A randomized trial of a brief intervention to increase fruit and vegetable intake: a replication study among callers to the CIS.

BACKGROUND: Results are reported from a large randomized trial designed to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among callers to the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service (CIS) (n = 1,717). METHODS: CIS callers assigned to the intervention group (n = 861) received a brief proactive educational intervention over the telephone at the end of usual service, with two follow-up mailouts. Key educational messages and print material derived from the NCI 5 A Day for Better Health program were provided to intervention participants. Participants were interviewed by telephone at 4 weeks (n = 1,307), 4 months (n = 1,180), and 12 months for follow-up (n = 1,016). RESULTS: Results obtained from a single-item measure of fruit and vegetable consumption indicate a significant intervention effect of 0.88 servings per day at 4 weeks follow-up (P < 0.001), 0.63 servings per day at 4 months follow-up (P < 0.001), and 0.43 servings per day at 12 months follow-up (P < 0.001). Using a 7-item food frequency measure, an intervention effect of 0.63 servings per day was obtained at 4 weeks follow-up (P < 0.001), compared with 0.39 servings per day at 4 months follow-up (P = 0.002) and 0.44 servings per day at 12 months follow-up (P = 0.002). A 24-h recall assessment included in the 4-month interviews also yielded a significant intervention effect of 0.67 servings per day (P = 0.015). The vast majority of callers (90%) endorsed the strategy of providing 5 A Day information proactively within the CIS. CONCLUSIONS: This brief educational intervention was associated with higher levels of self-reported fruit and vegetable intake at both short- and long-term follow-up. Additional research is recommended to test this or a similar intervention in diverse populations.

Preliminary information on stuttering characteristics contrasted between African American and white children.

There is a lack of studies looking at variation of behavioral stuttering among various cultures. This study compared verbal disfluency and accessory characteristics of 15 African American and 15 White male stutterers between the ages of 8 and 12. In addition to a speaking attitude scale for each of the subjects, conversational and reading samples were gathered. Good intra- and inter-judge reliability was found in assessing the various tasks. Overall results revealed no statistically significant differences in verbal or visual disfluency behaviors on either the reading or conversation tasks between the African American and White groups of children. In addition, no differences in attitudes toward speaking situations was found between the two groups of children. Implications for the diagnosis and treatment of disfluent African American elementary school aged children are discussed. Specific suggestions are made for additional disfluency research with African American children.

Monoject Samplette capillary blood container with serum separator evaluated for collection of specimens for therapeutic drug assays and common clinical-chemical tests.

The Monoject Samplette (Sherwood) capillary serum-separator tube was evaluated for use in pediatric capillary blood collection. When patients' values for eight common clinical-chemical tests and five therapeutic drugs were compared with values from specimens concomitantly collected in plain Caraway tubes, only chloride and total CO2 were significantly different. The chloride differences (range 0-2 mmol/L) were considered to be clinically insignificant. Higher CO2 values in Samplette specimens were apparently ascribable to decreased loss to the atmosphere. Samplette values for therapeutic drugs were higher than corresponding Caraway values, but only the differences for digoxin were judged to be clinically significant. Both recoverable serum and the incidence of hemolysis were lower in Samplette specimens than in Caraway specimens. Storage of serum over the clots (with separator material interposed) in Samplettes for 24 h had no clinically significant effect on results for glucose or potassium. Storage of specimens for as long as 24 h had no effect on theophylline, phenytoin, and gentamicin concentrations, but phenobarbital reproducibly decreased after 24 h. We conclude that the Samplette serum-separator tube is suitable for the collection of capillary blood for many of the chemical tests commonly ordered for pediatric patients.

Interferences with potentiometry of CO2 in the Ektachem 400 Analyzer.

We have investigated the Kodak Ektachem 400 Analyzer procedure for CO2 for interferences from benzyl alcohol, benzoic acid, and several compounds structurally similar to benzoic acid. Benzoic acid in plasma, at concentrations found in neonates intoxicated with benzyl alcohol, caused a large increase in the results for CO2, as did substantially above-normal concentrations of certain fatty acids and keto-acids, and toxic concentrations of aspirin. We observed a correlation between increasing benzoic acid concentrations (up to 17 mmol/L) and falsely increasing CO2 values (greater than 47 mmol/L) obtained with the Ektachem Analyzer for samples from a neonate in the intensive-care unit, who was receiving benzyl alcohol-preserved saline solutions. Although the Ektachem CO2 procedure is simple and rapid, and in most cases accurate, questionable results are occasionally encountered, as indicated by a low anion gap or a measured CO2 exceeding that calculated from blood gas measurements. Such results require the use of another method for verification.

The Kodak Ektachem 400 Analyzer evaluated for automated enzymic determination of plasma creatinine.

We have evaluated an automated creatinine iminohydrolase procedure for plasma creatinine analysis, as used in the Kodak Ektachem 400 Analyzer. The correlation with kinetic and end-point (equilibrium) alkaline picrate procedures is generally excellent. The enzymatic procedure has the advantage of being unaffected by bilirubin, cephalosporins, and acetoacetate, all of which interfere in alkaline picrate procedures. Its accuracy, however, greatly depends on calibration values provided by the manufacturer. Storage of samples at -20 degrees C produced little change in measured creatinine. The Ektachem procedure has a greater range of linearity (140 mg/L) than the alkaline picrate procedures, but it shares with them the disadvantages of suboptimal precision in the normal range. The increased specificity, ease of performance, and other advantages of this use of creatinine iminohydrolase make it an attractive procedure.