Breastfeeding by Aboriginal mothers in Perth

Objective: To document the breastfeeding practices of Aboriginal mothers delivering in Perth. Design and methods: A cohort of mothers was followed from the time of delivery for six months to obtain details of infant feeding practices. Subjects: A total of 455 mothers delivered during the study period and were asked to participate. A total of 425 mothers completed the initial questionnaire. Setting: The study was undertaken in six public hospitals in Perth, Western Australia. Data analyses: The data were analysed using spss . Breastfeeding duration was calculated using Kaplan–Meier survival analysis. Main outcome measures: Breastfeeding initiation and duration. Results: The mean age of the Aboriginal mothers was 21.8 years (range 14–39 years, SD 5.32) and the average gestational age was 38.3 weeks. Almost 50% of the mothers in the study delivered by Caesarean section. At discharge from hospital 89.4% (CI 86.6–92.1) of mothers were breastfeeding, declining to 58.8% (CI 53.5–64.1) at six months. When compared with non‐Aboriginal mothers, the Aboriginal breastfeeding rates were higher than the non‐Aboriginal average breastfeeding rates, but lower than the highest socioeconomic group. Conclusions: The breastfeeding rates of Aboriginal mothers are higher than for other Australians. This is despite the low maternal age and level of education and the high rates of low‐birth‐weight infants and Caesarean section among this population. The World Health Organization recommendation for infant feeding is exclusive breastfeeding until six months, but less than one‐third of Aboriginal mothers achieved this recommendation.     

Wound Botulism Associated with Black Tar Heroin

The incidence of wound botulism is increasing and the epidemiology of the disease is changing. The majority of new cases are associated with injection drug use, in particular, the use of Mexican black tar heroin. This case report and discussion of wound botulism illustrate the following important points: Dysphagia, dysphonia, diplopia, and descending paralysis, in association with injection drug use, should alert the treating physician to the possibility of wound botulism. In such patients, the onset of respiratory failure may be sudden and without clinically obvious signs of respiratory weakness. For the reported patient, maximum inspiratory force measurements were the only reliable indicator of respiratory muscle weakness. This is a measurement not routinely performed in the ED, but may prove essential for patients with suspected wound botulism. To minimize the effect of the botulinum toxin and to decrease length of hospital stay, antitoxin administration and surgical wound debridement should be performed early.     

CROSSOVER COMPARISON BETWEEN THE DEPRESSOR EFFECTS OF LOW AND HIGH WORK-RATE EXERCISE IN MILD HYPERTENSION

1. The relationship between work-rate and the antihypertensive effect of exercise in hypertensives, and the mechanism of that effect, were investigated by a crossover clinical trial. 2. Ten mild hypertensives were randomly divided into two groups. One group performed low work-rate exercise (LWE) on a cycle ergometer for 10 weeks (blood lactate threshold; ～50% of maximum oxygen consumption [V?_O2max]). After a 10 week interval without exercise training, these subjects were then switched to a high work-rate exercise (HWE) regimen (4 mmol/ L of blood lactate; ～75% of V?_O2max) for another 10 weeks. In the other group, the order of exercise training was reversed. Since two patients withdrew from the protocol during HWE periods, statistical analysis was performed on the data from the remaining eight patients. There were no order effects observed in any of the data from the two groups. 3. During both LWE and HWE, resting blood pressure (BP) fell significantly after the initiation of exercise therapy (P<0.05). Furthermore, the overall effects of 10 weeks of LWE and HWE on BP were not significantly different. 4. The work-rate at the lactate threshold, which reflects physical fitness, had increased significantly by 16 W (P<0.01) after the LWE period and by 11 W (P<0.01) after the HWE. 5. During the LWE period, changes in haemodynamic and humoral variables were not significant, except for a reduction in plasma norepinephrine at week 10 (P<0.05). In the HWE period, changes in haemodynamic and humoral variables were not significant. 6. Based on these findings, LWE is recommended for mild hypertensives because of its safety.     

人参根总皂甙对热应激小鼠免疫功能保护作用的机制初探

小鼠在45℃高温环境15 min.末梢血T淋巴细胞百分数和淋巴细胞占白细胞百分数均下降.血清皮质酮升高。应激前15 min lP人参根总皂甙(GRS)50、100 mg·kg~(-1)可防止末梢血T淋巴细胞百分数的降低,但不能抑制血清皮质酮的升高。GRS50mg·kg~(-1)ip可防止末梢血中淋巴细胞占白细胞百分数的降低。GRS50 mg·kg~(-1)、利血平0.5 mg·kg~(-1)或水杨酸毒扁豆碱0.3 mg·kg~(-1)ip均可消除热应激对小鼠迟发超敏反应的抑制作用。     

羧乙基锗倍半氧化物对大鼠脑缺血再灌注损伤的保护作用

采用结扎双侧颈总动脉后再通的方法复制大鼠脑缺血再灌注损伤模型，通过测定再灌注后大鼠海马组织中脂质过氧化产物丙二醛（ＭＤＡ），超氧化物歧化酶（ＳＯＤ）与谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶（ＧＳＨ—Ｐｘ）及ＡＴＰａｓｅ的活性，观察了有机锗─羧乙基锗倍半氧化物（ＣＧＳ）对大鼠脑缺血再灌注后大鼠海马组织中ＭＤＡ水平，明显保护ＳＯＤ、ＧＳＨ─Ｐｘ、Ｎａ＋Ｋ＋─ＡＴＰａｓｅ及Ｃａ２＋─ＡＴ─Ｐａｓｅ活性。表明ＣＧＳ对大鼠脑缺血再灌注损伤具有保护作用。     

Circular dichroism detection in high-performance liquid chromatography: Evaluation of the anisotropy factor

The application of a circular dichroism (c.d.) detection system in HPLC using a chiral stationary phase is presented. The simultaneous measurement of the absorbance and c.d. signal allows the evaluation of the anisotropy factor (g = Δ/) and thus the determination of the enantiomeric excess (e.e.) of the eluates. When this detection system is used in preparative chiral chromatography the collection of the enantiomeric fractions can be readily optimized.     

Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale

Abstract The reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (JY-BOCS) were determined by 20 raters for 12 Japanese patients with obsessive compulsive disorder at four institutions. Interrater reliability for the total JY-BOCS score was excellent, and the intraclass correlation coefficient was high (ICC = 0.960). Internal consistency was also excellent (Cronbach's α= 0.889). Concurrent and discriminant validity of the JY-BOCS was examined by comparing the scores on the JY-BOCS with those on the Maudsley Obsessional Compulsive Inventory (MOCI) and scales for depression and anxiety. A slight correlation was found between scores on the JY-BOCS and MOCI, but no significant correlations were found between scores on the JY-BOCS and those on scales for depression or anxiety.