Intercorrelations between serum, salivary, and hair cortisol and child-reported estimates of stress in elementary school girls

To evaluate the impact of stress on children's well-being, it is important to have valid and reliable stress assessment methods. Nevertheless, selection of an appropriate method for a particular research question may not be straightforward, as there is currently no consensus on a reference method to measure stress in children. This article examined to what extent childhood stress can be estimated accurately by stressor questionnaires (i.e., Coddington life events scale) and biological markers (serum, salivary, and hair cortisol) using the Triads (a triangulation) method in 272 elementary school girls. Salivary cortisol was shown to most accurately indicate true childhood stress for short periods in the past (i.e., last 3 months), whereas hair cortisol may be preferred above salivary measurements for periods more distant and thus for chronic stress assessment. However, applicability should be confirmed in larger and more heterogeneous populations.     

Vancomycin dosing in patients on intermittent hemodialysis

Vancomycin has been a cornerstone antibiotic for the treatment of severe gram-positive infections in dialysis patients for decades. Whereas subtherapeutic vancomycin levels convey a risk of treatment failure and the further emergence of resistance in staphylococci, supratherapeutic vancomycin levels are associated with a dose-related incremental risk for nephrotoxicity and ototoxicity. Consequently, a narrow therapeutic range with a trough-level target between 15 and 20 μg/ml is recommended. Vancomycin dosing in hemodialysis patients is mainly influenced by the timing of administration (during or after dialysis), the type of filter used, and the duration of dialysis. Actual body weight, the interdialytic interval, and residual renal function are also considerations. As in patients with normal kidney function, a weight-based loading dose of 20-25 mg/kg should be used in dialysis patients. While most fixed-dose maintenance regimens fail to reach target levels in the majority of hemodialysis patients, straightforward evidence on optimal maintenance dosing is lacking.     

Cell uptake, cytoplasmic diffusion and nuclear access of a 6.5 nm diameter dendrimer

Macromolecular crowding and the presence of organelles in the cytosol present barriers to particle mobility, such that it is unclear how nano-carriers can deliver their active agents to the nucleus. In this work a sixth generation amino terminated polyamide polylysine dendrimer (Gly-Lys(63) (NH(2))(64)) (MW 8149, diameter 6.5 nm) which is fluorescent allowed the study of nuclear uptake and mobility in living lung carcinoma (SK/MES-1) and colon adenocarcinoma (Caco-2) cells. The dendrimer is found within 25-45 min of incubation inside the cell nuclei. Living cells were then used to develop a method for the dynamic nuclear uptake study using confocal microscopy. The dynamic uptake of the dendrimer demonstrated here allowed the apparent cytoplasmic diffusion coefficient (D) of the dendrimer to be calculated. Values were found in the range 5.99 x 10(-11)cm(2)s(-1) (SK/MES-1 cells) to 9.82 x 10(-11)cm(2)s(-1) (Caco-2 cells). The difference must reflect variation in the intracellular architecture of the cell types.     

Longitudinal observational studies to study the efficacy-effectiveness gap in drug therapy: application to mild and moderate dementia

If well-designed, longitudinal observational studies (LOSs) can provide insights to the linkages between real-world outcomes and their multilevel determinants. In this article, some of the scientific and methodologic issues related to LOSs in pharmacotherapeutic evaluations are discussed. A case of such a study in the treatment of mild to moderate dementia is provided-a case in which a pharmaceutic sponsor addressing a medical question (long-term effectiveness) realized that caring for patients who have Alzheimer's disease involves the clinical community of caregivers, physicians, families, nurses, psychologists, and pharmacists, among others, and partnered with nurse researchers to design their inquiry. The authors conclude by presenting an argument for nurses to take the lead in effectiveness research.     

Plant and animal protein intake and its association with overweight and obesity among the Belgian population

The objective of the present study was to assess animal and plant protein intakes in the Belgian population and to examine their relationship with overweight and obesity (OB). The subjects participated in the Belgian National Food Consumption Survey conducted in 2004. Food consumption was assessed by using two non-consecutive 24?h dietary recalls. About 3083 participants (?≥?15 years of age; 1546 males, 1537 females) provided completed dietary information. Animal protein intake (47?g/d) contributed more to total protein intakes of 72?g/d than plant protein intake, which accounted for 25?g/d. Meat and meat products were the main contributors to total animal protein intakes (53?%), whereas cereals and cereal products contributed most to plant protein intake (54?%). Males had higher animal and plant protein intakes than females (P?相似文献   

Synthesis and Characterization of Holmium-Doped Iron Oxide Nanoparticles

Rare earth atoms exhibit several interesting properties, for example, large magnetic moments and luminescence. Introducing these atoms into a different matrix can lead to a material that shows multiple interesting effects. Holmium atoms were incorporated into an iron oxide nanoparticle and the concentration of the dopant atom was changed in order to determine its influence on the host crystal. Its magnetic and magneto-optical properties were investigated by vibrating sample magnetometry and Faraday rotation measurements. The luminescent characteristics of the material, in solution and incorporated in a polymer thin film, were probed by fluorescence experiments.