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Biomedical subjects

R Nowak

Publications and source records attributed to R Nowak.

232 records · Page 13Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Transdermal nicotine therapy and primary care. Importance of counseling, demographic, and participant selection factors on 1-year quit rates. The Nebraska Primary Practice Smoking Cessation Trial Group.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the smoking cessation efficacy of nicotine patch therapy as an adjunct to low-intensity, primary care intervention. DESIGN: Randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multisite trial. SETTINGS: Twenty-one primary care sites in Nebraska. PATIENTS: A total of 369 smokers of 20 or more cigarettes per day. INTERVENTION: Two brief primary care visits for smoking intervention with 10 weeks of active or placebo-patch therapy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Confirmed self-reported abstinence 3, 6, and 12 months after the quit day. RESULTS: Compared with placebo control subjects, participants assigned nicotine patches had higher 3-month (23.4% vs 11.4%; P < .01) and 6-month (18.5% vs 10.3%; P < .05) abstinence rates. The 1-year abstinence rates for the active and placebo patch groups were 14.7% and 8.7%, respectively (P = .07). Of smokers aged 45 years and older, 9 (18.8%) of 48 using active patches compared with 0 of 31 using placebo patches achieved 12-month abstinence (chi 2 = 6.56; P < .05). Among those with high nicotine dependency scores (Fagerstrom score > or = 7), 1-year abstinence rates were significantly higher in the nicotine patch group (19.1%) compared with the placebo group (5.0%) (chi 2 = 10.7; P = .001). However, there was no significant difference in 1-year quit rates for participants with low Fagerstrom scores (< 7). CONCLUSIONS: Nicotine patch therapy enhanced 6 month quit rates as an adjunct to brief primary care intervention. The highest quit rates were achieved by participants who specifically contacted the site to enroll in the study or to obtain a prescription for nicotine patches. Differences in participant selection factors may account, in part, for the lower smoking cessation rates associated with primary care intervention. Duration of counseling, patient age, and Fagerstrom scores may be important factors related to the long-term smoking cessation success of nicotine patch therapy.

Administration, Cutaneous↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of prolonged exposure to exogenous melatonin on the onset and end of the breeding season and on the growth rate of ewe lambs.

The effect of prolonged exposure to exogenous melatonin on the reproductive status and growth rate of ewe lambs was investigated. Ewe lambs (born late March) were given intravaginal melatonin implants on 4 July (group J, n = 10) during anoestrus, or 20 December (group D, n = 10) during the breeding season. A third group (group C, n = 7) received empty implants on 4 July. Plasma progesterone concentrations were used to assess reproductive status. In the control group cyclic ovarian activity began on November 15 +/- 4 days, and ceased on January 28 +/- 8 days. In group J the onset of the breeding season was advanced by 4.9 weeks (occurring on October 12 +/- 4 days; P less than 0.001). The onset of anoestrus was also advanced in this group with 9 out of 10 of the ewes ceasing ovarian activity at least 3.4 weeks in advance of the control ewes (P less than 0.01). In contrast the timing of anoestrus was unchanged in group D, occurring on February 14 +/- 6 days. Melatonin treatment of ewe lambs from early July had no effect on growth rate, whereas treatment from mid-December had a depressive effect. Ewes therefore become refractory to the inductive effects of exogenous melatonin after long-term exposure. The results are consistent with the view that photorefractoriness is due to changes in the processing rather than the generation of the melatonin signal.

Anestrus↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Learning of olfactory cues is not necessary for early lamb recognition by the mother.

Ewes identify their young through the use of different sensory modalities. Olfactory recognition, which mediates selective acceptance at the udder, is established at 4 h postpartum (pp). Visual and auditory cues are involved in recognition at a distance, which is evident at 12 h pp. This study investigates whether anosmic ewes are able (a) to develop visual and auditory recognition and (b) to restore selective acceptance of their lamb at the udder. Visual and auditory recognition was assessed in anosmic and intact ewes at 12 h and 24 h pp by a test of two choices: their own and an alien lamb. Selectivity at allowing suckling was tested by presenting successively an alien and the familiar lamb at 4 h, 3 days, and 1 month pp. In the two-choice recognition test, at both 12 h and 24 h pp, anosmic as well as intact ewes showed a preference for their familiar lamb. Although anosmic ewes showed no difference in their acceptance of alien and familiar lambs for suckling at 4 h and 3 days pp, they nursed the alien lamb less at 1 month pp and showed more rejection behaviors toward it. Thus, visual, auditory, or both those types of recognition can be rapidly established, independent of olfactory recognition. Moreover, differential behavior of anosmic ewes toward their own versus an alien lamb at the udder at 1 month suggests that vision and audition may compensate to some extent for the loss of olfaction.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Plasma cholecystokinin concentrations in 3-day-old lambs: effect of the duration of fasting preceding a sucking bout.

Cholecystokinin (CCK) is a regulatory peptide released into the circulation after the ingestion of food. Our knowledge concerning the factors affecting its pattern of secretion in the mammalian neonate is scanty. Therefore, in this work we studied plasma concentrations of CCK in 3-day-old lambs after a sucking bout that followed either a short (2 h) or a long fasting period (9 h). Plasma concentrations of CCK were measured by radioimmunoassay in blood samples collected from jugular veins 10 min before, immediately after a sucking bout, and then at 10-min intervals during the following hour. In the first experiment a period of fasting of 2 h before allowing the lambs to suck did not lower the levels of CCK. On the other hand, a significant decrease was recorded 10 min after feeding ended. Between 20 and 50 min after the end of sucking, the mean CCK concentration rose back to the pre-feeding level before decreasing again at 60 min. In the second experiment a period of fasting of 9 h, on the other hand, significantly lowered the levels of CCK. Plasma levels also tended to decrease immediately after sucking was ended. This was followed by a substantial rise and levels remained high during the rest of the sampling period. It was concluded that the decrease recorded immediately after a sucking bout could be due to an inhibitory effect of the oral phase while the following rise reflected the stimulatory effect of milk nutrients on intestinal CCK-producing cells.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Psychobiological consequences of two different weaning methods in sheep.

Weaning is associated with a break in the mother-infant contact. In sheep, under natural conditions, the rupture of the social bond is progressive. In contrast, weaning imposed by breeders may result in psychobiological disturbances. The aim of this experiment was to measure the behavioural, hormonal and immune consequences of two types of sudden weaning: total separation (TS) and partial separation (PS), in 42 Ile-de-France ewes and their 60 lambs. TS animals (lambs and ewes) vocalized less frequently and for a shorter period of time than did the PS animals. Neither the plasmatic cortisol level in lambs nor the humoral response of dams and young were modified by the two weaning methods. In contrast, the excretion of coccidial oocysts increased significantly after weaning in TS lambs only and the growth rate of TS females was lower than that of the other lambs. These results suggest that these methods of rupture of mother-young social contact have only limited negative consequences on both partners in sheep, contrary to primates and rodents.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Behavioural, growth and immune consequences of early weaning in one-week-old large-white piglets.

Genetic improvement in sows' prolificity is limited by their milk capacities, which do not allow all piglets to survive or grow normally. This experiment compared the behaviour, growth and immune responses of piglets that were weaned early at 6 days of age (EW) vs. control Large White piglets' (C) suckled by their mothers. Behaviour of 9 litters of 5 to 8 piglets in each group were observed from d5 to d20. All piglets were weighed from birth to d74. Three piglets from each group were slaughtered on d36 for immunological analysis. Until they began to eat dry food, EW piglets walked and vocalised more than C piglets. After that time, when resting, they were less often lying down and more frequently in contact with littermates under the heater. Aggressive behaviour and belly-nosing were more frequent. They displayed a more marked growth check after weaning than did C piglets until 28 days of age. In EW piglets, at 36 days of age, there was a higher density of T- and B-lymphocytes in the gut epithelium and lamina propria, fespectively, in relation to the size of lymphoid follicles of Peyer's patches. The results indicate great behavioural adaptation capacities of very early-weaned piglets, together with earlier maturation of their gut immune system.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
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Determination of cell mediated immunity against tumour associated antigens in patients of ENT.

In an unconventional assay system (MEM Test) Caspary & Field claimed in 1971 to have detected lymphocyte sensitization to a common tumour antigen in all patients with cancer. There was no evidence of histogenetic specificity to the reaction and their conclusions are in direct contradiction to those of all workers who have studied the cytotoxic activity of lymphocytes on tumour cells. To improve the specificity of the test system, another type of tumour antigen was used in MEM Test incubation. Tumour-associated antigens were prepared according to the hypertonic salt extraction method introduced by Reisfeld, Leonard, Meltzer et al. As shown by the results, information could be gained concerning the existence of a malignant tumour and its location.

Antigens, Neoplasm↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Homicide by gunshot. An evaluation of 50 homicides with reference to gunshot wound site].

In this paper the homicides committed in the region of Ulm with firearms over a period of 17 years were studied. These included 50 deaths caused by gunshot wounds, 33 males and 17 females. Homicides by firearms accounted for 44 percent, which was slightly higher than in other German regions. Homicide victims were found in all age groups with a markedly higher number up to the 20th year and in the fourth decade of life. In most cases small arms were used, and in many cases multiple shots were fired primarily hitting the head and the left side of the trunk: but injuries in the region of the extremities were also seen.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Suicide by guillotine].

The authors describe the suicide of an 21 year old man, who executed himself with a self-constructed "guillotine". In spite of his serious neck wound he was able to deliver himself from the guillotine. He died due to severe haemorrhage from the right carotid artery damaged by the cut.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[A historical skull specimen in Leipheim with evidence of penetrating injury].

Report on a skull, which was found in a dredged pit together with 20 incomplete skeletons. There were two sharp-edged lesions without signs of regeneration, probable caused by a sharp object like a sword. Relics found at the scene led to the presumption, that the skull belonged to a victim of peasant's war, which happened in the early 16th century. Details referring to the mechanism of the injury are analyzed as well as the dating and the estimation of the subject's age.

Civil Disorders↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Regulation of telomerase activity in normal and malignant human cells.

In recent years, a particular type of reverse transcriptase termed telomerase has attracted much attention because of its potential utility as both a diagnostic marker and a therapeutic target in cancer. This enzyme is present in almost all cancer, but not in normal cells. Understanding telomerase structure, expression, and activity regulation is pivotal for the prospects of using it as a target in cancer therapy, with respect to both therapeutic and undesirable side effects. This review presents the current state of studies on the regulatory pathways of telomerase activity in human cells.

Humans↗