Racial and ethnic differences in patients enrolled in the national bronchiectasis and nontuberculous mycobacteria research registry.

Demographic and socioeconomic factors are recognized to contribute to disparities in healthcare outcomes. Originally, bronchiectasis was described in a population of predominantly White ethnic group of patients in which racial disparity could not be identified. The U.S. Bronchiectasis Research Registry (BRR), a centralized database of adult patients with bronchiectasis and/or NTM from 18 clinical institutions across the U.S., was created to support the research of this condition. The aim of this study is to describe the racial and ethnic distribution of patients enrolled in the BRR and evaluate factors associated with healthcare disparities within manifestations of and/or the care delivered to this population. At the time of this study, 3600 patients with bronchiectasis and/or NTM were enrolled in the BRR. Of those, 3510 participants were included in these analyses. The population was predominantly non-HispanicWhite (n = 3143, 89.5%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (n = 149, 4.3%), Asian (n = 130, 3.7%) and non-Hispanic Black (n = 88, 2.5%) participants. Testing for cystic fibrosis, immunoglobulin deficiency, and mycobacteria was not different between races, but non-Hispanic Black patients were tested less frequently for alpha-1 antitrypsin (A1AT) deficiency compared to other groups (P = 0.01). The four groups did not differ in the proportion of Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Hemophilus influenzae. There was no statistically significant difference in use of high-frequency chest wall oscillation, pulmonary rehabilitation services, or suppressive macrolide treatment across the groups (P > 0.05). There is a disproportionately high percentage of non-Hispainc White patients compared to non-Hispanic Black patients and Hispanic or Latino patients in the BRR. However, we found an overall similarity of care of BRR patients, regardless of racial and ethnic group.

First results from the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search in the Soudan Underground Laboratory.

We report the first results from a search for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) in the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search experiment at the Soudan Underground Laboratory. Four Ge and two Si detectors were operated for 52.6 live days, providing 19.4 kg d of Ge net exposure after cuts for recoil energies between 10 and 100 keV. A blind analysis was performed using only calibration data to define the energy threshold and selection criteria for nuclear-recoil candidates. Using the standard dark-matter halo and nuclear-physics WIMP model, these data set the world's lowest exclusion limits on the coherent WIMP-nucleon scalar cross section for all WIMP masses above 15 GeV/c2, ruling out a significant range of neutralino supersymmetric models. The minimum of this limit curve at the 90% C.L. is 4 x 10(-43) cm2 at a WIMP mass of 60 GeV/c2.

Age-based transition periods and the outcome of mental health treatment.

Do people ever get too old to change? Studies of the influence of the age of adult patients on the outcome of mental health treatment have led to inconsistent results. Design characteristics of such studies have limited our understanding of the relationship between age and outcome. Over 300 male veterans undergoing brief inpatient psychiatric treatment were categorized according to their age-based, adult developmental period (Levinson, Darrow, Klein, Levinson, & McKee, 1978). Improvement during treatment was found to be significantly related to the patient's developmental stage (r = .25, p less than .01). These results wee cross-validated and replicated using three different techniques for measuring improvement. Patients treated during transition periods, whether young or old, improved most. These results were not limited to wartime veterans. Apparently, adult males are more responsive to mental health treatment during transition periods than at other times.

Training in the use of Goal Attainment Scaling.

Goal Attainment Scaling is emerging as one of the most frequently utilized methods of evaluating mental health programs. However, little material is available on the practical problems encountered in training mental health clinicians to use Goal Attainment Scaling. This report details some of the difficulties encountered and the training program that evolved when a large scale research program used Goal Attainment Scaling as the criterion of outcome.

Preservation of Mycoplasma strains by freezing in liquid nitrogen and by lyophilization with sucrose.

Procedures for maintaining Mycoplasma strains are described. Liquid nitrogen storage provided an adequate means for keeping stock cultures stable. Over 74 strains of approximately 26 species have been preserved in this way, some for as long as 9 years. Mycoplasma strains can also be recovered satisfactorily from the freeze-dried state when the procedure described includes the use of 12% (v/v) sucrose as an additive. Fifteen strains representing 12 or more species were subjected to a freeze-drying program with and without sucrose added to concentrated cell suspensions in growth medium. Cell counts indicate improved survival with sucrose.

Surveyor v: lunar surface mechanical properties.

The mechanical properties of the lunar soil at the Surveyor V landing site seem to be generally consistent with values determined for soils at the landing sites of Surveyor I and III. These three maria sites are hundreds of kilometers apart. However, the static bearing capability may be somewhat lower than that at the previous landing sites (2 x 10(5) to 6 x 10(5) dynes per square centimeter or 3 to 8 pounds per square inch). The results of the erosion experiment, the spacecraft landing effects, and other observations indicate that the soil has significant amounts of fine-grained material and a measurable cohesion.