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Researchers have raised concerns that microbicide use during clinical trials would displace condom use. We sought to understand whether condom use changed for participants in a microbicide clinical trial in Pune, India, to understand whether condom shifts were a legitimate concern. We hypothesize that women participating in a microbicide clinical trial in Pune, India, were more likely, on average, to report condom use at follow-up. We further hypothesize that men, whose female partners participated in a microbicide clinical trial were more likely, on average, to report condom use at follow-up. The outcome measure for reported condom use was a dichotomous variable to indicate whether or not the participant had used a male or female condom with a sexual partner since 2 months before enrollment or since the last survey, depending on the visit. Data are from semi-structured interviews at baseline, 2 months, 4 months, and 6 months with HPTN 059 clinical trial participants (100 women and 57 male partners). We used generalized estimating equations with a logit link function, exchangeable correlation, and a binomial family to model condom use. The odds of condom use for clinical trial women increased from baseline to 6 months by a factor of 3.7 (95% CI: 1.84–7.63) and the change in odds of condom use for clinical trial men from baseline to 6 months increased by a factor of 2.58 (95% CI: 1.37–4.85). We found concerns about microbicide use displacing condom use were not merited in this study population. The percent of participants reporting condom use declined from 4 to 6 months, suggesting that increases in condom use may only be during active study participation. Information about clinical trial factors that enabled these men and women to enact this important HIV prevention behavior is needed to develop interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A study was conducted to determine the potential and nature of root-mediated allelopathic interference of Chenopodium murale on wheat. Early growth of wheat reduced significantly in agar medium where C. murale seedlings were previously growing as well as in rhizosphere soil of C. murale. The reduction in wheat growth was due to the presence of inhibitory metabolites released by roots of C. murale in the growth media. Even the soil incorporation of root residues also reduced the wheat growth in terms of seedling length and seedling dry weight. Only a partial amelioration in growth inhibition occurred upon charcoal supplementation or nitrogen fertilization in these amended soils. Root residues did not reduce the available nutrients in the soil, which was rather nutrient rich. These results indicated the definite role of allelopathy of C. murale roots in retarding wheat growth. Root amended soils contained significantly higher amount of phytotoxic phenolics as the putative allelochemicals, which were ferulic acid, vanillic acid, p-coumaric acid and benzoic acid. The study concluded that C. murale roots and their exudates exerted allelopathic effects on wheat by releasing water-soluble phenolic acids as putative allelochemicals in soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on Science Academies' science leadership workshop on June 22-28, 2020. Topics include the workshop had arguably been one of the largest science events in the world in recent times in terms of participants, and the COVID-19 lockdown period has forced to move the workshop to a virtual mode.

2-Benzoxazolinone (BOA), a type of hydroxamic acid present in cereals and implicated in allelopathy, is now being viewed as a potential candidate for the development of natural herbicides. A study was conducted to determine the effect of BOA on mung bean ( Phaseolus aureus) through a multitude of bioassays to understand its physiological and biochemical action. It was observed that BOA significantly decreased the germination of mung bean and its early growth (measured in terms of seedling length and dry weight). A typical dose–response relationship was observed with BOA treatment, and I50 values (concentrations at which 50% inhibition occurs) for germination, seedling length and seedling dry weight were calculated to be 4.3, 0.71 and 0.77 mM, respectively. There was therefore a greater inhibitory effect on seedling growth than on germination. Treated seedlings were characterised by a loss of chlorophyll and decreased respiratory activity, indicating a possible adverse effect of BOA on photosynthetic and respiratory metabolism. Mitotic activity in root-tip cells of onion ( Allium cepa) was completely arrested in response to BOA treatment, and the cells exhibited abnormality in shape and size. BOA also adversely affected rhizogenesis in hypocotyl cuttings of mung bean, indicating an impact on morphogenetic potential. It was associated with significant changes in the protein content and activities of proteases and polyphenol oxidases during the root development phase. This study concludes that BOA interfered with essential biochemical processes in mung bean. Such studies provide useful information on the biochemical and physiological modes of actions of BOA, with a view to its use as a herbicidal compound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of crops exhibit allelopathic interactions that play a significant role in the complex environment of agroecosystems. Several studies have shown that allelopathic crops reduce growth, development and yield of other crops growing simultaneously or subsequently in the fields. Another aspect of interest regarding crop allelopathy is that allelochemicals may exhibit inhibitory effect on the same crop which is commonly called as crop autotoxicity. It is predominantly common in fields where sole cropping under reduced or no-tillage system is practiced. Though any crop part can be allelopathic, including even the pollens, but decomposing crop residues exhibit more influence on other plants. Furthermore, the extent of allelopathy by a crop plant varies with age, part and type of cultivar being used. Nowadays allelopathic crops are being used as an important tool in managing weeds and harmful pests under sustainable pest management programs. In this context several cover/smother and green manure crops with allelopathic nature hold a good promise as well as challenge for the future as they have a potential to suppress noxious weeds. Likewise, the decomposing residues of such crops can also be used for managing harmful weeds and pests vis-à-vis maintaining the sustainability of the system. The traditional practice of crop rotation which declined with the discovery of synthetic herbicides can also be revived, if allelopathic potential of rotational crops is well understood. Selection of cultivars with high allelopathic potential/high competitiveness is another possible way by which crop allelopathy can be better utilized for weed control and yield enhancement. Crops with less allelopathic potential can be genetically improved by incorporating desired genes encoding the synthesis of allelochemicals. Pure allelochemicals extracted and identified from some crop plants can also be used as bioherbicides. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Allelopathy plays an important role in the agroecosystems leading to a wide array of interactions between crop-crop, cropweed and tree-crops. Generally, these interactions are harmful to the receiver plants but provide a selective benefit to the donor. Soil microbes play a key role in determining such interactions as they not only alter the nature of allelopathic interactions but also modify the expression of allelochemicals. Soil sickness problem in the croplands could also be attributed to the allelopathic property or even the autotoxicity. The allelochemicals released largely by the plant residues that are left in the fields after the harvest of crops add to the multifarious problems. If properly managed, these residues could be used for controlling weeds and pests. As is true for any chemical based response, allelopathic interactions are also concentration specific. The promotory functions that are inbuilt need to be worked out and exploited. Now a days allelopathic interactions, in general, and the allelochemicals, in particular, are viewed as an important tool for sustainable weed and pest management, and disease control. In this direction, a number of strategies like use of cover or smother or companion crops for weed management, direct use of allelochemicals as natural pesticides, and even the transfer of allelopathic traits/principles to modern day cultivars are being adopted. The purified allelochemicals and/or their derivatives and even the compounds synthesized on their chemistry can be used as novel agrochemicals for sustainable management in an eco-friendly manner. The present paper aims to discuss all the above mentioned roles and aspects of allelopathy in the agroecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Unlabelled: Hepatic technetium-99m-mebrofenin iminodiacetate (99mTc-mebrofenin IDA) scans and serum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGTP) have high sensitivity for extrahepatic biliary atresia (EHBA). This study was based on the hypothesis that the interpretation of results of 99mTc-mebrofenin IDA scans and serum GGTP levels in series would result in a reduction of the false positivity observed with these tests individually. The aetiology of neonatal cholestasis in 132 study patients was: 25% (33/132) EHBA, 45.5% (60/132) neonatal hepatitis (NH) with an identifiable cause and 19.7% (26/132) idiopathic NH. Of the various clinical, biochemical and imaging parameters that were significantly different between patient groups, sensitivity for EHBA was: serum GGTP > or = 150 IU l(-1) (100%), 99mTc-mebrofenin IDA scans (100%), pale stools (82.8%) and total serum bilirubin > or = 12 mg dl(-1) (66%). However, specificity ranged from 48.5 to 79%. Of the 63 patients who had non-excreting IDA scans, operative cholangiograms could be avoided on the basis of a specific aetiological diagnosis of NH, made concurrently, in only 9 infants. The rest (54) underwent operative cholangiograms; 21 (39%) of these had patent biliary trees and therefore underwent the procedure unnecessarily. If serum GGTP (< 150 IU l(-1)) had been used as a screen after IDA scanning in these 54 patients, operative cholangiograms could have been avoided in another 12 patients and thereafter only 9/42 (21%) of the operative cholangiograms would have been considered unnecessary.Conclusion: A diagnostic algorithm is proposed wherein serum GGTP level (at a cut-off level that maintains 100% sensitivity for EHBA) is used in series with non-excreting 99mTc-mebrofenin IDA scans (for patients with no specific aetiological label). This strategy reduces the false positivity of individual tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detailed compositional studies of heavy ends of petroleum are necessary to predict what products to expect in what volume from their conversion, in processes like Fluid Catalytic Cracking and Hydrocracking. This communication presents the compositional data on hydrocarbon constituents isolated from deasphalted oils and asphaltics of Bombay High and Assam mix crudes employing liquid chromatography and NMR spectrometry respectively. In addition to paraffinic and naphthenic carbons, various types of aromatic quarternary carbons and number of biaryl linkages were estimated on predominantly polycyclic structures. These detailed studies of polycyclic structures would further help in understanding more fully the chemical changes occurring during conversion processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in health care delivery, reimbursement schemes, and organizational structure have required health organizations to manage the costs of providing patient care while maintaining high levels of clinical and patient satisfaction outcomes. Today, cost information, clinical outcomes, and patient satisfaction results must become more fully integrated if strategic competitiveness and benefits are to be realized in health management decision making, especially in multi-entity organizational settings. Unfortunately, traditional administrative and financial systems are not well equipped to cater to such information needs. This article presents a framework for the acquisition, generation, analysis, and reporting of cost information with clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction in the context of evolving health management and decision-support system technology. More specifically, the article focuses on an enhanced costing methodology for determining and producing improved, integrated cost-outcomes information. Implementation issues and areas for future research in cost-information management and decision-support domains are also discussed. Copyright (c) 1999 by Aspen Publishers, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A system to predict which patients will suffer medical complications or poor financial outcomes during a hospitalization would be very useful to providers of medical care. To develop such a system, we applied two previously developed indices that predict in-hospital complications to all 321,558 adult patients discharged from our hospital network. The indices identified 26,377 patients (8.2%) who experienced one or more medical complications. For these patients, high-risk admitting diagnoses were identified. We tabulated 4235 admitting diagnoses and focused on 26 (0.6%) diagnoses that were high-risk and high-volume for complications. We found that 25% of patients with these admitting diagnoses experienced complications during hospitalization. Prevention of these complications could have saved 1241 hospital days, 11 lives, and $10.5 million. Administrative data available at the time of admission can be useful in identifying the small subset of patients who are likely to experience adverse clinical outcomes during a hospitalization and those who are likely to generate adverse financial outcomes for the hospital. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

There is a perceived excess of subspecialists compared with primary care doctors, but there are few severity-adjusted data that characterize the care provided by these physician groups. In a nationwide hospital network, we studied outcomes of 17,185 patients who were hospitalized for 1 of 9 common internal medicine illnesses. For 4 of 9 conditions, the subspecialists treated more severely ill (P < .001) patients. The raw total charges for their care were higher (P < .002) for 4 of 9 conditions and longer stays were required for 2 conditions. After adjusting for severity of illness, differences between the physician groups became minimal. In nine-severity adjusted medical illnesses, subspecialists and primary care physicians provide care that produces similar results for length of stay, charge, and mortality. Health care manpower projections should be re-evaluated in light of this information. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The behaviour of the ST segment in everyday life was studied by ambulatory electrocardiography in 111 normal volunteers. Fifteen were excluded because of abnormal exercise responses (10 subjects) and significant postural ST segment shifts (five subjects). This left 62 men and 34 women, mean (SD) age 40.5 (12.6) years (range 20-67 years). Ambulatory monitoring of leads CM5 and CC5 for 24 hours was followed by a maximal treadmill exercise test. The tapes of the ambulatory monitoring were analysed by a computer aided system. The computer printed trend plots of the ST segment (measured both at the J point and at J + 60 ms) to detect episodes of ST segment elevation and depression, which were confirmed by visual analysis of real time printouts. Twelve subjects showed "ischaemic" ST segment depression and nine subjects showed ST segment elevation. Eight people with ambulatory ST segment changes were studied during exercise by radionuclide ventriculography and thallium-201 imaging scans. Although seven of the eight thallium studies were normal, radionuclide ventriculography showed functional impairment in five cases. Seven of the 10 subjects with abnormal exercise tests were similarly investigated and their results followed the same pattern, with normal thallium images in six and functional impairment in four. Ambulatory electrocardiography was repeated in 20 people after a median of 20 days. The ST segment changes were reproducible. ST segment changes of an apparently ischaemic nature occur even in a carefully defined normal population but they do not necessarily represent latent clinically significant coronary artery disease. This indicates that ST segment changes seen in patients with known obstructive coronary artery disease should be interpreted with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The heat capacities of selected inorganic binary and ternary alkali metal compounds are determined using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). As part of an ongoing research program at Battelle Memorial Institute since 1983, the heat capacities of cesium and rubidium chalcogenides, aluminates, silicates and uranates in the temperature range 310 to 800 K have been added to the series of compounds. The measured data is to be combined with the standard enthalpies of formation and low temperature heat capacities to obtain reliable thermodynamic data on the alkali metal compounds to high temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study the drugs (Methaqualone + diphenhydramine or Methaqualone alone) were administered daily in a liquid diet to different groups of rats for 3 weeks. Each week the doses of the drugs were increased and daily records of body weight, mean rectal temperature and spontaneous motor activity (SPM) were maintained. During the first week, tolerance to both the drugs was observed when the animals received 152.4 mg/kg/day of methaqualone (MQ) and 140.0+14.0 mg/kg/day of methaqualone + diphenhydramine (MQ+D) respectively. In the second week the doses were further increased to 302.0 mg/kg/day of MQ and 277.8+27.7 mg/kg/day of MQ+D respectively. At the end of the second week complete tolerance developed to increased doses of MQ but not to the MQ+D combination. In the third week the doses were further increased to 406.6 mg/kg/day of methaqualone and 383.4+38.3 mg/kg/day of MQ+D respectively. At the end of this week although there was partial recovery but, compared to the controls, a significant lowering ( P<0.05) of mean rectal temperature and spontaneous motor activity persisted in both groups thus showing an incomplete tolerance to larger doses of both MQ and the MQ+D combination. When the drugs were withdrawn after the third week, both MQ as well as MQ+D treated groups of rats exhibited an increased susceptibility to audiogenic stimuli of, but MQ+D treated animals showed an even greater susceptibility to such stimuli and also a fall in body weight. Further, 50% of rats in MQ+D group died during convulsions while there were no deaths in the group treated with MQ alone. The results of this study suggest that the MQ+D combination causes a more severe degree of physical dependence than MQ alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to certify that process and drain lines which had been used for transporting radioactive materials, and their surrounding environments, are now free of residual contamination, it is both desirable and cost effective to make in situ measurements during the decontamination and decommissioning process. A 4.83-cm diameter modular proble consisting of a liquid nitrogen reservoir, a preamplifier, and a high-resolution germanium gamma-ray spectrometer with flexible connections between the modules has been developed for the measurement of gamma rays in and around piping. The assembly is sufficiently flexible to navigate through a “3-inch diameter p-trap.” The probe design and specifications are discussed. Results from an application are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, rats were kept on a semifluid diet, and methaqualone and phenobarbitone were added to the diet of different groups of animals. Every week the doses of the drugs were increased and daily records of body weight, mean rectal temperature and spontaneous motor activity were maintained. Tolerance to both the drugs was discernible in the first and second week, when the animals received 138.3 and 284.4 mg/kg/day of methaqualone and 96.8 and 178.6 mg/kg/day of phenobarbitone, respectively. In the third week the doses were further increased to 392.6 mg/kg/day of methaqualone and 235.9 mg/kg/day of phenobarbitone and at the end of this week although there was gradual and partial recovery, statistically significant ( P<0.05) lowering of mean rectal temperature, body weight and spontaneous motor activity was observed in comparison to a control group of rats. After the third week when the drugs were withdrawn from the diet methaqualone treated rats exhibited increased susceptibility to audiogenic stimuli. Rats similarly treated with phenobarbitone showed a greater susceptibility to audiogenic stimuli, and in addition exhibited increased motor activity and a precipitous decrease in body weight. The results of this study are suggestive of a milder degree of dependence liability in methaqualone as compared with barbiturates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bisoprolol is a new cardioselective beta-blocker with a long half-life. The efficacy of once daily bisoprolol (10 mg) and atenolol (100 mg) was assessed in 20 patients with stable angina using a placebo controlled double-blind randomized crossover protocol. Efficacy was assessed by computer assisted treadmill exercise testing with monitoring of leads CMS and CC5, carried out 22–24 h after the last dose. The mean±SEM exercise time on placebo was 6.5±0.4 min increasing to 7.8±0.5 min on bisoprolol (P<0.001) and 8.6±0.6 mins on atenolol (P<0.001). The time to 1 mm ST depession in CM5 and CC5 was also prolonged significantly with both drugs. The mean basal resting heart rate of 84±4 bpm decreased to 63±2 bpm on bisoprolol ( P<0.001 )and 64±3 bpm on atenolol (P<0.001), with a significant decrease in the peak exercise heart rate seen with both drugs (P<0.001). The peak rate-pressure product was 175±8 after placebo, 146±7 (P<0.001) with bisoprolol and 149±5 (P<0.001) after atenolol. One patient was withdrawn because he suffered a myocardial infarction. Eighteen patients were prescribed bisoprolol 10 mg once a day for 6 weeks and an exercise test was performed at the end of this period. Bisoprolol retained its efficacy at the end of this period and was well tolerated. This data suggests that bisoprolol is an effective anti-anginal agent, comparable in efficacy and duration of action with atenolol, which is suitable for once-daily administration. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]