Fetal heart rate patterns preceding death in utero

Four cases of intrauterine fetal demise in term infants are presented. From these cases and other published reports, a sequence of fetal heart rate changes preceding intrapartum death is presented. Late or variable decelerations, if unrelieved or uncorrected, lead to baseline heart rate changes of tachycardia and loss of variability reflecting loss of fetal reserve and fetal distress. This is followed by an unstable heart rate, a sinusoidal pattern, or a rapidly changing fetal heart rate. The final event is a profound bradycardia just prior to fetal demise.     

Fortification of common salt with iron: effect of chemical additives on stability and bioavailability

Fortification of salt with iron has been suggested as a practical method of iron supplementation. In an effort to identify a suitable method for fortifying salt with iron two approaches were investigated. In one the possibility of fortifying salt with ferrous sulfate and a stabilizing agent was tried. Of the several stabilizing agents studied orthophosphoric acid was found to be the most promising one. Salt fortified with ferrous sulfate and orthophosphoric acid was found to keep well on storage without color development. Bioavailability of iron from this fortified salt, although satisfactory at the beginning, deteriorated on storage. An alternative approach in which salt was fortified with ferric orthophosphate, a stable iron compound and an absorption promoter like sodium acid sulfate was found to be more satisfactory. Salt fortified with ferric orthophosphate (3,500 ppm) and sodium acid sulfate (5,000 ppm) kept well without any color development for several months. The bioavailability of iron from this formula was comparable to that from ferrous sulfate and bioavailability did not decrease even after storage for 4-5 months. This fortified salt was also acceptable. This formula offers a practical solution to fortification of salt with iron.     

Ultrasonography of renal sinus lipomatosis

Gray scale B-scans in renal sinus lipomatosis show a variety of features which must be differentiated from clinically significant pathological processes. Normal kidneys show dense homogeneous central echoes. In renal sinus lipomatosis, however, the central echoes are divided and become more sparse (Type I), interspersed with small relatively echo-free areas (Type II), or outline a single relatively echo-free area resembling a mass (Type III). In contrast to similar features in hydronephrosis or multiple cysts, the relatively echo-free areas in lipomatosis are ill-defined and do present several weak internal echoes.     

Maxillary sinus augmentation in the non-human primate: a comparative radiographic and histologic study between recombinant human osteogenic protein-1 and natural bone mineral

The posterior maxilla has traditionally been one of the most difficult areas to successfully place dental implants due to poor bone quality and close approximation to the maxillary sinus. Sinus augmentation procedures have become a viable means of assuring adequate bone for the placement of dental implants in this area. However, with the techniques currently employed, a considerable variation in the quality of bone attained with the sinus augmentation procedure exists. The purpose of this in vivo study was to evaluate the healing response and bone formation stimulated by 3 doses of recombinant human osteogenic protein-1 (rhOP-1), 0.25, 0.6, and 2.5 mg OP-1 per gram of collagen matrix; natural bone mineral; or collagen matrix alone (control) placed in the maxillary sinus of adult chimpanzees. Results were assessed using clinical, histologic, and radiographic techniques. Radiographic analysis of the computed tomography scans taken at 1 week, and 2.5, 4.5, and 6.5 months revealed a more rapid mineralization with the 2.5 mg OP-1/g collagen matrix and natural bone mineral treatment groups. The incremental bone mineral density (BMD) increase for these 2 treatments from 1 week to 2.5 months was over 2.5 times the increase found with the collagen matrix alone; these 2 treatments also had a higher BMD at the most superior slices evaluated when compared to the other 3 groups. Biopsy specimens were taken at 3.5, 5.5, and 7.5 months and for all 5 treatment groups bone formation was observed at all time points in the majority of the specimens. At 7.5 months the 2.5 and 0.6 mg OP-1/g collagen matrix treatment groups had an increase in the percent bone area when compared to the matrix alone control. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that sinus augmentation with natural bone mineral or 2.5 mg OP-1/g collagen matrix induce comparable radiographic and histologic evidence of bone formation and that both of these treatments performed superior to the control group of collagen matrix alone based upon all methods of evaluation.     

The role of apoptosis in the modulation of colon carcinogenesis by dietary fat and by the organoselenium compound 1,4-phenylenebis(methylene)selenocyanate

Studies in laboratory animals have demonstrated that dietary supplements of organoselenium, 1,4-phenylenebis(methylene)selenocyanate (p-XSC) inhibit colon carcinogenesis. Diverse chemopreventive agents and clinically used anticancer drugs have been shown to induce apoptosis in colonic tumors. Inducing apoptosis is a key mechanism for the effectiveness of some chemopreventive agents; however, failure of apoptosis is now believed to contribute to the development of human cancer. In this study, we determined the number of apoptotic bodies in the colon tumors of rats fed a low-fat (LF) or a high-fat (HF) diet with or without p-XSC treatment. At 5 weeks of age, male F344 rats were divided into four groups, which were then maintained on one of the following diets: LF, 5% corn oil; HF, 23.5% corn oil; and LF and HF supplemented with 20 ppm p-XSC. In addition, the LF or HF diet with p-XSC supplements was administered either during the initiation stage or postinitiation. At 7 weeks of age, all rats except those intended for vehicle (normal saline) treatment were given 15 mg/kg of body weight of azoxymethane once weekly for 2 weeks. The animals were sacrificed 38 weeks after carcinogen treatment, and their colonic tumors were examined for appearance of apoptosis. The LF diet significantly increased the percentage of apoptosis as compared to the HF diet; the percentage of apoptosis in LF and HF diets were 12.4 and 2.9. The colon tumors that were present in the groups fed p-XSC together with a LF or a HF diet after carcinogen administration (postinitiation period) had a higher number of apoptotic bodies than those that were present in the animals fed p-XSC before carcinogen treatment (initiation period). The extent of apoptosis was weak when p-XSC was given with a HF diet (4.4%) during the initiation phase, but it was high significant when p-XSC was administered with LF diet (25.2%). Taken together, our data suggest that administration of LF diet supplemented with p-XSC increases apoptosis as compared to a HF diet alone.