The management of hypertensive disease: a review of spinal manipulation and the efficacy of conservative therapeusis

When considering the ailments that plague mankind, certainly one of the enigmatic conditions is hypertensive disease. This perplexing disorder is recognized insidiously in the clinical setting. It is believed to occur because of the complex interactions of a variety of factors which act on the components of the blood vasculature. Although afflicted individuals may appear relatively asymptomatic, the additive influences of such factors eventually culminate in deleterious sequelae. Overall, hypertension appears to be related to stress, diet and lifestyle. The autonomic nervous system, particularly its sympathetic component, appears to mediate such accumulated factors, affecting the overall clinical scenario of hypertension. Although generally aligned with the aging process, this condition also may affect younger individuals. Hypertension, therefore, may be regarded as a prime condition warranting specialized care that includes proper education during the formative years, modification of dietary habits in conjunction with daily exercise regimens, and regular spinal maintenance, all of which are covered by modern chiropractic clinical practice.     

Response to ICRF-159 in cell lines resistant to cleavable complex-forming topoisomerase II inhibitors.

We have studied the relationship between expression of genes implicated in mediating resistance to cleavable complex-forming topoisomerase II (topo II) inhibitors and cellular sensitivity to ICRF-159, a ''catalytic'' inhibitor of topo II. Overexpression of the membrane transporters, P-glycoprotein and multidrug resistance-related protein (MRP), or down-regulation of topo IIalpha and/or -beta, did not confer ICRF-159 resistance. Indeed, marked topo IIalpha down-regulation appeared to be associated with collateral sensitivity to ICRF-159. Our results indicate that the resistance mechanisms that pertain to cleavable complex-forming topo II inhibitors and ICRF-159 are distinct. The evidence presented here suggests that topo IIalpha, not topo IIbeta, is more likely to be the major in vivo target for ICRF-159.     

Failure of weight training to affect urinary indices of protein metabolism in men

It is commonly believed by some athletes that strength building exercise "tears down" skeletal muscle tissue, thereby enhancing the dietary need for protein, but this has not been demonstrated. Ten college-age males served as subjects in a 15-d, controlled feeding study. The men were 23.1 +/- 2.2 yr old (mean +/- SD), 177 +/- 5 cm in height, and 71.7 +/- 9.1 kg in body weight (study days = 1 to 15). The lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet provided 0.9 g/kg protein and 15.1 +/- 0.4 MJ (3,604 +/- 104 kcal) . d-1 energy (study days = 6 to 15). On days 8 and 12, subjects participated in a standardized strength building, weight training exercise regimen. Post-exercise days 9 to 11 and 13 to 15 were designated for recovery. Daily (24-h) urine collections were analyzed for ammonia, creatinine, 3-methylhistidine, total nitrogen, and urea. There was no acute (24-h) effect of weight training exercise on any excretion levels. In particular, urinary 3-methylhistidine excretion data indicate that skeletal muscle protein catabolism was not changed by isolated bouts of weight training exercise.     

Effects of an anabolic steroid and sprint training on selected histochemical and morphological observations in rat skeletal muscle types

Summary The effects on selected histochemical and morphological parameters of anabolic steroid administration and of high-intensity sprint running, separately, and in combination, were studied in young adult male rats. Dianabol (methandrostenolone) 1 mg/day for 8 weeks had no significant effects on phosphorylase or glycogen staining intensities and on fiber area in skeletal muscles of either trained or sedentary animals. The program of sprint training resulted in significantly decreased intensities of phosphorylase in all ten regions of the gastrocnemius, plantaris, and soleus muscles that were studied. Glycogen localization was significantly increased with training in five regions of the gastrocnemius and plantaris muscles which contained predominantly fast-twitch fibers. No changes in fiber area occurred with the training program. We conclude from these results that (a) normal androgen levels in young, healthy male animals are sufficiently high so that the intake of large doses of anabolic steroid does not result in the stimulation of glycogen metabolism or hypertrophy of skeletal muscle; (b) the changes induced by high-intensity, short-duration sprint training suggest that the existing glycolytic capacity of muscle is adequate to supply the muscles energy needs even during the stress of very strenuous exercise, and that more fast-twitch fibers were recruited by the exercise regimen than slow-twitch fibers.     

Improving resources for foster care.

The number of foster children and their psychological and medical morbidity are growing. To gain insight into how to recruit and retain foster homes, characteristics of 64 foster families were determined by interview. Foster parents had low-to-moderate incomes, were approaching middle age, had underutilized home space, and wanted more children. Most enjoyed foster care and planned to continue. Twenty-three percent of the 64 had half of all foster children in the study in their homes at interview and had cared for seven times as many children in the past, including 66% of all the teens and 83% of all the handicapped children who had been in the 64 homes. These "high providers" functioned like group homes for mentally handicapped individuals. Adapting the group-home concept to foster homes could improve care, especially for children with special needs.     

First step in obtaining child health care: selecting a physician

To investigate the process by which families identified and selected their children's current physicians, a close-ended questionnaire was administered to 750 families in a mail panel. Of 630 responses (84.0%), 244 had children in the home; 229 (93.9%) identified a regular and current physician for their youngest child. However, parents did not spend much time or energy selecting a physician and rarely explored medical expertise in their decisions. Families averaged 1.2 sources of information consulted per decision; few considered more than two physician choices and infrequently considered alternative types of doctors (pediatricians v family or general practitioners). Selection priorities ranked in order of importance concerned parents' perceptions of their doctors' communication skills, accessibility, and quality as determined by recommendations of friends or physicians. Parents appeared less concerned with issues of cost and convenience. Families selecting pediatricians differed from those selecting family and general practitioners in sources of information used and selection priorities. The survey also identified 84 families who had changed or seriously considered changing the physician who was caring for their youngest child. The most frequent dissatisfaction was the perception that an illness was not being managed adequately, followed by believing that the doctor or staff were rude or unconcerned. Families unhappy with pediatricians expressed different reasons from those unhappy with family or general practitioners. The study results provide insight about the first step in obtaining child health care services, a relatively unexplored area of patient decision making.     

Altered drug interaction and regulation of topoisomerase IIbeta: potential mechanisms governing sensitivity of HL-60 cells to amsacrine and etoposide

Topoisomerase II (topo II), an enzyme essential for cell viability, is present in mammalian cells as the alpha- and beta-isoforms. In human leukemia HL-60/S or HL-60/doxorubicin (DOX)0.05 cells, the levels of topo IIalpha- or beta-protein were similar in either asynchronous exponential or synchronized cultures. Although topo IIalpha was hypophosphorylated in HL-60/DOX0.05 compared with HL-60/S cells, both overall and site-specific hyperphosphorylation of topo IIbeta was apparent in HL-60/DOX0.05 compared with HL-60/S cells. The phosphorylation of topo IIalpha and not beta was enhanced in the S and G(2) + M phases of HL-60/S cells. In contrast, an increase in the phosphorylation of topo IIbeta compared with alpha was apparent in the G(1) and S phases of HL-60/DOX0.05 cells. The cytotoxicity and depletion of topo IIalpha or beta in cells treated with drug for 1 h revealed that mole-for-mole, amsacrine was 2-fold more effective than etoposide in killing HL-60/S or HL-60/DOX0.05 cells and in depleting the beta versus alpha topo II protein. Present results demonstrate that: 1) hyperphosphorylation of topo IIbeta in HL-60/DOX0.05 cells may be a compensatory consequence of the hypophosphorylation of topo IIalpha to maintain normal topo II function during proliferation, and 2) enhanced sensitivity of HL-60/S or HL-60/DOX0.05 cells to amsacrine may be due to the preferential interaction and depletion of topo IIbeta.     

Effect of short-term energy intake level and exercise on oxygen consumption in men

Summary The influence of short-term energy intake and cycle exercise on oxygen consumption in response to a 1.5 MJ test meal was investigated in ten young, adult men. On the morning after a previous day's low-energy intake (LE regimen) of 4.5 MJ, the mean resting oxygen consumption increased by 0.7 ml · kg^–1 · min^–1 after the test meal (P<0.025). After a high-energy intake (HE regimen) of 18.1 MJ, the resting measurement was unchanged (+0.4 ml · kg^–1 · min^–1) after the meal (n.s.). These trends are the reverse of what would be expected if oxygen consumption in response to feeding is a factor in the acute control of body weight. The mean fasting oxygen consumption during cycle exercise at 56% of (constant work) for both LE and HE prior intakes was not different at 31.1 ml · kg^–1 · min^–1. Oxygen consumption during exercise increased after feeding by 0.5 ml · kg^–1 · min^–1 on the LE regimen (n.s.) and decreased by 1.2 ml · kg^–1 · min^–1 on the HE regimen (n.s.). These results are also the reverse of what would be expected if oxygen consumption in response to exercise is related to short-term energy intake.     

The Meanings of Close Friendship: the Views of Four People with Intellectual Disabilities

The present study examined the views of four people with intellectual disabilities (IDs) on the relationships in their lives which they described as close friendships. A participatory approach was adopted in this study, whereby the participants were seen as experts on their own close friendship experiences and the researchers as marshallers of this expertise. To this end, two in‐depth interviews were conducted with each participant. They shared their individual expertise on the close friendships in their lives. The participants delineated two distinctive types of close friendships: the ‘good mate’ and the girlfriend/boyfriend. The factors mediating each of these friendship types are discussed. Avenues for further research and consideration are given. These include the significance of friendships with people with IDs, intimate relationships, the impact of environmental factors on friendship enactment and friendships with older people who have IDs. Finally, the present paper argues for the value of adopting participatory approaches to research with people who have IDs.