An age difference of two billion years between a metal-rich and a metal-poor globular cluster.

Globular clusters trace the formation history of the spheroidal components of our Galaxy and other galaxies, which represent the bulk of star formation over the history of the Universe. The clusters exhibit a range of metallicities (abundances of elements heavier than helium), with metal-poor clusters dominating the stellar halo of the Galaxy, and higher-metallicity clusters found within the inner Galaxy, associated with the stellar bulge, or the thick disk. Age differences between these clusters can indicate the sequence in which the components of the Galaxy formed, and in particular which clusters were formed outside the Galaxy and were later engulfed along with their original host galaxies, and which were formed within it. Here we report an absolute age of 9.9 ± 0.7 billion years (at 95 per cent confidence) for the metal-rich globular cluster 47 Tucanae, determined by modelling the properties of the cluster's white-dwarf cooling sequence. This is about two billion years younger than has been inferred for the metal-poor cluster NGC 6397 from the same models, and provides quantitative evidence that metal-rich clusters like 47 Tucanae formed later than metal-poor halo clusters like NGC 6397.

Management of thyroid cancer: radioiodine ablation, "stunning," and treatment of thyroglobulin-positive, (131)I scan-negative patients.

OBJECTIVE: To present an overview of three controversial issues in the management of thyroid cancerradioiodine ablation, "stunning," and treatment of thyroglobulin-positive, (131)I scan-negative patients. METHODS: Pertinent studies from the literature and personal experience are reviewed. RESULTS: Radioiodine is commonly administered after thyroidectomy to destroy residual normal thyroid cells, a procedure known as thyroid ablation. Currently, use of radioiodine for ablation has been shown to decrease the risk of recurrence, increase the sensitivity of postablation whole-body scanning with radioiodine, and increase the sensitivity of serum thyroglobulin testing. With use of conventional criteria, administration of 30,000 rad to the thyroid remnant will successfully ablate approximately 95% of remnants that are 2 g or less, but the success rate is lower in patients with larger remnants. The same degree of success can be achieved by administration of 50 mCi of (131)I. The use of larger amounts of radioiodine does not increase the number of patients with successful thyroid ablation. If recurrence is used as the endpoint, no difference has been observed between patients who were given 29 to 50 mCi and those given 50 to 100 mCi for ablation. Stunning occurs when (131)I administered for preablation imaging causes a decrease in uptake of radioiodine subsequently given for ablation. Scanning doses of 2 mCi or less have not been shown to cause stunning, but the risk increases progressively with larger amounts. Therapeutic radioiodine is being given to patients with detectable thyroglobulin but negative (131)I whole-body scans with increasing frequency. Although posttherapy scans show abnormal uptake in most cases, no available evidence indicates that these patients benefit from treatment. CONCLUSION: Radioiodine ablation after thyroidectomy decreases the risk of recurrent thyroid cancer and facilitates subsequent radioiodine treatment. Stunning can be avoided by use of a maximal scanning dose of 2 mCi. It seems reasonable to treat patients who have progressively increasing thyroglobulin levels but to continue careful observation in those with stable or decreasing thyroglobulin concentrations.

Thyroid uptake of liquid versus capsule 131I tracers in hyperthyroid patients treated with liquid 131I.

The amount of 131I used to treat hyperthyroid patients is based in part on the 24-hour thyroid uptake of a diagnostic amount of radioiodine (tracer). We compared the 24-hour uptake of an 131I tracer administered in liquid or capsule form to the 24-hour uptake of 131I therapy administered as liquid. Sixty-five hyperthyroid patients with Graves' disease were evaluated and subsequently treated with radioiodine. The liquid group (45 patients) received a liquid 131I tracer (1.85 MBq [0.05 mCi]) and the capsule group (20 patients) received a capsule 131I tracer (1.63 MBq [0.044 mCi]). Probe calibration factors were the same for the liquid and capsule 131I standards. All patients received therapeutic amounts of 131I [114.7-1106.3 MBq [3.1-29.9 mCi]) in liquid form. Therapy uptakes were obtained using the same collimated uptake probe modified with a calibrated lead shield to attenuate the high photon flux. The mean therapeutic uptake was the same for both groups (58%). The mean diagnostic uptake for the capsule group, however, was less than the mean diagnostic uptake for the liquid group (44% vs. 63%). The mean diagnostic uptake for the capsule group was significantly lower than the mean therapeutic uptake for this group (44% vs. 58%), whereas the mean diagnostic and therapeutic uptakes were similar for the group receiving a liquid tracer (63% vs. 58%). In conclusion, diagnostic uptakes performed with a liquid tracer more accurately predicted liquid therapy uptakes than diagnostic uptakes performed with a capsule tracer. This raises concern about the bioavailability of 131I in capsule form and has implications for determining the amount of 131I to administer for therapy. Patients whose 131I therapy was based on the uptake of a capsule tracer received a higher than intended amount of radiation to the thyroid gland.

Ratings of interpersonal conduct in small groups by aggregated peers and self: replicated factor analyses.

After participating in 32 small, interpersonal learning groups, 258 young adult, U.S. students twice rated each same-group member's conduct on brief, bipolar measures of self-acceptance and acceptance of others. These ratings had medium effect-size shifts toward the expressive, shows feelings, dominant, active, and warm anchors of the bipolar subscales. Separate principal components analyses of how the men and women were rated at each time by both aggregated others and self revealed very similar factorial structures, despite the shifts, the gender and status (leader vs. member) effects, the largely positive intermeasure correlations, and the intervening discussions of the first sets of ratings. Wholly composed of subscales addressing self-acceptance, Factor 1 was best marked by active vs. passive, and the Accepts Others vs. Rejects Others subscale best marked Factor 2. These measures appear to have a robust internal structure and to represent the 2 salient dimensions of interpersonal behavior.

Confounded versus nonconfounded correlations among the neo-personality inventory's domain and facet scales.

The 18 subscales constituting the Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Openness domain scales of Costa and McCrae's NEO-Personality Inventory were correlated with all five NEO-PI domain measures using data from 303 university students. Their residual domain scale scores correlated less than .50 with those on nine facet scales. A divergent domain scale correlated + or - .30 or more with 11 facets, including correlations of -.34 or more by Conscientiousness with the Impulsiveness, Vulnerability, and Depression facets of neuroticism. These latter values were even stronger in the NEO-Personality Inventory-Revised. The correlation of a facet scale with its preassigned residual domain scale and with a divergent domain scale did not differ significantly in 6 of the 18 cases. Unconfounded (part vs whole-minus-part) correlations had a median value of .52 versus .68 for their confounded (part vs whole) counterparts. A full report of unconfounded correlations clarifies the structure of composite personality measures.

Failure of hyperimmune plasma to prevent pneumonia caused by Rhodococcus equi in foals.

A trial was conducted on a Thoroughbred stud to determine whether or not the administration of anti-Rhodococcus equi hyperimmune plasma would reduce the prevalence of R equi pneumonia (rattles) in foals born in the 1992 horse breeding season. Hyperimmune plasma was administered to 34 foals; another 57 foals were untreated. There was no significant difference in the number of transfused foals developing R equi pneumonia compared with the untreated foals. The time required for recovery from pneumonia between the 2 groups was not significantly different.

Thyroid nodules in the population living around Chernobyl.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the baseline incidence, prevalence, and characteristics of thyroid nodules in the population living around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and to compare the findings with unexposed populations. DESIGN: Prevalence study. Population samples from seven highly contaminated villages were compared with six nearby control villages of the same size and type. The data were obtained as part of the International Chernobyl Project conducted in 1990. SETTING: The study was conducted 4.5 years after the Chernobyl reactor accident that released large quantities of radionuclides, including radioiodine. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Population samples of approximately 100 persons residing in both highly contaminated villages and control villages since the accident were compared. Individuals were selected on the basis of birth date as being 5, 10, 40, or 60 years old at the time of the study. All persons selected underwent a thyroid examination. INTERVENTIONS: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Two main outcome measures were used, both for thyroid nodularity: clinical palpation and high-resolution ultrasonography. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in thyroid nodularity between the study groups. Nodules were palpated in 0.7% of children and 2.9% of adults. Discrete nodules were found by ultrasonography in 0.5% of children and 14.9% of adults. Multinodular goiter was found in 3% of adults. Nodules were more common in females. CONCLUSIONS: Four and a half years after the Chernobyl accident, the incidence, prevalence, and characteristics of thyroid nodules were the same in population samples from both highly contaminated and control settlements and similar to results reported for unexposed populations in other countries.

Self-acceptance, acceptance of others, and SYMLOG: equivalent measures of the two central interpersonal dimensions?

After 50 hours of small group participation during 9 weeks, 91 young adults rated each same-group member's conduct on SYMLOG's dimensions of dominance, friendliness, and task-orientedness. Earlier, they made similar ratings twice, several weeks apart, on separate measures of self-acceptance and acceptance of others. Individuals' mean SYMLOG dominance ratings by group peers correlated much more highly with aggregated ratings for self-acceptance (.83) than for other-acceptance (.02), while SYMLOG friendliness correlated more positively with acceptance of others (.85) than with self-acceptance (.05). Self-ratings yielded parallel, but weaker associations. After attenuation corrections, these divergent approaches to assessing the interpersonal domain's central dimensions yielded empirically equivalent results. Both methods provide measures relevant to small group processes.

Does FIRO-B relate better to interpersonal or intrapersonal behavior?

After meeting for 33 hours over 7 weeks, 64 undergraduates from 11 small interpersonal skills groups rated themselves on Schutz's (1958) Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientations-Behavior (FIRO-B). Three weeks and 17 more group interaction hours later, they also described each same-group participant, including self, on Lorr and McNair's (1963) Interpersonal Behavior Inventory (IBI). Correlations between self-ratings on 6 FIRO-B and 15 IBI scales yielded 25 significant statistically (p less than .05) values, but merely 5 among FIRO-B's 90 parallel correlations with individual's mean IBI ratings from pooled small group peers. Of all 30 significant correlations, 19 linked FIRO-B's overlapping affection and inclusion measures positively, but narrowly, with 4 IBI scales that address affiliativeness/sociability. The findings challenge Schutz's (1958) paradoxical claim that FIRO-B validly assesses interpersonal behavior by an intrapersonal method.

Radioactive iodine treatment of a functional thyroid carcinoma producing hyperthyroidism in a dog.

Radioactive iodine (131I) was used in the treatment of a 12-year-old female dog with hyperthyroidism resulting from a large, unresectable (and metastatic) thyroid carcinoma associated with signs of severe inspiratory stridor and dyspnea. Hyperthyroidism was diagnosed on the basis of clinical signs (polyuria, polydipsia, polyphagia, weight loss, nervousness) and high basal serum thyroxine (T4) concentrations, as well as thyroid radioiodine kinetic studies that showed a high radioiodine uptake into the thyroid (% thyroid uptake) and markedly increased serum concentrations of protein-bound iodine-131 (PB131I) after 131I tracer injection. Thyroid imaging revealed diffuse radionuclide accumulation by the tumor, which involved both thyroid lobes. The dog was treated with three large doses of radioiodine (131I), ranging from 60 to 75 mCi, given at intervals of 5 to 7 months. The dog became euthyroid, and the size of the tumor decreased by approximately 25% after each 131I treatment, improving the severe inspiratory stridor and dyspnea, but both the hyperthyroid state and breathing difficulty recurred within a few months of each treatment. The dog was euthanatized 5 months after the last treatment because of progressive tracheal compression and pulmonary metastasis.

Thyroid suppression and stimulation testing: The place of scanning in the evaluation of nodular thyroid disease.

In the past, T3 suppression testing was often required to confirm the presence of autonomous thyroid function in patients with borderline clinical and laboratory findings suggestive of hyperthyroidism or in euthyroid patients with the stigmata of Graves' disease. Similarly, TSH stimulation testing was used to document the presence of "low thyroid reserve" in patients with borderline clinical and laboratory findings suggestive of hypothyroidism. The current availability of radioimmunoassays for triiodothyronine (T3) and thyrotorpin (TSH) plus the ability to evalate pituitary responsiveness by performing a TRH stimulation test permits a definitive diagnosis to be made in the majority of borderline situations without recourse to the more cumbersome suppression and stimulation tests. Suppression and stimulation thyroid scanning retain a unique position in the evaluation of localized areas in increased uptake of radionuclide (hot nodules), especially in patients who are euthyroid. Proof that such nodules are autonomously functioning thyroid adenomas (AFTN) greatly decreases the possibility that they represent malignant thyroid tumors. Suppression and stimulation scanning have a more limited role in the evaluation of patients with hyperthyroidism arising in a multinodular goiter, where TSH stimulation scanning may help to differentiate between toxic multinodular goiter and Graves' disease arising in a preexisting goiter.

Curative factors in psychotherapeutic and growth groups.

A 60-item Q-sort that represented 12 "curative factors" regarded as crucial to the efficacy of psychotherapeutic groups by Yalom (1970) was administered to volunteer undergraduate participants after the end of 20-hour (2 hours weekly) personal growth groups. The Q-sort items were ranked very similarly for Helpfulness in the group experience by the growth groupers and by Yalom's successful group psychotherapy outpatients. Members of both kinds of groups linked Helpfulness strongly with Yalom's Interpersonal Input and Catharsis measures. The content of these variables' salient items closely resembled two broader dimensions of interpersonal behavior, Acceptance vs. Rejection of Others and Self-Acceptance vs. Rejection, which appear prepotent (Hurley, 1976) in a wide variety of group settings.