Welfare reform and the health of young children: a sentinel survey in 6 US cities.

Context: Welfare reform under the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act replaced entitlement to cash assistance for low-income families with Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, thereby terminating or decreasing cash support for many participants. Proponents anticipated that continued receipt of food stamps would offset the effects of cash benefit losses, although access to food stamps was also restricted.

Objective: To examine associations of loss or reduction of welfare with food security and health outcomes among children aged 36 months or younger at 6 urban hospitals and clinics.

Sodium chloride decreases the bacteriocidal effect of acid pH on Escherichia coli O157:H45.

To reduce the risk of foodborne illness, many fermented and minimally processed foods rely on the "hurdle effect", i.e. a combination of two or more inhibitory agents being more inhibitory than any of the agents alone.

Growth hormone or insulin-like growth factor-I extends longevity of equine spermatozoa in vitro.

Growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) are both present in blood plasma and IGF-I has been measured in epididymal fluid and seminal plasma. This study was designed to investigate the direct effects of GH or IGF-I on the motility of mature equine spermatozoa in vitro. We compared the effects of one concentration (100 ng/ml) of recombinant bovine GH (rbGH) and recombinant human IGF-I (rhIGF-I) on motility and motion characteristics of equine spermatozoa over a 24 h period.

Perceptions of community nutrition and health needs in the Lower Mississippi Delta: a key informant approach.

Objective: Key informants' perceptions of nutrition and health needs in their southern rural communities were assessed prior to nutrition intervention planning.

Design: This cross-sectional survey used in-person interviews.

Subjects/settings: A sample of 490 individuals from 12 professional and lay roles in 8 community sectors in 36 counties in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi was chosen.

Galpha12 and Galpha13 negatively regulate the adhesive functions of cadherin.

Cadherins function to promote adhesion between adjacent cells and play critical roles in such cellular processes as development, tissue maintenance, and tumor suppression. We previously demonstrated that heterotrimeric G proteins of the G12 subfamily comprised of Galpha12 and Galpha13 interact with the cytoplasmic domain of cadherins and cause the release of the transcriptional activator beta-catenin (Meigs, T. E.

Bupropion (Zyban) toxicity.

Bupropion is a monocyclic antidepressant structurally related to amphetamine. Zyban, a sustained-release formulation of bupropion hydrochloride, was recently released in Ireland, as a smoking cessation aid. In the initial 6 months since it's introduction, 12 overdose cases have been reported to The National Poisons Information Centre.

Endoscopically assisted fasciotomy: description of technique and in vitro assessment of lower-leg compartment decompression.

We describe a reliable method of endoscopically assisted fasciotomy for treating chronic exertional compartment syndrome in the lower leg and for assessing compartment decompression in an in vitro model. Endoscopically assisted fasciotomy was performed in the anterior and lateral compartments of 14 matched, fresh-frozen, through-the-knee amputation specimens using a 30 degrees endoscope. A one-incision technique used in 4 specimens failed to provide complete visualization, and a two-incision technique was then performed in 10 specimens.

Effects of asthma and asthma therapies on bone mineral density.

With improvements in techniques for measuring bone mass, interest and concern have increased about the effects of asthma therapies, particularly corticosteroids, on bone mineral density. Whether asthma itself causes bone loss remains unclear. Studies evaluating the effect of asthma therapies on bone mineral density are often difficult to interpret because of methodologic problems.

Blood plasma concentrations of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) in resting standardbred horses.

A survey of standardbred horses was conducted to build up a normal population profile for insulin like growth factor-I (IGF-I) concentrations in racing standardbreds and to ascertain how age, sex and geographic location affect IGF-I. Blood samples were drawn by jugular venepuncture from 202 racing standardbred horses aged one to eight years located in five different geographic regions of New Zealand. IGF-I concentrations were determined by insulin like growth factor-I binding protein (IGFBP)-blocked radioimmunoassay validated for the horse.

Absence of the CAAX endoprotease Rce1: effects on cell growth and transformation.

After isoprenylation, the Ras proteins and other CAAX proteins undergo two additional enzymatic modifications-endoproteolytic release of the last three amino acids of the protein by the protease Rce1 and methylation of the carboxyl-terminal isoprenylcysteine by the methyltransferase Icmt. This postisoprenylation processing is thought to be important for the association of Ras proteins with membranes. Blocking postisoprenylation processing, by inhibiting Rce1, has been suggested as a potential approach for retarding cell growth and blocking cellular transformation.

Lysine(164)alpha of protein farnesyltransferase is important for both CaaX substrate binding and catalysis.

Protein farnesyltransferase (FTase) catalyses the formation of a thioether linkage between proteins containing a C-terminal CaaX motif and a 15-carbon isoprenoid. The involvement of substrates such as oncogenic Ras proteins in tumour formation has led to intense efforts in targeting this enzyme for development of therapeutics. In an ongoing programme to elucidate the mechanism of catalysis by FTase, specific residues of the enzyme identified in structural studies as potentially important in substrate binding and catalysis are being targeted for mutagenesis.

Depressive disorders in Europe: prevalence figures from the ODIN study.

Background: This is the first report on the epidemiology of depressive disorders from the European Outcome of Depression International Network (ODIN) study.

Aims: To assess the prevalence of depressive disorders in randomly selected samples of the general population in five European countries.

Method: The study was designed as a cross-sectional two-phase community study using the Beck Depression inventory during Phase 1, and the Schedule for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry during Phase 2.

Distinct regions of the cadherin cytoplasmic domain are essential for functional interaction with Galpha 12 and beta-catenin.

Heterotrimeric G proteins of the G(12) subfamily mediate cellular signals leading to events such as cytoskeletal rearrangements, cell proliferation, and oncogenic transformation. Several recent studies have revealed direct effector proteins through which G(12) subfamily members may transmit signals leading to various cellular responses. Our laboratory recently demonstrated that Galpha(12) and Galpha(13) specifically interact with the cytoplasmic domains of several members of the cadherin family of cell adhesion molecules (Meigs, T.

Vascular anatomy of the brachioradialis rotational musculocutaneous flap.

The purpose of this 2-part vascular injection study was to (1) determine the sources of blood supply to the brachioradialis muscle and the distance around which the brachioradialis muscle flap may be rotated for local soft tissue reconstruction and (2) determine the fasciocutaneous vascular perfusion territory associated with the vascular pedicle of the brachioradialis muscle flap. Lead oxide injections were administered in 16 fresh frozen human upper extremity amputation specimens to determine the contribution of the isolated radial recurrent artery (RRA) and subsequent 3- and 6-cm segments of radial artery (RA) to a rotational brachioradialis muscle flap. The RRA perfused an average of 41% (range, 20% to 60%) of the brachioradialis muscle length.

Phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of a regulator of G protein signaling (RGS10).

Heterotrimeric G proteins are involved in the transduction of hormonal and sensory signals across plasma membranes of eukaryotic cells. Hence, they are a critical point of control for a variety of agents that modulate cellular function. Activation of these proteins is dependent on GTP binding to their alpha (Galpha) subunits.

The effect of combined arterial hemodynamics on saphenous venous endothelial nitric oxide production.

Introduction: Evidence exists that an ideal bypass conduit should have a functional endothelial cell surface combined with mechanical properties similar to those of native arteries. We hypothesized that the effect of combined arterial levels of pulsatile shear stress, flow, and cyclic strain would enhance saphenous venous endothelial cell nitric oxide (NO) production, and that variations in these "ideal" conditions could impair this function. We studied NO production as a measure of endothelial function in response to different hemodynamic conditions.

What it says in the papers: an audit.

Objectives: There have been concerns in the international literature that the manner in which psychiatry and psychiatric patients is portrayed in the print media is negative and sensational. If correct this has serious implications for the stigma and prejudice that our patients will suffer. This study was designed to evaluate the content and tone of articles relating to psychiatry.

An electrophysiological study of school-aged children with a history of failure to thrive during infancy.

Sixty-five subjects, ages 8 to 12, participated in a visual electrophysiological study. Twenty-two of the subjects had received a diagnosis of nonorganic failure-to-thrive (FTT) before the age of three. The remaining 43 subjects had no history of FTT and served as Controls.

Children in food-insufficient, low-income families: prevalence, health, and nutrition status.

Objective: To examine characteristics of US children living in food-insufficient households and to compare food and nutrient intakes, physical inactivity, and overweight and underweight status of children in food-insufficient households with those in food-sufficient households.

Design: Cross-sectional, nationally representative sample of children and households from the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals, from 1994 to 1996.

Participants: A group of 3790 households, including 5669 children (ages 0-17 years).

An event-related potential study of older children with an early history of failure to thrive.

Elementary and junior high school children (n = 13), who were diagnosed with nonorganic failure to thrive (FTT) as infants and toddlers, were compared with a normal control group (n = 14) on visual event-related potentials (ERPs) elicited during a primed lexical decision task. Positive stimuli were real words that were identical to the priming stimuli; negative stimuli were nonpronounceable letter strings. Although the groups did not differ in word-list reading level, the former FTT group had slower reaction (decision) times and did not show ERP evidence of priming in the N400 epoch.

Validity of a telephone-administered 24-hour dietary recall in telephone and non-telephone households in the rural Lower Mississippi Delta region.

Objective: To determine if 24-hour dietary recall data are influenced by whether data are collected by telephone or face-to-face interviews in telephone and non-telephone households.

Design: Dual sampling frame of telephone and non-telephone households. In telephone households, participants completed a 24-hour dietary recall either by face-to-face interview or telephone interview.

Behavioral and cognitive status in school-aged children with a history of failure to thrive during early childhood.

Twenty-seven school children (aged 8-12 years) earlier diagnosed with nonorganic failure to thrive (FTT) were compared with a normal socioeconomically matched control group (N=17) on current height and weight parameters as well as cognitive, achievement, and behavioral measures from the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). The former FTT children were, on average, smaller, less cognitively able, and more behaviorally disturbed than the control children and national normative samples. Sixty percent of former FTT children were below the 20th percentile in height and 48% were below the 20th percentile in weight; 52% had IQs below 80 and 30% had reading standard scores below 80; 48% had clinically adverse attention ratings and 30% had clinically adverse aggression ratings on the CBCL.

Non-peptidic, non-prenylic inhibitors of the prenyl protein-specific protease Rce1.

Several compounds designed as bisubstrate analogues of protein farnesyltransferase inhibited the prenyl protein-specific protease Rce1, qualifying them as lead structures for a novel class of non-peptidic, non-prenylic inhibitors of this protease.