Back supports and back injuries: a second visit with the Home Depot cohort study data on low-back injuries

The back support has been controversial as a means of reducing injuries to the lower back. Diverse issues bear on the interpretation of data obtained in a major epidemiologic investigation of the utility of back supports in the retail-trade home improvement industry. These concerns are focused on alternate explanations for the changes in injury rates observed over the six-year study period, on individual and group factors other than the use of the back support that might have contributed to reducing the risk of injury, and on related methodologic issues. Each issue is addressed with specific reference to how it might affect the analyses and the conclusion that the supports showed a protective effect.     

Influence of NOS inhibitors on changes in ACH release and NO level in the brain elicited by amphetamine neurotoxicity

We studied the possible role of neurotoxicity in the d,l-amphetamine (AMPH)-induced release of acetylcholine (ACH) in the nucleus accumbens (Nac) and the involvement of endogenous NO in this process. For determination of ACH release the Nac was superfused using the push-pull-technique. NO was directly measured using the electron paramagnetic resonance technique. Repeated administration of AMPH increased ACH release by about 400%. N-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA) and 7-nitroindazole (7-NI) nearly abolished the AMPH-induced increase in ACH release. AMPH increased NO as well as lipid peroxidation (LPO) products in the cortex. L-NNA and 7-NI substantially diminished NO increase. AMPH-evoked LPO was only slightly reduced by these compounds. It is concluded that AMPH enhances ACH release through increased NO synthesis and induces neurotoxicity via NO and by LPO independent NO generation.     

Synthesis and anti-HIV activity of alpha-thiophenoxy-hydroxyethylamide derivatives

A series of new anti-HIV derivatives containing a novel alpha-thiophenoxyhydroxyethylamide core have been synthesized, using S-phenylbenzenethiosulfonate as the thiosulfenylating reagent. Some of the new synthesized compounds (1a, 1c, 1g, 1i, 1j and 1l) inhibited HIV replication in cell culture assays (syncytia formation) with effective concentrations (EC(50)) ranging from 0.1-1 microM. Incorporation of thiophenoxy substitution within various pseudomimetic peptide backbones provided a series of highly potent HIV inhibitors.     

Three independent mutations in the same exon of thePCCB gene: Differences between Caucasian and Japanese propionic acidaemia

Summary Propionic acidaemia is an inborn error of organic acid metabolism caused by deficiency of propionyl-CoA carboxylase (PCC). Enzyme deficiency can result from mutations in either of the non-identical - and -subunits. We have screened genomic DNA from patients with defects in the -subunit from two ethnic groups (Caucasians and Japanese) and detected three types of mutations in the same exon of the coding sequence of the -subunit: an insertion/deletion that replaces 14 nucleotides with 12 nucleotides of unrelated sequence and eliminates anMsp I site; a 3-bp deletion of a single isoleucine codon immediately proximal to thatMsp I site; and a C T transition in the sameMsp I site. The insertion/deletion was detected only in Caucasian patients in 11 of 34 mutant alleles; the C T transition was found only in Japanese patients in 4 of 12 mutant alleles. Following digestion of genomic DNA byMsp I, both of these mutations were detected on Southern blots by the presence of a 2.7-kbp band; they can be distinguished from one another by allele-specific oligonucleotide hybridization following PCR amplification. These results underscore the independent origin of the mutations in the two populations and suggest a key role of this exon in the -subunit of PCC.     

A computerized food management system for an extended care unit

Burnaby Hospital recently implemented a computerized Food Management System. The system is fully operational in the Extended Care Unit (ECU) and now is being introduced in the Acute Care Unit (ACU). The main goals for the new program were: cost savings, more effective use of foodservice employee time and skills, and better patient care. To date, the total time saved by use of the computerized system has been equivalent to one full time employee. The ECU dietitian's and the dietary technician's duties have been upgraded. The technician has been relieved of clerical tasks and has taken over some responsibilities formerly performed by the dietitian; the dietitian is able to perform more administrative and planning tasks; and the former ECU coordinator is manager of patient services and responsible for coordinating changes in the computer system. Research indicates that this system, designed and developed for Burnaby Hospital by Rick Hepting & Associates and running on an MAI Basic Four min computer, model 210, is unique among North American hospitals. Current applications include manipulation of patient diet information for automatic menu processing, food tallying, and production of nourishment labels. Future enhancements will take care of production reporting, standard recipe printouts, food cost analysis, and nutrient analysis. The system has valuable potential for use in other hospitals.     

Hospitals need humanism.

Just as technology is growing rapidly and is being carefully "mapped out," health care providers also must "map out" the most humane way of delivering health care.     

Effects of antipsychotic drugs on cytokine networks

It has been known since the 1950s that phenothiazines have immunomodulatory effects. This review summarizes recent evidence suggesting that antipsychotic drugs, in particular chlorpromazine and the atypical compound clozapine, influence the production of cytokines. Cytokines, organized in networks of related peptides with pleiotropic functions, are pivotal humoral mediators of infection and inflammation, and they play an important role in hematopoiesis and autoimmunity. Therefore, the effects of antipsychotic drugs on cytokine networks are important for the understanding of immune-mediated side effects of these drugs, e.g. agranulocytosis. In addition, modulation of cytokine production by antipsychotic agents suggests that these drugs might be useful for the treatment of diseases which primarily involve the immune system. Moreover, because cytokines are known to have numerous effects on the CNS, they may mediate effects of antipsychotic drugs on brain functions. Finally, the influence of antipsychotic drugs on cytokine networks is an important confounding factor in studies investigating disease-related immunopathology in psychiatric disorders. This review provides a synopsis of the data published on these topics and outlines future research perspectives.