Changes in specific anti-egg antibody levels following treatment with praziquantel for Schistosoma haematobium infection in children

Fifty-seven children 6-15 years old resident in a Schistosoma haematobium endemic area in eastern Zimbabwe were treated with praziquantel at 40 mg/kg body weight. Levels of IgA, IgE, IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgG4, and IgM antibodies against soluble egg antigen (SEA) were assayed by ELISA before treatment and at 18 and 36 weeks following treatment. Prevalence of infection (as determined by urine egg counts) was 65% before treatment, all children were confirmed egg negative six weeks after treatment, and reinfection prevalence was 4% at 18 weeks and 21% at 36 weeks after treatment. At 18 weeks after treatment, there was a massive increase in IgG1 levels and significant increases in IgE and IgG4 levels and significant decreases in IgA and IgG2 levels. Similar patterns occurred at 36 weeks after treatment. Egg positive children showed a more marked increase in IgG1 and (for older children) a more marked decrease in IgG2 levels. There were no other effects of age or sex. IgA and IgG1 levels fell significantly between 18 and 36 weeks following treatment but not to pretreatment levels. The results show that specific anti-egg antibody responses are highly sensitive to the effects of praziquantel treatment. A possible consequence is that the susceptibility of children to infection with S. haematobium is altered by chemotherapy; this requires further investigation.     

Imaging of incidentally discovered adrenal masses

Fucosyltransferases (FTs) and various glycosidases that are involved in the biosynthesis or degradation of SSEA-1 (Le(x)) antigens and their precursors in the CNS are developmentally regulated. In forebrain and cerebellum with lactosamine (LacNAc) as acceptor the FT activity was maximal at P15-P22, but with the glycolipid substrate paragloboside (nLc4) the maximal activity in cerebellum was obtained at P10-P15. The FT activity, with these substrates, was insensitive to N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) and the glycolipid product had an alpha1,3 linkage (Fuc to GlcNAc) suggesting similarities of the investigated enzyme to the cloned human and rat FT IV. However, the observation of different patterns of FT activity in isoelectrofocused fractions (pH 3.5-10) with different types of acceptors, and the differential expression of Le(x) containing glycolipids and glycoproteins during development strongly suggest the presence of more than one type of FT during development. Data on developmental expression of the hydrolytic enzymes, alpha-L-fucosidase, beta-D-galactosidase and alpha-D-galactosidase, which can potentially hydrolyse SSEA-1 or its precursors, support the notion that SSEA-1 expression is the result of a dynamic balance between the activity of transferases and hydrolases.     

Virtual colonoscopy: imaging features with colonoscopic correlation

BACKGROUND: We determined whether activation of the nitric oxide/cyclic guanosine monophosphate pathway by sodium nitroprusside (SNP) protects hearts subjected to cardioplegic arrest and prolonged hypothermic storage. METHODS: Isolated rat hearts arrested with St. Thomas' II cardioplegia and stored at 3 degrees +/- 1 degree C for 8 hours were reperfused at 37 degrees C in Langendorff (10 minutes) and working (60 minutes) modes. RESULTS: During reperfusion, left ventricular work was depressed in stored hearts relative to fresh hearts. When present during arrest, storage, and both reperfusion phases, SNP (200 mumol/L) improved work to values close to those in fresh hearts. When added only during the 10-minute period of Langendorff reperfusion, SNP also improved the subsequent recovery of work. This effect was antagonized by the soluble guanylyl cyclase inhibitor 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ). Poststorage coronary perfusion was not increased by SNP. CONCLUSIONS: The ability of SNP to enhance recovery independent of changes in coronary perfusion and in an ODQ-sensitive manner suggests that SNP-induced protection is due to activation of the myocardial nitric oxide/cyclic guanisine monophosphate pathway. These results suggest that supplementing cardioplegic solutions with SNP, administering SNP during early reperfusion, or both may offer additional means to improve donor heart preservation.     

Differences in depression and self-esteem reported by learning disabled and behavior disordered middle school students

We investigated the clinical and angiographic risk profile of slow flow during rotational atherectomy. Lesion length, angina at rest, and use of beta blockers correlated independently with slow flow in the univariate as well as in the multivariate analysis.     

Effects of creatine supplementation on repetitive sprint performance and body composition in competitive swimmers

In a double-blind and randomized manner, 18 male and female junior competitive swimmers supplemented their diets with 21 g.day-1 of creatine monohydrate (Cr) or a maltodextrin placebo (P) for 9 days during training. Prior to and following supplementation, subjects performed three 100-m freestyle sprint swims (long course) with 60 s rest/recovery between heats. In addition, subjects performed three 20-s arm ergometer maximal-effort sprint tests in the prone position with 60 s rest/recovery between sprint tests. Significant differences were observed among swim times, with Cr subjects swimming significantly faster than P subjects following supplementation in Heat 1 and significantly decreasing swim time in the second 100-m sprint. There was also some evidence that cumulative time to perform the three 100-m swims was decreased in the Cr group. Results indicate that 9 days of Cr supplementation during swim training may provide some ergogenic value to competitive junior swimmers during repetitive sprint performance.     

Water supplementation of infants in the first month of life

OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence of and risk factors associated with regular water supplementation of neonates. DESIGN: Evaluation of data from the Food and Drug Administration's Infant Feeding Practices Study, a panel study of US women of fairly high socioeconomic status who were followed up from late pregnancy through their infants' first year of life. The sample was drawn from a nationally distributed consumer mail panel. Each mother was asked whether she gave her neonate water at least 3 times per week. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 1677 mothers of infants who were neonates in April through November 1993. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Percentages of mothers who gave their neonates water at least 3 times a week, considering infant feeding status, mother's education, and family income. RESULTS: About one fourth (24.7%) of the mothers reported giving their neonates water at least 3 times per week. Stratification by feeding practices and socioeconomic factors revealed that 41.6% of mothers who formula-fed their neonates, 47.4% of mothers with less than a high school education, and 35.4% of mothers with an annual family income less than $22,500 gave their neonates water at least 3 times per week. CONCLUSIONS: Water supplementation of neonates was a prevalent practice in this cohort of women. Feeding practices, maternal education, and family income were all significant risk factors associated with this behavior.     

Oligonucleotide (GTG)5 as an epidemiological tool in the study of nontuberculous mycobacteria

Analysis of restriction fragment length polymorphisms in the genome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (DNA fingerprinting) has proved to be a useful epidemiological tool in the study of tuberculosis within populations or communities. However, to date, no similar method has been developed to study the epidemiology of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). In this communication, we report that a simple oligonucleotide repeat, (GTG)5, can be used to accurately genotype all species and strains of NTM tested. We suggest that this technology is an easily applied and accurate tool which can be used for the study of the epidemiology of NTM.     

Cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript peptide immunohistochemical localization in the rat brain

The clinical features of Crohn's disease manifest during adolescence are varied as in adults. The potential complication of growth impairment and concomitant delay in pubertal development is unique to this population. Cytokines released from the inflamed bowel and chronic nutritional insufficiency are the major factors in the pathophysiology of growth inhibition. Hence reduction of intestinal inflammation and consistent provision of adequate nutrition are of paramount importance in management. Drug treatment mirrors that of adults; few specifically paediatric clinical trials have been conducted. Enteral nutrition is an important therapeutic alternative for young patients. There is evidence that it constitutes both a primary therapy of inflammation and a means of providing the calories needed for growth. In the setting of extensive disease, dependency on corticosteroids should be minimized through judicious administration of immunosuppressive drugs. For an adolescent with localized stenotic disease, optimal management includes a timely referral for intestinal resection as a means of providing an asymptomatic interval during which growth and pubertal development can normalize.     

Flare-up rate in pulpally necrotic molars in one-visit versus two-visit endodontic treatment

This retrospective study compared one-visit versus two-visit endodontic treatment. The same technique and materials were used before and after making the sole change to one-visit endodontic treatment in 1991. Treatment records of 402 consecutive patients with pulpally necrotic first and second molars were compared. In 201 patients, treatment was provided by debridement and instrumentation, followed by obturation at a second visit; whereas the second group received single visit therapy. Flare-ups were defined as either patient reports of pain not controlled with over-the-counter medication or as increasing swelling. Sixteen flare-ups (8%) occurred in the two-visit group versus six flare-ups (3%) for the one-visit group. This showed an advantage for one-visit treatment at a 95% confidence level. In a second comparison, one-visit patients who had previously received two-visit treatment for a different pulpally necrotic molar served as their own control. No significant differences were present in this subgroup of 17 patients.