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Objective: Chronic testosterone blood concentrations associate with food intake (FI), but acute effects of testosterone on appetite and effect of protein and glucose consumption on testosterone response have had little examination. Methods: In a randomized, crossover study, twenty‐three adolescent (12‐18 years old) males were given beverages containing either: (a) whey protein (1 g/kg body weight), (b) glucose (1 g/kg body weight) or (c) a calorie‐free control (C). Plasma testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), GLP‐1 (active), ghrelin (acylated), glucose, insulin and subjective appetite were measured prior (0) and at 20, 35 and 65 minutes after the consumption of the beverage. FI at an ad libitum pizza meal was assessed at 85 minutes. Results: Testosterone decreased acutely to 20 minutes after both protein and glucose with the decrease continuing after protein but not glucose to 65 minutes (P = 0.0382). LH was also decreased by both protein and glucose, but glucose had no effect at 20 minutes in contrast to protein (P < 0.001). Plasma testosterone concentration correlated positively with LH (r = 0.58762, P < 0.0001) and negatively with GLP‐1 (r = −0.50656, P = 0.0003). No associations with appetite, ghrelin or glycaemic markers were found. Food intake was not affected by treatments. Conclusion: Protein or glucose ingestion results in acute decreases in both plasma testosterone and LH in adolescent males. The physiological significance of this response remains to be determined as no support for testosterone's role in acute regulation of food intake was found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Practice-based research networks ( PBRNs) provide a venue to foster evidence-based care. We tested the hypothesis that a higher level of participation in a dental PBRN is associated with greater stated change toward evidence-based practice. Methods A total of 565 dental PBRN practitioner-investigators completed a baseline questionnaire entitled ' Assessment of Caries Diagnosis and Treatment'; 405 of these also completed a follow-up questionnaire about treatment of caries and existing restorations. Certain questions (six treatment scenarios) were repeated at follow-up a mean (SD) of 36.0 (3.8) months later. A total of 224 were 'full participants' (enrolled in clinical studies and attended at least one network meeting); 181 were 'partial participants' (did not meet 'full' criteria). Results From 10% to 62% of practitioners were 'surgically invasive' at baseline, depending on the clinical scenario. Stated treatment approach was significantly less invasive at follow-up for four of six items. Change was greater among full participants and those with a more-invasive approach at baseline, with an overall pattern of movement away from the extremes. Conclusions These results are consistent with a preliminary conclusion that network participation fostered movement of scientific evidence into routine practice. PBRNs may foster movement of evidence into everyday practice as practitioners become engaged in the scientific process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Riley JL III, Gordan VV, Rindal DB, Fellows JL, Ajmo CT, Amundson C, Anderson GA, Gilbert GH and for The Dental PBRN Collaborative Group. Preferences for caries prevention agents in adult patients: findings from the dental practice–based research network. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 2010; 38: 360–370. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S Objectives: To identify factors that are significantly associated with dentists’ use of specific caries preventive agents in adult patients, and whether dentists who use one preventive agent are also more likely to use certain others. Methods: Data were collected from 564 practitioners in The Dental Practice–Based Research Network, a multi-region consortium of participating practices and dental organizations. Results: In-office topical fluoride was the method most frequently used. Regarding at-home preventive agents, there was little difference in preference between nonprescription fluoride, prescription fluoride, or chlorhexidine rinse. Dentists who most frequently used caries prevention were also those who regularly perform caries risk assessment and individualize caries prevention at the patient level. Higher percentages of patients with dental insurance were significantly associated with more use of in-office prevention modalities. Female dentists and dentists with more-recent training were more likely to recommend preventive agents that are applied by the patient. Dentists who reported more-conservative decisions in clinical treatment scenarios were also more likely to use caries preventive agents. Groups of dentist who shared a common preference for certain preventive agents were identified. One group used preventive agents selectively, whereas the other groups predominately used either in-office or at-home fluorides. Conclusions: Caries prevention is commonly used with adult patients. However, these results suggest that only a subset of dentists base preventive treatments on caries risk at the individual patient level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Outbreaks of insect pest populations are common and can have devastating effects on natural communities and on agriculture. Little is known about the causes of these outbreaks or the causes of en masse migrations during outbreaks. 2. Flightless Mormon crickets ( Anabrus simplex) were the focus of this study. They are a katydid species that forms large, dense, mobile groups (migratory bands) during outbreak periods, eating vegetation in their path. 3. Radiotelemetric methods were used to measure differences in movement rate and directionality in outbreak and non-outbreak populations, testing the hypothesis that these populations differ in their travel rate and consistency of direction. 4. Daily individual movement in outbreak populations differs substantially from non-outbreak populations that are at much lower density. In addition to large differences in distances travelled (1.6 km as compared with 1 m) and rates of travel, there is evidence for collective movement among individual Mormon crickets travelling in migratory bands. 5. These data suggest that the direction of group movement may be influenced by local environmental conditions such as wind direction and movement of nearby band members. This work forms the basis for ongoing work testing hypotheses about mass migrations in outbreak populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) is an endangered cat native to south Texas. Urbanization and agricultural development have resulted in limited and fragmented habitat, making ocelot habitat restoration an important factor in the cat's recovery. We evaluated the use of United States Department of Agriculture-Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) soil surveys to identify potential restoration sites by examining ocelot habitat use in south Texas from 1982-1990. We analyzed an 8-year data set of ocelot radiotelemetry locations using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Bailey's confidence intervals. Ocelots selected habitat with dense (> canopy cover more than open (

Provides information on The Ecological Areawide Management of Leafy Spurge program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service. Background on leafy spurge; Assessment of the effectiveness of insect biological control; Use of Aphthona species to control leafy spurge; Promotion of integrated pest management program.

In this paper we take a different approach and empirically test three nested alternative models of health care market disequilibrium [16]. Our analysis is based upon the assumption that supplier induced demand shifts will occur in response to disequilibrium between supply and demand. If able to do so, providers would shift out the demand curve in regions of excess supply and shift it inwards in response to excess demand. Since our data do not contain complete measures of physician services, we focus the empirical analysis on the hospital services market and estimate three models of hospital services demand and supply. In summary, we are forced to reject both the simple disequilibrium model and the induced demand model in favor of the traditional supply and demand model. Hospitals do not appear to be able to shift the demand curve in areas of excess supply. In addition, changes in prices do not appear to be associated with whether a region has excess demand or excess supply. We find that hospital demand is inelastic and hospital supply is mildly elastic with respect to price. These results imply that, in the short to moderate run, an increase in the number of hospital beds per capita would lower the price of hospital services without increasing admissions since the demand is inelastic. Our model does not predict what impact it will have on length of stay. Increases in the supply of physicians may actually lower overall prices and expenditures. The analysis also suggests that restrictions on nursing home bed supply may be somewhat counterproductive from the perspective of controlling total health care costs. If 60 to 80 percent of the annual cost of nursing home care represents offsets to hospitalization, justification for expansion of the nursing home bed supply may be greater than is generally recognized. One of the problems may be that different sources finance nursing home care (Medicaid and self-pay) than finance hospital care (Medicare) for the elderly [1]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a letter to the editor about the total exposure assessment methodology developed by Doctor Lance Wallace.