The physiological measurement of acute stress (public speaking) in bank employees.

An evaluation of a number of non-invasive physiological measures of stress was conducted, using bank employees attending a two-week residential course. The stressor involved was the preparation and delivery of a 15-min public lecture. The physiological parameters measured were urinary excretion rates of noradrenaline (NA), adrenaline (A), dopamine and cortisol, the ratio of NA/A, salivary cortisol levels, heart rate and blood pressure. Measurements were taken at 08.30, 10.30, 12.30, 15.30 and 17.30 h on the day of the public lecture and on the following (control) day. The public lectures were given between 10.30 and 12.30 h. The urinary excretion rates of adrenaline and cortisol were significantly elevated immediately following, but not before, the public lectures. The ratio NA/A was significantly decreased and the salivary cortisol levels were significantly increased both immediately before and after the public lecture. Urinary excretion rates of noradrenaline and dopamine, blood pressure and heart rate were unchanged by the stressor. Measurement of salivary cortisol levels, as well as providing a simple, stress free, non-invasive collection procedure, more closely reflects in time the changes in plasma levels of the hormone, not suffering from the large lag-time involved with urinary hormone measurements. Salivary cortisol measurement would appear to be the measurement of choice in human stress studies where individual stress factors are to be identified and studied. The significance of the stress-induced elevation in cortisol and catecholamine levels in the link between illness and occupational stress is discussed.

Surgical technique for a permanent tracheostomy in Beagle dogs.

A surgical procedure to produce a permanent tracheostomy in dogs was developed. The procedure consisted of dissecting portions of the cartilaginous rings free from the underlying tracheal mucosa, cutting through the mucosa and suturing the mucosa to the skin. The procedure was performed in approximately 30 minutes and resulted in a permanent, maintenance-free, mucocutaneous stoma that also permitted breathing through the upper respiratory airways.

Metabolic disposition of radioactive phenothiazine in calves: a balance study.

Three Charolais calves were treated orally with [14C] phenothiazine. The amount of radioactivity excreted in the urine and feces was measured. The average quantity of the excreted dose recovered was divided equally between the urine and the feces. The radioactivity found in the feces and gastrointestinal tract was variable between the animals, but the urinary radioactivity was constant. Only a small amount of the administered dose was retained by selected organs, with the liver and kidneys accounting for most of that amount. These organs also had tissue-to-blood ratios of radioactivity greater than unity, whereas the other tissues had ratios close to unity. Essentially complete recovery of the administered radioactive dose was achieved.