5-Hydroxytryptamine 1a receptor agonists block prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle reflex.

Presentation of a nonstartling stimulus (prepulse) 100 msec before a startle-eliciting auditory stimulus (pulse) reduces startle reflex amplitude in mammals. Prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle reflex is smaller in schizophrenics than in nonschizophrenics, a phenomenon that has been hypothesized to reflect sensorimotor gating deficits underlying schizophrenic psychosis. Five 5-hydroxytryptamine1a (5-HT1a, serotonin) receptor agonists: 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino) tetraline (8-OHDPAT), 5-methoxydimethyltryptamine, buspirone, gepirone and ipsapirone, were tested for effects on prepulse inhibition and startle reflex amplitude in rats. All five agents reduced prepulse inhibition at doses that had no effect on startle reflex amplitude or motor activity. Reduction of prepulse inhibition by 8-OHDPAT was antagonized by (-)propranolol, a 5-HT1a receptor antagonist, and partially by haloperidol, a dopamine D2 receptor antagonist, but not by ketanserin or methysergide, 5-HT2 receptor antagonists. 8-OHDPAT did not reduce prepulse inhibition in subjects pretreated with reserpine or tetrabenazine to deplete neuronal amines, but interpretation of this result is complicated because reserpine and tetrabenazine given alone reduced prepulse inhibition. The results indicate that 5-HT1a receptor agonists block prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle reflex, possibly via dopaminergic mechanisms.     

Nutrition students improve attitudes after a guided experiential assignment with older adults

ObjectiveDevelop, implement, and evaluate an intervention (a guided experiential assignment) to improve nutrition students' attitudes toward working with older adults.DesignA quasi-experimental design with an additional qualitative component (mixed methods).SettingA North Central land-grant university.Participants100 college students from an upper-level community nutrition course.InterventionStudents were randomly assigned to conduct a guided experiential assignment (dietary behavior change project) working with either an older adult (intervention, n = 52) or a younger adult (comparison, n = 48). Each student conducted 3 client interviews and completed a project report by responding to reflective questions about changes in beliefs, values, and self-efficacy in working with older adults.Main outcomeThe primary outcome was attitudes toward older adults as changed in reference to students' beliefs, values, and self-efficacy in working with other adults. Additional outcomes were knowledge of aging and interest in working with older adults.AnalysisGeneral linear model multivariate/univariate analysis and content analysis were conducted on the quantitative and qualitative data, respectively.ResultsThe intervention group had significantly increased scores on attitudes toward older adults relative to the comparison group. This finding appeared as a result of changes in beliefs about older adults and the increased value and self-efficacy in working with this group by most students in the intervention group.Conclusion and implicationsCompletion of a guided experiential assignment with older adults in the community was an effective method to improve students' attitudes. Used in the curriculum for nutrition students, this technique might help to improve both attitudes toward and self-efficacy in working with older adults.     

A family study of homeland Korean alcohol use

Survey data were obtained from 199 homeland Korean families consisting of 199 sets of parents, and 300 college-age sons (162) and daughters (138). Data were obtained regarding quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption by users and of judgments of what constituted "normal" and "problem" alcohol use, flushing status, symptoms experienced following alcohol use, reasons for drinking given by users, and reasons for abstaining given by abstainers. Fathers and sons differed little in use status, but daughters were abstainers far less often than their mothers. Female users drank a good deal less than males, fathers and sons differed slightly, while daughters drank considerably more than their mothers. Own use was substantially correlated with judgments of the nature of normal use and far less related judgements of problem use. There was a significant difference in fast versus slow skin flushing. with a higher proportion of females being fast flushers. Fast flushers drank less than slow flushers and also judged lower amounts of consumption as being "normal." Fast flushers experienced more physical symptoms than slow flushers; persons who drank more experienced fewer symptoms. Males more than females, slow flushers more than fast flushers, and heavy more than light users of alcohol are more likely to endorse a variety of reasons for drinking. Reasons for not drinking differ little across family membership groups. Contemporary homeland Koreans drink less than would have been expected on the basis of prior research, even though there is a substantial generational difference among females, with daughters being less frequently abstainers and drinking more, and more often than their mothers.     

Carnitine treatment improved quality-of-life measure in a sample of Midwestern hemodialysis patients

BACKGROUND: Previously, we demonstrated that selected groups of hemodialysis patients might be more likely to have abnormalities of carnitine metabolism. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of carnitine therapy in these selected groups of hemodialysis patients on quality-of-life measures and erythropoietin dose. METHODS: This was a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial, in which 50 hemodialysis patients were treated with either 2 g i.v. carnitine or placebo. The treatment period was for 24 weeks. RESULTS: Thirty-four patients (15 in the treatment group) completed the study. The mean age was 69 +/- 15 years, 35% were women, and 44% had diabetes. Mean initial plasma total, free, short-chain acyl and long-chain acyl carnitine concentrations (micromol/L; mean +/- SEM) were 35.9 +/- 1.8, 18.2 +/- 1.1, 11.6 +/- 0.6, and 6.0 +/- 0.3, whereas the plasma acyl-to-free-carnitine ratio was 1.02 +/- 0.05. With respect to the Medical Outcomes Short Form-36 (SF-36), improvements from baseline were noted in the treatment group (n = 13) for role-physical (33.9 +/- 1.9 to 43.2 +/- 3.0, p < .05) and the SF-36 physical component summary score (36.1 +/- 2.7 to 39.7 +/- 2.3, p = .09) relative to changes in the control group (n = 14). The erythropoietin dose over the 24-week period was reduced from baseline in the treatment group relative to the placebo group (-1.62 +/- 0.91 vs 1.33 +/- 0.79 units erythropoietin/dry weight/hemoglobin concentration, respectively, p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: After 24 weeks of i.v. carnitine therapy, SF-36 scores were improved and erythropoietin doses were reduced in hemodialysis patients, relative to the control group.     

Validity of Prepregnancy Weight Status Estimated from Self-reported Height and Weight

The Institute of Medicine’s gestational weight gain guidelines are intended to reduce pregnancy complications, poor birth outcomes and excessive postpartum weight retention. The specific weight gain guidelines vary by prepregnancy weight status. We evaluated the validity of prepregnancy weight status (underweight, normal weight, overweight and obesity) classified from self-reported prepregnancy height and weight in reference to those from measured data during the first trimester of pregnancy and imputed data for both pregnant and age-matched non-pregnant women included in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003–2006. Self-reported prepregnancy weight status was validated by two ideal references: imputed data with the number of imputations as 10 (n = 5,040) using the data of age-matched non-pregnant women who had both self-reported and measured data, and weight status based on height and weight measured during the first trimester (n = 95). Mean differences, Pearson’s correlations (r), and Kappa statistics (κ) were used to examine the strength of agreement between self-reported data and the two reference measures. Mean (standard error of the mean) differences between self-reported versus imputed prepregnancy weight was ?1.7 (0.1) kg with an r = 0.98 (p < 0.001), and κ = 0.78 which indicate substantial agreement for the 504 pregnant women. Mean (SEM) differences between self-reported prepregnancy weight versus measured weight in the first trimester was ?2.3 (0.7) kg with r = 0.98 (p < 0.001), and κ = 0.76, which also showed substantial agreements in 95 pregnant women. Prepregnancy weight status classified based on self-reported prepregnancy height and weight was valid.     

Parental and Child Anxiety Perioperatively: Relationship,Repercussions, and Recommendations

PurposeElective surgical procedures predictably cause stress and anxiety for children and their parents. This can have a negative effect on the child's short-term and long-term psychological and physiological outcomes. This narrative review examines perioperative child anxiety and existing interventions to reduce child and parent perioperative anxiety. The aim was to identify a need and gaps in knowledge for future study.DesignPeer-reviewed articles were examined to identify themes in the literature on interventions in place to reduce child and parent perioperative anxiety and to identify any gaps in knowledge for future study.MethodsA narrative review of 62 peer-reviewed articles was conducted.FindingsEvidence of themes aimed at lowering perioperative child anxiety using medication, cognitive educational, and play therapy approaches emerged through the literature search. A relationship between parental anxiety and the effect on the child's anxiety was supported, yet interventions that target the parent were limited cognitive education interventions and were found to be implemented only in a small number of hospitals.ConclusionsA clear gap is the lack of research on the effects of parental interventions on the short-term and long-term negative behavioral and physiological outcomes of child perioperative anxiety. Research is needed to further explore the effect of a preoperative psychotherapeutic intervention to allow parents to express anxieties and discuss them with a trained professional in the absence of children. A systematic review or further research would help determine if a psychotherapeutic intervention for the parents would lower child anxiety perioperatively.     

United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention support for influenza surveillance, 2013–2021

ObjectiveTo assess the stability of improvements in global respiratory virus surveillance in countries supported by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) after reductions in CDC funding and with the stress of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.MethodsWe assessed whether national influenza surveillance systems of CDC-funded countries: (i) continued to analyse as many specimens between 2013 and 2021; (ii) participated in activities of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System; (iii) tested enough specimens to detect rare events or signals of unusual activity; and (iv) demonstrated stability before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used CDC budget records and data from the WHO Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System.FindingsWhile CDC reduced per-country influenza funding by about 75% over 10 years, the number of specimens tested annually remained stable (mean 2261). Reporting varied substantially by country and transmission zone. Countries funded by CDC accounted for 71% (range 61–75%) of specimens included in WHO consultations on the composition of influenza virus vaccines. In 2019, only eight of the 17 transmission zones sent enough specimens to WHO collaborating centres before the vaccine composition meeting to reliably identify antigenic variants.ConclusionGreat progress has been made in the global understanding of influenza trends and seasonality. To optimize surveillance to identify atypical influenza viruses, and to integrate molecular testing, sequencing and reporting of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 into existing systems, funding must continue to support these efforts.