Search

Among 212 nations in the world, the Philippines is ranked 48th in terms of carbon emission in the transportation sector. The study sought to determine and estimate the amount of gaseous pollutants emitted by the vehicles in Dipolog City in relation to the overall gaseous pollutants of the Philippines. Results revealed an annual gaseous pollutant contribution of 1,072929.597%V for carbon monoxide and 501,282,073.1 ppm for hydrocarbon emission which, together, roughly explain 6% of the country's overall GHG (Greenhouse gases) output per year. Considering that there are 122 cities in the Philippines, the 6% GHG contribution of Dipolog City is considered well beyond the normal threshold. The study also identified some of the factors leading to this inordinate amount of GHG output of the city, such as, but not limited to: (a) strict implementation of the standards for vehicle emission levels prior to renewal of registration, and (b) strict monitoring and implementation of the anti-smoke belching law or the Clean Air Act (RA 8749).

This study aimed to determine the relationship between weather conditions as to wet and dry as recorded in the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) -- Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) Weather Forecast Station and the crimes committed in Pagadian City in calendar years 2014-2018. Weather conditions as to wet and dry were correlated to crimes against person and property that was committed in Pagadain City. It employed a quantitative descriptive correlational method of research using the data of crime occurrences recorded in the Philippine National Police Pagadian City Station and the rainfall data from Department of Science and Technology (DOST) -- Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) Weather Forecast Station in the city statistically treated using frequency count, mean, paired sample t-test, and chi-square test. Findings of the study revealed that physical injuries were profiled the highest in crimes against persons, followed by murder, homicide, and rape. At the same time, theft cases were dominantly registered for crimes against properties, followed by robbery, carnapping, and cattle rustling. The average distribution of murder, homicide, and physical injuries during the wet season outnumbered the cases during the dry season, except for rape cases that were higher during the dry season. Likewise, robbery, theft, carnapping, and cattle rustling were higher during the wet season than the dry season. The average distribution differences of crimes committed between the wet and the dry seasons tested at a 0.05 level of significance were not significant. The relationship between crimes against persons and the weather conditions was not significant. The relationship between crimes against properties and the weather conditions was also not significant. Moreover, crimes against persons and properties in the city do not depend on weather conditions. Murder, homicide, physical injuries, rape, robbery, theft, carnapping, cattle rustling, and the like could happen in the city regardless of whether it is wet or dry weather conditions, and there is a need to implement the crime prevention programs designed by the researcher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to determine the level of implementation and awareness of the juvenile restorative justice program in Tangub City during calendar year 2018-2019. This study made use of non-experimental quantitative research design utilizing descriptive, frequency count, percentage and mean. On the level of implementation of the program, the community respondents exhibited low level of response while the Philippine National Police and the CSWD exhibited a high level of responses. On the level of awareness, the respondents also exhibited a high level of response. It is recommended that the implementers may include or emphasize the community's active participation in juvenile restorative programs. This will encourage them to get involved and recognize the importance of their engagement, maybe resulting in fewer minor-related offenses. The implementers may look into the process on the way the programs are implemented. This will encourage them to examine probable flaws in the execution of the juvenile restorative justice program in order to make adjustments to the overall process of implementation, which could lead to the program's overall success. The implementers may consider looking into the victim's need for reformation and rehabilitation, as well as their family's general engagement. This is critical to ensure that the victims and their families believe the government is on their side, because if the implementers neglect this, retaliation may ensue. Further studies are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to determine the level of implementation of safekeeping practices in the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology in Ipil District Jail and Ipil Women's Dormitory Jail of Zamboanga Sibugay during calendar year 2018-2019. This study made use of non-experimental quantitative research design utilizing descriptive, frequency count, percentage and mean. It also utilized modified questionnaire in gathering the result. There were 127 inmates and 50 Bureau of Jail Management and Penology personnel utilized as respondents of the study. The main statistical tools used were frequency count, percentage, mean computation, ttest, analysis of variance and Pearson r Product Moment Coefficient of Correlation. The study revealed that there were more male inmates as compared to the females. Majority of the index crimes committed by the inmates were murder while on the non-index crimes, majority were charged against possession of illegal drugs. The security practices were always implemented by the two Jail under study which included the following: Commitment Order and Segregation of Prisoners or Detainees, Reception Procedures, and Disciplinary Boards and Punishable Acts of Inmates, Treatment of Inmates with Special Needs, Custody, Security and Control Emergency Plans, Movement and Transfer of Prisoners and Detainees, Rights, Privileges and Miscellaneous Provisions, and Inmates Welfare and Development Functions. There was no significant difference between the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and inmate's ratings on the implementation of commitment order and segregation of inmates or detainees. However, there was a significant difference between the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and inmates' rating on the rest of the safekeeping practices. Indeed, there was a significant relationship between the safekeeping practices and the level of Implementation of these practices. The researcher recommends that the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology implementation of safekeeping practices be continued and sustained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aims of the study are to understand the process of how community pharmacies handle electronic prescriptions (e-prescriptions) and learn about different errors or potential errors encountered., Methods: Fifteen remote, semistructured interviews were conducted with community pharmacy staff. Interview analysis was done with two adapted Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety methods to understand the workflow and an affinity wall, which led to key words that were tallied to understand the frequency of different issues., Results: Data entry in community pharmacies is a process that varies based on the different software platforms receiving e-prescriptions. Data entry of a medication product is typically a human-reliant process matching an e-prescription with an equivalent medication product. Current automated safety supports focus on matching the dispensed medication to the medication chosen at data entry. Substitutions may be required for a variety of reasons, however, pharmacists' comfort and permissions in doing so without provider involvement fluctuates., Conclusions: Prescription errors remain that could be prevented with additional support at the data entry step of e-prescriptions. Few studies demonstrate where these errors originate and what role current technology plays in contributing to or preventing these errors. Future work must consider how these matches between prescribed medications and pharmacy fulfilled medications occur. There is a need to identify potential tools to support data entry and prevent medication errors., Competing Interests: The authors disclose no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Medication errors, including dispensing errors, represent a substantial worldwide health risk with significant implications in terms of morbidity, mortality, and financial costs. Although pharmacists use methods like barcode scanning and double-checking for dispensing verification, these measures exhibit limitations. The application of artificial intelligence (AI) in pharmacy verification emerges as a potential solution, offering precision, rapid data analysis, and the ability to recognize medications through computer vision. For AI to be embraced, it must be designed with the end user in mind, fostering trust, clear communication, and seamless collaboration between AI and pharmacists., Objective: This study aimed to gather pharmacists' feedback in a focus group setting to help inform the initial design of the user interface and iterative designs of the AI prototype., Methods: A multidisciplinary research team engaged pharmacists in a 3-stage process to develop a human-centered AI system for medication dispensing verification. To design the AI model, we used a Bayesian neural network that predicts the dispensed pills' National Drug Code (NDC). Discussion scripts regarding how to design the system and feedback in focus groups were collected through audio recordings and professionally transcribed, followed by a content analysis guided by the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety and Human-Machine Teaming theoretical frameworks., Results: A total of 8 pharmacists participated in 3 rounds of focus groups to identify current challenges in medication dispensing verification, brainstorm solutions, and provide feedback on our AI prototype. Participants considered several teaming scenarios, generally favoring a hybrid teaming model where the AI assists in the verification process and a pharmacist intervenes based on medication risk level and the AI's confidence level. Pharmacists highlighted the need for improving the interpretability of AI systems, such as adding stepwise checkmarks, probability scores, and details about drugs the AI model frequently confuses with the target drug. Pharmacists emphasized the need for simplicity and accessibility. They favored displaying only essential information to prevent overwhelming users with excessive data. Specific design features, such as juxtaposing pill images with their packaging for quick comparisons, were requested. Pharmacists preferred accept, reject, or unsure options. The final prototype interface included (1) checkmarks to compare pill characteristics between the AI-predicted NDC and the prescription's expected NDC, (2) a histogram showing predicted probabilities for the AI-identified NDC, (3) an image of an AI-provided "confused" pill, and (4) an NDC match status (ie, match, unmatched, or unsure)., Conclusions: In partnership with pharmacists, we developed a human-centered AI prototype designed to enhance AI interpretability and foster trust. This initiative emphasized human-machine collaboration and positioned AI as an augmentative tool rather than a replacement. This study highlights the process of designing a human-centered AI for dispensing verification, emphasizing its interpretability, confidence visualization, and collaborative human-machine teaming styles., (©Yifan Zheng, Brigid Rowell, Qiyuan Chen, Jin Yong Kim, Raed Al Kontar, X Jessie Yang, Corey A Lester. Originally published in JMIR Formative Research (https://formative.jmir.org), 25.12.2023.)

Introduction: The aim of this study was to assess a modified gun violence exposure tool at a pediatric clinic on the West Side of Chicago to identify youth at high risk of future gun violence., Methods: A modified version of the SaFETy gun violence exposure tool, studied in a community pediatric primary care setting, was implemented from June to August 2021. Patients and pediatric clinicians were surveyed after pilot., Results: Of 508 eligible patients, 341 youth (67.1%) completed the SaFETy tool. None had a SaFETy score ≥6, the threshold for immediate referral. Over a quarter (26.4%) of youth had scores of 1-5, and of those, 7.8% were referred at the clinician's discretion. Youth ( n =84) participants randomly selected to complete an anonymous survey provided feedback about the SaFETY tool, reporting that the questions were easy to understand (92%). All 6 pediatric clinicians surveyed agreed that the tool helped to identify youth exposed to gun violence., Conclusions: Screening for gun violence exposure among youth is logistically feasible in the pediatric outpatient setting. A more sensitive validated tool to stratify low-/medium-risk patients in the primary care setting is needed., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Objective: To determine the variability of ingredient, strength, and dose form information from drug product descriptions in real-world electronic prescription (e-prescription) data., Materials and Methods: A sample of 10 399 324 e-prescriptions from 2019 to 2021 were obtained. Drug product descriptions were analyzed with a named entity extraction model and National Drug Codes (NDCs) were used to get RxNorm Concept Unique Identifiers (RxCUI) via RxNorm. The number of drug product description variants for each RxCUI was determined. Variants identified were compared to RxNorm to determine the extent of matching terminology used., Results: A total of 353 002 unique pairs of drug product descriptions and NDCs were analyzed. The median (1st-3rd quartile) number of variants extracted for each standardized expression in RxNorm, was 3 (2-7) for ingredients, 4 (2-8) for strength, and 41 (11-122) for dosage forms. Of the pairs, 42.35% of ingredients (n = 328 032), 51.23% of strengths (n = 321 706), and 10.60% of dose forms (n = 326 653) used matching terminology, while 16.31%, 24.85%, and 13.05% contained nonmatching terminology, respectively., Discussion: A wide variety of drug product descriptions makes it difficult to determine whether 2 drug product descriptions describe the same drug product (eg, using abbreviations to describe an active ingredient or using different units to represent a concentration). This results in patient safety risks that lead to incorrect drug products being ordered, dispensed, and used by patients. Implementation and use of standardized terminology may reduce these risks., Conclusion: Drug product descriptions on real-world e-prescriptions exhibit large variation resulting in unnecessary ambiguity and potential patient safety risks., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Technology assistance of pharmacist verification tasks through the use of machine intelligence has the potential to detect dangerous and costly pharmacy dispensing errors. National Drug Codes (NDC) are unique numeric identifiers of prescription drug products for the United States Food and Drug Administration. The physical form of the medication, often tablets and capsules, captures the unique features of the NDC product to help ensure patients receive the same medication product inside their prescription bottle as is found on the label from a pharmacy. We report and evaluate using an automated check to predict the shape, color, and NDC for images showing a pile of pills inside a prescription bottle. In a test set containing 65,274 images of 345 NDC classes, overall macro-average precision was 98.5%. Patterns of incorrect NDC predictions based on similar colors, shapes, and imprints of pills were identified and recommendations to improve the model are provided., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background: Pharmacy staff are responsible for editing poor-quality and difficult-to-read electronic prescription (e-prescription) directions. Machine translation (MT) models are capable of translating free text from 1 sequence into another. However, the quality of MTs of e-prescriptions into pharmacy label directions is unknown., Objective: To determine the types and frequencies of e-prescription direction component errors made by an MT model, pharmacy staff, and prescribers., Methods: A prospective evaluation was conducted on a random sample of 300 patient directions in a test set of e-prescriptions from a mail-order pharmacy. Each row included directions produced by (1) prescribers on e-prescriptions, (2) pharmacy staff on prescription labels, and (3) an open neural MT model. Annotators labeled direction sets for missing direction components, use of abbreviations and medical jargon, and incorrect information (e.g., changing the number of tablets to be taken). The longest common subsequence (LCS) compared the amount of pharmacy staff editing with and without MT., Results: Out of 279 direction sets labeled, the MT model directions contained no quality issues in 196 (70.3%) samples compared with 187 (67.0%) and 83 (29.8%) samples for pharmacy staff directions and prescriber directions, respectively. The MT model directions contained more incorrect components (n = 23). Median LCS was greater without MT (30.0 vs. 18.5, P < 0.01, Wilcoxon signed-rank test), indicating more editing was needed., Conclusion: MT could be used to improve the quality of e-prescription directions; however, MT makes high-risk mistakes such as incorrectly predicting the tapering regimen for prednisone. The use of semiautomated MT, where pharmacy staff can review model predictions to detect and resolve quality issues, should be considered to improve safety and decrease total work time compared with current practice. MT has strengths and weaknesses for improving the editing process of the patient directions compared with pharmacy staff alone., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Study Objective: We evaluated a strategy to increase use of the test (Dix-Hallpike's test [DHT]) and treatment (canalith repositioning maneuver [CRM]) for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo in emergency department (ED) dizziness visits., Methods: We conducted a stepped-wedge randomized trial in 6 EDs. The population was visits with dizziness as a principal reason for the visit. The intervention included educational sessions and decision aid materials. Outcomes were DHT or CRM documentation (primary), head computed tomography (CT) use, length of stay, admission, and 90-day stroke events. The analysis was multilevel logistic regression with intervention, month, and hospital as fixed effects and provider as a random effect. We assessed fidelity with monitoring intervention use and semistructured interviews., Results: We identified 7,635 dizziness visits during 18 months. The DHT or CRM was documented in 1.5% of control visits (45/3,077; 95% confidence interval 1% to 1.9%) and 3.5% of intervention visits (159/4,558; 95% confidence interval 3% to 4%; difference 2%, 95% confidence interval 1.3% to 2.7%). Head CT use was lower in intervention visits compared with control visits (44.0% [1,352/3,077] versus 36.9% [1,682/4,558]). No differences were observed in admission or 90-day subsequent stroke risk. In fidelity evaluations, providers who used the materials typically reported positive clinical experiences but provider engagement was low at facilities without an emergency medicine residency program., Conclusion: These findings provide evidence that an implementation strategy of a benign paroxysmal positional vertigo-focused approach to ED dizziness visits can be successful and safe in promoting evidence-based care. Absolute rates of DHT and CRM use, however, were still low, which relates in part to our broad inclusion criteria for dizziness visits., (Copyright © 2019 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Importance: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is a common cause of acute dizziness. Strong evidence exists for diagnosing BPPV using the Dix-Hallpike Test (DHT) and treating it with the canalith repositioning maneuver (CRM). Despite this, both are infrequently used in the emergency department (ED)., Objective: As an early method to evaluate a BPPV-focused educational intervention, we evaluated whether an educational intervention improved ED provider performance on hypothetical stroke and BPPV cases delivered by vignette., Design: A randomized, controlled, educational intervention study in ED physicians. The intervention aimed to promote the appropriate use of the DHT and CRM. A BPPV vignette, a stroke-dizziness (safety) vignette, and vignette scoring schemes (higher scores indicating more optimal care) used previously established vignette methodology., Setting: We recruited participants at the exhibitor hall of an emergency medicine annual meeting., Participants: We recruited 48 emergency physicians. All were board certified or residency trained and board eligible. All were engaged in the active practice of emergency medicine. None were trainees., Interventions: Intervention group: a narrated, educational presentation by computer followed by the clinical vignettes., Control Group: Received no educational intervention and completed the clinical vignettes-intended to mirror current clinician practice., Main Outcome Measure: Primary endpoint: total score (out of 200 points) on a vignette-based scoring instrument assessing the performance of history, physical, and diagnostic testing on hypothetical stroke and BPPV cases., Results: The efficacy threshold was crossed at the interim analysis. The intervention group had higher performance scores compared with controls (113.2 versus 68.6, p < 0.00001). BPPV and safety subscores were both significantly higher in the intervention group. Sixty-two percent of the intervention group planned to use the DHT versus 29% of controls. After the vignette described characteristic BPPV nystagmus, 100% of the intervention group planned to use the CRM versus 17% of controls., Conclusions and Relevance: The educational intervention increased provider performance in dizziness vignettes, including more frequent appropriate use of the DHT/CRM. These findings indicate the intervention positively influenced planned behavior. Future work is needed to implement and evaluate this intervention in clinical practice.

Background: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most common peripheral vestibular disorder, and accounts for 8% of individuals with moderate or severe dizziness. BPPV patients experience substantial inconveniences and disabilities during symptomatic periods. BPPV therapeutic processes - the Dix-Hallpike Test (DHT) and the Canalith Repositioning Maneuver (CRM) - have an evidence base that is at the clinical practice guideline level. The most commonly used CRM is the modified Epley maneuver. The DHT is the gold standard test for BPPV and the CRM is supported by numerous randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews. Despite this, BPPV care processes are underutilized., Methods/design: This is a stepped-wedge, randomized clinical trial of a multi-faceted educational and care-process-based intervention designed to improve the guideline-concordant care of patients with BPPV presenting to the emergency department (ED) with dizziness. The unit of randomization and target of intervention is the hospital. After an initial observation period, the six hospitals will undergo the intervention in five waves (two closely integrated hospitals will be paired). The order will be randomized. The primary endpoint is measured at the individual patient level, and is the presence of documentation of either the Dix-Hallpike Test or CRM. The secondary endpoints are referral to a health care provider qualified to treat dizziness for CRM and 90-day stroke rates following an ED dizziness visit. Formative evaluations are also performed to monitor and identify potential and actual influences on the progress and effectiveness of the implementation efforts., Discussion: If this study safely increases documentation of the DHT/CRM, this will be an important step in implementing the use of these evidenced-based processes of care. Positive results will support conducting larger-scale follow-up studies that assess patient outcomes. The data collection also enables evaluation of potential and actual influences on the progress and effectiveness of the implementation efforts., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT02809599 . The record was first available to the public on 22 June 2016 prior to the enrollment of the first patients in October 2016.

Introduction: Black cigarette smokers have lower rates of smoking cessation compared with Whites. However, the mechanisms underlying these differences are not clear. Many Blacks live in communities saturated by tobacco advertisements. These cue-rich environments may undermine cessation attempts by provoking smoking. Moreover, attentional bias to smoking cues (attention capture by smoking cues) has been linked to lower cessation outcomes. Cessation attempts among Blacks may be compromised by attentional bias to smoking cues and a cue-rich environment., Method: Attention to smoking cues in Black and White smokers was examined in 2 studies. In both studies, assessments were completed during 2 laboratory visits: a nonabstinent session and an abstinent session. In study 1, nontreatment-seeking smokers (99 Whites, 104 Blacks) completed the Subjective Attentional Bias Questionnaire (SABQ; a self-report measure of attention to cues) and the Smoking Stroop task (a reaction time measure of attentional bias to smoking cues). In study 2, 110 White and 74 Black treatment-seeking smokers completed these assessments and attempted to quit., Results: In study 1, Blacks reported higher ratings than Whites on the SABQ (p = .005). In study 2, Blacks also reported higher ratings than Whites on the SABQ (p = .003). In study 2, Blacks had lower biochemical-verified point prevalence abstinence than Whites, and the between-race difference in outcome was partially mediated by SABQ ratings., Conclusion: Blacks reported greater attention to smoking cues than Whites, possibly due to between-race differences in environments. Greater attention to smoking cues may undermine cessation attempts., (© The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Anaphylaxis is a challenging condition for any austere environment. It is unpredictable, has sudden onset and a high fatality rate, and is responsive only to epinephrine, a prescription medication. The Wilderness Medical Society has formally recommended that non-medical providers working in austere environments be trained to administer epinephrine. Medical providers frequently prescribe auto-injectors for this purpose due to their ease of use by nonmedical providers. However, auto-injectors have limitations in the wilderness environment, particularly due to their single-dose (or at most 2-dose) design. This paper describes an austere environment technique for obtaining multiple additional doses of epinephrine from auto-injectors that have already been used as designed., (Copyright © 2013 Wilderness Medical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Larvae of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Ypeunomutidae), cause severe economic damage to cabbage, Brassica oleracea L. variety capitata (Brassicaceae) and related vegetables in Thailand. Overuse of broad-spectrum insecticides for diamondback moth control is a serious problem and has obscured the contributions of indigenous parasitoids. Our objectives were to identify indigenous diamondback moth parasitoids in northern Thailand and to assess their potential for natural control. Six parasitoid species were reared from diamondback moth larvae and pupae collected in 1990 and in 2003-2004. These included the larval parasitoid Cotesia plutellae Kurdjumov (Braconidae), a larval-pupal parasitoid Macromalon orientale Kerrich (Ichneumonidae), and pupal parasitoids Diadromus collaris Gravenhorst (Ichneumonidae) and Brachymeria excarinata Gahan (Chalcididae). Single specimens of Isotima sp. Forster (Ichneumonidae) and Brachymeria lasus Walker (Chalcididae) also were reared from diamondback moth hosts. C. plutellae was the dominant larval parasitoid and was often reared from host larvae collected from fields sprayed regularly with insecticides; parasitism ranged from 14 to 78%. Average parasitism by M. orientale was only 0.5-6%. Parasitism of host pupae by D. collaris ranged from 9 to 31%, whereas B. excarinata pupal parasitism ranged from 9 to 25%. An integrated pest management (IPM) protocol using simple presence-absence sampling for lepidopterous larvae and the exclusive use of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) or neem resulted in the highest yields of undamaged cabbage compared with a control or weekly sprays of cypermethrin (local farmer practice). IPM programs focused on conservation of local diamondback moth parasitoids and on greater implementation of biological control will help alleviate growing public concerns regarding the effects of pesticides on vegetable growers and consumers.

Objectives: To determine the comorbidity of lead poisoning and asthma in urban children, and to examine associated clinical factors., Methods: One-hundred-one patients at an inner-city clinic with blood lead levels (BLLs) of 25 microg/dL or higher (> or =1.2 micromol/L) (BLL25 group) were randomly selected from a tracking lead database and matched on age, sex, and primary language to 101 randomly selected patients with a first BLL recorded in the database of lower than 5 microg/dL (<0.2 micromol/L) (BLL5 group) and no subsequent BLLs of 10 microg/dL or higher (> or =0.5 micromol/L). Medical records were reviewed to determine diagnosis or symptoms of asthma or wheezing at any visit, immunization status, and number of visits. Analyses for matched pairs were conducted., Results: The BLL25 and BLL5 groups did not differ on age at diagnostic BLL (26.6 months vs 24.2 months), sex (54% male), or language (12% Spanish). The BLL25 and BLL5 groups had a similar number of subjects with a diagnosis of asthma (6% vs 11%; odds ratio, 0.5; 95% confidence interval, 0.2-1.6); 26% of BLL25 and 34% of BLL5 subjects had either a diagnosis or symptoms of asthma or wheezing (odds ratio, 0.7; 95% confidence interval, 0.4-1.3). Subjects with BLL25 were more likely to have delayed immunization and a first clinic visit when older than subjects with BLL5., Conclusions: There was no increased likelihood of asthma diagnosis or symptoms among young children with lead poisoning. Children with lead poisoning also had delayed medical care. These data may help guide interventions aimed at preventing or reducing the impact of lead poisoning and asthma.

Radical-mediated oxidative damage of skeletal muscle membranes has been implicated in the fatigue process. Vitamin E (VE) is a major chain breaking antioxidant that has been shown to reduce contraction-mediated oxidative damage. We hypothesized that VE deficiency would adversely affect muscle contractile function, resulting in a more rapid development of muscular fatigue during exercise. To test this postulate, rats were fed either a VE-deficient (EDEF) diet or a control (CON) diet containing VE. Following a 12-week feeding period, animals were anesthetized and mechanically ventilated. Muscle endurance (fatigue) and contractile properties were evaluated using an in situ preparation of the tibialis anterior (TA) muscle. Contractile properties of the TA muscle were determined before and after a fatigue protocol. The muscle fatigue protocol consisted of 60 min of repetitive contractions (250 ms trains at 15 Hz; duty cycle=11%) of the TA muscle. Prior to the fatigue protocol, no significant differences existed in the force-frequency curves between EDEF and CON animals. At the completion of the fatigue protocol, muscular force production was significantly ( P<0.05) lower in the EDEF group (reduced by 69%) compared to CON group (reduced by 38%). Following the fatigue protocol, a right shift existed in the force-frequency curve at low stimulation frequencies (

Initial experiments were conducted using an in situ rat tibialis anterior (TA) muscle preparation to assess the influence of dietary antioxidants on muscle contractile properties. Adult Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two dietary groups: 1) control diet (Con) and 2) supplemented with vitamin E (VE) and alpha-lipoic acid (alpha-LA) (Antiox). Antiox rats were fed the Con rats' diet (AIN-93M) with an additional 10,000 IU VE/kg diet and 1.65 g/kg alpha-LA. After an 8-wk feeding period, no differences existed (P > 0.05) between the two dietary groups in maximum specific tension before or after a fatigue protocol or in force production during the fatigue protocol. However, in unfatigued muscle, maximal twitch tension and tetanic force production at stimulation frequencies < or = 40 Hz were less (P < 0.05) in Antiox animals compared with Con. To investigate which antioxidant was responsible for the depressed force production, a second experiment was conducted using an in vitro rat diaphragm preparation. Varying concentrations of VE and dihydrolipoic acid, the reduced form of alpha-LA, were added either individually or in combination to baths containing diaphragm muscle strips. The results from these experiments indicate that high levels of VE depress skeletal muscle force production at low stimulation frequencies.

Analyses were made of chlorophyll a and b and fatty acids (18:3, 18:2, 18:1, 18:0, 16:2, 16:1, and 16:0) of greening and senescing leaf tissue. Those dark-grown tissues given a prior treatment of red, far red, or red followed by far red light showed similar increases in chlorophylls and linolenate (18:3) when exposed to continuous white light. In contrast, green barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) leaves placed in the dark lost chlorophylls and fatty acids, especially 18:3. Senescing cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium L.) leaf tissue showed a decline in chlorophyll and fatty acids, especially again 18:3. Abscisic acid, but not sucrose, accelerated these senescent changes. Radioactive acetate incorporation into the galacto-lipids and phospholipids of senescing cocklebur leaf tissue increased and then the radioactivity of the lipids decreased in senescent tissues.