Survival and disability at 7-8 years of age in New Zealand infants less than 28 weeks gestation

AIMS: To determine the survival and disability rates at 7-8 years in infants of less than 28 weeks gestation born in New Zealand in 1986 and admitted to a neonatal unit. METHODS: In 1986, all infants with birthweight less than 1500 g and admitted to neonatal units were enrolled in a prospective audit of retinopathy of prematurity. Surviving infants, including the subset born at less than 28 weeks gestation, have been assessed at a home visit. Parents completed a comprehensive questionnaire and children underwent a visual assessment and were tested on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. RESULTS: Of 126 liveborn infants less than 28 weeks gestation, 80 (64%) survived to 7-8 years. Sixty eight children (97% survivors resident in New Zealand) were assessed: 72% had no, and 86% no or only mild disability, 77% had some visual problem, with close to one-third having myopia, strabismus or requiring spectacles and 32% received Ministry of Education funded special needs assistance. CONCLUSIONS: There have been few long-term follow-up studies of infants of less than 28 weeks gestation born in a defined geographical area. The outcome for New Zealand infants is comparable with that in other published data.     

The FGF receptor-1 tyrosine kinase domain regulates myogenesis but is not sufficient to stimulate proliferation

STUDY OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were: to evaluate the performance of a novel arterial biopsy catheter in obtaining pulmonary endovascular samples in hypertensive dogs; to compare the results of pulmonary endoarterial biopsy in hypertensive vs normotensive dogs; and to assess the histologic changes in the hypertensive model. DESIGN AND INTERVENTIONS: Thirty-four dogs (27 with normal pulmonary arterial pressures and seven with pulmonary hypertension) were catheterized through an external jugular vein to obtain endovascular biopsy samples from distal pulmonary arteries 2 to 3 mm in luminal diameter. To induce pulmonary hypertension, seven dogs were given repeated infusions of 0.6- to 0.9-mm ceramic microspheres into the superior vena cava. Endoarterial samples were obtained at pulmonary systolic arterial pressures ranging from 10 to 110 mm Hg. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Sixty-two biopsy catheterization procedures were performed in the 34 dogs. After 12 initial procedures of technique refinement, endoarterial samples were obtained in each of the last 50 procedures (21 in normotensive dogs and 29 in hypertensive dogs). The average number of endovascular biopsy samples retrieved was 7.1 (range, 2 to 12) from a mean of 8.6 (range, 2 to 15) biopsy attempts per catheterization (success rate=83%). The average biopsy piece measured 1.13 mm in length, 0.33 mm in depth, and up to 1.0 mm in width. The biopsy success rates and endoarterial sample sizes were similar in normotensive and hypertensive dogs. Smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells were grown from the biopsy samples. There were no significant procedural complications, except for one self-limited hemorrhage. Histologically, samples obtained from dogs with pulmonary hypertension showed characteristic changes when compared with biopsies from normotensive dogs. CONCLUSION: This new endoarterial biopsy catheter was safe and effective when used to obtain pulmonary endoarterial samples in dogs with normal and experimentally elevated pulmonary arterial pressures. The quality and quantity of the biopsy samples allowed identification of pathologic changes.     

The dipsogen angiotensin II does not stimulate ethanol intake in mice

The Banff classification of acute rejection is based on histologic grades and scores for borderline changes, glomerular, vascular, interstitial and tubular lesions. We reviewed 56 episodes of acute rejection occurring in 44 kidney allograft recipients (30 cadaveric and 14 living donor transplants), comparing Banff classification to degree of reversibility of rejection. Rejection reversal was defined as complete if serum creatinine returned < or = 25% of baseline, partial if creatinine was > 25% to < 75% of baseline, and irreversible if creatinine was > or = 75% of baseline or graft loss occurred. Eight biopsies were classified as borderline (SUM score 1.6 +/- 0.5), 14 grade I (SUM score 3.3 +/- 0.4), 19 grade II (SUM score 4.2 +/- 0.3), and 15 grade III (SUM score 8.5 +/- 0.4). SUM distinguished borderline and grade III rejections, but not grades I and II. Clinically, grade and SUM score correlated with rejection reversal. Complete reversal of rejection occurred in 93% of patients with grade I rejection, while 47% of patients with grade III had irreversible rejection. The mean SUM for complete reversal was 3.9 +/- 0.34 and was different from SUM of partial (6.0 +/- 0.86) and irreversible (8.5 +/- 0.93), P < 0.006. Meanwhile, vascular scores were similar for rejections with complete (0.9 +/- 0.2) or partial (1.0 +/- 0.4) reversal, but significantly higher in those with irreversible rejection (3.0 +/- 0.4, P < 0.000). Likewise, mean scores for tubulitis and interstitial inflammation were significantly higher for irreversible rejection. Resolution of rejection by steroids was correlated to low vascular score (steroid sensitive 0.65 +/- 0.25 vs. steroid resistant 1.42 +/- 0.18, P < 0.01), and low SUM score (steroid sensitive 3.7 +/- 0.5 vs. steroid resistant 5.22 +/- 0.43, P < 0.04). Neither scores for tubulitis nor interstitial cellular inflammation were predictive of steroid sensitivity. These data demonstrate that Banff scoring has clinical relevance in predicting rejection reversal and has implications to first-line therapy of rejection episodes.     

Managing diabetes: current strategies

BACKGROUND: Diabetes is a significant cause for morbidity and mortality in developed countries. Current diabetes treatment goals involve more than normalizing glucose levels and preventing the acute effects of high or low glucose levels. RESULTS: People with diabetes are hospitalized 1.5 to 3 times more often than people who do not have diabetes, have 2 to 4 times greater risk of atherosclerotic disease, and have the highest incidence of adult blindness, chronic renal failure, and nontraumatic amputations. CONCLUSION: The challenge that faces clinicians who care for people with diabetes is to prevent--or at least attenuate--the effects of the chronic complications of this disease.     

Brain regions supporting intentional and incidental memory: a PET study

Regional brain activity associated with intentional and incidental memory retrieval was studied with PET. Previously studied and new words were presented in either an intentional or an incidental memory task. Type of task was crossed with an encoding manipulation ('deep' vs 'shallow') which varied the probability that studied items would be remembered. In both tasks, deeply encoded items were associated with greater activation in the left hippocampus than were items that had received shallow encoding, suggesting that the involvement of the hippocampus in memory retrieval is independent of whether remembering is intentional or incidental. Right prefrontal and bilateral parietal cortex were more activated during the international task than during the incidental task, irrespective of encoding condition. Thus, these regions play a more extensive role in memory retrieval when remembering is intentional.     

Effect of tolcapone on plasma levodopa concentrations after coadministration with levodopa/carbidopa to healthy volunteers

Tolcapone (Ro 40-7592) is a novel inhibitor of catechol-O-methyltransferase that is being developed for clinical use in the treatment of Parkinson's disease as add-on therapy to a combination of levodopa and a peripheral amino acid decarboxylase inhibitor (benserazide or carbidopa). The current single-blind, randomized study was designed to evaluate the effect of tolcapone compared with placebo on plasma levodopa concentrations in healthy volunteers concomitantly receiving 25 mg of carbidopa and 100 mg of levodopa (Sinemet 25-100) and to assess the tolerability and safety of this combination. Placebo or tolcapone at doses of 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 200, 400, and 800 mg was coadministered orally with Sinemet 25-100. Each dose was tested in a crossover fashion in a new group of six participants who each received active drug on one occasion and placebo on the other. Tolcapone increased the area under the plasma concentration-time curve and half-life of levodopa approximately twofold, without appreciably increasing the peak concentration. The maximum effect on levodopa half-life was observed with the 200-mg dose. Adverse effects were minor at all doses.     

Biochemical studies on combined effects of garlic (Allium sativum Linn) and ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc) in albino rats

Adult male rats of wistar strain were fed diets containing (w/w) 2% garlic (group II), 0.5% ginger (group III) and a combination of garlic plus ginger (group IV) for 4 weeks to study their effects on serum biochemical parameters. A significant increase in body weight was observed in all groups except that fed ginger (group III). A significant decrease in blood glucose, serum total cholesterol and serum alkaline phosphatase were found in all groups, whereas serum triglycerides were decreased significantly only in group IV. Serum HDL-cholesterol was significantly increased only in groups III and IV. However, HDL-cholesterol, VLDL-cholesterol and atherogenic index were significantly decreased in animals fed with combination of the two, compared to garlic/ginger alone. Hence, a combination of garlic and ginger is much more effective in reducing blood glucose and serum lipids.