Treatment of Tobacco Use in Preconception Care

Maternal and Child Health Journal -     

Comparison of near heterophoria tests under varying conditions on an adult sample

PURPOSE: This study compared the near phoria measurement using the Bernell muscle balance card with and without prism neutralization, using both trial frame and phoropter correction, and compared with the conventional Maddox rod method. METHODS: Forty young normal Chinese adults had their near phoria measured with trial frame correction using the conventional muscle balance card method (method 1). Any deviation was compensated with a prism bar as an alternative approach (method 2). The conventional Maddox rod method (method 3) was also carried out for comparison. These three methods were repeated with phoropter correction and considered as methods 4, 5 and 6. RESULTS: The phorias obtained from these six methods were not significantly different from each other (repeated measures anova, p > 0.05). More than half of the subjects were exophoric. Although the difference in phoria was not significant, phoria measurement using phoropter correction yielded a greater coefficient of variation. CONCLUSIONS: Near phoria measurement using the muscle balance card conducted with trial frame correction was less variable, and was also more natural and similar to a real reading situation. The use of prism for compensation did not affect the phoria results. Exophoria seems to be more common than esophoria in young Chinese adults.     

Bacterial characteristics in relation to clinical source of Escherichia coli isolates from women with acute cystitis or pyelonephritis and uninfected women

Characteristics differentiating Escherichia coli strains that cause cystitis or pyelonephritis from fecal E. coli remain incompletely defined, particularly among adult women in the United States. Accordingly, phylogenetic group, O antigens, and virulence factors (VFs) were analyzed among 329 E. coli isolates from the mid-to-late 1990s from women in the United States with acute pyelonephritis (n = 170), cystitis (n = 83), or no infection (fecal; n = 76). Compared with fecal and cystitis isolates, pyelonephritis isolates exhibited a greater prevalence of phylogenetic group B2, most virulence-associated O antigens, and most VFs and had higher VF scores. In contrast, cystitis and fecal isolates differed minimally. By stepwise multivariable logistic regression, significant (P < or = 0.015) predictors of cystitis and/or pyelonephritis (versus fecal) included afa/dra (Dr-binding adhesins), ibeA (invasion of brain endothelium), iha (putative adhesin-siderophore), malX (pathogenicity island marker), the O75 antigen, papEF (P fimbriae), papG allele II (P adhesin variant), group B2, and sfa/foc (S and F1C fimbriae). However, virulence profiles overlapped considerably among source groups and varied greatly within each group. E. coli "clonal group A" (CGA) and the O2:K5/K7:H1 and O75:K+ clonal groups were significantly associated with cystitis and/or pyelonephritis. These findings identify potential vaccine targets, suggest that urovirulence is multiply determined, and confirm the urovirulence of specific E. coli clonal groups, including recently recognized CGA.     

Anxiety,depression, and heart disease in women

This is an extension of previous research that has reported on psychosocial risk factors in women participants in the Recurrent Coronary Prevention Project (RCPP). The RCPP women (N = 83) were under 65 years of age, non-diabetic, non-smoking and had experienced a myocardial infarction (MI) at least 6 months prior to the study. Baseline data was available on 80 RCPP subjects. Seventy three non-smoking, coronary disease-free women participants in the Stanford-Sunnyvale Health Improvement Project (SSHIP) served as a control-comparison group. Women with coronary heart disease had higher serum cholesterol than controls. There were no case-control differences in marital status, occupation, or number of children. RCPP women had Videotaped Structured Interview (VSI) Type A scores comparable to those of the SSHIP women, but had significantly higher VSI-hostility scores (p < .01). In addition. the post-MI women were rated more anxious and depressed, and had more avoidance symptoms than controls ( p < .01). Additional analyses involved the 65 RCPP women located at 8.5-year follow-up. In these women, univariate predictors of coronary recurrence (N = 13) were body mass index (kg/m)2. Peel Index, low time urgency (VSI) and high anxiety ( p < .05). Employment status, marital status, and education were not associated with subsequent cardiac events. These exploratory analyses suggest that the relations between heart disease and hostility, anxiety, and depression in women deserve further investigation.     

LPS binding protein is important in the airway response to inhaled endotoxin

BACKGROUND: Inhaled endotoxin is a risk factor for asthma exacerbation, and endotoxin inhalation by itself recapitulates many of the classical features of asthma in mice, including reversible airflow obstruction and inflammation, airways hyperresponsiveness, and airway remodeling. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to determine the importance of LPS binding protein (LBP) in the response to inhaled LPS. METHODS: We challenged LBP-deficient mice (C57BL/6(LBP-/-)) and C57BL/6 mice with inhaled endotoxin for 4 hours, 5 days, or 4 weeks, followed by 3 days of recovery. RESULTS: LBP in the lung was significantly increased in LPS-exposed C57BL/6 mice from all 3 groups. Only LPS-exposed C57BL/6 mice had significantly enhanced airway responsiveness to inhaled methacholine. Total lavage cells in LPS-exposed C57BL/6(LBP-/-) mice were significantly reduced compared with those seen in LPS-exposed C57BL/6 mice; however, the percentage of PMNs was similarly increased in both the C57BL/6 and C57BL/6(LBP-/-) mice. TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, and IL-6 protein concentrations in whole-lung lavage fluid from C57BL/6(LBP-/-) mice were also significantly reduced when compared with those seen in C57BL/6 mice. In C57BL/6(LBP-/-) mice submucosal cell proliferation was significantly reduced in the 1-week group when compared with that seen in similarly exposed C57BL/6 mice. The 4-week exposed C57BL/6 mice had significantly thickened airway submucosa and significantly increased lavaged TGF-beta(1) protein compared with that seen in C57BL/6(LBP-/-) mice. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that LBP is one of the critical molecules regulating the acute and chronic airway response to inhaled LPS.     

Dose-dependent impairment in the performance of a go-no go successive discrimination by chlordiazepoxide

After learning a light-cued, go-no go successive discrimination to criterion, male Sprague-Dawley rats received 0, 5, or 10 mg/kg chlordiazepoxide on six performance sessions, followed by two drug-recovery (saline) sessions. Chlordiazepoxide impaired discrimination performance in a dose-dependent manner, with animals in the 5 mg/kg dose condition demonstrating tolerance to the drug after two performance sessions. The degree of discrimination impairment in both drug dose conditions paralleled an increase in responding during no-go phases of the performance task. These findings are consistent with a disinhibitory hypothesis of performance impairment and suggest that CDP-drugged animals have difficulty in withholding incorrect responses.These data were presented at the Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society, San Antonio, Texas, 1984     

The Feasibility of Using Computrition Software for Nutrition Research—A Pilot Study

We evaluated the feasibility of using Computrition to design and implement a low vs. typical sodium meal plan intervention for older adults. Dietitians used Computrition to design a 7-day meal plan with three caloric levels (≤1750, 2000, ≥2250 kcals/day) and two sodium densities (low = 0.9 mg/kcal; n = 11 or typical = 2 mg/kcal; n = 9). Feasibility was determined by post-hoc definitions of effectiveness, sodium compliance, palatability of diet, sustainability, and safety. Given the low number of participants in one of the three calorie groups, the higher calorie groups were combined. Thus, comparisons are between low vs. typical meal plans at two calorie levels (≤1750 or ≥2000 kcals/day). Overall, regardless of the calorie group, the meal plans created with Computrition were effective in reaching the targeted sodium density and were safe for participants. Furthermore, individuals appeared to be equally compliant and reported similar palatability across meal plans. However, one of the three criteria for the sustainability definition was not met. In conclusion, we successfully used Computrition to design low and typical sodium meal plans that were effective, compliable, and safe. Future studies of older adults in similar settings should focus on improving the palatability of the meal plans and scaling this protocol to larger studies in older adults.     

The Health Status of Hispanic Agricultural Workers in Georgia and Florida

To examine the health status of Hispanic agricultural workers in Florida and Georgia. Health data from agricultural workers in the Farm Worker Family Health Program (June 2019) and research studies in Florida (May 2015 and May 2019) were examined. Data from 728 agricultural workers were collected through sociodemographic questionnaire and clinical data. In the Florida sample, 83% were overweight or obese, 70% elevated blood pressure, 60% met the definition of prediabetes. In Georgia, 64% were overweight or obese and 67% had elevated blood pressure. Weak correlations were observed between BMI and systolic blood pressure (unadjusted r?=?0.20), diastolic blood pressure (unadjusted r?=?0.19), and glucose (unadjusted r?=?0.14). Adjusting for age and gender did not show statistically significant correlation between BMI and systolic and diastolic blood pressure or glucose. While BMI has been shown to be strongly associated with high blood pressure and impaired glucose, we found a weak correlation among agricultural workers. Given the common and high use of pesticides and elevated rates of hypertension, impaired glucose, and adiposity in agricultural workers, the public health impact of this relationship may require and lead to occupational reform that protects the health of agricultural workers. Future studies should assess occupational and environmental factors and lifestyle differences between agricultural workers and the general population to better understand these discrepancies in health status.