TEENAGE HEAVY DRINKERS: ALCOHOL-RELATED KNOWLEDGE, BELIEFS, EXPERIENCES, MOTIVATION AND THE SOCIAL CONTEXT OF DRINKING

During 1988 and 1989 a survey was conducted of the drinkinghabits and alcohol-related beliefs of a national sample of teenagersin England. Data were obtained from 6,244 respondents virtuallyall aged 14–16. Heavy drinkers were significantly morelikely to report drinking in a mixed sex group than were otherteenagers. They were also more likely than others to have drunkillegally in licensed premises, and were distinctive from otherteenagers in relation to their self-reported reasons for drinkingand their alcohol-related beliefs.     

Differential item functioning related to ethnicity in an oral health‐related quality of life measure

International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry 2010; 20: 435–441 Objective. To assess whether an oral health‐related quality of life (OHRQoL)measure showed differential item functioning (DIF) by ethnicity. Methods. A simple random sample of 12‐ and 13‐year‐old schoolchildren enrolled in the Taranaki District Health Board’s school dental service, New Zealand. Each child (n = 430) completed the Child Perception Questionnaire (CPQ_11‐14) in the dental clinic waiting room, prior to a dental examination. The dataset included age, gender, ethnicity, and deprivation status. The general principle of the analytic plan was that equal scores from each CPQ_11‐14 item were expected from both non‐Mäori and Mäori groups regardless of their ethnic group. Ordinal logistic regression was performed. The dependent variables were the CPQ_11‐14 items. The ethnicity group and each CPQ_11‐14 domain score were the independent variables. Non‐uniform DIF was assessed through adding an interaction term for each CPQ_11‐14 sub‐scale. Results. Non‐uniform DIF was found in two items, one in the Functional Limitations sub‐scale and another in the Social Well‐being sub‐scale. Uniform DIF was found in one item of the Emotional Well‐being sub‐scale. Conclusion. Both non‐uniform and uniform DIF by ethnicity was found in three of 37 items of the CPQ_11‐14 questionnaire, showing it is important to perform DIF analysis when applying OHRQoL measures.     

An unusual pattern of metastases from Merkel cell carcinoma

An unusual case of Merkel cell carcinoma is presented in which the time course to development of nodal and haematogenous metastases was protracted and the predominant site of metastatic disease was small bowel.     

Alcohol and drug usage in parents soon after stillbirth, neonatal death or SIDS

The behaviour of bereaved parents with respect to their drug and alcohol ingestion was examined 2 months following the loss of an infant from stillbirth (SB) neonatal death (NND) or sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Responses from bereaved families (99 SB, 109 NND, 52 SIDS) were compared with 252 control families (who had a liveborn infant). There was no difference in self-medication using aspirin as the example. The use of sedative drugs was significantly higher in all bereaved mothers (but especially the SIDS group). Use of sedatives by fathers was significantly higher only in the SIDS group. There was also a greater frequency of heavy drinking of mothers in all the bereaved groups and fathers in the SIDS group. These results have implications for the understanding and care of families following infant loss.     

Stem cells in prostatic epithelia

The normal prostate is, structurally and functionally, a highly complex glandular tissue in which populations of epithelial and stromal cells interact, one with the other, and are under a constant state of proliferation, differentiation, elimination and selective secondary replenishment so that functional integrity of the tissue is maintained. The ability of normal prostatic tissue to maintain its structure and function is dependent upon retention of cells, generally regarded as 'stem cells', which are able to respond by proliferation and selective differentiation within a wide range of phenotypic alternatives. With respect to cells in the epithelial compartment, replenishment is possible at several levels from within distinct pathways of normal cellular differentiation. It is now appreciated that fully differentiated prostatic epithelial cells retain a far greater degree of phenotypic 'plasticity' than was earlier apparent from morphological examination of the intact tissue. This inherent plasticity, coupled with the ability of the intact tissue to respond to diverse environmental (particularly humoral) stimuli by regenerating a wide and divergent spectrum of functional prostatic epithelial phenotypes is its strength — but also its weakness. Disturbance and distortion of the homeostatic regulatory mechanisms, whether physical or humoral, which control the normal sequence of epithelial proliferation, differentiation and elimination exposes these cells, particularly multipotent 'stem cells', to an increased probability of genetic change, thus resulting in either transient, or permanent, neoplastic transformation.