Collagenase production by synovial fibroblasts treated with phorbol myristate acetate

A series of intracellular events occurring after treatment of rabbit synovial fibroblasts with 0.01 μg/ml phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) were measured. Ten minutes after addition of PMA, there was a temporary increase in intracellular cyclic AMP levels, followed by a transient decrease in incorporation of ³H-thymidine into DNA. Approximately 500 ng/mg cell protein of PGE₂ were found in culture medium from the 12- to 24- hour incubation period, but significant collagenase was not detectable until 24 to 36 hours. Treatment with aspirin or indomethacin abolished PGE₂ production but did not affect collagenase levels. Production of enzyme was associated with a cessation of cell proliferation, measured by protein content/culture and cell number. No enzyme was detectable in untreated cultures. Synovial fibroblasts treated with phorbol myristate acetate may provide a good model for studies on the mechanism of induction of collagenase production.     

Plants of Zimbabwe Used as Anti-Fertility Agents

Ethnomedicine has gained a lot of recognition in post-independence Zimbabwe and yet little research on anti-fertility medicines has been done. Information on plants used as anti-fertility medicines was obtained by interviewing women, men, traditional healers and traditional midwives in urban Harare and surrounding rural areas of Mvurwi, Seke and Chiweshe. The use of 31 species belonging to 17 families for antifertility purposes is described. This survey forms a basis to initiate a study into the efficacy and toxicology of plants used by Zimbabwean women as traditional anti-fertility medicines.     

Teachers as Learners: Developing Professionalism Feedback Skills via Observed Structured Teaching Encounters

This Conversations Starter article presents a selected research abstract from the 2017 Association of American Medical Colleges Southern Region Group on Educational Affairs annual spring meeting. The abstract is paired with the integrative commentary of 4 experts who shared their thoughts stimulated by the study. These thoughts explore the value of the Observed Structured Teaching Encounter in providing structured opportunities for medical students to engage with the complexities of providing peer feedback on professionalism.     

Cigarettes and social differentiation in France: is tobacco use increasingly concentrated among the poor?

Aims   This paper aimed to assess whether the increase of social differentiation of smoking is observed in France.
Design and setting   Five cross-sectional telephone surveys conducted in France between 2000 and 2007.
Participants   The surveys were conducted among national representative samples of French subjects aged 18–75 years ( n  = 12 256, n  = 2906, n  = 27 499, n  = 2887, n  = 6007 in 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007, respectively). We focused on three groups: executives, manual workers and the unemployed.
Measurements   Time trends of smoking prevalence were assessed, and socio-economic factors (especially occupation and job status) associated with smoking were identified and compared in 2000 and 2005. We also computed respondents' equivalized household consumption (EHI) and their cigarette budget to assess the financial burden of smoking.
Findings   Between 2000 and 2007, smoking prevalence decreased by 22% among executive managers and professionals and by 11% among manual workers, and did not decrease among the unemployed. Indicators of an underprivileged social situation were associated more markedly with smoking in 2005 than in 2000. In addition, the falling-off of smoking initiation occurred later and was less marked among manual workers than it was among executive managers and professionals. Finally, in 2005 15% of French smokers devoted at least 20% of their EHI to the purchase of cigarettes, versus only 5% in 2000, and smoking weighted increasingly heavily on the poorest smokers' budgets.
Conclusions   While these results point out an increased social differentiation in tobacco use, they underline the need to design and implement other forms of action to encourage people to quit, in particular targeting individuals belonging to underprivileged groups.     

Relationship of Opioid Use and Dosage Levels to Fractures in Older Chronic Pain Patients

Background  

Opioids have been linked to increased risk of fractures, but little is known about how opioid dose affects fracture risk.