Telephone-assisted counseling for physical activity

Different methods of intervention have been tested to promote physical activity at the individual level. The telephone is an excellent form of media for delivering exercise counseling and advice. This review highlights important clinical trials that have documented the success of telephone-assisted exercise counseling for promoting physical activity in a variety of populations.     

Lack of HIV Seropositivity Among a Group of Rural Probationers: Explanatory Factors

CONTEXT: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in rural America has been described as an epidemic, and the HIV prevalence rate among criminal justice populations is higher than the general population. Thus, criminally involved populations in Southern rural areas are at elevated risk for contracting HIV because of drug and sexual practices; however, little is known about HIV/AIDS in the fastest growing criminal justice population-probationers. PURPOSE: To examine possible explanations for the lack of HIV seropositivity found in a purposive sample of rural probationers. METHODS: Data were examined from 800 felony probationers from 30 counties in Kentucky's Appalachian region. Measures included HIV prevalence within the 30 counties, migration patterns, HIV knowledge, substance use, and sexual risk behaviors. FINDINGS: These probationers had a high level of HIV knowledge, reported minimal injection drug use, practiced serial monogamy, and reported minimal engagement in transactional sex. However, these probationers also reported negligible condom use, and injection drug users shared needles and works. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest the importance of developing programs targeting safe sex practices in rural areas.     

Generation of cytotoxic antibodies to the B16 murine melanoma using a formalinized vaccine

The goal of our experiments was to determine the extent to which the humoral response to a melanoma vaccine elicits the production of cytotoxic antibodies in tumor-challenged mice. Mice were immunized with a vaccine produced from formalinized extracellular antigens (FECA) derived from B 16 F 10 melanomas. The production of antibodies that recognized the vaccine preparation was determined by ELISA, as was their cross-reactivity with the B700 melanoma,antigen. The antibodies were shown to be anti-proliferative by inhibition of tritiated thymidine incorporation into the DNA of cultured target cells and cytotoxic by assays for complement-mediated and antibodydependent cellular cytotoxicity. Flow cytometric analyses indicated that-60% of the target cells specifically bound antibody from the immune sera. These results confirm that B700 is a significant antigenic component of the FECA vaccine, and provide encouragement for this approach to developing useful melanoma vaccines.     

Effects of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon heterocycles, carbazole and dibenzothiophene, on in vivo and in vitro CYP1A activity and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-derived embryonic deformities

Heterocyclic derivatives of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are often significant components of environmental contaminant mixtures; however, their contribution to the toxicity of these mixtures is not well characterized. These heterocycles commonly co-occur in PAH mixtures, which contain agonists for the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR). Our goal for these studies was to explore the effects of two PAH heterocycles, carbazole (CB) and dibenzothiophene (DBT), alone and in combination with a PAH-type agonist for the AHR (beta-naphthoflavone [BNF]) on AHR-mediated cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) activity and on fish embryotoxicity. Embryos of Fundulus heteroclitus were exposed to CB or DBT, with and without coexposure to BNE Carbazole alone slightly induced, whereas DBT alone slightly reduced, in ovo CYP1A-mediated ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity compared to control values. However, exposure to CB or DBT reduced in ovo EROD activity in embryos coexposed to BNE Carbazole and DBT were characterized in vitro as noncompetitive CYP1A inhibitors. Carbazole and DBT enhanced the embryotoxicity of BNF, although neither compound was embryotoxic by itself. The co-occurrence of CB and DBT with PAH-type AHR inducers in contaminated ecosystems may increase the toxicity of PAH-type AHR agonists in these settings and may need to be considered when estimating the embryotoxicity of PAH mixtures.     

Gallbladder pathology in the Ivory Coast. Contribution of ultrasonics

Ultrasound imaging was first used in the two hospital and university centers of Abidjan in 1983, and findings since then have demonstrated the previously unrecognized frequency and variability of gallbladder affections. Particular conditions of functioning of an ultrasonography department in tropical surroundings are analyzed and ultrasound features of bile stones, cholecystitis and gallbladder cancer described.     

Atomoxetine treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

OBJECTIVE: To review the literature of the first nonstimulant approved for treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). DATA SOURCES: Primary literature and review articles were obtained through PubMed/MEDLINE (1966-February 2003). STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: Literature evaluating atomoxetine in ADHD was selected. Animal data were excluded. DATA SYNTHESIS: Stimulants are currently first-line therapy for ADHD. However, their use raises several concerns including the potential for abuse and adverse effects. Atomoxetine introduces a new therapeutic drug class, selective norepinephrine-reuptake inhibitors, for ADHD management. This additional treatment option offers potential advantages over current therapies. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical trials demonstrate that atomoxetine is a safe and effective alternative for ADHD treatment in children and adults; however, its disadvantages may hinder it from becoming a first-line agent.     

Evaluation of techniques for treating the bleeding wound

BACKGROUND: Despite the fact that the urgent control of active bleeding from external body surfaces demands a basic procedure, it is puzzling that this topic has received little if any attention in modern medical research. Elastic adhesive dressing (ELAD) has been proposed for dressing the bleeding wound. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Three techniques were compared over a simulated wound in a human model. Pressures generated between the chosen dressing surface and the underlying mock wound's cutaneous surface, time consumption, convenience, satisfaction and pain were tested for each technique. RESULTS: Sixty-eight experiments were performed over nine separate anatomical sites. Average pressures for field dressing, ELAD and manual compression were 33, 88 and 180 mmHg, respectively; these differences in pressure were statistically significant. Manual pressure was equally inconvenient for both patient and caregiver. The more proximal and wider anatomical regions were more difficult and time consuming to compress. The caregivers graded ELAD the highest level of convenience and general satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Field bandage testing reflected its inadequacy in controlling bleeding from most body regions. The results suggest that ELAD may be the hands-free technique of choice. We hope that this article will stimulate further research and elicit evidence on precisely which technique is most suitable for various anatomical location.     

Accessibility of alcohol expectancies from memory: impact of mood and motives in college student drinkers

OBJECTIVE: It has been hypothesized that alcohol outcome expectancies (AOEs) exist within an associative memory network and that their accessibility is facilitated in the presence of alcohol-related cues. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether the accessibility of specific AOEs varies as a function of mood state and gender and to determine whether this relationship is moderated by affect-related drinking motives. METHOD: Undergraduate students (N = 302) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions (i.e., positive, negative and neutral mood). Mood states were achieved using musical mood-induction procedures. Postmood-induction AOEs, obtained using self-generation, were classified into five expectancy categories: social/ situational enhancement (SSE), positive emotional functioning (PEF), relaxation/tension reduction (RTR), physical/pharmacological effects (PPE) and miscellaneous (MISC). RESULTS: Logistic regression analyses revealed that SSE and RTR expectancies were differentially accessible across mood conditions. SSE expectancies were most highly accessible to participants in a positive mood, and RTR expectancies were most highly accessible to participants in a relatively neutral mood. Although drinking motives did not moderate the AOE-mood relationship, they emerged as significant predictors of SSE and RTR expectancies. The accessibility of specific AOEs differed among men and women. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that mood serves as an implicit prime for the accessibility of specific AOEs. The implications of these findings for research concerning memory-based, cognitive-affective expectancy networks are discussed.