Plate Waste Evaluation of Plant-Based Protein Entrees in National School Lunch Program.

Objective: To assess plate waste of plant-based protein entrees compared with regularly served meat-based entrees in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).

Design: Plate waste data were collected before and after introducing the plant-based entrees, using digital photography and the quarter-waste method.

Participants: National School Lunch Program participants in grades 6-8.

CaMKII antagonism in the ventral tegmental area impairs acquisition of conditioned approach learning in rats.

This study investigated the role of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), a protein in the second messenger pathway of NMDA receptors, in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) in the acquisition and performance of conditioned approach learning. Male Long-Evans rats (N = 79) were exposed to 3 (to test acquisition) or 7 (to test performance) conditioning sessions in which they received 30 paired presentations of a light stimulus (CS) and a food pellet (US) on a random time schedule. These conditioning sessions were then followed by one 30-min session without the CS or US and lastly by a CS-only test session, where only the light stimulus was presented (without food) according to the same schedule as the conditioning sessions.

Aberrations in Incentive Learning and Responding to Heroin in Male Rats After Adolescent or Adult Chronic Binge-Like Alcohol Exposure.

Background And Purpose: Binge drinking is a serious problem among adolescents and young adults despite its adverse consequences on the brain and behavior. One area that remains poorly understood concerns the impact of chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) exposure on incentive learning.

Methods: Here, we examined the effects of CIE exposure during different developmental stages on conditioned approach and conditioned reward learning in rats experiencing acute or protracted withdrawal from alcohol.

The contribution of theory to the design, delivery, and evaluation of interprofessional curricula: BEME Guide No. 49.

Background: Interprofessional curricula have often lacked explicit reference to theory despite calls for a more theoretically informed field that illuminates curricular assumptions and justifies curricular practices.

Aim: To review the contributions of theory to the design, delivery, and evaluation of interprofessional curricula.

Methods: Four databases were searched (1988-2015).

Human embryonic stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelium in patients with age-related macular degeneration and Stargardt's macular dystrophy: follow-up of two open-label phase 1/2 studies.

Background: Since they were first derived more than three decades ago, embryonic stem cells have been proposed as a source of replacement cells in regenerative medicine, but their plasticity and unlimited capacity for self-renewal raises concerns about their safety, including tumour formation ability, potential immune rejection, and the risk of differentiating into unwanted cell types. We report the medium-term to long-term safety of cells derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESC) transplanted into patients.

Methods: In the USA, two prospective phase 1/2 studies were done to assess the primary endpoints safety and tolerability of subretinal transplantation of hESC-derived retinal pigment epithelium in nine patients with Stargardt's macular dystrophy (age >18 years) and nine with atrophic age-related macular degeneration (age >55 years).

The impact of cuts in legal aid funding on charities.

This article focusses on the specific impact of the cuts in legal aid funding on the charitable sector. The sector plays a significant role in advice giving. Some charities have the provision of legal advice as their sole purpose, whilst the work of other charities includes the giving of legal advice.

Psychosocial factors and low back pain among college students.

Objective And Participants: The authors evaluated psychosocial factors of stress and their effects on the prevalence of low back pain (LBP) among a population of college students in a major university in Colorado.

Methods: This was a nested cross-sectional study of 973 respondents who completed the National College Health Assessment survey. The authors evaluated a subset of questions pertaining to psychosocial stressors against the presence of LBP.

Can people find patient decision aids on the Internet?

Objective: To determine if people could find patient decision aids (PtDAs) on the Internet using the most popular general search engines.

Methods: We chose five medical conditions for which English language PtDAs were available from at least three different developers. The search engines used were: Google (www.

Cytogenetic effects in children treated with methylphenidate.

In recent years there has been a surge in methylphenidate (Ritalin) use for treatment of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. However, there is a paucity of information on whether this drug poses any potential health risks, such as mutagenicity or carcinogenicity, for humans. To address this issue, we investigated whether this central nervous system stimulant produces cytogenetic abnormalities in pediatric patients at therapeutic levels.

Symptoms of adverse health effects among residents from communities surrounding chemical-industrial complexes in southeast Texas.

Beaumont and Port Arthur are cities in southeast Texas with major chemical-industrial complexes. Using a menu-driven computer program and trained interviewers, the authors compared self-reported symptoms of adverse health effects in individuals from these two communities with the reference community of Galveston, Texas. There were no statistical differences between the Beaumont and Port Arthur communities.

The impact of bariatric surgery on the Veterans Administration healthcare system: a cost analysis.

Background: The economic burden of caring for veterans with clinically severe obesity and its comorbidities is straining the Veterans Administration (VA) healthcare system. The authors determined the cost of Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGBP) in the VA's single-payor healthcare system.

Methods: The records of all 25 patients who underwent RYGBP from May 1999 to October 2001 were reviewed.

Exposure to ethylene glycol monomethyl ether: clinical and cytogenetic findings.

Glycol ethers are known reproductive and developmental toxins in laboratory animals, but little is known about their genotoxic effects in humans. In the current article, the authors tested the hypothesis that human in utero exposure to ethylene glycol monomethyl ether (EGME) is associated with the development of specific congenital anomalies and elevated levels of chromosome aberrations. The authors conducted a clinical and cytogenetic evaluation of 41 offspring of 28 females occupationally exposed to EGME for an average duration of 4.

Understanding renal dose dopamine.

Low-dose dopamine is a widely administered drug used often in critical care settings to prevent or treat patients with low urinary output. There are new data to support that low-dose dopamine may have side effects and not always increase renal perfusion to the kidneys. This article is a review of the current use of low-dose dopamine, the role of dopamine in the kidneys, and the potential risks of infusing this drug to patients.