Naloxone use by Aotearoa New Zealand emergency medical services, 2017-2021.

Objective: Emergency medical services (EMS) use of naloxone in the prehospital setting is indicated in patients who have significantly impaired breathing or level of consciousness when opioid intoxication is suspected. The present study characterised naloxone use in a nationwide sample of Aotearoa New Zealand road EMS patients to establish a baseline for surveillance of any changes in the future.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of rates of patients with naloxone administrations was conducted using Hato Hone St John (2017-2021) and Wellington Free Ambulance (2018-2021) electronic patient report form datasets.

How Autism Assistance Canines Enhance the Lives of Autistic Children.

The primary objective of this qualitative study was to examine the emerging phenomenon regarding the use of autism assistance canines to support the development of autistic children. Following an evaluation and analysis of literature and national educational policies, it became apparent that, to date, little research has been conducted regarding the concept of animal assisted education within Irish society. Therefore, this qualitative research study aimed to increase the body of research in order to inform future policy makers.

Harmonized multi-metric and multi-centric assessment of EEG source space connectivity for dementia characterization.

Introduction: Harmonization protocols that address batch effects and cross-site methodological differences in multi-center studies are critical for strengthening electroencephalography (EEG) signatures of functional connectivity (FC) as potential dementia biomarkers.

Methods: We implemented an automatic processing pipeline incorporating electrode layout integrations, patient-control normalizations, and multi-metric EEG source space connectomics analyses.

Results: Spline interpolations of EEG signals onto a head mesh model with 6067 virtual electrodes resulted in an effective method for integrating electrode layouts.

Arginine vasopressin improves cerebral perfusion following controlled haemorrhage in adult ewes.

Key Points: Traumatic haemorrhagic shock carries significant morbidity and mortality related to the severity and duration of tissue hypoperfusion, much of which occurs in the pre-hospital environment where therapy must be easy to use and would augment, not replace, local haemorrhage control measures. Vasopressor therapy use in haemorrhagic shock remains controversial. Potential benefits from improved blood pressure and tissue perfusion need to be weighed against possible harm from increased blood loss if haemorrhage is uncontrolled.

Why resilience is unappealing to social science: Theoretical and empirical investigations of the scientific use of resilience.

Resilience is often promoted as a boundary concept to integrate the social and natural dimensions of sustainability. However, it is a troubled dialogue from which social scientists may feel detached. To explain this, we first scrutinize the meanings, attributes, and uses of resilience in ecology and elsewhere to construct a typology of definitions.

Comparison of the antioxidant effects of Concord grape juice flavonoids alpha-tocopherol on markers of oxidative stress in healthy adults.

Background: Concord grape juice (CGJ) is a rich source of flavonoids, which have greater antioxidant efficacy in vitro than does alpha-tocopherol; however, the efficacies of flavonoids and alpha-tocopherol in vivo have not been compared.

Objective: We compared the in vivo antioxidant efficacy of CGJ with that of alpha-tocopherol in healthy adults.

Design: Subjects were randomly assigned to receive either 400 IU RRR-alpha-tocopherol/d (n = 17) or 10 mL CGJ.

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-induced monocyte-endothelial cell adhesion, soluble cell adhesion molecules, and autoantibodies to oxidized-LDL in chronic renal failure patients on dialysis therapy.

Premature atherosclerosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in chronic renal failure patients undergoing dialysis. In this study, we compared autoantibodies to oxidized low-density lipoprotein (OX-LDL), soluble cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), and the effect of both LDL and OX-LDL on monocyte endothelial cell adhesion in chronic renal failure patients on hemodialysis (HD, n = 16) and peritoneal dialysis (PD, n = 17) compared with matched healthy control subjects (C, n = 17). In addition, we studied the effect of supplementation with RRR-alpha-tocopherol (AT) 800 IU/d for 12 weeks on the above measures.

Studies of LDL oxidation following alpha-, gamma-, or delta-tocotrienyl acetate supplementation of hypercholesterolemic humans.

In vitro tocotrienols (T3s) have potent vitamin E antioxidant activity, but unlike tocopherols can inhibit cholesterol synthesis by suppressing 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutarylCoA (HMG-CoA) reductase. Because hypercholesterolemia is a major risk factor for coronary artery disease and oxidative modification of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) may be involved in atherogenesis, we investigated whether daily supplements of placebo, or alpha-, gamma-, or delta- (alpha-, gamma-, or delta-) tocotrienyl acetates would alter serum cholesterol or LDL oxidative resistance in hypercholesterolemics in a double-blind placebo controlled study. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive placebo (n = 13), alpha- (n = 13), gamma- (n = 12), or delta- (n = 13) tocotrienyl acetate supplements (250 mg/d).

Lack of costimulation by both sphingomyelinase and C2 ceramide in resting human T cells.

Resting T cells require a signal transduced through their antigen-specific T-cell receptor (TCR) and an antigen-independent costimulatory signal in order to proliferate and become activated. Ligation of the CD28 receptor costimulates T-cell proliferation and is critical to correct T-cell function. A putative effector of CD28-mediated costimulation is the sphingomyelinase enzyme, which generates the potent second messenger ceramide.

Evidence for recognition of novel islet T cell antigens by granule-specific T cell lines from new onset type 1 diabetic patients.

Type 1 diabetes is a T cell-mediated autoimmune disease where a number of islet beta-cell target autoantigens have been characterized on the basis of reactivity with autoantibodies. Nevertheless, there remains uncertainty of the nature of another group of autoantigens associated with the secretory granule fraction of islet beta-cells that appear to be targeted predominantly by autoreactive T cells. We have previously characterized CD4+, HLA-DR-restricted T cell lines from new onset type 1 diabetic patients that are specific for the secretory granule fraction of rat tumour insulinoma, RIN.

Remnant-like particle-cholesterol concentrations in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and end-stage renal disease.

Background: Lipid abnormalities contribute significantly to the increased risk of cardiovascular disease in diabetic and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. Accumulating evidence supports a proatherogenic role for remnant lipoproteins. Thus, the aim of the present study was to compare remnant-like particle-cholesterol (RLP-C) in type 2 diabetic and ESRD patients with age- and gender-matched controls.

Alpha-tocopherol supplementation decreases the oxidative susceptibility of LDL in renal failure patients on dialysis therapy.

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) who have undergone dialysis treatment. The oxidation of low density lipoprotein (LDL) appears to be a crucial step in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The increased oxidative stress and attendant increased oxidizability of lipoproteins, such as LDL could contribute to the accelerated atherosclerosis in dialysis patients.

Validation of an immunoassay for measurement of plasma total homocysteine.

Hyperhomocysteinemia is an evolving cardiovascular risk factor. It is imperative that a simple, precise, and accurate assay be available in the clinical laboratory. The aim of this study was to evaluate an automated fluorescence polarization immunoassay for homocysteine.

Low fat-monounsaturated rich diets containing high-oleic peanuts improve serum lipoprotein profiles.

Postmenopausal hypercholesterolemic women are at risk for cardiovascular disease and are encouraged to follow low-fat (LF) (< or = 30% energy) diets. However, these diets may have undesirable effects on high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), apolipoprotein A-I (apo A-I) and triglycerides, whereas diets high in monounsaturated fats do not. Twenty postmenopausal hypercholesterolemic women previously consuming high-fat diets (34% energy) were placed on a low fat-monounsaturated rich diet (LFMR: 26%, 14% energy, respectively) for 6 men.

School health education: challenge for national and international agencies.

There are, in today's world, more than a billion young people of school age. Hundreds of millions of them are enrolled in the schools. They constitute the greatest single readily-reachable population group and present one of our greatest opportunities toward achieving a brighter health future.