Revolutionary advances in organic foods.

'Organic' is a labelling term that denotes products produced under the authority of the Organic Foods Production Act. Before a product can be labelled 'organic', a government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too. Along with the national organic standards, the USDA developed strict labelling rules to help consumers know the exact content of the food they buy. It is important to emphasise that the USDA has not made any health claims for organic foods. It is indeed fortunate that the US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USDA and the Environmental Protection Agency are now expanding their research to explore the scientific basis for the health benefits of organic foods.

The economic impact of Staphylococcus aureus infection in New York City hospitals.

We modeled estimates of the incidence, deaths, and direct medical costs of Staphylococcus aureus infections in hospitalized patients in the New York City metropolitan area in 1995 by using hospital discharge data collected by the New York State Department of Health and standard sources for the costs of health care. We also examined the relative impact of methicillin-resistant versus -sensitive strains of S. aureus and of community-acquired versus nosocomial infections. S. aureus-associated hospitalizations resulted in approximately twice the length of stay, deaths, and medical costs of typical hospitalizations; methicillin-resistant and -sensitive infections had similar direct medical costs, but resistant infections caused more deaths (21% versus 8%). Community-acquired and nosocomial infections had similar death rates, but community-acquired infections appeared to have increased direct medical costs per patient ($35,300 versus $28,800). The results of our study indicate that reducing the incidence of methicillin-resistant and -sensitive nosocomial infections would reduce the societal costs of S. aureus infection.

The impact of OBRA '87 on psychiatric services in nursing homes. Joint testimony of the American Psychiatric Association and the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry.

The Institute of Medicine has formed a Committee on Improving Quality in Long-Term Care, which is examining the legislative and quality-of-care impact that the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 (OBRA '87) had on long-term care. The American Psychiatric Association and the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry were asked to provide written and oral testimony before the Committee in March 1998. The two organizations summarized the key outcomes of OBRA '87 on the psychiatric needs of individuals who receive services in long-term care settings. The written testimony also encouraged the Committee to insist that the long-term care industry develop, test, and refine psychiatric and mental health quality outcome measures for nursing facilities and other long-term care settings.

Mycobacterial growth and bacterial contamination in the mycobacteria growth indicator tube and BACTEC 460 culture systems.

The BACTEC 460 system currently provides the most rapid detection of mycobacterial growth, but the system is radiometric and requires needles to inoculate specimens through the bottle's septum. The Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube (MGIT) system has a liquid medium, like the BACTEC system, and does not require needles when inoculating specimens. We compared mycobacterial growth from 510 specimens in the two systems. Average time to acid-fast bacillus (AFB) detection and identification to the species level was less with the BACTEC system, but this result was statistically significant only for AFB detection in specimens containing Mycobacterium avium-M. intracellulare complex. The contamination rate with MGIT was 29%; the BACTEC rate was 5%. To investigate MGIT contamination, we initiated a second study with changes in specimen processing. The MGIT contamination rate was reduced to 12%; the BACTEC rate was not significantly affected (5.5%). The most likely explanation for the contamination in MGIT is the richness of its medium compared to the BACTEC medium. Cost analysis for the two systems in a laboratory that processes 4,500 specimens a year is presented. The data suggest that the BACTEC 460 and the MGIT systems are approximately equivalent in cost and ability to support the growth of AFB. The MGIT system appears safer and easier to use and was preferred by laboratory personnel, but it cannot currently be used for blood specimens or antituberculosis susceptibility testing.

Nonclinical toxicology studies with zidovudine: reproductive toxicity studies in rats and rabbits.

Zidovudine (ZDV) was evaluated for adverse effects on reproduction and fetal development in animal test species. Standard preclinical tests for reproduction and fertility, developmental toxicity, and postnatal toxicity were conducted in CD (Sprague-Dawley) rats and a developmental toxicity study was conducted in New Zealand white rabbits. In an additional study, reproductive outcome was characterized in female rats given ZDV before, during, or after mating and drug levels in the plasma and milk of lactating rats were determined. Finally, drug exposure data including observed peak plasma concentrations (Cmax) and area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) were evaluated for pregnant rats and rabbits. In a reproduction/fertility study in CD rats, toxicity to the early rat embryo, manifested as an increase in early resorptions and a decrease in litter size, was noted following dosage of the parental animals with 75 or 225 mg ZDV/kg bid. A dose of 25 mg/kg bid was a no-effect level in rats. At the time of mating, male rats had been dosed for 85 days, and females had been dosed for 26 days. To further evaluate the effects of ZDV on reproduction, dosing of male rats was continued to 149 days when they were mated a second time to virgin, untreated females. All reproductive parameters were normal in the untreated females from this second mating, indicating that the embryotoxic effect of the drug was not likely mediated by a genotoxic or other effect in the male. A separate study in female CD rats given 225 mg/kg bid for various periods pre- or postconception suggests that the toxic effect of ZDV is primarily to the early rodent embryo. Early embryo death did not occur in rats or rabbits in standard developmental (teratology) studies; however, pregnant New Zealand white rabbits given 250 mg/kg bid during gestation Days 6-18 showed reduced weight gain, anemia, and an increase in late fetal deaths. No other evidence of developmental toxicity was noted in either species, and ZDV was not teratogenic in rats or rabbits given up to 250 mg/kg bid during the period of major organogenesis. At this dose, Cmax values in rats and rabbits were approximately 234 and 150 times higher, respectively, than the mean steady-state serum concentration in adults following chronic oral administration of 250 mg every 4 hr. In both the reproduction/fertility study and a peri- and postnatal study in rats, liveborn offspring showed no adverse effects on survival, growth, or developmental measurements.

Attometer resolution of wavelength shifts by use of fiber modal interferometers.

A method for on-line, real-time detection of wavelength drifts in laser diodes is proposed. This technique uses the wavelength dependence of the differential propagation constant between the LP(01)/LP(even)(11) or LP(01)/LP(02) modes in two-mode fibers to measure wavelength changes that manifest themselves as intensity modulation in the output far field. Theoretical calculations show that wavelength drifts of the order of 10(-18) m can be resolved by this technique.

Development of a geropsychiatric unit.

Acute services to older citizens often require health care professionals to manage problems that are difficult to assess and treat. Age-related complications such as physical decline and the presence of psychiatric and medical illness together can produce an array of confusing symptoms for the physician. This study examines the diagnostic outcomes of the first 100 patients admitted to an acute care-based geropsychiatric unit. Assessment protocols and treatment interventions are described and results of patient progress are discussed.

Dementia: physician approaches to the caregiver's problems.

The demented patient requires medical and often psychiatric supervision, but the caregiver is often neglected. This article identifies special issues for caregivers that may need attention from the demented patient's physician. The physician's attention can benefit both the patient and the caregiver and save the physician valuable time.

Group psychotherapy for patients with dementia.

Some of the goals of our group psychotherapy sessions on the inpatient unit include (1) creation of an emotional climate of acceptance and warmth that helps patients learn to accept themselves and their feelings, (2) frequent intervention by the group facilitator/therapist to help facilitate social interaction for patients whose communication ability is impaired, (3) opportunity for patients to experience the feeling of belonging, of being part of a group, (4) opportunity for patients to ventilate feelings and rediscover mutual kinds of experience, (5) opportunity for patients to reminisce about past accomplishments and give new meaning to their current lives, and (6) creation of a platform for patients to achieve a sense of self by expressing personal opinions in an environment of respect and acceptance. The outcome of group therapy for demented as well as nondemented patients should be increased ability to cope with losses at several levels, promotion of new skills, increased adaptation skills, and increased ability to accept change. We also want patients to learn to express feelings and to realize that the expression of feelings can have a positive outcome (relief from repression, clarification of ambivalence, solutions, etc).

Activity profiles of developmental toxicity: design considerations and pilot implementation.

The available literature was searched for quantitative test results from both in vitro and in vivo assays for developmental toxicity for five model compounds: cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, hydroxyurea, caffeine, and ethylenethiourea. These compounds were chosen on the basis of their extensive utilization in a variety of assay systems for developmental toxicity as evidenced by their representation in the ETIC database (each generally has 100-500 citations encompassing multiple test systems). Nine cellular-based assays, six assays using whole embryos in culture, as well as Segment II and abbreviated exposure tests for mammalian test species are included in the database. For each assay, the critical endpoints were identified, each of which was then provided a three-letter code, and the criteria for extraction of quantitative information were established. The extracted information was placed into a computerized reference file and subsequently plotted such that the qualitative (positive/negative) and quantitative (e.g., IC50, highest ineffective dose (HID), lowest effective dose (LED] results across all test systems could be displayed. The information contained in these profiles can be used to compare qualitative and quantitative results across multiple assay systems, to identify data gaps in the literature, to evaluate the concordance of the assays, to calculate relative potencies, and to examine structure-activity relationships.

Photoinduced refractive-index changes in two-mode, elliptical-core fibers: sensing applications.

Photoinduced refractive-index changes in two-mode, elliptical-core optical fibers are shown to affect the differential phase modulation between the LP(01) and the LP(11)(even) modes. This change in beat length is dependent on the amount of strain induced in the fiber while the grating is being formed. We present experimental results that agree with conventional coupled-mode theory and propose the use of such sensors for weighted and distributed applications.

Spatially weighted, grating-based, two-mode, elliptical-core optical fiber vibration sensors.

Photoinduced refractive-index changes in two-mode, elliptical-core optical fibers affect the beat length and the sensor sensitivity. Chirped gratings are written by attaching such fibers to cantilever beams positioned in a strained state. We show that fibers with in-line chirped gratings, with the chirp being shaped in the form of a vibration-mode shape, can be used as spatially weighted fiber sensors for vibration analysis. We demonstrate enhanced detection of the first and second modes of vibration of a cantilever beam using this process; vibration mode suppression of the order of 10 dB is obtained.

Postnatal survival in Wistar rats following oral dosage with zidovudine on gestation day 10.

Groups of 20 female Wistar rats from Charles River Breeding Laboratories (Kingston, NY) were given three oral doses of 100 mg zidovudine/kg at 5-hr intervals on Gestation Day 10 (total dose = 300 mg/kg). Control rats received three oral doses of the vehicle, distilled water. This design approximated that of an earlier study that reported 38% postnatal mortality among the offspring of Wistar rats given zidovudine. In the study reported here, no adverse effects were noted on maternal body weight, food consumption, reproductive capacity, or hematology. Similarly, no effects on growth or survival of the offspring were noted. Hematology and clinical chemistry values were comparable between offspring of treated and control dams, and no treatment-related gross or histopathologic lesions were noted in the weanling rats. The mean concentration of zidovudine in embryonal homogenates, collected 30 min after administration of the third dose to the dam on Gestation Day 10, was 21.1 micrograms/g tissue. This value is approximately one-third of the mean drug plasma concentration (62.6 micrograms/ml) measured in the dams at the same time point. The dramatic difference in results in the two studies may be related to differences in Wistar rats from two different sources or to other unknown factors associated with the design and conduct of the studies. The results of the current study were consistent with other preclinical studies on the reproductive toxicity of zidovudine in rats and rabbits.

The effects of inhalation exposure to sulfuryl fluoride on fetal development in rats and rabbits.

Sulfuryl fluoride is a fumigant insecticide used for soils and permanent structures. Pregnant Fischer 344 rats and New Zealand White rabbits were exposed to 0, 25, 75, or 225 ppm of sulfuryl fluoride vapor via inhalation for 6 hr/day on Days 6-15 and 6-18 of gestation, respectively. Among rats, maternal water consumption was increased in the 225 ppm exposure group, but there were no indications of embryotoxicity, fetotoxicity, or teratogenicity in any of the exposed groups. Among rabbits, maternal weight loss during the exposure period (Days 6-18) was observed in the 225 ppm group. Decreased fetal body weights, considered secondary to maternal weight loss, were also observed at 225 ppm. However, no evidence of embryotoxicity or teratogenicity was observed among rabbits in any exposure group. Thus, inhalation exposure to sulfuryl fluoride was not teratogenic in either rats or rabbits exposed to levels of up to 225 ppm, and fetotoxic effects (reduced body weights) were observed among fetal rabbits only at an exposure level that produced maternal weight loss.

The relationship of embryotoxicity to disposition of 2-methoxyethanol in mice.

Paw development of CD-1 mice is uniquely sensitive to 2-methoxyethanol (ME) given by gavage (po) on gestation day (gd) 11 (copulation plug day = gd 0). The relation between induction of paw dysmorphogenesis and disposition of po ME (3.3 or 4.6 mmol/kg) in the maternal and conceptus compartments was investigated. The expression of digit malformations depends on metabolism of ME to methoxyacetic acid (MAA). ME and MAA were equipotent in causing teratogenicity. Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) catalyzes the initial rate-limiting oxidation that leads to embryotoxicity. The ADH inhibitor 4-methylpyrazole (0.12 or 1.2 mmol/kg) or ethanol (43.3 mmol/kg, single dose concomitant with ME or additional ethanol 5 and 10 hr later) reduced the incidence of malformations 60-100%, depending on the dosing regimen. Elimination of 14C from 1,2-14C-ME occurred predominantly via urine where 80% of a teratogenic dose was excreted and 6% appeared in CO2. Oxidation of ME to MAA was nearly complete after 1 hr when approximately 90% of 14C in maternal plasma and conceptus coeluted with authentic 14C-MAA upon HPLC. 14C-MAA levels in embryos were 1.2 X those in plasma 1 and 6 hr after dosing, although by 6 hr concentrations had declined to approximately 50% of 1-hr values. Concomitant ethanol did not affect 14C kinetics as measured in maternal blood after oral 14C-ME, but retarded ME conversion to MAA by about 2 hr. Furthermore, embryo 14C-MAA levels then reached only 50% of the peak in embryos from dams dosed with ME alone, an effect that coincided with less 14C incorporation into macromolecules synthesized by the embryo within 6 hr. These data imply that the attenuation of digit malformations by concomitant ethanol may be explained by changes in MAA disposition. However, delayed ethanol (5 and 10 hr after 3.3 mmol ME/kg) reduced teratogenicity by 25%, although MAA was present in the embryo up to 5 hr. Dams given 14C-MAA by iv injection had higher 14C blood levels than after MAA po but their offspring had fewer digit malformations. Peak and steady-state plasma levels of MAA as well as embryo concentrations of the chemical do not appear to determine the embryotoxic outcome whereas further metabolism of MAA does.