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.     

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%.     

Pharmacokinetics and tolerance of a new penem antibiotic,FCE 22101, in healthy volunteers after a single intravenous dose

Summary The clinical tolerance and pharmacokinetics of FCE 22101 (sodium (5R, 6S)-6-[(1R)-hydroxyethyl]-2-carbamoyloxymethyl-2-penem-3-carboxylate), a new penem antibiotic, have been studied after giving a single i.v. dose of 4 mg·kg^–1 to ten healthy male volunteers. The pharmacokinetics was estimated according to a two-compartment open model. The peak plasma concentration (C_max) was 15.5 (1.08) µg·ml^–1, mean (SEM). FCE 22101 was rapidly cleared from the systemic circulation [ =44.2 (4.2) min; CL=7.21 (0.47) ml·kg^–1·min^–1]. The mean apparent volume of distribution at steady-state was 246 (16.9) ml·kg^–1. The mean residence time relative to the 10 min infusion was 39.4 (1.5)min. Urinary recovery of FCE 22101 showed wide inter-subject variation, ranging from 10.2 to 53.6% of the dose. No subject complained of adverse effects.     

健康成人血液流变学与血脂相关性的实验研究

目的：研究健康成人血液流变学指标与血脂之间的相关性。方法：抽取西安市某单位健康查体人群各项检查结果齐全的资料117例，其中男性79例，女性38例，将采集的数据进行统计分析。结果：男性和女性之间，TG、HBV、LBV、HRV、LRV、CV、CY均有显著差异（P〈0.05）；女性资料中，血脂指标与血液流变学指标的相关性无统计学意义（P〉0．05）；男性资料中，血液流变学指标与血脂指标有相关性（P〈0．05）。结论：控制血液粘度和血脂水平是防止和减低心脑血管疾病发生的重要环节。     

Similar frequency of autoantibodies against 70-kD class heat-shock proteins in healthy subjects and systemic lupus erythematosus patients

Stress or heat-shock proteins may be involved in the initiation and perpetuation of autoimmune diseases. In order to investigate a possible role of autoantibodies against the 70-kD family of heat-shock proteins in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), sera of SLE patients and healthy subjects were tested for the presence of IgG and IgM antibodies to 70-kD class proteins. These proteins were purified by affinity chromatography on ATP-agarose and used in Western blotting studies. The data obtained revealed that antibodies to the 72-kD and the 73-kD heat-shock proteins occurred with similar frequencies both in healthy subjects and SLE patients. Thus, approximately 20% of the sera in each group contained IgG antibodies, and IgM antibodies were detected in about 30% of the sera tested. Moreover, in SLE patients no association between the occurrence and litre of these antibodies and disease activity was found. These data suggest that antibodies to the 70-kD class heat-shock proteins are naturally occurring and argue therefore against an involvement of these antibodies in the pathogenesis of SLE.     

保定市躯体形式障碍的流行病学调查

目的了解保定市躯体形式障碍的患病率和分布特点。方法2004年10月～2005年3月采用多阶段分层整群抽样方法随机抽取≥18周岁的人群，共10073名，用扩展的一般健康问卷（GHQ-12）将调查对象分为高、中、低危险组，采用美国精神障碍诊断标准（DSM-Ⅳ），以美国精神障碍诊断与统计手册-第四版（DSM-Ⅳ）轴Ⅰ障碍定式临床检查患者版对调查对象进行躯体形式障碍的诊断。以大体功能量表（GAF）评定患者的心理、社会和职业功能。结果9021人完成调查，躯体形式障碍的时点患病率为0．99%。（95%CI=0．79％～1．20％）．躯体化障碍0．03％、未分化的躯体形式障碍0．24％、疼痛障碍0．56％、疑病症0．18％。女性（1．43％）明显高于男性（0．13％）（P〈0．01）；40～49岁及50～59岁患病率较高（1．84％及1．55％）；与抑郁症及焦虑障碍共病49．12％；心理、社会和职业功能受损程度无或轻度50．88％、中度33．33％、重度15．79％；躯体形式障碍就诊精神科门诊为3．51％。结论躯体形式障碍在女性及中年人群（40～59岁）中患病率高，与抑郁症及焦虑障碍共病常见．其精神科服务利用率低。     

CD8+T-bet+ cells as a predominant biomarker for inclusion body myositis

Background

Myositis is a heterogeneous group of muscular auto-immune diseases with clinical and pathological criteria that allow the classification of patients into different sub-groups. Inclusion body myositis is the most frequent myositis above fifty years of age. Diagnosing inclusion body myositis requires expertise and is challenging. Little is known concerning the pathogenic mechanisms of this disease in which conventional suppressive-immune therapies are inefficacious.

建瓯市并殖吸虫种质资源及感染情况的调查

目的了解建瓯市并殖吸虫及媒介宿主的种类与感染情况。方法在调查点捕捉各种螺类与蟹类，检查其所携带的并殖吸虫并计算感染率。结果发现可充当并殖吸虫第一中间宿主的螺类有放逸短沟蜷、福建拟钉螺、建瓯洱海螺、小桥拟钉螺，其感染率分别为0、0．15％、0．42％与0．15％。充当并殖吸虫第二中间宿主的溪蟹有福建华溪蟹、福建马来溪蟹、角肢南海溪蟹，其感染率分别为46．60％、14．29％与12．50％。并殖吸虫虫种有卫氏并殖吸虫、斯氏狸殖吸虫、泡囊狸殖吸虫3种。其中，泡囊狸殖吸虫为新发现虫种。结论建瓯市并殖吸虫及媒介宿主物种资源丰富，为全省开展并殖吸虫病的调查和研究工作提供了病原线索。