Glucose attenuation of atropine-induced deficits in paradoxical sleep and memory

When administered systemically, glucose attenuates deficits in memory produced by several classes of drugs, including cholinergic antagonists and opiate agonists. Glucose also enhances memory in aged rats, mice, and humans. In addition, glucose ameliorates age-related reductions in paradoxical sleep. Because deficits in paradoxical sleep are most marked in those individual aged rats that also have deficits in memory, treatments which improve one of these functions may similarly improve the other. The present experiments show that glucose attenuates deficits in paradoxical sleep and memory after atropine administration, with similar dose-response curves for both actions. In the first experiment, rats received saline, atropine (1 mg/kg), glucose (100 mg/kg) or combinations of atropine + glucose (10, 100, 250, and 500 mg/kg) 30 min before assessment on a spontaneous alternation task. In the second experiment, 3-h EEGs were assessed for spontaneous daytime sleep in rats administered saline, atropine (1 mg/kg), glucose (100 mg/kg) or combinations of atropine + glucose (10, 100 and 250 mg/kg). In both experiments, glucose significantly attenuated deficits at an optimal dose of 100 mg/kg. A third experiment assessed blood glucose levels after injections of atropine + glucose (100 mg/kg) and determined that blood glucose levels were similar to those produced by other treatments which enhance memory. These results are consistent with the view that paradoxical sleep and at least one test of memory are similarly influenced by atropine and glucose.     

Methodological considerations in the study of parental occupational exposures and congenital malformations in offspring

The existence of hazardous substances in the workplace has raised concerns about the potential of these substances for adverse reproductive effects. Identification of associations between parental occupational exposures and congenital malformations in the offspring may provide the opportunity for preventing such exposures and thus reduce the risk of malformations. However, there are many methodological considerations inherent in studying the potential relation between parental occupational exposures and congenital malformations in the offspring. Considerations relating to outcome include methods and timing of ascertaining cases with malformations, diagnostic criteria, and problems in grouping malformations for purposes of analysis. With regard to measuring exposures, issues include methods for obtaining valid estimates of the nature, duration, timing of exposure, and exposure-response relationship. Other methodological issues discussed include selection of appropriate reference groups, sample size, and multiple hypothesis testing.     

Comparison between the prevalence and treatment of wheezing and coughing in Brampton and Mississauga children

An analysis of hospital discharge data showed that Brampton children 4 years and under had higher rates of hospital admissions for asthma, bronchitis and upper respiratory infections than children in the same age group living in Mississauga and other Ontario municipalities. The present study was done to compare the prevalence and treatment of wheezing and coughing between Brampton and Mississauga children 4 and 5 years of age. The study showed that increased use of pediatricians on the part of Mississauga children in comparison to Brampton children resulted in a higher proportion being placed on anti-asthmatic medications even though the underlying prevalence rate of wheezing and coughing was the same in the two samples. Further study is required to determine whether differences in primary care between the two samples can explain a two-fold increase in hospital admission rates for lower respiratory illness among Brampton preschool children in comparison to their counterparts in Mississauga.     

Perthes disease: a survey of management amongst members of the British Society for Children’s Orthopaedic Surgery (BSCOS)

The treatment of Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease remains controversial. The aim of this survey was to ascertain the current management strategies of this condition amongst UK paediatric orthopaedic surgeons, with particular regard to containment procedures in the fragmentation phase. Questionnaires were distributed at the January 2006 meeting of the British Society for Children’s Orthopaedic Surgery (BSCOS) and was posted to all absent members. The results showed a great deal of variability not only in the treatment of Perthes disease, but also in the decision-making processes. Consideration must now be given to a carefully constructed national multi-centre prospective randomised controlled study into the optimum management of this disease     

Limb asymmetries in landing and jumping 2 years following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

OBJECTIVE: Female athletes who are at increased risk for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury demonstrate biomechanical differences between limbs during athletic tasks that may persist following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). This may limit an athlete's potential for safe return to sports competition. The purpose of this study was to determine if female athletes demonstrate lower limb asymmetries in landing and takeoff force following ACLR and clearance for return to competitive sports participation. We hypothesized that females following ACLR would demonstrate side-to-side differences in landing and jumping kinetics after their return to sport (2+ years) that would not be observed in a group of healthy female controls. DESIGN: Case control study. SETTING: The Sports Medicine Biodynamics Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. PATIENTS: Fourteen female athletes at a mean of 27 months following ACLR and 18 healthy female athletes participated in the study. ASSESSMENT: All subjects executed a drop vertical jump (DVJ) task onto 2 force plates. Vertical ground reaction force (VGRF) was measured during landing and takeoff and was used to calculate landing phase loading rates. A 2-way analysis of variance was used to determine differences between the involved, uninvolved, and control limbs. RESULTS: Females who had undergone ACLR demonstrated increased VGRF (P = 0.001) and loading rate (P < 0.001) on the uninvolved limb during landing when compared with the involved limb and the control group. During takeoff, the involved limb showed significantly less ability to generate force (P = 0.03) than the uninvolved limb and the control limbs. CONCLUSIONS: Female athletes who have undergone ACLR and returned to sport may continue to demonstrate biomechanical limb asymmetries 2 years or more after reconstruction that can be identified during landing.