development of a plan of care, instruction and counseling, use of laboratory data, diagnosis of routine illness, prescription of medications or other therapies as allowed by state laws, coordination of services, and referral when necessary. These nursing services may be provided independently or in collaboration with physician providers. Nurse-physician collaborative practices generally occur in the ambulatory care setting. The purpose of this article is to illustrate inpatient collaborative practices with CNSs and staff physicians in an urban, medical-center hospital.

An analysis of the relationship of gender and age to MMPI scores of patients with chronic pain.

This study investigated the relationship of age and gender to the MMPI scores of patients with chronic pain; 1,766 patients with musculoskeletal lumbar and/or cervical pain were evaluated, using the MMPI. Multivariate analysis of variance (p < .001) revealed main effects for gender and age group variables; no interaction effects were found. For the age group variable, significant differences were found on two validity and seven clinical scales. Subjects in the 70- to 90-year age group produced the lowest scores on all scales except L, F, and MF. Linear declines across age groups, and quadratic effects were found on some scales. The authors hypothesize that developmental transitions may account in part for these findings.

Inflammatory potential of foreign particulates in parenteral drugs.

Particulate and bacterial contamination of IV fluids and drugs have been implicated in venous thrombosis, infusion phlebitis, suppurative thrombophlebitis, pyrogenic reactions, and systemic sepsis. In a study of the inflammatory potential of the filterable residue of sodium cephalothin, we have found a tissue-specific reaction with venous endothelium but not with cutaneous or subcutaneous tissues. In a controlled animal model, removal of particulates from an infusion by use of a 0.45 micron in-line membrane filter reduces the incidence and severity of infusion phlebitis.