Trends in Folic Acid Awareness and Behavior in the United States: The Gallup Organization for the March of Dimes Foundation Surveys, 1995–2005

Objective: To summarize changes in folic acid awareness, knowledge, and behavior among women of childbearing age in the United States since the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) 1992 folic acid recommendation and later fortification. Methods: Random-digit dialed telephone surveys were conducted of approximately 2000 women (per survey year) aged 18–45 years from 1995–2005 in the United States. Results: The percentage of women reporting having heard or read about folic acid steadily increased from 52% in 1995 to 84% in 2005. Of all women surveyed in 2005, 19% knew folic acid prevented birth defects, an increase from 4% in 1995. The proportion of women who reported learning about folic acid from health care providers increased from 13% in 1995 to 26% in 2005. The proportion of all women who reported taking a vitamin supplement containing folic acid increased slightly from 28% in 1995 to 33% in 2005. Among women who were not pregnant at the time of the survey in 2005, 31% reported taking a vitamin containing folic acid daily compared with 25% in 1995. Conclusions: The percentage of women taking folic acid daily has increased modestly since 1995. Despite this increase, the data show that the majority of women of childbearing age still do not take a vitamin containing folic acid daily. Health care providers and maternal child health professionals must continue to promote preconceptional health among all women of childbearing age, and encourage them to take a vitamin containing folic acid daily.

     

Expression of p170 protein in multiple myeloma: a clinical study.

The expression of the p170 multidrug resistance protein by bone marrow plasma cells (BMPC) was assessed at clinical presentation in 53 patients with multiple myeloma (MM) using the C219 monoclonal antibody. Twenty-two of the 53 (41 per cent) patients had variable aliquots (1-60 per cent, median = 6 per cent) of p170+ BMPC by immunocytochemistry. Five of 10 patients studied using bivariate flow cytometry had both diploid and hyperdiploid (DNA index ranged from 1.2 to 1.5) BMPC with hyperdiploid clones having significantly greater p170 expression than diploid ones. Of the 37 patients evaluated for a response, 20 (54 per cent) had responded to induction chemotherapy. The presence of p170+ BMPC was a negative indicator for achieving response. The response rate was 75 per cent for p170- and 25 per cent for p170+ cases (p < 0.01), with no difference on the basis of treatment schedule (melphalan and prednisone, 24 patients; peptichemio, vincristine and prednisone, 13 patients). No difference in response and survival duration was found between p170+ and p170- patients. In six of nine patients studied both at diagnosis and following induction chemotherapy the p170+ BMPC% increased irrespective of the type of treatment or outcome.     

Novel poly(urethane-aminoamides): an in vitro study of the interaction with heparin

In order to obtain heparin-binding polyurethanes, tertiary amino-groups have been introduced in the polymer backbone by attributing a key-role to the chain extender, i.e. substituting butanediol, commonly used in polyurethane synthesis, with a tailor-made diamino-diamide-diol. In this work a poly(ether-urethane-aminoamide) (PEU/PIME/al) was obtained with poly(oxytetramethylene) glycol 2000, 1,6-hexamethylene-diisocyanate and the new chain extender, in the molar ratio 1:2:1. The heparin binding capacity of PEU/PIME/al was evaluated with 125I labelled heparin, using for comparison the analogous polymer obtained with a diamide-diol (i.e. the poly(ether-urethane-amide) PEU/PIBLO/al), and two commercially available biomedical polyurethanes (Pellethane 2363 and Corethane). pH and ionic strength dependence of the heparin uptake were investigated by treating all the polyurethanes with solutions of 125I heparin into buffers from pH 4 to 9 or NaCl molarity from 0.0 to 1.0. The stability of the interaction with bound heparin was investigated by sequential washing treatments (PBS, 1 N NaOH, 2% SDS solution), then analysing the residual radioactivity on the materials. Results indicated that the heparin binding of PEU/PIME/al is significantly higher and more stable than that of the other polyurethanes, with a time-dependent kinetic. The interaction with heparin appears to be prevalently ionic, with the contribution of other electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. Activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), performed on human plasma with polyurethane-coated, heparinized test tubes, indicated that bound heparin maintains its biological activity after the adsorption.     

Improved overall survival in dendritic cell vaccination-induced immunoreactive subgroup of advanced melanoma patients

Background  

We present our experience of therapeutic vaccination using dendritic cells (DC) pulsed with autologous tumor antigens in patients with advanced melanoma.     

A serologic follow-up of the 1942 epidemic of post-vaccination hepatitis in the United States Army

An epidemic of icteric hepatitis in 1942 affected approximately 50,000 U.S. Army personnel. This outbreak was linked to specific lots of yellow-fever vaccine stabilized with human serum. To identify the responsible virus and the consequences of the epidemic, during 1985 we interviewed and serologically screened 597 veterans who had been in the army in 1942. These subjects were selected from three groups. Group I consisted of patients who had received the implicated vaccine and had jaundice; Group II had received the implicated vaccine but remained well; Group III had received a new, serum-free vaccine, with no subsequent jaundice. Ninety-seven percent of Group I, 76 percent of Group II, and 13 percent of Group III were positive for antibodies to hepatitis B virus. Only one subject had hepatitis B surface antigen, for a carrier rate of 0.26 percent among recipients of the implicated vaccine. The prevalence of hepatitis A antibody was similar in all three groups, and no subject had antibody to hepatitis delta virus. We conclude that hepatitis B caused the outbreak, that about 330,000 persons may have been infected, that the hepatitis B virus carrier state was a rare consequence, and that the outbreak induced hepatitis B antibodies that appear to persist for life.     

Prognostic relevance of postirradiation lymphocyte reactivity in breast cancer patients

The prognostic relevance of phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and purified protein derivative (PPD) lymphocyte reactivity at diagnosis and after radiotherapy was evaluated in breast cancer patients. The patients were followed up to 13 years and the prognostic value expressed as ratios between observed number of deaths and "estimated" number of deaths under the null hypothesis. There was no significant association between the initial PHA and PPD reactivity and the survival of the patients. On the other hand, mortality up to 8 years after radiotherapy was significantly higher for patients with low PHA and PPD reactivity at completion of treatment. Furthermore, patients who had higher than average PPD reactivity 6 to 10 months after radiotherapy, seemed to have a higher survival rate. The prognostic relevance of postirradiation lymphocyte reactivity was only to some extent explained by clinical stage.     

Automatic differential blood counting in plasma cell leukemia

The authors report a case of primary plasma cell leukemia and two cases of multiple myeloma with a large number of circulating plasma cells. The display of Technicon H-1 shows a very high "cloud" in the area of large unstained cells. A massive invasion of the basophil area was not found. Differences between these results and those found in different lymphoid leukemias are discussed.     

Whole Grain Consumption and Breast Cancer: A Case-Control Study in Women

Objective: Whole grain consumption has long been associated with human health. However, its relationship with breast cancer remains not well understood and appreciated. The aim of this work was to evaluate the association between whole grain consumption and breast cancer in women. Methods: A case-control study was designed. Two hundred and fifty consecutive, newly diagnosed breast cancer female patients (56 ± 12 years) and 250 one-to-one age-matched controls were enrolled. A standardized, validated questionnaire assessing various sociodemographic, clinical, lifestyle, and dietary characteristics was applied through face-to-face interviews. Moreover, data on regular consumption of whole grains (i.e., never/rarely, 1–6 times/week, >7 times/week) were recorded. Overall dietary habits were assessed through the level of adherence to the Mediterranean diet using the MedDietScore (theoretical range 0–55). Results: Whole grain consumption of more than 7 times/week was associated with a 0.49-fold (odds ratio = 0.49; 95% confidence interval, 0.29, 0.82) lower likelihood of having breast cancer, after adjustments were made. Conclusions: This study suggested that whole grain consumption more than 7 times/week was consistently associated with reduced risk of breast cancer.     

Living Organ Donations: A Comparison Between the Positions of National Bioethics Committees

Numerous documents have been published by the national bioethics committees of the European Union and Council of Europe member countries on the subject of organ transplantation. The present paper examines those that address the question of living donation with a focus on kidney grafts. Although it is not possible to ensure absolute completeness since not all the documents produced over the years are accessible and English translations are often lacking, this review covered evaluations of the most significant ones. There has been a preponderance of attention to the issue of informed consent, while the issue of donor risk has been addressed only summarily, if at all.