Egg Intake Has No Adverse Association With Blood Lipids Or Glucose In Adolescent Girls

Objective: Longitudinal data on cardiometabolic effects of egg intake during adolescence are lacking. The current analyses aim to evaluate the impact of usual adolescent egg consumption on lipid levels, fasting glucose, and insulin resistance during late adolescence (age 17–20?years).

Methods: Data from 1392 girls, aged 9 to 10 at baseline and followed for 10?years, in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s National Growth and Health Study were used to examine the association between usual egg intake alone and in combination with other healthy lifestyle factors and late adolescent lipid levels, fasting glucose, and insulin resistance, measured as homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Diet was assessed using 3-day food records during eight examination cycles. Girls were classified according to usual weekly egg intake, ages 9–17?years:?<1 egg/wk (n?=?361), 1 to <3 eggs/wk (n?=?703), and ≥3 eggs/wk (n?=?328). Analysis of covariance modeling was used to control for confounding by other behavioral and biological risk factors.

Results: Girls with low, moderate, and high egg intakes had adjusted low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels of 99.7, 98.8, and 95.5 mg/dL, respectively (p?=?0.0778). In combination with higher intakes of fiber, dairy, or fruits and vegetables, these beneficial effects were stronger and statistically significant. There was no evidence that ≥3 eggs/wk had an adverse effect on lipids, glucose, or HOMA-IR. More active girls who consumed ≥3 eggs/wk had the lowest levels of insulin resistance.

Conclusion: These results suggest that eggs may be included as part of a healthy adolescent diet without adverse effects on glucose, lipid levels, or insulin resistance.     

Skin problems after a tsunami

BACKGROUND: On December 26, 2004, the biggest earthquake for 40 years, measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale, triggered a tsunami that pounded the coastal areas of South Asia and East Africa. The effects of the tsunami on skin conditions have not been evaluated. OBJECTIVE: To determine the influence of the tsunami on skin conditions by evaluating the skin problems of patients presenting at hospitals after the tsunami. METHODS: Between 5 and 25 January 2005, two dermatologists evaluated patients who complained of skin problems at an outpatient clinic and emergency room of a general hospital in Banda Aceh, Aceh Province, Indonesia. RESULTS: The total number of patients that presented during the study period was 235 (131 males and 104 females), and they had a total of 265 skin problems. In terms of age distribution, most subjects were in their fourth decade (23.0%), followed by the third (22.6%) and fifth decade (16.6%). The most prevalent skin problems were infections-infestations (32.5%), followed by eczemas (29.8%) and traumatic skin disorders (29.4%). In males, traumatic skin disorders were most common. The great majority of infection-infestation cases involved superficial fungal infections. Contact dermatitis accounted for three-quarters of eczema cases, and mainly involved the arms (40.0%) and legs (27.1%). The majority of traumatic skin disorders were lacerations, punctures and penetrations, and the feet (44.7%) and hands (18.8%) were most frequently affected. CONCLUSIONS: Unhygienic conditions, exposure to a hazardous environment and contact with various objects during and after the tsunami probably increased the prevalence of infections-infestations, traumatic skin disorders and contact dermatitis. To prevent these problems and associated secondary bacterial infections, health-related education and early medical management are required.     

The in vitro pharmacological profile of KR31080, a nonpeptide AT1 receptor antagonist

Summary— KR31080 (2-butyl-5-methyl-6-(1-oxopyridin-2-yl)-3-[[2'-(1H-tetrazol-5-yl) biphenyl-4-yl]methyl]-3H-imidazo[4,5-b] pyridine) is a potent inhibitor of angiotensin type 1 (AT₁) receptors in rabbit aorta and human recombinant AT₁ receptors. In the isolated rabbit thoracic aorta, KR31080 caused a nonparallel shift to the right of the concentration-response curves to angiotensin II (All) with decreased maximal response (pD'₂ = 10.1 ± 0.1), but had no effect on the contractile response induced by norepinephrine. KR31080 inhibited specific [¹²⁵I]AII binding to rabbit aortic membranes (AT, receptors) and [¹²⁵I][Sar¹, Ile⁸]AII binding to human recombinant AT₁ receptors in a concentration-dependent manner with IC₅₀ values of 0.84 ± 0.08 nM and 1.92 ± 0.15 nM, respectively, but did not inhibit specific [¹²⁵I)AII binding to bovine cerebellum membranes (ÀT₂ receptors). In the Scatchard analysis, KR31080 interacted with rabbit aortic AT₁ receptors in a competitive manner, similar to losartan. These results demonstrate that KR31080 is a potent and AT₁ selective angiotensin receptor antagonist which exerts a competitive antagonism in the [¹²⁵I]AII binding assay and insurmountable AT₁ receptor antagonism in the functional study.     

Cardiovascular intervention for high-risk families: the Heart Smart Program

The Heart Smart Family Health Promotion Program is a multidisciplinary, school-based program for cardiovascular risk reduction among high-risk children and their families. As a program that includes young adults at high risk, it is adaptable to a clinical practice. Nineteen fourth and fifth graders were selected as probands for elevated risk factors after a general screening to identify families for an intervention program. Twenty-three parents participated in a 12-week program focused on eating, exercise, and smoking behavior changes enhanced by behavicral support strategies. Weekly sessions were held in the auditorium/cafeteria of the elementary school and consisted of orientation and presentations, cardiovascular (CV) screening with medical feedback, activities, self-monitoring, counseling, and contingency contracting. Information gathered before and after the program included medical history, CV health knowledge and relevant behavior, blood pressure, serum lipid and lipoprotein values, anthropometric measurements, and urine electrolyte excretion. Both children and parents showed positive changes in eating habits and physical activity and significant changes in knowledge and blood pressure levels, while the children halted their weight gain. We believe this multidisciplinary, behavior-oriented, school-based program can be an effective cardiovascular risk intervention adaptable for a clinical office practice.     

Overexpression/amplification of HER-2/neu is uncommon in hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND： Hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） is one of the most prevalent fatal cancers in the world. Despite advances in early diagnosis and improvements in surgical techniques, the survival of patients with HCC even after resection is poor because of the high incidence of recurrences. Therefore, the identification of prognostic factors may be helpful in the development of new treatment protocols. AIMS： To investigate HER-2/neu status in HCC by immunohistochemistry （IHC） and fluorescence in situ hybridisation （FISH）, and to explore the possibility of using trastuzumab in the treatment of HCC. METH ODS： Eight hundred and sixty eight surgical samples from patients with primary HCC were examined for their HER-2/neu status. IHC for HER-2/neu was performed with the HercepTest kit; FISH analysis was performed with the PathVysion HER-2 DNA probe kit. The correlations between HER-2/neu overexpression and clinicopathological characteristics were analysed statistically. RESULTS： HER-2/neu overexpression was detected in 21 （2.42%） of the 868 primary HCCs. Only one specimen showed HER-2/neu gene amplification by FISH. No significant associations were found between HER-2/neu overexpression and the clinicopathological parameters. CONCLUSIONS： There is a low frequency of HER-2/neu overexpression/amplification in HCC. There appears to be no role for HER-2/neu as a prognostic marker and no benefit of anti-HER-2/neu trastuzumab treatment in patients with HCC.     

Evaluation of four elastomeric interocclusal recording materials

Background: The fabrication of dental prosthesis requires the transfer of interocclusal records from patient's mouth to semiadjustable articulators using different kinds of recording media. Any inaccuracy in these interocclusal records leads to occlusal errors in the final prosthesis. This study was conducted to evaluate the dimensional changes occurring in the interocclusal recording material over a given period of time and the material's resistance to compression during the cast mounting on the articulator.     

An internal rate of return approach to investigate pharmacist supply in the united states

Internal rates of return were used to examine the status of pharmacist supply in the United States between the years 1987-1991. Age-earnings profiles were estimated for pharmacists, college graduates and high school graduates. Rates of return to pharmacists and college graduates were compared and a ratio of the pharmacist rate to the college graduate rate was computed for each year. Results suggest a shortage of pharmacists in the United States. Enrollments in pharmacy schools and adopted changes in the training of pharmacists are discussed in relation to their effects on the pharmacist labour market.