Diabetes in New Zealand--better information needed.

AIMS: To review the availability and quality of data on the epidemiology of diabetes in New Zealand. METHODS: A search was undertaken for all Medline-indexed publications on diabetes in New Zealand. Hospitalisation and mortality data (ICD9 code 250) from the New Zealand Health Information Service (NZHIS) were examined. RESULTS: Information on diabetes in New Zealand has come from community surveys, national surveys, diabetes registers, hospitalisation data and mortality data. Much of this information has been valuable, but there is still inadequate national information on diabetes prevalence, incidence and time trends. CONCLUSION: Information technology provides an opportunity to couple the surveillance of diabetes with improved diabetes care. Medical practitioners need to support the development of their own practice-based registers/recall systems and to contribute to the development of district-based diabetes registers where these have a central focus on improving diabetes care.     

Cellular uptake and concentrations of tamoxifen upon administration in poly(ε-caprolactone) nanoparticles

Purpose: In an attempt to increase the local concentration of tamoxifen in estrogen receptor positive breast cancer cells, we have prepared and characterized poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) nanoparticle formulation. Methods: PCL (mol wt 14,800 daltons) nanoparticles were prepared by the solvent displacement method in acetonewater system in the presence of Pluronic F-68. PCL nanoparticles, labeled with rhodamine 123, were incubated with MCF-7 estrogen receptor positive breast cancer cells to determine uptake, intracellular distribution, and localization as a function of time. Intracellular drug concentrations over a specified period of time using different initial doses were examined using tritiated [³H]-tamoxifen. Results: A significant fraction of the administered rhodamine 123-loaded PCL nanoparticles was found in the perinuclear region of the MCF-7 cells, where estrogen receptors are also localized, after 1 hour of incubation. Measurements of the intracellular concentrations revealed that most of the administered nanoparticle dose was internalized within the first 30 minutes of incubation, and the uptake followed saturable transport kinetics. Conclusion: Results of this study show that PCL nanoparticles were rapidly internalized in MCF-7 cells and intracellular tamoxifen concentrations followed a saturable process. This approach may provide better therapeutic benefit by delivering the drug locally, near the tumor cells, for a longer period of time.     

Phase I/IIa study of cetuximab with gemcitabine plus carboplatin in patients with chemotherapy-naive advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE: This multicenter, open-label, phase I/IIa study was undertaken to establish the safety/toxicity profile of cetuximab in combination with gemcitabine and carboplatin in patients with chemotherapy-na?ve, epidermal growth factor receptor-positive, stage IV non-small-cell lung cancer. Secondary objectives were to gather preliminary evidence of efficacy including tumor response rate, time to progression, and overall survival. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-five patients received a total of 264 3-week cycles of treatment with cetuximab, carboplatin, and gemcitabine. An initial dose of cetuximab 400 mg/m2 intravenously was administered the first week, followed by weekly doses of 250 mg/m2. Carboplatin (area under the curve = 5, day 1) and gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8 were administered every 3 weeks. Patients were evaluated for tumor response after every two cycles of therapy. RESULTS: The most frequently reported adverse events related to cetuximab included an acne-like rash (88.6%), dry skin (34.3%), asthenia and skin disorders (31.4%), mucositis/stomatitis (25.7%), fever/chills (20%), and nausea/vomiting (17.1%). The majority of these toxicities were mild to moderate. One patient withdrew from the study because of a grade 3 allergic reaction. Myelosuppression was the most frequently observed toxicity related to chemotherapy. Responses among 35 assessable patients included 10 partial responses (28.6%). Twenty-one patients had stable disease. The median time to progression was 165 days, and the median overall survival was 310 days. CONCLUSION: The combination of cetuximab, carboplatin, and gemcitabine was well tolerated with an acceptable toxicity profile. Most grade 3 adverse events were attributable to chemotherapy. The response rate and median survival are encouraging and warrant additional investigation.     

Metabolism of retinoids and arachidonic acid by human and mouse cytochrome P450 1b1.

The cytochrome P450 family 1 (CYP1) is considered to be one of the xenobiotic-metabolizing enzyme families and is responsible for oxidative metabolism of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. For example, mouse Cyp1b1 was originally identified as the enzyme responsible for oxidative metabolism of 7,12-dimethylbenz(alpha)anthracene (DMBA). A comparison of the kinetics of this metabolism by mouse and human CYP1B1 orthologs revealed the mouse enzyme to have a more favorable metabolism of DMBA, with a catalytic efficiency ratio (CER) of 0.23. However, CYP1 enzymes are also capable of metabolism of endobiotics, and in the present study, the metabolism of retinoids and lipid endobiotics by human CYP1B1 and mouse Cyp1b1 orthologs was compared. Both hemoproteins oxidized retinol to retinal and retinal to retinoate, but did not oxidize retinoate. The CYP1B1 to Cyp1b1 CERs were 13 and 26 for the two steps, respectively; the Cyp1b1 K(m(app)) values for retinoids were 20-fold higher. Human family 1 cytochromes P450 had unique regional specificities for arachidonate oxidation: the major metabolites of CYP1A1, CYP1A2, and CYP1B1 were 75% terminal hydroxyeicosatetraenoic fatty acids (HETEs), 52% epoxyeicosatrienoic fatty acids (EETs), and 54% mid-chain HETEs, respectively. CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 K(m(app)) values for arachidonate were about 30 microM, whereas CYP1A2 K(m(app)) was 95 microM. The major metabolites of arachidonic acid by Cyp1b1 were EETs (50%) and midchain HETEs (37%). The mouse ortholog had a CER for metabolite production of 64 due to a K(m(app)) of 0.5 mM for arachidonate.     

Systematic review of the application of virtual reality to improve balance,gait and motor function in patients with Parkinson’s disease

Background:Virtual reality (VR) is an advanced technique used in physical rehabilitation of neurological disorders, however the effects of VR on balance, gait, and motor function in people with Parkinson’s (PD) are still debated. Therefore, the systematic review aimed to determine the role of VR on motor function, balance and gait in PD patients.Methods:A comprehensive search to identify similar randomised controlled trials was conducted targeting 5 databases including Web of Science, PubMed, CINHAL, Cochrane Library, and Physiotherapy Evidence Database. A total of 25 studies were found eligible for this systematic review, and the methodological assessment of the quality rating of the studies was accomplished using the physiotherapy evidence database scale by 2 authors.Results:Out of the 25 included studies, 14 studies reported on balance as the primary outcome, 9 studies were conducted to assess motor function, and 12 assessed gait as the primary outcome. Most studies used the Unified Parkinson disease rating scale UPDRS (part-III) for evaluating motor function and the Berg Balance Scale as primary outcome measure for assessing balance. A total of 24 trials were conducted in clinical settings, and only 1 study was home-based VR trainings. Out of 9 studies on motor function, 6 reported equal improvement of motor function as compared to other groups. In addition, VR groups also revealed superior results in improving static balance among patient with PD.Conclusion:This systemic review found that the use of VR resulted in substantial improvements in balance, gait, and motor skills in patients with PD when compared to traditional physical therapy exercises or in combination with treatments other than physical therapy. Moreover, VR can be used as a supportive method for physical rehabilitation in patients of PD. However, the majority of published studies were of fair and good quality, suggesting a demand for high quality research in this area.     

Mentha: A genus rich in vital nutra‐pharmaceuticals—A review

The genus Mentha comprises several aromatic species, which are cultivated world‐over due to their distinct aroma and commercial value. In addition to traditional food flavoring uses, Mentha are well recognized for their folk medicinal uses, especially to treat cold, fever, and digestive and cardiovascular disorders. A number of biological activities such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, biopesticidal, antitumor, anticancer, antiviral, antiallergic, antiinflammatory, antihypertensive, and urease inhibitory activity have been ascribed to Mentha. The traditional pharmacological attributes of Mentha herbs can be linked to the occurrence of bioactive phytochemicals such as terpenoids, alcohols, rosmarinic acid, and antioxidant phenolics among others. A rich source of bioactives, different species of Mentha, can be explored as a promising candidate for the development of nutra‐pharmaceuticals. This review covers the nutritional, phytochemical, and traditional medicinal aspects and multiple biological activities of some commonly available species of Mentha so as to explore their potential applications for nutra‐pharmaceutical and cosmo‐nutraceutical industry. Detailed chemical profile and pharmaceutical attributes of various Mentha essential oils are also covered. Moreover, based on computational analysis, quantitative chemical component–antioxidant activity relationship model is reviewed to predict and correlate structure–activity relationship of potential bioactives in selected Mentha essential oils leading to discovery and developmenmt of novel natural drugs.     

Unusual perineal pain in postpartum period: contribution of perineal ultrasound

We report two cases of persistent [correction of persistant] perineal pain in postpartum period due to transfixation of the anus with a suture and the contribution of perineal ultrasound in the diagnosis of unusual perineal pain.     

Fabrication of a graphene-based sensor to detect the humidity and the temperature of a metal body with imprecise data analysis

Graphene is a 2D material with remarkable properties. The present study demonstrates the fabrication of a graphene-based sensor for measuring the temperature and humidity of a metal body. The graphene sensor was fabricated by depositing a thin film of graphene nanoparticles between silver electrodes (separated by ∼50 μm) on a glass substrate. The graphene thin film was characterized by XRD, Raman spectroscopy and UV-vis techniques. The capacitance and resistance for both the relative humidity (in the range of 0–100% RH) and temperature (in the range of 230–310 K) were measured using an LCR meter at 1 kHz in a controlled chamber. The graphene-based sensor expressed high sensitivity with fast response and recovery times for both humidity and temperature with long stability and low hysteresis curves. The sensor was also tested on a metal body, which expressed a good response time. Moreover, the measured data of capacitance and resistance was analyzed with classical and neutrosophic analysis as an application of modern material statistics. It was observed that neutrosophic analysis is more flexible for analyzing the capacitance and resistance of the fabricated sensor.

Graphene is a 2D material with remarkable properties.