"Cold turkey" works best for smoking cessation

"Cold turkey" works best for smoking cessation. PRACTICE CHANGER: Counsel patients who want to quit smoking that abrupt smoking cessation is more effective for long-term abstinence than taking a gradual approach. STRENGTH OF RECOMMENDATION: B: Based on one well-designed, randomized controlled trial

Context, Curriculum, and Community Matter: Leadership Practices of Primary School Principals in the Otago Province of New Zealand

This research examined the leadership practices of rural primary school principals in the Otago province of New Zealand. Principals of large (\u3e150 students) and small (students) rural schools served as participants in an investigation to learn how their practice creates and maintains effective rural schools. The goals were to investigate the interrelationships of principal, curriculum, and community and effective leadership in their schools. A mixed methods approach included a survey completed by rural principals (n = 63), followed by observations and interviews. Key findings were that leadership practices varied across contexts of large rural and small rural schools; having a local curriculum was critical; and, communication and involvement with parents and the community were essential. The survey had good psychometric qualities; validation through future research use is needed. Results are discussed in terms of factors to consider for effective leadership in rural schools

Quality of Life is Similar between Long-term Survivors of Indolent and Aggressive Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Differences in quality of life (QOL) of long-term survivors of aggressive or indolent subtypes of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) have not been frequently evaluated. We assessed these differences by analyzing results of a large QOL survey of long-term NHL survivors. We hypothesized that the incurable nature of indolent NHL would relate to worse QOL in long-term survivors while the potentially cured long-term survivors of aggressive lymphoma would have better QOL. We found that QOL was similar between the two groups. Results suggest that patients with indolent NHL are coping well with their disease, yet experience some overall feelings of life threat

SABER Observations of the OH Meinel Airglow Variability Near the Mesopause

The Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) instrument, one of four on board the TIMED satellite, observes the OH Meinel emission at 2.0 m that peaks near the mesopause. The emission results from reactions between members of the oxygen and hydrogen chemical families that can be significantly affected by mesopause dynamics. In this study we compare SABER measurements of OH Meinel emission rates and temperatures with predictions from a 3-dimensional chemical dynamical model. In general, the model is capable of reproducing both the observed diurnal and seasonal OH Meinel emission variability. The results indicate that the diurnal tide has a large effect on the overall magnitude and temporal variation of the emission in low latitudes. This tidal variability is so dominant that the seasonal cycle in the nighttime emission depends very strongly on the local time of the analysis. At higher latitudes, the emission has an annual cycle that is due mainly to transport of oxygen by the seasonally reversing mean circulation

An Antithrombin-Heparin Complex Increases the Anticoagulant Activity of Fibrin Clots

Clotting blood contains fibrin-bound thrombin, which is a major source of procoagulant activity leading to clot extension and further activation of coagulation. When bound to fibrin, thrombin is protected from inhibition by antithrombin (AT) + heparin but is neutralized when AT and heparin are covalently linked (ATH). Here, we report the surprising observation that, rather than yielding an inert complex, thrombin-ATH formation converts clots into anticoagulant surfaces that effectively catalyze inhibition of thrombin in the surrounding environment

Knockdown of Ant2 Reduces Adipocyte Hypoxia And Improves Insulin Resistance in Obesity.

Decreased adipose tissue oxygen tension and increased HIF-1α expression can trigger adipose tissue inflammation and dysfunction in obesity. Our current understanding of obesity-associated decreased adipose tissue oxygen tension is mainly focused on changes in oxygen supply and angiogenesis. Here, we demonstrate that increased adipocyte O2 demand, mediated by ANT2 activity, is the dominant cause of adipocyte hypoxia. Deletion of adipocyte Ant2 improves obesity-induced intracellular adipocyte hypoxia by decreasing obesity-induced adipocyte oxygen demand, without effects on mitochondrial number or mass, or oligomycin-sensitive respiration. This led to decreased adipose tissue HIF-1α expression and inflammation with improved glucose tolerance and insulin resistance in both a preventative or therapeutic setting. Our results suggest that ANT2 may be a target for the development of insulin sensitizing drugs and that ANT2 inhibition might have clinical utility

Male frequent attenders of general practice and their help seeking preferences

Background: Low rates of health service usage by men are commonly linked to masculine values and traditional male gender roles. However, not all men conform to these stereotypical notions of masculinity, with some men choosing to attend health services on a frequent basis, for a variety of different reasons. This study draws upon the accounts of male frequent attenders of the General Practitioner's (GP) surgery, examining their help-seeking preferences and their reasons for choosing services within general practice over other sources of support. Methods: The study extends thematic analysis of interview data from the Self Care in Primary Care study (SCinPC), a large scale multi-method evaluation study of a self care programme delivered to frequent attenders of general practice. Data were collected from 34 semi-structured interviews conducted with men prior to their exposure to the intervention. Results: The ages of interviewed men ranged from 16 to 72 years, and 91% of the sample (n= 31) stated that they had a current health condition. The thematic analysis exposed diverse perspectives within male help-seeking preferences and the decision-making behind men's choice of services. The study also draws attention to the large variation in men's knowledge of available health services, particularly alternatives to general practice. Furthermore, the data revealed some men's lack of confidence in existing alternatives to general practice. Conclusions: The study highlights the complex nature of male help-seeking preferences, and provides evidence that there should be no 'one size fits all' approach to male service provision. It also provides impetus for conducting further studies into this under researched area of interest. © 2011 WPMH GmbH

Annual Cycle of Cloud Forcing of Surface Radiation Budget

The climate of the Earth is determined by its balance of radiation. The incoming and outgoing radiation fluxes are strongly modulated by clouds, which are not well understood. The Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (Barkstrom and Smith, 1986) provided data from which the effects of clouds on radiation at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) could be computed (Ramanathan, 1987). At TOA, clouds increase the reflected solar radiation, tending to cool the planet, and decrease the OLR, causing the planet to retain its heat (Ramanathan et al., 1989; Harrison et al., 1990). The effects of clouds on radiation fluxes are denoted cloud forcing. These shortwave and longwave forcings counter each other to various degrees, so that in the tropics the result is a near balance. Over mid and polar latitude oceans, cloud forcing at TOA results in large net loss of radiation. Here, there are large areas of stratus clouds and cloud systems associated with storms. These systems are sensitive to surface temperatures and vary strongly with the annual cycle. During winter, anticyclones form over the continents and move to the oceans during summer. This movement of major cloud systems causes large changes of surface radiation, which in turn drives the surface temperature and sensible and latent heat released to the atmosphere

PPARγ agonists do not directly enhance basal or insulin-stimulated Na+ transport via the epithelial Na+ channel

Selective agonists of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) are anti-diabetic drugs that enhance cellular responsiveness to insulin. However, in some patients, fluid retention, plasma volume expansion, and edema have been observed. It is well established that insulin regulates Na(+) reabsorption via the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) located in the distal tubule. Therefore, we hypothesized that these agonists may positively modulate insulin-stimulated ENaC activity leading to increased Na(+) reabsorption and fluid retention. Using electrophysiological techniques, dose-response curves for insulin-mediated Na(+) transport in the A6, M-1, and mpkCCD(cl4) cell lines were performed. Each line demonstrated hormone efficacy within physiological concentration ranges and, therefore, can be used to monitor clinically relevant effects of pharmacological agents which may affect electrolyte transport. Immunodetection and quantitative PCR analyses showed that each cell line expresses viable and functional PPARgamma receptors. Despite this finding, two PPARgamma agonists, pioglitazone and GW7845 did not directly enhance basal or insulin-stimulated Na(+) flux via ENaC, as shown by electrophysiological methodologies. These studies provide important results, which eliminate insulin-mediated ENaC activation as a candidate mechanism underlying the fluid retention observed with PPARgamma agonist use