Low vitamin D concentrations found in study of Asian children was not function of analytical method.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Asia↗
Biomedical subjects
M Lawson
Publications and source records attributed to M Lawson.
Neuroanatomical correlates of hunger and satiation in humans using positron emission tomography.
The central role of the hypothalamus in the origination and/or processing of feeding-related stimuli may be modulated by the activity of other functional areas of the brain including the insular cortex (involved in enteroceptive monitoring) and the prefrontal cortex (involved in the inhibition of inappropriate response tendencies). Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF), a marker of neuronal activity, was measured in 11 healthy, normal-weight men by using positron emission tomography in a state of hunger (after 36-h fast) and a state of satiation (after a liquid meal). Hunger was associated with significantly increased rCBF in the vicinity of the hypothalamus and insular cortex and in additional paralimbic and limbic areas (orbitofrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and parahippocampal and hippocampal formation), thalamus, caudate, precuneus, putamen, and cerebellum. Satiation was associated with increased rCBF in the vicinity of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and inferior parietal lobule. Changes in plasma insulin concentrations in response to the meal were negatively correlated with changes in rCBF in the insular and orbitofrontal cortex. Changes in plasma free fatty acid concentrations in response to the meal were negatively correlated with changes in rCBF in the anterior cingulate and positively correlated with changes in rCBF in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. In conclusion, these findings raise the possibility that several regions of the brain participate in the regulation of hunger and satiation and that insulin and free fatty acids may be metabolic modulators of postprandial brain neuronal events. Although exploratory, the present study provides a foundation for investigating the human brain regions and cognitive operations that respond to nutritional stimuli.
Adult↗
Vitamin D concentrations in Asian children aged 2 years living in England: population survey.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Asia↗
Dietary and lifestyle factors affecting plasma vitamin D levels in Asian children living in England.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the vitamin D status of a sample of young Asian children living in England by measurement of plasma 25-hydroxycholecalciferol levels; to relate biochemical measurements with parameters of diet, lifestyle and iron status in this population. DESIGN: The 'Infant Feeding in Asian Families' survey covered infants born to mothers of Bangladeshi, Indian or Pakistani origin, plus a sample of children born to White mothers in 41 local authority areas. The current study describes vitamin D values in a sub sample of Asian children from that survey. SETTING: Forty-one local authority areas which covered 95% of the Asian population at the time of the 1991 Census and include areas with the highest and lowest density of Asians. SUBJECTS: Seventy-one percent (2382) of mothers who were originally eligible were interviewed on four occasions up to the time their infant was 15 months. One thousand, seven hundred and thirty-eight of these children were followed up for this current study. Of these 618 had a blood sample analysed for vitamin D. OUTCOME MEASURES: Previous day's food intake, normal dietary intake, indicators of iron status and plasma vitamin D levels. RESULTS: Plasma vitamin D values are lower in the three groups of Asian children than values reported for children of a similar age in the National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Between one third and a half of children with a low haemoglobin also had low plasma vitamin D values; there was a significant association between failure to take a vitamin supplement, chapati consumption and low vitamin D values. CONCLUSIONS: It is particularly important that pre-school Asian children receive a vitamin D supplement. Children with low haemoglobin values should be screened for vitamin D deficiency.
Asia, Western↗
Regions of the human brain affected during a liquid-meal taste perception in the fasting state: a positron emission tomography study.
BACKGROUND: The sensation of taste provides reinforcement for eating and is of possible relevance to the clinical problem of obesity. OBJECTIVE: Positron emission tomography (PET) was used to explore regions of the brain that were preferentially affected during the taste perception of a liquid meal by 11 right-handed, lean men in the fasting state. DESIGN: After subjects had fasted for 36 h, 2 measurements of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) obtained immediately after subjects retained and swallowed 2 mL of a flavored liquid meal (the taste condition) were compared with 2 measurements of rCBF obtained immediately after subjects retained and swallowed 2 mL of water (the baseline condition). RESULTS: Compared with the baseline condition, taste was associated with increased rCBF (P < 0.005) in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and superior temporal gyrus; the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, supramarginal gyrus, and anterior thalamus; and bilaterally in the hippocampal formation, posterior cingulate, midbrain, occipital cortex, and cerebellum. Taste was also associated with decreased rCBF (P < 0.005) in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, superior temporal gyrus, and supplementary motor area, and bilaterally in the medial prefrontal cortex and inferior parietal lobule. CONCLUSIONS: This exploratory study provides additional evidence that the temporal cortex, thalamus, cingulate cortex, caudate, and hippocampal formation are preferentially affected by taste stimulation. The asymmetric pattern of activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and superior temporal gyrus may contribute to the taste perception of a liquid meal perceived as pleasant. Additional studies are required to determine how these regions are affected in patients with obesity or anorexia.
Adult↗
Absence of linkage of the epithelial sodium channel to hypertension in black Caribbeans.
Hypertensives of African origin have low-renin, sodium-sensitive blood pressure and respond poorly to treatment with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors. The epithelial sodium channel may be important in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension in this population. This is supported by the identification of mutations within this channel, which lead to excess sodium reabsorption and hypertension in Liddle's syndrome. In this study we tested whether there was linkage of the genes encoding the three subunits of the epithelial sodium channel to essential hypertension in 63 affected sibling pairs of West African origin from St. Vincent and the Grenadines. We found no support for linkage of the epithelial sodium channel to essential hypertension in this population. However, further studies will be needed in larger populations of African ancestry to exclude a contribution of the genes encoding the epithelial sodium channel to hypertension.
Aged↗
Recent trends in infant nutrition.
Two recent studies have been carried out on the feeding practices of infants in the UK. The national survey of infant feeding reveals that although overall breast-feeding rates have improved over recent years, rates among sectors of the population with low rates have not improved. A survey of infants of Asian parentage living in the UK showed high initial rates of breast-feeding that declined until at age 4 mo they matched those of the general population. Breast-feeding rates among mothers of preterm infants has improved, but studies reveal that there is potential to improve these rates further. Mothers require practical help with breast-feeding and health care professionals need to improve practical skills to meet this need.
Breast Feeding↗
Undergraduate teaching in a day surgery unit: a 2-year evaluation.
Medical schools are having to adapt their teaching in response to the reduction in inpatient availability and the increase in outpatient and community care. A surgical course for first clinical-year undergraduate medical students was established in the day surgery unit at King's College School of Medicine and Dentistry in 1995. It was considered desirable because of the shift to day-case surgery, and proved feasible to run (Seabrook et al. 1997a). The course is taken by one-third of the annual intake of 120 students. A formal evaluation was undertaken comprising comparison of student performance in end-of-year clinical and multiple choice examinations and of acceptability to students, teachers and managers. The results showed no significant differences in performance between students who had taken the day-surgery course and those on other surgical attachments. Students' satisfaction with the course was significantly higher on nine individual criteria and lower on four criteria. The teaching was positively viewed by teachers and managers, despite having costs as well as benefits. We conclude that day-surgery centres can be used successfully to teach medical undergraduates. Experience in both inpatient and day-case environments should benefit students by reflecting more closely the reality of current surgical care.
Ambulatory Surgical Procedures↗
Noninvasive quantification of the cerebral metabolic rate for glucose using positron emission tomography, 18F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose, the Patlak method, and an image-derived input function.
The authors developed and tested a method for the noninvasive quantification of the cerebral metabolic rate for glucose (CMRglc) using positron emission tomography (PET), 18F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose, the Patlak method, and an image-derived input function. Dynamic PET data acquired 12 to 48 seconds after rapid tracer injection were summed to identify carotid artery regions of interest (ROIs). The input function then was generated from the carotid artery ROIs. To correct spillover, the early summed image was superimposed over the last PET frame, a tissue ROI was drawn around the carotid arteries, and a tissue time activity curve (TAC) was generated. Three venous samples were drawn from the tracer injection site at a later time and used for the spillover and partial volume correction by non-negative least squares method. Twenty-six patient data sets were studied. It was found that the image-derived input function was comparable in shape and magnitude to the one obtained by arterial blood sampling. Moreover, no significant difference was found between CMRglc estimated by the Patlak method using either the arterial blood sampling data or the image-derived input function.
Brain↗
Generalized linear least squares method for fast generation of myocardial blood flow parametric images with N-13 ammonia PET.
In this paper, we developed and tested strategies for estimating myocardial blood flow (MBF) and generating MBF parametric images using positron emission tomography (PET), N-13 ammonia, and the generalized linear least square (GLLS) method. GLLS was generalized to the general linear compartment model, modified for the correction of spillover, validated using simulated N-13 ammonia data, and examined using PET data from several patient studies. In comparison to the standard model-fitting procedure, the GLLS method provided similar accuracy and superior computational speed.
Aged↗
Staff support for mothers to provide breast milk in pediatric hospitals and neonatal units.
This paper reports on two surveys of nurses and midwives working in a large pediatric hospital and three neonatal units in London, England, regarding support for mothers to provide breast milk. One hundred and twenty-two pediatric staff and 55 neonatal staff returned the questionnaires. Fifty-three percent of pediatric staff had received no training in breastfeeding during or after nursing school. Twenty-two percent of neonatal staff had no relevant training, yet they frequently were asked to help mothers in providing breast milk for their infant. Some respondents demonstrated lack of relevant knowledge including the importance of breast milk, ideal frequencies for milk expression, and the potential to establish lactation at any time. There was a wide range of comments on the barriers in providing breast milk. These results illustrate the need for appropriate breastfeeding policies and staff training. There is a particular lack of studies based in the United Kingdom on breastfeeding in pediatric units. It is hoped that this article will generate discussion among staff about the breastfeeding support they offer and ways to strengthen it.
Adult↗
Prospective investigation of positron emission tomography in lung nodules.
PURPOSE: Solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs) are commonly identified by chest radiographs and computed tomography (CT). Biopsies are often performed to evaluate the nodules further. An accurate, noninvasive diagnostic test could avoid the morbidity and costs of invasive tissue sampling. We evaluated the ability of fluorine-18 deoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) to discriminate between benign and malignant pulmonary nodules in a prospective, multicenter trial. METHODS: Eighty-nine patients who had newly identified indeterminate SPNs on chest radiographs and CT were evaluated with FDG-PET. PET data were analyzed semiquantitatively by calculating standardized uptake values (SUVs) as an index of FDG accumulation and also by a visual scoring method. PET results were compared with pathology results. RESULTS: Sixty SPNs were malignant and 29 were benign. Using SUV data, PET had an overall sensitivity and specificity for detection of malignant nodules of 92% and 90%. Visual analysis provided a slightly higher, but not statistically significant, sensitivity of 98% and lower specificity of 69%. For SPNs < or = 1.5 cm (34 of 89), the sensitivity and specificity of SUV and visual analysis were 80% and 95% and 100% and 74%, respectively. CONCLUSION: FDG-PET can accurately characterize indeterminate SPNs. PET imaging provides a noninvasive method to evaluate indeterminate SPNs, which can reduce the need for invasive tissue biopsy.
Aged↗
An evaluation of rectal mucosal proliferation measure variability sources in the polyp prevention trial: can we detect informative differences among individuals' proliferation measures amid the noise?
We assessed components of total variability of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) assays of rectal mucosal proliferation in a subset of 390 participants from the U. S. National Cancer Institute's multicenter Polyp Prevention Trial. Biopsies were blindly double-scored by two technicians. For those participants for whom at least one evaluable biopsy was obtained, a mean of 2.0 and 2.6 biopsies, and 6.2 and 8.7 crypts/biopsy were evaluated, respectively, with the BrdUrd and PCNA assays. Factors such as clinical center, scorer, and month of biopsy collection significantly affected the observed values of the labeling index (LI) and proliferative height (PH). Therefore, it is essential to control or adjust for these variables in proliferation studies. Sources of random variation for LI and PH measures remaining after the aforementioned factors include between-participant variation and several sources of within-participant variation, including variation over time, between biopsies, and between multiple measurements on the same biopsy. Both LI and PH measurements exhibited substantial variability over time, between biopsies, and from reading-to-reading of the same biopsy. When other sources of variability have been accounted for, the PCNA LI seems to have little between-participant variation. This brings into question its utility as a marker in colorectal cancer studies. The PCNA PH showed significant between-participant variability and may hold some promise as a useful marker in colorectal cancer studies. Results for BrdUrd were less conclusive. The BrdUrd LI showed marginally significant between-participant variation, whereas the corresponding variation for PH was nonsignificant.
Adult↗
The atrial natriuretic peptide gene and essential hypertension in African-Caribbeans from St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) which alters sodium balance, blood volume and vascular tone represents an important candidate for investigating the genetic basis of essential hypertension (EH). Accordingly, we have studied Bgl1 and Xho1 restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) of the ANP gene in 147 hypertensive, 141 normotensive and 67 population-based control subjects from a homogenous population of West African origin from St Vincent and the Grenadines. We found no association of either Bgl1 and Xho1 RFLPs with EH. This study suggests that the ANP locus may not exert a major gene effect on EH amongst the black people of St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Adult↗
The impact of prematurity and neonatal illness on the decision to breast-feed.
This paper reports on a qualitative and quantitative cross-sectional study of infant feeding practices made in three neonatal intensive care units. Findings from interviews with 44 mothers of diverse ethnic origin, social class, age and gestation at delivery are reported. All the mothers interviewed had at some time provided breast milk and rates of breast-feeding on these units were higher than the national average. Eight mothers reported changing their mind about feeding methods after their baby was admitted, including three changes from formula to breast-feeding. Mothers' perceptions with regard to milk expression and their expressing history gave indications of factors underlying decisions to provide breast milk and the quality of support to do so. While mothers considered overall support to have been good, notably 35% of mothers had themselves suggested that they express milk, nearly half did not start expressing for 2 or more days, 43% expressed fewer than four times a day and 48% of mothers had received conflicting advice. There were some difficulties with both the hospital facilities and with expressing milk at home. There is a need for more consistent advice and practical help to be given to mothers.
Breast Feeding↗
Everyday problem solving in elderly women: contributions of residence, perceived control, and age.
This study examined the use of relativistic operations in everyday problem solving by elderly women. Thirty-two community residents and 32 nursing hostel residents aged between 65-90 years participated. Structured interviews canvassed the role of residence and other factors thought to contribute to the maintenance of problem-solving skills. Path analysis was used to test the developed model of the influences of age, engagement in problem-solving activities, control orientation, problem familiarity and residence on the use of relativistic operations. Partial support was found for the proposed model. Community residents used significantly more relativistic operations to solve the problems than did hostel residents. A revised model showed that in addition to residence and control orientation, the use of relativistic operations was influenced indirectly by the level of everyday problem-solving activity, through the orientation of perceived control. Increased problem-solving activity was associated with an internal control orientation, which in turn was directly related to the use of relativistic operations. The influence of age on problem solving was indirect, through problem-solving activity and residence. Our findings provide initial evidence of the extent to which variables other than age can influence everyday problem-solving performance.
Activities of Daily Living↗
Teaching and learning in day surgery units: a UK survey.
Recent increases in day case surgery offer new opportunities for medical student learning, whilst the reduction in surgical beds and length of hospital stays has reduced opportunities in traditional inpatient settings. To establish the extent and nature of undergraduate medical education in day surgery units in the UK, the authors undertook a postal questionnaire survey. Of the 227 units which replied, 45% are used for teaching. In 83% of these, students attend only single operating lists, and only 7% of units take students for more than 1 day per week. This suggests that students have very limited teaching in day surgery units. Diagnosis, common surgical procedures and rehabilitation are increasingly carried out in outpatient, day case and community settings. These may be missed by students unless educational programmes are responsive to trends in health care delivery. Day surgery units could play an increased role in medical education.
Ambulatory Surgical Procedures↗
Growth and morphological transformations of Helicobacter pylori in broth media.
Helicobacter pylori, a cause of peptic ulcer disease and certain types of gastric cancers, has usually been cultured on diverse agar-based media, resulting in a requirement for 2 to 4 days of growth at 37 degrees C. We have developed a novel broth medium consisting of a base medium supplemented with 2% newborn calf serum, Mg2+, Cu2+, Fe2+, Zn2+, Mn2+, and 1 mg of lysed human erythrocytes per ml. This medium supports rapid growth of H. pylori, with a doubling time of about 50 min. Optimal growth was obtained in a pH range higher than that supporting most other gram-negative bacteria (at pH 8.5). H. pylori cultured in this supplemented broth retains the spiral morphology seen in both histological sections and cultures from agar-based media and also retains a high urease activity. After 18 h in this broth, H. pylori transforms to a coccal form with a complete loss of urease activity. Previously these cocci have been reported to be senescent, since they could not be subcultured on agar medium. Our experiments suggest that some of the cocci can revert back to the spiral morphology with full recovery of urease activity when subcultured in fresh microaerobic broth medium.
Animals↗