Cardiac morphology and left ventricular function in normotensive morbidly obese patients with and without congestive heart failure, and effect of weight loss

BACKGROUND: Prevention of hypothermia during abdominal surgery by insulating or heat-transferring methods has been the subject of numerous investigations. This study approaches the problem from a less discussed point of view, i.e. the effect of different surgical techniques on body temperature changes. METHODS: Body temperature was measured at 3 core and 6 skin points in 40 patients scheduled for cholecystectomy through open laparotomy or laparoscopy with pneumoperitoneum created and maintained with unwarmed carbon dioxide (CO2) insufflation. End-tidal CO2 was kept constant by adjustments of respiratory frequency. Anaesthesia, intravenous infusions, and draping of the patients were standardized. RESULTS: During the first 1 h of anaesthesia core temperatures decreased approximately by 0.7 degrees C and distal skin temperatures increased by 7 degrees C in both groups. At the end of surgery heat balance was similar in both groups. An increase of 2.5 1.min-1 in respiratory minute volume was needed to control end-tidal CO2 levels in the laparoscopy group during pneumoperitoneum which was maintained with a CO2 flow of 1.2 1.min-1 through the abdominal cavity. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic technique with unwarmed carbon dioxide insufflation does not offer any advantage in terms of body temperature changes when compared to open surgery.     

Polymorphism of pericentromere heterochromatin of polytene chromosomes of ovarian trophocytes in natural populations of the malaria mosquito Anopheles messeae Fall

The HBsAg status and demographic data of 2480 pregnant women who attended antenatal clinics at Maternal and Child Health Centres in Hong Kong were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire over a 1-week period in July 1996, to explore the underlying reason of a higher than expected HBsAg prevalence. Local women constituted 49.2% of the sample, mainland Chinese 39.7% and others 11.1%. The overall HBsAg prevalence was 10.0%. When related to place of birth, those born in Hong Kong had a prevalence of 8.4% whereas the prevalence of those born in mainland China was 13.1% (P < 0.001). The overall HBsAg carriage rate is high because of a higher rate in immigrants in the community. It is apparent that the HBsAg prevalence of local people in Hong Kong has been decreasing in the past decade. Overall, the current HBsAg carriage rate in the local adult population is estimated to have declined to about 8%.     

Monoclonal antibodies to the alpha-subunit of the putative human H+,K+-ATPase encoded by the atp1al1 gene

The N-terminal fragment of ATP1AL1, the possible catalytic subunit of human ouabain-sensitive H+,K(+)-ATPase, was expressed in Escherichia coli cells as two recombinant proteins: the Ser14-Ile104 fragment or the same fragment containing His6 sequence at its N-end. The second protein was purified by metal-affinity chromatography and used as an antigen to construct two hybridoma lines producing antibodies of the IgM class. These monoclonal antibodies were shown to recognize not only the starting antigen but also the full-size recombinant ATP1AL1 protein and do not react with Na+,K(+)-ATPase.     

Accelerated inflammatory bowel disease of TCR-alpha-deficient mice persistently infected with Cryptosporidium parvum

TCR-alpha-deficient mice spontaneously develop inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) at 8-9 mo old. This study characterizes an accelerated form of IBD induced by Cryptosporidium parvum infection. Cryptosporidium parvum-infected TCR-alpha-deficient mice developed IBD as early as 4 wk old when challenged at 1 wk old. The lesions of this accelerated IBD resembled the lesions of spontaneous IBD in TCR-alpha-deficient mice and consisted of a mononuclear cell infiltrate within the intestinal lamina propria and an increased proliferation of enterocytes. The mononuclear cells within the lamina propria consisted of B cells and gamma delta T cells. The distal ileum, cecum, and colon were grossly thickened due to a hyperplastic mucosa and edematous submucosa. The mechanism by which C. parvum infection accelerates development of IBD is presently unclear.     

Post-transcriptional gene silencing in plants

The author demands an introduction of quality assurance in biological research concerning human beings. He sketches systems which can be built into studies as a quality control. By the example of growth studies he illustrates the problems of theoretical considerations and practicability. He gives an overview of 7 questions arising in anthropometric growth studies: Why? Where? Whom? What? When? Who? and How? In connection with the final one, he discusses and analyzes the possibilities and the different ways of quality assurance in such studies.     

cAMP and Ca2+ involvement in the mitochondrial response of cultured fetal rat hepatocytes to adrenaline

The effect of adrenaline on the control of respiratory activity of mitochondria from fetal hepatocytes in primary culture was studied. In the absence of adrenaline, the respiratory control ratio (RCR) of mitochondria increased during the first 3 days of culture due to a decrease in the rate of state 4 respiration. The presence of adrenaline in the incubation medium further increased the mitochondrial RCR through a decrease in the rate of respiration in state 4 and to an increase in the respiration rate in state 3. The effect of adrenaline was mimicked by dibutyryl-cAMP, forskolin, and isobutyl methyl xanthine. All these compounds increased cAMP concentrations, suggesting that cAMP may be involved in the effect of adrenaline. The increase in intracellular free Ca2+ concentrations caused by phenylephrine, vasopressin, or thapsigargin was also accompanied by an increase in the RCR, suggesting that both phenomena are associated. Dibutyryl-cAMP also increased free Ca2+ concentrations, suggesting that the effects of cAMP may be mediated by free Ca2+ concentrations. Adrenaline, dibutyryl-cAMP, phenylephrine, vasopressin, and thapsigargin promoted adenine nucleotide accumulation in mitochondria; this may be an intermediate step in the activation of mitochondrial respiratory function. These results suggest that the stimulatory effect of adrenaline on mitochondrial maturation in cultured fetal rat hepatocytes may be exerted through a mechanism in which both cAMP and Ca2+ act as second messengers. It is concluded that the effect of adrenaline on mitochondrial maturation is exerted by both alpha- and beta-adrenergic mechanisms and is mediated by the increase in adenine nucleotide contents of mitochondria.     

Inadequate literacy is a barrier to asthma knowledge and self-care

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To determine the relationship of literacy to asthma knowledge and ability to use a metered-dose inhaler (MDI) among patients with asthma. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Emergency department and asthma clinic at an urban public hospital. PATIENTS: Convenience sample of 273 patients presenting to the emergency department for an asthma exacerbation and 210 patients presenting to a specialized asthma clinic for routine care. INTERVENTIONS: Measurement of literacy with the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine, asthma knowledge (20 question oral test), and demonstration of MDI technique (six-item assessment). MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Only 27% of patients read at the high-school level, although two thirds reported being high-school graduates; 33% read at the seventh- to eighth-grade level, 27% at the fourth- to sixth-grade level, and 13% at or below the third-grade level. Mean asthma knowledge scores (+/-SD) were directly related to reading levels: 15.1+/-2.5, 13.9+/-2.5, 13.4+/-2.8, 11.9+/-2.5, respectively (p < 0.01). Patient reading level was the strongest predictor of asthma knowledge score in multivariate analysis. Poor MDI technique (< or =3 correct steps) was found in 89% of patients reading at less than the third-grade level compared with 48% of patients reading at the high-school level. In multivariate regression analyses, reading level was the strongest predictor of MDI technique. CONCLUSIONS: Inadequate literacy was common and strongly correlated with poorer knowledge of asthma and improper MDI use.     

Psychological predictors of attendance at annual breast screening examinations

This retrospective analysis of psychological predictors of attendance studied the women from the annual screening arm of the United Kingdom Coordinating Committee on Cancer Research (UKCCCR) trial of annual screening mammography for the early detection of breast cancer. Some women attended screening at the first invitation in year 1 (attenders), others did not attend for screening at any time (non-attenders), whereas a third group delayed attending until year 2 (ambivalent attenders). A total of 147 women were recruited to the study: 80 attenders, 28 non-attenders and 39 ambivalent attenders. It proved extremely difficult to contact non-attenders to take part in the study. Non-attenders were significantly more depressed on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; had experienced more miscarriages, stillbirths or terminations of pregnancy; were less knowledgeable about mammography; and were displeased to have received an invitation to screening. Whereas non-attenders are unlikely ever to attend breast screening because of their long-standing attitudes and preferred coping styles, ambivalent attenders may become more amenable to screening with the passage of time. In this study such women were persuaded to attend in year 2 with a simple, cost-effective intervention: an additional invitation letter after a year.     

Comparative study of potential for bisphosphonates to damage gastric mucosa of rats

1. The long-acting beta2-adrenoceptor agonist, salmeterol (10(-9)-10(-5) M), inhibited the IgE-mediated release of histamine from human lung mast cells (HLMC) in a dose-dependent fashion. Additional beta-adrenoceptor agonists were studied and the rank order of potency for the inhibition of histamine release from HLMC was isoprenaline > salmeterol > salbutamol. Approximate EC50 values for the inhibition of histamine release were 10 nM for isoprenaline and 100 nM for salbutamol. An EC50 value for salmeterol could not be calculated because maximal responses to salmeterol were not observed over the concentration range employed. 2. Both salmeterol and isoprenaline inhibited the generation of sulphopeptidoleukotrienes (sLT) more potently and more efficaciously than the release of histamine from immunologically-activated HLMC. Salmeterol (EC50 < 0.1 nM) was more potent than isoprenaline (EC50 0.4 nM) at attenuating sLT generation. 3. The beta-adrenoceptor antagonist, propranolol (1 microM), and the selective beta2-adrenoceptor antagonist, ICI 118,551 (0.1 microM), both caused rightward shifts in the dose-response curve for the inhibition of histamine release by isoprenaline. The antagonism of salmeterol effects by propranolol and ICI 118,551 was more complex. At lower concentrations (< 1 microM) of salmeterol, both antagonists shifted the dose-reponse curve to salmeterol rightward. At a higher concentration (10 microM) of salmeterol, neither ICI 118,551 nor propranolol was an effective antagonist of the salmeterol-mediated inhibition of histamine release. 4. Prolonged exposure (4 h) of HLMC to isoprenaline (1 microM) caused an approximately 50% reduction in the effectiveness of a second exposure to isoprenaline (10 microM) at inhibiting the release of histamine. whereas this pretreatment did not affect the salmeterol (10 microM) inhibition of histamine release. 5. Isoprenaline (10(-9)-10(-5) M) caused a dose-dependent increase in total cell cyclicAMP levels in purified HLMC which paralleled the inhibition of histamine release. Salmeterol (10(-9)-10(-5) M) was considerably less potent than isoprenaline at increasing HLMC cyclicAMP levels. 6. In summary, these data indicate that salmeterol is an effective inhibitor of the stimulated release of mediators from HLMC. The present data also suggest that salmeterol may act to inhibit mediator release from HLMC by beta-adrenoceptor-dependent and independent mechanisms.