Nerve growth factor and striatal glutathione metabolism in a rat model of Huntington's disease

Purpose: To test the influence of nerve growth factor (NGF) on striatal glutathione (GSH) content and the activities of GSH-related enzymes from quinolinic acid-lesioned rats. Methods: Rats were intrastriatally injected with QA and NGF. Enzymatic and GSH assays were performed one week later. Results: NGF prevented the QA-induced decline in glutathione reductase activity and GSH content. Conclusions: NGF is able to prevent some of the disturbances induced by the excitotoxic insult in the striatal GSH metabolism.     

Serving alcohol at home: what do most people do? Findings from a 2001 ontario adult survey

In Ontario, some court cases have involved attempts to sue social hosts for damage caused by the behaviour of drunken guests. Such legal actions give rise to the question of risks and responsibilities accruing to social hosts who serve alcohol. Using a sample of 1395 male and female adult residents of Ontario, the authors present self-report survey data concerning frequency of serving alcohol to guests, methods of handling guests who have too much to drink, prevention of drunk driving, service of alcohol to underage persons, and offering food and non-alcoholic drinks when serving alcohol at home. The results show high levels of intended safe practices overall, along with some areas for concern. Notably, about one-third of the total sample had had guests judged to be too drunk to drive home safely. A multivariate analysis confirmed significant differences associated with sex and age. The authors recommend the creation and evaluation of programmes to upgrade home-hosting skills as an adjunct to systemic alcohol control policies.     

Low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia: evaluating the need for initial inpatient treatment during low-dose methotrexate chemotherapy

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the need for initial inpatient treatment for patients being treated with low-dose intramuscular methotrexate for low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN). STUDY DESIGN: Clinical notes of all patients treated with low-dose intramuscular methotrexate for low-risk GTN were analyzed and side effects noted. RESULTS: There were no episodes of increased uterine bleeding requiring extra medical intervention. There were 7 cases of chest pain; none required a change from methotrexate chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: Patients being treated with low-dose intramuscular methotrexate for low-risk GTN do not need to be treated routinely in the hospital for their first treatment cycle.     

Continuity in self-report measures of maternal anxiety, stress, and depressive symptoms from pregnancy through two years postpartum

This study examined stability and change in maternal anxiety, stress and depression both during the second half of pregnancy and from pregnancy to six weeks and two years postpartum. Self-report measures included those designed to measure mood and state as well as more persistent attributes. Longitudinal data were collected from 137 women during pregnancy, 120 at six weeks, and 97 at two years. There was significant individual stability in scores on specific measures during pregnancy (range in Pearson rs=0.30-0.86) and from pregnancy through two years postpartum (rs=0.30-0.74). Comparable levels of convergence among measures of different constructs both within pregnancy and over time were also demonstrated, suggesting lack of precision in measurement instruments designed for specific constructs. Despite intra-individual stability, changes in mean levels were also observed over time with somewhat different patters for each variable. However, maternal parity was an important contributor to both level and trajectory. A summary composite score showed an elevated level of psychological distress during pregnancy in multiparous women, followed by a decline through two years postpartum; primiparous women displayed a gradual increase in distress [main effect F (1,87)=3.97, p < 0.05; time interaction F (2,174)= 7.15, p < 0.001] to multiparous levels by two years. Results are discussed in terms of a "motherhood" effect on psychological distress.