Food insecurity among Canadian youth and young adults: insights from the Canada Food Study

ObjectiveThis study explored associations between socio-demographic characteristics, self-reported health, and household food security among young adults.MethodsNational cohort study participants from Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Halifax, Canada, aged 16–30 years (n = 2149) completed online surveys. Multinomial logistic regression, weighted to reflect age and sex proportions from the 2016 census, was conducted to examine associations between food security status and covariates.ResultsAlmost 30% of respondents lived in food-insecure households, with 19% in “moderately” food-insecure and 10% in “severely” food-insecure households. Respondents identifying as Black or Indigenous were more likely to live in moderately (AOR = 1.96, CI: 1.10, 3.50; AOR = 3.15, CI: 1.60, 6.20) and severely (AOR = 4.25, CI: 2.07, 8.74; AOR = 6.34, CI: 2.81, 14.30) food-insecure households compared with those identifying as mixed/other ethnicity. Respondents who found it “very difficult” to make ends meet were more likely to be moderately (AOR = 20.37, CI: 11.07, 37.46) and severely (AOR = 101.33, CI: 41.11, 249.77) food insecure. Respondents classified as “normal” weight (AOR = 0.64, CI: 0.43, 0.96) or overweight (AOR = 0.53, CI: 0.34, 0.83) were less likely to be moderately food insecure compared with those affected by obesity. Compared with “very good or excellent,” “poor” health, diet quality, and mental health were each positively associated with severe food insecurity (AOR = 7.09, CI: 2.44, 20.61; AOR = 2.63, CI: 1.08, 6.41; AOR = 2.09, CI: 1.03, 4.23, respectively).ConclusionThe high prevalence of correlates of food insecurity among young adults suggests the need for policies that consider the unique challenges (e.g., precarious income) and vulnerability associated with this life stage.     

Inequities in access to VA’S aid and attendance enhanced pension benefit to help Veterans pay for long‐term care

ObjectiveTo examine characteristics that are associated with receipt of Aid and Attendance (A&A), an enhanced pension benefit for Veterans who qualify on the basis of needing daily assistance, among Veterans who receive pensions.Data sourcesSecondary data analysis of 2016‐2017 national VA administrative data linked with Medicare claims.Study designObservational study examining sociodemographic, medical, and healthcare utilization characteristics associated with receipt of A&A among Veterans receiving pension.Principal findingsIn 2017, 9.7% of Veterans with pension newly received the A&A benefit. The probability of receiving A&A among black and Hispanic pensioners was 4.6 percentage points lower than for white pensioners (95%CI = −0.051, −0.042). Married Veterans receiving pension had a 4.4‐percentage point higher probability of receiving A&A (95%CI = 0.039, 0.048). Most indicators of need for assistance (eg, home health utilization, dementia, stroke) were associated with significantly higher probabilities of receiving A&A, with notable exceptions: pensioners with a diagnosis of Post‐Traumatic Stress Disorder (marginal effect = −0.029 95%CI = −0.037, −0.021) or enrolled in Medicaid (marginal effect = −0.053, 95%CI = −0.057, −0.050) had lower probabilities of receiving A&A. Unadjusted and adjusted rates of receiving A&A among Veterans receiving pension varied by VA medical center.ConclusionsThis study identified potential inequities in receipt of the A&A enhanced pension among a sample of Veterans receiving pension. Increased Veteran outreach, provider education, and VA office coordination can potentially reduce inequities in access to this benefit.     

Gene delivery to glioma cells in rat brain by grafting of a retrovirus packaging cell line

Retrovirus vectors only integrate into the genome of dividing cells and can thus be used to selectively infect tumor cells in the adult rat brain. Gene delivery was assessed by using the retrovirus BAG vector, which bears the Escherichia coli lacZ gene under the MoMLV LTR promoter-enhancer element, and by histochemical staining for bacterial beta-galactosidase activity. Direct injection of this vector (90-900 cfu) into the adult rat brain, with or without prior inoculation of C6 glioma cells (2 x 10(5) cells) resulted in labeling of only a few cells as assessed 1 week later. When the psi 2-BAG packaging line was grafted into the brain, labeled psi 2-BAG cells could be found after 1 day, but not after 5 days, following grafting, suggesting that the grafted cells had been rejected and that no endogenous cells had integrated released vector, or that expression of lacZ had been turned off. In contrast, when the psi 2-BAG packaging line was grafted into a brain region, which had been inoculated previously with rat C6 glioma cells (2 x 10(5) cells), beta-galactosidase labeling of these tumor cells, identified by immunocytochemistry for glial fibrillary acidic protein and S100, could be demonstrated 10 days later. Thus, grafting of retrovirus packaging lines into adult brain provides a mean to infect tumor cells in situ. The grafted packaging cells may continue to release retrovirus particles for an extended period, thus infecting more cells at the stage of division appropriate for viral integration, as compared to inoculation of the virus alone. Grafting of retrovirus packaging cell lines could be used to selectively deliver "killer" or "suppressor" genes to tumor cells in the brain to curtail their growth.     

成年大鼠心肌细胞培养方法的建立和形态学观察

为探索稳定的成年大鼠心肌细胞的分离和培养方法 ,应用生物酶 ( 5g/L胰蛋白酶及 1 g/L胶原酶 )灌注法分离成年大鼠心肌细胞 ,用形态学及台盼蓝染色法鉴定分离的心肌细胞 ,并在光镜和电镜下观察和摄像记录。结果 :心肌细胞的存活率为 91 .7% ;存活的心肌细胞静止地贴在培养板底上 ,细胞完整 ,呈杆状 ,长宽比约为 4～ 6∶1。结果提示 :该方法是比较理想的心肌细胞培养法。     

维生素E和二甲亚砜对油酸型ARDS防治作用的研究

目的 研究氧化性肺损伤在成人呼吸窘迫综合征（ＡＲＤＳ）发病中的作用及维生素Ｅ和二甲亚砜的抗氧化保护作用。方法 将２８只大鼠随机分成４组：油酸组,ＶＥ组,ＤＭＳＯ组,正常对照组。油酸于尾静脉注入,维生素Ｅ和二甲亚砜由腹腔注射。注油酸后２ｈ观察肺系数,肺组织ＭＤＡ含量,ＰａＯ２及肺组织病理改变。结果 ＶＥ组和ＤＭＳＯ组较油酸组肺系数,ＭＤＡ含量降低,ＰａＯ２同,肺组织病理改变明显减轻。     

Pharmacokinetics of intravenous chloramphenicol sodium succinate in adult patients with normal renal and hepatic function

The pharmacokinetics of chloramphenicol (CAP) and total chloramphenicol succinate (CAPS) were studied in eight hospitalized adult patients with normal renal and hepatic function receiving intravenous chloramphenicol sodium succinate therapy. The steady-state peak concentrations of CAP (8.4–26.0 g/ml) occurred at an average of 18.0 min (range 5.4–40.2) after cessation of the chloramphenicol sodium succinate infusion. Unhydrolyzed CAPS prodrug, representing 26.0±7.0% of the dose, was recovered unchanged in the urine indicating that the bioavailability of CAP from a dose of intravenous chloramphenicol succinate is not complete. A pharmacokinetic model was developed for simultaneous fitting of CAP and CAPS plasma concentration data. Pharmacokinetic parameters determined by simultaneous fitting were: V, 0.81±0.18 liters/kg; t_1/2, 3.20 ±1.02 hr; CL_B, 3.21±1.27 ml/min/kg for chloramphenicol; and V, 0.38±0.13 liters/kg; t_1/2, 0.57±0.12hr; CL_B, 7.72±1.87 ml/min/kg for total chloramphenicol succinate.Supported in part by Faculty Research Council Grant VF648 from the University of North Carolina.     

Diazepam metabolism in human foetal and adult liver

Summary Diazepam was metabolized by human foetal liver microsomes to N-desmethyldiazepam and N-methyloxazepam as early as the 13th week of gestation. The metabolic activity was lower than that of microsomes from adult human liver. Diazepam was shown mainly to be hydroxylated to N-methyloxazepam at substrate concentrations higher than 0.1 mM. Diazepam levels above 1.0 mM were inhibitory to the overall metabolic reaction. SKF 525-A inhibited diazepam metabolism by foetal liver microsomes at a concentration of 0.1 mM. The addition of diazepam to foetal and adult human liver microsomes resulted in a type II spectral change. Its inhibition by carbon monoxide indicated that biotransformation of diazepam was performed by the cytochrome P-450-linked mono-oxygenase system.     

p16和p15第二外显子HapⅡ位点在成人急性髓性白血病中的突变

目的　探讨p16和p15基因第二外显子HapⅡ位点在成人急性髓性白血病 (AML)中的突变。方法　用甲基敏感和甲基非敏感限制性内切酶切消化基因组DNA后 ,经PCR扩增和琼脂糖电泳研究 3 1例AML中无p16/p15基因第二外显子缺失的患者中HapⅡ位点的突变情况。结果　在 3 1例成人AML样本中 ,p16E2 的 4个HapⅡ位点和p15E2 的 6个HapⅡ位点均未发生突变。结论　本研究提示p16和p15基因第二外显子中因甲基化而引起的CCGG位点的突变在成人AML患者中不是主要失活方式。