BACKGROUND: In this paper, results are reported from a pilot study designed to test the feasibility of a proactive educational intervention delivered to callers of the Cancer Information Service (CIS). METHODS: The study used a randomized two-group design (intervention vs control). Callers assigned to the intervention condition received a brief educational intervention at the end of usual service to increase fruit and vegetable consumption. As part of the intervention, key education messages and materials drawn from the 5 A Day for Better Health program of the National Cancer Institute were provided to CIS callers over the telephone and then reinforced with two follow-up mailings. RESULTS: Results from this pilot study indicated high levels of adherence to protocol by CIS Information Specialists who delivered the intervention to eligible CIS callers. Results obtained from the 4-week telephone follow-up interviews indicated that intervention subjects (n = 142) reported higher consumption of fruits and vegetables, averaging approximately 0.75 servings more per day (P < 0.01) than control subjects (n = 134). CONCLUSION: Nearly 80% of CIS callers endorsed the strategy of providing 5 A Day information at the end of usual service, even if such information was not specifically requested by the caller (i.e., the information was provided to CIS callers proactively.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Lack of a persistent reduction in serum lipid and apoprotein levels in insulin-dependent diabetic patients receiving intensified insulin treatment.

Type I insulin-dependent diabetic patients have an increased risk of atherosclerotic vascular disease that may be determined in part by their tendency to develop circulating lipid and lipoprotein abnormalities. The occurrence of such findings in asymptomatic ambulant Type I patients with mild or moderate hyperglycemia might suggest that conventional methods of insulin treatment are as inefficient at normalizing lipid abnormalities as they are in achieving euglycemia. It would then be important to ascertain whether intensive methods of insulin treatment effectively normalized lipid levels. Ten insulin-dependent young adult diabetic patients were studied on a conventional insulin treatment regimen and then at two-monthly intervals for a six-month period during which they were managed by three different intensified insulin treatment regimens. Plasma glucose levels improved substantially (p less than 0.001) after two months of intensified therapy (106 +/- 4 mg/dl) and did not change significantly thereafter for the remaining four months of intensified insulin treatment. Apart from a short-lived decrease in total-, LDL- and HDL-cholesterol after two months of intensified treatment (baseline total triglyceride 116 +/- 13 mg/dl, total cholesterol 174 +/- 16 mg/dl, HDL-cholesterol 46 +/- 3 mg/dl). There were no persistent changes in serum lipids, lipoprotein cholesterol or in levels of their major apoproteins A-I, A-II and B. These findings support the contention that, despite moderate hyperglycemia, conventional insulin treatment may be adequate to maintain normal lipid levels. In such circumstances achievement of euglycemia by intensified insulin therapy leads to little change in circulating lipid and lipoprotein values.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Nutritional support.

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Bibliographies as Topic↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The effects of prenatal exposure to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol on the rest-activity cycle of the preweanling rat.

Either 15 or 50 mg/kg of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9-THC) was administered from Day 2 through Day 22 of gestation. Pair-fed (0 mg/kg) and nontreated groups served as controls and all treated and control litters were fostered at birth to untreated dams. To examine whether delta-9-THC produces effects on the rest-activity cycle of the offspring, groups of 3 littermates from each of the treated and control groups were tested for an 8 hr observation period on electronic activity monitors at 17, 22 and 30 days of age. Whereas all treated and control groups showed age-dependent changes in activity, neither activity level nor the rest-activity pattern were affected by delta-9-THC. These findings are discussed in relation to neurobehavioral studies of activity changes following prenatal exposure to cannabis.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Relationship of lipid peroxides to diabetic complications. Comparison with conventional laboratory tests.

One hundred and seventy-three Arab patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and 51 controls were examined. The routine laboratory tests of fasting blood sugar (FBS), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fructosamine (FRA), and triglycerides (TG) were compared with lipid hydroperoxides (LHP) as detected by the thiobarbituric acid (TBA) method, which measures total TBA reacting substances (TBARS). All routine laboratory measures were elevated in the patient population. In the case of LHP, values in NIDDM were 491 +/- 183 mumol/L for men and 507 +/- 183 mumol/L for women, as compared with pooled normal values of 275 +/- 85 mumol/L. Seven patients with NIDDM undergoing hemodialysis were also elevated above normal (441 +/- 97 mumol/L). Comparisons between LHP and the other biochemical parameters indicated a positive statistical correlation with triglycerides (p less than 0.001); FBS, HbA1c, and FRA (p greater than 0.01). Patients with NIDDM on dietary control had somewhat lower LHP levels (441 +/- 135 mumol/L) than those receiving insulin (519 +/- 206 mumol/L), or oral hypoglycemic agents (518 +/- 177 mumol/L). Dietary maintenance also resulted in reduced FBS and HbA1c levels. Subdivision of patients according to duration of disease and by nationality showed that Kuwaiti nationals had slightly higher LHP values than did patients of other Arabic origin. Women patients (Kuwaiti and non-Kuwaiti) with NIDDM disease duration of greater than 10 years, had LHP levels above those of males (551 +/- 245 versus 478 +/- 126 mumol/L) and, as a group, showed significant enhancement of retinal complications (85.5% versus 55%). A statistically significant trend (p less than 0.08) could be demonstrated between the prevalence of retinopathy and increasing serum LHP levels.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Job-based health insurance in 2000: premiums rise sharply while coverage grows.

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Cost Sharing↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of glipizide on insulin secretion from cultured human fetal pancreatic islets.

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1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine↗