Oral leucine administration stimulates protein synthesis in rat skeletal muscle

Oral administration of a single bolus of leucine in an amount equivalent to the daily intake (1.35 g/kg body wt) enhances skeletal muscle protein synthesis in food-deprived rats. To elucidate whether smaller amounts of leucine can also stimulate protein synthesis, rats were administered the amino acid at concentrations ranging from 0.068 to 1.35 g/kg body wt by oral gavage. Thirty minutes following the administration of doses of leucine as low as 0.135 g/kg body wt, skeletal muscle protein synthesis was significantly greater than control values. The increase in protein synthesis was associated with changes in the regulation of biomarkers of mRNA translation initiation as evidenced by upregulated phosphorylation of the translational repressor, eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF)4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1), the association of eIF4G with the mRNA cap binding protein eIF4E, and the phosphorylation of the 70-kDa ribosomal protein S6 kinase. Alterations in the phosphorylation of eIF4G, as well as the association of 4E-BP1 with eIF4E, were observed following leucine administration; however, these changes appeared to be biphasic with maximal changes occurring when circulating insulin concentrations were elevated. Thus it appears that leucine administration affects mRNA translation and skeletal muscle protein synthesis through modulation of multiple biomarkers of mRNA translation. The ability of small doses of leucine to stimulate skeletal muscle protein synthesis suggests that future research on the regulation of skeletal muscle protein synthesis by orally administered leucine will be feasible in humans.     

Predictive factors for noncompliance with follow-up among women treated for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia

The aim of this study was to explore the magnitude and causes of noncompliance with follow-up after cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) treatment. Women who were treated by large loop excision of the transformation zone (LLETZ) for CIN between January 1994 and June 1996 were enrolled. Women who kept all their appointments were grouped as compliant. To the noncompliant group belonged those women who missed at least two follow-up appointments during the first year of follow-up. Seventy-four of 141 women (52.5%) who were treated for CIN were noncompliant. Fifty women from each group were then evaluated. Demographic, social and contraceptive parameters were found to be similar between the groups. The noncompliant group had a nonsignificant trend towards having had only elementary education, undergoing surgery in the past, additional diseases, taking chronic medications and having diseases in the family. We conclude that noncompliance with follow-up after treatment of CIN by LLETZ may be much higher than expected. Noncompliant patients do not have any significantly defined characteristics.     

Regarding Abortion: Informed Consent or Selective Disclosure?

Nursing is multidimensional, interactive, interdisciplinary, and complex. Almost anything that can be said about nursing can be said another way. Some things worth being said and heard will not follow the norms of journal presentation. A forum accommodates the emerging voice, the new format, the innovative approach. Nursing Forum, in an effort to honor the independent voice in nursing, presents here the voice who elects to enter the dialogue, but who does so "in another way."     

A follow-up case study on teenage pregnancy: "havin' a baby isn't a nightmare, but it's really hard"

Two adolescent mothers who participated in a previously published study on teenage pregnancy agreed to participate in follow-up interviews in their homes about 1 1/2 years after giving birth. A naturalistic, qualitative case study approach was used to examine the participants' views and perceptions related to adolescent pregnancy and childbearing. Both mothers reported general satisfaction with their lives as young mothers, but indicated that their attitudes about early maternity changed once they experienced the day-to-day realities of motherhood. Overall, the participants adequately managed single motherhood with support from family. Regrets and hopes for a better future, mended and broken relationships, and thinking about and avoiding or engaging in fighting behavior were themes that emerged from the data. In addition, some of the findings of this case study were compared and contrasted with the initial study (Spear, 2001), and implications for practice and research are discussed.