Biomedical subjects

Karen Reed

Publications and source records attributed to Karen Reed.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Interactive educational diabetes/insulin tutorial at www.2aida.info.

The World Wide Web now hosts a multitude of diabetes educational materials in various formats. Of particular interest is the diabetes/insulin tutorial available at the AIDA Website (accessible directly at: www.2aida.info). The tutorial combines textual or "static" information with an interactive diabetes simulator-AIDA online-to provide an engaging and effective educational tool. AIDA online (accessible directly at: www.2aida.net) enables the simulation of plasma insulin and blood glucose levels from user-defined insulin injection and carbohydrate intake data. A haemoglobin A1c value is also computed, giving an indication of overall blood glucose control in the virtual patient with diabetes. The diabetes/insulin tutorial is currently composed of four sections: the first two cover in considerable depth insulin injection regimens and insulin dosage adjustment; the third section introduces the principles of carbohydrate counting and, specifically, matching insulin doses to carbohydrate intake; and the fourth section illustrates the relationship between blood glucose levels and renal excretion of glucose. The simulator runs alongside the tutorial, and allows various concepts described in the text to be explored freely by the user and simulated interactively. This introduces a novel way of learning how injected insulin and dietary carbohydrate interact in various insulin injection regimens. A fifth section- for which any offers of assistance would be gratefully received-is planned. This will consider the use of insulin pumps and rapidly acting and very long-acting insulin analogues. Further improvements that may strengthen the existing tutorial and/or use of the online simulator are discussed in this column.

CD-I↗

PubMed2006

A new transcription factor that regulates TNF-alpha gene expression, LITAF, is increased in intestinal tissues from patients with CD and UC.

BACKGROUND: The proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) plays a key role in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Recently, a new transcription factor termed LITAF (lipopolysaccharide-induced TNF-alpha factor) was shown to mediate TNF-alpha expression in human macrophages by direct binding to specific sequences in the promoter region of the TNF-alpha gene. METHODS: In this report, we identified LITAF in resected ileal and colonic tissues from patients with CD and UC by immunohistochemistry, real-time polymerase chain reaction, and Western blot analysis. LITAF expression in inflamed and noninflamed areas of the tissues was compared. RESULTS: This is the first demonstration of LITAF, a newly discovered transcription factor that regulates TNF-alpha gene transcription in ileal and colonic tissues from patients with either CD or UC. LITAF immunostaining was localized to lamina propria macrophages and was markedly increased relative to tissues from controls without inflammatory bowel disease. In patients with CD, a 5-fold increase in LITAF mRNA was measurable in noninflamed colonic tissues compared with controls without inflammatory bowel disease. LITAF mRNA in tissues from inflamed areas of the colon was increased by an additional 60% compared with noninflamed tissues. In patients with UC, LITAF mRNA levels in colonic tissues resected from noninflamed areas were elevated 15-fold above nondisease controls, but they were not different in tissues resected from inflamed areas. Western blot analysis showed that in patients with CD, there was a marked increase in LITAF protein in inflamed areas compared with noninflamed areas. LITAF protein levels were not different between noninflamed and inflamed tissues obtained from patients with UC. TNF-alpha mRNA and protein levels paralleled LITAF. Similarly, in inflamed ileal tissues from patients with CD, LITAF is also localized to lamina propria macrophages. LITAF mRNA and LITAF protein were significantly increased in inflamed ileal tissues compared with noninflamed areas. CONCLUSIONS: LITAF is readily detectable in ileal and colonic tissues from patients with either CD or UC, is significantly elevated above controls, and is localized to macrophages, a major source of TNF-alpha. These data provide strong evidence of a role for LITAF in the pathophysiological regulation of the TNF-alpha gene and underscore the potential value of anti-LITAF strategies in the clinical management of these diseases.

Colitis, Ulcerative↗

PubMed2005

Website review: diabetes insight--www.diabetes-insight.info.

In previous Diabetes Information Technology & WebWatch columns some different diabetes Websites have been highlighted. In this issue we focus on one particular site and use this to illustrate how such Internet-based repositories of information can provide important and useful resources for people with diabetes and their carers. Diabetes is perhaps unique in the fact that much of the day-to-day responsibility for care rests with individuals themselves. Successful therapy demands considerable understanding of the condition by the person with diabetes, or his or her carer, and this can only be made possible with access to appropriate information. Provision of information via a Website is now recognised to be cost-effective and convenient, available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year-and access to the Internet by the general public has grown rapidly in recent years. The increasing way in which the Internet is being used to supply individuals with tools and information for their self-care is exemplified by the Diabetes Insight Website (at: www.diabetes-insight.info).

Computer User Training↗

PubMed2005

Diabetes website review: www.2aida.org.

Previous Diabetes Information Technology & WebWatch columns have addressed the use of diabetes simulators, and, in particular, aspects of the AIDA software. AIDA is a freeware computer program, which simulates the interaction of carbohydrates and insulin administered in people with insulin-dependent (type 1) diabetes mellitus. The program is intended to be used as an educational support tool, and is available via the Internet without charge from www.2aida.org. In this article, the AIDA Website is described and reviewed in terms of both content and functionality. This popular non-commercial Internet site provides free access to a downloadable PC version of AIDA, as well as access to a Web-based version of the simulator that can be run online (accessible directly at: www.2aida.net). User feedback suggests that the Website and the AIDA software have been of significant interest and value to many patients, their relatives and carers, students, and a variety of health-care professionals and researchers. The interactive and dynamic nature of the simulations adds a real-life dimension to the Web-based educational material, and the software is complemented by a substantial amount of supporting information at the Website. The on-going collection of subjective feedback continues to provide anecdotal evidence of the utility of the software, and this will hopefully be corroborated by results from more formal and objective evaluations. The future potential of diabetes simulators, in both education and research, is becoming increasingly apparent, and the AIDA Website is evolving accordingly.

Computer Simulation↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Double-blind placebo-controlled trial of fluoxetine in smoking cessation treatment including nicotine patch and cognitive-behavioral group therapy.

Smoking cessation attempts are often complicated by dysphoria/depression, weight gain, craving, and other nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Fluoxetine's antidepressant and anorectant properties, along with its capacity to attenuate compulsive behavior, suggest that this medication might facilitate smoking cessation treatment. We examined the effect of fluoxetine on smoking cessation in the context of a program that included group cognitive-behavioral therapy (six weeks) and transdermal nicotine patch(ten weeks). In a double-blind randomized trial of fluoxetine for smoking cessation, 150 daily smokers were assigned to placebo (n=48), 20 mg (n=51), or 40 mg fluoxetine (n=51). Fluoxetine did not significantly improve smoking cessation rates, either for those with or without major depressive disorder(MDD)histories or elevated current depression. Our results suggest that fluoxetine may moderate withdrawal symptoms, even if that was not manifested in improved smoking cessation rates. Our results, however, clearly favor the use of fluoxetine if weight gain is a major clinical obstacle to smoking cessation.

Administration, Cutaneous↗