Comparison of the scope of allopathic and osteopathic medical school health promotion programs for students.

PURPOSE: To compare the number and scope of health promotion programs for students in allopathic and osteopathic medical schools in the U.S. and Canada. DESIGN: A one-time cross-sectional survey design was applied in this study. SETTING: This study was conducted in 141 accredited allopathic and 17 accredited osteopathic medical schools. SUBJECTS: A total of 158 representatives from the allopathic and osteopathic medical schools participated in this study. The response rate for the survey was 100%. MEASURES: A structured telephone interview was conducted to survey representatives from the medical schools. The survey contained 85 multiple-choice questions organized into four sections: administrative characteristics, types of institutional and health promotion program policies, participation incentives and facilities, and type/scope of health promotion program activities. Chi-square analysis was used to analyze survey variables by type of medical education and level of intervention. RESULTS: Of the 158 medical schools, only 20% (n = 32) provided a health promotion program for students. Although osteopathic institutions (29.4%) had a greater percentage of programs than allopathic schools (19.2%), there was no significant difference in scope of program offerings by type of medical education. Allopathic programs offered exercise and nutrition/weight management significantly more often and at a higher level of intervention. Lastly, allopathic programs had significantly more monetary resources available for programming. Following prudent research protocol, investigators should be mindful of the limitations of this study. In this study, some school representatives chose not to answer personnel- and finance-related questions. Additionally, because of the self-report nature of the survey, the responses given to the questions may not have been accurate. CONCLUSION: Allopathic and osteopathic medical school health promotion programs for students were very similar in scope.

In vitro effects of the antiallergy compound, CI-949, on interleukin-1 and 2 release, and on mitogen and alloantigen responsiveness.

CI-949 (5-methoxy-3-(1-methylethoxy)-1-phenyl-N-1H-tetrazol-5-yl-1H -indole- 2-carboxamide, L-arginine salt), an antiallergy compound, was found to be a weak inhibitor of IL-1 release from LPS-stimulated murine peritoneal exudate cells and human peripheral blood leukocytes, with IC50S of 186.2 and 267.9 microM, respectively. CI-949 was also a poor inhibitor of release of IL-2 from Con A-stimulated rat splenocytes (37% inhibition at 100 microM). CI-949 did produce concentration-related inhibition of the response of human lymphocytes to PHA and Con A (IC50S = 44.7 and 21.5 microM, respectively) as well as in the mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) (IC50 = 16.8 microM). The clinical significance of these latter findings is unknown at present.

The effect of methionine and lysine levels on the arginine requirement of the chick.

Two breeds of commercial broiler chicks were used to investigate possible breed differences and to determine the effect of methionine and lysine on arginine requirements. Graded levels of arginine were added to a glucose-casein diet with or without added methionine and to a corn-soybean meal diet with and without added lysine and/or methionine. The arginine requirement of chicks receiving the glucose-casein diet with and without supplemental methionine was found to be 1.46 per cent and 1.55 per cent of the diet, respectively. No breed differences were found. When arginine was added to a corn-soy diet containing 1.53 per cent arginine, with or without supplemental methionine, no response was obtained indicating that this level of arginine was adequate. When this diet was supplemented with lysine to bring it up to the lysine level of the casein diet, a growth depression occurred which was overcome by the addition of 0.20 and 0.25 per cent arginine, respectively, in the absence and presence of supplemental methione. These levels of arginine exceeded the requirements determined for chicks fed the glucose-casein diet. In chicks fed the glucose-casein diet, muscle creatine increased with each level of added arginine with or without supplemental methionine. Creatinine excretion also increased with each level of added arginine in the absence of supplementary methionine but when methionine was added creatine excretion reached a plateau at the level of arginine which satisfied the chick's growth requirement.