Incidence of dementia after age 90 in a multiracial cohort

Introduction

Little is known about dementia incidence in diverse populations of oldest-old, the age group with highest dementia incidence.

Practical Solutions for Pesticide Safety: A Farm and Research Team Participatory Model

Development of the Practical Solutions for Pesticide Safety guide used participatory research strategies to identify and evaluate solutions that reduce pesticide exposures for workers and their families and to disseminate these solutions. Project principles were (1) workplace chemicals belong in the workplace, and (2) pesticide handlers and farm managers are experts, with direct knowledge of production practices. The project’s participatory methods were grounded in self-determination theory. Practical solutions were identified and evaluated based on five criteria: practicality, adaptability, health and safety, novelty, and regulatory compliance. Research activities that had more personal contact provided better outcomes. The Expert Working Group, composed of farm managers and pesticide handlers, was key to the identification of solutions, as were farm site visits. Audience participation, hands-on testing, and orchard field trials were particularly effective in the evaluation of potential solutions. Small work groups in a Regional Advisory Committee provided the best direction and guidance for a “user-friendly” translational document that provided evidence-based practical solutions. The “farmer to farmer” format of the guide was endorsed by both the Expert Working Group and the Regional Advisory Committee. Managers and pesticide handlers wanted to share their solutions in order to “help others stay safe,” and they appreciated attribution in the guide. The guide is now being used in educational programs across the region. The fundamental concept that farmers and farmworkers are innovators and experts in agricultural production was affirmed by this study. The success of this process demonstrates the value of participatory industrial hygiene in agriculture.     

Impaired helix 12 dynamics due to proline 892 substitutions in the androgen receptor are associated with complete androgen insensitivity

Human Molecular Genetics (2006) 15, 921–931;     

The everyday realities of the multi-dimensional role of the high school community nurse.

The traditional role of the high school based community community health nurse has changed considerably over recent decades. This article describes a qualitative study, in which nine community health nurses from eight different high schools completed a diary of the interventions and events during the course of two working days in order to identify the dimensions of their role. A short demographic questionnaire was also completed by the nurses and included two open-ended questions concerning their main professional issues and concerns. The researchers sought verification of the interpretation of the data through a focus group interview with the high school nurses. Data analysis indicated that the role of the high school community health nurses (CHN) consisted of seven categories. These were provider of clinical care, counsellor/ mediator, advocacy and support, liaison/referral, health promotion/education and resource agent, and professional management and research role. The findings highlight the complex and demanding aspects of the role of the high school nurse and articulate the importance of describing the contribution of such practitioners in to the promotion of health among adolescents.     

Neuropeptide levels in the basal ganglia of aged common marmosets following prolonged treatment with MPTP

Summary Aged common marmosets were treated with 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP; 0.5–2.0 mg/kg/week i.p.) for 16 or 24 weeks, observed for a total of 30 weeks and then killed for measurement of biochemical pramaters in basal ganglia. The MPTP treatment induced a marked depletion in dopamine, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid levels in the caudate nucleus and putamen. In contrast, the concentrations of five neuropeptides: [Met⁵]-enkephalin, [Leu⁵]-enkephalin, cholecystokinin, substance P and neurotensin as measured by a combined HPLC/RIA method, remained unaltered in all basal ganglia regions examined. Enkephalin precursor levels, as reflected by cryptic [Met⁵]-enkephalin content, were increased in the putamen, but not in the caudate nucleus, as a consequence of MPTP administration. Cryptic [Leu⁵]-enkephalin content remained unchanged in the striatum of MPTP treated marmosets. Overall, these results suggest an increase in striatal [Met⁵]-enkephalin release following chronic MPTP treatment of aged marmosets. However, the chronic treatment of aged marmosets with MPTP does not reproduce the neuropeptide alterations characteristic of Parkinson's disease.     

Chimeric cytotoxin IL2-PE40 inhibits relapsing experimental allergic encephalomyelitis.

IL2-PE40 is a chimeric protein composed of human interleukin-2 (IL2) genetically fused to a modified form of Pseudomonas exotoxin lacking the cell recognition domain. IL2-PE40 is cytotoxic for IL2 receptor-bearing lymphocytes in culture and can inhibit activation of T cells in vivo. IL2-PE40 can significantly diminish antigen-stimulated proliferation of lymphocytes sensitized to myelin basic protein. Intraperitoneal administration of IL2-PE40 not only markedly inhibits the clinical manifestations of adoptively transferred relapsing experimental allergic encephalomyelitis but also dramatically reduces both inflammation and demyelination characteristic of the disease.