Influence on fetal growth of exposure to tobacco smoke during pregnancy

We analysed the effect of exposure to tobacco smoke during pregnancy on fetal growth parameters in 129 term newborns. Children were classified into four depending on exposure on the basis of a questionnaire completed by the mother. The results confirmed that tobacco smoking reduced weight, length, cranial and thoracic perimeters at birth when exposure was due to either active or passive smoking. Weight deficits of infants whose mothers smoked heavily (458 g) were higher than those whose mothers were exposed to passive smoking (192 g). We conclude that passive smoking is a very important variable and should be taken into account in any study of neonatal growth parameters.     

Peripheral multineuritis pointing at systemic sarcoidosis

We report a patient with a peripheral neuropathy as the first symptom of sarcoidosis. The systemic illness was proved by the presence of typic granulomes in the bone marrow. The fact that sarcoidosis is the cause for the neuropathy is supported by the temporary relation and by the good response of all clinical picture to the corticosteroid therapy.Sarcoid neuropathy can rarely be the presenting feature of sarcoidosis.     

Does the evidence about health risks associated with nitrate ingestion warrant an increase of the nitrate standard for drinking water?

Several authors have suggested that it is safe to raise the health standard for nitrate in drinking water, and save money on measures associated with nitrate pollution of drinking water resources. The major argument has been that the epidemiologic evidence for acute and chronic health effects related to drinking water nitrate at concentrations near the health standard is inconclusive. With respect to the chronic effects, the argument was motivated by the absence of evidence for adverse health effects related to ingestion of nitrate from dietary sources. An interdisciplinary discussion of these arguments led to three important observations. First, there have been only a few well-designed epidemiologic studies that evaluated ingestion of nitrate in drinking water and risk of specific cancers or adverse reproductive outcomes among potentially susceptible subgroups likely to have elevated endogenous nitrosation. Positive associations have been observed for some but not all health outcomes evaluated. Second, the epidemiologic studies of cancer do not support an association between ingestion of dietary nitrate (vegetables) and an increased risk of cancer, because intake of dietary nitrate is associated with intake of antioxidants and other beneficial phytochemicals. Third, 2–3 % of the population in Western Europe and the US could be exposed to nitrate levels in drinking water exceeding the WHO standard of 50 mg/l nitrate, particularly those living in rural areas. The health losses due to this exposure cannot be estimated. Therefore, we conclude that it is not possible to weigh the costs and benefits from changing the nitrate standard for drinking water and groundwater resources by considering the potential consequences for human health and by considering the potential savings due to reduced costs for nitrate removal and prevention of nitrate pollution.     

Motor performance and functional ability in preschool- and early school-aged children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: a cross-sectional study

Objective  

To describe the level of motor performance and functional skills in young children with JIA.     

Why did soft drink consumption decrease but screen time not? Mediating mechanisms in a school-based obesity prevention program

Objectives  

This paper aims to identify the mediating mechanisms of a school-based obesity prevention program (DOiT).     

An evaluation of alcohol attendances to an inner city emergency department before and after the introduction of the UK Licensing Act 2003

Background  

The Licensing Act 2003 (The Act) was implemented on the 24th November 2005 across England and Wales. The Act allowed more flexible and longer opening hours for licensed premises. We investigated the effect of The Act on alcohol related attendances to an inner city emergency department in Birmingham, UK.     

Transepithelial paracellular leakiness induced by chronic phorbol ester exposure correlates with polyp-like foci and redistribution of protein kinase C-alpha

Although exposure of LLC-PK1 epithelial cell sheets to phorbol esters (TPA) causes a near immediate and total decrease of transepithelial electrical resistance (TER), continuation of exposure for 3 to 4 days results in a tachyphylactic response as TER begins to return to control levels. Recovery of TER is maximal by 5 to 6 days, but reaches only 70 to 80% of control level. A reciprocal change in the transepithelial flux of D-mannitol indicates that the TER decrease is indicative of an increase in tight junction permeability. Exposure of cell sheets to TPA for several days also results in the appearance of multilayered polyp- like foci (PLFs) across the otherwise one cell layer thick cell sheets. The pattern of penetration of the electron dense dye, ruthenium red, from the apical surface, across the tight junction and into the lateral intercellular space indicates that the tight junctions of the cell sheet become uniformly leaky after acute exposure to TPA. However, when exposure is continued for several days, only the junctions of cells in the PLFs manifest leakiness. The decrease in TER following acute TPA exposure correlates with the translocation of protein kinase C-alpha (PKC alpha) into a membrane-associated compartment. With exposure of several days, only a trace of PKC alpha is visible by Western immunoblot, and this is in the membrane-associated compartment. Immunofluorescent microscopy indicates that the trace of PKC alpha seen in the Western immunoblots is ascribable distinctly to cells of the PLFs. Monolayer areas between PLFs show no discernible immunofluorescent signal. The data therefore indicate that tight junction barrier function may be restored in certain areas by the down regulation of PKC alpha from the membrane-associated compartment. Failure to down regulate may result in the paracellular leakiness and abnormal cell architecture of the PLFs. Possible implications of this model for in vivo epithelial tumor promotion are discussed.