Search

The efficacy of brief treatments for media-recruited pathological gamblers was tested in a randomized clinical trial design (N = 314). Two self-directed motivational interventions were compared with a 6-week waiting list control and a workbook only control. Brief motivational treatment involved a telephone motivational interview and a mailed self-help workbook. Brief motivational booster treatment involved a telephone motivational interview, a workbook, and 6 booster telephone calls over a 9-month period. Primary outcomes were gambling frequency and dollar losses. As hypothesized, brief and brief booster treatment participants reported less gambling at 6 weeks than those assigned to the control groups. Brief and brief booster treatment participants gambled significantly less often over the first 6 months of the follow-up than workbook only participants. However, the workbook only participants were as likely to have significantly reduced their losses over the year and to have not met criteria for pathological gambling. Contrary to the hypothesis, participants in the brief booster treatment group showed no greater improvement than brief treatment participants. These results provide further support for the value of brief motivational treatments for pathological gambling. Keywords: brief treatment, motivational interviewing, treatment outcome, self-directed treatment

The mechanisms by which cells undergo proliferation arrest or cell death in response to hypoxia are still not completely understood. Originally, we showed that HeLa and Hep3B carcinoma cells undergo different proliferation responses in hypoxia. We now show that these 2 cell lines also have different cell death responses to severe hypoxia, with HeLa showing both cell cycle arrest and apoptosis (as early as 12 h after hypoxia treatment), and Hep3B showing resistance to both. Hypoxia-induced apoptosis in Hela was associated with decreases of both phospho-S473- and -T308-AKT and loss of AKT function, whereas Hep3B cells were resistant to hypoxia-induced apoptosis and did not lose phosphoAKT or AKT function. We then decided to test if our observations were confirmed using a hypoxia mimic, desferoxamine. Desferoxamine treatment yielded cell cycle arrest in HeLa and moderate arrest in Hep3B but, surprisingly, did not induce notable apoptosis of either cell line with up to 24 h of treatment. Hypoxia-treated normal human mammary epithelial cells also showed hypoxia-induced apoptosis. Interestingly, in these cell lines, there was a complete correlation between loss of phospho-AKT and (or) total AKT, and susceptibility to hypoxia-induced apoptosis. Our data suggests a model in which regulated loss of active AKT at a precise time point in hypoxia may be associated with apoptosis in susceptible cells. Key words: AKT, apoptosis, cell cycle, desferoxamine, hypoxia. Les mecanismes par lesquels les cellules s'engagent vers l'arret de la proliferation ou la mort cellulaire en reponse a l'hypoxie ne sont pas encore completement compris. A l'origine, nous avons demontre que les cellules de carcinome HeLa et Hep3B repondent de facon differente a l'hypoxie en ce qui a trait a la proliferation. Nous demontrons maintenant que ces deux lignees cellulaires repondent aussi differemment quant a la mort cellulaire suite a une hypoxie severe, les HeLa repondant par un arret du cycle cellulaire et par l'apoptose (aussi toet que 12 h apres un traitement hypoxique) alors que les Hep3B etaient resistantes aux deux phenomenes. L'apoptose induite par l'hypoxie chez les HeLa etait associee a une diminution des formes phospho-S473- et -T308-AKT et a une perte de fonction de l'AKT, alors que chez les cellules Hep3B resistantes a l'apoptose induite par l'hypoxie, les formes phosphorylees de l'AKT n'etaient pas diminue es et la fonction de l'AKT n'etait pas perdue. Nous avons alors decide de verifier si nos observations se confirmaient avec un agent mimant l'apoptose, la desferoxamine. Le traitement a la desferoxamine causait un arret du cycle cellulaire des HeLa et un arret modere des Hep3B, mais, de facon surprenante, il n'induisait l'apoptose chez aucune de ces deux ligne es apres un traitement allant jusqu'a 24 h. Des cellules epitheliales mammaires humaines normales soumises a l'hypoxie entraient egalement en apoptose. Fait interessant, chez ces lignees cellulaires, il existait une correlation complete entre la perte des formes phosphorylees de l'AKT et (ou) de l'AKT totale et la susceptibilite a l'apoptose induite par l'hypoxie. Nos resultats suggerent l'existence d'un modele dans lequel une perte regulee d'AKT active a des moments precis de l'hypoxie peut etre associee a l'apoptose dans les cellules sensibles. Mots-cles : AKT, apoptose, cycle cellulaire, desferoxamine, hypoxie. [Traduit par la Redaction], Introduction Hypoxia plays a critical role in the development, progression, and treatment of a large number of cancers. In the initial stages of tumour formation, small tumours can quickly outstrip [...]

Byline: Laurie A. Hiemstra, MD, PhD, FRCS C (Banff Sport Medicine, Banff, Alberta, Canada, hiemstra@banffsportmed.ca); Treny M. Sasyniuk, MSc (Banff Sport Medicine, Banff, Alberta, Canada); Nicholas G. H. Mohtadi, MD, [...]

The existence of a curvilinear relation between the length of the septal segment (Ls) and changes in the transseptal pressure gradient (PTs) reveals the dependence of the Ls on PTs and left ventricular transmural pressure (Plvtm). Plvtm is responsible for the stretching forces on the septum ventricular-free wall junctions while PTs determines the radial force operating on the septum. The effects of both factors must be included in any attempt to study the effect of septal stiffness and septal stress on an intact heart.

Abstract Background Gambling disorders affect about one percent of adults. Effective treatments are available but only a small proportion of affected individuals will choose to attend formal treatment. As a result, self-directed treatments have also been developed and found effective. Self-directed treatments provide individuals with information and support to initiate a recovery program without attending formal treatment. In previous research we developed an telephone-based intervention package that helps people to be motivated to tackle their gambling problem and to use basic behavioral and cognitive change strategies. The present study will investigate the efficacy of this self-directed intervention offered as a free online resource. The Internet is an excellent modality in which to offer self-directed treatment for gambling problems. The Internet is increasingly accessible to members of the public and is frequently used to access health-related information. Online gambling sites are also becoming more popular gambling platforms. Method/Design A randomized clinical trial (N=180) will be conducted in which individuals with gambling problems who are not interested in attending formal treatment are randomly assigned to have access to an online self-directed intervention or to a comparison condition. The comparison condition will be an alternative website that offers a self-assessment of gambling involvement and gambling-related problems. The participant’s use of the resources and their gambling involvement (days of gambling, dollars loss) and their gambling problems will be tracked for a twelve month follow-up period. Discussion The results of this research will be important for informing policy-makers who are developing treatment systems. Trial registration ISRCTN06220098

Background: Physical activity (PA) is a cornerstone in the management of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). This pilot investigation explores the effects of a standard diabetes education program compared with a supplemental PA intervention on diabetes-related health outcomes. Methods: Using a prospective 2-armed design, 96 adults with T2DM were randomly assigned to either standard care (diabetes education program; n = 49) or standard care supplemented with an 8-week, individualized-counseling and community-based PA component (n = 47). Measurements were taken at baseline, 3,6, and 12 months. Primary outcomes were changes in PA (self-report) and HbAlc. Between group changes were compared using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and changes over time using repeated-measures ANOVA. Results: In comparison with standard care, the supplemental group demonstrated an increase in PA (Ps < 0.01) and cardiorespiratory fitness (Ps <0.05) from baseline to all follow-up time-points. HbAlc levels declined (P < .05) from baseline to all time points in the standard care group. Reduction in cholesterol-ratio (P < .01), increase in HDL (P < .05), and reductions in blood pressure, resting heart rate and BMI (approaching statistical significance Ps < 0.10) were also reported for both groups. Conclusions: PA counseling in addition to standard care is effective for promoting PA behavior change and positive health-related outcomes among individuals with T2DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]