Racial discrepancies in the association between paternal vs. maternal educational level and risk of low birthweight in Washington State

Background  

The role of paternal factors in determining the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes has received less attention than maternal factors. Similarly, the interaction between the effects of race and socioeconomic status (SES) on pregnancy outcomes is not well known. Our objective was to assess the relative importance of paternal vs. maternal education in relation to risk of low birth weight (LBW) across different racial groups.     

Controlled release of a model protein lysozyme from phase sensitive smart polymer systems

The purpose of this study was to investigate the suitability of phase sensitive smart polymer-based protein formulations in order to deliver a model protein, lysozyme, in a conformationally stable and biologically active form at a controlled rate over extended period of time. Four different formulations, using D,L-poly(lactide) (D,L-PLA) and a solvent mixture of different ratios of benzyl benzoate (BB) and benzyl alcohol (BA), were prepared. Conformational stability and biological activity of lysozyme were studied by differential scanning calorimeter and enzyme activity assay, respectively. We found a significant (P < 0.05) increase in burst and rate of release of incorporated lysozyme from formulations containing greater proportion of BA. In order to increase the conformational stability and biological activity of lysozyme, we incorporated mannitol as stabilizer into formulations. Mannitol increased the conformational and biological activity of lysozyme in comparison to the control formulation prepared without mannitol. In conclusion, phase sensitive smart polymer-based delivery systems were able to deliver a model protein, lysozyme, in a conformationally stable and biologically active form at a controlled rate over extended period of time.     

Impairment of executive function induced by hypertension in the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta)

The effects of chronic, untreated hypertension on executive function were investigated in a nonhuman primate model of hypertensive cerebrovascular disease. Executive function was assessed with the Conceptual Set-Shifting Task (CSST). a task adapted from the human Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Like the WCST, the CSST requires abstraction of a stimulus set, followed by a series of set shifts. Performance on the CSST by 7 young adult monkeys (Macaca mulatta) with surgically induced hypertension was compared with that of 6 normotensive monkeys. The hypertensive group was significantly impaired relative to the normotensive group in abstraction and set shifting. Although the neural basis of this impairment is unclear, evidence from studies with humans and monkeys suggests that the prefrontal cortex may be the locus for this effect of hypertension.     

WHO's ICF and functional status information in health records

A common framework for describing functional status information (FSI) in health records is needed in order to make this information comparable and of value. The World Health Organization's (WHO's) International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), which has been approved by all its member States, provides this common language and framework. The biopsychosocial model of functioning and disability embodied in the ICF goes beyond disease and conceptualizes functioning from the individual's body, person, and lived experience vantage points, thereby allowing for planning interventions targeted at the individual's body, the individual as a whole or toward the environment. This framework then permits the evaluation of both the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of these different interventions in devising programs at the personal or societal level.     

Pre-marital predictors of marital violence in the WHO World Mental Health (WMH) Surveys

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology - Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive public health problem. Existing research has focused on reports from victims and few studies have...     

Randomized controlled trial of effectiveness of lafutidine versus pantoprazole in uninvestigated dyspepsia

Objectives:

Lafutidine is a new H₂-blocker in India claimed to be more potent and effective than existing H₂-blockers. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), by virtue of their mechanism of action, have greater efficacy than H₂-blockers in gastric acid suppression. However, clinical trials comparing H₂-blockers directly with PPIs are limited. We carried out a head-to-head comparison of the effectiveness of lafutidine versus the PPI pantoprazole in uninvestigated dyspepsia [CTRI/2013/12/004261].

Materials and Methods:

A prospective, open label, randomized, controlled trial was conducted in a tertiary care hospital. Ambulatory adult patients with dyspepsia, not yet subjected to endoscopy, were recruited if they had at least moderately severe symptoms, defined as a score of ≥ 4 on a 7-point Global Overall Symptom (GOS) Scale. Those with alarm features or significant comorbidity were excluded. Subjects received either once daily lafutidine 10 mg or pantoprazole 40 mg, orally, for 8 weeks. Reflux, dysmotility and pain scores were assessed by Modified Frequency Scale for the Symptoms of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (mFSSGERD), and quality of life (QoL) by SF-8 scale. The latter had physical and mental components summarized by physical component summary score (PCS) and a mental component summary score (MCS).

Results:

Of 122 patients enrolled, data of 57 on lafutidine and 60 on pantoprazole were analyzed. At 4 weeks, proportion of subjects responding (GOS score ≤ 2) in the two arms (lafutidine 45.61% vs. pantoprazole 48.33%, P = 0.854) or showing symptom resolution (GOS score ≤ 1) (lafutidine 12.28% vs. pantoprazole 5.00%; P = 0.197) were comparable. Similarly at 8 weeks, both responder (lafutidine 52.63% vs. pantoprazole 56.67%; P = 0.712) and symptom resolution proportions (lafutidine 33.33% vs. pantoprazole 30%; P = 0.843) were comparable. Total score on mFSSGERD scale, as well as all its three component scores, and PCS and MCS scores on QoL SF-8 scale showed improvement but no statistically significant difference between the two arms. Tolerability of both drugs was excellent.

Conclusions:

Lafutidine is well-tolerated and there is no clinically worthwhile difference between the two drugs in the empirical treatment of uninvestigated dyspepsia.KEY WORDS: Dyspepsia, lafutidine, pantoprazole, randomized controlled trial     

Physiomics

Physiomics is that branch of omics that uses large scale databases and experimental databases along with computer algorithms to study the physiological phenotypes of genes, proteins and their relationships. It deals with studying the physiome, the total integration of genome, proteome and metabolome, from cells to organisms. It is a very useful branch that has been actively used in studying drug development, various interactions and biosensor as well as biochip development.