The Initial Mass Function of Low-mass Stars and Brown Dwarfs in the W3 Complex.

We have used archival infrared images obtained with the Wide Field Camera 3 on board the Hubble Space Telescope to constrain the initial mass function of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs in the W3 star-forming region. The images cover 438 arcmin2, which encompasses the entire complex, and were taken in the filters F110W, F139M, and F160W. We have estimated extinctions for individual sources in these data from their colors and have dereddened their photometry accordingly. By comparing an area of the images that contains the richest concentration of previously identified W3 members to an area that has few members and is dominated by background stars, we have estimated the luminosity function for members of W3 with masses of 0.03-0.4 M ⨀. That luminosity function closely resembles data in typical nearby star-forming regions that have much smaller stellar populations than W3 (≲500 vs. several thousand objects). Thus, we do not find evidence of significant variations in the initial mass function of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs with star-forming conditions, which is consistent with recent studies of other distant massive star-forming regions.

Music therapy in palliative medicine.

A partnership between The Cleveland Clinic Foundation and The Cleveland Music School Settlement has resulted in music therapy becoming a standard part of the care in our palliative medicine inpatient unit. This paper describes a music therapy program and its impact on patients, their families, and staff. A service delivery model is suggested for implementation and integration of music therapy within palliative medicine. Specific music therapy interventions, evaluation and documentation techniques are also mentioned. A description of patient and family responses to music therapy, staff satisfaction, and effectiveness of interventions is presented.

The effect of music-based imagery and musical alternate engagement on the burn debridement process.

Management of pain is a primary concern in the treatment of burn patients. The intent of this study was to test the efficacy of music-based imagery and musical alternate engagement in assisting burn patients in managing their pain and anxiety during debridement. Twenty-five patients, 7 years of age and older, who were admitted to the Comprehensive Burn Care Center were enrolled in the study, which used a repeated-measures design with subjects serving as their own control. Subjects were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups. Those placed in Group A received music therapy intervention during their first dressing change, and no music therapy on the following day. Group B received no music therapy intervention during their first dressing change and music therapy during their next dressing, on the following day. Data were collected at 4 intervals in the medical procedure; in the patient's room before transfer to the treatment room, in the treatment room during debridement, in the treatment room after debridement, and upon returning to the patient's room. The measurements taken were pulse, patients' self-report of pain, patients' self-report of anxiety, and the nurse's observation of patients' tension. There was a significant reduction in the self-reporting of pain in those who received music therapy in contrast to those who did not receive music therapy (P < .03). Music therapy is a valuable noninvasive intervention for the treatment of pain after burn injury.

Intravenous fleroxacin versus ceftazidime for lower respiratory tract and skin and soft-tissue infections.

Fleroxacin, a new quinolone antimicrobial agent, was evaluated as part of a multicenter, comparative, open-label, randomized trial with ceftazidime in the treatment of lower respiratory tract infections and skin and soft-tissue infections. After written informed consent was obtained, 20 patients were entered at our center. Twelve patients were assigned to the fleroxacin group; 6 in each infection category. Of these 12 patients, 2 with pneumonia and 3 with skin and soft-tissue infection were not clinically evaluable. The mean duration of therapy was 5.7 +/- 3.0 days in the fleroxacin group versus 7.9 +/- 2.0 days in the ceftazidime group. The gram-positive organisms responsible for those infections not evaluable were methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and group F streptococcus, all of which were resistant to fleroxacin. In total, 6 gram-positive isolates were resistant to fleroxacin. All but 2 S aureus isolates were susceptible to ceftazidime. Adverse reactions in both groups were negligible. Fleroxacin was found to be as effective as ceftazidime against a variety of gram-negative pathogens, but local susceptibility patterns for quinolones should be checked before empiric use of fleroxacin against gram-positive pathogens such as streptococci.