Levels of metals in hair of young children as an indicator of environmental pollution

In 1982 the levels of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), vanadium (V), copper (Cu), and selenium (Se) were determined in hair of 231 four- to five-year-old children. The objective was to explore the feasibility of using metal-in-hair levels in groups of children as an indicator of environmental pollution. The study was carried out in four areas, which were assumed to differ in ambient pollution by metals. A questionnaire on personal data, socioeconomic status, intake of beverages, and life-style was completed by the parents. The metal-in-hair levels covered a large range. The variables pertaining to location together with sex, presence of a garden, and drinking of coffee and/or tea explained 32% of the variance of Pb, 24% of the variance of Cd, and 21% of the variance of V. The total variance explained by all measured questionnaire items was at best 38%. The location was the most important factor. Cu and Se levels did not differ between the locations.     

The World Health Organization study on health effects of exposure to cadmium: morbidity studies.

Studies according to the protocol of the WHO Regional Office for Europe were performed in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. Pilot studies were performed in Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland. The results of the Belgian study are described elsewhere; some striking results of the other studies are reported here. The highest levels of cadmium in blood (Cd-B) were reported in a cadmium-polluted area in Hungary, the lowest in a non-polluted urban area. In Poland, levels were enhanced in polluted and non-polluted areas. The highest levels of cadmium in urine (Cd-U) were found in Hungary, the lowest in the Netherlands. In nearly all the studies significant increases in both Cd-B and Cd-U were found in cadmium-polluted areas. The picture is less clear with regard to the biological effect parameters. The renal parameters were sometimes significantly enhanced for the polluted areas, but sometimes the opposite was reported. Because of the many confounding variables, stratification at least by smoking behaviour, sex and age is necessary if firm conclusions are to be reached. A better approach, however, is to use multivariate regression analysis. This technique allowed the calculation of the relation between Cd-U and age in the German and Dutch studies, and between Cd-U and age in the German and Dutch studies, and between Cd-U and NAG, AAP, Alb-U and Creat-S levels.     

Peri-implant bone preservation of a novel,self-cutting,and fully tapered implant in the healed crestal ridge of minipigs: submerged vs. transgingival healing

Clinical Oral Investigations - The aim of this study was to assess the influence of transgingival compared with submerged healing on peri-implant bone maintenance around a novel, fully tapered...     

Response to TRH in suspected hypopituitarism.

A retrospective analysis was made of 405 thyrotrophin-releasing hormone (TRH) stimulation tests on children who were successful applicants for growth hormone (GH) therapy in the UK between 1977 and 1981 inclusive. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) responses to TRH were divided into normal and those indicating pituitary or hypothalamic disease on the basis of criteria which eliminated variation in TSH assay between laboratories. Among children known to be hypothyroid 93% had abnormal TRH stimulation tests, but 35% of those children who were clinically euthyroid and who had normal serum thyroxin levels also had abnormal TSH responses to TRH. Abnormal TRH tests in the latter group were most common in euthyroid children who had GH deficiency with clearly defined aetiology and least common in those with idiopathic GH deficiency. Further work is required to clarify the interpretation of an abnormal TRH stimulation test in this group of children, but until this is done, such patients should be kept under regular review with respect to thyroid function.     

Time-dependent reduction in Abeta levels after intracranial LPS administration in APP transgenic mice

Inflammation has been argued to play a primary role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) activates the innate immune system, triggering gliosis and inflammation when injected in the central nervous system. In studies described here, APP transgenic mice were injected intrahippocampally with 4 or 10 microg of LPS and evaluated 1, 3, 7, 14, or 28 days later. Abeta load was significantly reduced at 3, 7, and 14 days but surprisingly returned near baseline 28 days after the injection. No effects of LPS on congophilic amyloid deposits could be detected. LPS also activated both microglia and astrocytes in a time-dependent manner. The GFAP astrocyte reaction and the Fcgamma receptor microglial reaction peaked at 7 days after LPS injection, returning to baseline by 2 weeks postinjection. When stained for CD45, microglial activation was detected at all time points, although the morphology of these cells transitioned from an ameboid to a ramified and bushy appearance between 7 and 14 days postinjection. These results indicate that activation of brain glia can rapidly and transiently clear diffuse Abeta deposits but has no effect on compacted fibrillar amyloid.     

Recruitment rates and reasons for community physicians' non-participation in an interdisciplinary intervention study on leg ulceration

Background  

This article describes the challenges a research team experienced recruiting physicians within a randomised controlled trial about leg ulcer care that seeks to foster the cooperation between the medical and nursing professions. Community-based physicians in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, were recruited for an interdisciplinary intervention designed to enhance leg ulcer patients' self-care agency. The aim of this article is to investigate the success of different recruitment strategies employed and reasons for physicians' non-participation.     

Effect of upper eyelid blepharoplasty on corneal biomechanical,topographic and tomographic parameters 4 weeks after surgery

International Ophthalmology - To investigate the effect of “skin-only” upper eyelid blepharoplasty on corneal biomechanics and central as well as peripheral topographic/tomographic...     

Developing a nurse-led education program to enhance self-care agency in leg ulcer patients

Patients with leg ulceration face changing self-care demands associated with the consequences of the disease and treatment. Often patients can manage their self-care for some time, but new therapeutic self-care demands may emerge that require more complex self-care actions. The purpose of this article is to describe the development of a nurse-led education program in North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany, that aims to help patients with leg ulcers to meet their therapeutic self-care demands. Orem's self-care deficit nursing theory is used as a framework to provide the conceptual context for this supportive-educative nursing system that is being tested in a multi-site clinical trial.     

Ethical issues experienced by mental health nurses in the administration of antipsychotic depot and long‐acting intramuscular injections: A qualitative study

The ethical issues experienced by mental health nurses in administering antipsychotic depot and long‐acting intramuscular injections (LAI) were explored in the present study. Mental health nurses face ethically‐difficult situations when administering these medications. A phenomenological research method guided by Max van Manen's human science approach describes and interprets the ethical issues involved in performing the procedure. Purposive and snowball sampling was used to select eight participants from two mental health hospitals. Semistructured interviews were carried out to collect data. A thematic analysis was conducted on the data. The four main themes that emerged from the analyses were: (i) lack of alternatives; (ii) safety; (iii) feeling uncomfortable; and (iv) difficulty maintaining the therapeutic relationship. The findings suggest that mental health nurses face ethical challenges in administering LAI. The findings raise much needed awareness of the need for mental health nurses and nurse educators to consider the ethical issues experienced while performing the procedure. There is a need for nurse education providers and organizations to provide opportunities for mental health nurses to address their ‘lived experiences’. Educational courses are needed to equip mental health nurses with the technical and critical thinking skills to administer safe and effective antipsychotic depot and LAI.