Sodium hyaluronate carboxymethylcellulose-based bioresorbable membrane (seprafilm™)—Does it affect tumor implantation at abdominal wound sites?

PURPOSE: This study examines the effects of a sodium hyaluronate-based bioresorbable membrane (Seprafilm) on tumor implantation at surgical wound and laparoscopic trocar sites. METHODS: GW-39, an established human colon cancer line carried in immunocompetent golden Syrian hamsters was used as the experimental model. Under general anesthesia, a 2-cm midline incision was made to allow placement of four 5-mm abdominal trocars. Hamsters were then randomly assigned to preSeprafilm, postSeprafilm, and control (no Seprafilm) groups. In the preSeprafilm group 0.5 ml of a 5 percent (vol/vol) suspension of the GW-39 tumor cells (1.675 × 10⁶ cells) was injected into the abdomen of each hamstervia midline incision. Trocars were removed, the wounds were closed, and 1 cm² of Seprafilm was placed on the peritoneal surface of each trocar site. In the postSeprafilm group the membrane was placed at each site before injection of tumor cells. The control group did not receive Seprafilm. The animals were killed after seven weeks, and the abdominal wound sites were excised. Sites without gross tumor underwent histologic evaluation. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-two animals were randomly assigned to the three groups. The preSeprafilm group had an 87 percent tumor implantation rate. The postSeprafilm group had a 90 percent tumor implantation rate. The control group had an 88 percent tumor implantation rate. Chi squared analysis demonstrated that these total tumor implant rates and mean tumor mass were similar at all wound sites and between groups. No toxicity was observed in any of the experimental groups. CONCLUSIONS: Sodium hyaluronate-based bioresorbable membrane (Seprafilm) does not influence GW-39 human colon cancer implantation at abdominal wound sites in this hamster model.Supported in part by an educational grant from Ethicon Endo-Surgery Incorporated, Cincinnati, Ohio, and in part by the Genzyme Corporation, Cambridge, Massachusetts.Read at the meeting of The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, San Antonio, Texas, May 2 to 7, 1998.     

Parental and child factors associated with inhalant and food allergy in a population-based prospective cohort study: the Generation R Study

The prevalence of allergic diseases in children is markedly increasing to epidemic proportions. The aim of this study is to describe the presence and examine associated parental and child characteristics of allergic sensitization and physician-diagnosed allergy in Dutch children at age 10 years. This study among 5471 children was performed in a population-based prospective cohort from fetal life onwards. Allergic sensitization was measured by skin prick tests. Physician-diagnosed allergy and parental and child characteristics were collected by questionnaires. In children aged 10 years, inhalant and food allergic sensitization was present in 32.2% and 7.1%, and physician-diagnosed inhalant and food allergy in 12.4% and 2.3%. Maternal and paternal history of allergy, eczema or asthma was associated with increased risks of physician-diagnosed inhalant allergy (aOR (95% CI) 1.44 (1.23–1.70) and 1.59 (1.30–1.94), respectively), but not with food allergy. Asthma and eczema ever at age 10 years were associated with increased risks of physician-diagnosed inhalant allergy (4.60 (3.55–5.96) and 2.42 (1.94–3.03), respectively). Eczema ever at age 10 years was associated with an increased risk of physician-diagnosed food allergy (5.78, 3.04–9.52), with the highest risk of cashew (7.36, 3.20–16.94) and peanut (5.58, 3.08–10.10) food allergy.

Conclusions: We found strong effects of parental history of allergy, eczema or asthma on the presence of physician-diagnosed inhalant allergy in children at age 10 years. Eczema ever at age 10 years was a strong risk factor for the development of physician-diagnosed inhalant and food allergy.

d-Amphetamine increases choice of cigarette smoking over monetary reinforcement

RATIONALE: Psychomotor stimulants previously have been found to increase the frequency of cigarette smoking, but it is unclear whether this is due to a non-specific increase in general activity or a specific increase in the reinforcing effects of smoking. OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether d-amphetamine increases the relative reinforcing effects of cigarette smoking. METHODS: Ninety minutes after d-amphetamine (7.5, 15 mg/70 kg) or placebo administration, 13 male and female subjects participated in 3-h sessions during which they could make a maximum of 20 choices between cigarette smoking (two puffs per choice), earning money ($0.25 per choice), or neither. In separate sessions, using the same subjects, the effects of d-amphetamine on the frequency of ad libitum smoking was assessed. RESULTS: During choice sessions, d-amphetamine dose-dependently increased smoking choices from 4.2 +/- 0.6 to 5.7 +/- 0.6. During sessions in which subjects smoked ad libitum, d-amphetamine increased number of cigarettes smoked from 2.8 +/- 0.4 to 3.8 +/- 0.6. Breath carbon monoxide (CO) levels, a measure of smoke exposure, showed corresponding dose-related increases. CONCLUSIONS: These results are consistent with previous findings that d-amphetamine increases smoking and provide evidence that this effect is due to a drug-produced increase in the relative reinforcing effects of cigarette smoking.     

Passage à l’acte familicide et filicide : deux réalités distinctes ?

The objective of this study is to compare men who killed their wives and at least one of their children (familicide) with men who exclusively killed one or more of their children (filicide), using socio-demographic, criminological, situational and psychological-psychiatric variables. The data was obtained from the Coroner’s files in Québec for the period of 1986 to 1998. A total of 16 men who committed familicide were compared with 36 men who committed filicide. The results of the analyses indicate that there are significant differences between the two groups of men. Men who committed familicide are older, are more often born out of Canada and more often use a firearm as well as overkill while committing the offence in comparison to men who committed filicide. These men are also more often in the process of a conjugal separation, they have more often experienced losses (i.e. job loss, etc.) and they show more symptoms of depression in the year prior to the homicide, compared to filicidal men. Based on these results, the individuals who committed familicide exhibit a different dynamic than those individuals who committed filicide. These results have an important impact on the treatment of these individuals as well as on prevention.     

Suppression of tumorigenicity of rat liver tumor cells by human chromosome 13: evidence against the involvement of pRb and BRCA2.

Aberrations of chromosome 13, including large-scale deletions and rearrangements, have been implicated in the development of a significant fraction of human hepatocellular carcinomas, suggesting that liver tumor suppressor genes may be located on this chromosome. In this study, we have employed a microcell hybrid-based model system to investigate the presence of liver tumor suppressor loci on human chromosome 13. The parental GN6TF rat liver epithelial tumor cells are highly tumorigenic in vivo and exhibit altered cellular morphology and growth characteristics in vitro. The GN6TF cells form tumors in 100% of syngeneic animals with short latency, are not contact inhibited or anchorage-dependent in cell culture, and do not express mRNAs for rat Rb1 and BRCA2. Microcell-mediated introduction of human chromosome 13 into the rat liver tumor cell line GN6TF resulted in the generation of clonal microcell hybrid (MCH) cell lines that differentially exhibited tumor suppression and/or alteration of other transformation-associated phenotypes in vitro. Two GN6TF-13neo MCH lines exhibited characteristics indicative of suppression by the human chromosome, including a normalized cellular morphology and growth pattern, loss of anchorage-independent growth potential, partial restoration of contact inhibition, reduction in tumorigenic potential in vivo, and dramatic elongation of tumor latency. In contrast, three GN6TF-13neo MCH cell lines were minimally affected by the introduction of the human chromosome and were nearly indistinguishable from the parental GN6TF tumor cells, exhibiting a highly aggressive tumorigenic phenotype in vivo. Both suppressed and non-suppressed GN6TF-13neo MCH cell lines express Rb1 and BRCA2 mRNA in vitro, and tumors derived from the non-suppressed GN6TF-13neo MCH cell lines continue to express Rb1 and BRCA2 mRNA in vitro, and express pRb in vivo. The results suggest that: i) human chromosome 13 contains a liver tumor suppressor locus, ii) expression of Rb1 and/or BRCA2 is insufficient to produce tumor suppression in this rat liver tumor cell line, and iii) that the human chromosome 13 liver tumor suppressor may represent a novel tumor suppressor gene, distinct from Rb1 and BRCA2.     

Interpreting and using the dietary references intakes in dietary assessment of individuals and groups

For individuals, a statistical approach is available to compare observed intakes to the EAR or AI (to assess adequacy), and the UL (to assess risk of excess). A more qualitative assessment of intakes involves comparison directly to the RDA to evaluate adequacy, but this is accurate only if long-term usual intake is known. For groups of people, the prevalence of inadequacy can usually be estimated as the proportion with intakes below the EAR, while the prevalence of potentially excessive intakes is estimated as the proportion above the UL. The accuracy of all assessments depends on unbiased and accurate intake estimates as well as a consideration of the effects of day-to-day variation in intake. Nutrition practitioners will find the new DRIs useful for assessing diets in a variety of settings. Computerized assessment systems will be important tools when incorporating these theoretical concepts into dietetic practice.     

The A-OCDS predicts both craving and alcohol cue reactivity in adolescent alcoholics

Adolescents with alcohol dependence may experience marked craving and physiologic reactivity in the presence of alcohol cues which could undermine treatment gains. The Adolescent Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale (A-OCDS) was developed to help quantify the severity of alcohol craving in adolescents with alcohol use disorders. The A-OCDS is a relatively new instrument, and empirical data are needed to support its value in clinical trials. The present investigation uses data collected as part of a clinical laboratory study examining alcohol craving and cue reactivity in adolescents with and without alcohol dependence. A-OCDS total and subscale scores from adolescent alcoholics (N = 28) were examined regarding their relationship to drinking and several indices of craving and alcohol cue reactivity. In addition, regression analyses were performed to characterize the predictive ability of A-OCDS total scores and drinking indices (drinks per drinking day and percent days abstinent) on two measures of alcohol craving and cue reactivity. Results showed that the A-OCDS total scores, but not drinks per drinking day or percent days abstinent, predicted scores on both indices of craving. The study uses a small but well-defined sample of adolescents with alcohol dependence and supports the construct validity of the A-OCDS and suggests that, as in adults, alcohol craving and drinking behavior are related but separate elements of alcohol dependence. The results are intended to guide future studies in which the A-OCDS may be employed to measure craving and changes in craving over the course of treatment for adolescents with alcohol dependence.     

Problem based learning in the clinical setting--a systematic review

Problem based learning (PBL) is widely utilised as a curricula modality within the health professions and extensive literature exists to support its application. Recently nurse educators have embarked on the PBL journey as a method of contextualizing theory into practice in the classroom and clinical setting. The University of Queensland, in partnership with key health care providers, introduced an innovative undergraduate nursing curriculum in 2004. The curriculum incorporates problem based learning, clinical skills sessions, lectures and clinical practice as part of an intense weekly program from first year onwards. The program facilitates integration of evidence based theoretical and clinical knowledge driven by the PBL philosophy. However, in reality is PBL utilised by clinicians as a method of clinical teaching in undergraduate health professional programs? A systematic review of the literature was undertaken to answer this question revealing a paucity of evidence supporting or confirming the application of PBL in the clinical setting. The findings of this review highlight the current gaps in the PBL literature, supporting further research into the role of PBL as a teaching strategy for undergraduate nurses in the clinical practice setting.     

Psychiatric symptoms, health services, and HIV risk factors among homeless women

The authors determined whether psychiatric symptoms and lack of health and/or social services contacts were associated with HIV risk behaviors among a probability sample of homeless women. Women were interviewed regarding socioeconomic indicators, psychiatric symptoms, health and/or social services contacts, and past-year HIV risk behaviors. Overall, 8 percent of the women injected drugs, 64 percent engaged in unprotected sex, and 22 percent traded sex. Multiple logistic regression results revealed that substance abuse was positively associated with injection drug use and trading sex. Homeless women with case managers were less likely to inject drugs. Although barriers to obtaining drug treatment were associated with trading sex, women attending self-help meetings for substance abuse were also more likely to trade sex. Homeless women who are substance abusers are vulnerable to HIV risk behaviors. Risk reduction interventions for homeless women should be implemented through substance abuse and intensive case management programs.