Chromosome rearrangements in improved cephalosporin C-producing strains of Acremonium chrysogenum.

A number of A. chrysogenum strains from a lineage improved in cephalosporin C production were analysed by contoured-clamped homogeneous electric field gel electrophoresis (CHEF). Although antibiotic titre was increased across the lineage, chromosome rearrangements were only observed at two points in it. In one member of the lineage the chromosomal changes included those which altered the size of the chromosome on which the isopenicillin N synthetase gene (pcbC) was located. It is proposed that chromosome changes are a chance event in an industrial strain improvement programme.

A nutrition education workshop for managers of nutrition centers for the elderly utilizing videotaped simulations for assessment.

As funds become increasingly scarce, an effective nutrition education method which reaches large numbers of elderly individuals is appropriate. A nutrition workshop was provided for 30 managers of government-sponsored nutrition centers for the elderly in a 5-county area. The workshop curriculum, determined after interests of both center managers and participants at the nutrition centers were assessed, was presented in a packet of materials to each workshop attendee and supplemented with explanations and demonstrations. A pre- and post-test evaluation instrument, which included videotaped simulations of typical nutritional situations encountered with elderly persons at the centers, was used to measure attitudes and knowledge before and after the workshop. As a result of the workshop, knowledge increased significantly as measured by the test instrument and 75% of the managers reported use of materials and ideas during the 5 months following the workshop.

Developing a strategy for understanding adolescent nutrition concerns.

Disseminating nutrition information that adolescents will incorporate into their lives has been a difficult challenge for nutrition educators. The communication of such information has often been a "one-way street"; adolescents are given information that educators feel they need to have. Researchers contend that a more effective way to communicate is for adolescents to describe what they need to know in order to relate nutrition messages to their own worlds. A research model based on Brenda Dervin's work with the "sense-making" theory of communication was used to better determine adolescents' perceived nutrition concerns. Adolescents aged 14 to 16 across six states were interviewed to record personal situations they experienced concerning food, nutrition, and/or eating. Situation "movement states" were identified to determine the qualitative ways in which the adolescents perceived themselves as dealing with the situations they described. Data indicate that this theoretical base may be used by nutrition educators to identify adolescents' nutrition needs and to design appropriate education materials.

The sense-making approach for audience assessment of adolescents.

The purpose of the research was to test the methodology used to identify how adolescents approach their nutrition concerns and questions. The methodology was based on Dervin's sense-making theory. Using a time-line interview technique, 305 adolescents 14 to 16 years of age detailed a situation involving their most important nutrition concerns. Other pertinent information was obtained. Cluster analysis was chosen as the appropriate analysis to identify groups of adolescents who responded similarly to the technique. Discriminant analysis was then used to determine which variables maximally separated the groups. Four groups were identified, two of which described action-oriented approaches to dealing with nutrition situations and differed in terms of how much outside help they wanted. The remaining two groups perceived barriers to dealing with situations and also differed in how much help they wanted. A fifth group indicated no nutrition concerns or questions. The results will be used to develop and test the effectiveness of nutrition education when it is focused on the different approaches.

A weight-control program for bank employees.

Three separate weight-control classes were offered to employees of a Lincoln bank. The classes consisted of eight consecutive, 1-hour weekly sessions with two booster sessions at 6-week intervals. Behavior change, caloric and nutritional value of foods, and exercise were stressed in the classes. Long-term success of the program was evaluated for two classes, one at 27 months and the other at 22 months after the initial session. Weight losses of Class 1 averaged 11.3 lb at 8 weeks, 15.7 lb after 5 months, and 8.5 lb at 27 months. For Class 2, weight loss after 8 weeks averaged 8.8 lb, with a 10.3-lb loss at 5 months, and an 8.3-lb loss at 22 months. For Class 3, weight loss averaged 6.8 lb after 8 weeks and 12.0 lb at 5 months. This was the most recent class, and sufficient time has not elapsed to measure long-term results. Participants who achieved the greatest success reported substituting baking and broiling for frying as their method of food preparation, exercising routinely, eating smaller portions of food, and setting goals for weight loss. The program was considered cost-effective by both the dietitian and the bank administration.

Nutrition support teams--a 1983 survey.

Nutrition support teams (NST) in a variety of public and private US hospitals were surveyed in the spring of 1983. A mailed questionnaire elicited information from 521 previously identified teams. The intent was to survey the characteristics of hospitals with NST, the structure and function of NST and the attitudes of coworkers regarding NST. The questionnaire was designed to facilitate individual team communication of successes and admonitions regarding team initiation and function. Nutrition support teams from 267 of 521 (51.6%) hospitals responded. Teams, multidisciplinary in composition, were located most frequently in 200 to 500-bed private, nonprofit hospitals. Financial arrangements and the scope of service rendered varied. Attitudes about NST reflected some problems with attending physicians' skepticism, rivalry, and ignorance. Other hospital professionals' attitudes were reported as supportive with reservations. Comments, penned by 90% of respondents, indicated a solid, positive concern for developing nutritional expertise, productive teamwork, and support from fellow care-givers. Generally, NST were found to be in a period of growth and essentially healthy.

Infant feeding practices of low- and middle-income families in Nebraska.

Feeding practices for 100 infants from low-income families were compared with practices for 102 infants from middle-income families in Lincoln, NE, in 1980. Families with annual incomes less than $10,000 were classified as low income and those with incomes of $10,000 or more as middle income. Breast feeding occurred with similar frequency in both income groups, with 56% of each group breast feeding for varying periods of time, some exclusively and some in combination with formula feeding. Age of introduction of solid foods was positively correlated with annual income and education of mothers. Breast-fed infants were introduced to solids later than bottle-fed infants. Attendance at prenatal classes affected feeding practices favorably, particularly with middle-income mothers. Mothers who attended the classes were more likely to breast feed and to introduce solid foods at a later age.

Pantothenic acid content of human milk.

One-day diets were recorded by 22 lactating women 1 to 6 months postpartum. Pantothenic acid content of the diets was estimated using a published table of pantothenic acid values for food. The mean pantothenic acid intake of the lactating women was 7.6 mg/day over the 6-month period. The day after diet recording, the women collected two samples of breast milk during the first feeding of the day after 5 AM. The first sample was obtained at the beginning of the feed (fore milk) and the second at the end of the feed (hind milk). The pantothenic acid in the milk was determined by microbiological assay using Lactobacillus plantarum, after prior treatment of the milk with intestinal phosphatase and pigeon liver extract to free bound pantothenic acid. There was no significance acid in the milk was 6.7 microgram/ml. No change occurred in the concentration of pantothenic acid in the milk from 1 to 6 months postpartum. There was a significant (p less than 0.005), positive correlation (r = 0.51) between the pantothenic acid in the diet of the mother the day preceding milk collection and the pantothenic acid content of the milk.

Effect of leaflets vs. food samples on food purchasing.

Attempts to influence purchases of oranges and whole wheat bread indicated that both leaflets describing the merits of the food and samples provided for testing had some degree of success in stimulating sales. The attempts were more successful for whole wheat bread than for oranges. The sustained effect of the promotions was not measured. Directing attention to specific foods may be an effective method of introducing nutritionally desirable foods into the diet and thus constitute an effective method of nutrition education.

Differences in kinetic properties of drugs: implications as to the selection of a particular drug for use in patients with renal failure with special emphasis on antibiotics and beta-adrenoceptor blocking agents.

Adjustment of dosage of a renally excreted drug (or active metabolite) for patients with severe renal failure still causes some difficulties. It is therefore helpful to select, within a given therapeutic group of drugs, a compound that is particularly safe and easy to use and, if possible, does not require adjustment of dosage. This is 'the drug of choice for renal patients'. Such a drug would ideally meet the following pharmacokinetic criteria: normal urinary excretion less than 30% of the administered dose, predominant biliary and intestinal removal, disposition essentially unaffected by parameters likely to be modified in renal failure (e.g. changes in serum proteins or fluid compartments: receptor sensitivity, etc), and pharmacokinetics not complicated by the formation of active or toxic metabolites that depend on urinary elimination. Above all, the drug should have a wide therapeutic margin and must be free of nephrotoxicity. Examples of drugs of choice for patients with impaired renal function are given for some important therapeutic groups and special emphasis is placed on antibiotics and beta-adrenoceptor blocking agents.

Faking psychosis on the Rorschach: can expert judges detect malingering?

The susceptibility of the Rorschach to faking of psychological disturbance has been subject to few studies, all of which have significant methodological deficiences. Faking of psychosis was examined in this study by using Rorschach experts as judges to blindly evaluate both faked and actual psychotic protocols. The faked protocols came from role-informed and role-uninformed individuals who were asked to specifically malinger paranoid schizophrenia on the Rorschach. The results indicated that the expert judges were unable to detect the faked psychotic protocols regardless of whether the faker was or was not role-informed. However, significantly more role-informed faked protocols received psychotic designations than both the role-uninformed faked and actual psychotic protocols. Expert clinical judgments o- the Rorschach are apparently very susceptible to faking of serious disturbance.

Food habit changes of Chinese persons living in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Qualitative and quantitative changes in food habits of Chinese persons living in Lincoln, Nebraska, were evaluated. Findings indicated that these people do have a flexible attitude toward foods. Incorporation of American foods into their diet and a decreased consumption of Chinese foods showed that a continuous process of food-habit changing is occurring in this group. In particular, more American foods have been incorporated in their breakfast and lunch patterns, while for the dinner meal, the more traditional Chinese foods continue to be eaten. Factors related to the ease of adaptation to American food were investigated, and possible implications are suggested.

Effect of dietary fiber on copper, zinc, and magnesium utilization by adolescent boys.

The effect of three dietary fibers on zinc, copper, and magnesium utilization by adolescent boys was studied. The 21-day study was divided into a 2-day introductory nitrogen depletion period, a 3-day adjustment period, and a four 4-day randomly arranged experimental period. During the four experimental periods, the eight adolescent male subjects received a basal diet plus 14.2 g supplements of cellulose, hemicellulose, or pectin. All subjects received all experimental diets. Zinc, copper, and magnesium contents of food, urine and blood serum were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Relatively small changes in urinary excretion or in blood serum contents of these minerals were found that could be attributed to dietary fiber supplementation. Statistically significant changes in fecal mineral loss were demonstrated. While receiving the basal diet alone or plus hemicellulose, cellulose, or pectin, mean fecal zinc contents (milligrams per subject per day) were 9.64, 13.32, 10.26, and 9.63, respectively; mean fecal copper contents (milligrams per subject per day) were 3.78, 5.04, 4.07, and 3.91, respectively; and mean fecal magnesium contents (milligrams per subject per day) were 303.71, 379.20, 325.69, and 278.48, respectively.

Nebraska physicians' attitudes and practices in the field of infant feeding and nutrition.

A questionnaire was mailed to all pediatricians, family practitioners, and general practitioners in Nebraska to determine their attitudes and practices concerning infant feeding and nutrition. One hundred seventy responded. Their attitudes and practices regarding infant feeding and nutrition generally seemed to be positive. Areas in which they were undecided were often nutrition concerns which are currently being researched.

PIP: Purpose of this survey was to investigate physicians' current practices and attitudes on nutritional care and feeding of the infant. The survey was conducted by mailing 426 questionnaires; only 170, or 40% were returned completed and were used. 17% of physicians were pediatricians, and 83% were general practitioners; only 10% had taken specific courses in nutrition in medical school, but most had received some nutrition education. Most physicians were in favor of preventive nutrition, such as taking measures against obesity during infancy; most were unsure of the effects of sodium in infant diets as related to adult hypertension, and of the role of breast feeding and of bottle feeding on weight gain. Most doctors were in favor of breast feeding; 90% recommended adjusting the infant diet in relation to weight; 60% did not recommend a structured feeding schedule; only 41% recommended a prepared formula containing iron, 31% recommended it occasionally, and 21% rarely. 81.7% recommended solid food at or before the 2nd month of age (this percentage was 66% in 1954, and 30% in 1968); 90% recommended cereals by 4 months. 13% recommended discontinuing formula by 3 months, and 73% by 6 months (versus 45% and 92%, respectively, in 1968). 39% of physicians stated that they imparted nutrition information to mothers, while 31% gave printed materials on infant feeding. In general, physicians in this study did not support the debated recommendation for the routine use of iron-fortified milk for infant.

Nutritional knowledge, attitudes, and food patterns of women athletes.

Nutritional knowledge, attitudes, and food patterns of women athletes at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln were studied. Mean test scores for nutritional knowledge were higher for questions relating to "nutrition for the athlete" than to "general nutrition." Attitudes toward nutrition were generally favorable, with a positive correlation between nutritional knowledge and attitudes. Athletes who had received some form of nutrition education had higher nutritional knowledge and attitude scores than those who had not. Respondents were especially concerned with diet as it relates to weight control; those with higher knowledge scores consistently followed food patterns for weight-control diets similar to those used in training and pre-event diets.

Urinary ascorbic acid excretion in the human as affected by dietary fiber and zinc.

The objective of the project was to study the effect of dietary pectin, cellulose, hemicellulose, and zinc on human urinary excretion of ascorbic acid. The project consisted of two 33-day controlled feeding studies involving a total of 19 adult men and women normal health. Within each study all subjects received all experimental treatments. In study A during the four 7-day experimental periods the ground peanut based diets were varied as follows: no supplement, 14.2 g of hemicellulose supplement, 14.2 g of cellulose supplement, or 14.2 g of pectin supplement per subject per day. Mean urinary excretion of ascorbic acid by subjects while receiving these supplements were 26.10, 32.27, 26.27, or 20.60 mg/day, respectively. In study B during the four 7-day randomly arranged experimental periods, the following alterations were made to the basal diet: supplement of 14.2 g of pectin plus 1.3 g of zinc, 14.2 g of pectin plus 9.3 g of zinc, 4.2 g pectin plus 1.3 g of zinc, and 4.2 g of pectin plus 9.3 g of zinc. Mean urinary ascorbic acid excretion of subjects while receiving these diets were as follows: 20.61, 23.18, 28.07, 18.99. Hemicellulose supplement enhanced urinary excretion of ascorbic acid while pectin and zinc resulted in decreased urinary excretion of this vitamin. Increased urinary excretion of ascorbic acid at constant intake levels is thought usually to be indicative of enhanced absorption or of decreased need.

Urea as a dietary supplement for humans.

Use of urea as a nonprotein supplement in the feeding of beef cattle and other ruminant animals is a technique of practical application. Urea has also been used in human feeding studies. Its early employment was that of an added source of amino nitrogen in studies designed to determine minimum requirements of the essential amino acid. Later studies suggested that it's inclusion in diet containing sub-optimal amounts of protein supplied by various food product could result in the establishment of apparent improvement in protein nutriture. Other studies indicate that urea is not unique in this ability but is only one of many possible sources of amino nitrogen and is actually one of the least effective. Known and potential hazzards definitely prohibit the use of urea supplements to food products other than in research or clinical laboratories at the present time.