Pharmacological Transection of Brain-Spinal Cord Communication Blocks Pain-Induced Hemorrhage and Locomotor Deficits after Spinal Cord Injury in Rats.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is often accompanied by additional tissue damage (polytrauma), which engages pain (nociceptive) fibers. Prior research has shown that nociceptive input can increase cell death, expand the area of hemorrhage, and impair long-term recovery. The current study shows that these adverse effects can be blocked by the sodium channel blocker lidocaine applied rostral to a contusion injury.

Employee Perceptions of Their Organization's Level of Emergency Preparedness Following a Brief Workplace Emergency Planning Educational Presentation.

A brief emergency planning educational presentation was taught during work hours to a convenience sample of employees of various workplaces in Northern Missouri, USA. Participants were familiarized with details about how an emergency plan is prepared by management and implemented by management-employee crisis management teams - focusing on both employee and management roles. They then applied the presentation information to assess their own organization's emergency preparedness level.

The acute effects of time-of-day-dependent high fat feeding on whole body metabolic flexibility in mice.

Background: Both circadian disruption and timing of feeding have important roles in the development of metabolic disease. Despite growing acceptance that the timing of food consumption has long-term impact on metabolic homeostasis, little is known regarding the immediate influence on whole body metabolism, or the mechanisms involved. We aimed to examine the acute effects of time-of-day-dependent high fat feeding on whole body substrate metabolism and metabolic plasticity, and to determine the potential contribution of the adipocyte circadian clock.

Community Health Policy Assessment of a Rural Northeast Missouri County using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's CHANGE Tool.

Background: In order to build a framework to address policy gaps and needs, community's risk factors were identified and the extent to which current policies were in place to address the risk factors were compared.

Methods: Face-to-face interviews, using the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's CHANGE tool were conducted in a rural Northeast Missouri county possessing exceptionally high chronic disease rates to assess the factor(s) had the greatest influence on the rates in each sector of the community.

Results: The Health Care Agency sector possessed the most factors categorized as environmental and policy assets, and the Community-at-Large and Business/Worksite sectors seemed to possess the least environmental and policy factors categorized as assets.

Economic impact of a smoke-free ordinance on bars and restaurants in a small, rural, Missouri community.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the economic impact of a city-wide smoke-free ordinance in the small, relatively isolated, rural, Northeast Missouri community of Kirksville. A model similar to prior studies was applied to the taxable sales revenues of eating and drinking establishment data prior to and following enactment of a smoke-free ordinance. It was found that there was a significant positive change in eating and drinking establishment taxable sales revenues post-enactment.

Relationship of Facility Characteristics and Presence of an Ombudsman to Missouri Long-Term Care Facility State Inspection Report Results.

This study analyzes existing data describing general facility characteristics, the presence of an ombudsman in the facility, and the number of deficiencies/violations reported for long-term care facilities in the state of Missouri. The model that predicted the rate of deficiencies/violations best was one that included the following characteristics: "contained more than 50 beds" and "considered a Skilled Nursing facility." Findings suggest that the characteristics that are significantly associated with fewer deficiencies are larger size (more than 50 beds) and being classified as Skilled Nursing.

Long-term care administrators' perceptions of the ombudsman program in the state of Missouri.

The presence of a long-term care ombudsman in a long-term care or nursing facility helps prevent abusive or neglectful situations before they start. Almost all Missouri long-term care facility administrators responding to the survey reported that they were aware of the ombudsman program; however, only half currently house an ombudsman in their facility. Respondents aware of the program were significantly more likely to currently accommodate an ombudsman in their facility, and those managing larger facilities were significantly more likely to currently have an ombudsman present.

Comparison of exercise attitudes and behaviors of urban older adults with AARP's national sample results.

This study assessed perceptions about exercise among a convenience sample of low-income, urban, older adult patients at a publicly operated ambulatory primary-care clinic, and results were then compared with the findings of a national study. Although it was expected that the predominantly minority and economically disadvantaged participants in this study would trail significantly behind their White counterparts in their perceptions and behavior regarding exercise, findings demonstrated otherwise. Specifically, when physicians encourage moderate exercise, when patients believe that they can overcome barriers to exercise, and when the environment supports moderate exercise through the availability of community exercise classes, inequities in health behaviors can be reduced.

Trends in the number and administrative characteristics of medical school health promotion programmes.

Over the course of almost 10 years, 1988-97, there has been a significant decline in the number of United States and Canadian medical schools offering health promotion programmes for students. All efforts should be made to enhance the overall health and well-being of medical students and to increase the number of health promotion programmes for them.

The Nuer Nutrition Education Program: breaking down cultural barriers.

Very little is known about the Nuer culture, partly because of its widely misunderstood language and because of the mixture of its people with the other tribes in Africa, according to Evans-Pritchard). However, it is known that the Nuer women's roles in the family seem to be centered around cooking duties. In the Nuer culture, no work is considered degrading, and the women know and accept their domestic duties.

Private sector worksite health promotion programs in Missouri: a comparison with national survey findings and Healthy People recommendations.

Questionnaries with 22 multiple-choice questions were mailed to a random sample of 450 Missouri employers with 250 or more employees to determine the prevalence and types of workplace health promotion programs; 262 (58%) responded. Only 34% of the responding companies offered any kind of program and 65% of these offered only awareness programs, but most offered programs on all 18 topics listed in the questionnaire; 48% had a full-time program manager, 79% had some form of evaluation, and 36% had some form of financial incentives.

Comparison of the scope of allopathic and osteopathic medical school health promotion programs for students.

Purpose: To compare the number and scope of health promotion programs for students in allopathic and osteopathic medical schools in the U.S. and Canada.

Safety and efficacy of intracameral injections of unpreserved lidocaine to reduce intraocular sensation.

Purpose: To determine the safety and efficacy of intracameral injections of unpreserved lidocaine to reduce intraocular sensation.

Setting: Carolina Eye Associates, Southern Pines, North Carolina, USA.

Methods: In this prospective study, 100 patients having phacoemulsification under topical anesthesia were randomly assigned to receive an intracameral injection of unpreserved lidocaine (0.

Superintendents' perceptions of schoolsite health promotion in Missouri.

This study assessed school district superintendents' perceptions of schoolsite health promotion in Missouri using a telephone survey method. Superintendents of 150 school districts were surveyed using The Worksite Health Promotion for Faculty and Staff section of the Eight-Component Assessment. Staff identification of blood pressure, healthful cafeteria menus, and smoke-free school policies were perceived as the most frequently offered health-promoting activities.

Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy Cytology of Argyrophilic Carcinoma (Carcinoid Tumor) of the Breast.

Argyrophilic carcinoma of the breast, previously referred to as carcinoid tumor, is a rare form of ductal carcinoma that can be diagnosed by fine needle aspiration biopsy. This tumor is characterized by widespread cytoplasmic granules with affinity for reduced silver stains or argyrophilia. The tumor tends to occur in older women and behaves in a fashion similar to classic ductal carcinoma.

Effect of cataract wound incision size on acute changes in corneal topography.

A randomized prospective trial compared keratometric and visual outcomes for 196 patients receiving 3.2 mm, 5.0 mm, or 6.

Differential stimulation of the respiratory burst and lysosomal enzyme secretion in human polymorphonuclear leukocytes by synthetic diacylglycerols.

Binding of chemoattractants to receptors on human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) stimulates the phosphodiesteric cleavage of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate to produce inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and 1,2-diacylglycerols. To investigate the possible second messenger function of diacylglycerols in PMN activation, we tested the ability of a series of synthetic sn 1,2-diacylglycerols, known to stimulate protein kinase C in other systems, to promote superoxide anion release, oxygen consumption, lysosomal enzyme secretion, and chemotaxis. None of the diacylglycerols initiated the chemotactic migration of PMN.

Receptor-coupled activation of phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C by an N protein.

Cleavage of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate by phospholipase C results in the production of two important second messengers: inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate and 1,2-diacylglycerol. Although several receptors promote this cleavage, the molecular details of phospholipase C activation have remained unresolved. In this study, occupancy of a Ca2+-mobilizing receptor, the oligopeptide chemoattractant receptor on human polymorphonuclear leukocyte plasma membranes, was found to lead to the activation of a guanine nucleotide regulatory (N) protein by guanosine 5'-triphosphate.

Temporal patterns of parturition in mammals in captivity.

Previous research indicates that many primate species are more likely to give birth at night than during the day. This study attempted to determine whether temporal patterns of birth are discernible in a number of non-primate mammals. In addition, it sought to relate time of birth to the sleep/wake cycle and to the level of predation on the species.

Pseudomonas alcaligenes endocarditis.

Pseudomonas alcaligenes is a common soil and water inhabitant that has rarely been proven a human pathogen. We describe a fatal case of Pseudomonas alcaligenes endocarditis. The need for accurate identification of unusual organisms isolated in a clinical setting are discussed.