The mechanisms for regulating absorption of Fe bis-glycine chelate and Fe-ascorbate in caco-2 cells are similar

Inorganic iron (Fe) absorption from the diet is controlled mainly in the intestinal tract where apical Fe uptake is inversely related to the Fe content in the enterocyte. Iron bis-glycine chelate is an iron compound that may be absorbed by a mechanism different from the regulated nonheme Fe pathway. Because Fe bis-glycine chelate is used increasingly as an Fe fortificant in foods, the critical question is whether this compound is a safe Fe supplement. We compared apical Fe uptake and transepithelial transport offered either as (59)Fe bis-glycine chelate or a (59)Fe-ascorbate (Fe-AA) complex in Caco-2 cells, as a model of human intestinal epithelia, grown in different Fe concentrations in the media (0.5, 5 and 20 micro mol/L Fe). Apical Fe uptake from (59)Fe-AA and (59)Fe bis-glycine chelate did not differ nor did transepithelial transport rates. The rate of (59)Fe uptake decreased with increasing intracellular Fe concentration (P < 0.001), an indication of a common absorption regulatory mechanism. We also evaluated the effect of an excess of Fe (100 micro mol/L) provided as Fe bis-glycine chelate or Fe-AA on the incorporation of 1 micro mol/L (55)Fe-AA into Fe-replete Caco-2 cells. The inhibition of Fe bis-glycine chelate on the absorption of the extrinsic tag of (55)Fe-AA (87.5%) did not differ from that of Fe added as Fe-AA (86.8%). These results suggest that Fe derived from Fe bis-glycine chelate and Fe-AA have similar regulatory absorption mechanisms.     

Impact of participatory education on body mass index and blood glucose in obese type-2 diabetics

Exogenous obesity increases morbidity and mortality risk and has been associated with nutritional habits, which in turn can be affected by health education. Health education aims to promote patient participation in achieving behavior change and healthy lifestyles. The objective of this study is to show the advantages of participatory education in the modification of body mass index (BMI) in obese type-2 diabetics. A quasi-experimental study was performed with random allocation of two patient groups. The educational intervention was organized through a reflection-action process. BMI was measured at baseline and then monthly for 9 months during the intervention. The groups were analyzed by age and sex. Statistical analysis used the Student t test, with the mean difference for related groups. The control group showed a mean BMI of 33.89 + 1.96 and a final BMI of 33.2 +/- 2.15 (t:22.4; p:0.16). The experimental group had an initial value of 33.63 +/- 2.12 and a final BMI of 31.54 +/- 1.71; statistical difference: (t:11.55; p:0.003). The participatory educational intervention thus helped improve the BMI in obese type-2 diabetics.     

Primary care residents' characteristics and motives for providing differential medical treatment of cervical cancer screening

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer screening rates in the United States are sub-optimal. Physician factors likely contribute to these lower rates. Previous studies provide inconclusive evidence about the association between physician characteristics and the likelihood of addressing cervical cancer. This report assesses potential mechanisms that explain why certain providers do not address cervical cancer screening. METHODS: One hundred primary care residents from various specialties were asked to indicate the preventive topics they would address with a hypothetical white female in her early 20s, who was portrayed as living a "high risk" lifestyle, and visiting her provider only for acute care reasons. RESULTS: Among the provider characteristics assessed, only residents' ethnicity was associated with the likelihood of and time spent addressing cervical cancer screening. In particular, Asian-American residents were least likely to address cervical cancer, while African-American residents were most likely. A mediation analyses revealed that perceived barriers for addressing cervical cancer accounted for this difference. CONCLUSIONS: Study results suggest that there may be cultural factors among health care providers that may account for differential referral and treatment practices. Findings from this study may help identify factors that explain why cervical cancer screening rates are not higher.     

Inheritance of mercury tolerance in the aquatic oligochaete Tubifex tubifex

Resistance to contaminants is an important yet unmeasured factor in sediment toxicity tests. The rate at which mercury resistance develops and its genetic persistence in the oligochaete worm Tubifex tubifex were studied under laboratory conditions. Worms were raised for four generations under two different sediment treatments, one reference clean sediment, the other contaminated with mercury. Worms raised in mercury-contaminated sediment developed mercury tolerance that persisted even when the worms were raised for three subsequent generations in clean sediment. Mercury tolerance was determined by comparative water-only toxicity tests with mercury as the only stressor. Control worms had a mean lethal concentration (LC50) of 0.18 mg/L(-1). Worms exposed to high levels of mercury in sediment had high mercury tolerance with a mean LC50 of 1.40 mg/L(-1). When mercury-tolerant and control mercury-intolerant worms were crossed, their descendants also demonstrated mercury tolerance during lethal toxicity tests. The LC50 for worm descendants resulting from this cross was 1.39 mg/L(-1). Adaptation to mercury exposures occurred rapidly in this group of worms and appears to be due to both phenotypic and genotypic mechanisms. Development of contaminant resistance and adaptation may be common phenomena in aquatic benthic invertebrates, which should be considered during the design and interpretation of toxicity tests.     

Validity of cuff-uroflow as a diagnostic technique for bladder outlet obstruction in males

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the validity of the cuff-uroflow method as a diagnostic technique for bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) in males. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out on a consecutive series of 93 males (mean age 54.1 years) referred on presenting with lower urinary tract symptoms. The patients were subjected to measurement of the isovolumetric pressure (Pcuff.op) and its corresponding flow (Qcuff.op) by means of the cuff-uroflow method. Subsequently, a study was carried out of the conventional pressure-flow, calculating the degree of BOO according to the provisional International Continence Society (ICS) nomogram. RESULTS: There was a statistical relationship between the Pcuff.op and Qcuff.op values and the degree of BOO according to the provisional ICS nomogram: patients with BOO had a lower value of Qcuff.op and a higher value of Pcuff.op than those without BOO. Using a logistic regression model a nomogram was constructed to link Pcuff.op with Qcuff.op. This nomogram was divided into three areas (obstructed, indeterminate and not obstructed). Most patients (44.1% of the sample) were situated in the indeterminate area. If those patients were excluded, the nomogram gave a sensitivity for the diagnosis of obstruction of 100% and a specificity of 55.6%. The overall rate of correct diagnosis was 84.6%. CONCLUSIONS: The parameters obtained using the cuff-uroflow method were related to the presence of BOO. According to the provisional ICS nomogram, this method showed a better sensitivity than specificity for the diagnosis of BOO.     

Cell culture protection and<Emphasis Type="Italic">in vivo</Emphasis> neuroprotective capacity of flavonoids

Flavonoids are an important group of recognized antioxidants ubiquitous in fruits, vegetables and herbs. There are epidemiological evidences for the stroke-protecting capacity of flavonoids and while the neuroprotective power of complex extracts rich in flavonoids like those of Ginkgo biloba, green tea or lyophilized red wine have been demonstrated in several studies, neuroprotection by individual flavonoids has been poorly studiedin vivo. The neuroprotective capacity of individual flavonoids was studied in PC12 cells in culture and in a model of permanent focal ischemia (permanent Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion — pMCAO). In thein vivo experiments, flavonoids were administered in lecithin preparations to facilitate the crossing of the blood brain barrier.     

Transmission trials with a support system for the treatment of cardiac arrest outside hospital

A mobile electrocardiogram (ECG) transmission system was developed which could transmit single-lead ECG data via GSM mobile telephony. Ambulance transmission trials comprised a total of 72 communications, of which 94% were successful. The system was able to redial up to a predetermined number of times until the GSM call was re-established (during the trials this value was set to five). The average number of GSM call tries was 1.3 per connection. The mean time required to establish a connection was 45 s; the minimum was 34 s, when only one attempt was needed to establish a GSM call. The average duration of ECG transmission between communication breakdowns was 5 min 12 s. When a link breakdown occurred, the user had to wait for an average of only 42 s to continue monitoring the signal.     

How do residents prioritize smoking cessation for young "high-risk" women? Factors associated with addressing smoking cessation

BACKGROUND: Sixty-seven percent of physicians report advising their smoking patients to quit. Primary care residents' priorities for preventive health for a young "high-risk" female are unknown. Factors related to residents addressing smoking also need examining. METHODS: One hundred residents completed a survey about preventive health issues for a woman in her 20s "who leads a high-risk lifestyle." Residents indicated which topics they would address, and the likelihood that they would address each of 12 relevant preventive health topics, their outcome expectancies that the patient would follow their advice on each topic, their confidence that they could address the topic, and perceived barriers for addressing the topic. RESULTS: Residents listed STD prevention most frequently. Drug use and smoking cessation were second and third most frequently listed. Residents who believed that the patient would follow their advice were more likely to list smoking cessation than residents who had lower outcome expectancies for that patient. Higher barriers were negatively related to addressing smoking cessation. CONCLUSIONS: When time is not a barrier, residents are likely to address smoking cessation. Teaching residents how to incorporate this subject into their clinical practice is needed. Raising residents' outcome expectancies may increase their likelihood of addressing smoking cessation.     

Endoscopic treatment of sinonasal disease in patients who have had orthognathic surgery

Certain skeletofacial patterns may be predisposed to aggravated sinonasal disease postoperatively. These may include, but are not limited to, facial skeletal asymmetries with high septal deviations and those with obstructive nasal respiration and mouth breathing that leads to skeletal growth disturbances such as vertical maxillary hyperplasia and apertognathism. These sinonasal diseases may partly be the result of osteomeatal blockage by pre-existing structures, or synechial shelves and webs blocking normal maxillary antral mucosal flow. The use of nasal antral windows placed anteriorly in the lateral nasal wall at the time of downfracture LeFort (Hosaka window) do not seem to benefit the drainage of the maxillary antrum. This is because physiological flow often bypasses this region. If patients present postoperatively with new sinonasal disease or the aggravation of pre-existing symptoms, evaluation by both endoscopically assisted intranasal and axially and coronal computed tomography (CT) is recommended. Functional endoscopic sinus surgery by the minimally invasive Messerklinger technique, combined with intranasal use of laser-assisted turbinoplasty and soft tissue lysis, have been successfully used for most of these patients. Because the anatomical positioning of the midfacial structure can potentially affect patients with a predisposition to sinonasal physiological disturbances, consideration should be given to preoperative evaluation and discussion of potential consequences.     

An Exploratory Behavioral Intervention Trial to Improve Rates of Screening for AIDS Clinical Trials Among Racial/Ethnic Minority and Female Persons Living with HIV/AIDS

Individuals from racial/ethnic minority backgrounds and women have not been proportionately represented in AIDS clinical trials (ACTs). There have been few intervention efforts to eliminate this health disparity. This paper reports on a brief behavioral intervention to increase rates of screening for ACTs in these groups. The study was exploratory and used a single-group pre/posttest design. A total of 580 persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) were recruited (39% female; 56% African-American, 32% Latino/Hispanic). The intervention was efficacious: 25% attended screening. We identified the primary junctures where PLHA are lost in the screening process. Both group intervention sessions and an individual contact were associated with screening. Findings provide preliminary support for the intervention’s efficacy and the utility of combining group and individual intervention formats. Interventions of greater duration and intensity, and which address multiple levels of influence (e.g., social, structural), may be needed to increase screening rates further.