Nurses' Logs as an Evaluation Tool for School-Based Violence Prevention Programs

ABSTRACT: Programs for preventing violence among youth should be evaluated to determine if they are effective. Nurses' logs appear to be a useful tool for evaluating school-based violence prevention programs. The logs provide a record of students' visits to the school nurse that can be used to determine if a violence prevention program is associated with a reduction in fighting—and other injury-related nurse visits. This method has many strengths: it is simple and inexpensive, it does not interrupt the school routine, it permits school-level rather than student-level data collection, it provides a ready "baseline," and it allows continuous data collection. However, potential limitations do exist. For example, the method may provide insufficient information and may be affected by factors unrelated to the intervention. School officials can increase the usefulness of the logs by encouraging standardization and providing training in their use.     

Human and mouse sera recognize the same polypeptide associated with immunological resistance to Trypanosoma cruzi infection.

Effective immunological resistance to challenge with trypomastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi has been linked to antibodies which are specific for determinants on live, but not fixed, trypomastigotes. In man and mouse, these antibodies can be detected specifically by viable immunofluorescence (VIF) and complement mediated lysis (CML) assays. VIF/CML positive sera from chagasic patients or experimentally infected mice recognize the same trypomastigote specific surface polypeptides of apparent Mr 70-160 kDa. VIF/CML negative chagasic sera fail to react with polypeptides of Mr 120, 145 and 160 kDa, whereas negative mouse sera lack antibodies to the 160 kDa component alone. Taken together, these clinical and experimental data suggest that the 160 kDa polypeptide should be tested for its potential in immunoprophylaxis.     

Cortisol,acth, and biosynthesis of apolipoproteins in rat hepatocytes

The effect of cortisol (5 mg/kg, 5 and 10 days) on biosynthesis of apoproteins of very low density lipoproteins in the liver and on synthesis of apoproteins of very low, low, and high density lipoproteins in blood serum of intact animals was investigatedin vivo. Cortisol, within the periods specified, inhibits biosynthesis of apoproteins of very low density lipoproteins (apo-VLDL) in liver. After adrenalectomy apo-VLDL synthesis is intensified and this effect is abolished during replacement administration, of cortisol. Apoprotein synthesis is activated 5 h after a single injection of cortisol and ACTH; a single dose and prolonged administration of cortisol give opposite results. Investigation of the specific radioactivity of apolipoproteins in the blood serum indicates a change in lipoprotein metabolism: disturbance of conversion of very low density into low density lipoproteins. An important role in the pathogenesis of the hyperlipidemia induced by cortisol within the specified period is played not by increased lipoprotein synthesis in the liver, but by a disturbance of their metabolism in the blood.All-Union Cardiological Scientific Center, Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, Moscow. (Prosented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR E. I. Chazov.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 86, No. 11, pp. 538–540, November, 1978.     

Comparison of air-displacement plethysmography with hydrostatic weighing and bioelectrical impedance analysis for the assessment of body composition in healthy adults

BACKGROUND: Over the past decade, considerable attention has been paid to accurately measuring body composition in diverse populations. Recently, the use of air-displacement plethysmography (AP) was proposed as an accurate, comfortable, and accessible method of body-composition analysis. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare measurements of percentage body fat (%BF) by AP and 2 other established techniques, hydrostatic weighing (HW) and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), in adults. DESIGN: The sample consisted of healthy men (n = 23) and women (n = 24). %BF was measured by AP, HW, and BIA. RESULTS: In the total group, %BF(AP) (25.0+/-8.9%) was not significantly different from %BF(HW) (25.1+/-7.7%) or %BF(BIA) (23.9+/-7.7%), and %BF(AP) was significantly correlated with %BF(HW) (r = 0.944, P < 0.001) and with %BF(BIA) (r = 0.859, P < 0.01). Compared with HW, AP underestimated %BF in men (by -1.24+/-3.12%) but overestimated %BF in women (by 1.02+/-2.48%), indicating a significant sex effect (P < 0.05). The differences in estimation between AP and BIA and between BIA and HW were not significantly different between the sexes. CONCLUSION: AP is an accurate method for assessing body composition in healthy adults. Future studies should assess further the cause of the individual variations with this new method.     

Clinical evidence for utilization of the A3 adenosine receptor as a target to treat rheumatoid arthritis: data from a phase II clinical trial

OBJECTIVE: Adenosine exerts antiinflammatory effects via activation of the A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR), a Gi protein-associated cell-surface receptor, overexpressed in synovial tissue and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). CF101 is a highly specific orally bioavailable A3AR agonist. METHODS: This was a multicenter study, blinded to dose, designed to assess the clinical activity and safety of CF101 in active RA. Seventy-four patients were randomized to receive 0.1, 1.0, or 4.0 mg CF101 bid for 12 weeks. The primary efficacy endpoint was American College of Rheumatology 20% response (ACR20) at Week 12. A3AR expression levels were analyzed in PBMC from 18 patients. RESULTS:. Maximal responses were observed with 1.0 mg bid, lower at 0.1 and 4.0 mg bid. At 12 weeks, 55.6%, 33.3%, and 11.5% of the patients receiving 1.0 mg CF101 achieved ACR20%, 50%, and 70% responses, respectively. CF101 was generally well tolerated, with mild headache (4.1%), nausea (2.7%), and rash (2.7%) being the most common treatment-related adverse events. Statistically significant correlations between A3AR overexpression at baseline and ACR50 and ACR70 responses were observed. CONCLUSION: CF101 administered bid for 12 weeks resulted in improvement in signs and symptoms of RA that did not achieve statistical significance, and was safe and well tolerated. The expression level of A3AR was directly correlated with patient responses to CF101, suggesting its utilization as a biomarker for the pharmacodynamic and therapeutic effects of this novel agent. These findings require confirmation in a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial, currently under way.     

Chronotropic response to exercise predicts angiographic severity in patients with suspected or stable coronary artery disease

Inappropriate chronotropic response to exercise has been observed to correlate with poor prognosis in patients with coronary disease, but the mechanism for this association is not well defined. We attempted to examine the association between chronotropic response to exercise and angiographic severity of coronary disease in patients with suspected or stable coronary artery disease. The chronotropic response, expressed as peak heart rate, chronotropic index (ratio of heart rate reserve and metabolic reserve utilized), or percent maximal heart rate achieved, was correlated with angiographic findings obtained within 180 days of the test. Significant coronary disease was defined as ≥1 stenosis of ≥50% in a major epicardial artery or its main branches; severe coronary disease was defined as ≥50% stenosis in all 3 epicardial arteries, or in the left main coronary trunk, or 2-vessel disease with ≥70% proximal left anterior descending artery stenosis. We observed that peak heart rate and percent maximal heart rate achieved were independent negative predictors of both significant and severe coronary disease by logistic regression. The chronotropic index predicted severe coronary disease only. All 3 parameters of chronotropic response exhibited a significant gradient of abnormality across the spectrum of coronary disease (p < 0.01 for all), expressed by the number of vessels involved and correlated with left anterior descending artery involvement (p < 0.05 for all). We conclude that chronotropic response to exercise predicts the presence and angiographic severity of coronary disease. This association is likely related to the proportion of left ventricular myocardium rendered ischemic during stress.