Purification and properties of two fibrinolytic enzymes from Fusarium oxysporum N.R.C.1

OBJECTIVE: To find differences in effect on sperm motility of agents that increase intracellular cAMP: manganese ion, methyl-isobutyl-xanthine (MIX), 2-deoxyadenosine, glucose, and Mn-MIX and Mn-glucose. DESIGN: Nine men with asthenozoospermia vs. fertile donors. METHODS: Sperm was washed in Hepes-buffered saline, motility tested by laser-Doppler technique. RESULTS: Best activation was obtained with Mn and 2-deoxyadenosine; generally poor response to MIX or glucose. CONCLUSIONS: Usually, poor endogenous stimulation of adenylyl cyclase, and probably not limited energy supply, is the cause of impaired motility.     

Management of gap non-union of tibia by tibialisation of ipsilateral vascular fibula

Community health, psychiatric, and pediatric nurses who work with young children and their families often assess the family's sleep and rest patterns, especially in relation to children's sleep disturbances. Nurses have traditionally taken a rigid approach on this issue that excludes culturally diverse options. The author uses examples from her own nursing education and from cross-cultural research to demonstrate the cultural bias favoring separation of child from parent. The article explores options for broadening nurses' assessment of family sleeping arrangements and designing interventions that take into consideration culturally diverse values and habits. Implications for nursing practice include greater trust-building and mutual learning.     

A new repetitive control for LTI systems with input delay

In this paper, a new form of Repetitive Control (RC) is proposed which is applicable to an extended class of systems, including time-delay systems. A new convergence condition which is necessary and sufficient will be derived for this RC. Simulation examples will illustrate the practical applications of the results to process control problems.     

Anesthesiological support, postoperative care and the results of the surgical treatment of patients with tumors of the base of the posterior cranial fossa

Problems of anesthesiological maintenance, measures of the postoperative management and results of surgical treatment of 76 patients with an oncological process on the base of the posterior cranial fossa are discussed. An analysis of informative-regulatory and adaptational reactions of organism is made on the basis of the intervalogram in the course of operative interventions near by the cerebral trunk. The results are estimated.     

HLA-DRB1*03, but not the TNFA -308 promoter gene polymorphism, confers protection against fistulising Crohn's disease

Crohn's disease (CD) appears in forms so diverse that it has been hypothesized CD might be a syndrome, with different pathogenic mechanisms leading to the various clinical phenotypes. This may plausibly explain the conflicting and inconclusive results with regard to HLA associations in unselected groups of patients. The power of these association studies may increase when disease heterogeneity is taken into account. As fistulising CD has been proposed as a separate subgroup of patients with CD, we studied the carrier frequencies (CF) of the DRB1 alleles in 35 unrelated Caucasian Dutch CD patients with proven peri-anal fistulas. A striking decrease in the frequency of the DRB1(*)03 allele was found in those patients with peri-anal fistulas when compared with a panel of 2400 healthy controls (HC) (3% vs 25%; P = 0.005; Odds Ratio [OR] = 0.09). The DRB1(*)03 allele is in strong linkage disequilibrium with a polymorphism at position -308 in the promoter region of the gene encoding TNFalpha (TNFA-308(*)2). We investigated whether this allele frequency was decreased as well. Surprisingly, the CF of TNFA-308(*)2 was 29%, not different from the CF of 98 HC (34%; P = 0. 7; OR = 0.8). This study is the first showing a significant negative association between DRB1(*)03 and a particular subgroup of CD patients. Thus, patient selection may largely determine the outcome of genetic association studies in CD, as we previously observed no association with this allele in an unselected population of CD patients. As DRB1(*)03 frequency, but not the closely linked TNFA-308(*)2, was decreased, this suggests recombination between the DRB1 and TNFA loci in this group of patients, and may help to define the biological basis of fistula formation.     

The Dutch famine and schizophrenia spectrum disorders

In the Dutch Hunger Winter at the end of World War II a combination of circumstances created the conditions of a natural experiment. Unlike other famines, the Dutch famine struck at a precisely circumscribed time and place, and in a society able to document the timing and severity of the nutritional deprivation as well as the effects on fertility and health. Because the Dutch maintained comprehensive military and health records, it was possible to compare the incidence of neurodevelopmental disorders in adulthood for birth cohorts exposed versus those unexposed to prenatal famine. We have conducted several studies guided by the hypothesis that prenatal micronutrient deficiencies can cause neurodevelopmental schizophrenia or related personality disorders. In this paper we shall summarize our previous work and combine the outcome data of the different studies. Early prenatal famine was found to be specifically and robustly associated with each of three conditions: (1) congenital anomalies of the central nervous system, (2) schizophrenia, and (3) schizophrenia spectrum personality disorders. We found that the greatest increase in the risk of schizophrenia spectrum disorder- schizophrenia plus spectrum personality disorder- occurred among males born in the famine cities in December 1945 (relative risk = 2.7; 95% confidence interval = 1.5-5.1). Persons born in December 1945 were generally conceived at the absolute peak of the famine (March-April 1945). In the hope that the associations we have found may offer clues to the aetiology of schizophrenia, we are currently tracing and examining the cases of schizophrenia after prenatal exposure to famine.     

Quantitative contribution of the collagen network in dentin hybridization

PURPOSE: To determine the quantitative contribution of dentin hybridization to bonded assembly strength and demonstrate the micromorphology of the interface with and without collagen present. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four groups of 10 molar teeth were finished to a 320 grit dentin smear layer. Two groups served as controls and two experimental groups were subjected to collagenase digestion of the collagen exposed by acid conditioning. All-Bond 2 and Amalgambond were used to bond Bisfil and Epic resin composite, respectively. Stored in water at 37 degrees C for 24 hours the assemblies were tested in a shear mode at a crosshead speed of 5 mm/minute. Means and standard deviations were subjected to analysis for statistical significance. Twenty four teeth in four groups were examined by scanning (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for the relationship between resin and conditioned dentin with and without the collagen network. RESULTS: All-Bond 2 and Amalgambond controls were 28.41 +/- 3.9 and 19.04 +/- 5.96 MPa, collagenase-treated groups scored 26.43 +/- 2.90 and 19.70 +/- 4.25 MPa respectively. No significant difference existed between the control and experimental groups. SEM showed an intertubular collagen network with patent tubules and a pronounced porous, irregular dentin topography following collagen digestion. A distinct hybrid zone and tubular penetration was observed but the collagenase-treated specimens showed only resin in the tubules and their lateral extensions. TEM confirmed the absence of a distinct hybrid zone in the collagenase groups with a tight, gap-free junction between the resin and the undemineralized dentin. An electron dense zone (< 50 nm) at the leading edge of conditioning was observed for All-Bond 2 and Amalgambond groups. It was concluded that the resin-reinforced or hybridized, collagenous network does not detract from, nor contribute any significant quantitative value per se to dentin bonding with the systems tested.     

Prevalence of asthma and wheeze in primary school children in northern Jordan

While the existence of chimeric cells in host tissue following organ transplantation is well documented, its distribution, temporal evolution and relationship to allograft survival is less clear. To explore this phenomenon, Lewis recipients of ACI cardiac allografts representing a wide range of immunosuppressive protocols and graft survival times were examined for the presence of chimerism using a sensitive polymerase chain reaction assay. Four groups of animals were examined: untransplanted animals receiving donor specific transfusion (DST)/cyclosporine A (CsA); allograft recipients with no treatment; recipients treated with DST/CsA/supplementary immunosuppression with rejection at 21-183 days; and recipients sacrificed with functioning allografts, treated with DST/CsA/supplementary immunosuppression and surviving > 200 days. To elucidate variations in the tissue distribution of chimeric cells, bone marrow, skin, liver, spleen, and thymus were examined in each animal. Untransplanted animals receiving DST/CsA displayed no evidence of chimerism. In animals receiving a cardiac allograft but no treatment, there was extensive evidence of chimerism in four of five animals. Chimerism was also detected in seven of nine animals with intermediate graft survival at the time of rejection. In animals with long-term graft survival, only four of eight displayed chimerism. These results suggest that, without immunosuppression, early chimerism does not lead to prolonged graft survival and that, even when graft survival is moderately prolonged, these cells are not sufficient to prevent rejection. In conclusion, chimerism appears to be a common phenomenon following transplantation, is not a result of DST, and may not be necessary for maintenance of long-term graft survival.