Food deserts exposure, density of fast-food restaurants, and park access: Exploring the association of food and recreation environments with obesity and diabetes using global and local regression models.

To prevent obesity and diabetes environmental interventions such as eliminating food deserts, restricting proliferation of food swamps, and improving park access are essential. In the United States, however, studies that examine the food and park access relationship with obesity and diabetes using both global and local regression are lacking. To guide county, state, and federal policy in combating obesity and diabetes, there is a need for cross-scale analyses to identify that relationship at national and local levels. This study applied spatial regression and geographically weighted regression to the 3,108 counties in the contiguous United States. Global regression show food deserts exposure and density of fast-food restaurants have non-significant association with obesity and diabetes while park access has a significant inverse association with both diseases. Geographically weighted regression that takes into account spatial heterogeneity shows that, among southern states that show high prevalence of obesity and diabetes, Alabama and Mississippi stand out as having opportunity to improve park access. Results suggest food deserts exposure are positively associated with obesity and diabetes in counties close to Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee while density of fast-food restaurants show positive association with two diseases in counties of western New York and northwestern Pennsylvania. These findings will help policymakers and public health agencies in determining which geographic areas need to be prioritized when implementing public interventions such as promoting healthy food access, limiting unhealthy food options, and increasing park access.

The checklist of leaf-mining moths Phyllonorycter Hbner (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) of Korea with description of two new species and nine newly recorded species.

In the present study, a total of 30 species of Phyllonorycter Hbner, 1822 (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae: Lithocolletinae) in Korea are recognized and enumerated. Among them, two species (Phyllonorycter phallustenuis sp. nov. and P. daehana sp. nov.) are newly described to science. In addition, nine species are reported for the first time for the country: P. ginnalae (Ermolaev, 1981), P. jezoniella (Matsumura, 1931), P. lonicerae (Kumata, 1963), P. nigristella (Kumata, 1957), P. ostryae (Kumata, 1963), P. reduncata (Ermolaev, 1986), P. sorbicola (Kumata, 1963), P. tritorrhecta (Meyrick, 1935), and P. zelkovae (Kumata, 1963). Detailed descriptions and illustrations of both adults and genitalia of the new species are provided.

The relationship between greenspace exposure and telomere length in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

The exposome, reflecting the range of environmental exposures individuals encounter throughout their life, can influence a variety of health outcomes and can play a role in how the environment impacts our genes. Telomeres, genetic structures regulating cell growth and senescence, are one pathway through which the exposome may impact health. Greenspace exposure, representing the amount of green areas in one's neighborhood, is one component of the exposome and has been associated with multiple health benefits. To investigate the potential link between greenspace exposure and telomere length, we analyzed data from the 1999-2001 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) sample. Our study examined individual, risk, and contextual factors. We found that greater greenspace exposure in one's neighborhood was associated with longer telomere lengths when considering individual and risk factors, suggesting a positive effect of living in greener neighborhoods. However, this relationship became non-significant when contextual factors, such as air pollution and deprivation, were included in the analysis. These findings highlight a complex relationship between greenspace and telomere length, warranting further research to explore contextual factors in detail.

[A randomized, prospective, comparative, multicenter study of rabeprazole and ranitidine in the treatment of reflux esophagitis].

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study was done to evaluate the efficacy of rabeprazole (proton-pump-inhibitor) and ranitidine (H(2)-receptor antagonist) in the symptom relief and treatment of erosive esophagitis diagnosed by endoscopy. METHODS: A total of 110 patients with typical gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms were enrolled in this multicenter study. They were randomized into rabeprazole group (53 patients) and ranitidine group (57 patients) respectively. The patients in rabeprazole group were given 10 mg of rabeprazole and ranitidine group received 300 mg of ranitidine before breakfast and dinner for 8 weeks. After the end of treatment, we evaluated the endoscopic healing rate of reflux esophagitis and symptomatic improvement. RESULTS: After 8 weeks of treatment, rabeprazole group showed significantly higher complete endoscopic cure rate than ranitidine group (86.8% [46/53] vs. 57.9% [33/57], p=0.001) and higher symptomatic improvement of heartburn (91.2% [31/34] vs. 76.2% [32/42], p=0.085), especially in the first 7 days (76.7% vs. 45.3%, p=0.008). Also, rabeprazole group showed significantly higher improvement of regurgitation symptom than ranitidine group (100% [35/35] vs. 83% [39/47], p=0.009). Both group showed no differences in the improvement of chest pain and globus sensation. All the adverse events (rabeprazole group 4 events vs. ranitidine group 3 events) were mild and there was no abnormality in laboratory test. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with GERD, rabeprazole 10 mg b.i.d. is superior to ranitidine 300 mg b.i.d. in healing of reflux esophagitis and resolving typical GERD symptoms. Rabeprazole is an effective and well-tolerated drug for GERD treatment.

Adenosine-mediated synaptic depression and EPSP/spike dissociation following high potassium-induced depolarization in rat hippocampal slices.

Simultaneous recordings of orthodromic PS, fEPSP and antidromic PS revealed EPSP/spike (E-S) dissociation, indicating a conversion of input/output relations from early and brief excitability to a late and prolonged depression during the recovery from depolarization induced by high levels of potassium. E-S potentiation was partially attenuated by pre-treating the slices with BAPTA-AM and lidocaine and totally eliminated by a submaximal concentration of muscimol. The time lag for recovery was decreased by the GABA(A) antagonist and completely eliminated by the A(1) antagonist. From these observations, we conclude that Ca(2+) dependent inhibitory suppression is the main cause of a brief period of E-S potentiation, and accumulation of adenosine is the mechanism responsible for prolonged depression of synaptic transmission

Facet fusion in the lumbosacral spine: a 2-year follow-up study.

OBJECTIVE: A clinical and radiological follow-up study was undertaken to assess the safety, efficacy, and complication rate associated with instrumented facet fusion of the lumbar and lumbosacral spine. METHODS: This study involved 99 patients with degenerative lumbar disorders who were treated surgically at the authors' neurosurgical department and followed for more than 2 years. Eighty-two patients underwent one-level fusion for the treatment of Grade I or II degenerative spondylolisthesis and accompanying spinal canal stenosis (44 patients) or recurrent disc herniation (38 patients). Seventeen patients underwent two-level fusion for the treatment of either double instances of the above indications (seven patients) or concurrent stenosis at the adjacent level (10 patients). RESULTS: There were no technique-related complications. The overall 2-year success rate of fusion was 96%; the success rates by fusion type were 99% in one-level fusions and 88% in two-level fusions. Degenerative spondylolisthesis had the highest success rate at 100%, whereas the success rate in patients who had not responded to previous discectomy was 93%. Patients with concurrent stenosis experienced the lowest success rate: 80%. Excellent or good clinical results were obtained for 85% of patients with one-level fusions and for 65% of patients with two-level fusions. CONCLUSION: Instrumented facet fusion alone is a simple, safe, and effective surgical option for the treatment of patients with single-level disorders, especially patients with degenerative spondylolisthesis.

Oncocytic paraganglioma of the cauda equina in a child. Case report and review of the literature.

The authors report a case of oncocytic paraganglioma of the cauda equina in a 12-year-old girl who presented with lower back and leg pain on the right side of 6 months' duration. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an ellipsoidal, intradural, extramedullary mass causing cord compression at the level of L1. Total laminectomy was performed on T12 and L1, and the tumor was excised completely without difficulty despite adherence of the tumor to the spinal cord. Postoperatively, the leg pain and motor weakness were much improved. The use of electron microscopy, and the immunohistochemical demonstration of synaptophysin in this tumor, allowed a confident diagnosis of an oncocytic paraganglioma to be made. To the authors' knowledge, this patient represents the first definite case of an oncocytic paraganglioma of the cauda equina in a child.