Document wDqM0y0o5q7VgYbjaJeGd637V

=3 & issi U----- u c=a Industrial Hygiene Digest April, 1966 in all eight patients with suspected pericardial fluid. Significant pericardial eff-uoion was confirmed by special roentgenographlc studies in seven of the eight patients. TSie echo* cardiogram appears to be a simple, innocuous and relatively accurate clinical tchnic for the detection of pericardial effusion. There are ten references. - Authors' summary 337 : Electronystagmography: Its Clinical Application. J. Farkashidy. Can. Med. Assn. J. 94, 368-372 (Feb. 19, 1966). Nystagmus is a phenomenon of considerable physiological significance and one o:f the most important expressions of vestibular disease. Electronystagmography (ENG) malkes possible the exact recording of the eyeball movements and the quantitative assessment of the various parameters of nystagmus, spontaneous or induced, with obvious advantages in that differentia diagnosis of neuro-otological disorders. The principles and methods of this pro cedure are demonstrated and analysis of ENG tracings in illustrative clinical cases is showsn. -- Author's abst. 338 Racial Differences in Incidence of Chronic Bronchitis: Preliminary Report. D. Massaro, A. Cusick and S. Katz. Am. Rev. Resp. Die. 92, 94 (1965), The incidence of chronic bronchitis In a group of hospitalized male veterans was 34%. Smoke of all ages had a significantly greater incidence of this disease than non-smokers. Xncreasin age was not nearly as closely associated with an increased incidence of chronic bronchitis as was increased cigarette smoking. Of interest was the greater prevalence of chronic bronehit in whites than in Negroes. This difference was true for all age groups studied ami also for subjects closely matched in smoking habits. Negro non-smokers had significantly less bronchitis than white non-smokers, whereas Negro smokers did not have a bighe r incidence of the disease. These data suggest, in the population studied, that host factors, race-de pendent, are operative in the etiology of this disease. Can. Med. Assn. 7. Abets. 339 A Double-Blind Study of the Effectiveness and Specificity of Injection Therapy in Ragweed Hav Fever, F, C. Lowell and W. Franklin. New Engl. J. Med. 273, 675 (1965), From a clinic population of about 500 patients careful selection was made of cleazr-cut cases of ragweed hay fever. All this group of 24 kept a careful record of symptoms from March until the end of October 1963. Extracts were prepared identical in appearance exccept that half contained no ragweed. All patients had previously been treated in former ye-ars, all believed they were receiving ragweed extract, and personnel giving the injections likewise had no knowledge as to whether or not individual patients were receiving desensitization therapy. From March through July there were no significant differences In symptoms be tween the two groups. With the onset of the ragweed season there was a very distinct and significant improvement in the group receiving ragweed extract as compared with, the con trols indicating that the effect of injection therapy with ragweed pollen is a specific one. - Can. Med. Assn, 7. Abets. 340 Pulmonary Function Testing in Geriatric Surgical Patients. E. Rothfeld, et al. Diseases of Chest 47, 20-25 (Jan. 1963). The incidence of serious postoperative complications is higher in geriatric patienii than it is in the younger ones. It has been shown that these problems are usually related t pre-existing disorders, rather than to the surgery itself. Pulmonary complications are amons the most common postoperative difficulties in this age group. This study dealt with a series! of patients over 65 years of age. It demonstrated the superiority of simple pulmonary function testing (using equipment available in most community hospitals, and requiring less than 20 minutes per patient) to clinical and roentgen evaluations in predicting postoperative pulmoraary compli cations. -- Am. Rev. Resp. Die- Absts. 341 Nutrition and Palatabilltv with Special References to Obesity, Myocardial Infarction, and Other Diseases of Civilisation, John Yudkin. Lancet J^, 1336-1338 (June 22, 1963). With the extensive and rapidly Increasing knowledge of food technology, it is now possible for the food manufacturer to separate palatability from nutritional value. As a result, man is Increasingly exposed to foods of high palatability but of low or undersirable nutriti nn value. There is evidence that this distortion of the diet plays a part in the increased incidence of obesity and dental caries, and also perhaps in the Increased Incidence of myocardial infarction, 7. 03122094