Safety assessment of kola nut extract as a food ingredient

Kola nut extract is used in the food industry as a flavoring ingredient. Kola nut extract is derived from the seeds of primarily two tropical Cola species (Cola nitida (Vent.) Schott et Endl. or Cola acuminata (Beauv.) Schott et Endl.) of the Family, Sterculiaceae. Present day consumption of kola nut extract is 0.69 mg/kg/day. Caffeine and theobromine are two important constituents of kola nuts. Although limited biological data are available for kola nut extract specifically, the published data of the major constituents of kola nuts suggest the pharmacological/toxicological properties of kola nut extract, parallel to those of a roughly equivalent dose of caffeine. Frank developmental/reproductive effects have not been reported and changes in offspring cannot be extrapolated to humans. A NOEL/NOAEL cannot be defined for repeated oral exposure to kola nut extract from available data. Notwithstanding the foregoing, U.S. consumers have a history of safe consumption of cola-type beverages containing kola nut extract that dates at least to the late 19th Century, with a significant global history of exposure to the intact kola nuts that date centuries longer.     

医学科研院所的形象识别系统研究

企业形象识别系统战略的独特管理理论及主要方法已在许多企业中得以成功运用,自然也成为当前新形势下医学科研院所进行现代化管理值得借鉴的模式之一。根据企业形象识别系统的理论,对新形势下中国医学科学院、北京协和医学院医学生物学研究所的形象识别系统进行了研究和设计,并在实际工作中逐步导入。通过对企业形象识别系统导人过程的具体实践分析,探讨了其在医学科研院所管理工作中的重要作用及其导入过程中值得关注的问题。     

Responses of caudal brain stem neurons to vaginal and somatosensory stimulation in the rat and evidence of genital-nociceptive interactions.

In rabbits lightly anesthetized with pentobarbital, the effects of injecting morphine and its antagonist, nalorphine, directly into the cerebral circulation via a carotid artery cannulation, on the jaw-opening reflex elicited by intradental stimulation, were studied. Using averaged electromyogram signals from the digastric muscle as the index, a single dose of morphine (3 mg/kg) was found to produce only a transient depression of the jaw-opening reflex. After a second, cumulative injection of morphine (3 mg/kg), the jaw-opening reflex was sufficiently inhibited for at least 30 min. The morphine-induced analgesia could be reversed by nalorphine, indicating that such action was truly pharmacological. The likelihood of morphine acting on some central sites and promoting the release of neurotransmitters which produce inhibition of transmission of nociceptive information from the dental pulp is discussed in the light of recent physiological and pharmacological linkage between morphine-triggered and central stimulation-induced analgesia.     

Impact of implementing a technology platform in community pharmacies to increase adult immunizations rates

Over the course of this project, we utilized pharmacists at 159 community pharmacies in Nebraska and Iowa to administer vaccinations to adults 19?years of age or older with the objective of improving immunization rates in both states. We implemented a pharmacy-based technology platform and partnered with public health via the state immunization registries of both states to ensure that immunizations provided at the pharmacy were transmitted to the statewide registry, for which reporting is currently voluntary for health care providers. After using the technology platform for one year, an increase of immunization rates for influenza, herpes zoster, and pertussis vaccination rates by 37%, 12%, and 74%, respectively, was recorded in comparison to the prior year numbers. However, there was about 16% decrease in vaccination rates for pneumococcal vaccine. For the first time, the project’s participating pharmacies in Nebraska reported immunization counts to their state’s immunization registries. This project leveraged community pharmacies as healthcare destinations to achieve further gains in increasing immunization rates, improving the health of adults, and creating a community-wide network for prevention.     

Gender Disparities in Park Use and Physical Activity among Residents of High-Poverty Neighborhoods in Los Angeles

Introduction

Physical inactivity is more prevalent among women than men and is related to poor health outcomes. Neighborhood parks constitute an important resource for physical activity (PA), however, previous studies of park users have found fewer women being physically active.

Induction of 8-azaguanine or ouabain resistant somatic mutation of Chinese hamster lung cells by treatment with tryptophan pyrolysis products

The basic fraction of tryptophan pyrolysis products (TBF) showed strong mutagenic activity on somatic cells of the lung of Chinese hamsters. In this somatic mutation test, TBF was demonstrated to have 5.6 times higher mutagenicity than diethylnitrosamine (DEN) when mutants were selected with 8-azaguanine, and 13.5-fold higher mutagenicity than DEN when mutants were selected with ouabain. From these findings, it is suggested that pyrolyzates of amino acids may have mutagenic actions on somatic cells of animals, as well as carcinogenic actions.     

Toxicologic studies of four fluorescent whitening agents

Studies have been conducted to define the toxicologic properties of sodium 2-(4-styryl-3-sulfophenyl)-2H-naphtho-[1,2 d]triazole (I), disodium 4,4′-bis[(4-anilino-6-morpholino-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)amino]stilbene-2,2′-disulfonate (II), disodium 4,4′-bis{[4-anilino-6-6-(N-methyl-2-hydroxyethylamino)-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl]amino}stilbene-2,2′-disulfonate (III) and disodium 4,4′-bis(2-sulfostyryl)biphenyl (IV). The following studies were performed on all the above materials: acute oral LD50, acute eye irritation, acute dust inhalation, acute fish toxicity, dominant lethal mutagenicity, teratogenicity, 90-day subacute oral toxicity in rats and dogs, and repeated insult patch tests in humans. Under the conditions of these studies the compounds were of low toxicity and were neither teratogenic nor mutagenic. Dose-related effects ranging from mild gastritis at 400 ppm to debilitation and peritonitis at 2000 ppm were observed in the 90-day dog feeding study with unbuffered compound I. Repetition of the study at 2000 ppm using compound I neutralized to pH 7 with hydrochloric acid showed no such effects. No adverse effects were observed with the unbuffered material in rats at levels up to 5000 ppm or in rhesus monkeys at a dose level of 50 mg/kg/day (approximately 2000 ppm). With compounds II, III and IV no effects were noted at levels up to 10,000 ppm in dogs or 5000 ppm in rats. No adverse effects have been observed at the end of 9 months of projected 2-year studies with compounds I, II, III and IV, at dietary levels up to 1000 ppm in rats and 2000 ppm in dogs, using neutralized material in the case of compound I in dogs. None of the materials exerted adverse effects in the first generation of a 3-generation rat reproduction study at dietary levels up to 1000 ppm. All were shown to be devoid of teratogenic activity in rabbits at dose levels of 10 and 30 mg/kg and of mutagenic activity in male mice. No evidence was obtained to indicate that any of the materials are sensitizing or phototoxic agents in either experimental animals or in man.     

兰德公司卫生与健康领域智库的“智识”赋能研究及启示

通过从兰德公司官方网站获得的数据，分析兰德公司卫生与健康领域智库研究的“智”与“识”，总结其智库专家的人员构成与研究重点、智库成果信息源的引文类型与来源，探究兰德公司卫生与健康领域智库研究的“智识”赋能机制。根据对兰德公司卫生与健康领域智库研究的调查分析结果，分别从人才、知识、工具的视角进行“智识”赋能探索，以期为赋予我国卫生与健康智库相应的能力和力量助力，从而提升其发展水平。