Veterinarian Perception of the Intentional Misuse of Veterinary Medications in Humans: A Preliminary Survey of Idaho-Licensed Practitioners

The intentional administration of veterinary medications to humans is a form of medication misuse that has not been systematically studied. Veterinarians are the health practitioner group most likely to have knowledge about this problem and to be approached by the public for advice. For this preliminary study, questionnaires were mailed to 1,077 veterinarians registered with the Idaho Board of Veterinary Medicine regarding their knowledge and perceptions of this type of misuse; 392 (36.4%) completed surveys were returned. The most frequently reported veterinary medications misused in humans were analgesic, anti-inflammatory medications, anti-arthritis medications, or both; systemic antibiotics, topical anti-infectives; and topical corticosteroids. People involved with rodeo, horse racing, and health care; rural area residents; and those lacking health insurance were perceived to be the groups most likely to misuse veterinary drugs. Veterinarians rated the following as likely reasons for misuse: having an independent self-sufficient attitude, convenient availability of veterinary medications, lower cost, and belief that veterinary medications are stronger than comparable human medications. Human misuse of veterinary drugs may be more common than many health practitioners realize. Limitations of this study include the response rate, sampling of veterinarians licensed in only one rural state, and reliance on veterinarians' recall of relevant instances of misuse and their perceptions of groups most likely to misuse these drugs and why. These limitations make it difficult to determine if the problem is being under- or over-represented relative to the general population. However, regardless of the magnitude of the problem in the rural population, the general population, or both, the potential for harm is great. Patients with risk factors for this form of misuse should be questioned by their physician in a nonthreatening manner to detect use of veterinary medications and to provide an opportunity to inform them of the risks.     

The Use of an Approved Biodegradable Polymer Scaffold as a Solid Support System for Improvement of Islet Engraftment

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the use of a medically approved biodegradable scaffold as a solid support system would enhance graft survival following transplantation into the omental pouch in a preclinical large animal model. Six beagle dogs underwent total pancreatectomy followed by islet autotransplantation into the omental pouch. Four dogs received islets seeded in a biodegradable polymer scaffold and two received free islets without a scaffold. All four animals that received islets in the scaffold became normoglycemic without exogeneous insulin injection. One dog, transplanted with the largest number of islets, maintained a normal metabolic state until the graft was removed at 5 months posttransplant. In two out of the three that received a marginal islet mass, insulin independence was sustained up to 2 months. In contrast, two dogs transplanted with a similar marginal mass without the scaffold never became normoglycemic. Histological examination of the grafts in the scaffold showed numerous well‐granulated, insulin‐containing cells as well as glucagon‐positive cells. These results indicate that biodegradable scaffolds may enhance survival and function of islet grafts. Manipulation of the microenvironment of transplanted islets may constitute the basis for new approaches to enhance islet engraftment.     

双相情感性精神障碍患者应用抗抑郁药治疗的不良后果

双相情感性精神障碍的疾病期表现为躁狂相和抑郁相。最近的前瞻性研究表明，抑郁给大多数患者造成的问题比躁狂更为突出。双相Ⅰ型患者一生中有明显抑郁症状的累计时间平均超过30％，而躁狂症状累计时间少于10％。此外，未经治疗的双相情感性精神障碍患者的自杀率为20％，而绝大部分自杀企图发生在抑郁发作期间心。然而，对于双相情感性精神障碍抑郁相的有效治疗尚不尽如人意。     

Health profiles of 996 melanoma survivors: the M. D. Anderson experience

Background  

The incidence and survival of melanoma are increasing, but little is known about its long-term health effects in adult survivors.     

Reported Respiratory Symptoms and Adverse Home Conditions after 9/11 among Residents Living near the World Trade Center

This study investigated whether self-reported damage, dust, and odors in homes near the World Trade Center (WTC) after September 11, 2001, were related to increased rates of respiratory symptoms among residents and if multiple sources of exposure were associated with greater health risk. We mailed questionnaires to homes within 1.5 km of the WTC site (affected area) and in upper Manhattan (control area). Surveys asked about respiratory symptoms, unplanned medical visits, physician diagnoses, medication use, and conditions in the home after 9/11. Adverse home conditions were associated with new-onset (i.e., began after 9/11) and persistent (i.e., remained 1 year after 9/11) upper and lower respiratory symptoms in the affected area (Cumulative Incidence Ratios [CIRs] 1.20-1.71). Residents reporting longer duration of dust/odors or multiple sources of exposure had greater risk for symptoms compared to those reporting shorter duration and fewer sources. These data suggest that WTC-related contamination in the home after 9/11 was associated with new and persistent respiratory symptoms among residents living near the site. While we cannot eliminate potential biases related to self-reported data, we took strategies to minimize their impact, and the observed effects are biologically plausible.     

A prospective randomized controlled study of phototherapy using blue and blue-green light-emitting devices, and conventional halogen-quartz phototherapy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of blue versus blue-green phototherapy using new light sources with narrow luminous spectra. The devices made of high-intensity gallium nitride light-emitting diodes (LEDs) were also compared to conventional halogen-quartz bulbs phototherapy. DESIGN: Prospective open randomized study. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 114 jaundiced, but otherwise healthy term infants who met the entry criteria for phototherapy set by the American Academy of Pediatrics' Practice Parameter. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The duration of phototherapy and the rate of decrease in total serum bilirubin (TSB). RESULTS: The mean TSB concentrations at initiation and termination of treatment, as well as the duration of phototherapy and the rate of decrease in TSB, were not statistically different in newborns receiving blue LED, blue-green LED or conventional phototherapy. The average rate of decrease in TSB (slope), after adjustment by a linear regression analysis for confounding factors, was -3.61 micromol/hour (95% confidence limits -5.47, -1.75) in the 25 newborns receiving blue LED phototherapy compared with -2.57 micromol/hour (-4.32, -0.82) in the 22 newborns treated with blue-green LED phototherapy and -3.42 micromol/hour (-5.02, -1.81) in the 57 newborns who received conventional phototherapy. CONCLUSIONS: When using low light irradiance, there was no statistically significant difference in the effectiveness of phototherapy using blue-green LEDs, blue LEDs or conventional halogen-quartz bulbs.     

Long-term culture of functional liver tissue: three-dimensional coculture of primary hepatocytes and stellate cells

One of the greatest challenges in the attempt to create functional liver tissue in vitro is the maintenance of hepatocyte-specific functions. The pharmaceutical industry has long awaited the development of engineered liver tissue, which could represent a long-term, inducible, high-fidelity model for high-throughput screening of new drug compounds. It is also anticipated that such engineered models could one day be used in liver transplants, where replacement is limited by chronic donor shortages. As isolated hepatocytes dedifferentiate rapidly in culture the use of hepatocytes in long-term studies has proved to be a difficult challenge. Here we report a system of rat hepatocytes cocultured with primary rat hepatic stellate cells on a biodegradable poly(DL-lactic acid) substratum. These coculture conditions were found to encourage the rapid self-organization of three-dimensional spheroids. The spheroids formed exhibit hepatocyte-specific functionality (CYP-450 activity and albumin secretion) after almost 2 months in static culture.     

Effect of the number of high-fat and low-fat cues on food choice

This study examined the effects on food choice of increasing the number of healthy items available (fruit) and decreasing the number of unhealthy items available (candy bars). A similar choice, involving nonfood items, was also examined. Two hundred eighty-nine men and women were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 experimental groups: (a) control group, (b) increased number of fruits, (c) decreased number of candy bars, and (d) combination. Between 30% and 40% of participants chose fruit regardless of the amount of fruit and candy presented: there was no effect of increasing fruit or decreasing candy bars. However, restrained participants and current dieters were more likely to choose fruit. In contrast, both stimulus control techniques were effective in increasing the percentage of participants choosing a nonfood item. These results suggest that stimulus control may not be sufficient to modify food choice: other powerful factors affect eating behavior, and these must be considered.