Changes in alcohol consumption patterns following the introduction of credit cards in Ontario liquor stores.

OBJECTIVE: In 1994, regulatory changes were introduced in Ontario, Canada, permitting the purchase of alcoholic beverages with credit cards at government-operated liquor stores. Two objectives of this study were: (1) to compare the characteristics of credit card shoppers with non credit card shoppers at liquor stores, and (2) to assess whether changes occurred in alcohol consumption patterns among shoppers following the introduction of credit cards. METHOD: Random digit dialing was used to interview 2,039 telephone participants prior to the introduction of credit cards (Time 1); 1,401 of these subjects were contacted 1 year later (Time 2). Independent sample t tests were used to compare credit card shoppers with shoppers not using credit cards, and paired t tests were performed to assess whether drinking behaviors changed from Time 1 to Time 2. RESULTS: The credit card shoppers were more likely than the non credit card shoppers to be highly educated (p < .001) and to have high incomes (p < .05). Credit card shoppers drank an average of 6.3 drinks over the previous week compared with 4.0 drinks among non credit card shoppers (p < .01). Although the overall amount of alcohol consumed among credit card shoppers dropped from 6.7 drinks at Time 1 to 6.3 at Time 2 (NS), credit card shoppers reported drinking significantly more often after credit cards were introduced (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that credit cards may not present public health problems since significant increases in alcohol consumption among credit card shoppers were not found.

The Cardiovascular Health Education Program: assessing the impact on rural and urban adolescents' health knowledge.

In this research study, a quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used to assess the impact of the Cardiovascular Health Education Program (CHEP) on the cardiovascular health knowledge of grade eight adolescents. A total of 146 adolescents participated in study, with 88 in the experimental group and 58 in the control group. One-hundred two of the adolescents resided in a rural region and 44 resided in an urban region in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The findings from this study indicate that the CHEP did have a significant positive impact on the cardiovascular health knowledge of the rural adolescents, but it did not have a comparable impact on the cardiovascular health knowledge of the urban adolescents. The findings also indicate that there was no significant difference between rural and urban cardiovascular health knowledge prior to implementing the program. These findings support the need for implementation of the CHEP within this population. This study also shows that nurses can design, implement, and evaluate community-based health promotion programs for targeted populations.

An assessment of the Cardiovascular Health Education Program in primary health care.

Primary health care is an effective means of improving health for all while at the same time containing rising health care costs. In an effort to improve the health of one community, the Cardiovascular Health Education Program (CHEP) was implemented in a study of 44 eighth-grade adolescents. The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of the CHEP on adolescents' cardiovascular health knowledge. It was found that participants' knowledge improved significantly, whereas a control group showed no comparable improvement. This study showed that community-based health education programs for targeted populations can influence health knowledge.

Reimbursement warfare: who loses?

The challenge facing healthcare providers is to maximize available reimbursement to cover home care and outpatient management for a growing number of oncology patients who no longer meet inpatient criteria.

Peptide sweeteners. 3. Effect of modifying the peptide bond on the sweet taste of L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester and its analogues.

A series of analogues designed to assess the importance of the amide bond in the dipeptide sweetener L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester has been synthesized and tested. The peptide bond was methylated, replaced by an ester bond, or reversed. all of these modifications produced compounds that did not have a sweet taste. We conclude that the steric, electronic, and directional characteristics of the amide bond are essential for biological activity in the dipeptide sweeteners.

Polycystic ovaries associated with congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

Polycystic ovaries were found in a 16-year-old female with congenital absence of vagina, male-like external genitalia, and congenital adrenal hyperplasia. Masculinization was sufficiently severe to cause the patient to be reared as a male. Biochemical studies of ovarian tissue revealed hyperactivity and an imbalance of enzyme systems concerned with steroid-hormone biosynthesis, which led to production of large amounts of androgens. The pathway towards estrogens was preserved but less efficient than normal. Urinary steroid metabolites before and after hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy revealed an absence of Porter-Silber chromogens and tetrahydrocortisone. Excretion of aldosterone was normal and that of corticosterone slightly higher than normal. The patterns of urinary 17-ketosteroids, pregnanediol, pregnanetriol and pregnanetriolone were similar to those commonly seen in congenital adrenal hyperplasia with steroid 21-hydroxylase deficiency. Urinary estrogens after panhysterectomy were low, being in the post-menopausal range. The pathogenesis of polycystic ovaries and their possible contribution to masculinization are discussed.