Prevalence of multiple cardiovascular disease risk factors among women in the United States, 1992 and 1995: the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

We sought to examine the prevalence of self-reported multiple cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors (hypertension, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, overweight, and current smoking) among women in 1992 and 1995 in the United States using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. In 1992, 37.5%, 34.4%, and 28.1% of women had zero, one, and two or more of the five risk factors, respectively. In 1995, the respective estimates were 35.5%, 34.3%, and 30%. In both years, the prevalence of two or more risk factors increased with age, decreased with educational level, was higher among black women (lowest among Hispanic women and women of other ethnic groups), and higher among women reporting cost as a barrier to healthcare. The percentage of women with two or more risk factors was higher in 1995 than in 1992 for 35 of 48 states, being statistically significant for 7 states. The percentage of women with at least two risk factors was not significantly lower in 1995 than in 1992 for any state. A higher percentage of women reported having multiple CVD risk factors in 1995 compared with 1992. A multifactorial approach to primary prevention and risk factor reduction should be encouraged to help reduce the prevalence and burden of CVD among women.     

Neonatal murine B lymphocytes respond to polysaccharide antigens in the presence of IL-1 and IL-6

Unlike adults, neonates are unable to respond to polysaccharide Ags, making them especially vulnerable to pathogenic encapsulated bacteria. Since the Ab response to polysaccharides in adult mice requires certain cytokines, it was hypothesized that neonatal murine B cells may be competent to respond to such Ags, but may fail to do so due to a deficiency of cytokines. Neonatal splenocyte cultures, which were otherwise unresponsive to trinitrophenyl (TNP)-Ficoll, a haptenated polysaccharide Ag, mounted an adult-like Ab response when supplemented with IL-1. However, IL-1 failed to induce such a response to TNP-Ficoll when purified B cells were used instead. Although IL-6 alone did not induce a response in whole spleen cells or purified B cells from neonates, it synergized with IL-1 in inducing purified neonatal B cells to respond to TNP-Ficoll. The avidity of the cytokine-induced neonatal anti-TNP Abs was comparable to that of Abs made by adult splenocyte cultures. One effect of IL-1 may be at the level of clonal expansion, since it induced neonatal B cells to proliferate in response to anti-IgM, which was further enhanced by IL-6. The spontaneous secretion of IL-1 by neonatal splenocytes was below the detection limit, while adult splenocytes secreted 30.8 +/- 5.2 U/ml, which is of the same order of magnitude as what was required to stimulate neonatal B cells to respond to TNP-Ficoll. Thus, the neonatal unresponsiveness to polysaccharide Ags could be due to the inability of a non-B cell population resident in the neonatal spleen to secrete sufficient quantities of IL-1.     

Forest‐based resources as fillers in biobased polyurethane foams

Six fillers from forestry wastes (wood, bark, cones and needles from young pine trees, kraft lignin, and recycled paper sludge from industry wastes) were incorporated into polyurethane (PU)‐based foams prepared via free‐rise pouring method. Variable filler contents (1, 5, and 10 wt %) and NCO/OH ratios (0.6, 0.9, and 1.2) were investigated. A simple mixture (1:3) of castor oil and crude glycerin (byproduct from biodiesel production) was used as biobased polyol. The foam composites were investigated through spectroscopy, morphological, mechanical, and hygroscopic analyses. The addition of fillers decreased water uptake and yielded rigid PU systems with more homogenous cell structure. The 1% and 5% reinforcement wood were the most effective among the studied compositions, with better mechanical and hygroscopic performance, probably due the higher compatibility of the wood with the PU system, which promote urethanic bonds between filler and isocyanate, as indicated by wet chemical results and micrographs. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 45684.     

The North Carolina High School Athletic Injury Study: design and methodology

PURPOSE: Organized interscholastic athletics are an integral part of the educational program at almost every school level. With this growing popularity of sports and their inclusion in more public school programs, it becomes increasingly apparent that additional consideration must be given to the injury problem associated with sport. The North Carolina High School Athletic Injury Study (NCHSAIS) was undertaken to identify patterns of injury among male and female athletes in North Carolina high schools participating in any of 12 sports. Specific aims are to measure the incidence, severity and etiology of injuries; to determine the relationship of demographic factors and protective equipment, exposure to play, and school characteristics to injuries; to study the relationship of coaches' training and experience to injury occurrence; and to compare the incidence and severity of injury among female and male athletes in the same or comparable sports. METHODS: A two-stage cluster sample of 100 high schools in North Carolina was selected for this 4-yr prospective study. RESULTS: Participation by the initial sample or a random replacement was achieved for 91 of the 100 schools. Nonresponse occurred at multiple levels of the sample for this study, and the weekly participation form posed the greatest respondent burden. CONCLUSIONS: The NCHSIAS offers a successful methodology for addressing sports injuries. In this paper we describe the design, methodology, and implementation issues that emerge in conducting a large scale epidemiological study in a population of high school athletes.     

A8高速路公园

Koog aan de Zaan是阿姆斯特丹附近的个可爱的小村庄，坐落于Zaan河边。20世纪70年代早期，这里新建了条高速路。为了跨过河，A8高速下面由桥墩支撑。这条新路奇妙地穿过镇子，在城市肌理中形成了个粗暴的切口。具有讽刺意义的是，在这里形成了个教会和政府间的根本分离：高架路的一侧是一个小教堂，而另一侧则是原来的市政厅。桥墩大概有7米高。桥下的空间变得非常具有纪念性：成为一个延伸的教堂。     

Effects of volatile anesthetics on the kinetics of inhibitory postsynaptic currents in cultured rat hippocampal neurons

1. The effects of the volatile anesthetics enflurane, halothane, and isoflurane on gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor-mediated inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) were studied in cultured rat hippocampal neurons. The experimental concentrations of anesthetics were measured directly using gas chromatography. All three anesthetics increased the overall duration of IPSCs, measured as the time to half-decay (T1/2). Clinically effective concentrations of anesthetics [between 0.5 and 1.5 times MAC (minimum alveolar concentration)] produced between 100 and 400% increases in T1/2. These effects were fully reversible, and did not involve alterations in the reversal potential for the IPSC (EIPSC). 2. The decay of the IPSC was fitted as a sum of two exponential functions, yielding a fast component (tau fast = 20 ms), and a slow component (tau slow = 77 ms), such that the fast component accounted for 79% of the IPSC amplitude and 52% of the total charge transfer. All three anesthetics produced concentration-related increases in the amplitude and charge transfer of the slow component, while simultaneously decreasing the amplitude and charge transfer of the fast component. Thus T1/2 approximated tau fast under control conditions, but approximated tau slow in the presence of the anesthetics. 3. Varying the calcium chelating agents in the recording pipettes had no effect on the quality or magnitude of alterations in IPSC kinetics produced by halothane, suggesting that variations in intracellular calcium levels are not required for the effect of halothane on the time course of the IPSC. 4. The (+)-stereoisomer of isoflurane produced greater increases in the duration of the IPSC than the (-)-isomer when applied at approximately equal concentrations, suggesting that there is a structurally selective site of interaction for isoflurane that modulates the GABAA receptor. 5. These results suggest that the previously shown abilities of volatile anesthetics to potentiate responses to exogenously applied GABA and to prolong the duration of GABA-mediated synaptic inhibition may be due to an alteration in the gating kinetics of the GABAA receptor/channel complex. Prolongation of synaptic inhibition in the CNS is consistent with the physiological effects that accompany anesthesia and may contribute to the mechanism of anesthetic action.     

On the development of colloidal nanoparticles towards multifunctional structures and their possible use for biological applications

In this Review, we describe the synthesis of high-quality colloidal nanoparticles in organic solvents, the mechanisms by which they can be transferred into aqueous solution, and some of their applications in biology. In particular, we will place emphasis on the creation of multifunctional nanoparticles or nanoparticle assemblies.