Minimal interventions for weight control: a cost-effective alternative

Two studies were conducted to evaluate simpler, less intensive interventions for weight control which presumably would be more cost-effective and efficient than a "full-length" behavioral treatment program. In Study 1, participants in a minimal intervention (MI1) program who attended no regularly scheduled meetings and initially only received three simple verbal instructions about how to lose weight, lost an average of 11.1 lb. by 7-month follow-up. Subjects in three variations of a shortened, less intensive, 6-week behavioral weight loss program lost 7.8, 6.5 and 6.3 lb. but did not significantly differ from MI1 subjects in the amount of weight lost. In Study 2, MI2 subjects lost 5.5 lb. compared to subjects in two variations of a full-length program who lost 8.1 and 11.1 lb. by 6-month follow-up. Again, none of the groups significantly differed from each other in the amount lost. It was concluded that a minimal intervention program seems to produce weight loss and to be a cost-effective and efficient method for some subjects. The difference between the two minimal intervention programs may be related to the payment of a monetary deposit; a model for future research was presented to investigate simpler, less intensive interventions in combination with more complex ones in a "stepped-care" fashion.     

孕妇广泛焦虑障碍和血浆DA、NE、5-HT的相关研究

目的 :探讨分娩前孕妇广泛性焦虑障碍与血浆 5 - HT、DA、NE的关系。方法 :首先用心理卫生量表 (SAS、SDS、HAMA、HAMD)筛查孕妇中存在广泛性焦虑和抑郁共病共 4 6例。研究组血浆中五羟色胺 (5 - HT4 6例 )、去甲肾上腺素 (NE4 6例 )、多巴胺 (DA4 5例 )和正常对照组 (5 - HT、DA、NE各 2 0例 )由苏州大学生化工程研究所采用高效液相色谱仪、电化学检测器进行测定。结果 :分娩前孕妇广泛性焦虑障碍血浆 5 - HT、DA、NE和对照组未见明显差异。讨论 :我们在产前经 SAS、HAMA检测发现产前孕妇广泛性焦虑障碍有 74例。我们选择了资料完整诊断明确的产前广泛性焦虑进行了血浆 5 - HT、NE、DA测定结果发现与对照组没有明显差异 ,这说明孕妇在临床上焦虑症状明显 ,但体内血浆神经介质极不稳定 ,神经介质变化在人体内较为复杂 ,使两者没有变化 ,提示孕妇广泛性焦虑障碍患者存在外周交感神经兴奋性增高 ,血浆 5 - HT、NE、DA浓度不能鉴别焦虑症。以上观点还需进一步研究。在妇产科广泛焦虑障碍这一疾病 ,应引起产科医师注意。     

孕妇焦虑与去甲肾上腺素及5-羟色胺的关系

目的:探讨孕妇产前焦虑与去甲肾上腺素(NE)及5-羟色胺(5-HT)变化的关系。方法:选择择期剖宫产的孕妇80例,术前2 h孕妇自行填写汉密顿焦虑量表(HAS)、汉密顿抑郁量表(HDS)并对各项指标量化评分。根据评分分为无焦虑组(Ⅰ)、轻度焦虑组(Ⅱ)、中重度焦虑组(Ⅲ)3组。填表同时抽血测定NE、5-HT。结果:轻度焦虑组NE水平明显高于无焦虑组(P<0.01),中重度焦虑组NE水平明显高于无焦虑组(P<0.01),与轻度焦虑组无显著性差异(P>0.01)。轻度焦虑组5-HT水平明显低于无焦虑组(P<0.01),中重度焦虑组5-HT水平明显低于无焦虑组和轻度焦虑组(P<0.01)。孕妇焦虑程度与NE呈正相关(r=0.538,P<0.01),与5-HT呈负相关(r=-0.570,P<0.01)。结论:NE、5-HT在孕妇产前焦虑情绪的发生过程中起着重要的作用。     

电针12h对颅脑损伤大鼠脑组织[Ca（2＋）]i和NE含量影响的实验研究

目的：对电针12h对颅脑损伤大鼠脑组织[Ca2＋]i和NE含量的影响进行实验研究。方法：采用激光共聚焦显微镜的动态扫描功能和荧光分子探针技术,从针灸血清学和细胞学角度,对针刺通过颅脑损伤大鼠血清影响SY5Y细胞[Ca2＋]i进行研究;采用高效液相色谱法研究电针对颅脑损伤大鼠脑组织NE含量的影响。结果：各组血清孕育12h后SY5Y细胞[Ca2＋]i相比较显示,模型对照组的荧光强度明显高于空白对照组（P﹤0.01）,针刺治疗组的荧光强度明显低于模型对照组（P﹤0.05）;各组大鼠脑组织NE含量相比较,模型对照组显著高于空白对照组（P﹤0.01）,针刺治疗组明显低于模型对照组（P﹤0.05）。结论：电针12h可减慢颅脑损伤大鼠脑组织[Ca2＋]i和NE含量的上升趋势,提示电针可能是通过抑制脑皮质内大量NE聚集,降低皮质神经元的兴奋性,从而抑制细胞内Ca2＋滞留和超载,减轻脑水肿,对脑组织起到保护作用。     

补肾宁心颗粒对实验性焦虑模型大鼠脑组织中去甲肾上腺素、多巴胺影响的实验研究

目的通过实验观察补肾宁心颗粒对焦虑大鼠脑组织中去甲肾上腺素(NE)、多巴胺(DA)的影响,探讨补肾宁心颗粒对心脏神经症的干预作用机制。方法将60只雄性Wistar大鼠随机分正常空白组、安定对照组、模型空白组、补肾宁心颗粒高剂量组、中剂量组和低剂量组,每组10只。采用高架十字迷宫模型(EPM)法造焦虑模型,酶联免疫吸附测定法(ELISA)检测大鼠下丘脑神经递质含量。结果实验中行为学检测结果证明造模成功,并观察到高剂量的补肾宁心颗粒可显著降低中枢NE、DA的含量,而且与正常空白组及安定对照组比较,差异均无统计学意义。结论补肾宁心颗粒可降低中枢NE、DA的含量,使中枢神经由兴奋转向抑制。推测其可抑制中枢NE、DA能神经的兴奋,抑制NE、DA的合成和释放,减少其对心血管系统的影响。     

Toxicology of 3-epi-deoxynivalenol,a deoxynivalenol-transformation product by Devosia mutans 17-2-E-8

Microbial detoxification of deoxynivalenol (DON) represents a new approach to treating DON-contaminated grains. A bacterium Devosia mutans 17-2-E-8 was capable of completely transforming DON into a major product 3-epi-DON and a minor product 3-keto-DON. Evaluation of toxicities of these DON-transformation products is an important part of hazard characterization prior to commercialization of the biotransformation application. Cytotoxicities of the products were demonstrated by two assays: a MTT bioassay assessing cell viability and a BrdU assay assessing DNA synthesis. Compared with DON, the IC₅₀ values of 3-epi-DON and 3-keto-DON were respectively 357 and 3.03 times higher in the MTT bioassay, and were respectively 1181 and 4.54 times higher in the BrdU bioassay. Toxicological effects of 14-day oral exposure of the B6C3F₁ mouse to DON and 3-epi-DON were also investigated. Overall, there were no differences between the control (free of toxin) and the 25 mg/kg bw/day or 100 mg/kg bw/day 3-epi-DON treatments in body and organ weights, hematology and organ histopathology. However, in mice exposed to DON (2 mg/kg bw/day), white blood cell numbers and serum immunoglobulin levels were altered relative to controls, and lesions were observed in adrenals, thymus, stomach, spleen and colon. Taken together, in vitro and in vivo studies indicate that 3-epi-DON is substantially less toxic than DON.     

Current status of dilatation catheters and guiding systems

Both balloon catheters and guiding catheters for PTCA are high-quality instruments with an advanced degree of reliability and practicality. The standard set-up at Emory University consists of a steerable 3.0-mm balloon catheter and a Judkins-type guiding catheter.     

Treatment and prophylaxis of ventricular arrhythmias in acute myocardial infarction

Remarkable advances have been made in the management of cardiac disease in the last 20 years, but antiarrhythmic drug strategy in the acute phase of myocardial infarction remains less than satisfactory. Primary ventricular fibrillation (VF), once considered predictable on the basis of detection of “warning arrhythmias,” cannot be anticipated. Management must be either expectant or prophylactic. Restriction of drug use to selected patients and the apparent lack of effect of VF on late prognosis argue for the former approach, yet safe and effective prevention of VF is an attractive therapeutic goal. High-dose intravenous lidocaine probably offers efficacy but the risk-benefit ratio of this regimen is still debated. Adoption of a prophylactic regimen mandates drug administration to a large number of patients who either are not at risk of developing VF (noninfarct patients) or who are destined not to develop VF (70 to 95% of infarct patients). Ventricular arrhythmias other than VF are common in acute infarction and, for emotional rather than scientific reasons, often are aggressively treated. Little evidence exists to support this management. Few ventricular arrhythmias at this time in infarction have either immediate importance or prognostic significance. Reevaluation of antiarrhythmic drug use and arrhythmia treatment in acute myocardial infarction is long overdue. However, there is a paucity of controlled data upon which to base new strategies, and clinical research in this field is hampered by ethical considerations, by rigidly held but unscientifically based beliefs and by a lack of fundamental knowledge of arrhythmia mechanisms and their significance.