The Heartbeat Award Scheme: an evaluation of catering practices

The Heartbeat Award Scheme was launched in England in 1990 by the Health Education Authority as part of the national strategy to reduce the incidence of coronary heart disease. To date there has been no formal evaluation of the impact the award has had on catering practices. This study aimed to compare the differences between those premises with and without the award with regard to their catering practices. All Heartbeat premises (497) within the former Wessex region, along with 495 control premises without the award, were sent postal questionnaires. A total of 380 premises with the award and 306 premises without responded, representing a response rate of 77% and 62%, respectively. Respondents were grouped into one of three categories: public eating places, workplaces or educational establishments. Differences were found between award and non-award holders, particularly with regard to the provision of healthy food, including brown rice and semi/skimmed milk, healthy options available to the consumer and commitment to healthy eating. While this research suggests that the award scheme may be increasing consumer choice, it is not possible to draw conclusions about the impact of the scheme on eating habits.     

Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) gene expression in the human brain: A post mortem in situ hybridization study with special reference to Parkinson's disease

Summary Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is a potent neurotrophic factor for dopaminergic neurons. Since dopaminergic neurons degenerate in Parkinson's disease, this factor is a potential therapeutical tool that may save dopaminergic neurons during the pathological process. Moreover, a reduced GDNF expression may be involved in the pathophysiology of the disease. In this study, we tested whether altered GDNF production may participate in the mechanism of cell death in this disease. GDNF gene expression was analyzed by in situ hybridization using riboprobes corresponding to a sequence of the exon 2 human GDNF gene. Experiments were performed on tissue sections of the mesencephalon and the striatum from 8 patients with Parkinson's disease and 6 control subjects matched for age at death and for post mortem delay. No labelling was observed in either group of patients. This absence of detectable expression could not be attributed to methodological problems as a positive staining was observed using the same probes for sections of astroglioma biopsies from human adults and for sections of a newborn infant brain obtained at post-mortem. These data suggest that GDNF is probably expressed at a very low level in the adult human brain and its involvement in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease remains to be demonstrated. GDNF may represent a powerful new therapeutic agent for Parkinson's disease, however.     

Distributive profiles of free and protein-incorporated tryptophan and valine in cerebral cortex slices from adult and 2-day-old rats

The distribution of the specific radioactivity and the incorporation into protein of [³H]-tryptophan and [³H]valine at varying layers from surface to centre were measured in incubated slices of cerebral cortices from infant and adult rats. Specific radioactivity in free amino acids was in both age groups highest in the intact surface layer. Incorporation of tryptophan into protein was even in slices from adult rats but much less than the average in the surface layers in slices from infant rats. Incorporation of valine exhibited similar heterogeneity in both age groups. The results suggest in brain slice preparations a zonal compartmentation of amino acid and protein metabolism which varies for different amino acids.     

新生鼠和成年鼠脑7种微量元素含量的比较

利用高频电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱法（ICP－AES）测定Sprunge－Dawley大鼠新生期大脑皮层、海马、小脑、间脑和脑桥等部位的锌、铁、铜、锰、铬、锶、钼等7种微量元素的含量，并与成年动物做了比较。结果表明：（1）新生期大鼠全脑7种微量元素含量的多寡依次为：锌、铁、铬、锶、锰、铜、钼；成年期时钢跃居第四位，总含量低于新生期。（2）脑内不同部位微量元素的含量不同。新生大鼠海马和小脑内多数元素含量高于其他脑区，钼在间脑和海马中含量较高。成年鼠皮层、海马微量元素含量较高，皮层内铜、锶、钼含量最低。     

服用抗精神病药物的老年人与成年人心电图比较

目的：观察老年与成年精神病人服用抗精神病药物后的心电图（ＥＣＧ）改变。方法：８４例老年精神病病人（男性３５，女性４９例，年龄６３±ｓ３ａ）与１００例成年精神病病人（男性５０例，女性５０例，年龄４０±１０ａ），服用抗精神病药物前及服２ｍｏ以上的首次ＥＣＧ资料进行比较。抗精神病药包括吩噻嗪类、丁酰苯类及三环类抗抑郁剂和抗躁狂药等。结果：８４例老年病人中ＥＣＧ异常６３例（７５％），１００例成年人中ＥＣＧ异常４６例（４６％）（Ｐ＜０．０５）。结论：由于老年人服抗精神病药后易发生ＥＣＧ异常，因此开始剂量宜低，增量要小，严密监测心脏功能。     

成人先天性巨结肠症的诊断和治疗

目的成人先天性巨结肠症的诊断和手术方法的探讨。方法对本院31例成人先天性巨结肠症的临床表现,诊断和手术方法,进行了回顾性分析。结果 29例行 Swenson 手术,1例 Duhamel 手术,术后并发吻合口瘘5例(16.7%)。早期吻合口狭窄2例,28例获得随访,完全恢复正常排便功能23例(78%),4例轻度排便失禁,1例完全排便失禁。结论成人巨结肠症手术后并发症较婴幼儿高。全结肠显著肥厚扩张时,保留回盲部的手术,术后并发吻合口瘘的发生率高;采用全结肠直肠切除回肠直肠末端吻合,并作预防性回肠造瘘术,可预防吻合口瘘的发生。     

Bioavailability of 1-deamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin with an enzyme inhibitor (aprotinin) from the small intestine in healthy volunteers

Objective: The bioavailability of an aqueous solution of 1-deamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin (dDAVP), with and without an enzyme inhibitor, was studied in six healthy, male volunteers aged 19–34 years, followed for 8 h after each drug administration. Methods: For i.v. administration the subjects received 4 μg dDAVP. For intestinal administration 500 μg dDAVP was administered directly, in two separate sessions, in the first part of the duodenum via a triple-lumen channel tube. In one session a solution of isotonic polyethylene glycol (PEG) was given as a continuous enteral perfusion. In the other session a solution of PEG and aprotinin was administered enterally at the constant rate of 5 ml⋅min⁻¹ for 4 h. Plasma dDAVP was measured using a specific, sensitive radioimmunoassay and intestinal juice was collected for measurement of lipase, chymotrypsin and pH every 30 min for 5 h. Results: The intestinal chymotrypsin activity was decreased after perfusion of aprotinin while the lipase activity was not modified. After i.v. administration, the half-life of elimination of dDAVP was 1.56 h and plasma clearance 1.24 ml⋅min⋅kg⁻¹. The mean bioavailability after duodenal administration of dDAVP + aprotinin was 0.46% compared with 0.09% after duodenal administration of dDAVP alone. The bioavailability of dDAVP after direct duodenal administration of an aqueous solution was similar to that after swallowing a tablet in a previous study and increased 5 times when given together with a perfusion of an enzyme inhibitor. Received: 27 October 1995/Accepted in revised form: 26 February 1996     

The behaviorally active peptide ACTH 4-10: Measurement in plasma and pharmacokinetics in man

Summary A specific radioimmunoassay for the quantitative measurement of ACTH 4-10 and a procedure for its extraction from plasma have been developed.Its pharmacokinetics was studied in eight healthy male volunteers given ACTH 4-10 125 µg/kg body weight as a bolus i.v. injection, by infusion and intranasally. Following the i.v. bolus, plasma levels rapidly declined biexponentially, with half-lives of 0.39±0.05 min for the -phase and 3.84 ± 1.5 min for the -phase (mean±SD). The constant rate i.v. infusion yielded steady-state levels between 0.74 and 5.06 ng/ml plasma. Administered as intranasal spray, absorption of intact ACTH 4-10 was low and variable (maximal bioavailability 7.6%).The results are discussed in relation to the dose-dependent effects of ACTH 4-10 on the auditory evoked potential.     

Beta-blockade antagonism of tyramine-induced rise in blood pressure

Summary The effect -adrenoceptor blockade on the pressor response to tyramine has been investigated in 6 healthy volunteers, each submitted to an i.v. tyramine pressor test before and after 7 days of propranolol 40 mg b.d. or indenolol 60 mg o.d. Tyramine was given as i.v. boluses of 1–6 mg, alternating with saline, in a randomized, single blind fashion.Prior to treatment tyramine caused a temporary, dose-dependent increase in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, whilst the heart rate remained unaffected. Both propranolol and indenolol reduced the pressor response to tyramine, as shown by a significant increase in ED₁₅, i.e. the dose of tyramine required to increase systolic blood pressure by 15%.