Exploring the half-life of glyphosate in human urine samples

Background

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has recently classified glyphosate as a Group 2A ‘probably carcinogenic to humans’. Due to this carcinogenic classification and resulting international debate, there is an increased demand for studies evaluating human health effects from glyphosate exposures. There is currently limited information on human exposures to glyphosate and a paucity of data regarding glyphosate's biological half-life in humans.

Dietary Patterns and Retinal Vessel Caliber in the Irish Nun Eye Study

Background

Retinal vessel abnormalities are associated with cardiovascular disease risk. Widening of retinal venules is associated with increased risk of stroke while narrowing of retinal arterioles independently predicts incident hypertension, coronary heart disease and diabetes. Dietary factors are known to play an important role in cardiovascular health. However, few studies have examined the association between dietary patterns (DPs) and retinal microvascular health.

Objective

To examine the association between ‘a posteriori’- derived DPs and retinal vascular caliber (RVC) in older women with a restricted lifestyle.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study of 1233 participants (mean age: 76.3 years) from the Irish Nun Eye Study (INES). Computer-assisted software was used to measure RVC from digital eye images using standardized protocols. Dietary intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). DP analysis was performed using principal component analysis from completed FFQs. Regression models were used to assess associations between DPs and retinal vessel diameters, adjusting for age, body mass index, refraction, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular accident and fellow eye RVC.

Results

Two DPs were identified: a ‘healthy’ pattern with high factor loadings for fruit, vegetables, wholegrains and oily fish and an ‘unhealthy’ pattern with high factor loadings for sugar and sweets, chips, high fat dairy products and French fries. Adjusted linear regression analysis revealed that those who adhered most closely to the unhealthy DP had wider central retinal venular equivalent (CRVE) (p=0.03) and narrower central retinal arteriolar equivalent (CRAE) (p=0.01) compared to the least unhealthy DP. No independent relationship was observed between the healthy DP and RVC.

Conclusion

In this cohort of older women with a restricted lifestyle, an unhealthy DP was independently associated with an unfavorable retinal profile, namely a widening of retinal venules and narrowing of retinal arterioles.

     

Community mental health care: documenting the role of the nurse

In Australia, the process of deinstitutionalisation has resulted in the closure or downsizing of many large stand-alone psychiatric hospitals. The aim of modern community mental health care is to provide treatment and rehabilitation for people, who have a mental illness, in their local community. This aim is supported by the Australian National Mental Health Strategy that outlines the importance of health professionals, carers, and consumers working together to obtain the best therapeutic outcomes. This study was undertaken to obtain information regarding the current role of the community mental health nurse (CMHN). All community mental health nurses working in the Adult Program at the Directorate of Mental Health Services, Fremantle Hospital and Health Service in Western Australia participated in the study. The study was completed in November 2000. The results showed that the CMHNs' role focused on six main areas. These areas included the day-to-day management of clients, working with carers and their families; crisis work for both existing andfirst time contacts; as well as liaison and advocacy work. Thefinding of this study demonstrate CMHN's work most often with acutely ill and psychotic patients and theirfamilies. Therefore, CMHN's play a pivotal role in promoting and sustaining the philosophy of community mental health care. In addition, the liaison work within the community completed by CMHN's is vital to address the mental health needs of the community and to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness. The documentedfindings of this study provide challengesfor thefurther expansion of the CMHN's role and the development of best practice initiatives in community mental health care.     

A nurse-led 'stop smoking' initiative.

A one-week smoking awareness initiative and subsequent audit in a general practice are described. All patients attending morning surgery during the study period were offered the opportunity to discuss smoking habits at a smoking awareness clinic: 84 smokers attended. They were interviewed by the practice preventive care nurse who took a smoking history, monitored carbon monoxide (CO Hb) levels and offered a follow-up appointment. CO Hb provided immediate feedback on the effect of smoking and patients who smoked 20 or more cigarettes per day had an average CO Hb of 16.1 per cent. Fifteen per cent of smokers made a commitment to stop smoking and agreed to attend follow-up clinics. A random sample (50) of attenders at the initial Smoking Awareness Clinic (84) were followed up by questionnaire six months later. There were 29 replies (58 per cent); 19 patients (65 per cent) found the visit to the clinic helpful, 14 (48 per cent) reduced the number of cigarettes they smoked, and 11 (38 per cent) altered some other aspect of their lifestyle, of whom four modified their diet and four increased exercise. Five patients claimed they had given up smoking.     

Legal and ethical issues in cancer genetics nursing

OBJECTIVES: This article will set forth major interests at stake for patients considering predictive genetic testing, some legal bases for protecting patients, and general ethical principles that can guide cancer genetic nurses in their practice. DATA SOURCES: Review of health, ethical, and legal literature CONCLUSION: There are many potential interests at stake for patients considering genetic testing for susceptibility to cancer and a number of legal protections for patients against genetic discrimination. Nurses and physicians who offer genetic testing should be aware of applicable laws in their states, and remain cognizant of evolving ethical principles that can guide the practice IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Ethical and legal questions surrounding genetic testing linger--particularly for nurses and physicians whose primary concern is the best interests of the patient.     

Susceptibility of Gram-Negative Aerobic Bacilli Resistant to Carbenicillin in a General Hospital to Piperacillin and Ticarcillin

During an 8-month period, 858 gram-negative aerobic rods resistant to carbenicillin (minimum inhibitory concentration, >/=128 mug/ml) were isolated. Susceptibility testing of 233 of these suggested that piperacillin might be active against more of these organisms than would carbenicillin or ticarcillin.     

Carbonic anhydrase IX induction defines a heterogeneous cancer cell response to hypoxia and mediates stem cell-like properties and sensitivity to HDAC inhibition

Carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) is strongly induced by hypoxia and its overexpression is associated with poor therapeutic outcome in cancer. Here, we report that hypoxia promotes tumour heterogeneity through the epigenetic regulation of CAIX. Based on hypoxic CAIX expression we identify and characterize two distinct populations of tumour cells, one that has inducible expression of CAIX and one that does not. The CAIX+ve population is enriched with cells expressing cancer stem cell markers and which have high self-renewal capacity. We show that differential CAIX expression is due to differences in chromatin structure. To further investigate the relationship between chromatin organization and hypoxic induction of CAIX expression we investigated the effect of JQ1 an inhibitor of BET bromodomain proteins and A366 a selective inhibitor of the H3K9 methyltransferase G9a/GLP. We identified that these drugs were able to modulate hypoxic CAIX expression induction. This further highlights the role of epigenetic modification in adaption to hypoxia and also in regulation of heterogeneity of cells within tumours. Interestingly, we identified that the two subpopulations show a differential sensitivity to HDAC inhibitors, NaBu or SAHA, with the CAIX positive showing greater sensitivity to treatment. We propose that drugs modulating chromatin regulation of expression may be used to reduce heterogeneity induced by hypoxia and could in combination have significant clinical consequences.