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Background: Deficits in motor learning could be an important explanation for the balance and gait impairments characteristic of people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Empirical studies often report that so-called implicit motor sequence learning is impaired in people with PD, but the results are inconclusive. Altered brain activity during implicit motor sequence learning has also been reported for people with PD in comparison to healthy individuals. Objective: To investigate implicit motor sequence learning and associated neural correlates in individuals with mild to moderate PD. Methods: Fifty-seven participants with PD and 34 healthy participants, all ≥60 years of age, performed the serial reaction time task (SRTT) during the acquisition of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. We analyzed the SRTT as a measure of implicit motor sequence learning in two complementary ways. We analyzed the task-induced fMRI data within regions of interest (ROIs) as well as functional connectivity between ROIs. Results: We found a significant group difference in SRTT performance indicating that the participants with PD had a somewhat lower level of implicit motor sequence learning than the healthy participants. Exploratory analyses suggested that impairments in implicit motor sequence learning for people with PD might be due to a lower learning rate. We did not find any significant group differences in the fMRI data. Conclusion: Our exploratory finding of a lower implicit motor learning rate in PD could have important implications for how people with PD should practice new motor tasks and physical exercise. Future studies need to confirm this finding with hypothesis-driven analyses.

Funder: Laura and John Arnold Foundation (Arnold Foundation); doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/100009827, Funder: RCUK | Medical Research Council (MRC); doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/100004440, Funder: Kings College London; doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000764, Reference anatomies of the brain ('templates') and corresponding atlases are the foundation for reporting standardized neuroimaging results. Currently, there is no registry of templates and atlases; therefore, the redistribution of these resources occurs either bundled within existing software or in ad hoc ways such as downloads from institutional sites and general-purpose data repositories. We introduce TemplateFlow as a publicly available framework for human and non-human brain models. The framework combines an open database with software for access, management, and vetting, allowing scientists to share their resources under FAIR-findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable-principles. TemplateFlow enables multifaceted insights into brains across species, and supports multiverse analyses testing whether results generalize across standard references, scales, and in the long term, species.

Persistent pain is a common and disabling health problem that is often difficult to treat. There is an increasing interest in medicinal cannabis for treatment of persistent pain; however, the limited superiority of cannabinoids over placebo in clinical trials suggests that positive expectations may contribute to the improvements.To evaluate the size of placebo responses in randomized clinical trials in which cannabinoids were compared with placebo in the treatment of pain and to correlate these responses to objective estimates of media attention.A systematic literature search was conducted within the MEDLINE and Embase databases. Studies published until September 2021 were considered.Cannabinoid studies with a double-blind, placebo-controlled design with participants 18 years or older with clinical pain of any duration were included. Studies were excluded if they treated individuals with HIV/AIDS or severe skin disorders.The study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analyses reporting guideline. Data were extracted by independent reviewers. Quality assessment was performed using the Risk of Bias 2 tool. Attention and dissemination metrics for each trial were extracted from Altmetric and Crossref. Data were pooled and analyzed using a random-effects statistical model.Change in pain intensity from before to after treatment, measured as bias-corrected standardized mean difference (Hedges g).Twenty studies, including 1459 individuals (mean [SD] age, 51 [7] years; age range, 33-62 years; 815 female [56%]), were included. Pain intensity was associated with a significant reduction in response to placebo, with a moderate to large effect size (mean [SE] Hedges g, 0.64 [0.13]; P .001). Trials with low risk of bias had greater placebo responses (q1 = 5.47; I2 = 87.08; P = .02). The amount of media attention and dissemination linked to each trial was proportionally high, with a strong positive bias, but was not associated with the clinical outcomes.Placebo contributes significantly to pain reduction seen in cannabinoid clinical trials. The positive media attention and wide dissemination may uphold high expectations and shape placebo responses in future trials, which has the potential to affect the outcome of clinical trials, regulatory decisions, clinical practice, and ultimately patient access to cannabinoids for pain relief.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Incorporating registered nurses (RN-level) into obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) management decisions has the potential to augment the workforce and improve patient access, but the appropriateness of such task-shifting in typical practice is unclear. METHODS: Our medical center piloted a nurse triage program for sleep medicine referrals. Using a sleep specialist-designed decision-making tool, nurses triaged patients referred for initial sleep studies to either home sleep apnea test (HSAT) or in-laboratory polysomnography (PSG). During the first 5 months of the program, specialists reviewed all nurse triages. We compared agreement between specialists and nurses. RESULTS: Of 280 consultations triaged by nurses, nurses deferred management decisions to sleep specialists in 6.1% (n = 17) of cases. Of the remaining 263 cases, there was 88% agreement between nurses and specialists (kappa 0.80, 95% confidence interval 0.74–0.87). In the 8.8% (n = 23) of cases where supervising specialists changed sleep study type, specialists changed from HSAT to PSG in 16 cases and from PSG to HSAT in 7. The most common indication for change in sleep study type was disagreement regarding OSA pretest probability (n = 14 of 23). Specialists changed test instructions in 3.0% (n = 8) of cases, with changes either related to the use of transcutaneous carbon dioxide monitoring (n = 4) or adaptive servo-ventilation (n = 4). CONCLUSIONS: More than 80% of sleep study triages by registered nurses in a supervised setting required no sleep specialist intervention. Future research should focus on how to integrate nurses into the sleep medicine workforce in a manner that maximizes efficiency while preserving or improving patient outcomes. CITATION: Donovan LM, Fernandes LA, Williams KM, et al. Agreement of sleep specialists with registered nurses’ sleep study orders in supervised clinical practice. J Clin Sleep Med. 2020;16(2):279–283.

Reference anatomies of the brain ('templates') and corresponding atlases are the foundation for reporting standardized neuroimaging results. Currently, there is no registry of templates and atlases; therefore, the redistribution of these resources occurs either bundled within existing software or in ad hoc ways such as downloads from institutional sites and general-purpose data repositories. We introduce TemplateFlow as a publicly available framework for human and non-human brain models. The framework combines an open database with software for access, management, and vetting, allowing scientists to share their resources under FAIR-findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable-principles. TemplateFlow enables multifaceted insights into brains across species, and supports multiverse analyses testing whether results generalize across standard references, scales, and in the long term, species.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: The field of sleep medicine has been an avid adopter of telehealth, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of this study was to assess patients’ experiences receiving sleep care by telehealth. METHODS: From June 2019 to May 2020, the authors recruited a sample of patients for semi-structured interviews, including patients who had 1 of 3 types of telehealth encounters in sleep medicine: in-clinic video, home-based video, and telephone. Two analysts coded transcripts using content analysis and identified themes that cut across patients and categories. RESULTS: The authors conducted interviews with 35 patients and identified 5 themes. (1) Improved access to care: Patients appreciated telehealth as providing access to sleep care in a timely and convenient manner. (2) Security and privacy: Patients described how home-based telehealth afforded them greater feelings of safety and security due to avoidance of anxiety-provoking triggers (eg, crowds). Patients also noted a potential loss of privacy with telehealth. (3) Personalization of care: Patients described experiences with telehealth care that either improved or hindered their ability to communicate their needs. (4) Patient empowerment: Patients described how telehealth empowered them to manage their sleep disorders. (5) Unmet needs: Patients recognized specific areas where telehealth did not meet their needs, including the need for tangible services (eg, mask fitting). CONCLUSIONS: Patients expressed both positive and negative experiences, highlighting areas where telehealth can be further adapted. As telehealth in sleep medicine continues to evolve, the authors encourage providers to consider these aspects of the patient experience. CITATION: Donovan LM, Mog AC, Blanchard KN, et al. Patient experiences with telehealth in sleep medicine: a qualitative evaluation. J Clin Sleep Med. 2021;17(8):1645–1651.

Most accounts of World War II that address the service of black soldiers were written by White officers, and often excluded, limited, or misreported African-American soldiers' contributions. This a...

The amount of bronchial arterial blood that drains into the systemic venous system is not known. Therefore, in this study we further delineated the functional anatomy of the bronchial venous system in six adult, anesthetized, and mechanically ventilated sheep. Through a left thoracotomy, the left azygos vein was dissected and the insertion of the bronchial vein into the azygos vein was identified. A pouch was created by ligating the azygos vein on either side of the insertion of the bronchial vein. A catheter was inserted into this pouch for the measurement of bronchial venous occlusion pressure and bronchial venous blood flow. An ultrasonic flow probe was placed around the common bronchial branch of the bronchoesophageal artery to monitor the bronchial arterial blood flow. Catheters were also placed into the carotid artery and the pulmonary artery. The mean bronchial blood flow was 20.6+/-4.2mlmin(-1) (mean+/-SEM) and, of this, only about 13% of the blood flow drained into the azygos vein. The mean systemic artery pressure was 72.4+/-4.1mmHg whereas the mean bronchial venous occlusion pressure was 38.1+/-2.1mmHg. The mean values for blood gas analysis were as follows: bronchial venous blood pH=7.54+/-0.02, PCO(2)=35+/-2.6, PO(2)=95+/-5.7mmHg; systemic venous blood-pH=7.43+/-0.02, PCO(2)=48+/-3.2, PO(2)=42+/-2.0mmHg; systemic arterial blood-pH=7.51+/-0.03, PCO(2)=39+/-2.1, PO(2)=169+/-9.8mmHg. We conclude that the major portion of the bronchial arterial blood flow normally drains into the pulmonary circulation and only about 13% drains into the bronchial venous system. In addition, the oxygen content of the bronchial venous blood is similar to that in the systemic arterial blood.

Inhaled corticosteroids are often used in the treatment of stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), however, studies of these agents have had mixed results. Previous trials have often excluded subjects with bronchodilator response, have failed to evaluate effect on gas exchange, and have usually looked at only post- rather than prebronchodilator forced expiratory volume (FEV). Our objective was to better assess the efficacy of topical corticosteroids in the treatment of COPD. We used a prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover study at the Outpatient Department, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Thirty-six COPD patients with a mean (+/- SD) FEV1 of 1.10 +/- 0.43 L, with or without significant bronchodilator response participated in the study. Subjects received a 3-month course of inhaled fluticasone propionate (220 micro g/puff) or identical-appearing placebo by metered-dose inhaler at 2 puffs twice daily, followed by crossover to the alternative inhaler for an additional 3 months. Fluticasone treatment resulted in a higher prebronchodilator FEV1 (1.17 +/- 0.08 L [mean +/- SEM] versus 1.07 +/- 0.08 L, p = 0.001), a higher PaO2 (66.6 +/- 1.4 mmHg versus 63.6 +/- 1.6 mmHg, p = 0.002), and a better dyspnea score on the chronic respiratory questionnaire (3.70 +/- 0.18 versus 3.47 +/- 0.19, p = 0.03). A trend towards fewer exacerbations with fluticasone did not quite meet statistical significance (p = 0.11). Inhaled fluticasone over 3 months improved prebronchodilator airflow obstruction and oxygenation while decreasing dyspnea in moderate to severe COPD. Postbronchodilator FEV1 was not significantly changed.

Expiratory resistive loading (ERL) is used by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients to improve respiratory function. We, therefore, used a noninvasive tension-time index of the inspiratory muscles (TTmus =P̄i/Pi max × Ti/Tt, where P̄i is mean inspiratory pressure estimated from the mouth occlusion pressure, Pi max is maximal inspiratory pressure, Ti is inspiratory time, and Tt is total respiratory cycle time) to better define the effect of ERL on COPD patients. To accomplish this, we measured airway pressures, mouth occlusion pressure, respiratory cycle flow rates, and functional residual capacity (FRC) in 14 COPD patients and 10 normal subjects with and without the application of ERL. TTmus was then calculated and found to drop in both COPD and normal subjects ( P < 0.05). The decline in TTmus in both groups resulted solely from a prolongation of expiratory time with ERL ( P < 0.001 for COPD, P < 0.05 for normal subjects). In contrast to the COPD patients, normal subjects had an elevation in P̄i and FRC, thus minimizing the decline in TTmus. In conclusion, ERL reduces the potential for inspiratory muscle fatigue in COPD by reducing Ti/Tt without affecting FRC andP̄i.

Adrenergic agonists are known to influence bronchial blood flow and bronchovascular resistance. Recently, the nitrergic system has also been implicated in the control of bronchovascular tone. In this study, we compared the effects of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N ω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) and the α1-receptor agonist phenylephrine on bronchovascular resistance in anesthetized sheep ( n = 9). Bronchial blood flow, cardiac output, and systemic and pulmonary arterial pressures were continuously monitored. Phenylephrine (1.2–3.4 μg ⋅ kg−1 ⋅ min−1) was infused intravenously to increase mean systemic arterial pressure above 95 Torr for 10 min and then was discontinued. When hemodynamic parameters returned to baseline, nebulized phenylephrine (10 mg) was given over 10 min. When parameters again normalized, l-NAME (30 mg/kg) was infused intravenously over 1 min. Intravenous phenylephrine increased systemic vascular resistance by 40% at 10 min with no concurrent increase in bronchovascular resistance, but inhaled phenylephrine increased bronchovascular resistance by 66% at 10 min. By comparison, intravenous l-NAME produced a rapid and sustained fivefold increase in bronchovascular resistance at 10 min. We conclude that, although α-agonist stimulation has some influence on bronchovascular resistance in sheep, the nitrergic system has predominant control of bronchovascular tone.

We studied the effects of aerosolized as well as intravenous infusion of acetylcholine on bronchial blood flow in six anesthetized sheep. Intravenous infusion of acetylcholine, at a dose of 2 microg/kg, increased bronchial blood flow from 45 +/- 15 (SE) to 74 +/- 30 ml/min, and vascular conductance increased by 76 +/- 22%. In contrast, aerosolized acetylcholine at doses of 2 and 20 microg/kg decreased bronchial vascular conductance by approximately 10%. At an aerosolized dose of 200 microg/kg, the bronchial vascular conductance increased by approximately 15%, and there was no further increase in conductance when the aerosolized dose was increased to 2,000 microg/kg. Pretreatment of animals with a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride, partially blocked the vasodilatory effects of intravenous acetylcholine and completely blocked the vasodilatory effects of high-dose aerosolized acetylcholine. These data suggest that aerosolized acetylcholine does not readily penetrate the vascular wall of bronchial circulatory system and, therefore, has minimal vasodilatory effects on the bronchial vasculature.

CT angiography is now commonly used for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism, but the contrast media used for imaging produces various hemodynamic changes. In this study, we investigated the bronchovascular and hemodynamic responses to intravenous iopromide, a non-ionic contrast agent used for pulmonary CT angiograms, in anesthetized, mechanically ventilated sheep (n = 6). Bronchial blood flow and cardiac output were measured with ultrasonic flow probes. Systemic and pulmonary arterial pressures were continuously monitored. Injections of 0.9% NaCl (120 ml over 30 s) or iopromide (300 mg/ml, 120 ml over 30 s) were given in random order in a peripheral vein with an angiogram infuser and hemodynamic changes were determined. After these parameters returned to baseline, the left pulmonary artery (LPA) was occluded with a snare and the animals were allowed to stabilize. Injections of NaCl and iopromide were repeated in random order as before. There were no significant hemodynamic effects with infusion of NaCl. With intact pulmonary vasculature, NaCl and iopromide did not cause significant changes in arterial blood gases, however, cardiac output (QT, L/min), mean systemic and pulmonary arterial pressures (PSA and PPA, Torr) increased and bronchovascular resistance (BVR, Torr x min/ml), decreased. Following LPA ligation, pH and PO2 significantly decreased over baseline, whereas PCO2 increased. After LPA ligation, iopromide produced a greater decrease in BVR as compared with preligation intact pulmonary vasculature. In conclusion, iopromide caused rapid hemodynamic changes and decreased BVR, likely secondary to osmolar stress. Bronchovascular effects were more pronounced after pulmonary arterial occlusion.

Although its prevalence is still debated, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States, and smoking cessation remains the only intervention that can significantly improve the prognosis of COPD.To determine the prevalence of COPD in a typical population seeking care at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center; the impact of smoking, age, and sex on the prevalence of COPD in this population; and how often spirometry is done in patients at risk for COPD, we extracted data from the Veterans Integrated Service Network 20 Consumer Health Information and Performance Sets database, on patients seen at the Boise Veterans Affairs Medical Center between January 1, 1999, and May 30, 2006.Approximately 8.8% (2,556/28,983) of all patients and 14.1% (1,152/8,149) of smokers were reported to have COPD. The odds of COPD in smokers, after adjusting for age and sex, was 3.18 (95% confidence interval 2.88-3.50) times greater than in nonsmokers. Males were 1.48 times more likely to have COPD than females, and there was an increasing risk of COPD with age. Thirty-nine percent of all veterans and 54% of those with COPD were active smokers. 273 (60%) of the 455 symptomatic smokers without a prior diagnosis of COPD were not evaluated with spirometry.The prevalence of COPD in patients at the Boise Veterans Affairs Medical Center was consistent with that in other United States surveys, although the underutilization of screening spirometry in those at risk for COPD may have caused underestimation of the prevalence. Smoking, age, and male sex were identified as significant risk factors for COPD, and the prevalence of active smoking remains high in this population of veterans.

Background Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a common disorder of dysregulated tissue growth secondary to mutations in the tumor suppressor gene NF1. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in patients with NF1 is hypothesized to be secondary to an underlying vasculopathy. Methods We describe the entity we term NF1-associated PAH (NF1-PAH) in four new patients and update the data on four previously published reports of patients with PAH and NF1. We performed genetic testing of the bone morphogenic protein receptor 2 (BMPR2) gene, which is mutated in 70% of patients with familial PAH and approximately 25% of patients with idiopathic PAH. We report, for the first time, pathologic findings in the autopsy-obtained lung of one patient with NF1-PAH. Results Patients with NF1-PAH have a generally poor long-term prognosis. In four patients, we observed the mosaic pattern of lung attenuation on a CT scan of the chest, a radiographic finding that can be consistent with an underlying vasculopathy. No mutations or rearrangements in the BMPR2 gene were found. We observed complex plexiform lesions in the one available autopsy specimen. Similar lesions are a hallmark of plexogenic pulmonary arteriopathy and are associated with several severe types of PAH. (Plexiform lesions should not be confused with plexiform neurofibromas, which are distinctive tumors seen in NF1.) Conclusions Our findings suggest that NF1 should be considered as being "associated with PAH" as outlined in the Revised Clinical Classification of Pulmonary Hypertension. Understanding the mechanism of PAH in NF1 may inform the pathogenesis of PAH, NF1-PAH itself, and other NF1-associated vasculopathies. The pulmonary vasculature should now be included among the arterial beds affected by NF1 vasculopathy.

Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC) is a relatively rare adenocarcinoma that typically arises in the lung periphery and grows along alveolar walls, without destroying the lung parenchyma. It is often multicentric and may arise from a previously stable scar. Because the parenchyma is preserved and because BAC may arise simultaneously in multiple lobes, the chest radiograph and symptoms (cough, chest pain, and sputum production) may be indistinguishable from pneumonia or other noninfectious inflammatory processes (eg, hypersensitivity pneumonitis or bronchiolitis obliterans). The clinician should suspect BAC if what otherwise appears to be pneumonia lacks fever or leukocytosis or does not respond to antibiotics. BAC accounts for 2.6-4.3 % of all lung cancers. On a radiograph, BAC often appears as a solitary nodule, but may also appear as a patchy, lobar or multilobar infiltrates, often with air bronchograms indistinguishable from pneumonia. Positron-emission tomography does not help distinguish BAC from pneumonia. Among BAC patients, 62% present without symptoms and with only an abnormal radiograph, whereas 38% present with symptoms of cough, chest pain, and sputum production. Bronchoscopy is usually normal. Preoperative diagnosis with transbronchial biopsy, bronchoscopic cytology examination, or expectorated sputum cytology is more common with the diffuse or multicentric forms. Cure depends on complete resection. A trial of antibiotics and reassessment of clinical findings is a reasonable approach, but biopsy or cytology is the only means of ruling in malignancy and ruling out other etiologies, so biopsy should always be considered when a presumed pneumonia does not respond to antibiotics. I saw a 61-year-old man whose initial diagnosis was pneumonia. He took a 10-day course of oral azithromycin, but his symptoms and chest radiograph were unchanged. A tomogram showed interstitial prominence and peripheral air-space disease in the right upper and lower lobes. Transbronchial biopsy of the right upper lobe showed Clara cells, with substantial atypia and various nuclear-cytoplasmic ratios. The underlying pulmonary architecture was preserved and no invasive component was seen. The diagnosis was changed to nonmucinous BAC. Pneumonectomy was successful and he was cancer-free for about 10 months, after which the cancer returned and from which he eventually died.

Eighty-three athletes with medial elbow instability underwent reconstruction of the anterior band of the ulnar collateral ligament with a muscle-splitting approach without transposition of the ulnar nerve. The purposes of this study were to describe postoperative neurologic outcomes in all 83 athletes and to describe the 2-year follow-up in 33 athletes. Postoperatively, 5% of this group had transient ulnar nerve symptoms, all of which resolved with nonoperative management. There were no reoperations for nerve dysfunction and no permanent nerve problems. At 2- to 4-year follow-ups, 93% of the highly competitive athletes who had not had a prior surgical procedure had an excellent result. All athletes, regardless of whether they had a prior procedure, were able to return to their sport. These surgical modifications to the ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction yielded a decreased postoperative complication rate and improved outcomes compared with the results of prior procedures.

Charan, Nirmal B., Shane R. Johnson, S. Lakshminarayan, William H. Thompson, and Paula Carvalho. Nitric oxide and β-adrenergic agonist-induced bronchial arterial vasodilation. J. Appl. Physiol. 82(2): 686–692, 1997.—In anesthetized sheep, we measured bronchial blood flow (Q˙br) by an ultrasonic flow probe to investigate the interaction between inhaled nitric oxide (NO; 100 parts/million) given for 5 min and 5 ml of aerosolized isoetharine (1.49 × 10−2 M concentration). NO and isoetharine increased Q˙br from 26.5 ± 6.5 to 39.1 (SE) ± 10.6 and 39.7 ± 10.7 ml/min, respectively ( n = 5). Administration of NO immediately after isoetharine further increasedQ˙br to 57.3 ± 15.1 ml/min. NO synthase inhibitor N ω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (l-NAME; 30 mg/kg, in 20 ml saline given iv) decreased Q˙br to 14.6 ± 2.6 ml/min. NO given three times alternately with isoetharine progressively increased Q˙br from 14.6 ± 2.6 to 74.3 ± 17.0 ml/min, suggesting that NO and isoetharine potentiate vasodilator effects of each other. In three other sheep, afterl-NAME, three sequential doses of isoetharine increased Q˙br from 10.2 ± 3.4 to 11.5 ± 5.7, 11.7 ± 4.7, and 13.3 ± 5.7 ml/min, respectively, indicating that effects of isoetharine are predominantly mediated through synthesis of NO. When this was followed by three sequential administrations of NO, Q˙br increased by 146, 172, and 185%, respectively. Thus in the bronchial circulation there seems to be a close interaction between adenosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate- and guanosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate-mediated vasodilatation.

Corticosteroids are often used in the outpatient treatment of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). To date, there are few data documenting the benefit of this practice. The objective of this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was to assess the efficacy of corticosteroids in the outpatient treatment of COPD exacerbations. Twenty-seven patients presenting with acute COPD exacerbation were studied. In addition to continuing their previous medications and increasing their use of beta-agonists, patients were randomized to receive a 9-d tapering dose of either oral prednisone or placebo. Treatment with prednisone rather than placebo resulted in a more rapid improvement in arterial PO2 (PaO2) (1.12 mm Hg/d versus -0.03 mm Hg/day; p = 0.002), alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient (A-aDO2) (-1.16 mm Hg/d versus -0.03 mm Hg/day; p = 0.04), FEV1 (0.05 L/d versus 0.00 L/d; p = 0.006), and peak expiratory flow (PEF) (0.15 L/s/d versus 0.04 L/s/d; p = 0.009). Prednisone also resulted in fewer treatment failures (p = 0.002) and in a trend toward more rapid improvement in dyspnea scale scores. Outpatient treatment of acute COPD exacerbation with prednisone accelerates recovery of PaO2, A-aDO2, FEV1, and PEF, reduces the treatment failure rate, and improves subjective dyspnea.

Lake Pawhuska, an artificial lake of 95 surface acres, was first open for angling June 2, 1939. Continuous creel records were kept from the opening day until December 31, 1948. Numbers of fish removed as well as numbers of fishermen were recorded during the whole period. In addition, weights of fish were kept between January 1, 1943, and December 31, 1948. During the period of approximately 10 years 23,442 fisherman-days resulted in the removal of 44,072 fish from the lake. The four dominant groups of fishes were crappie, bluegill, black bass, and miscellaneous sunfish. From January 1, 1943, to December 31, 1948, 11,964 fishermen harvested 12,021.8 pounds of fish. This is an annual average of 21.1 pounds of fish per surface acre during the 6-year period. In total pounds removed during this period, black bass, crappie, channel catfish, and bullhead ranked in the order noted.

The reservoir construction program during the last few years in Oklahoma has effected a tremendous increase in fishing opportunities. The answers to many fishery management problems arising out of the reservoir construction have been answered through cooperative endeavor of Federal agencies, state agencies, and schools of higher learning. Artificial reservoirs are so prolific in fish production that overpopulation is the main problem. Much more efficient commercial fish and sport fish harvest programs are needed, however, public resistance is at present the principal impediment to better management.

The real value of a farm pond is its share in a soil and water conservation unit. The owner's interest in clear water may lead to watershed improvements. The potential value of the fish production of the ordinary farm pond has been overrated. The stocking ratio is not the answer to the problem of overpopulations. One or two warm-water species readily dominate and overpopulate small bodies of water. The reproductive potential of the fishes introduced and the habitat available are the primary factors involved. For best utilization of the farm pond, the fishes best suited to the individual pond must be stocked and the fish crop must be harvested annually like any other farm crop.

Summary A case is reported of 12 lipomas involving a 21 cm. segment of ileum, manifested symptomatically by minimal melena and perhaps by diarrhea and abdominal distress.

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Gate closures were made on 12 August 1948, for interim storage purposes. Final storage began 20 April 1949. The elevation was increased from 919.30 to 938.98 feet in April 1949. During May, the elevation reached 946.60 feet and had increased still further to 949.15 feet by June 1949. Thereafter, except in a few instances, the pool has fluctuated within a few feet of the established elevation. During the later part of July and early August 1950, the pool was approximately seven feet higher for a few days. Again in May, June, and July 1951, the pool remained high with a maximum rise of approximately thirty seven feet.