Cyanide intoxication--III. On the analogous and different effects provoked by non-lethal and lethal challenged doses

1. The effect of acute cyanide administration to mice in a lethal and a non-lethal dose and the anti-cyanide effect of S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) and thiosulphate were investigated. 2. The poisoning action was determined by measuring cytochrome oxidase, rhodanese and delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALA-D) activity. 3. The toxic metabolizing degree was investigated by measuring plasma and urine thiocyanate levels. 4. The state of the sulfane sulfur pool was investigated by determining cyanide labile-sulfur levels. 5. These results support the belief that rhodanese plays a fundamental role in the detoxification process only when high levels of cyanide are administered.     

Design,content, and fieldwork procedures of the COVID‐19 Psychological Research Consortium (C19PRC) Study – Wave 4

ObjectivesThis paper outlines fieldwork procedures for Wave 4 of the COVID‐19 Psychological Research Consortium (C19PRC) Study in the UK during November–December 2020.MethodsRespondents provided data on socio‐political attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours, and mental health disorders (anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress). In Phase 1, adults (N = 2878) were reinvited to participate. At Phase 2, new recruitment: (i) replenished the longitudinal strand to account for attrition; and (ii) oversampled from the devolved UK nations to facilitate robust between‐country analyses for core study outcomes. Weights were calculated using a survey raking algorithm to ensure the longitudinal panel was representative of the baseline sample characteristics.ResultsIn Phase 1, 1796 adults were successfully recontacted and provided full interviews at Wave 4 (62.4% retention rate). In Phase 2, 292 new respondents were recruited to replenish the panel, as well as 1779 adults from Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, who were representative of the socio‐political composition of the adult populations in these nations. The raking procedure successfully re‐balanced the longitudinal panel to within 1% of population estimates for selected socio‐demographic characteristics.ConclusionThe C19PRC Study offers a unique opportunity to facilitate and stimulate interdisciplinary research addressing important public health questions relating to the COVID‐19 pandemic.     

Understanding feeding practices of Latinx mothers of infants and toddlers at risk for childhood obesity: A qualitative study

Infancy and toddlerhood are critical stages for the development of habits that can lead to future obesity, and caregivers have an important influence on these habits. We conducted this qualitative semistructured interview study to explore the feeding practices of Latinx mothers of young children who are at risk for childhood obesity in order to identify targets for obesity prevention. We interviewed Latinx mothers (N = 14) of a child ages 6–18 months with a weight‐for‐length ratio > 85th percentile at the time of recruitment. Two researchers independently read through the interviews, identified sections of the interviews pertaining to feeding, and used constant comparative methods to identify the following common themes: mothers overwhelmingly reported permissive feeding styles, driving overfeeding and frequent night‐time feeding. Mothers expressed some difficulty with transitioning to solid foods and reported desiring to feed their child healthy foods by minimizing juice and giving vegetables. Paediatricians and WIC staff were viewed by mothers as trustworthy sources of nutrition information. Most identified a connection between their child's weight and diet, but many lacked the insight or capacity to change their current practices. The mothers in our study provide insight into factors that may predispose young children to obesity and thus potential avenues to support these families. Healthcare providers can better serve them by giving clear, actionable advice on healthy feeding practices for their child, while understanding constraints that may make healthy habits difficult to implement. Paediatricians should be honest about their child's weight status early on to allow time for intervention.     

18F-AV1451 PET imaging and multimodal MRI changes in progressive supranuclear palsy

Journal of Neurology - Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is characterized by deposition of straight filament tau aggregates in the grey matter (GM) of deep nuclei and cerebellum. We examined the...     

Mother-to-child transmission

The AIDS Clinical Trial Group 316 is enrolling pregnant HIV-positive women in a study to test the effectiveness of preventing mother-to-child infections. A single dose of nevirapine (Viramune) or a placebo will be given during labor, and all newborns will also be given AZT. Mothers will continue their antiretroviral therapy. Other current studies are looking at alternate combinations to prevent this kind of transmission. Contact information is given for enrolling in these trials and for support in continuing an HIV-positive pregnancy.     

In vitro effect of cyanide, thiosulphate and S-adenosyl-L-methionine on the activity of rhodanese and other enzymes.

1. Some in vitro studies were performed to elucidate the action of S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) and thiosulphate on liver rhodanese, delta-amino-levulinic acid dehydratase (Al A-D) and cytochrome oxidase affected by cyanide in the experimental conditions. 2. SAM was unable to interact with the sulfur substituted rhodanese complex suggesting that SAM would blockade the thiosulphate binding sites on rhodanese. 3. Cyanide and thiosulphate inhibited ALA-D activity when both compounds were present in the incubation or the preincubation mixture. Cyanide binding on the enzyme was irreversible. 4. Cyanide inhibited cytochrome oxidase activity and the reversible nature of the binding was demonstrated by gel filtration. 5. SAM had no effect on either ALA-D or cytochrome oxidase activities.     

P17 Clinical comparison of a triclosan/copolymer/NaF dentifrice and a commercially available breath‐freshening dentifrice in reducing breath volatile sulfur compounds overnight: a multiple‐use study

Objective The objective of this randomized, crossover study was to compare the effectiveness of the triclosan/copolymer/NaF dentifrice and a commercially‐available breath freshening dentifrice containing fluoride for their ability to reduce volatile sulfur compounds (VSC) responsible for breath odor overnight. Methods Following a one‐week washout period of brushing with a regular fluoride dentifrice, subjects reported to the clinical site without performing oral hygiene, eating or drinking in preparation for baseline breath sampling. Subjects were randomly assigned a test dentifrice and instructed to brush their teeth for 1 min, twice a day for 1 week. On the morning of the 8th day, subjects returned to the test site, having refrained from oral hygiene, eating and drinking, for overnight sampling. Following a second one‐week washout period, subjects repeated the same regimen, but now using the other test product. At each measurement, the level of breath VSC was evaluated using a gas chromatograph equipped with a flame photometric detector. Measurements were taken in duplicate, and then averaged. The levels of VSC were expressed as parts per billion (ppb) in mouth air. Results At baseline, the mean breath VSC levels for the TCF and breath freshening dentifrice groups were 618 and 581 ppb, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups. Overnight, the TCF and the breath freshening dentifrice reduced breath mean VSC levels to 267 and 521 ppb, respectively. This gave a 56.7 and 10.2% reduction in VSC levels for these two products, respectively, compared to baseline. The reduction for the TCF dentifrice was significantly different (P < 0.05%) from that of the breath freshening dentifrice. Conclusion The results of this randomized, double‐blind, crossover study indicate that the TCF dentifrice was significantly more effective than a commercially‐available breath freshening dentifrice containing fluoride in reducing breath VSC responsible for bad breath overnight.