Effect of black tea intake on the excretion of mutagens in the urine of volunteers taking a beef meal.

The objective of this study was to investigate in a crossover study conducted in human volunteers whether black tea intake modulates the metabolism of heterocyclic amines, consumed in the form of well-cooked beefburgers, as exemplified by the excretion of mutagens in the urine. Mutagens were extracted from urine with blue rayon, and mutagenic activity was determined in the Ames test, in the presence of an activation system derived from Aroclor 1254-induced rats, and employing the Salmonella typhimurium O-acetylase over-expressing YG1024 bacterial strain. Volunteers consumed three well-cooked beefburgers, whereas a concurrently cooked fourth burger was analyzed for mutagenic activity. Following intake of the burgers, an increase in urinary mutagenic activity was observed, and mutagenic activity was completely excreted within 24 hours. A good correlation was obtained between the intake and excretion of mutagenic activity. The volunteers consumed the same burger meal on two different occasions, once following intake of 10 cups of strong black tea, and the second following intake of a corresponding volume of water. Urine was collected by each volunteer for 24 hours after the meal, and compliance was ascertained utilizing the excretion of p-aminobenzoic acid. The mutagenic ratio, defined as the ratio of urinary mutagenicity over the intake of mutagenicity, was not altered by the black tea, being 0.142 and 0.135 during the water and tea intake, respectively. It is inferred that short-term intake of high levels of black tea, as part of an otherwise normal diet, does not modulate the human metabolism of heterocyclic amines.     

Quality of Life, Gender and Schizophrenia: A Cross-National Survey in Canada, Cuba, and U.S.A.

Although gender differences in schizophrenicsymptom expression have been widely established, nosystematic studies have documented if these differencesextend to the perception of quality of life. This survey gathered international data on theperception of quality of life among 102 outpatient menand women with schizophrenia from Canada, Cuba, and theUnited States. Using portions of Lehman's Quality of Life Interview, quality of life was assessedon the domains of social relationships, health, livingsituation, leisure, finances and general quality oflife. Gender differences were tested with ANOVA where site was treated as a nested variable andseparate t-tests comparing men and women within eachcountry. Although no differences were found for thecombined sample, differences were observed between men and women in Canada and Cuba on the socialrelationship domain. In Canada, women with schizophreniareported a higher quality of life for socialrelationships. In contrast, Cuban men with schizophrenia reported higher quality of life for socialrelationships than Cuban women. Findings from the threesites show no differences for the other domains. Withthe possible exception of social relationships, these findings suggest no discernable differences inthe perception of quality of life for men and women withschizophrenia. Overall, men and women with schizophreniawere only somewhat satisfied with some aspects oflife.     

Effect of dietary bulk on organ mass, fasting heat production and metabolism of the small and large intestines in sheep

Groups of 10 lambs were fed either a control diet or a diet consisting of 10% polyethylene at isoenergetic levels for 30 d to study the effect of dietary bulk on visceral organ mass and metabolism of mucosa from the jejunum and proximal colon. Fasting heat production was measured using an additional six lambs. Weights of the large intestine, stomach complex and lungs were greater in lambs fed the polyethylene diet than control lambs. Liver and small intestine weights were not affected by diet. Oxygen consumption rates of jejunal mucosa were not affected by diet while a trend existed for oxygen consumption rates of mucosa from the proximal colon to be increased due to feeding polyethylene. Na+,K+ ATPase activity of mucosa from both jejunum and colon was increased due to feeding polyethylene. Fasting heat production, oxygen consumption or carbon dioxide production did not differ with diet. Dietary bulk affects growth and metabolism of visceral organs but metabolic modifications appear different among tissues.     

A centralised public information resource for randomised trials: a scoping study to explore desirability and feasibility

Background  

There are currently several concerns about the ways in which people are recruited to participate in randomised controlled trials, the low acceptance rates among people invited to participate, and the experiences of trial participants. An information resource about on-going clinical trials designed for potential and current participants could help overcome some of these problems.     

The Oxford hip score: the patient's perspective

Background  

In the last 25 years, assessment of orthopaedic intervention has become patient focused, with the development of self-completion patient-centred outcome measures. The Oxford hip score (OHS) is a joint specific outcome measure tool designed to assess disability in patients undergoing total hip replacement (THR). Although the psychometric properties of the OHS have been rigorously examined, there is little research on the patient's perspective of the OHS. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess whether the OHS is an adequate disability measure from the patient's perspective using qualitative analysis of annotations written on the OHS by patients.     

Abnormal pulmonary function in adults with sickle cell anemia

RATIONALE: Pulmonary complications of sickle cell anemia (Hb-SS) commonly cause morbidity, yet few large studies of pulmonary function tests (PFTs) in this population have been reported. Objectives: PFTs (spirometry, lung volumes, and diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide [DLCO]) from 310 adults with Hb-SS were analyzed to determine the pattern of pulmonary dysfunction and their association with other systemic complications of sickle cell disease. METHODS: Raw PFT data were compared with predicted values. Each subject was subclassified into one of five groups: obstructive physiology, restrictive physiology, mixed obstructive/restrictive physiology, isolated low DLCO, or normal. The association between laboratory data of patients with decreased DLCO or restrictive physiology and those of normal subjects was assessed by multivariate linear regression. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Normal PFTs were present in only 31 of 310 (10%) patients. Overall, adults with Hb-SS were characterized by decreased total lung capacities (70.2 +/- 14.7% predicted) and DLCO (64.5 +/- 19.9%). The most common PFT patterns were restrictive physiology (74%) and isolated low DLCO (13%). Decreased DLCO was associated with thrombocytosis (p = 0.05), with hepatic dysfunction (elevated alanine aminotransferase; p = 0.07), and a trend toward renal dysfunction (elevated blood urea nitrogen and creatinine; p = 0.05 and 0.07, respectively). Conclusions: Pulmonary function is abnormal in 90% of adult patients with Hb-SS. Common abnormalities include restrictive physiology and decreased DLCO. Decreased DLCO may indicate more severe sickle vasculopathy characterized by impaired hepatic and renal function.