Stability of Cefazolin in Polyisoprene Elastomeric Infusion Devices

Purpose

The aim was to investigate the stability of cefazolin in elastomeric infusion devices.

Cytotoxic Effect of (Z)-Ethylidene-4,6-Dimethoxycoumaran-3-One Isolated from Pogostemon quadrifolius (Benth.) on PC-3 and DU-145 Prostate Cancer Cells

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India Section B: Biological Sciences - The study was conducted to identify the antiproliferative property and the mode of action of...     

The Effect of Commuting Patterns on HIV Care Attendance Among Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM) in Atlanta,Georgia

Background

Travel-related barriers to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) care, such as commute time and mode of transportation, have been reported in the United States.

Objective

The objective of the study was to investigate the association between public transportation use and HIV care attendance among a convenience sample of Atlanta-based, HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM), evaluate differences across regions of residence, and estimate the relationship between travel distance and time by mode of transportation taken to attend appointments.

Methods

We used Poisson regression to estimate the association between use of public transportation to attend HIV-related medical visits and frequency of care attendance over the previous 12 months. The relationship between travel distance and commute time was estimated using linear regression. Kriging was used to interpolate commute time to visually examine geographic differences in commuting patterns in relation to access to public transportation and population-based estimates of household vehicle ownership.

Results

Using public transportation was associated with lower rates of HIV care attendance compared to using private transportation, but only in south Atlanta (south: aRR: 0.75, 95% CI 0.56, 1.0, north: aRR: 0.90, 95% CI 0.71, 1.1). Participants living in south Atlanta were more likely to have longer commute times associated with attending HIV visits, have greater access to public transportation, and may live in areas with low vehicle ownership. A majority of attended HIV providers were located in north and central Atlanta, despite there being participants living all across the city. Estimated commute times per mile traveled were three times as high among public transit users compared to private transportation users.

Conclusions

Improving local public transit and implementing use of mobile clinics could help address travel-related barriers to HIV care.     

The Uncompetitive N-methyl-D-Aspartate Antagonist Memantine Reduces Binge-Like Eating,Food-Seeking Behavior,and Compulsive Eating: Role of the Nucleus Accumbens Shell

Binge-eating disorder is characterized by excessive, uncontrollable consumption of palatable food within brief periods of time. The role of the glutamatergic N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor system in hedonic feeding is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to characterize the effects of the uncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist memantine on palatable food-induced behavioral adaptations using a rat model, which mimics the characteristic symptomatology observed in binge-eating disorder. For this purpose, we allowed male Wistar rats to respond to obtain a highly palatable, sugary diet (Palatable group) or a regular chow diet (Chow control group), for 1 h a day, under a fixed-ratio 1 (FR1) schedule of reinforcement. Upon stabilization of food responding, we tested the effects of memantine on the Chow and Palatable food groups'' intake. Then, we tested the effects of memantine on food-seeking behavior, under a second-order schedule of reinforcement. Furthermore, we investigated the effects of memantine on the intake of food when it was offered in an aversive, bright compartment of a light/dark conflict test. Finally, we evaluated the effects of memantine on FR1 responding for food, when microinfused into the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) shell or core. Memantine dose-dependently decreased binge-like eating and fully blocked food-seeking behavior and compulsive eating, selectively in the Palatable food group. The drug treatment did not affect performance of the control Chow food group. Finally, intra-NAcc shell, but not core, microinfusion of memantine decreased binge-like eating. Together, these findings substantiate a role of memantine as a potential pharmacological treatment for binge-eating disorder.     

Chemokine-induced leishmanicidal activity in murine macrophages via the generation of nitric oxide

This study explored the role of the proinflammatory chemokines macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1alpha and macrophage chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 for development of antileishmanial activity. There was substantial inhibition in nitrite generation in Leishmania donovani-infected macrophages. A marked elevation of nitrite generation and induction of inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase (iNOS) mRNA was found in chemokine-primed parasite-infected macrophages. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha, which is the priming signal for NO production, was also up-regulated under similar experimental conditions. The priming with chemokine inhibited the multiplication of L. donovani amastigotes within the intramacrophageal milieu. The antileishmanial effect of chemokines was almost completely abrogated when the macrophages were preincubated with l-N-monomethyl arginine, the specific inhibitor of iNOS. The results of this investigation suggest that the CC chemokines MIP-1alpha and MCP-1 orchestrate an antileishmanial armamentarium via the induction of an NO-mediated regulatory mechanism to control the intracellular growth and multiplication of the Leishmania protozoan.     

Adverse dermatologic effects of cardiovascular drug therapy: part III

Cardiovascular disease is common, affecting an increasing number of persons as the population ages. To combat this growing health problem, physicians use a multitude of medications in the treatment of their patients. Although pharmacologic therapy greatly enhances quality of life for a majority of patients, there is always the potential for an unfavorable reaction. For example, cardiovascular drugs can induce a vast array of adverse dermatologic responses. This article reviews the various cutaneous reaction patterns that can occur as a result of treatment with vasodilators and other antihypertensive drugs, anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs, thrombolytic agents, and lipid-lowering agents.     

Is intimal hyperplasia a marker of neuro-ophthalmic complications of giant cell arteritis?

Objective. The ischaemic complications of giant cell arteritis(GCA) such as blindness and stroke may result from luminal narrowingof the affected arteries. This study focuses on the associationbetween the severity of intimal proliferation on temporal arterybiopsy (TAB) histology and neuro-ophthalmic complications (NOCs)of GCA. Method. We identified 30 cases of biopsy-proven temporal arteritis.One histopathologist (blinded to the clinical details) evaluatedthe TAB specimens and categorized the degree of maximum stenosisdue to intimal hyperplasia into four grades: grade 1 is <50%luminal occlusion due to intimal hyperplasia, grade 2 is 50–75%,grade 3 is >75% and grade 4 is complete luminal occlusion.A second histopathologist (also blinded to the clinical details)independently evaluated the TAB specimens using the same gradingsystem. The NOCs in these patients were noted after a case recordreview. Results. Of the 30 patients, 12 had NOC-10 with eye complications(complete visual loss, anterior ischaemic neuropathy, visualfield defects), one patient had cerebral infarcts and one hadboth cerebral infarcts and vision loss. There was evidence fora statistically significant trend of NOC associated with higherintimal hyperplasia scores (P = 0.001). The scores of the histopathologistsagreed for 23 (77%) patients and differed by 1 category forthe remaining 7 (-statistic 0.88). Conclusions. Our study suggests that the degree of intimal hyperplasiaon TAB histology (routinely available to all hospital units)seems to be closely associated with NOCs of GCA. The study highlightsthe possible prognostic as well as diagnostic role of the biopsy.We feel that intimal hyperplasia noted in biopsy specimens mayhelp us in the risk stratification of GCA patients and targetingof appropriate and novel therapies. KEY WORDS: Intimal hyperplasia, Giant cell arteritis, Neuro-ophthalmic complications Submitted 1 June 2007; revised version accepted 7 January 2008.