Compliance with oral theophylline therapy in asthmatic children

Serum theophylline levels were obtained from 111 children on continuous theophylline therapy when seen in the emergency department for acute episodes of wheezing. Sixty-six percent of patients were at least partially compliant and only 34% were noncompliant in medication taking on the basis of a serum theophylline level of less than 5 micrograms/mL. The main factors associated with compliance were type of primary care source, whether the patient had difficulty keeping appointments, and the relationship of the caretaker to the patient.     

Incidence of and risk factors for lipoatrophy (abnormal fat loss) in ambulatory HIV-1-infected patients

To identify clinical factors associated with the incidence of HIV-1-associated lipoatrophy, HIV-1-infected patients in the HIV Outpatient Study (HOPS) were prospectively evaluated for clinical signs of lipoatrophy at two visits about 21 months apart. Development of lipoatrophy was analyzed in stratified and multivariate analyses for its relationship to immunologic, virologic, clinical, and drug treatment information for each patient. Of 337 patients with no lipoatrophy at Survey 1, 44 (13.1%) developed moderate or severe lipoatrophy between the two surveys. In multivariate analyses, significant risk factors for incident lipoatrophy were white race (OR = 5.2; 95% CI: 1.9-17.1; =.003), CD4 T-lymphocyte count at Survey 2 less than 100 cells/mm3 (OR = 4.2; 95% CI: 1.3-13.1; =.013), and body mass index (BMI) less than 24 kg/m2 (OR = 2.4; 95% CI: 1.1-5.4; =.024). Analyses that controlled for the severity of HIV illness demonstrated no significant association with use of or time on any antiretroviral agent or class of agents and the development of lipoatrophy. Some host factors and factors associated with previous or current severity of HIV infection, especially CD4 T-lymphocyte cell count, appeared to have the strongest association with incidence of lipoatrophy.     

Eyeblinking During Problem Solving: The Effect of Problem Difficulty and Internally vs Externally Directed Attention

This study examined the eyeblink rate during non-visual problem solving. A 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design compared eyeblink rates for easy and difficult problems, internally and externally directed attention, and numerical and alphabetical tasks. The major finding was a higher eyeblink rate for difficult problems. There was also a significant interaction between difficulty and the direction of attention; internally directed attention yielded higher blink rates only during the solution of easy problems. Range-corrected data yielded the same pattern of results, but F-values were consistently higher and accounted for a larger proportion of the variance.     

Symptomatic unilateral pleural effusion as a presentation of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome

Isolated acute unilateral pleural effusion has twice been reported as the only symptom of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (Kingsland et al, 1989; Jewelewicz and Vande Wiele, 1975). The pathogenesis of this disorder is not fully understood and the presence of an isolated pleural effusion lends support to the role of systemic factors rather than purely the transudation of fluid from grossly enlarged ovaries in the progression of this disease. This article describes a second case of an isolated pleural effusion following in-vitro fertilization and embryo transfer.      

Assessment of bioequivalence after subcutaneous and intramuscular administration of urinary gonadotrophins

The objective was to demonstrate bioequivalence between s.c. and i.m. administration of Humegon (FSH/LH ratio 1:1) and Normegon (FSH/LH ratio 3:1). In two randomized, single-centre, cross-over studies, 18 healthy volunteers on each formulation were assigned to one of the two administration sequences. Subjects were given single doses of one of the above gonadotrophins after endogenous gonadotrophin production had first been suppressed using high-dose oral contraceptive. Subsequently, rate (Cmax, tmax) and extent (AUC) of absorption of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) were determined for 14 days. For Cmax and AUC, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed on log-transformed data and for tmax ANOVA was performed on ranks. Intramuscular and s.c. injections of Humegon were bioequivalent with respect to the main pharmacokinetic parameters, being AUC and Cmax of FSH absorption. Intramuscular and s.c. injections of Normegon were bioequivalent with respect to the AUC of FSH and not bioequivalent with respect to the Cmax of FSH. For tmax of FSH as well as for most LH variables of both preparations, bioequivalence could not be proven due to the high intra- and interindividual variability and/or concentrations being close to the detection limit. Thus, the main pharmacokinetic FSH variables after i.m. and s.c. administration of Humegon and Normegon were bioequivalent.      

Alexithymia in young adulthood: a risk factor for pathological gambling

BACKGROUND: Pathological gambling is more prevalent among postsecondary students than among the general adult population. While the prevalence of pathological gambling in this group has risen over the past decade, factors underlying the development of problem gambling among university students remain largely unexplored. One early study found alexithymia to be associated with pathological gambling. The aim of the present study was to further examine the relationship between alexithymia and gambling among postsecondary students. METHODS: The relationship between alexithymia and pathological gambling was examined in 562 postsecondary students who completed the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) and the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). RESULTS: Approximately 12% of the sample was classified as alexithymic according to the TAS-20. These individuals were found to have significantly more gambling problems, as measured by the SOGS, than nonalexithymic individuals. Approximately 9% of the sample was classified as pathological gamblers according to the SOGS. These individuals were found to have significantly higher levels of alexithymia, as measured by the TAS-20, than nonproblem gamblers. CONCLUSIONS: Alexithymia is associated with pathological gambling and may be a risk factor among postsecondary students for developing severe gambling problems.     

The efficacy of montelukast in the treatment of cat allergen-induced asthma in children

BACKGROUND: Montelukast is a leukotriene antagonist approved for the treatment of childhood asthma in children age 2 years and older. There are limited studies on its effects on allergic asthma in children. OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate montelukast's effects on upper and lower airway responses to intense cat allergen exposure. METHODS: In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial 18 subjects aged 6 to 14 years with cat-induced asthma were randomly assigned to receive 1 week each of either montelukast or placebo, followed by a 1-hour cat challenge in an environmental exposure unit. Upper and lower respiratory tract symptoms were rated, and spirometry and acoustic rhinometry were performed. Challenges were stopped early if the subject became too uncomfortable or had a greater than 50% decrease in FEV1. RESULTS: Overall changes in FEV1 were significantly different with montelukast treatment and remained significant after adjusting for allergen level (P =.02; adjusted P =.01). Lower respiratory tract symptom scores were significantly reduced with montelukast versus placebo (P =.007) but lost significance after adjusting for allergen level (P =.16). Challenge length was significantly longer with montelukast versus placebo (P <.001) and remained significant after adjusting for allergen level (P =.019). Montelukast did not significantly affect upper respiratory responses, as measured by means of symptom scores (P =.43) and changes in acoustic rhinometry (P =.078). CONCLUSIONS: Montelukast was significantly more effective than placebo in attenuating lower respiratory responses and extending challenge length when cat-sensitive children with mild persistent asthma were exposed to high levels of cat allergen.     

Interactive effects of 1-octen-3-ol and carbon dioxide on mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) surveillance and control

Responses of natural populations of biting Diptera were studied at Everglades National Park, Fla., to three levels (0, 3.0, and 41.1 mg/h) of 1-octen-3-ol (octenol), four levels (0, 20, 200, and 2,000 ml/min) of carbon dioxide (CO2), and their combinations. Catches of mosquitoes (Aedes taeniorhynchus (Wiedemann), Culex [Melanoconion]) spp., Cx. nigripalpus Theobald, and Wyeomyia spp.) and one tabanid (Diachlorus ferrugatus (F.)) were affected significantly by CO2 and octenol. Significantly greater numbers of all taxa were collected as the level of CO2 was increased. The 3.0-mg/h release rate of octenol alone resulted in increased trap catches relative to no bait for all taxa except Cx. (Melanoconion) spp., whereas the 41.1-mg/h release rate alone generally reduced trap catches relative to either no bait or 3.0 mg/h octenol. The effect of CO2 and octenol was additive for Cx. (Melanoconion) spp. and D. ferrugatus and synergistic for Ae. taeniorhynchus. Six octenol-supplemented CO2 treatments produced mixed results for Cx. nigripalpus.