Blood alcohol level among emergency room patients: a multivariate analysis

This article examines the distribution of positive blood alcohol levels (BALs) among emergency room patients and the relationship between intoxication and other variables. Approximately one-quarter of the 640 subjects had positive blood alcohol levels and 16.3% had BAL readings above 0.10%, the legal limit for operating a motor vehicle in most states. Chi-square tests and logistic regression analysis indicated a significant relationship between employment status, gender, educational attainment, age and BAL. There were no significant racial differences. Analysis of the role of the presenting problem with BAL revealed that being involved in an accident was significantly predictive of a high BAL in a multivariate context. However, patients presenting with psychiatric problems had overall higher levels of intoxication than other patients. These findings have major implications for public policy formulation vis-à-vis public health delivery.     

Breast tumour thymidine kinase levels and disease recurrence.

Thymidine kinase (TK) exists in two forms, TK1 and TK2. TK levels and oestrogen receptor status (OR) were measured in tumours from 86 patients with operable breast cancer and the patients were monitored for recurrence over 24 months. During the monitored period, 13 patients showed recurrence. These patients also exhibited higher total TK levels per mg tumour (P < 0.01) and higher TK1 levels (P < 0.001) than those who did not show recurrence. TK1 levels relative to TK2 were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in OR-negative tumours (n = 29) than in OR-positive tumours (n = 57). OR-negative (n = 9) and OR-positive (n = 4) patients who recurred had significantly higher TK1 levels relative to TK2 than did those who not recur (n = 20 and n = 53, respectively). These preliminary results indicate that breast tumour TK levels may have value in determining prognosis.     

Rapid activation of glycogen synthase and protein phosphatase in human skeletal muscle after isometric contraction requires an intact circulation

The effects of isometric contraction (66% of maximal force) and recovery on glycogen synthase fractional activity (GSF) in human skeletal muscle have been studied. Biopsies were taken from the quadriceps femoris muscle at rest, at fatigue and 5 min postexercise on two occasions: after one of the contractions, the circulation to the thigh was occluded during the 5 min recovery (OCC), and after the other contraction, the circulation was intact (control, CON). During CON, GSF decreased from (mean ± SE) 0.34±0.05 at rest to 0.24±0.02 at fatigue and then increased to 0.74±0.04 at 5 min postexercise; corresponding values for OCC were 0.37±0.04, 0.25±0.04 and 0.48±0.05 (P<0.001 vs. CON for 5 min postexercise only). Compared with the value at fatigue, protein phosphatase activity (PP) increased by 79±16% during CON recovery (P<0.01), whereas no change was observed during OCC recovery. Uridine diphosphate glucose increased by approximately 2.5-fold at fatigue, remained elevated during OCC recovery, but reverted to the preexercise level during CON recovery (P<0.001 vs. OCC recovery). Glucose 6-P increased approximately 5-fold at fatigue and was higher at 5 min postexercise in OCC vs. CON recovery (8.6±1.5 vs. 4.1±0.9 mmol/kg dry wt; P<0.01). It is concluded that the rapid increase in GSF after intense exercise with an intact circulation may be at least partly attributed to an increase in the specific activity of PP. The increase in GSF during recovery in OCC may be at least partly attributed to the high glucose 6-P content in vivo, which enhances the substrate suitability of GS for PP. Thus, separate mechanisms exist for the activation of PP and GS during recovery from intense short term exercise.     

Vaccine Hesitancy During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Latent Class Analysis of Middle-Aged and Older US Adults

Journal of Community Health - It is important to distinguish between apprehensions that lead to vaccine rejection and those that do not. In this study, we (1) identifed latent classes of...     

Use of psychoactive substances in three medical specialties: anaesthesia,medicine and surgery

In order to determine the prevalence of psychoactive substance use in three specialty groupings, 1,624 questionnaires were sent to physicians in medicine, surgery and anaesthesia; all had trained at the same academic institution. A response rate of 57.8% was achieved. Comparison of prevalence of impairment rates showed no differences between Surgery (14.4%), Medicine (19.9%) and Anaesthesia (16.8%). Substance abuse was clearly associated with a family history of abuse; 32.1% of the abusers had a family history of such abuse compared with 11.7% of the non-abusers. Increased stress at various career stages did not appear to increase substance abuse; problem areas during medical life times were similar for each specialty. Substances most frequently used were marijuana (54.7%), amphetamines (32.9%); and benzodiazepines (25.1%). Seventy-three used psychoactive drugs which were non-prescribed. Drug counselling programmes were judged inadequate by most. Use of alcohol and drugs by faculty members was reported by a number of respondents.     

A simple test of the vicarious trial-and-error hypothesis of hippocampal function.

Vicarious trial-and-error (VTE) is a term that Muenzinger and Tolman used to describe the rat's conflict-like behavior before responding to choice. Recently, VTE was proposed as a mechanism alternative to the concept of "cognitive map" in accounts of hippocampal function. That is, many phenomena of impaired learning and memory related to hippocampal interventions may be explained by behavioral first principles: reduced conflicting, incipient, pre-choice tendencies to approach and avoid. The nonspatial black-white discrimination learning and VTE behavior of the rat were investigated. Hippocampal-lesioned and sham-lesioned animals were trained for 25 days (20 trials per day) starting at 60 days of age. Each movement of the head from one discriminative stimulus to the other was counted as a VTE instance. Lesioned rats had fewer VTEs than sham controls, and the former learned much more slowly or never learned. After learning, VTE frequency declined. Male and female rats showed no significant differences in VTE behavior or discrimination learning.     

Genetic manipulation of mammary epithelium by transplantation

Genes can be introduced into mammary epitheliumin vivo by the tissue reconstitution method. Primary cultures of mammary epithelial cells are prepared, a gene introduced using retrovirus vectors, and the cells transplanted into a mammary fat pad from which the normal epithelium has been removed. The cells reform an epithelium in which some cells express the introduced gene. The technique is reviewed and compared with the mammary-specific expression of genes in transgenic mice. To model the development of neoplasia, particularly the preneoplastic changes caused by a single oncogene alone, several oncogenes have been expressed this way—myc, Ha-ras, erbB, erbB2,Wnt-1, andhst/FGF-4. Each caused a different alteration to the growth pattern of the epithelium, such as altered branching, premature alveolus development, distorted duct structure, or altered hormone sensitivity. Insights into normal development have also been obtained by inappropriate expression of genes such asWnt-4.     

Asphalt and risk of cancer in man.

Epidemiological publications regarding the carcinogenic potential of asphalt (bitumen) are reviewed. In 1984 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) stated that there is "inadequate evidence that bitumens alone are carcinogenic to humans." They did, however, conclude that animal data provided sufficient evidence for the carcinogenicity of certain extracts of steam refined and air refined bitumens. In the absence of data on man, IARC considered it reasonable to regard chemicals with sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in animals as if they presented a carcinogenic risk to man. Epidemiological data for man accumulated since the IARC report do not fulfil the criteria for showing a causal association between exposure to asphalt and development of cancer. The studies cited all suffer from a lack of data on exposure or potential confounders, which are necessary to establish whether or not such an association may or may not exist. In view of the evidence (or lack thereof) regarding asphalt today, an appropriate public health attitude suggests at least that action be taken to protect those working with asphalt by monitoring the workplace, taking whatever steps are possible to minimise exposures and to inform workers of potential hazards. At the same time, a need exists for well designed analytical epidemiological studies to determine whether a risk of cancer in man exists from exposure to asphalt.