Media, product differences and seasonality in alcohol advertising in 1997.

OBJECTIVE: To spell out recent events related to the alcohol advertising controversy and to describe the extent of alcohol advertising for 1 year, the media favored for advertising different types of alcoholic beverages and seasonal variation in advertising patterns. METHOD: Monthly advertising data for 1997 were obtained from a variety of sources, including a commercial media monitoring service, a watchdog group, and trade and business press. Media examined were national and local television, radio, magazines, newspapers and billboards. RESULTS: Alcohol advertising expenditures were greatest in the late spring/early summer and during the holiday season. Television received the preponderance of alcohol advertising dollars for beer, wine, wine coolers and premixed drinks. Distilled spirits relied mostly on magazine advertising. Beer was the most heavily advertised product. More than half of televised beer ads aired on Saturday or Sunday afternoon during sporting events. There were more radio and TV ads for premixed low-alcohol beverages--some of which contain distilled spirits and many using brand names of distilled spirits--than for higher proof distilled spirits. CONCLUSIONS: Public health officials can use the results to plan the month and media in which to launch messages against alcohol misuse, to directly counter pro-alcohol messages in advertising. They should monitor consumption and advertising of premixed beverages. Those concerned with the debate on alcohol advertising should note the access children have to beer ads when these ads are aired during weekend daytime sporting events, and that beer remains the greatest advertised beverage, despite the 1996 lifting of the broadcast advertising ban on distilled spirits.

Does psychiatric disorder affect the likelihood of violent offending? A critique of the major findings.

This paper reviews major studies that have examined a possible relationship between mental disorder and violent offending. Such studies have either examined (a) the prevalence of violence in the mentally disordered or (b) the prevalence of mental disorder among the violent. Indices of violence used include (a) arrest rate, (b) conviction rate and (c) prevalence of violent behaviour in psychiatric inpatients, representative community samples and birth cohorts. It is concluded that although the mentally disordered do face an elevated risk of violent behaviour/offending, this risk is largely confined to those suffering from severe or long-term psychotic symptoms or psychopathic disorders.

Cardiac hypertrophy alters myocardial response to ischaemia and reperfusion in vivo.

The impact of cardiac hypertrophy on myocardial biochemical and physiological responses to ischaemia-reperfusion (I-R) was investigated in vivo. Hypertrophy was produced by aortic constriction (PH) or swimming training (TH). Open-chest rat hearts in PH, TH and a sedentary control group (SC) were subjected: (1) to ischaemia, by surgical occlusion of the main descending branch of the left coronary artery for 30 min; (2) to I-R, by releasing the occluded blood vessel for 15 min; or (3) to a sham operation. Ischaemia per se had little effect on heart oxidative and antioxidant status, or lipid peroxidation. However, I-R significantly decreased glutathione (GSH) content, increased glutathione disulfide (GSSG) content, and reduced GSH/GSSG ratio in the SC hearts. These alterations were associated with decreased activities of GSH peroxidase and GSSG reductase, and an increase in lipid peroxidation. Myocardial ATP, total adenine nucleotide content and energy charge in SC were significantly decreased after ischaemia, whereas levels of purine nucleotide derivatives, particularly adenosine, were elevated. No significant alteration of GSH status of adenine nucleotide metabolism occurred after ischaemia or I-R in hypertrophied hearts. In both PH and TH, glutathione content was significantly higher than in SC, whereas activities of GSH peroxidase and GSSG reductases were lower. TH rats maintained a higher heart rate (HR), peak systolic pressure, and energy charge during I-R. These data indicate that hypertrophied but well-functioned hearts may be more resistant to I-R induced disturbances of myocardial oxidative and antioxidant functions.

Effects of Adriamycin on heart mitochondrial function in rested and exercised rats.

The effect of Adriamycin (ADM) administration on heart mitochondria was investigated in rats at rest and after an acute bout of maximal exercise. ADM was given intravenously at a dosage of 8 mg/kg body weight 24 and 1 hr before rats were decapitated. Respiratory functions of the isolated heart mitochondria were measured polarographically with both site 1 (pyruvate-malate and 2-oxoglutarate) and site 2 (succinate) substrates. State 4 (basal) respiration was increased using all substrates in ADM-treated rat hearts compared with non-drug control hearts. The mitochondrial respiratory control index was decreased with ADM, but the reduction was due to an increase in state 4 rather than a decrease of state 3 (ADP-stimulated) respiration. ADM administration abolished an exercise-induced elevation of state 3 respiration using all substrates. There was no significant myocardial oxidative damage of dysfunction as evaluated by lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzyme activity. Addition of exogenous free radicals to the respiratory medium using hypoxanthine and xanthine oxidase resulted in significant deterioration of mitochondrial function in all parameters measured, but no drug- or exercise-specific patterns of damage were revealed. It is concluded that the current dose of ADM (20% of the established cumulative toxic dose) administered within 24 hr can interfere with normal heart mitochondrial function both at rest and during heavy exercise, but does not elicit overwhelming oxidative damage to the myocardium.

Glutathione and antioxidant enzymes in skeletal muscle: effects of fiber type and exercise intensity.

Glutathione status and antioxidant enzymes in various types of rat skeletal muscle were studied after an acute bout of exercise (Ex) at different intensities. Glutathione (GSH) and glutathione disulfide (GSSG) concentrations were the highest in soleus (SO) muscle, followed by those in deep (DVL) and then superficial (SVL) portions of vastus lateralis. In DVL, but not in SO or SVL, muscle GSH increased proportionally with Ex intensity and reached 1.8 +/- 0.08 mumol/g wet wt compared with 1.5 +/- 0.03 (P < 0.05) in resting controls (R). GSSG in DVL was increased from 0.10 +/- 0.01 mumol/g wet wt in R to 0.14 +/- 0.01 (P < 0.05) after Ex. Total glutathione (GSH + GSSG) contents in DVL were also significantly elevated with Ex, whereas GSH/GSSG ratio was unchanged. Activities of GSH peroxidase (GPX), GSSG reductase (GR), and catalase (CAT) were significantly higher in SO than in DVL and SVL, but there was no difference in superoxide dismutase activity between the three muscle types. Furthermore, Ex at moderate intensities elicited significant increases in GPX, GR, and CAT activities in DVL muscle. None of the antioxidant enzymes was affected by exercise in SO. It is concluded that rat DVL muscle is particularly vulnerable to exercise-induced free radical damage and that a disturbance of muscle GSH status is indicative of an oxidative stress.

Progress in infection control in dental education.

While guidelines on proper infection control practices for dentistry have been available for over a decade, evidence suggests that recommended infection control practices are not universally employed in dentistry or dental education. A self-administered written survey was mailed to all U.S. dental schools in spring 1986 to assess the status of infection control curricula, standards, and practices. From the 47 schools that responded it is evident that, while progress is occurring in dental education relative to improved infection control standards and practice, much remains to be accomplished.

Survey of hepatitis B exposure and vaccination in volunteer dentists.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) serum markers were surveyed at the 1983, 1984, and 1985 ADA annual sessions, beginning the first year after the hepatitis B vaccine became available to the dental profession. Results from serum samples from 2,776 dentists in regard to increase in vaccination against HBV and the incidence of natural exposure to HBV during the 2-year study are discussed; data addressing the development of surface antibody after administration of the three-inoculation vaccine are presented.

Pulmonary absorption of drugs in the dog: comparison with other species.

To investigate the pulmonary absorption rate of drugs in the anesthetized beagle dog, 5 ml of drug solution was administered into the lungs by rapid injection through a tracheal cannula. After various times, lungs were removed and assayed for unabsorbed drug. The dog absorbed lipid-insoluble drugs such as p-aminohippuric acid, mannitol, and procainamide ethobromide at the same rate as the rat, two times more rapidly than the rabbit, and approximately 2-3 times more slowly than the mouse and guinea pig. In contrast, the dog absorbed a lipid-soluble drug like procainamide at the same rate as the other four species. The results suggest that pulmonary absorption rates measured in small laboratory animals can be used to predict absorption rates in large animals.

Species comparison of drug absorption from the lung after aerosol inhalation or intratracheal injection.

To compare the rates of pulmonary absorption of aerosolized and intratracheally injected drugs in the mouse, rabbit, and rat, anesthetized mice and rabbits prepared with a tracheal cannula inhaled a liquid aerosol or received an intratracheal injection of a drug solution by methods previously used in studies on the rat. Aerosols had mass median aerodynamic diameters in the range of 2.28-3.10 microm and geometric standard deviations in the range of 2.35-2.81. The volumes of solution injected intratracheally were approximately 2% of lung volume. At various times after drug administration, the lungs were removed and assayed for unabsorbed compound. Although the 12 drugs studied had widely different absorption rates, each was absorbed approximately 2 times more rapidly when inhaled as an aerosol than when administered by intratracheal injection, suggesting that absorption may be more rapid from the alveolar region than from the tracheobronchial region of the lung. With lipid-insoluble drugs, such as urea, benzylpenicillin, p-aminohippuric acid, mannitol, N-acetylprocainamide ethobromide, sucrose, and inulin, each was absorbed roughly 2.5 times faster in the mouse than in the rat, and roughly 2.5 times more slowly in the rabbit than in the rat. In contrast, with lipid-soluble drugs, such as antipyrine, salicylic acid, barbital, amitrole and procainamide, each was absorbed at about the same rate in all three species. The results suggest that the porosity of the pulmonary membrane is greatest in the mouse, lower in the rat, and lowest in the rabbit. The observed interspecies relationships in absorption rates suggest that it may be possible to predict the rate of absorption of a given drug in one species from data obtained for the same drug in another species.

A vaccine for type B hepatitis and its implications for dentistry.

A vaccine for type B (serum) hepatitis is available for individuals at high risk of acquiring the disease. The high-risk status of dental personnel to type B hepatitis is discussed. The safety and efficacy of the vaccine, its limitations relative to other types of hepatitis, and its role in preventing the disease are evaluated.

Behaviors of dentists in regard to dental and medical appointments. ADA Health Foundation Research Institute.

During the Health Screening Program at the ADA's annual session, 1,160 dentists completed questionnaires about their personal medical and dental visits within the past year. Findings from this study were compared with findings from other surveys of these behaviors in the general population. Results indicated that dentists visited dentists more often than did members of the general population. Dentists' visits to physicians were fewer than those reported by the general population.