Exercise and the incidence of upper respiratory tract infections

We examined illness patterns in a cohort of 530 male and female runners who completed a monthly log for 12 months. The average number of upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) per person per year for the cohort was 1.2. An upper respiratory tract infection was indicated by the report of any of the following symptoms; runny nose, sore throat, or cough. Using a multiple logistic regression model, the following factors were found to be associated with having one or more URTIs in the follow-up period: living alone (odds ratio = 2.27, 95% CI = 1.01, 5.09), running mileage (486-865 miles, odds ratio = 2.00, 95% CI = 1.01, 2.78; 866-1388 miles, odds ratio = 3.50, 95% CI = 1.52, 4.44; greater than 1388 miles, odds ratio = 2.96, 95% CI = 1.30, 3.68), body mass index greater than the 75th percentile (odds ratio = 0.58, 95% CI = 0.35, 0.94), and male gender (odds ratio = 0.14, 95% CI = 0.03, 0.68). A significant interaction was found to exist between gender and alcohol use, with the association between alcohol use and upper respiratory tract infections being positive in males and negative in females. These results suggest that running dosage (mileage) is a significant risk factor for upper respiratory tract infections in this group of exercisers.     

Effect of the calmodulin inhibitor trifluoperazine on phosphorylation of P-glycoprotein and topoisomerase II: relationship to modulation of subcellular distribution, DNA damage and cytotoxicity of doxorubicin in multidrug resistant L1210 mouse leukemia cells.

The results from the present study using the sensitive and progressively DOX resistant L1210 model system demonstrated that the effects of TFP are not due to redistribution of DOX to the nucleus, and modulation of cytotoxicity is related to effects on DOX-induced DNA strand breaks. Although TFP affects phosphorylation of PGP and TOPO II (R2 greater than R1), the comparable DNA strand breaks at lower DOX levels with TFP in the resistant sublines suggest that modulation of TOPO II function related to drug-induced DNA damage by calmodulin-mediated events may be an important mode of action.     

Bicycle handlebar injuries in children

A series of 30 apparently trivial accidents involving bicycle handlebars is reviewed. A mean delay of 23 hours existed between the accident and hospital presentation, and a mean hospital stay of 22 days resulted from a variety of serious intra-abdominal injuries. Handlebar injuries must be considered potentially serious, no matter how trivial the accident appears.     

Comparison of the chromatographic characteristics of metabolites of tacrine hydrochloride in human serum and urine with those of in vitro metabolic products from hepatic microsomes

There may be as many as five metabolites of THA in man, four corresponding to products in the rat. The study provides some evidence that one of major metabolites is 1-hydroxy-THA but lends no support to the putative oxidative deamination pathway.     

Autologous collagen vocal fold injection: A preliminary clinical study

This preliminary study reports the first use of injectable autologous collagen for vocal fold augmentation. In previous studies, the authors showed cross-linked bovine collagen to be effective in more than 150 patients with glottic incompetence, particularly those with focal defects or scarred or atrophic vocal folds. However, concerns about possible adverse immunologic responses to the bovine material have limited its use. The authors studied eight patients with difficult vocal fold pathology, including sulcus vocalis, atrophy, and scarring secondary to trauma and cordectomy. Skin was harvested under local anesthesia, processed into a naturally cross-linked injectable form (Autologen®), and injected using indirect laryngoscopy. Voice production was evaluated prior to the injection and at intervals after the injection, using subjective, perceptual, aerodynamic, acoustic, and videostroboscopic assessments. The results indicate that autologous collagen is comparable to injectable bovine collagen in the management of several difficult glottic insufficiency problems and that the likelihood of a hypersensitivity response is negligible. Unlike bovine collagen preparations, Autologen does not require breakdown of the natural collagen molecule, so it is anticipated that this material will be better tolerated and more stable over time.     

The effect of halving the standard dose of cryopreserved semen for donor insemination: a controlled study of conception rates

Employing a common standard technique of intra-cervical inseminationfrom straws of cryopreserved donor semen, a volume of 0.25 mlof 0.5 ml was inseminated in alternate cycles to determine ifthe lower volume could be used without a decrease in the conceptionrate. A total of 177 women were recruited and received a medianof four cycles of treatment. Of these, 90 women became pregnant,47 with 0.5 ml and 43 with 0.25 ml inseminations. The conceptionrates were identical for both volumes in the first nine cyclesof treatment and the cumulative rates were 57.7 and 59.3%, respectively.Subsequently more pregnancies were achieved with 0.5 ml than0.25 ml semen (nine pregnancies in 73 further cycles versusthree pregnancies in 68 cycles, respectively), although thedifference was not statistically significant. There were nosignificant differences in the women’sages, luteinizinghormone, follicle stimulating hormone, progesterone, mucus quality,mucus pH, parity or partner‘s diagnosis between thosewomen who became pregnant and those who failed to conceive witheither insemination dose. We conclude that the volume of semeninseminated into the cervical canal without a cervical cap canbe decreased to 0.25 ml without an adverse effect on the conceptionrate at least in the first 9 months of treatment. This willallow more effective use to be made of valuable screened andquarantined cryopreserved semen.