Flexible vs. Rigid dieting strategies: relationship with adverse behavioral outcomes

This study was designed to test the hypothesis that different types of dieting strategies are associated with different behavioral outcomes by investigating the relationship of dieting behaviors with overeating, body mass and mood. A sample of 223 adult male and female participants from a large community were studied. Only a small proportion of the sample (18%) was seeking weight loss treatment, though almost half (49.3%) of the subjects were significantly overweight (body mass index, BMI>30). Subjects were administered questionnaires measuring dietary restraint, overeating, depression and anxiety. Measurements of height and weight were also obtained in order to calculate BMI. Canonical correlation was performed to evaluate the relationship of dietary restraint variables with overeating variables, body mass, depression and anxiety. The strongest canonical correlation (r=0.65) was the relationship between flexible dieting and the absence of overeating, lower body mass and lower levels of depression and anxiety. The second strongest canonical correlation (r=0.59) associated calorie counting and conscious dieting with overeating while alone and increased body mass. The third canonical correlation (r=0.57) found a relationship between low dietary restraint and binge eating. The results support the hypothesis that overeating and other adverse behaviors and moods are associated with the presence or absence of certain types of dieting behavior.

Cognitive appraisals of dietary transgressions by obese women: associations with self-reported eating behavior, depression, and actual weight loss

OBJECTIVE

To identify three groups of obese people entering weight loss treatment, who have distinctly different cognitive appraisals of dietary transgressions and to compare these groups on self-report inventories of eating patterns, dieting, and depression, as well as on treatment completion rates and weight loss.

DESIGN

Retrospective review of clinical records. Using a measure which evaluates eating-related cognitive appraisals, participants were categorized into one of three cognitive groups (All-or-None, Rationalization, Matter-of-Degree).

SUBJECTS

289 treatment-seeking obese women (age: 40.9 y, body mass index (BMI): 34.7 kg/m2).

MEASUREMENTS

Self-reported eating and dieting behavior (Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire and Eating Behavior Inventory); depression (Beck Depression Inventory); attendance information and body weight obtained during treatment.

RESULTS

The cognitive group representing objective thinkers (Matter-of-Degree) reported significantly fewer problems with overeating and more personal control over eating than did the rigid, dichotomous thinkers (All-or-None). In addition, the Matter-of-Degree (MAT) group endorsed significantly less subjective hunger and fewer depressive symptoms than the other two cognitive groups. The Rationalization group was more likely to complete a treatment program than was the All-or-None group, with the MAT group not differing from either. Despite these findings, there were no significant differences among cognitive groups on total weight loss.

CONCLUSIONS

Cognitive appraisals of weight-control lapses appear to be associated with self-reported eating behavior, depressive symptoms and treatment completion rates, but not with treatment-induced weight loss. The relationship between long-term weight loss and cognitive appraisals of dieting lapses is yet to be determined. It appears necessary to assess empirically the validity of assumptions regarding factors associated with treatment outcome.

Perception of sweetness intensity determines women's hedonic and other perceptual responsiveness to chocolate food

This study tested 63 women for hedonic and other perceptual responsiveness to a chocolate food. Subjects tasted four chocolate puddings varying in sugar (high and low) and fat (high and low) content and rated them for pleasantness, caloric density, fillingness and flavor intensities. Results emphasised the importance of sweetness intensity in determining women's responses to the chocolate puddings. Women's perception of sweetness intensity was accurate to sugar content and results consistently indicated that their hedonic responses to the chocolate puddings were based on the perceived sweetness. Women's perception of the caloric density of the puddings was based on their perception of the fat content of the puddings; however, interpretation of that finding must be qualified because the subjects' perception of fat content was inaccurate. The women's perception of sweetness intensity accounted for 31% of the variability in fat perception. Women's perception of the intensity of chocolate flavor was also significantly associated with perceived sweetness of the puddings. These data suggest that the women's accurate perception of the sugar content of the chocolate puddings played a primary role in determining their hedonic and other perceptual responses.

Association of dietary restraint and disinhibition with eating behavior, body mass, and hunger

This study investigated the association of dietary restraint and disinhibition with self-reported and actual eating behavior, body mass, and hunger. A sample of 124 women were categorized into one of four groups based upon high and low scores on measures of Dietary Restraint and Disinhibition using the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire. Half of the participants in each group consumed a high sugar/high fat chocolate pudding as a dietary preload. All participants were given a meal comprised of a standard macaroni and beef product. The interaction of Dietary Restraint and Disinhibition was related to differences in body mass. The Dietary Restraint factor was related to self-reported pathological eating behavior and influenced both perceived hunger and subjective hunger ratings. However, actual eating behavior measured by calories consumed and rate of intake was unrelated to the Dietary Restraint factor. Disinhibition was associated with excessive eating, an increased rate of eating, self-reports of eating disorder symptomatology, and perceived hunger. Hence, actual eating behavior was significantly influenced by the ingestive motivational factor, Disinhibition, but not by the cognitive factor, Dietary Restraint. These data also suggest that the Disinhibition construct is measuring overeating rather than disinhibited eating which implies the disruption of Dietary Restraint.

Organizational restructuring: one HIM team's approach

Organizational restructuring offers a number of challenges--and opportunities--to employees. This article describes how members of one organization's HIM staff participated in a systemwide restructuring process, from planning to implementation to assessment of results.

Comparison of the SimPlate total plate count method with Petrifilm, Redigel, conventional pour-plate methods for enumerating aerobic microorganisms in foods

The SimPlate Total Plate Count (TPC) method, developed by IDEXX Laboratories, Inc., is designed to determine the most probable number of aerobic microorganisms in foods. The 24-h test was compared to the conventional plate count agar (PCA) method, the Petrifilm Aerobic Count plates, and the Redigel Total Count procedure for enumerating microflora in 751 food samples. Results using the SimPlate TPC method were highly correlated (r > or = 0.96) with results from other test methods. Slopes (0.96-0.97) were not significantly different from 1, and y intercepts (-0.03-0.08) were not different from O. The SimPlate has a high counting range (> 1600 most probable number per single dilution), thus requiring fewer dilutions of samples compared to other methods evaluated. Some foods, e.g., raw liver, wheat flour, and nuts, contain enzymes that gave false-positive reactions on SimPlates. Overall, however, the SimPlate TPC method is a suitable alternative to conventional PCA, Petrifilm, and Redigel methods for estimating populations of mesophilic aerobic microorganisms in a wide range of foods.

Force output and energy metabolism during neuromuscular electrical stimulation: a 31P-NMR study

The purpose of this study was to determine the acute physiologic effects of two electrical stimulation protocols commonly used for muscle rehabilitation. Surface electrodes were used to provide 12 stimulations of the calf musculature. In protocol A the duty cycle was fixed at 1:1 (10-second stimulation: 10-second rest); for protocol B it was 1:5 (10-second stimulation: 50-second rest). We continuously recorded isometric plantarflexor force in six healthy male subjects during stimulation using a load cell connected to a foot pedal ergometer. Metabolic changes in the stimulated gastrocnemius muscle were monitored in the supine position using 31P-NMR spectroscopy (Phillips 1.5 tesla NMR machine). Relative changes in phosphocreatine (PCr), inorganic phosphate (Pi), and intracellular pH (pHi) were obtained during stimulation and recovery, using a 1.5 cm RF surface antenna. Over the 12 stimulations, protocol A produced a significantly (p < 0.001), greater force decline (protocol A: 30.4 +/- 1.3%, protocol B: 13 +/- 0.8%); a significantly (p < 0.005), greater increase in Pi/PCr (protocol A: 210%, protocol B: 50%); and a significantly (p <0.001), lower pHi (protocol A: 6.8 +/- 0.16, protocol B: 7.03 +/- 0.12). We conclude that the shorter duty cycle produces more fatigue throughout the stimulation period, possibly as a result of greater intracellular acidosis and reduced availability of the high energy phosphate PCr. The clinical application of this finding relates to the selection of a stimulation protocol that maximizes strength gains in atrophic vs healthy muscle.

Macular corneal dystrophy in Iceland. A clinical, genealogic, and immunohistochemical study of 28 patients

BACKGROUND

The frequency of different types of macular corneal dystrophy (MCD) was determined in Iceland where MCD accounts for one third of every penetrating keratoplasty.

METHODS

The authors determined the serum levels of antigenic keratan sulfate (aKS) in 27 patients with MCD and 53 unaffected family members by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay that uses an anti-KS monoclonal antibody (5-D-4). The authors also stained sections from 37 corneal buttons (including 2 regrafts) from 23 patients with MCD by the avidin-biotin complex method using the same anti-KS monoclonal antibody.

RESULTS

Based on the serum analyses, 22 patients had MCD type I and 5 had MCD type II. The corneas from patients without detectable KS in the serum lacked immunohistochemical reactivity to the anti-KS antibody. Every MCD cornea examined from individuals with normal serum KS levels showed KS reactivity. All 53 unaffected siblings and parents carrying the recessive gene had normal serum KS levels.

CONCLUSIONS

Macular corneal dystrophy types I (78.6%) and II (21.4%) both occur in Iceland. Members of affected sibships had only one of these types, not both. Nine patients with MCD type I and four persons with MCD type II belonged to a large pedigree in which individuals have been traced as far back as the beginning of the 16th century. The linking of patients with MCD types I and II in an inbred pedigree suggests that both types may be manifestations of the same abnormal gene rather than independent entities. The serum KS levels were not helpful in detecting heterozygous MCD carriers.

Infantile Blount disease: long-term follow-up of surgically treated patients at skeletal maturity

Seventeen patients with infantile Blount disease who were treated by surgical correction and followed up to skeletal maturity were reviewed by clinical and radiographic examination. Patients with symptomatic knees or significant ligament instability or both underwent further evaluation by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or arthroscopy or both. Average age at time of initial surgery was 5.5 years and at final follow-up was 20.5 years. Average length of follow-up was 15 years. Recurrence of the deformity requiring repeated osteotomy occurred more frequently in children who underwent initial osteotomy at > 4 years of age or at Langenskiöld stage > or = III or both. Patients who underwent a single osteotomy for correction of their deformity had significantly decreased pain in the affected knee at maturity. All patients who were symptomatic or had significant knee instability or both had abnormal ligamentous, meniscal, or bony changes (or more than one of these) on MRI, which were confirmed by arthroscopy. Early surgical intervention during initial stages of the disease process will result in a decreased incidence of recurrence of deformity and decreased symptoms and knee pathology at skeletal maturity.

Arthroscopic shoulder surgery with three different laser systems: an evaluation of laser applications

Twelve cadaveric shoulder arthroscopies were performed to evaluate the use of lasers as an adjunctive tool in arthroscopic shoulder surgery. The three most common lasers historically used in orthopedic surgery were examined: Holmium:YAG, Neodymium:YAG, and the CO2. The following parameters were evaluated for each laser system: (1) ease of use of the laser system and handpiece; (2) ability to excise and trim bursae, synovium, ligament, tendon, bone, and articular cartilage; and (3) ability to contract ligaments and capsule by heat transfer. None of these lasers efficiently cut bone, whereas all three systems readily debrided the soft tissues around the shoulder. The free-beam Ho:YAG and CO2 systems heat contracted soft tissues with more control than the contact Nd:YAG. The fiberoptic delivery system of the Neodymium:YAG and Holmium:YAG laser performed well in the saline arthroscopy, and the CO2 delivery system was cumbersome. Overall, the CO2 system removed tissue better than the others, but its difficult use favored the Holmium laser as the best overall current laser system for shoulder arthroscopy.

In vitro analysis of laser meniscectomy

Partial meniscectomies were performed on 32 fresh human meniscal autopsy specimens. The following laser systems were tested: carbon dioxide (CO2), neodymium:yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG), potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP), holmium:YAG (Ho:YAG), and excimer. Meniscectomies with these lasers were compared with scalpel, mechanical, and electrocautery meniscectomies. Lasers were applied to specimens in and out of normal saline. Routine hematoxylin and eosin and sirius red sections were prepared for each specimen, and the depths of thermal changes were analyzed. Scanning electron microscopy was used to visualize the meniscectomy interface. Among these specimens, the scalpel and mechanical meniscectomies showed the least extension of cellular changes (range, 10-15 nm). The excimer laser caused the least tissue changes of the lasers tested. Tissue changes were less extensive with the pulsed CO2 laser than with the holmium:YAG, neodymium:YAG, and KTP lasers. Scanning electron microscopy showed that use of the scalpel meniscectomy resulted in the smoothest meniscectomy edge, followed by use of the excimer, CO2, holmium:YAG, neodymium:YAG, and KTP lasers. The most surface disruption occurred with electrocautery. Meniscectomies under saline required more energy and took longer in each case, with the holmium:YAG, neodymium:YAG, and CO2 laser cutting the best. Saline meniscectomies showed less thermal change. The CO2 and KTP lasers cut best in air.

The biological effects of carbon dioxide laser surgery on rabbit articular cartilage

A pulsed carbon dioxide laser made predetermined superficial and deep (subchondral) lesions through arthrotomies on the femoral condyles of adult New Zealand rabbits. Twenty rabbits, including controls, were divided into acute, 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month sacrifice groups. Early sacrifice groups showed some fibrous ingrowth from the deep lesions, but not the superficial lesions, and this was not seen in the 6- or 12-month groups. Cells below and adjacent to the laser lesions appeared viable when compared with controls. In each group studied, no histologic evidence of healing or fibrous covering in the superficial or deep laser lesions was found. No adverse clinical effects (synovitis, infection) were found in the laser groups, and the laser permitted excellent depth control during vaporization. However, the authors caution against irradiating articular cartilage.

The effects of the neodymium laser on meniscal repair in the avascular zone of the meniscus

Thirty mature New Zealand white rabbits were divided into four surgical groups, and a 3- to 4-mm incision was made in the inner avascular zone of the central third of the medial meniscus. In group I, the tear was not treated by lasering or suturing. In group II, the tear was sutured. Group III was given four different doses of the neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser irradiation with no suturing. Group IV underwent meniscal suturing followed by the same four different laser irradiation doses. The animals were killed at 2, 4, and 6 weeks, with gross and histologic evaluation of the healing responses by group and time. The overall results showed no healing of this meniscal tear in the avascular zone. Suturing generally showed increased cellular infiltration. The varying doses of the Nd:YAG lasing demonstrated no gradient effect, and no "welding" of menisci was noted. The maximum cellular inflammatory response was noted in the sutured and lased menisci, reinforcing the importance of a stable meniscal environment for healing meniscal tears.

Discovery and characterization of an inhibitory angiotensin receptor in the guinea-pig ileum

Using nitrendipine to block the smooth muscle contractile effects of angiotensin II, it has been shown that the agonist produces a dose-related inhibitory effect on the electrically stimulated, longitudinal smooth muscle, myenteric plexus preparation from the guinea-pig. In the absence of stimulation, there is no detectable direct relaxant effect of angiotensin II on the preparation, even when it is partially contracted with carbachol, leading to the conclusion that the inhibitory effects of angiotensin are mediated via prejunctional receptors on the neuron. A number of angiotensin antagonists, including DUP753, saralasin, SKB108566 and several nonpeptide antagonists synthesized at ZENECA, have been investigated vs (1) the inhibitory effects of angiotensin II and (2) the direct contractile effects produced in unstimulated tissues in the absence of nitrendipine. A correlation curve comparing the results from the two sets of experiments gave a slope of 1.05 and a correlation coefficient of 0.99, providing very strong evidence that the two receptor systems are pharmacologically identical. The antagonists were further evaluated vs angiotensin II in the rat fundic strip in order to (1) determine whether there was any species variation in the receptor systems and (2) provide an example of a smooth muscle preparation uncomplicated by indirect effects of transmitters released by angiotensin, as has been reported in the guinea-pig ileum. An excellent correlation was obtained between the Ke values in the fundus and the guinea-pig ileum, indicating no difference in receptors between species or between neurons and smooth muscle.

Synthesis and structure-activity relationships of some 6 beta-acrylamido penicillins

Syntheses are described for penicillins (4b approximately 4i, 5a and 5b) which possess a 6 beta-(2-heteroaryl-3-substituted)-propenamido side-chain of fixed geometry. In vitro results for these compounds against a range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria showed in most cases good stability against both penicillinase and TEM-1 beta-lactamase; analogues (4b approximately 4i) bearing a 2-(2-aminothiazol-4-yl) unit showed the best intrinsic activity, the cyclohexyl compound (4b) being the most promising. The 1-acetoxyethyl ester (6) of 4b was also prepared; in experimental animal studies the in vivo properties of this compound compared favourably with cefuroxime axetil and are reported together with selected in vivo data for the other compounds.

Selectivity profile of the α2-adrenoceptor antagonist efaroxan in relation to plasma glucose and insulin levels in the rat

The effects of efaroxan (RX 821037A; 2-[2-(2-ethyl-2,3-dihydrobenzofuranyl)]-2-imidazoline HCl) at alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptors were investigated in isolated tissues, pithed rats and conscious rats. In isolated tissues, efaroxan competitively antagonised the inhibitory effects of p-aminoclonidine in the electrically stimulated (0.1 Hz) rat vas deferens, (pA2 = 8.89) and the contractile effects of phenylephrine on the rat anococcygeus muscle (pA2 = 6.03). Efaroxan had a selectivity ratio (alpha 2/alpha 1) of 724 compared to a value of 182 for idazoxan. In pithed rats, the i.v. doses of efaroxan (mumol/kg) producing 2-fold shifts in dose-response curves for UK-14,304 at prejunctional cardiac alpha 2-adrenoceptors and postjunctional vascular alpha 2-adrenoceptors, and for cirazoline at postjunctional vascular alpha 1-adrenoceptors, were 0.05, 0.13 and 2.96, respectively. In conscious fasted rats, prazosin (5 mg/kg p.o.) increased resting glucose levels and exacerbated the hyperglycaemic effects of UK-14,304 and adrenaline. In contrast, efaroxan (1-5 mg/kg p.o.) had little effect on resting plasma glucose but markedly antagonised the hyperglycaemic actions of UK-14,304 and adrenaline. Efaroxan increased resting plasma insulin levels and markedly potentiated the rise in insulin levels produced by adrenaline; this latter effect was prevented by the co-administration of propranolol. These results demonstrate that efaroxan is a potent and selective alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonist and provide further support for the involvement of alpha 2-adrenoceptors in glucose homeostasis.

The effect of total-body irradiation on corneal neovascularization in the Fischer 344 rat after chemical cauterization

Previous investigations of corneal neovascularization after irradiation yielded discordant results. Most studies indicated that new blood vessel formation in the cornea is inhibited by irradiation. However, others reported that angiogenesis after corneal cauterization is similar in both irradiated and nonirradiated animals. To assess the effect of total-body irradiation on neovascularization further, the amount of angiogenesis was determined in irradiated rats after chemically induced corneal injury. Corneal tissue was evaluated quantitatively with computerized image analysis 2, 3, or 4 days postcautery in rats perfused with India ink and gelatin immediately after death. The rats were exposed to a single dose (9 Gy) of total-body irradiation 6 days before corneal cauterization. In both the nonirradiated and irradiated rats, neovascularization increased with the duration of the postcautery interval. The amount of corneal neovascularization was not significantly different in the irradiated and nonirradiated rats at any of the postcautery intervals studied. This investigation suggests that endothelial cell migration plays a more important role than cell replication in the pathogenesis of corneal angiogenesis in the Fischer 344 rat. Moreover, the suppression of corneal angiogenesis by irradiation may be dependent on the experimental conditions and species examined.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of 14-alkoxymorphinans, V: 6-Deoxyocyprodime, an opioid antagonist with decreased mu receptor selectivity in comparison to cyprodime

N-Cyclopropylmethyl-4,14-dimethoxymorphinan (4) and N-cyclopropylmethyl-4-hydroxy-14-methoxymorphinan (5) have been prepared from cyprodime (1) by Wolff-Kishner reduction. Pharmacological studies (mouse vas deferens and guinea pig ileum preparations) revealed that there was no significant decrease of 4 in antagonist activity but in mu selectivity when compared with 1. The phenol 5 showed partial agonism at mu, kappa and delta receptors.

(-)-N,N'-but-2-ene-1,4-diylbimorphinans

N,N'-But-2-ene-1,4-diylbimorphinans 1-3 have been synthesized and pharmacologically evaluated. Bimorphinans 1 and 3 show opioid antagonist activity and preference for mu and kappa opioid receptors in mouse vas deferens and guinea pig ileum preparations.