Similarities and differences in hospitalization rates among five racial groups serving in the Navy during a 3-year period (1973-75) were examined, and the differences in terms of sociological and occupational factors were evaluated. Overall annual hospitalization rates per 10,000 men were blacks, 1,413; whites, 1,109; American Indians, 923; Asian-Americans, 683; and Malaysians (Filipinos), 508.Explanations for the low Malaysian hospitalization rate included selection of the fittest for service, age and job experience, and a low percentage of assignments to physically arduous occupations. Although blacks had the highest rates for many medical conditions, their rates for injuries, respiratory diseases, and infective disorders were comparable with those for whites. Blacks had the highest rates for several non-life-threatening conditions that required surgical procedures; this finding suggested that the Navy Medical Department had filled a longstanding need for corrective treatment.Although the results of this study should be useful to military medical planners responsible for the health care of all naval personnel, the authors conclude that detailed longitudinal studies are needed to establish more clearly the underlying biological and sociological factors associated with racial differences in morbidity.
MeSH terms: African Americans; Hospitalization*; Hospitals, Military*; Hospitals, Public*; Humans; United States; African Continental Ancestry Group; Asian Continental Ancestry Group; Continental Population Groups*
Strains of Taenia taeniaeformis were shown to possess markedly differing infectivities for Sprague-Dawley rats and CFI mice. Strains from Scotland, Belgium and Iraq were more infective for mice than rats while this situation was reversed with a Malaysian strain. There were also differences in their ability to infect hosts of different ages within the range 3-12 weeks of age.
A double-blind study was carried out to compare the efficacy and tolerability of nomifensine and amitriptyline in 17 Malaysian patients with moderate to severe depression. The two drugs did not differ with regard to antidepressant effect but nomifensine-treated subjects report fewer side-effects with no complaints of palpitations. Nomifensine also increases capacity for work and activity.
DNA from healthy Malaysian newborns was studied on gene maps after digestion with different restriction endonucleases. Of 65 newborns, two were found to be carriers of two different variants of triplicated alpha-globin loci. In variant no. 1, found in an Malay, the three alpha-globin genes are in an elongated DNA fragment on digestion with Eco RI and Bam HI. The third alpha-globin gene was found in a additional 3.7-kb fragment on digestion with Hpa I, Bgl II and Hind III. In variant no. 2, a new type of triplicated alpha-globin loci, found in a Chinese, the three alpha-globin genes reside in an elongated DNA fragment longer than that of variant no. 1 on digestion with Eco RI and Bam HI. The third alpha-globin gene was found in an additional 4.2-kb fragment on digestion with Hpa I and Hind III. Digestion of this variant DNA with Bg1 II produced an abnormal 16.7-kb fragment in addition to the normal 7.0-kb Bgl-II fragment. The locations of the restriction sites in the two types of triplicated alpha-globin loci are compatible with a mechanism of unequal crossing over following two different modes of misalignment.