Green tea polyphenols and Tai Chi for bone health: Designing a placebo-controlled randomized trial

Background  

Osteoporosis is a major health problem in postmenopausal women. Evidence suggests the importance of oxidative stress in bone metabolism and bone loss. Tea consumption may be beneficial to osteoporosis due to its antioxidant capability. However, lack of objective data characterizing tea consumption has hindered the precise evaluation of the association between tea ingestion and bone mineral density in previous questionnaire-based epidemiological studies. On the other hand, although published studies suggest that Tai Chi (TC) exercise can benefit bone health and may reduce oxidative stress, all studies were conducted using a relatively healthy older population, instead of a high-risk one such as osteopenic postmenopausal women. Therefore, this study was designed to test an intervention including green tea polyphenol (GTP) and TC exercise for feasibility, and to quantitatively assess their individual and interactive effects on postmenopausal women with osteopenia.     

Post-rhinoplasty complications with previous hyaluronic acid injection history: Cerebral infarction and vision loss

Background

Rhinoplasty is becoming increasingly frequent as the pursuit of aesthetics by people accelerates. In recent years, the proportion of people opting for rhinoplasty injections has gradually increased. This has led to numerous reports citing catastrophic postoperative complications such as skin necrosis, cerebral infarction, and visual impairment.

Aim

The aim of our report is to discuss the possible etiological factors for this post-rhinoplasty complication and provides a rationale for HA injection history as a risk factor in rhinoplasty.

Methods

We report a rare case that received nasal HA injections in the past without any untoward incident. She opted for a second rhinoplasty 2 years after her initial nasal HA injections. This second intervention led to post-injection loss of vision in one eye and cerebral infarction. Following clinical and radiological examination, digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and superselective intra-arterial thrombolysis were performed.

Results

The patient did not develop disuse exotropia or ocular atrophy, but the left eye remained without light perception, which implies that intra-arterial thrombolytic therapy may be a positive and effective method to maintain the normal appearance of the eye.

Conclusion

It is advisable for patient safety to maintain a long interval of time between hyaluronidase injection and repeat rhinoplasty. Clinicians should become familiar with the anatomical peculiarities of the patient and be gentle during the rhinoplasty procedure.     

Pharmacokinetics and safety of bromotetrandrine (BrTet, W198) after single-dose intravenous administration in healthy Chinese volunteers

Objective: To investigate the safety and pharmacokinetics of bromotetrandrine (BrTet, W198), a novel inhibitor of P‐glycoprotein (P‐gp), after single‐dose i.v. infusion in healthy Chinese volunteers. Methods: We conducted a randomized, dose‐escalating, phase I clinical study for that purpose. Thirty healthy subjects received BrTet at the doses of 10, 20 or 30 mg/m² by i.v. infusion. Plasma and urine concentrations of bromotetrandrine were determined by using a liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometric (LC/MS/MS) method. AUC was calculated by the trapezoidal rule extrapolation method. C_max, T_max, t_1/2α, t_1/2β, Cl and V_d were compiled from the plasma concentration–time data. Results: Bromotetrandrine was generally well tolerated at all doses. No serious or severe adverse events were found in the study. The pharmacokinetic parameters of BrTet after single i.v. infusion doses of BrTet 10, 20 and 30 mg/m² were as follows: T_max were 1·5 h in three groups, C_max were 24·79, 39·59 and 64·31 μg/L, t_1/2α were 0·37, 0·29 and 0·30 h, t_1/2β were 62·88, 56·45 and 52·20 h. AUC_0–194h were 345·83, 688·15 and 1096·28 μg h/L, Cl were 23·68, 25·69 and 25·66 L h/m², V_d were 157·73,156·96 and 140·73 L/m². In urine, the total eliminate rate of originate compound was 0·61 ± 0·19%. Conclusions: This study suggested that bromotetrandrine was well tolerated in healthy volunteers within the dose range evaluated. The pharmacokinetics parameters of bromotetrandrine indicated that the compound was rapidly distributed and accumulated in the tissues, and slowly cleared from plasma, which supported the use of BrTet for a once or twice dosing per chemotherapy cycle.     

Predictors of retention among undergraduate students attending associate-degree nursing programs in Illinois

The purpose of the study was to determine what the relationship is between emotional intelligence, motivation, demographic variables, and retention. The Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire and the Assessing Emotions Scale garnered data submitted from 390 first-year students attending nine associate-degree nursing schools in Illinois. Statistically significant differences in the mean scores for several motivation subscales were noted. Age, race/ethnic background, and school were predictors with retention. Emotional intelligence was not predictive with retention.     

Who can give ‘spiritual care’? The management of spiritually sensitive interactions between nurses and patients

kevern p. (2012) Journal of Nursing Management  20, 981–989
Who can give ‘spiritual care’? The management of spiritually sensitive interactions between nurses and patients Aims This article considers the purpose of contemporary ‘spiritual care’ in order to help managers make informed decisions about its appropriate delivery in a clinical context. Background Although there are national policies in place concerning spiritual care, surveys indicate that nurses are reluctant to engage with the spiritual needs of patients. Evaluation A consideration of the character of spiritual care indicates the need to take account of the context of contemporary Western society. A model drawn from the social psychology of religion is used to analyse the different types of nurse–patient interaction available in the provision of spiritual care. Key Issues Although religious and spiritual commitments can vary widely, they are subject to the same pressures in a secular and pluralist social context. This enables some general guidelines to be developed. Conclusions Effective spiritual care requires a consideration of both the patient’s and the nurse’s implicit and explicit religious commitments. Implications for nursing management Nurse managers need to take account of the personal commitments of nurses when directing them to offer spiritual care. This article offers a diagnostic tool for deploying nurses in an appropriate way.     

Predictors of AIDS-related morbidity and mortality in a southern U.S. Cohort

Advances in the treatment of HIV and associated opportunistic infections (OIs) have led to dramatic reductions in HIV-related morbidity and mortality in the United States, but not all patients have benefited equally. A longitudinal analysis of the Coping with HIV/AIDS in the Southeast (CHASE) cohort evaluated sociodemographic, psychosocial, and clinical factors associated with HIV-related events (incident category C OI or AIDS-related death) among southern HIV-infected patients engaged in clinical care. Participants were followed for a median of 30 months (interquartile range, 17-34 months) after study enrollment (enrollment period December 2001 to April 2002). Ten percent of study participants (50/489) experienced an HIV-related event (incident category C OI and/or AIDS-related deaths) during study follow-up. The rate of HIV-related events was 4.8 per 100 patient-years of observation, and the rate of AIDS-related death was 1.5 per 100 patient-years of observation. In unadjusted survival analyses, younger age, lacking private health insurance, psychosocial trauma, depressive symptoms, lower baseline CD4 count, and less time on antiretroviral therapy during follow-up were associated with HIV-related events. In Cox proportional hazards analysis adjusting for covariates, patients who had suffered more psychosocial trauma (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.97, p = 0.04), who had lower baseline CD4 counts (HR = 0.48 per 100 cells/mm(3), p < 0.01), and who spent less time on antiretroviral therapy during follow-up (HR = 0.47, p = 0.02) were more likely to experience an HIV-related event.