Alcohol intake, body weight, and mortality in a multiethnic prospective cohort

The purpose of this analysis was to investigate the effects of alcohol intake and body weight on mortality from all causes, cancer, and cerebrovascular and coronary heart disease. A cohort of more than 40,000 persons with Caucasian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, and native Hawaiian ethnicity was followed for close to 20 years. We calculated mortality rates using the person-years at risk for each gender and ethnic group as denominators. We used proportional hazards regression models to adjust for confounding variables and to estimate relative risks. Men and women with low alcohol intake (1-7 drinks per week) experienced a 20% reduction in total mortality. At higher levels of alcohol intake, women and Asian men experienced no mortality benefit. The protective effect of alcohol consumption was limited to coronary heart disease mortality. The relation between body mass index and total mortality was J-shaped for all groups. In agreement with previous reports, this study found that persons with moderate alcohol intake appear to have a lower risk of dying than nondrinkers, but the possible protective levels of alcohol for women and Asian men appear to be lower than for Caucasian men.     

Alcohol intake in selected lines of mice: Importance of sex and genotype.

Studied the relationship between CNS sensitivity to ethanol (E) and voluntary consumption of an E solution in mice selected by G. E. McClearn and R. Kakihana (1973) for differences in E-induced sleep time. In Exp I, 32 mice from the long-sleep (LS) and short-sleep (SS) lines were offered a choice of water or solution GS consisting of 3% glucose and .16% sodium saccharin (w/v); or a choice of water or solution GS?+?E that contained GS solution plus 4% E (w/v). In Exp II, Ss from the 1st experiment were provided with a 3-way choice among water, solution GS, and solution GS?+?E. In both experiments, SS (alcohol-insensitive) Ss consumed more GS?+?E than LS (alcohol-sensitive). In addition, females drank considerably more GS?+?E solution than males. Thus consumption of sweetened E in both a 2-way choice (water and GS?+?E) and a 3-way choice (water, GS, and GS?+?E) was dependent on both genotype and sex. High genetic sensitivity to E was associated with low consumption, and vice versa. Although females consumed more alcohol than males, females of these lines have not been previously found to show lower sensitivity to acute alcohol administration. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the prevention of accidents and injuries. A comparative analysis of conceptual frameworks

The meaning of prevention has changed as new applications of the concept have appeared. Ideas presented in eleven different conceptual frameworks are compared. Identification of the frameworks took place through searches in databases and relevant literature. Five are general by nature, while six relate to injuries and accidents. All are supported by just a few parameters, the time dimension being the most prominent. Compatibility was established on three additional dimensions: level (individual, organizational or societal); direction ("bottom-up" or "top-down"); and in relation to the trichotomy "host-agent-environment". An attempt to synthesize all these dimensions into one general model of accident and injury prevention is presented.     

Alcohol in fatal and nonfatal injuries: a comparison of coroner and emergency room data from the same county

Although alcohol is thought to be associated with severity of injury, relatively little data are available that compares alcohol's involvement in injury cases treated in the emergency room (ER) with coroner cases of injury fatality, both coming from the same county. Data from a probability sample of casualty patients 18 years and older treated at the University of Mississippi Medical Center ER in Jackson during a 6-month period (n = 275) are compared with data from coroner reports of all fatalities from unnatural causes among those 18 and older in the same county during a 1-year period surrounding the 6 months of data collection in the ER (n = 222). The two samples are compared on demographic characteristics, cause of injury, place of injury, and alcohol use before the event. A significantly larger proportion of the coroner sample was positive for alcohol (57%) and intoxicated (36%), compared with the proportion of those in the ER sample breathalyzed within 6 hr of injury, and reporting no drinking after the event who were positive (15%) and intoxicated (6%). Differences were most pronounced for motor vehicle accidents and fires. Violence-related injuries were more likely in the coroner sample (32%) than in the ER sample (16%), and they were more likely to involve alcohol at levels of intoxication. Those in the coroner sample were also more likely to be alcohol-positive for injuries occurring in all places except the home of another and the workplace. Using logistic regression, gender (male) and site (coroner) were predictive of a positive blood alcohol across all causes of injury combined. Gender (female), being alcohol-positive and site (coroner) were significantly predictive of motor vehicle accidents. Alcohol was not found to be a significant predictor for falls, other accidents, or injuries resulting from violence. Data suggest that alcohol's association with severity of injury varies by cause of injury.     

Manual and computer-aided space analysis: a comparative study

Separate injections of Haemophilus influenzae type b capsular polysaccharide-tetanus conjugate (PRP-T) vaccine and diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) reconstitution of freeze-dried PRP-T vaccine with liquid DTP vaccine have been shown to be safe and immunogenic in infants. The present study was conducted to test the safety and immunogenicity of the liquid combination vaccine administered to young infants in the dual-chamber syringe. The study was a monocenter, open clinical trial of 3 month-old infants receiving PRP-T and DTP vaccines in the dual-chamber syringe reconstituted prior to injection. Healthy infants were immunized according to a 3, 4 and 5 months-of-age schedule. The vaccine was administered in a dual-chamber syringe, ready to use with two chambers. The proximal chamber contained freeze-dried PRP-T and the distal chamber contained liquid combination-vaccine DTP. The freeze-dried PRP-T vaccine was reconstituted with the liquid DTP vaccine in the same unidose dual-chamber syringe (0.5 mL) and was injected intramuscularly into the deltoid region. Blood sampling was performed prior to vaccination at 3 months of age and after the third vaccination at 6 months. The primary end-point was the serological response to PRP-T vaccine as expressed by the percentage of infants with an antibody titer greater than or equal to 1 microgram/mL. The reactogenicity was expressed as the percentage of reported local and systemic reactions. A total of 108 infants were included in the study and received the dual-chamber syringe vaccine. After the third injection, all the infants had a PRP antibody titer greater than or equal to 0.15 microgram/mL and 94.4% of infants had a PRP antibody titer greater than or equal to 1 microgram/mL; the pertussis agglutinin titers were over the threshold 40 and 80 in all infants and 98.1% were over the threshold 320. After the third injection, all the infants had diphtheria antibody titers greater than 0.1 IU/mL and 83.3% had titers greater than 1 IU/mL; all the infants had tetanus antibody titers greater than 0.1 IU/mL and 97.2% had results over 1 IU/mL. Thirty-seven infants (34.6%) had local reactions and 64.5% had systemic reactions. The dual-chamber syringe may reduce the cost of vaccine delivery, as well as the workload, and increase the vaccine acceptability and coverage rate of vaccines.     

Alcohol intake and cognitive abilities in old age: The Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 study.

Objective: Moderate alcohol consumption has been associated with better cognitive performance in late adulthood, possibly by improving vascular health. Few studies have examined the potentially confounding roles of prior cognitive ability and social class in this relationship. Method: Participants were 922 healthy adults about 70 years old in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 study, for whom there are IQ data from age 11. Alcohol consumption was obtained by self-report questionnaire. Cognitive outcome measures included general cognitive ability, speed of information processing, memory, and verbal ability. Results: Moderate to substantial drinking (>2 units/day) was associated with better performance on cognitive tests than low-level drinking (≤2 units/day) or nondrinking in men and women. After adjusting for childhood IQ and adult social class, most of these associations were removed or substantially attenuated. After full adjustment, a small, positive association remained between overall alcohol intake and memory (women and men) and verbal ability (women only). Women's overall alcohol intake was derived almost exclusively from wine. In men, effects differed according to beverage type: wine and sherry–port consumption was associated with better verbal ability, but beer was associated with a poorer verbal ability and spirits intake was associated with better memory. Conclusions: Prior intelligence and socioeconomic status influence both amount and type of alcohol intake and may partly explain the link between alcohol intake and improved cognitive performance at age 70. Alcohol consumption was found to make a small, independent contribution to memory performance and verbal ability, but these findings' clinical significance is uncertain. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Alcohol and drug abuse: a retrospective analysis of incidence in a regional hospital 1993-1994

This retrospective study analyzes and compares the incidence of admissions for alcohol and drug (i.e.: heroin and cocaine) induced diseases to the internal medicine service of Locarno Regional Hospital (61 beds plus intensive care unit) between January 1, 1993 and December 31, 1994. Of 4038 admissions, 298 (7.4%) were related to alcoholism and drug addiction. 4.2% of all hospital days were due to alcohol abuse, whereas 3.2% were related to drug abuse (of these 1.8% were for HIV-associated diseases and 0.9% for withdrawal treatment). The male/female ratio was 3:1 in both groups, the average age of women being significantly lower in the alcoholic group (50.5 +/- 14.4 years vs. 58.1 +/- 12.9; p = 0.003). Over 90% of the patients with alcohol-induced conditions continued to consume alcohol. On the contrary, only 16% of the HIV-positive patients were still drug-addicted. The in-hospital mortality was 6% (5% in the alcoholic group; 1.6% and 12%, respectively, in the HIV-negative and HIV-positive groups of drug addicts). This study confirms the high prevalence of diseases related to alcohol and drug abuse. Women are less affected, but show complications of alcohol abuse earlier. Despite the HIV epidemic in our area, the admissions of alcoholics to the hospital are more frequent than those of drug addicts. Most of the drug addicts with an HIV-associated condition are in remission, whereas alcoholics with alcohol-induced diseases continue, for the most part, to be alcohol-dependent.     

Multisite surface electromyography and complementary healing intervention: a comparative analysis

Casein kinase II from the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica is a heterotetramer of the form alpha alpha' beta 2. We report on the cloning and sequencing of a partial cDNA and of the complete genomic DNA coding for the catalytic alpha subunit of the casein kinase II from this yeast species. The sequence of the gene coding for this enzyme has been analyzed. No intron was found in the gene, which is present in a single copy. The deduced amino acid sequence of the gene shows high similarity with those of alpha subunit described in other species, although, uniquely, Y. lipolytica CKII alpha lacks cysteines. We find that the alpha subunit sequence of Y. lipolytica CKII is shown greater homology with the corresponding protein from S. pombe than with that from S. cerevisiae. We have analyzed CKII alpha expression and CKII alpha activity. We show that expression of this enzyme is regulated. The catalytic subunit is translated from a single mRNA, and the enzyme is present at a very low level in Y. lipolytica, as in other yeasts.     

Diagnosis-related groups: a comparative analysis of hospital activity in different countries

Comparative study of hospital activities in the Novgorod district and nine countries of the European Community, carried out within the framework of the International Project CAMISE (Case Mix and Severity) of the European Community on the basis of the classification system for diagnosis-related groups, showed a lower Case Mix Index, a longer hospital stay for all major disease, and a lower surgical activity in the hospitals of the Novgorod district in comparison with other European countries. The detected differences are largely due to specific features in the organization of hospital service in Russia (no special hospitals for acute and chronic patients, no nursing homes) and insufficiently intensive therapeutic and diagnostic process.     

Molsidomine and isosorbide dinitrate: a comparative trial of tolerance in long-term intake by IHD patients with stable angina of effort

Potential tolerance to isosorbide dinitrate (ID) and molsidomine (M) was studied in 18 ischemic heart disease (IHD) patients with stable angina of effort entered in a double blind cross-over trial. Each drug was administered for 3 weeks 4 times a day in individual effective dose. Single doses of ID and M were similar by effectiveness, but after 3 weeks of regular intake their efficacy fell, ID becoming less potent than M. For ID, tolerance after long-term intake manifested in 7 out of 18 patients, for M--in 5 out of 18. Complete tolerance was registered in 3 of 18 and 1 of 18 patients, respectively. Thus, tolerance is possible for the two drugs, but for M it is less pronounced.     

A comparative study of blood pressure and sodium intake in Belgium and in Korea

A comparative blood pressure and sodium excretion were higher in Korea than in Belgium. By multiple regression and covariance analysis an independent positive association between sodium and blood pressure and a negative correlation between potassium and blood pressure were found in some population subgroups and in the total population studied in Korea. In Belgium a positive association between sodium and blood pressure was found when higher powers of age, height, weight and sodium were included in the analysis. The independent influence of sodium on blood pressure was relatively small, amounting to about 2 mm Hg of pressure rise for an increase in 24-h excretion of 100 mmol of sodium.     

Inherent stability of proximal first metatarsal osteotomies: a comparative analysis

Proximal first metatarsal osteotomies have been criticized for their instability leading to the dorsal displacement of the first metatarsal head. The purpose of this study was to compare inherent stability of fixated proximal oblique wedge and crescentic first metatarsal osteotomies against simulated vertical ground reactive forces. The authors evaluated four groups of 10 models each with various proximal osteotomy and fixation configurations. Group I was a control group of bone models without osteotomies; group II had oblique closing wedge osteotomies with one 2.7-mm, fully threaded, cortical screw fixation; group III had oblique closing wedge osteotomies with two 2.7-mm, fully threaded, cortical screw fixation; and group IV had proximal crescentic osteotomies with one 4.0-mm, partially threaded, cancellous screw fixation. All 40 bone models were stressed with simulated vertical ground reactive forces. Maximum load to achieve catastrophic failure was higher in the crescentic group (67.7 N, SD 15.1 N, p < or = .005), but the energy required to displace the osteotomy during the stressing sequence was higher in the two-screw oblique closing wedge osteotomy (390.6 N.mm, SD 153.4 N.mm, p < or = .01). The single-screw oblique closing wedge osteotomies showed the least ability to resist simulated vertical ground reactive forces (39.6 N, SD 19.1 N, p < or = .005).     

Functional outcome after brain tumor and acute stroke: a comparative analysis

OBJECTIVE: To compare the functional outcome, length of stay, and discharge disposition of patients with brain tumors and those with acute stroke. DESIGN: Case-controlled, retrospective study at a tertiary care medical center inpatient rehabilitation unit. SUBJECTS: Sixty-three brain tumor patients matched with 63 acute stroke patients according to age, sex, and location of lesion. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The functional independence measure (FIM) was measured on admission and discharge. The FIM change and FIM efficiency were also calculated. The FIM was analyzed in three subsets: activities of daily living (ADL), mobility (MOB), and cognition (COG). Discharge disposition and rehabilitation length of stay were compared. RESULTS: Demographic variables of race, marital status, and payer source were comparable for the two groups. No significant difference was found between the brain tumor and stroke populations with respect to total admission FIM, total discharge FIM, change in total FIM, or FIM efficiency. The admission MOB-FIM was found to be higher in the brain tumor group (13.6 vs 11.1, p = .04), whereas the stroke group had a greater change in ADL-FIM score (10.8 vs 8.3, p = .03). The two groups had similar rates of discharge to community at greater than 85%. The tumor group had a significantly shorter rehabilitation length of stay than the stroke group (25 vs 34 days, p < .01). CONCLUSION: Brain tumor patients can achieve comparable functional outcome and rates of discharge to community and have a shorter rehabilitation length of stay than stroke patients.     

Case series analysis of adverse reactions to vaccines: a comparative evaluation

A modified cohort method has been proposed for estimating the relative incidence of rare adverse reactions after vaccination. The method requires only a sample of the cases, thus avoiding the need for following large population cohorts or selecting controls. This case series method has statistical power equivalent to that of the full cohort method when the risk periods after vaccination are short and vaccine coverage is high. The method also eliminates confounding by variables associated with both the outcome and avoidance of vaccination. In this paper, the cohort, case-control, and case series methods are reviewed, and their underlying assumptions and performances are compared. Theoretical results are illustrated using data on febrile convulsions after measles-mumps-rubella vaccination in the United Kingdom.     

Iodine intake and the pattern of thyroid disorders: a comparative epidemiological study of thyroid abnormalities in the elderly in Iceland and in Jutland, Denmark

Gastroesophageal reflux (GOR) is often a self-limiting condition but nevertheless is a common cause of morbidity in childhood. Studies of adult patients with hiatus hernias and GOR have suggested that there is an increased incidence of dental erosion in these individuals. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between dental erosion and GOR in children. Fifty-three children aged 2 to 16 yr (mean 4.9 yr) with moderate to severe GOR, defined by pH monitoring, were examined for dental erosion. A questionnaire investigating dietary habits, other relevant medical conditions, and erosion risk factors was also completed. Results showed that the prevalence of dental erosion was low, when compared with the UK National Survey, with only 9 (17%) children showing any signs of erosion, and of these only one had erosion involving dentine. These results suggest that dental erosion may not be as great a problem in children with GOR as it is in adults. It may be that refluxing is limited to the oesophagus, and further work is needed to investigate those children that positively reflux into the mouth.     

Sonographic analysis of recurrent parotitis in children: a comparative study with sialographic findings

BACKGROUND: Patients with asthma show altered surface expression of the adhesion molecules CD11b and L-selectin on airway granulocytes compared with blood granulocytes. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether this modulation is related to disease activity or due to transendothelial migration, we compared the CD11b and L-selectin expression on blood and induced sputum eosinophils and neutrophils between patients with asthma and normal subjects. METHODS: Eleven normal subjects (21-43 years), nine patients (21-34 years) with mild atopic asthma and 10 patients (20-47 years) with moderate to severe atopic asthma on regular treatment with inhaled steroids underwent sputum induction by inhalation of nebulized hypertonic saline (4.5%). CD11b and L-selectin expression on granulocytes from blood and DTT-homogenized sputum were analysed by flow cytometry. Eosinophils could be discriminated from neutrophils by using depolarized light scatter. Disease activity was assessed by baseline FEV1 and airway responsiveness to histamine (PC20). RESULTS: Sputum eosinophils showed higher expression of CD11b (P<0.001) and lower expression of L-selectin (P<0.001) compared with peripheral blood eosinophils. CD11b and L-selectin expression on eosinophils from blood or sputum did not differ between the three groups. Similar results were obtained for neutrophils. The PC20 in the patients with moderate-to-severe asthma was related to CD11b expression on blood (R=-0.92, P=0.001) and sputum eosinophils (R=0.75, P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Flow cytometry of induced sputum granulocytes from asthmatic as well as normal subjects is feasible. We conclude that the modulated expression of CD11b and L-selectin on airway granulocytes is not specific for asthmatic airway inflammation, but is probably the result of tissue migration per sé. This implies that CD11b and L-selectin expression on granulocytes in induced sputum cannot be used as marker of disease activity.