Propofol Ameliorates Exaggerated Human Neutrophil Activation in a LPS Sepsis Model.

Background: Sepsis is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Many patients suffering from sepsis are treated on intensive care units and many of them require mechanical ventilation under sedation or general anesthesia. Propofol, a drug used for these purposes, is known to interact with polymorphonuclear granulocytes (PMNs).

Brief Report: A Survey of Autism Research Priorities Across a Diverse Community of Stakeholders.

Inclusion of stakeholder voices in the allocation of research funding can increase the relevance of results and improve community engagement in research. We describe the results of an online survey that gathered input from community stakeholders regarding autism research priorities. A demographically diverse sample of respondents (N = 6004; 79.

Report on milestones for care and support under the U.S. National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease.

Introduction: Under the U.S. national Alzheimer's plan, the National Institutes of Health identified milestones required to meet the plan's biomedical research goal (Goal 1).

NMDA channel antagonist MK-801 does not protect against bilirubin neurotoxicity.

Background: Bilirubin encephalopathy or kernicterus is a potentially serious complication of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. The mechanism of bilirubin-induced neurotoxicity is not known. Many neurological insults are mediated through NMDA receptor activation.

Minocycline blocks acute bilirubin-induced neurological dysfunction in jaundiced Gunn rats.

Background: Extreme hyperbilirubinemia is treated with double volume exchange transfusion, which may take hours to commence. A neuroprotective agent that could be administered immediately might be clinically useful. Minocycline, an anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic semisynthetic tetracycline, prevents hyperbilirubinemia-induced cerebellar hypoplasia in Gunn rats.

American Cancer Society's QuitLink: randomized trial of Internet assistance.

Eligible smokers (N = 6,451) visiting the American Cancer Society's Internet site offering cessation assistance were, with informed consent, randomized to receive access either to a static Internet site with quitting advice or to one of five interactive sites provided by cooperating research partners. Three-month follow-up surveys were conducted via online survey with E-mail prompts, or telephone calls, to assess quitting success; 54% of participants provided follow-up data. Results showed no significant overall difference in cessation rates among participants assigned to the interactive or static sites.

Estrogen and progesterone levels in nipple aspirate fluid of healthy premenopausal women: relationship to steroid precursors and response proteins.

Background: Concentrations of estrogen and progesterone within the breast could provide a better reflection of breast cancer risk than levels in the circulation. We developed highly sensitive immunoassays for multiple steroid hormones and proteins in the nipple aspirate fluid (NAF), which can be obtained noninvasively with a simple suction device. Previous studies showed that NAF hormone levels are strongly correlated between breasts and within a single breast over time and are predictably related to hormone replacement therapy or use of oral contraceptives.

Comparison of hormone levels in nipple aspirate fluid of pre- and postmenopausal women: effect of oral contraceptives and hormone replacement.

The effects of ovarian suppression by oral contraceptives as well as hormone replacement therapy were studied on hormone levels and on products of hormone action in nipple aspirate fluid (NAF) from breasts of pre- and postmenopausal women. Multiple samples per subject revealed high consistency (intraclass correlation coefficients) for all products measured. Compared with premenopausal women, NAF progesterone was much lower in postmenopausal women, but NAF androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate concentrations were not different.

Telephone counseling increases cessation rates among young adult smokers.

During June 2000-May 2001, the American Cancer Society conducted a randomized trial of telephone counseling among more than 3,500 current smokers who called to seek assistance in quitting. All eligible callers were randomized to receive either self-help booklets through the mail or booklets and up to 5 sessions of telephone counseling. Approximately 12% (420/3,522) of study participants were 18-25 years of age.

Variation in estradiol, estradiol precursors, and estrogen-related products in nipple aspirate fluid from normal premenopausal women.

The purpose of the study was to measure the concentrations of estradiol, its primary precursors, and factors with which it interacts in the breast, and determine their sources of variation. Nipple aspirate fluid (NAF) was collected from premenopausal women during the mid-luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. The fluid was diluted and unconjugated steroids were extracted.

Formation of estrone and estradiol from estrone sulfate by normal breast parenchymal tissue.

The study was designed to determine the process and limitations by which estrone sulfate may be a precursor of estradiol in the parenchymal cells of the normal breast. The concentration of estrone sulfate in breast nipple aspirate fluid was 1000-fold greater than that of estradiol. Concentrations of 3H-estrone sulfate in parenchymal cells were only 0.