Synthesis and transport of GAP-43 in entorhinal cortex neurons and perforant pathway during lesion-induced sprouting and reactive synaptogenesis.

Metabolic labeling and quantitative 2D gel autoradiography were used to assess changes in the synthesis and transport of GAP-43 in entorhinal cortex (EC) neurons and perforant pathway during lesion-induced sprouting and reactive synaptogenesis. In normal adult rats, there is a high constitutive level of GAP-43 synthesis and transport in EC neurons projecting to the hippocampus. Following unilateral EC lesions, there is a 2-fold (100%) increase in the transport of newly synthesized GAP-43 to the contralateral or 'sprouting' hippocampus. The timing of this upregulation (between 6 and 15 days) suggests that changes in GAP-43 expression occur in response to the growth of presynaptic terminals during sprouting.     

Inhalation of the Phosphodiesterase-3 Inhibitor Milrinone Attenuates Pulmonary Hypertension in a Rat Model of Congestive Heart Failure

Background: Most patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) develop pulmonary venous hypertension, but right ventricular afterload is frequently further elevated by increased pulmonary vascular resistance. To investigate whether inhalation of a vasodilatory phosphodiesterase-3 inhibitor may reverse this potentially detrimental process, the authors studied the effects of inhaled or intravenous milrinone on pulmonary and systemic hemodynamics in a rat model of CHF.

Methods: In male Sprague-Dawley rats, CHF was induced by supracoronary aortic banding, whereas sham-operated rats served as controls. Milrinone was administered as an intravenous infusion (0.2-1 [mu]g [middle dot] kg body weight-1 [middle dot] min-1) or by inhalation (0.2-5 mg/ml), and effects on pulmonary and systemic hemodynamics and lung water content were measured.

Results: In CHF rats, intravenous infusion of milrinone reduced both pulmonary and systemic arterial blood pressure. In contrast, inhalation of milrinone predominantly dilated pulmonary blood vessels, resulting in a reduced pulmonary-to-systemic vascular resistance ratio. Repeated milrinone inhalations in 20-min intervals caused a stable reduction of pulmonary artery pressure. No hemodynamic effects were detected when 0.9% NaCl was administered instead of milrinone or when milrinone was inhaled in sham-operated rats. No indications of potentially adverse effects of milrinone inhalation in CHF, such as left ventricular volume overload, were detected. Moreover, lung edema was significantly reduced by repeated milrinone inhalation.     

Exposure to allergens of different cattle breeds and their relevance in occupational allergy

Introduction  

Cattle are an important source of allergens in the working area of farmers. Asthma caused by cow allergens is a significant occupational problem. Yet in allergological testing, the results of in vivo and in vitro diagnostic tests are often inconsistent even in cases with clearly cattle-related symptoms.     

Montelukast as add-on therapy to beta-agonists and late airway response.

The present study investigated whether single-dose oral leukotriene receptor antagonists as add-on therapy to short-acting beta-agonists, immediately after allergen challenge, block the late-phase airway response. In total, 35 mild asthmatics (mean age 24 yrs, 19 males) sensitised for house dust mites underwent two courses of bronchial allergen challenge. After the early allergic response (EAR), subjects received salbutamol once and were randomly assigned to either 10 mg of montelukast or placebo (double-blind crossover). To identify a late allergic response, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV(1)) was monitored over the following 8 h. Baseline exhaled nitric oxide (NO) was determined ahead of each allergen challenge. Baseline NO levels differed significantly depending on the reaction to allergen challenge. In total, 12 subjects showed no significant response, 11 only showed an EAR, and 12 had a dual response and underwent further analysis. The area under the FEV(1) time-response curve 3-8 h after bronchial allergen challenge was -0.77+/-1.68 from the pre-challenge values on montelukast compared with -2.47+/-1.32 on placebo. The baseline exhaled NO fraction of subjects without an EAR was significantly lower than of those presenting a dual response. The results of the present study demonstrate that single-dose leukotriene receptor antagonists given orally right after the early allergic response can significantly inhibit the late allergic response after bronchial allergen challenge.     

Characteristics of teenage mothers and predictors of breastfeeding initiation in the Michigan WIC Program in 1995. Women, Infants, and Children.

Although breast milk is recommended as the optimal source of infant nutrition, breastfeeding initiation is below recommended levels, especially among teenage mothers. Breastfeeding initiation rates among Michigan (US) teenage mothers (12-19 y) were compared by demographics and health behaviors. Multivariate analyses determined which factors were significant independent predictors of breastfeeding initiation among teenage mothers enrolled prenatally in the Michigan Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program in 1995. Significant predictors independently associated with breastfeeding initiation were race/ethnicity, education, marital status, postpartum anemia status, parity, prenatal trimester of WIC enrollment, and smoking. The strongest predictor of breastfeeding initiation differed for white mothers (positive predictor: education beyond high school [OR = 3.13]) and black mothers (negative predictor: multiparous [OR = 0.25]). Initiation rates for this population of teenage mothers fall below the national average for mothers of all ages and the US Healthy People 2010 goals. Research is needed concerning how breastfeeding support and education can be improved to reach the US national health goals.     

The volume-deficient orbit: clinical characteristics, surgical management, and results after extraperiorbital implantation of Silastic block.

The surgical techniques and results after extraperiorbital implantation of Silastic on the orbital floor of 70 patients are reviewed. In 11 patients the implant was through a subciliary approach and in 59 through an inferolateral cantholysis. The inferolateral cantholysis, a simplification of the McCord and Moses approach to the orbital floor, is particularly suited to this application. The implanted Silastic was retained in 66 patients, with an average follow up of 3.5 years (range less than 1 to 9.5 years), though six required surgery to debulk the anterior end of the implant. Further surgery was required in 27 patients, this generally being to correct the position of either the upper or the lower lid. Volume enhancement was effective in most cases, there being a significant reduction in the degree of recession of the prosthesis and the depth of the unsightly sunken sulci of the upper and lower lids. The mobility of the orbital contents, the prosthesis, and the upper lid was not improved.     

Response to a diet low in total fat in women with postmenopausal breast cancer: a pilot study

A feasibility study was instituted to determine if women with postmenopausal breast cancer would follow a low-fat diet (20% of kcal) for at least four months. Nineteen women, whose baseline food intake was 1,504 +/- 420 kcal with 56 +/- 16 g of fat, reported a decrease in fat intake to 21 +/- 6 g after two months of dietary intervention. Serum concentrations of cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and estradiol were significantly reduced by the fifth month on the diet. We conclude that self-selected patients can adhere to a low-fat diet, and that serum cholesterol may serve as an indicator of dietary compliance.