Sepsis puerperalis caused by a genotypically proven cat-derived Pasteurella multocida strain

We report on partial dup(22q), growth deficiency, and the facioauriculovertebral sequence including hemifacial microsomia, cleft lip and palate, preauricular tags, and hearing loss in one patient. No endocrine or systemic cause for growth deficiency was identified. The case illustrates applicability of chromosome analysis in syndrome-associated growth failure, and a previously unreported associated chromosome abnormality.     

Dietary isoflavones reduce plasma cholesterol and atherosclerosis in C57BL/6 mice but not LDL receptor-deficient mice

To assess the cardiovascular effects of systemically administered opioid agonists, changes in blood pressure and heart rate were observed after intravenous (i.v.) administration of U50,488H (trans-3,4-dichloro-N-[2-(1-pyrrolidinyl) cyclohexyl]benzeneacetamide), a selective kappa-opioid receptor agonist, and DAMGO (D-Ala2, N-Me-Phe4, Gly5-ol), a selective mu-opioid-receptor agonist. Intravenous administration of U50,488H (1.2 mg/kg) and DAMGO (0.3 mg/kg) to the awake sheep resulted in an immediate increase in blood pressure. The pressor response to U50,488H was accompanied by an increase in heart rate. In contrast, there was no accompanying change in heart rate in response to DAMGO. We hypothesized that the lack of a reflex bradycardia to the pressor responses of both the mu- and kappa-opioid-receptor agonists was due to a blunting of baroreflex-mediated bradycardia. The reflex bradycardia to norepinephrine (0.6 microg/kg/min) was significantly reduced in the presence of DAMGO but not U50,488H. In view of the lack of effect of U50,488H on the baroreflex, we further hypothesized that the tachycardia it elicited was due to an increase in sympathetic activity. Pretreatment with propranolol (0.1 mg/kg) completely blocked the tachycardia elicited by U50,488H. These data suggest that the lack of a reflex bradycardia to the pressor response of DAMGO is due to a blunting of baroreflex-mediated bradycardia. In contrast, the increase in heart rate caused by U50,488H is mediated by sympathetic activation of the heart.     

Hormonal and metabolic responses to exercise across time of day and menstrual cycle phase

Two studies, each utilizing short-term treadmill exercise of a different intensity, assessed the metabolic and hormonal responses of women to exercise in the morning (AM) and late afternoon (PM). In study 1, plasma concentrations of growth hormone, arginine vasopressin, catecholamines, adrenocorticotropic hormone, cortisol, lactate, and glucose were measured before, during, and after high-intensity exercise (90% maximal O2 uptake) in the AM and PM. In study 2, plasma concentrations of adrenocorticotropic hormone, cortisol, lactate, and glucose were measured before, during, and after moderate-intensity exercise (70% maximal O2 uptake) in the AM and PM in the follicular (days 3-9), midcycle (days 10-16), and luteal (days 18-26) phases of the menstrual cycle. The results of studies 1 and 2 revealed no significant diurnal differences in the magnitude of responses for any measured variable. In addition, study 2 revealed a significant time-by-phase interaction for glucose (P = 0. 014). However, net integrated responses were similar across cycle phases. These data suggest that metabolic and hormonal responses to short-term, high-intensity exercise can be assessed with equal reliability in the AM and PM and that there are subtle differences in blood glucose responses to moderate-intensity exercise across menstrual cycle phase.     

Listeria infection of silicone breast implant

A case of breast implant infection with L. monocytogenes is presented. The nature of this organism, its usual mode of transmission, and factors predisposing to the development of listeriosis are reviewed. We speculate that, in this case, the organism was acquired during a natural period of depressed immunity due to pregnancy, and it initiated a low-grade infection around the breast prosthesis. Possible implications of this scenario are discussed.     

Role of fluoride on corrodability of dental amalgams

The role of fluoride ions on the corrosion behavior of some commercial dental amalgam in artificial saliva solution at pH level 7.1 was studied by using impedance and potentiodynamic polarization techniques. It was found that, the presence of F- ions in an artificial saliva solution at pH 7.1 increases the corrodability of different types of dental amalgam. Sever pitting corrosion occurred at level of 100 mM F- ions. The formulation of amalgam alloys greatly affect the resistance to pitting corrosion; the resistance of the amalgam to pitting follows the order: Dispersalloy > Phasealloy > Oralloy > Tytin > Valiant-pH.D. It is recommended to avoid oral treatment involving high F- ions concentration in the presence of amalgam restorations.     

Nucleotide receptors in the nervous system. An abundant component using diverse transduction mechanisms

Extracellular nucleotides achieve their role as cell-to-cell communicators by acting at cell surface transmembrane receptors-the P2 receptors. Before molecular cloning led to the isolation of any P2-receptor sequence, a small number of receptor types had been proposed on the basis of pharmacological evidence. The application of molecular biology to this field of receptor research has indicated that a great underestimation of the number of receptor subtypes and of their abundance had occurred. There are now known to be seven characterized P2Y (G protein linked) receptors and the same number again of P2X receptors of the transmitter-gated ion channel type. In this review, we discuss the properties of these cloned receptors, their distribution within the nervous system, and their methods of signal transduction.     

The Drug Involvement Scale for Adolescents (DISA)

This article specifically addressed the need for a multidimensional approach to measuring adolescents' drug involvement. The Drug Involvement Scale for Adolescents (DISA) was theoretically specified and its measurement properties were tested using Confirmatory Factor Analyses and traditional procedures with 705 high-risk and typical high school students. Five first-order dimensions, Drug Access, Alcohol Use, Other Drug Use, Drug Use Control Problems and Adverse Drug Use Consequences, and a hierarchical model of Drug Involvement demonstrated a good fit between model and data. Further, the DISA demonstrated good internal consistency (alpha = .91); correlated as expected with known correlates of adolescent drug use; discriminated drug involvement between high-risk and typical high school students; and predicted later drug involvement and known drug-related consequences among adolescents. The results suggest the DISA should be useful for capturing a multidimensional view of adolescent drug involvement in both etiologic and prevention studies. A major advantage of the DISA is its brevity: twenty-two indicators constructed from twenty-nine items.     

Several parameters of the state of the nervous, immune and endocrine systems in newborn rats exposed to irradiation during the preimplantation period of embryogenesis]

About a decade ago the introduction of predictive testing for Huntington's disease (HD) was an important milestone in medical history. The aim of the present paper concerning predictive DNA-testing for HD is fourfold. First of all it describes the professional challenge of elaborating an adequate test protocol and of permanently using a multidisciplinary approach to deal with predictive test requests. Secondly the paper is aimed at unraveling the factors that play a part in uptake and decision making regarding predictive testing. Hereby the Health Belief Model is used as a framework for understanding differences between tested and untested persons. Thirdly the impact of the test result on psychological well-being is reviewed. Finally this paper assesses the utilisation of prenatal diagnosis after predictive testing for HD and reflects on the psychological and ethical implications of different types of prenatal tests, including preimplantation genetic diagnosis.     

Directional-tip endotracheal tubes for blind nasotracheal intubation

OBJECTIVES: To compare initial success rates of blind nasotracheal intubation using directional-tip endotracheal tubes vs standard endotracheal tubes. METHODS: A prospective trial comparing directional-tip and standard endotracheal tubes during initial attempts at blind nasotracheal intubation (BNTI) at a university hospital ED. Using an alternating schedule, the directional-tip or standard tube was used for the first attempt at BNT1. An attempt was defined as beginning when the tube was placed through the nose into the posterior pharynx and ending when the patient was intubated or the tube was removed from the nares. After the intubation, the physician graded the difficulty of the technique (i.e., easy/routine, intermediate, difficult, or unable to intubate nasally). RESULTS: There were 49 patients entered over 5 months. Patient presentations for the intubations were trauma (45.8%), overdose (33.3%), respiratory/cardiac event (12.5%), seizure (2.1%), and other (6.3%). Intubation was successful on the first attempt in 18 of 21 patients (86%; 95% CI, 64% to 97%) for the directional-tip tube vs 16 of 28 patients (57%; 95% CI, 37% to 76%) for the standard tube (p = 0.03). The groups did not differ in age, sex, clinical presentation, or perceived difficulty of intubation. Only 1 patient could not be intubated nasally and was subsequently intubated orally. CONCLUSION: The use of directional-tip tubes may improve the success rate of the first attempt at BNTI.     

Effects of altering brain cholinergic activity on covert orienting of attention: comparison of monkey and human performance

Experiments were conducted to elucidate the role of the cholinergic neurotransmitter system in arousal and the orienting of attention to peripheral targets. Rhesus monkeys and humans fixated a visual stimulus and responded to the onset of visual targets presented randomly in two visual field locations. The target was preceded by a valid cue (cue and target at the same location), an invalid cue (cue and target to opposite locations), a double cue (cues to both spatial locations, target to one), or, the cue was omitted (no-cue, target to either location). Reaction times (RTs) to the onset of the target were recorded. For monkeys, systemic injections of nicotine (0.003-0.012 mg/kg) or atropine (0.001-0.01 mg/kg), but not saline control injections, reduced mean RTs for all trials, indicating general behavioral stimulation. In addition, nicotine significantly reduced RTs for invalid trials but had little additional effect on those for valid, double, or no-cue trials. Virtually identical effects were observed for human chronic tobacco smokers in performing the same task following cigarette smoking. Injections of atropine in monkeys had no effect on RTs for valid or invalid trials but significantly slowed RTs in double-cue trials that did not require the orienting of attention. These results suggest that in both species, the nicotinic cholinergic system may play a role in automatic sensory orienting. In addition, the muscarinic system may play a role in alerting to visual stimuli in monkeys.