Bicycle helmet use by adults: the impact of companionship.

Most of the nearly 1,000 fatal bicycle-related injuries annually could be prevented if riders used safety helmets. Helmet use by adult bicyclists has received relatively little attention because educational campaigns to promote helmet use generally focus on children. Helmet use by adult and child bicyclists at 120 suburban and rural sites in three Maryland counties was observed on two Saturdays in 1990-91 during an evaluation of the impact of a mandatory helmet law. Concordance or discordance of helmet use within various groups of bicyclists--adults only, adults with children, and children only--was recorded. Helmet use among 2,068 adult bicyclists was 49 percent, 51 percent, and 74 percent in the three counties. In two counties combined, 52 percent (365 of 706) of solo adult bicyclists wore helmets compared with only 5 percent (5 of 94) of solo child bicyclists (P < .001). Helmet use or nonuse was concordant among 87 percent of 277 adult-adult pairs, 94 percent of 50 child-child pairs, and 91 percent of 32 adult-child pairs of bicyclists observed. Concordance rates of helmet use or nonuse were similarly high among pairs of adult bicyclists of the same or mixed sexes. These data are consistent with the concept that both adults and children tend to adopt the helmet-wearing behaviors of their companions. Public health efforts focused on adults should encourage helmet use by adult bicyclists both to prevent head injuries and to provide a role model for children.     

A multicentre assessment of the specificity of ten anti-HBc screening tests

SUMMARY. Samples from 1828 donations were screened for anti-HBc at seven sites in the UK using kits supplied by 10 manufacturers. Only 10 (0.55%) donations were considered to have true anti-HBc reactivity and these were detected by all 10 kits. Additional markers of HBV infection were found in nine of these 10 donations. Additional reactives were found by all kits, the number ranging from 1 to 43.
In the four more specific kits, the 10 true reactives were clearly distinguished from the 'false reactives' by the strength of the reaction. It is concluded that the reliance on a single ELISA test for anti-HBc diagnosis is unwise. The use of a second test known to be more specific than the screening ELISA is recommended.     

The HGAR1 familial hypercholesterolemia pedigree

Data on 232 members of a single pedigree, descended from two pairs of original parents, were made available to the participants of Genetic Analysis Workshop 8 (GAW8). In addition to information concerning age and sex, measurements for 10 quantitative traits and genotypes at 22 polymorphic marker loci were also provided for a subset of 193 of these family members. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Blood lead levels in children in Perth,Western Australia

Abstract: This study reports on an analysis of the lead concentrations in 123 venous blood samples collected from Perth children aged between two months and 17 years attending Princess Margaret Hospital. The overall geometric mean was 6.9 μg lead per 100 ml whole blood, with 95 per cent of results lying between 3.2 and 14.8 μg/100 ml. Among children under five years of age, those aged between 18 months and two years had the highest geometric mean blood lead (11.1 μg/100 ml). There were no consistent associations between geometric mean blood lead and area of residence, age group or sex. In this sample of Perth children, the mean blood lead concentration was lower than those reported in other studies. Less than 0.1 per cent of children of the age range studied would have been expected to have lead levels exceeding the NHMRC ‘level of concern’ (25 μg/100 ml) current at the time of the study. However, the recent adoption of goal of less than 10 μg/100 ml could mean that lead levels in up to 21 per cent of Perth children would now be regarded as excessive.     

Allografted keratinocytes used to accelerate the treatment of burn wounds are replaced by recipient cells

Cultured keratinocytes were used as allografts on burn wounds in two patients. In both patients successful covering of the wounds was obtained. DNA fingerprinting of the epidermis covering the wounds 21 days later showed that the cultured keratinocytes were replaced by the patients' cells.     

CT- or sonography-guided biopsy of the liver in the presence of ascites: frequency of complications

The presence of ascites has been considered a contraindication to percutaneous biopsy of the liver. To determine the validity of this assumption, we performed percutaneous biopsies of the liver under CT or sonographic guidance in 28 patients who had ascites and in 28 patients who did not have ascites and compared the complication rates in the two groups. Twenty-two patients (79%) in the group with ascites and 19 patients (68%) in the group without ascites had biopsies to determine the cause or extent of chronic liver disease. The remainder were oncologic patients who had biopsies to determine the cause of a focal hepatic mass. The complication rate in the patients who had ascites (32%) was less than that in the patients who did not have ascites (43%) (the difference did not reach statistical significance, p less than .30). In the ascites group, complications included transient hypotension (five patients), a mild-to-moderate fall in hematocrit (three patients), and a small leak of ascites from the biopsy site (one patient). In the control group, minor complications included transient hypotension (three patients), a mild-to-moderate fall in hematocrit (seven patients), and a small subcapsular hematoma (one patient). One major complication occurred in the control group: a patient required a blood transfusion because of the fall in his hematocrit. We conclude that the complication rate in liver biopsies guided by CT or sonography in the presence of ascites is not higher than similar biopsies done in the absence of ascites. Ascites should not be considered a contraindication for performing such biopsies.     

Effects of physiological and pathological levels of glucocorticoids on skeletal muscle glutamine metabolism in the rat

The effects of physiological and pathological concentrations of glucocorticoids were investigated using the glucocorticoid antagonist RU486 and the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone, respectively. The effects of these treatments on the concentrations of glutamine and other amino acids in skeletal muscle and plasma and on the rates of release of glutamine and alanine from incubated preparations of skeletal muscle of the rat were investigated. Dexamethasone treatment increased the concentration of glutamine and the rate of release of this amino acid from incubated soleus muscle preparations. This treatment decreased the concentration of glutamine in both gastrocnemius and EDL muscles, but was without effect on the rate of glutamine release from EDL muscles. In contrast, administration of the glucocorticoid antagonist RU486 decreased the rate of glutamine release from muscle. It is concluded that glucocorticoids have marked effects on the metabolism of glutamine by skeletal muscle per se and that these hormones may be important in the control of the rate of glutamine release from muscle in both physiological and pathological conditions.     

The experimental pharmacotherapy of the liver lesion induced by indomethacin

In experiments on albino rats it was established that three administrations of indomethacin in a dose of 0.01 g/kg body weight induced a severe damage of the liver characterized by disturbances of hepatocytic membranes, bile-producing and protein-producing functions of the liver, an enhancement of lipid peroxidation, a decrease of reduced glutathione pool. Antioxidants (tocopherol acetate, essentiale, legalon, flacumin) limit manifestations of indomethacin, hepatotoxicity, as a result of which tha functional-biochemical disorders in the liver show up to a lesser degree. During the combined use of antioxidants in indomethacin-induced lesions of the liver their hepatoprotective activity increases.     

Phencyclidine binding to striatal cocaine receptors

PCP and related compounds inhibit 3H-mazindol binding to the cocaine receptor on dopamine transporters. The relative potencies of these compounds are such that some of the behavioral effects of PCP could be related to its action at the cocaine receptor; however, the affinity of PCP at the cocaine site (Ki = 1.59 microM) is less than its affinity at its own receptor (Ki about 0.12 microM). More data will be needed to conclusively implicate the cocaine receptor in the action of PCP.