Ipriflavone inhibits bone resorption in intact and ovariectomized rats

The aim of this study was to investigate the possible inhibitory effect of ipriflavone on bone resorption in rats. For this purpose, 10-week-old, intact and ovariectomized (OVX) rats, prelabeled from birth with [3H]tetracycline, were used. Bone resorption was monitored by measuring the urinary excretion of [3H]. The animals were fed a purified diet devoid of naturally occurring flavonoids. In the intact rats, the daily meal was given either as a single portion or divided into four portions, a procedure known to lead by itself to a decrease in bone resorption. Ipriflavone, given 7 days after OVX at the dose of 400 mg/kg B.W. daily mixed with the food, led within 2-3 days to a significant decrease in bone resorption equivalent to that of 27.2 μg/kg S.C. of 17β-estradiol. The inhibition was sustained for the length of the experiment, up to 21 days. Ipriflavone given 7 days before OVX prevented the increase in bone resorption induced by castration, the effect being dose-dependent between 50 and 400 mg/kg B.W. In contrast to 17β-estradiol, a 5-week treatment with ipriflavone failed to prevent the OVX-induced uterine atrophy. Significant inhibition of bone resorption was also seen in intact animals, provided they rapidly ingested the daily meal. Actually, the decrease in bone resorption induced by portioning the daily food masked the inhibitory effect of ipriflavone in intact animals. In conclusion, ipriflavone can decrease bone resorption in both intact and OVX animals given a purified diet as a single daily meal. In the OVX model, ipriflavone mimics the osteoprotective effect of estrogen. However, the lack of a uterotropic effect suggests that the compound can discriminate between bone and reproductive tissue

Tularemia in the Southeastern Swiss Alps at 1,700 m above sea level.

A 37-year-old man presented with a 4-day history of nonbloody diarrhea, fever, chills, productive cough, vomiting, and more recent sore throat. He worked for the municipality in a village in the Swiss Alps near St. Moritz. Examination showed fever (40 °C), hypotension, tachycardia, tachypnea, decreased oxygen saturation (90 % at room air), and bibasilar crackles and wheezing. Chest radiography and computed tomography scan showed an infiltrate in the left upper lung lobe. He responded to empiric therapy with imipenem for 5 days. After the imipenem was stopped, the bacteriology laboratory reported that 2/2 blood cultures showed growth of Francisella tularensis. He had recurrence of fever and diarrhea. He was treated with ciprofloxacin (500 mg twice daily, oral, for 14 days) and symptoms resolved. Further testing confirmed that the isolate was F. tularensis (subspecies holarctica) belonging to the subclade B.FTNF002-00 (Western European cluster). This case may alert physicians that tularemia may occur in high-altitude regions such as the Swiss Alps

Determinants of private well water testing in Maine

Objectives: Describe sociodemographic characteristics associated with ever testing well water using data from the 2014-2017 Maine Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) (n= 12,152).https://knowledgeconnection.mainehealth.org/lambrew-retreat-2021/1005/thumbnail.jp

Intra-hisian 2:1 atrioventricular block secondary to Lyme disease

We describe a case of Lyme carditis with intra-hisian 2:1 atrioventricular (AV) block documented by electrophysiological study. To our knowledge, only two cases of AV block at the level of the His bundle has been described in the literature. Sinus rhythm was restored after 4 days of i.v. ceftriaxon

The role of bisphosphonates in breast cancer: Development of bisphosphonates

Bisphosphonates are synthetic compounds characterized by a P–C–P group, and are thus analogs of inorganic pyrophosphate. They are used in medicine mainly to inhibit bone resorption in diseases like osteoporosis, Paget's disease and tumor bone disease. They have been used for over a century in industry, and only in 1968 was it shown that bisphosphonates have biological effects. These effects consist mainly of an inhibition of bone resorption and, when given in large amounts, an inhibition of ectopic and normal calcification. While the latter effect is the consequence of a physical-chemical inhibition of calcium phosphate crystal formation, the former is due to a cellular effect involving both apoptosis of the osteoclasts and a destruction of the osteoclastic cytoskeleton, inducing a decrease in osteoclast activity. The biochemical basis of these effects for the nitrogen-containing compounds is an inhibition of the mevalonate pathway caused by the inhibition of farnesylpyrophosphate synthase, which leads to a decrease of the formation of isoprenoid lipids such as farnesylpyrophosphate and geranylgeranylpyrophosphate. The other bisphosphonates are incorporated into the phosphate chain of ATP-containing compounds so that they become non-hydrolyzable. The new P–C–P-containing ATP analogs inhibit cell function and may lead to apoptosis and death of osteoclasts

Children's daily travel to school in Johannesburg-Soweto, South Africa: geography and school choice in the Birth to Twenty cohort study

This paper has two aims: to explore approaches to the measurement of children’s daily travel to school in a context of limited geospatial data availability, and to provide data regarding school choice and distance travelled to school in Soweto-Johannesburg, South Africa. The paper makes use of data from the Birth to Twenty cohort study (n=1428) to explore three different approaches to estimating school choice and travel to school. Firstly, straight-line distance between home and school is calculated. Secondly, census geography is used to determine whether a child's home and school fall in the same area. Thirdly, distance data are used to determine whether a child attends the nearest school. Each of these approaches highlights a different aspect of mobility, and all provide valuable data. Overall, primary school aged children in Soweto-Johannesburg are shown to be travelling substantial distances to school on a daily basis. Over a third travel more than 3km, one-way, to school, 60% attend schools outside of the suburb in which they live, and only 18% attend their nearest school. These data provide evidence for high levels of school choice in Johannesburg-Soweto, and that families and children are making substantial investments in pursuit of high quality educational opportunities. Additionally, these data suggest that two patterns of school choice are evident: one pattern involving travel of substantial distances and requiring a higher level of financial investment, and a second pattern, involving choice between more local schools, requiring less travel and a more limited financial investment