Alcohol use and retinal vessels: insights into the mechanism of alcohol-induced stroke.

Alcohol use is a recognized risk factor for stroke. We hypothesized that alcohol use may increase the risk of stroke, independent of an effect on blood pressure, by causing cerebral vasoconstriction. To examine this, we used retinal vessels as a marker for cerebral vessels and analysed the cross-sectional associations between alcohol use and total retinal vessel width in 741 Japanese and 434 American white male telephone executives. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were negatively associated with retinal vessel width in the Japanese (p less than 0.0001, 0.0001, respectively) but this association did not achieve statistical significance in the Americans (p less than 0.1, 0.3). Japanese drinkers had a larger mean retinal vessel width than Japanese abstainers, while American drinkers had a smaller retinal vessel width than abstainers. These associations between alcohol use and retinal vessel width were not significant within nationalities but the interaction between alcohol use and nationality was significant, independent of other stroke risk factors (p less than 0.04). Although these results do not support the initial hypothesis, they are consistent with known biological differences in alcohol metabolism between Japanese and American men and support different effects of alcohol use on retinal vessel calibre in these two nationalities.

Acquired functional asplenia in sarcoidosis.

Sarcoidosis is a recently identified cause of functional asplenia that can be diagnosed by radionuclide imaging. A 31-year-old woman with a five-year history of histologically compatible sarcoidosis was found to have nonvisualization of the spleen on technetium 99m sulfur colloid (radiopharmaceutical) liver-spleen scan. This scintigraphic finding was accompanied by poikilocytosis and Howell-Jolly bodies in the peripheral blood smear. A subsequent gallium 67 citrate scan reflected an abnormal increase in concentration of activity in the spleen, suggesting an active inflammatory process.Based upon this constellation of findings, it was concluded that acquired functional asplenia is the result of reticuloendothelial cell replacement via infiltration of the spleen by epithelioid cell granulomas of active sarcoidosis. This case also illustrates the reversibility of functional asplenia of sarcoidosis following adrenocorticosteroid therapy. Functional asplenia in sarcoidosis is now found to have a recognizable radionuclide imaging pattern.

Cardiovascular risk factors in American and Japanese executives. Telecom Health Research Group.

A standardized cardiovascular risk factor examination was given to executives in the headquarters of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company and the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation. As expected from the national mortality data, evidence of ischaemic heart disease was more common among American than Japanese executives. The frequency of some but not all risk factors was consistent with the observed differences in ischaemic heart disease. Americans were fatter than their Japanese counterparts, obtained a higher proportion of their caloric intake from animal fats, had higher serum cholesterol levels, and more of them felt that their lives were highly stressful. On the other hand, Japanese executives were much more likely to be cigarette smokers and showed a greater increase in blood pressure with age. Serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids in the serum were similar in the two groups.

Respiratory survey findings as predictors of disability from respiratory diseases.

Male employees of 2 East Coast telephone companies who participated in standardized respiratory surveys from 1961 to 1969 were followed to ascertain days of disability resulting from respiratory illnesses that lasted for more than a week. Subjects for this study were 1,386 white males between the ages of 40 and 65 yr who had had no disabling chest illnesses in the 3-yr period prior to examination. Several survey findings were predictive of subsequent days lost from work. Listed in order of importance, these were diminished forced expiratory volume, a history of ever having had asthma, marked shortness of breath, chronic cough and phlegm, and chronic wheeze. A history of ever having had hay fever was associated with a diminished risk of lost time because of respiratory illness.

Survival of microorganisms in a rock bed under conditions simulating solar heat storage.

A laboratory-scale unit containing about 360 kg of washed river gravel was designed to [ill] the use of rocks for heat storage. The unit was operated under varying conditions of temperature, relative humidity, and the addition of volatile nutrients over a 4-month period. Effluent air and rock surfaces were monitored for the presence of microorganisms. After 2 weeks, virtually no microorganisms were detected in the effluent air except when dry soil or compost was added as the inoculum. A small number of heat-resistant bacteria, but no fungi, were found to survive on the rock surfaces. Microorganisms isolated were either sporeforming bacteria or actinomycetes closely resembling Thermoactinomyces vulgaris. Microbial colonization of rock beds used for solar heat storage does not appear likely under routine operation.

Hot tube atomic absorption spectrochemistry.

A small, commercially available atomic absorption instrument is used with a heated graphite tube for the atomic absorption analysis of liquid and solid silver samples. Operating conditions of the furnace are described and a sensitivity of about 5 ng of silver is reported.