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1.
Pediatr Obes ; 8(4): 249-54, 2013 Aug.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-23630060

ABSTRACT

The consumption of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) beverages has increased since the 1970s. At the same time, childhood obesity is on the rise, causing children to be at risk of heart disease, diabetes and other diseases. Healthcare providers have attributed childhood obesity to the consumption of HFCS in the form of beverages. This article will look at the available research and determine if there is scientific evidence underlying the idea that sweetened soft drinks, especially those containing HFCS, could cause or contribute to childhood obesity. A thorough literature search was performed using the ISI Web of Sciences, PubMed and Scopus databases within the years 2006-2012. The search generated 19 results. The articles were screened, and six were deemed eligible: four systematic reviews and two meta-analyses. Two systematic reviews found that there is no relationship between consumption of HFCS beverages and obesity in children. The other two systematic reviews found possible links between HFCS and childhood obesity. The meta-analysis articles found that consumption of HFCS beverages can contribute to childhood obesity, and limitation of sweetened beverages may help decrease obesity in children. Available research studies demonstrate inconclusive scientific evidence definitively linking HFCS to obesity in children.


Subject(s)
Beverages/adverse effects , Dietary Carbohydrates/adverse effects , Fructose/adverse effects , Pediatric Obesity/epidemiology , Carbonated Beverages/adverse effects , Child , Humans , Pediatric Obesity/prevention & control , Risk Factors , Sweetening Agents/adverse effects , United States
2.
Article in English | AIM (Africa) | ID: biblio-1266528

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To evaluate challenges; attitudes and practices among spectacle wearers to effect positive change when necessary; and determine positive change in a resource-limited economy. Materials and Methods: A multi-hospital descriptive; cross sectional survey of spectacle wearers was conducted between May 2007 and December 2008 in Nigeria. Results: A total of 214 wearers comprising 43.5males and 56.5females aged 18-84 years were surveyed. The majority of subjects (92.6) had at least secondary education. The wearers' challenges included expensive spectacles (43.0); falling/ scratched/broken lenses (29.4) and fear that spectacles would damage the eyes (23.8). The wearers' attitudes were comprised of consultations with 'road side dispensers' (7) and permitting other individuals to select spectacle frames for them (26). Care and maintaince practices included use of handkerchief; tissue paper; fingers and water to clean spectacles (49.5) and placing spectacles inside spectacle cases (30.4). There were no associations (P 0.05) between gender or literacy levels and who selected the frames for the subjects; caregivers consulted for spectacles; and cleaning materials for spectacles. The placement of spectacles when not in use was significantly associated (P 0.05) with the wearers' gender and literacy levels but not with the length of spectacle wear. Conclusion: Attitudes and practices requiring positive change crossed gender and educational levels among spectacle wearers. The cost of spectacles should be regulated and availability of standard eye care practices would reduce challenges including lens-related defects and quackery. During consultation with a recognized eye care professional; counseling of wearers on positive attitudes/practices as well as allaying fear of spectacle wear is required


Subject(s)
Attitude , Eyeglasses
3.
Adv Exp Med Biol ; 625: 33-47, 2008.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-18365657

ABSTRACT

Kinetoplastid parasites are responsible for the potentially fatal diseases leishmaniasis, African sleeping sickness and Chagas disease. The current treatments for these diseases are far from ideal and new compounds are needed as antiparasitic drug candidates. Tubulin is the accepted target for treatments against cancer and helminths, suggesting that kinetoplastid tubulin is also a suitable target for antiprotozoal compounds. Selective lead compounds against kinetoplastid tubulin have been identified that could represent a starting point for the development of new drug candidates against these parasites.


Subject(s)
Trypanocidal Agents/pharmacology , Trypanosomatina/drug effects , Tubulin/metabolism , Animals , DNA, Kinetoplast/chemistry , DNA, Kinetoplast/drug effects , DNA, Kinetoplast/metabolism , Tubulin/chemistry , Tubulin/drug effects
4.
Curr Drug Targets ; 8(1): 61-74, 2007 Jan.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-17266531

ABSTRACT

A recent resurgence in the use of compounds to study essential biological processes raises important questions concerning the link between fundamental research and drug development. This article discusses many of the issues involved, in the context of host cell invasion and egress by parasites of the Phylum Apicomplexa. In addition, an overview of the key steps in invasion and egress is provided with a particular emphasis on potential parasite protein drug targets.


Subject(s)
Drug Delivery Systems/methods , Drug Delivery Systems/trends , Animals , Apicomplexa/drug effects , Humans , Protozoan Infections/drug therapy , Protozoan Infections/prevention & control
5.
Parasitology ; 128 Suppl 1: S71-9, 2004.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-16454900

ABSTRACT

High throughput technologies continue to develop in response to the challenges set by the genome projects. This article discusses how the techniques of both high throughput screening (HTS) and synthesis can influence research in parasitology. Examples of the use of targeted and phenotype-based HTS using unbiased compound collections are provided. The important issue of identifying the protein target(s) of bioactive compounds is discussed from the synthetic chemist's perspective. This article concludes by reviewing recent examples of successful target identification studies in parasitology.


Subject(s)
Combinatorial Chemistry Techniques/methods , Parasitology/methods , Proteomics/methods , Protozoan Proteins/analysis , Animals
7.
Neurotoxicol Teratol ; 23(6): 519-31, 2001.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-11792522

ABSTRACT

The present study tested the hypothesis that early lead (Pb) exposure causes lasting attentional dysfunction. Long-Evans dams were fed Pb-adulterated water during gestation and/or lactation; the offspring were tested as adults. The results of a visual discrimination task revealed no Pb effects on learning rate or information-processing speed. However, lasting effects of the early Pb exposure were seen in the subsequent vigilance tasks, particularly in the final task in which onset of the visual cue and cue duration varied randomly across trials. Exposure during both gestation and lactation impaired response initiation. In addition, animals exposed to Pb during lactation only or lactation+gestation committed significantly more omission errors than controls under two specific conditions: (1) trials in which a delay was imposed prior to cue presentation and (2) trials that followed an incorrect response. The pattern of treatment differences indicated that early Pb exposure produced lasting impairment of sustained attention and increased reactivity to errors. Both effects may contribute to the cognitive impairment, problematic classroom behaviors, and increased delinquency associated with early Pb exposure in children. These findings also demonstrate that the developmental timing of the exposure determines the pattern of effects. Thus, conclusions regarding whether or not a particular cognitive or affective function is impaired or spared by early Pb exposure must be limited to the specific timing and intensity of exposure.


Subject(s)
Discrimination Learning/drug effects , Lead/toxicity , Administration, Oral , Animals , Body Weight/drug effects , Female , Lead/blood , Male , Pregnancy , Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects , Rats , Rats, Long-Evans , Reaction Time/drug effects , Time Factors
8.
Behav Neurosci ; 114(4): 725-38, 2000 Aug.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-10959532

ABSTRACT

This study assessed the effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on cognitive functioning, using an intravenous (IV) rodent model that closely mimics the pharmacokinetics seen in humans after smoking or IV injection and that avoids maternal stress and undernutrition. Cocaine-exposed males were significantly impaired on a 3-choice, but not 2-choice, olfactory serial reversal learning task. Both male and female cocaine-exposed rats were significantly impaired on extradimensional shift tasks that required shifting from olfactory to spatial cues; however, they showed no impairment when required to shift from spatial to olfactory cues. In-depth analyses of discrete learning phases implicated deficient selective attention as the basis of impairment in both tasks. These data provide clear evidence that prenatal cocaine exposure produces long-lasting cognitive dysfunction, but they also underscore the specificity of the impairment.


Subject(s)
Attention/drug effects , Cocaine/toxicity , Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects , Reversal Learning/drug effects , Serial Learning/drug effects , Animals , Discrimination Learning/drug effects , Female , Male , Mental Recall/drug effects , Orientation/drug effects , Pregnancy , Rats , Rats, Long-Evans , Sex Factors , Smell/drug effects
9.
Neurotoxicol Teratol ; 22(3): 337-45, 2000.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-10840177

ABSTRACT

Long-Evans rats exposed chronically to lead (Pb) acetate (0, 75, or 300 ppm) were tested as adults on an automated, three-choice visual discrimination task as part of a larger study designed to elucidate the cognitive effects of developmental Pb exposure. Median adult BPb levels for the groups were <5, 20, and 36 microgram/dl. The pattern of results suggested a linear effect, with increasing lead dose producing progressively slower learning and an increased incidence of "impaired" individuals. This latter measure proved to be slightly more sensitive than the former, suggesting individual differences in susceptibility to Pb neurotoxicity. Additional analyses revealed that the impairing effect of Pb was seen in both the chance and post-chance learning phases, indicating that the deficit was not limited to (but could include) attentional function. Reaction time on incorrect trials was reduced in the 300-ppm group, whereas no Pb effect was seen for correct trials. The present findings suggest that chronic developmental Pb exposure produces an associative deficit as well as a tendency to respond rapidly, but does not affect information-processing speed.


Subject(s)
Discrimination, Psychological/drug effects , Lead/toxicity , Learning/drug effects , Reaction Time/drug effects , Visual Perception/drug effects , Animals , Association Learning/drug effects , Body Weight/drug effects , Cognition/drug effects , Cues , Discrimination Learning/drug effects , Environment , Female , Lead/pharmacokinetics , Psychomotor Performance/drug effects , Rats , Rats, Long-Evans
10.
Neurotoxicol Teratol ; 22(2): 151-64, 2000.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-10758344

ABSTRACT

Long-Evans dams were exposed to Pb acetate in the drinking water during both gestation and lactation, or lactation only. This report presents the results of an automated, olfactory, serial reversal task administered to the adult offspring. Although overall learning rate was not significantly affected by Pb exposure, analyses of specific phases of the learning process revealed that all three exposed groups required significantly more trials than controls to reach criterion from the point at which perseverative responding to the previously correct cue ended. These in-depth analyses revealed that the reversal learning impairment of the Pb-exposed animals was not due to a deficit in inhibiting responses to the previously correct cue, the mechanism commonly assumed to underlie impaired reversal learning. Instead, the analyses revealed that two other independent Pb effects were responsible for the prolonged postperseverative learning period: a response bias and an impaired ability to associate cues and/or actions with affective consequences. The contribution of these two factors varied as a function of the timing and intensity of the Pb exposure. It is hypothesized that the Pb-induced associative deficit may reflect lasting damage to the amygdala and/or nucleus accumbens, which comprise a system thought to modulate the process by which environmental cues acquire affective significance.


Subject(s)
Association Learning , Lead Poisoning , Learning Disabilities/etiology , Motivation , Pregnancy Complications , Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects , Animals , Body Weight , Female , Lead/blood , Litter Size , Male , Pregnancy , Rats , Rats, Long-Evans
11.
Biol Neonate ; 77(1): 37-44, 2000.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-10658829

ABSTRACT

Clinical use of nitric oxide (NO) is usually in conjunction with high oxygen concentrations, the effects of which may include lung neutrophil accumulation, apoptosis and upregulation of antioxidant enzyme activity. To define the effects of NO on neutrophils from young piglets and its relationship to lung neutrophil dynamics during hyperoxia we exposed thirty piglets to room air (RA), RA+NO (50 ppm NO), O2 (FiO2> or =0.96) or O2+NO for 5 days. Ten additional animals breathed RA+NO or O2+NO, then recovered in RA for 3 days before sacrifice. Neutrophil CD18 and intracellular oxidant production were measured by flow cytometry. Lung apoptosis were assessed by TUNEL assay. Lung myeloperoxidase, SOD and catalase were measured biochemically. When compared to RA group, there was significant reduction in neutrophil CD18 and intracellular oxidant production in the RA+NO group, but lung MPO was unchanged. The O2 and O2+NO groups did not differ in CD18 expression or in intracellular oxidant production, but had significant increase in lung myeloperoxidase compared to the RA group. Apoptosis increased significantly only in the O2+NO group. The O2 group showed significantly increased lung SOD and catalase activity compared to the RA group, whereas the RA+NO and O2+NO groups did not. We conclude that inhaled NO at 50 ppm decreases neutrophil CD18 expression as well as intracellular oxidant production. However, this effect does not impact lung neutrophil accumulation during concurrent hyperoxia. The combination of NO and O2 exposure produces an increase in lung apoptosis. Finally, NO may prevent upregulation of SOD and catalase activity during hyperoxia, potentially increasing injury.


Subject(s)
Hyperoxia/pathology , Lung/drug effects , Nitric Oxide/pharmacology , Oxygen/pharmacology , Administration, Inhalation , Animals , Animals, Newborn , Antibodies, Monoclonal , Apoptosis , CD18 Antigens/analysis , Catalase/analysis , DNA/analysis , Female , Flow Cytometry , Hyperoxia/chemically induced , Immunohistochemistry , In Situ Nick-End Labeling , Inflammation , Lung/enzymology , Lung/pathology , Male , Neutrophils/immunology , Nitric Oxide/administration & dosage , Oxygen/administration & dosage , Oxygen/adverse effects , Peroxidase/analysis , Random Allocation , Superoxide Dismutase/analysis , Swine , Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate/chemistry
12.
Am Surg ; 60(4): 251-4, 1994 Apr.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-8129244

ABSTRACT

Carcinoid tumors of the colon are a rare cause of colonic malignant disease. A case of carcinoid tumor of the sigmoid colon is presented that illustrates the indolent course of this type of tumor. The case presented highlights the clinicopathologic features of carcinoid tumors of hindgut origin, including advanced local and widely metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis in the absence of symptoms of the carcinoid syndrome. The diagnosis and management of gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors are reviewed.


Subject(s)
Carcinoid Tumor/pathology , Sigmoid Neoplasms/pathology , Carcinoid Tumor/drug therapy , Carcinoid Tumor/surgery , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Sigmoid Neoplasms/drug therapy , Sigmoid Neoplasms/surgery
13.
Lancet ; 341(8844): 563, 1993 Feb 27.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-8094804
14.
Lancet ; 341(8837): 75-9, 1993 Jan 09.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-8093404

ABSTRACT

In several clinical trials of interventions designed to lower plasma cholesterol, reductions in coronary heart disease mortality have been offset by an unexplained rise in suicides and other violent deaths. We have tried to find out whether depressive illness is related to low plasma cholesterol concentrations in men of 50 years and older. In 1985-87, Beck depression inventories were obtained from 1020 white men, aged 50-89 years, in the Rancho Bernardo, California, cohort. Disease history and behaviours were assessed by standard questionnaires. Plasma cholesterol and weight were measured at this time, as they had been in 1972-74. Among men aged 70 years and older, categorically defined depression was three times more common in the group with low plasma cholesterol (< 4.14 mmol/L) than in those with higher concentrations (5/31 [16%] vs 22/363 [6%]; p = 0.033). Depressive symptom scores correlated significantly and inversely with plasma cholesterol concentrations, even after adjustment for age, health status, number of chronic illnesses, number of medications, and exercise, as well as measured weight loss and change in plasma cholesterol in the previous 13 years. Our finding that low plasma cholesterol is associated with depressive symptoms in elderly men is compatible with observations that a very low total cholesterol may be related to suicide and violent death. Since cholesterol lowering in the general population is widely recommended, this observation warrants further investigation.


Subject(s)
Cholesterol/blood , Depression/blood , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Body Weight , Cohort Studies , Depression/diagnosis , Health Status , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Neuropsychological Tests , Regression Analysis , Reproducibility of Results , Sensitivity and Specificity
15.
Infect Dis Clin North Am ; 5(2): 197-220, 1991 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-1869806

ABSTRACT

The major players in international health and health policy have a tremendous potential to contribute to the wellbeing of humankind. Multilateral organizations, such as WHO, have universal areas of concern. The financial multilateral agencies play a key role in influencing development through the leverage of financial resources. Bilateral agencies of donor countries influence health policy direction by the magnitude of their financial resources. Private organizations, including universities, foundations, professional associations, nongovernmental organizations, and US industry, play an important role in identifying important policy issues through research, designing and developing appropriate technology, and acquiring the knowledge base necessary to form sound international health policy decisions.


Subject(s)
Global Health , International Cooperation/history , Health Policy , History, 20th Century , United Nations/economics , United States , Voluntary Health Agencies/economics , Voluntary Health Agencies/history , Voluntary Health Agencies/organization & administration , World Health Organization/economics , World Health Organization/organization & administration
16.
J Am Coll Nutr ; 9(2): 101-6, 1990 Apr.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-2110942

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to determine if supplementing total parenteral nutrition (TPN) with lipids or the branched chain amino acids (BCAA) leucine, isoleucine, and valine influences nitrogen balance in the injured patient. Four TPN study solutions were used, with each patient receiving two of the solutions for 4 days each. Group A received solutions consisting of 19% and 44% BCAA, with nonnitrogen calories supplied by 100% carbohydrate. Group B received a 7:3 carbohydrate-to-lipid ratio of nonnitrogen calories as a fuel source. Neither BCAA supplementation nor varying fuel substrates promoted a difference in nitrogen retention. The added cost of BCAA supplementation, along with the lack of an effect upon nitrogen accretion, indicates that greater benefits must be demonstrated before widespread use of BCAA supplementation can be recommended in the injured patient.


Subject(s)
Amino Acids, Branched-Chain/pharmacokinetics , Food, Formulated/economics , Nitrogen/metabolism , Parenteral Nutrition, Total/methods , Wounds and Injuries/therapy , Amino Acids, Branched-Chain/therapeutic use , Drug Combinations , Humans , Parenteral Nutrition, Total/economics
17.
J Am Coll Nutr ; 8(2): 121-4, 1989 Apr.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-2496155

ABSTRACT

Femoral arterial and venous carnitine concentrations from critically ill patients were measured in order to determine if the large urinary carnitine excretions seen in these patients was associated with a net loss of carnitine from skeletal muscle. Bloods were drawn two or three times during the 7-day study period. A 24-hr urine sample was obtained on the same day. The arterial-venous difference for free carnitine plus short chain acylcarnitine was -2.8 +/- 0.9 microM (means +/- SEM), and -2.7 +/- 1.0 microM for total carnitine. Both values were significantly less than zero (p less than 0.05). Median urinary free carnitine excretion was 1237 mumol/day while the median acylcarnitine excretion was 544 mumol/day. We conclude that skeletal muscle in these patients is in negative carnitine balance, and is at least one source of the increase in carnitine excretion seen in critically ill patients.


Subject(s)
Carnitine/blood , Critical Illness , Stress, Physiological/physiology , Adult , Aged , Carnitine/urine , Female , Femoral Artery , Femoral Vein , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Muscles/metabolism , Parenteral Nutrition, Total
18.
Am J Clin Nutr ; 48(6): 1400-2, 1988 Dec.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-3144172

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of altering the fuel substrate mix of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) on plasma and urinary carnitine in trauma patients. TPN solutions were either 100% carbohydrate (CHO) based or lipid based (70% CHO, 30% lipid). There were statistically significant (p less than 0.05) increases in plasma levels of free carnitine, short-chain acyl carnitine, and total carnitine in trauma patients receiving lipid-based TPN. No significant differences in urinary carnitine excretion were noted between groups. We conclude that the use of lipids in the TPN of trauma patients leads to an alteration in plasma carnitine metabolism.


Subject(s)
Carnitine/blood , Dietary Fats/administration & dosage , Parenteral Nutrition, Total , Wounds and Injuries/therapy , Adult , Carnitine/urine , Female , Humans , Male , Wounds and Injuries/blood
19.
Crit Care Med ; 14(8): 685-8, 1986 Aug.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-3087701

ABSTRACT

We compared the efficacy of a total parenteral nutrition solution supplemented with 44.6% branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) to standard total parenteral nutrition (19.0% BCAA) in the support of critically ill patients. After a 4-day administration of a randomly assigned solution, amino acids were assayed from femoral venous and arterial samples. The BCAA-supplemented solution caused increases in arterial concentrations of valine, isoleucine, and leucine compared to the control solution. The femoral arteriovenous differences for these BCAA were more positive in patients given the control solution. There were no significant differences in nitrogen balance. Since previous studies showing promotion of nitrogen balance with BCAA did not use a balanced substrate for nonprotein caloric support, the lack of a significant difference in the present study may be due to effective utilization of lipid as a fuel source by both groups.


Subject(s)
Amino Acids, Branched-Chain/therapeutic use , Critical Care , Parenteral Nutrition , Adult , Aged , Amino Acids, Branched-Chain/metabolism , Double-Blind Method , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Nitrogen/metabolism , Random Allocation
20.
J Sch Health ; 53(2): 128-30, 1983 Feb.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-6550678
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