Indium-111 labeled platelet deposition following transfemoral angiography

The incidence of thromboembolitic events in patients undergoing transfemoral angiography was examined using indium-111 labeled platelets. Twenty-seven patients received approximately 300 muCi of autologous labeled platelets at least 3 hours before angiography and were scanned with a gamma camera immediately before and after angiography. All patients were free of clinically obvious complications in the 1-2 day period after angiography. Our results showed evidence of platelet deposition at 21 sites other than the puncture site in 12 (44%) patients. Most platelet deposition (54%) occurred along the region between the puncture site and the aortic bifurcation; 24% occurred at sites not traversed by the catheter. At the puncture site itself, there was substantial platelet uptake in 44% of patients. This study indicates the need for further work in determining the most suitable catheter material and in assessing the efficacy of other measures such as anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy.     

School- and home-based drug prevention: Environmental, parent, and child risk reduction

The study purpose was to test the effect of a school- and home-based alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) prevention program on reducing environmental, parent, and child risk factors for ATOD use. The design was a three-group pretest-posttest with interviews at baseline and 1 and 6 months post-intervention. The sample was 126 parents and their 5- to 6-year-old children from three elementary schools serving high-risk children. The quality of the home environment, parents' depressive symptoms and school activity involvement, and parents' perception of child adjustment were measured. A school- and home-based version of Beginning Alcohol and Addictions Basic Education Studies (BABES) with a parent-child interaction component (BABES Plus) was compared to a classroom-only version of BABES (BABES Only) and a no-treatment control group. The quality of the home environment improved and depressive symptoms decreased over the post-intervention period for the BABES Plus group, but not for the other two groups. The BABES Only group had greater parent involvement in school activities at 6 months post-intervention, compared to the other groups. Children's anxiety/withdrawal decreased and social competence increased over time for all groups. The effect of the BABES Plus intervention was demonstrated at 6 months for environmental and parental risk factors.     

Long-term use of antecubital veins for plasma exchange. The Canadian Cooperative Multiple Sclerosis Study Group

True or sham plasma exchange was done weekly for 20 weeks in patients in two of the randomization groups in a prospective, blind clinical trial of experimental treatments for multiple sclerosis. Because patients could be randomized to receive sham plasma exchange and placebo medications, it was decided when the trial was designed that the use of fistulae, arteriovenous shunts, venous cutdowns, or other aggressive forms of venous access would not be permitted for any patient. Accordingly, patients judged to have inadequate superficial antecubital veins were ineligible for the trial. To date, only 13 (4.4%) of 294 patients considered for entry into the trial have been rejected on these grounds. In only 4 of the 93 patients undergoing exchange was it necessary to discontinue plasma exchange because of inadequate venous access. In 79.3 percent of the 1207 exchanges done in these patients, there were no problems of any kind with venous access. In 5.4 percent of these 1207 exchanges, it was necessary to terminate the procedure prematurely because of difficulties with patients' veins. Thus, the great majority of patients free of serious systemic illness (other than chronic progressive multiple sclerosis) can undergo weekly plasma exchange for up to 20 weeks using superficial antecubital veins without the need to resort to more invasive methods of venous access.     

Childhood Physical and Sexual Abuse: Their Relationship with Depressive Symptoms in Adulthood

The purposes of this study were to determine the prevalence of childhood physical and sexual abuse among 206 low-income single mothers and to examine the relationship of childhood abuse to current maternal depressive symptoms. Severe physical abuse was reported by 36 percent of the women. The prevalence of sexual abuse was 22 percent; more than one-half of these women were violently abused. High depressive symptoms were reported by 51 percent of the mothers. Both severe physical abuse and sexual abuse in childhood were associated with high depressive symptoms. Women who experienced violent sexual abuse were almost four and one-half times more likely to report high depressive symptoms, compared to the women who were not sexually abused. These findings provide further evidence that childhood abuse may have long-term consequences for women's mental health .     

The Methylazoxymethanol Acetate (MAM-E17) Rat Model: Molecular and Functional Effects in the Hippocampus

Administration of the DNA-alkylating agent methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) on embryonic day 17 (E17) produces behavioral and anatomical brain abnormalities, which model some aspects of schizophrenia. This has lead to the premise that MAM rats are a neurodevelopmental model for schizophrenia. However, the underlying molecular pathways affected in this model have not been elucidated. In this study, we investigated the molecular phenotype of adult MAM rats by focusing on the frontal cortex and hippocampal areas, as these are known to be affected in schizophrenia. Proteomic and metabonomic analyses showed that the MAM treatment on E17 resulted primarily in deficits in hippocampal glutamatergic neurotransmission, as seen in some schizophrenia patients. Most importantly, these results were consistent with our finding of functional deficits in glutamatergic neurotransmission, as identified using electrophysiological recordings. Thus, this study provides the first molecular evidence, combined with functional validation, that the MAM-E17 rat model reproduces hippocampal deficits relevant to the pathology of schizophrenia.     

Readiness to quit smoking in rural communities

The purpose of this study was to determine psychosocial and demographic factors associated with readiness to quit smoking among rural current and recent former smokers. This cross-sectional study of 333 rural adults was part of a larger quasi-experimental study testing the effect of a population-based Quit and Win Contest on quitting. Readiness to quit, partner support to quit smoking, stressful life events, depressive symptoms, and demographic characteristics were measured via a phone interview three months after the Contest. Participants with greater positive partner support to quit smoking were more ready to quit. Minority participants were more ready to quit, compared with Caucasian respondents.