Children's use of motor vehicle restraints: maternal psychological distress, maternal motor vehicle restraint practices, and sociodemographics.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relative contribution of maternal psychological distress, maternal restraint use, and sociodemographic characteristics to the likelihood that a child would not be restrained in a motor vehicle. METHODS: We examined data on 6251 children aged 0-17 years from the 1998 National Health Interview Survey. The level of children's motor vehicle restraint use (low vs high) was examined by maternal psychological distress and motor vehicle restraint use. Multivariate regression analyses were used to model the odds of children's low use of motor vehicle restraints, controlling for potential confounders. RESULTS: According to maternal reports, more than 10% of children and nearly 13% of mothers reported low use of motor vehicle restraints. Multivariate analyses revealed that maternal use of restraints and psychological distress were both independently related to children's use of restraints, with maternal low use as the stronger correlate. Older children were more likely than younger children to be low users of motor vehicle restraints if the mother reported that she was a low user of restraints. Families with male children, black and Hispanic mothers, and 4 or more members reported lower use of restraints for their children. CONCLUSIONS: Children's low use of motor vehicle restraints was associated with low levels of maternal motor vehicle restraint use and maternal psychological distress. Moreover, maternal motor vehicle restraint practices become increasingly important as children age. Health care providers should consider maternal motor vehicle restraint use, maternal psychological distress, and child age in addition to sociodemographics when assessing children's motor vehicle safety.     

What do pediatric primary care providers think are important research questions? A perspective from PROS providers.

OBJECTIVE: To describe what pediatric primary care providers involved in the Pediatric Research in Office Settings (PROS) research network think are important yet inadequately addressed questions in pediatric primary care research. METHODS: A total of 1785 pediatric primary care providers in the PROS network were asked what they thought were important yet inadequately addressed areas of primary care research. We used a single, open-ended question in a mail survey. Written answers to this question were analyzed by qualitative methods to determine the main themes of interest to pediatric primary care providers. RESULTS: Overall survey response rate was 48.7%; the open-ended question yielded 1109 individual answers. Six lines of inquiry were identified as being important to these providers: (1) effective counseling techniques to use in anticipatory guidance; (2) strategies to prevent and treat obesity; (3) the effectiveness of well-child care; (4) ongoing management of patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; (5) the role of the primary care provider in caring for children with mental health needs; and (6) optimal organization of office practices. CONCLUSIONS: The translation of research into practice may be improved by a better understanding of the needs and interests of those who see pediatric patients in the primary care setting.     

Behavioral deficits in APP(V717F) transgenic mice deficient for the apolipoprotein E gene

Both the beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP) and the apoliprotein E (apoE) genes are involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We previously showed that mice over-expressing a human mutated form of APP (APP(V717F)) display age-dependent recognition memory deficits associated with the progression of amyloid deposition. Here, we asked whether 10- to 12-month-old APP(V717F) mice lacking the apoE gene, which do not present obvious amyloid deposition, differ from APP(V717F) mice in the object recognition task. The recognition performance is decreased in both transgenic mouse groups compared to control groups. Moreover, some behavioral disturbances displayed by APP mice lacking apoE are even more pronounced than those of APP mice expressing apoE. Our results suggest that the recognition memory deficits are related to high levels of soluble Abeta rather than to amyloid deposits.     

Co-administration of THC and MDMA ('ecstasy') synergistically disrupts memory in rats.

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, 'Ecstasy') and cannabis are two of the most commonly used illicit drugs in the western world, and are often used in combination. Very little research has examined their effect on cognitive function or behavior when combined, The present study used a double Y-maze task to examine the acute effect of MDMA and delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the principal psychoactive ingredient of cannabis) on mnemonic function in rats, at a range of doses representative of common human use. Experiment I (low doses) examined the effect of 0.25 mg/kg THC and 1.25 mg/kg MDMA alone and together. At these doses MDMA or THC given alone had no effect on working memory, but the co-administered drugs significantly disrupted working memory. Experiment 2 (medium doses) examined the effect of 0.5 mg/kg THC and 2.5 mg/kg MDMA given alone or together. At these doses THC, but not MDMA, impaired working memory. Although MDMA alone had no effect, it exacerbated the impairment due to THC when the drugs were co-administered. Experiment 3 (high doses) examined the effects of 1 mg/kg THC and 5 mg/kg MDMA alone and together. Both drugs significantly impaired memory when given alone, although the impairment due to MDMA was less than that caused by THC. When co-administered at these doses, the drugs caused a major disruption of behavior and this precluded ascribing a mnemonic cause to poor performance on the double Y-maze task Taken together, these experiments demonstrate a synergistic disruption of working memory by acute co-administration of THC and MDMA.     

Propylene oxide in blood and soluble nonprotein thiols in nasal mucosa and other tissues of male Fischer 344/N rats exposed to propylene oxide vapors--relevance of glutathione depletion for propylene oxide-induced rat nasal tumors.

High concentrations of propylene oxide (PO) induced inflammation in the respiratory nasal mucosa (RNM) of rodents. Concentrations > or =300 ppm caused nasal tumors. In order to investigate if glutathione depletion could be relevant for these effects, we determined in PO exposed male Fischer 344/N rats PO in blood and soluble nonprotein SH-groups (NPSH) in RNM and other tissues. Rats were exposed once (6 h) to PO concentrations between 0 and 750 ppm, and repeatedly for up to 20 days (6 h, 5 days/week) to concentrations between 0 and 500 ppm. At the end of the exposures, PO in blood and NPSH in tissues were determined. PO in blood was dependent on concentration and duration of exposure. After the 1-day exposures, NPSH depletion was most distinctive (RNM > liver > lung). Compared to controls, NPSH levels were 43% at 50 ppm PO in RNM and 16% at > or =300 ppm in both RNM and liver. Lung NPSH fell linearly to 20% at 750 ppm. After repeated exposures over 3 and 20 days to 5, 25, 50, 300, and 500 ppm, NPSH losses were less pronounced. At both time points, NPSH were 90%, 70%, 50%, 30%, and 30% of the control values in RNM. Liver NPSH decreased to 80% and 50% at 300 and 500 ppm, respectively. After 20 days, lung NPSH declined to 70% (300 ppm) and 50% (500 ppm). We conclude that continuous, severe perturbation of GSH in RNM following repeated high PO exposures may lead to inflammatory lesions and cell proliferation, critical steps on the path towards tumorigenicity.