Comparative cytotoxicity of fumonisin B1 in two cell lines derived from normal human bronchial epithelial cells using four distinct bioassay techniques

This study focuses on the cytotoxic effects of fumonisin B1 (FB1) on both immortalised and immortalised and subsequently transfected normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cells of human origin using four bioassays. While the MTT, Neutral Red and hexosaminidase colorimetric assays showed little difference between the toxic effects on the two related cell lines, the clonogenic assay, measuring cell survival and proliferation, indicated that FB1 had a more toxic effect on the nontransfected cells. This kind ofin vitro approach using cells which retain many characteristics of normal cell growth and differentiation can go some way to developing evaluation models for food safety in the case of mycotoxin contamination without resorting totally to whole animal testing. Nevertheless, one or two cytotoxicity tests may be inadequate for a complete appraisal of toxic potential: rather, as wide a range of methodologies as feasible should be employed initially before meaningful conclusions may be drawn.

Design and synthesis of thrombin receptor-derived nonpeptide mimetics utilizing a piperazine scaffold

Focal thrombus formation and vasoconstriction serve to defend vessels when vascular damage occurs, but may be detrimental when an atherosclerotic plaque is disrupted. Recently, the identification of the platelet thrombin receptor opened a new area in the development of agents that may selectively inhibit the effects of thrombin on cells, without affecting fibrin formation. In this regard, we have synthesized a number of 1,4-disubstituted piperazines which are designed to be analogues of thrombin receptor activating peptides (TRAP) and carry the pharmacophoric features of Phe and Arg residues present in the active pentapeptide SFLLR. These compounds were tested in the rat aorta relaxation assay and in platelet aggregation studies and their biological activity was consistent with a direct action on thrombin receptor. Furthermore, the structure activity relationships confirmed the importance of Phe and Arg for receptor activation and the molecular modeling revealed an intriguing relationship between their amphipathic similarity with SFLLR and their biological activity.

Primary care groups. Lending a hand

High-quality, dedicated management support was crucial to the GP commissioning pilots. A fifth of the pilots reported difficult relationships with their health authority. There are concerns about bringing prescribing 'outliers' into line. Involving the public will be a considerable challenge for PCGs.

Primary care trusts. States of flux

Primary care trusts are similar to US health maintenance organisations in that they act as both commissioners and providers of services. There are already innovative primary care organisations in the NHS and the private sector that can be classed as embryonic PCTs. Experience of these organisations, assessed in relation to HMOs, can inform the development of PCTs.

Musculoskeletal rehabilitation and sports medicine. 4. Miscellaneous sports medicine topics

This self-directed learning module highlights new advances in this topic area. It is part of the chapter on musculoskeletal rehabilitation and sports medicine in the Self-Directed Physiatric Education Program for practitioners and trainees in physical medicine and rehabilitation. This article discusses physiatric duties as a team physician, preparticipation physical examinations, ergogenic aids, heat-related illness, pediatric sports injuries, female sports injuries, and sports medicine topics pertinent to geriatric and physically or mentally challenged athletes. New advances covered in this section include use of creatine, guidelines for the preparticipation examination, sudden cardiac athletic death, pediatric and female anterior cruciate ligament injuries, the female athlete triad, spine screening in Down syndrome athletes, and "boosting" in athletes with spinal cord injury.

Health of the Nation Outcome Scales. Results of the Victorian field trial

BACKGROUND

In Victoria, Australia, systematic assessment of outcomes in mental health services are being instituted.

AIMS

To carry out a large-scale field trial of the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS).

METHOD

2137 clients were rated by mental health workers on the HoNOS, and about half were rated again within a few months.

RESULTS

While interrater reliability of the total score was satisfactory, that of some individual items was unacceptable. Significant associations with age and gender were found, and clients with non-psychotic disorders obtained higher (i.e. worse) ratings than those with psychotic disorders. There were relationships between service use and HoNOS total score. For the group as a whole, total scores had not changed at the second rating, but admissions and discharges were associated with increases and decreases in total score. Among clients in the community, there was no relationship between change in HoNOS total score and frequency of contacts.

CONCLUSIONS

Certain items, notably 11 and 12, were unreliable. The absence of evidence of sensitivity to change may be due to the short re-rating interval, little real change in the clients, or the characteristics of the scale itself.

Vascular surgical society of great britain and ireland: transcranial doppler-directed dextran therapy in the prevention of postoperative carotid thrombosis

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that embolization precedes carotid thrombosis, a previously unpredictable event complicating 2-3 per cent of all carotid endarterectomies. It was hypothesized that dextran 40 therapy might prevent progression to complete thrombosis in high-risk patients. METHODS: Between October 1995 and July 1998, 400 consecutive patients were monitored following carotid endarterectomy using transcranial Doppler ultrasonography. Those with sustained embolization (more than 25 in 10 min) or those with emboli that distorted the middle cerebral artery waveform were commenced on an incremental dextran 40 infusion. RESULTS: Two hundred and sixteen patients (54 per cent) had one or more emboli detected (96 per cent within 2 h of flow restoration) but only 15 (4 per cent) required dextran therapy. Embolization ceased in each case although the dextran dose had to be adjusted in four. In one of the latter patients, embolization recurred on day 5 but was again controlled with high-dose dextran. Overall, the death and any stroke rate was 2 per cent and no patient suffered a stroke due to carotid thrombosis. CONCLUSION: A few patients develop sustained embolization following carotid endarterectomy which, in previous studies, has been shown to be highly predictive of carotid thrombosis. The authors' experience to date suggests that dextran can stop this phase of embolization and prevent progression to complete carotid thrombosis. However, the dose of dextran has to be adjusted in 25 per cent of patients (i.e. blind administration of dextran may not be effective) and, very rarely, embolization may recur later.

Musculoskeletal rehabilitation and sports medicine. 2. Shoulder and upper extremity injuries

This self-directed learning module discusses classic concepts and highlights new advances in the diagnosis and management of shoulder and upper extremity injuries commonly occurring from athletic competition. It is part of the chapter on musculoskeletal rehabilitation and sports medicine in the Self-Directed Physiatric Education Program for practitioners and trainees in physical medicine and rehabilitation.

Endothelial expression of VCAM-1 in experimental crescentic nephritis and effect of antibodies to very late antigen-4 or VCAM-1 on glomerular injury

The migration of leukocytes into glomeruli in crescentic glomerulonephritis is fundamental to pathogenesis, and offers important therapeutic opportunities. We addressed the importance of VCAM-1, and its leukocyte ligand very late antigen-4 (VLA-4), in such leukocyte migration. In a rat model of nephrotoxic nephritis, glomerular expression of VCAM-1, studied by immunohistochemistry, was up-regulated by day 6 of nephritis. To quantify kidney endothelial VCAM-1 expression, a differential radiolabeled mAb technique was used, which demonstrated that protein expression was not up-regulated by day 2 of nephritis, but rose threefold between days 2 and 5, and remained elevated until at least day 28. An in vivo study was then performed, using blocking mAbs to either VCAM-1 or VLA-4, starting mAb treatment on the day prior to disease induction, and continuing until animals were sacrificed at day 7. mAbs to VLA-4 significantly attenuated renal injury (albuminuria, glomerular fibrinoid necrosis, and crescent formation), but mAbs to VCAM-1 had no significant effect. Surprisingly, the number of leukocytes within glomeruli was unaffected by anti-VLA-4 mAb therapy, despite the reduction in renal injury. Paradoxically, classical markers of macrophage activation were increased in the anti-VLA-4- and anti-VCAM-1-treated animals. This study demonstrates that kidney endothelial VCAM-1, in contrast to ICAM-1, is not up-regulated by day 2 of nephrotoxic nephritis, and plays little part in early leukocyte influx into glomeruli. However, VLA-4 is an important mediator of glomerular injury, operating after transendothelial leukocyte migration, and presumably binding to alternate ligands within the kidney.

Lightning: the multisystem group injuries

In this article, we present our experience of group lightning injury. Individual injuries are most common after single strikes. The largest group previously reported was 10 patients. In our series, 17 victims were hit by a single strike; 11 were admitted to the hospital and 6 were discharged from the accident and emergency department. Although injured under the same circumstances, these patients presented with a wide range of symptoms and signs. We also describe a characteristic burn pattern, the "tip-toe sign."

The survey form of SCAN: the feasibility of using experienced lay survey interviewers to administer a semi-structured systematic clinical assessment of psychotic and non-psychotic disorders

BACKGROUND

The success of large scale surveys depends on well designed questionnaires and the skills of lay interviewers. Discrepancies in prevalence rates between epidemiological surveys and poor agreement between survey interviewer and clinician diagnostic interviews are giving rise to increasing concern among researchers, public health planners and policy developers. New approaches to information collection are called for. The feasibility of training experienced survey interviewers in semi-structured, clinical, diagnostic interviewing has never been investigated systematically across the range of neurotic and psychotic disorders.

METHODS

Eight experienced survey interviewers from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) were selected and underwent extended training in a Survey Form of SCAN (SCAN-SF). Sixty-four adults, including a majority of psychiatric in-patients were assessed by ONS interviewers and reinterviewed within a week by SCAN-trained clinicians. Feedback was sought from interviewers and trainers.

RESULTS

Trainers found lay interviewers coped at least as well with psychotic as with neurotic symptoms. Concordance for any disorder was 0.74 (95% CI: 0.57 to 0.91); for any specific psychotic disorder 0.63 (0.40 to 0.86); for any specific neurotic disorder 0.63 (0.43 to 0.83). Sensitivity ranged from 0.6 to 0.9 and specificity from 0.8 to 0.9. There was no evidence of rater bias.

CONCLUSIONS

These preliminary findings are very promising. However, before the SCAN-SF, administered by carefully trained lay interviewers, can be recommended in large scale surveys, further evaluations of its feasibility and reliability in the general population are needed.

Selective outpatient management of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in the elderly

OBJECTIVE

We sought to determine whether elderly patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding can be safely managed as outpatients. We were also interested in determining the etiology of bleeding peptic ulcer disease in this population.

METHODS

Eighty-four patients (65 yr of age and older) were studied during a 23-month period. Urgent outpatient endoscopy was performed and clinical as well as endoscopic criteria were applied to determine the need for hospital admission. Patients with endoscopic findings that indicated a low risk for rebleeding were not admitted if they lacked one major or three minor predefined clinical criteria. All enrollees were followed after discharge from the clinic or hospital for 4 wk with hematocrit determination and clinical assessments. The main outcome measures were the number of patients who met our predefined clinical and endoscopic criteria for outpatient versus inpatient care and the differences in the rebleeding rates in these two groups.

RESULTS

Twenty-four (29%) patients were treated as outpatients; none rebled. In contrast, seven (12%) of the 60 inpatients had one or more rebleeding episodes (p = 0.002). Bleeding from peptic ulcer disease was associated with use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory medications in 81% of patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Selective outpatient management of elderly patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding can be done safely and has the potential to lead to reduced health care expenditures. Over-the-counter nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs are the most frequent cause of bleeding peptic ulcer disease in this population.

Characterization of the Brillouin-loss spectrum of single-mode fibers by use of very short (<10-ns) pulses

The characterization of the Brillouin-loss spectrum of single-mode fibers with very short (<10-ns) pulses has been studied. It was found that the Brillouin-loss signal intensity is linearly related to the duration of the pump pulse used to obtain the spectrum. In contrast with the uniform trend of the signal, three distinct behaviors were observed in the spectral linewidth. At long pulse durations the linewidth was constant at approximately 40 MHz. Pulse durations of the order of the phonon lifetime resulted in a broader spectrum, reaching a maximum width of ~100 MHz at 5 ns. Reducing the pulse duration further resulted in a sudden narrowing of the Brillouin line.

How mental health providers see managed care

This paper reports findings from two focus groups on managed care conducted in a large U.S. city in 1989. Questions addressed included how managed care had affected mental health practice, specific experiences with managed care, the mechanisms of managed care, and how managed care could be improved. The practitioners complained of multiple problems, but clearly distinguished between "good" and "bad" firms. Firms seen as more positive struck a balance between quality care and cost containment, built ongoing relationships with providers, and negotiated with providers, rather than prescribing a treatment plan. The authors conclude that some of the poor reception by providers of managed care may have been created unnecessarily by firms which have not attended to these factors, and that attention to such factors might lead to a more ready acceptance of managed care.

Snowboarding injuries: general patterns, with a focus on talus fractures

Injury patterns in snowboarding differ from those in Alpine skiing. Snowboarders tend to have fewer knee and thumb injuries than skiers but more upper-extremity trauma, fractures in general, and ankle injuries. Of particular concern in snowboarding is fracture of the lateral process of the talus (LPT), which masquerades as an inversion ankle sprain, is often missed, and can lead to significant disability. Signs are typically similar to those of inversion sprains, but pain on palpation of the lateral process can be helpful in diagnosis. Standard radiographs often do not show the fracture, so CT or lateral tomography may be required. The most minor, nondisplaced LPT injuries may heal with casting and rehab, but more severe fractures typically require surgery.

T-box genes: what they do and how they do it

Brachyury is the founder member of the T-box family of transcription factors, which is characterized by a DNA-binding domain of approximately 200 amino acids. Members of the T-box gene family play important roles in the development of both vertebrate and invertebrate embryos, including the control of gastrulation, development of the heart, and perhaps even the decision as to whether to form arm or leg. An understanding of how the T-box genes act requires analysis of how their expression is controlled, identification of their target genes, and an insight into how different family members exert different effects.

"Troo, the Traumaroo" bicycle and playground safety program: a pilot study of kindergarten through second graders in the southwest

"Troo, the Traumaroo" bicycle and playground safety education program created for kindergarten, first, and second grade students, was provided to a convenience sample of seven elementary schools in a Southwestern city. Favorable principal, classroom teacher, and school nurse evaluations indicated that the "Troo, the Traumaroo" program was successful in providing young children with bicycle and playground safety in a fun and entertaining way. Results of this pilot study indicated that kindergarten children pre-tested for bicycle safety knowledge prior to participating in the program, had significantly higher bicycle safety knowledge scores 30 days after participating in the program (p < .0001).

Women's satisfaction with medical termination

One hundred women aged between 14 and 43 completed a questionnaire regarding their experience and satisfaction with medical termination of pregnancy at Bedford Hospital. A visual analogue score from 0-10 was used. Age, occupation, marital status, parity, previous terminations and awareness of the medical method were recorded. Additional comments were also invited. Overall satisfaction with the method was good, with a mean score of 8.19 and women were very appreciative of the care given by nursing staff. Counselling and choice of method offered scored less well and need improvement. Eighty five per cent of this sample had already had a previous termination of pregnancy, with 30 per cent having had two or more, indicating a need for improved contraceptive counselling both before and after the termination.

Interleukin-4 ameliorates crescentic glomerulonephritis in Wistar Kyoto rats

BACKGROUND

Activated macrophages play a central role in crescentic glomerulonephritis. Interleukin-4 (IL-4) down-regulates many macrophage proinflammatory activities. We therefore studied the effect of IL-4 on glomerular injury in a model of crescentic glomerulonephritis in the Wistar Kyoto rat.

METHODS

Glomerulonephritis was induced by i.v. administration of rabbit antirat glomerular basement membrane antiserum (nephrotoxic serum, NTS). In experiment 1, IL-4 was given from two hours before NTS until day 6. In experiment 2, rats were treated from day 0 to 7 and were then monitored until killed on day 28. In experiment 3, IL-4 was given from day 4 to 7.

RESULTS

Continuous IL-4 treatment (experiment 1) significantly (P = 0.001) reduced proteinuria (3 +/- 1 mg per 24 hr vs. 56 +/- 7), fibrinoid necrosis (0.06 +/- 0.04 quadrants/glomulus vs. 1.2 +/- 0.1), macrophage infiltration (6.7 +/- 2.6 cells/glom vs. 33 +/- 2.5), CD8+ cells (1.5 +/- 0.6 cells/glom vs. 6.2 +/- 1.1), inducible nitric oxide synthase positive cells (0.04 +/- 0.04 cells/glom vs. 3.7 +/- 0.6), proliferating cell nuclear antigen positive cells (3.2 +/- 1 cells/glom vs. 15 +/- 2.3), and glomerular intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression. Follow-up after seven days of treatment (experiment 2) showed that at four weeks, creatinine clearance was higher in treated rats (1.1 +/- 0.1 ml/min vs. 0.4 +/- 01, P = 0.011), and both glomerular scarring (P = 0.006) and tubular atrophy (P = 0.006) were less. Delayed treatment (experiment 3) reduced proteinuria (41 +/- 5 mg per 24 hr vs. 97 +/- 9, P = 0.004) and fibrinoid necrosis (0.39 +/- 0.05 quadrants/glom vs. 1.6 +/- 0.1, P = 0.004). There was no difference in macrophage infiltration, but inducible nitric oxide synthase positive cells were reduced (0.6 +/- 0.1 cells/glom vs. 1.8 +/- 0.4, P = 0.01) as were ED3+ cells (0.18 +/- 0.06 cells/glom vs. 1.86 +/- 0.21, P = 0.004).

CONCLUSION

In this model of crescentic glomerulonephritis, early IL-4 treatment abolished proteinuria and markedly reduced glomerular inflammation. If treatment was stopped after seven days, there was continuing benefit on glomerular and tubulointerstitial scarring and creatinine clearance at four weeks. If treatment was delayed until inflammation was established, there was still a reduction of injury, but without an alteration of macrophage numbers, suggesting that IL-4 may be acting, in part, to reduce macrophage activation.

The role of gender in very old age: profiles of functioning and everyday life patterns

Older men and women have different life contexts as a function of differential longevity and socio-structural opportunities over the life course. The question is whether gender-related differences also occur in psychological and everyday functioning in older adults. Examined were 258 men and 258 women between the ages of 70 and 103 years (M = 85 years), participants in the Berlin Aging Study. Significant gender differences were observed in 13 of 28 aspects of personality, social relationships, everyday activity patterns, and reported well-being. Cluster analysis identified 11 subgroups whose profiles of life conditions and health and psychological functioning could be categorized as more or less desirable (functional). The relative risk of a less desirable profile was 1.6 times higher for women than for men. For older adults, gender as a variable carries differences in physical frailty and life conditions that likely have consequences for psychological functioning.