Effects of Age, Parity, and Adherence on Pelvic Muscle Response to Exercise

OBJECTIVE: To examine factors that affect pelvic muscle response to 12 weeks of pelvic muscle exercise. DESIGN: Repeated measures design in which intravaginal pressures during pelvic muscle contractions were recorded at baseline and after four exercise levels. SETTING: College of Nursing research site in Gainesville, Florida. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty-five parous, community-dwelling women, aged 35-78 years and without incontinence as a primary concern. INTERVENTIONS: A 12-week graded program of regular (three times per week, every other day) pelvic muscle exercise at home. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The hypotheses were that younger age, lower parity, higher baseline intravaginal pressures, and adherence to the pelvic muscle exercise program each would result in significant improvement in maximum intravaginal pressures. RESULTS: The only factor showing significance in predicting a successful outcome was age (t = -2.29, df = 41, one-tail probability = .0136). CONCLUSIONS: Regular, graded exercise over several weeks is needed to build pelvic muscles, and some women who exercise do not improve. Although the reasons for not improving are unclear, age is a significant factor.     

THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN COELIAC DISEASE,DERMATITIS HERPETIFORMIS AND CERTAIN HLA-ANTIGENS IN ICELANDERS

Twenty-eight cases of coeliac disease (CD) and seven of dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) have been verified in Iceland. Standard serological techniques were used for HLA typing. Twenty-five individuals with CD were typed, 21 (84%) of whom carried DR3, DQ2. Twelve of these 25 (48%) had DR3, DR7, DQ2, which makes them possibly homozygous for DQ2, and suggests that homozygosity of DQ2 increases the risk for CD. The four DH patients that were typed all had HLA-B8, DR3, DQ2. It is concluded that CD and DH are associated with DR3, DQZ in Icelanders.     

Rapid Administration of High-Dose Human Antibody Fab Fragments to Dogs: Pharmacokinetics and Toxicity

Rapid Administration of High-Dose Human Antibody Fab Fragmentsto Dogs: Pharmacokinetics and Toxicity. Keyler, D. E., Salerno,D. M., Murakami, M. M., Ruth, G., and Pentel, P. R. (1991).Fundam. Appl Toxicol 17, 83-91. The treatment of drug overdosewith drug-specific antibody fragments may require very highantibody doses. To address the feasibility of this therapy,we studied the pharmacokinetics and toxicity of high-dose humannonspecific Fab fragments in beagles. Three dogs received 5.3g/kg Fab iv over 1 hr. Because nephrotoxicity was observed,three subsequent dogs received 3.2 g/kg. The fraction of theFab dose excreted in urine (10 ± 6%%) was lower thanreported values for either high or low doses of Fab in otherspecies. The terminal serum elimination half-life (42 hr forthe higher and 48 hr for the lower dose) was also longer thanreported values for other species, due to lower renal and nonrenalFab clearance. Fab administration was tolerated without adversehemodynamic effects. One of three dogs at each dose developedtransient oliguria. All dogs developed a transient but markedincrease in the serum creatinine concentration. At 2 weeks creatinineclearance had returned to normal. Urinary protein and albuminexcretion at 2 weeks were within the normal range for dogs butwere increased over their baseline values. The histology ofall organs was normal at 3 weeks by light microscopy, and renalhistology by electron microscopy was also normal. The mechanismof Fab nephrotoxicity, not observed previously with high-doseFab in rats or lower doses of Fab in other species includingdogs, is not clear. These data suggest that further study ofthe potential toxicity of high-dose Fab, and its reversibility,is needed to assess the feasibility of treating drug overdosewith this antibody fragment The long terminal half-life of high-doseFab in the dog and its low renal clearance contrast with valuesobserved with lower doses of Fab in other species but wouldnot be expected to preclude the use of high-dose Fab for drugoverdose.