To treat or not to treat: comparison of different criteria used to determine whether weight loss is to be recommended

Background  

Excess body fat is a major risk factor for disease primarily due to its endocrine activity. In recent years several criteria have been introduced to evaluate this factor. Nevertheless, treatment need is currently assessed only on the basis of an individual's Body Mass Index (BMI), calculated as body weight (in kg) divided by height in m². The aim of our study was to determine whether application of the BMI, compared to adiposity-based criteria, results in underestimation of the number of subjects needing lifestyle intervention.     

Data collection: evaluation of a pilot model

The overall purpose of this study was to explore nurses' feelings about the applicability and adequacy of a pilot model of nursing assessment (PMNA) developed for coronary care units (CCU) in order to obtain data that could help in establishing a definitive model. The evaluation, performed by 11 CCU nurses, showed that they considered the development and implementation of PMNA as valuable, and that its design was adequate for interviewing cardiac patients. These results will be employed in the elaboration of a definitive model of nursing assessment.     

Cytoskeletal elements in mammalian spermiogenesis and spermatozoa.

Identification of the cytoskeletal elements and their role in the formation as well as the maintenance of head membrane compartmentalization is a much debated issue in mammalian spermatozoa. Data which have emerged during the last ten years are summarized. Those which have converged in a common opinion, such as the distribution of actin in mammalian spermiogenesis, are distinguished from those which have to be confirmed, such as the role of actin related proteins and actin in mature spermatozoa.     

Nondegradative microextrusion of resorbable polyesters for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications: The cases of poly‐lactic‐acid and poly‐caprolactone

In recent years biodegradable polymers, particularly polyesters such as the poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and polycaprolactone (PCL), have gained high interests for their applicability in the biomedical and pharmaceutical fields where they're used for manufacturing various different resorbable devices, from tissue engineering scaffolds to controlled drug release systems. Despite many positive characteristics, processability of these materials still remains a critical issue as they easily tend to degrade during manufacturing. In this article we aimed to assess microextrusion as a nondegradative process for manufacturing PLA and PCL. The results we experimentally obtained, that are hereby presented, set a new point in the on‐going debate on degradation during processing of resorbable polymers as they allow to affirm that microextrusion leaves unmodified molecular weight distributions without producing any evident reductions in mean molecular weight. Microextrusion thus represents a risk‐free high molecular weight polymer processing solution for obtaining nondegraded products within pharmaceutical and biomedical production lines, such as for scaffolds for tissue engineering applications or drug delivery. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Assay of acyclovir in human skin layers by high-performance liquid chromatography

This paper describes an assay procedure for acyclovir quantification in human skin after in vitro transdermal transport experiments. The procedure employs warm distilled water for acyclovir (ACV) extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) as analytical method. The procedure has good reproducibility, sensitivity and specificity, resulting in a reliable method for biopharmaceutical studies of ACV distribution in skin tissue. The chromatographic conditions set up, using distilled water as mobile phase, makes the analytical procedure simple and easy to perform.     

Multidrug resistance-reversing agents increase vinblastine distribution in normal tissues expressing the P-glycoprotein but do not enhance drug penetration in brain and testis

The aim of this study was to assess whether P-glycoprotein (Pgp) inhibitors altered the blood-brain barrier and enhanced vinblastine (VBL) distribution in brain, testis and other Pgp-expressing tissues. Trifluoperazine, cyclosporin A, amiodarone, quinidine, the nifedipine analog Bay K8644 and verapamil were selected among Pgp inhibitors and were administered intraperitoneally 1 hr before an intravenous dose of 10 mg/kg VBL. Trifluoperazine and cyclosporin A were also administered intraperitoneally for 7 days before VBL. VBL and its metabolite O4-deacetylvinblastine were measured in tissues by high-performance liquid chromatography assay. None of the reversing agents (RA) appreciably raised VBL concentrations in brain and testis, whereas all except quinidine significantly enhanced VBL distribution in liver and kidney; the most effective were trifluoroperazine and cyclosporin A. In mice treated with RA and VBL combined, O4-deacetylvinblastine levels in liver and kidney reached either the same or higher levels than in mice treated with VBL alone, indicating that the increase in VBL levels is not due to inhibition of its metabolism. The main conclusions are that (1) inhibitors of Pgp, even at high doses, do not increase the permeability of the blood-brain barrier in mice, suggesting caution in the clinical use of RA combined with antitumor agents for brain tumors; and (2) several RA achieve high enough concentrations to enhance the distribution of VBL in other normal tissues expressing Pgp, thus potentially increasing VBL toxicity.     

Advanced on-board processing for user oriented communication systems

The continuing improvement of RF components, particularly in the field of spot-beam antennas, combined with the steady progress in digital technology, leads us to consider the advantages of a satellite system able to provide full connectivity to ground stations operating at different data rates. For low data rates, two different access methods: continuous TDM and Multi-carrier TDMA, are compared for earth-stations operating at 2Mb/s. The two methods are compared from the point of view of efficiency and adaptability in a non-uniform load environment. Some control criteria are proposed for the Multi-carrier system. Both methods are particularly suited for small users.     

Language disturbances following vascular lesions restricted to the left basal ganglia, thalamus, and white matter.

Examined the relationship between aphasia type and lesion site in 80 subcortical stroke patients. Ss were classified as affected by aphasia, dysarthria, and nonaphasia, nondysarthria. Sites of lesions were identified by means of computerized tomography (CT) scan. No correlation between site of lesions and category group was found. Lesions of the same subcortical structures yielded different neurolinguistic impairment, whereas comparable linguistic patterns were observed with lesions of different deep areas. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)