Congenital isolated pleural effusion is a rare cause of respiratorydistress in neonates. It is usually chylous. Herein, we report a rare case of nonchylous congenital idiopathic pleural effusion.
Psychological illness influences the experience and expression of pain and disability. We tested three null hypotheses: (1) patients with nonspecific pain (medically unexplained and idiopathic) and...Full Text Available
SummaryCongenital lobar emphysema (CLE) characterized by over distension and air-trapping in the affected lobe is one of the causes of infantile respiratorydistress requiring...Full Text Available
A 6-year-old female, intact boxer presented with acute respiratorydistress due to a mass in the left cranial thorax. The tumor, which originated in the left ...Full Text Available
Increased oxidative stress is associated with perinatal asphyxia and respiratorydistress in the newborn period. Induction of nuclear factor erythroid 2 p45-related factor (Nrf2) has been shown to decrease...Full Text Available
Patients treated with bleomycin are at risk of developing the acute adult respiratorydistress syndrome post-operatively. In a prospective study of 12 patients who had received bleomycin preoperatively...Full Text Available
Dyspnea is the most distressing symptom experienced by those suffering from advanced stages of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Activity-related dyspnea in COPD is multifactorial but is associated with increased central neural drive, impaired dynamic respiratory mechanics and abnormal respiratory muscle function. Each of these components can potentially be targeted for pharmacotherapy. Recent advances in the pharmacotherapy of COPD include the development of new long-acting bronchodilators which, when combined, provide sustained improvements in dyspnea. Additionally, novel applications of older therapies such as opiates, furosemide, helium-oxygen, and statins show early promise as dyspnea-relieving interventions in COPD. Effective pharmacological manipulation of the affective ...
An 8-year-old child presented with severe chest pain and respiratorydistress after he accidentally bit an automobile tyre tube which burst into his mouth. The chest radiograph revealed left-sided pneumothorax....Full Text Available
Introduction: Intractable ascites in neonates has a varied etiology; and often, the cause is idiopathic. The management usually consists of observation, diuretics, paracentesis, albumin replacements, and self correction. However, in some cases, the above treatment remains unsuccessful. Results: We present 2 cases of intractable ascites causing metabolic abnormalities, severe protein and immunoglobulin loss, and respiratory compromise. Although the use of peritoneovenous shunts for intractable ascites has been reported previously, our cases differ in both technique and patient size. Our first patient is an ex-28-week premature, 1.4-kg infant with intractable ascites for which a peritoneal drain was initially placed. After 3 weeks and putting out nearly 300 mL of ascitic fluid daily, we plac...
Lobar emphysema is an uncommon cause of respiratorydistress in infancy. Congenital heart disease is seen in about 20% of the patients with infantile (congenital) lobar emphysema. We described six infants with lobar emphysema. In three of them a congenital heart disease was demonstrated by cardiac catheterization and cineangiography; two had a tetralogy of Fallot with right aortic arch and the third infant a ventricular septal defect. The pulmonary angiography showed stretching of the arteries with very poor filling of the peripheral arteries and a characteristic smaller pulmonary vein in the affected lobe. In all the six patients the pulmonary artery pressure was normal. All the patients underwent lobectomy with good results. We feel that a preoperative cardiac catheterization and cineangiography is of value in this very sick group of infants. (orig.).
Purpose. To describe the characteristics of idiopathic macular holes (MH) on optical coherence tomography (OCT) and correlate OCT with clinical assessment. Design....Full Text Available
Idiopathic achalasia is a primary esophageal motor disorder characterized by esophageal aperistalsis and abnormal lower esophageal sphincter (LES) relaxation in response to deglutition. It is a rare...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe presence of enthesitis (insertional inflammation) in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is difficult to establish clinically and may influence classification...Full Text Available
According to the International Headache Society, idiopathic stabbing headache (ISH), an indomethacin-responsive headache syndrome, is a paroxysmal disorder of short duration manifested as head pain...Full Text Available
IntroductionPrevious observations suggest that active systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) is associated with a prominent erythropoiesis gene-expression signature. The aim...Full Text Available
During the past decade idiopathic venous thromboembolism has become a separate entity, a chronic illness which has required prolonged anticoagulation and other prevention strategies to avoid recurrences....Full Text Available
ObjectiveTo report the efficacy and safety of combined photodynamic therapy (PDT) and intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) injection in the treatment of idiopathic polypoidal choroidal...Full Text Available
The abnormal megakaryocytopoiesis associated with idiopathic myelofibrosis (IM) plays a role in its pathogenesis. Because mice with defective expression of transcription factor GATA-1 (GATA-1low...Full Text Available
SummaryRadiotherapy is used commonly in the treatment of gynecologic malignancies. Many patients experience emotional distress prior to the initiation of radiotherapy, during...Full Text Available
Objectives: To report six month outcome in patients undergoing their first pulmonary vein ablation procedure for idiopathic atrial fibrillation (AF) at a “non-pioneering”...Full Text Available
OBJECTIVE--The survey aimed at studying the associations between prevalent respiratory symptoms in an occupational population and sickness absence due to respiratory disorders. METHODS--A cross sectional...Full Text Available
The causality of observed associations between air pollution and respiratory health in children is still subject to debate. If reduced air pollution exposure resulted in improved respiratory health...Full Text Available
A survey was carried out in a steel foundry in Brisbane to evaluate the nature and frequency of respiratory symptoms and to assess ventilatory function. The foundry used many moulding processes including...Full Text Available
Abstract Background- Pemphigus vulgaris is a chronic disease not currently curable. Physical involvement and the impact of chronic therapies can lead patients to changes in psychological and relational areas. Objectives- To provide a measure of psychological distress, dysfunctional investment in one's appearance, and their relationship. Methods- Self-administered questionnaires (ASI, HADS) were given to 74 pemphigus inpatients. Results- Strong associations between psychological distress and dysfunctional investment in one's appearance were observed [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 7.36, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.20-45.11; OR 5.38, 95% CI 0.81-35.87, respectively, for appearance stereotyping and body-image vulnerability], together with a perceived high disease severity (OR 6.03, 95% CI 1.9...
Objectives: Many youth with tics experience distress about having tics and how others may perceive them. Such symptoms are often more impairing and distressing than are the tics and negatively impact self-concept, functioning, and quality of life. Although treatments exist that target the frequency and severity of tics, no intervention has been developed that helps youth with tics cope with their condition and limit associated functional impairment and distress. Given this, we developed a cognitive-behaviorally oriented psychotherapy protocol that promotes adaptive coping and resiliency among youth with tics in addressing varied issues commonly experienced by this population. This poster reports data from the Phase I component of this study. Method: Phase I concentrated on developing the t...
Recently, applying the novel data mining techniques for evaluating enterprise financial distress has received much research alternation. Support Vector Machine (SVM) and back propagation neural (BPN) network has been applied successfully in many areas with excellent generalization results, such as rule extraction, classification and evaluation. In this paper, a model based on SVM with Gaussian RBF kernel is proposed here for enterprise financial distress evaluation. BPN network is considered one of the simplest and are most general methods used for supervised training of multilayered neural network. The comparative results show that through the difference between the performance measures is marginal; SVM gives higher precision and lower error rates.
Psychological distress and postamputation pain were investigated in a sample of 582 males with long-term limb amputations (mean time since amputation 639.3 months, standard deviation 166.1; range 240-784 months). Prevalence of significant depressive symptoms (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS]-D score?8) was 32.0%, and 34.0% of respondents met the screening criterion for clinical anxiety (HADS-A score?8). Nearly one quarter (24.6%) of respondents reported significant post-traumatic psychological stress symptoms (Impact of Event Scale scores?35). In total, 87.8% experienced either phantom or residual limb pain. Affective distress scores differed according to the respondents' type of pain experience. Respondents who experienced residual limb pain reported significantly hig...
Idiopathic frozen shoulder is a common medical diagnosis for patients seeking physical therapy. Radiographic and surgical evidence exists that describes the coracohumeral ligament (CHL) as a major contributor...Full Text Available
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive disease with poor survival. The identification of therapeutic targets is essential to improving outcomes. Previous studies found that expression...Full Text Available
Idiopathic or functional abdominal pain (FAP) is common in school-age children and typically reflects a functional gastrointestinal disorder (FGID). FGIDs in adults have been distinguished by...Full Text Available
Behavioural assessment methods have been used to signal the need for intervention and to evaluate treatment effectiveness. Direct observation and rating scales have been used to assess pain and distress...Full Text Available
Most mammals possess stamina because their locomotor and respiratory (i.e., ventilatory) systems are mechanically coupled. These systems are decoupled, however, in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops...Full Text Available
In anaesthetized rats, extracellular and intracellular recordings were taken from 106 respiratory neurones in the intermediate region of the nucleus ambiguus. We observed unprovoked shortening of expiratory...Full Text Available
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is an infectious disease caused by a novel coronavirus that cost nearly 800 lives. While there have been no recent outbreaks of the disease, the threat...Full Text Available
Understanding the dynamics of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) vertical transmission is important to enhance the accuracy of monitoring protocols for endemically infected...Full Text Available
BackgroundRestrictions on the nonurgent use of hospital services were imposed in March 2003 to control an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Toronto, Ont. We...Full Text Available
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship of respiratory quotient (RQ), a surrogate marker of substrate oxidation, as well as body composition and dietary intake to resting...Full Text Available
Acute Otitis Media occurs mostly after upper respiratory tract infection; the causative bacteria are those colonized in the nasopharynx. We studied 709 URI episodes and found that children with...Full Text Available
We prepared polyclonal antibody specific to Mycoplasma pneumoniae and examined the conditions influencing the ability of an indirect immunofluorescence test to detect the specific antigen in respiratory...Full Text Available
The usefulness of the mouse, rat, and Syrian golden hamster as experimental models for studies of the development of respiratory tract cancer is considered. Three different application methods for examining the effects of environmental chemicals on the respiratory tract in these species are discussed: implantation, intratracheal instillation, and inhalation. The results of various investigations are presented to demonstrate that each particular method has both advantages and disadvantages. The techniques are also considered in comparison with the human situation and in the light of obtaining the most valid data for extrapolation to man. Brief attention is paid to the relevance to respiratory tract carcinogenesis of more recently developed organ and cell culture systems.
Lower respiratory tract infections are one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in children worldwide. Recent technological advances in the field of molecular biology have allowed virologists...Full Text Available
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is the most lethal form of diffuse lung fibrosis, killing approximately half of those affected within 2-3 years of diagnosis. Until recently, no therapies had been shown to have an impact on disease progression. The Clinical Studies Assessing Pirfenidone (Esbriet) in IPF: Research of Efficacy and Safety Outcomes (CAPACITY) program comprised two almost identical double-blind placebo-controlled studies assessing the effects of pirfenidone on change in forced vital capacity, the primary end point, over a 72-week period. One of these studies was positive, matching in magnitude the benefit seen in two previous positive Japanese studies. The other study did not meet its primary end point but positive trends were consistent in this and a number of secondary end point...
Purpose:To report the preoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and foveal thickness (FT) values that lead to a postoperative decimal BCVA of ≥1.0 after surgical removal...Full Text Available
BackgroundNo consensus evidence-based guidelines for the routine laboratory monitoring of children with JIA receiving non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) exist. The purpose...Full Text Available
Vitamin D is now known to be of physiological importance outside of bone health and calcium homeostasis, and there is mounting evidence that it plays a beneficial role in the prevention and/or treatment...Full Text Available
The primary determinants of pulmonary disease are environmental. The same thinness and delicacy of the air-blood barrier which allows rapid exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide also reduce its effectiveness...Full Text Available
Ozone is a principal component of photochemical air pollution endogenous to numerous metropolitan areas. It is primarily formed by the oxidation of NOx in the presence of sunlight and reactive organic compounds. Ozone is a highly active oxidizing agent capable of causing injury to the lung. Lung injury may take the form of irritant effects on the respiratory tract that impair pulmonary function and result in subjective symptoms of respiratory discomfort. These symptoms include, but are not limited to, cough and shortness of breath, and they can limit exercise performance. The effects of ozone observed in humans have been primarily limited to alterations in respiratory function, and a range of respiratory physiological parameters have been measured as a function of ozone exposure in adults and children. These affects have been observed under widely varying (clinical experimental and environmental ...
... Bisgard, GE, Ruiz, AV, Grover, RF & Will, JA, "Ventilatory control in the ... Watkins, BE, Riegle, GD & Heisey, SR, "Respiratory responses to ACTH and ...
Antimony toxicity occurs either due to occupational exposure or during therapy. Occupational exposure may cause respiratory irritation, pneumoconiosis, antimony spots on the skin and gastrointestinal...Full Text Available
A novel method for processing respiratory specimens to improve culture and acid-fast staining of mycobacteria is introduced. This new method utilized N,N-dimethyl-N-(n-octadecyl)-N-(3-carboxypropyl)ammonium...Full Text Available
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for the detection of immunoglobulin M (IgM), IgA, IgG1, and IgG2 antibodies against bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) were used to measure antibody responses...Full Text Available
The diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis (IPH) may be elusive. A 6-year-old boy had microcytic hypochromic anemia and a hemolytic component. Hemosiderin-laden macrophages were not found in the gastric aspirate. He had no pulmonary signs or symptoms. Extensive hematologic and roentgenologic investigations failed to reveal the cause of the anemia. Quantitative serial scintigraphic scanning showed significant (35%) pulmonary sequestration of autologous erythrocytes labeled with sodium chromate Cr51. The half-life of the RBCs was moderately decreased (half-life, 15 days; normal, 25 to 35 days). An open-lung biopsy spece Cr51. The half-life of the RBCs was moderately decreased (half-life, 15 days; normal, 25 to 35 days). An open-lung biopsy specimen confirmed the diagnosis of IPH. A diagnosis of IPH should be considered when children have iron deficiency anemia and pulmonary signs or symptoms. Organ sequestration studies may be helpful in equivocal cases.
This report documents the results of a six month test program of an Alternative Configuration (ACONF) power management system design for a typical United States Coast Guard (USCG) National Distress System (NDS) site. The USCG/USDOE funded work was performed at Sandia National Laboratories to evaluate the effect of a Sandia developed battery management technology known as ACONF on the performance of energy storage systems at NDS sites. This report demonstrates the savings of propane gas, and the improvement of battery performance when utilizing the new ACONF designs. The fuel savings and battery performance improvements resulting from ACONF use would be applicable to all current NDS sites in the field. The inherent savings realized when using the ACONF battery management design was found to be significant when compared to battery replacement and propane refueling at the remote NDS sites.
A 1.5-year-old male Belgian Malinosis Military Working Dog presented with a 1-month history of intermittent hematuria. Diagnostic ultrasound and contrast radiography demonstrated large blood clots in the urinary bladder and a filling defect in the right renal pelvis. At surgery, clotted blood was present in the right ureter and bladder. Following right nephrectomy, the dog returned to training. One month later, elevations in urea nitrogen and creatinine were noted. Hematuria recurred at 3 months and the dog was found dead in its kennel. Necropsy showed a blood-filled left renal pelvis and ureter. PMID:1454185
The placental transfer of a single intravenous injection of 14C-hexoprenaline was studied in eight pregnant New Zealand white rabbits. Maternal and fetal blood was sampled intermittently for 60 minutes after the injection. An initial rapid decrease in the levels of 14C-hexoprenaline in maternal blood was followed by a second slower phase, whereas fetal levels remained insignificant. The conclusion, therefore, is that the rapid improvement in fetal heart rate after the administration of a single maternal intravenous injection of hexoprenaline in the treatment of fetal distress is due to the action on the uterus and/or on maternal cardiovascular function, and not to direct stimulation of the fetus.
The placental transfer of a single intravenous injection of 14C-hexoprenaline was studied in eight pregnant New Zealand white rabbits. Maternal and fetal blood was sampled intermittently for 60 minutes after the injection. An initial rapid decrease in the levels of 14C-hexoprenaline in maternal blood was followed by a second slower phase, whereas fetal levels remained insignificant. The conclusion, therefore, is that the rapid improvement in fetal heart rate after the administration of a single maternal intravenous injection of hexoprenaline in the treatment of fetal distress is due to the action on the uterus and/or on maternal cardiovascular function, and not to direct stimulation of the fetus.
Chronic benign pain is commonly associated with chronic fatigue and depression. Depression and chronic fatigue syndrome are also associated with each other and often include pain. Psychologic factors are prominent in these conditions, and they may share neurobiologic factors as well. Management requires separately addressing each component of patients' distress and usually includes physical rehabilitation, education, administration of nonhabituating medications and often counseling. Depression may be a favorable prognostic sign, as it suggests a treatable condition and provides incentive for recovery. PMID:1876618
The undeniable success in controlling some preventable communicable respiratory diseases in Europe has created an impression that respiratory infections are no longer as dangerous as they once were, and efforts of public health services should be concentrated on other problems. However, epidemiological data do not exactly confirm this optimistic view, as acute respiratory diseases are among the leading causes of death in Europe. When morbidity statistics - which are usually less reliable - are considered, acute respiratory infections in Europe take the lead among all communicable diseases. For example, each year 15% of the population in Spain and 30% of the population in the United Kingdom have a recorded acute respiratory disease. Several environmental risk factors of acute respiratory diseases have been recorded, the main ones being indoor and outdoor air ...
For the purpose of nationwide surveillance of the antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial respiratory pathogens collected from patients in Japan, the Japanese Society of Chemotherapy conducted a third year of nationwide surveillance during the period from January to April 2008. A total of 1,097 strains were collected from clinical specimens obtained from well-diagnosed adult patients with respiratory tract infections. Susceptibility testing was evaluable with 987 strains (189 Staphylococcus aureus, 211 Streptococcus pneumoniae, 6 Streptococcus pyogenes, 187 Haemophilus influenzae, 106 Moraxella catarrhalis, 126 Klebsiella pneumoniae, and 162 Pseudomonas aeruginosa). A total of 44 antibacterial agents, including 26 ?-lactams (four penicillins, three penicillins in combination with ?-lacta...
Flow cytometric techniques were used to measure the cytological and biochemical damage to respiratory tract cells in animals exposed to particulates. Hamsters were exposed to raw and spent oil shale particulates and silica by intratracheal instillation. Exfoliated lung cells were obtained by sacrificing the animals and lavaging the respiratory tract posterior to the trachea with saline. Cell samples were fixed in ethanol and stained with mithramycin for fluorescence analysis of DNA content. DNA content distributions from hamsters exposed to spent oil shale and silica particulates showed atypical changes 28 to 35 days later. Cell counts and total numbers of macrophages, leukocytes, and epithelial cells in the lavage fluid also showed marked changes related to time after exposure.
Summary Objective To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of an educational outreach intervention to improve primary respiratory care by South African nurses. Methods Cost-effectiveness analysis alongside a pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial, with individual patient data. The intervention, the Practical Approach to Lung Health in South Africa (PALSA), comprised educational outreach based on syndromic clinical practice guidelines for tuberculosis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia and other respiratory diseases. The study included 1999 patients aged 15 or over with cough or difficult breathing, attending 40 primary care clinics staffed by nurses in the Free State province. They were interviewed at first presentation, and 1856 (93%) were interviewed 3 months late...
Cervical spinal cord hemisection rostral to the phrenic nucleus leads to paralysis of the ipsilateral hemidiaphragm in adult rats. Respiratory function can be restored to the paralyzed hemidiaphragm...Full Text Available
An outbreak of acute respiratory disease in Hendra, a suburb of Brisbane, Australia, in September 1994 resulted in the deaths of 14 racing horses and a horse trainer. The causative agent was a new member...Full Text Available
Behavioral detection of a low-frequency (40 Hz) vibratory dipole at source distances of 1.5–24 cm was measured by classically conditioned respiratory suppression in goldfish (Carassius...Full Text Available
BackgroundAcute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) is a major cause of hospitalization for children in China, while the etiological diagnosis of ALRI remains a challenge. This study...Full Text Available
Electrophysiological events are of central importance during the phagocyte respiratory burst, because NADPH oxidase is electrogenic and voltage sensitive. We investigated the recent suggestion that...Full Text Available
1. A novel phthalazine analogue taloximine (1-hydroxyimino-4(2-dimethyl-aminoethoxy)-1,2-dihydrophthalazine monohydrochloride monohydrate) stimulated respiration in conscious rabbits at doses of 7...Full Text Available
Generation of reactive oxygen species by the NADPH oxidase complex is an important bactericidal weapon of phagocytes. Phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) is a potent agonist for this “respiratory...Full Text Available
Hibernators are unique among mammals in their ability to survive extended periods of time with core body temperatures near freezing and with dramatically reduced heart, respiratory, and metabolic rates...Full Text Available
Selection of the denitrifying community by plant roots (i.e., increase in the denitrifier/total heterotroph ratio in the rhizosphere) has been reported by several authors. However, very few studies...Full Text Available
Fruit of soursop, Annona muricata L., showed increased CO2 production 2 days after harvest, preceding the respiratory increase that coincided with autocatalytic ethylene...Full Text Available
The need exists for rapid and inexpensive methods to determine the health effects of environmental contaminants on biological systems. One of the current research approaches for assessing cytotoxicity is to monitor the respiratory activity of the mitochondrion, a sensitive, nonspecific subcellular target site. Detected changes in mitochondrial function after the addition of a test chemical could be correlated to toxic effects. Mitochondrial respiration can be characterized by three indices: state 3 and state 4 respiratory rates, and the respiratory control ratio (RCR). State 4, the idle or resting state, results when coupled mitochondrial respire in a medium containing inorganic phosphate and a Kreb's cycle substrate in the absence of a phosphate acceptor such as adenosine diphosphate (ADP). In the presence of ADP the respiration rate increases to a maximum (state 3), accompanied by phosphorylation of ADP to ...
BackgroundAcute lower respiratory infections are the commonest cause of morbidity and potentially preventable mortality in Indigenous infants. Infancy is also a critical time for...Full Text Available
The authors’ objective was to analyze the impact of respiratory impairment on the risk of physical functional limitations among adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)....Full Text Available
Peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) has been measured hourly from waking to sleeping in 29 workers with respiratory symptoms exposed to the fumes of soft soldering fluxes containing colophony (pine resin)....Full Text Available
IntroductionWhile epidemiological methods have grown in sophistication during the 20th century, their application in historical occupational (and environmental) health...Full Text Available
Breath analysis is a powerful noninvasive technique for the diagnosis and monitoring of respiratory diseases, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Nitric oxide...Full Text Available
The percentages of total airflows over the nasal respiratory and olfactory epithelium of female rabbits were calculated from computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of steady-state inhalation....Full Text Available
Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common etiologic agent of lower respiratory tract infections in humans. However, it has been reported previously that the organism has occasionally been isolated from sites...Full Text Available
The soluble subcellular fraction of a chlB mutant contains an inactive precursor form of the molybdoenzyme nitrate reductase, which can be activated by the addition to the soluble fraction of protein...Full Text Available
Calorie restriction (CR) induces a metabolic shift towards mitochondrial respiration; however, molecular mechanisms underlying CR remain unclear. Recent studies suggest that CR-induced mitochondrial...Full Text Available
Air pollution measurements were conducted over a 1-year period in 24 North American communities participating in a respiratory health study. Ozone, particle strong acidity, sulfate, and mass (PM10 and...Full Text Available
The rate of survival for infants with intact giant exomphatos has much improved during the last 20 years; this is partly due to better respiratory and nutritional support. The use of a staged operative...Full Text Available
BackgroundClara cell protein (CC16), the main secretory product of bronchiolar Clara cells, plays an important protective role in the respiratory tract against oxidative stress and...Full Text Available
Many pathogens colonize different anatomical sites, but the selective pressures contributing to survival in the diverse niches are poorly understood. Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is...Full Text Available
Ripening of `Tydeman's Early' apples (Malus sylvestris L.) assessed by the occurrence of the respiratory climacteric was delayed by succinic acid 2,2-dimethyl hydrazide (B-9) but not...Full Text Available
Transmission electron microscopy analysis (TEMA) was used to analyze the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of 262 subjects occupationally exposed (OE) to nonfibrous mineral particles (NFMP) and 42...Full Text Available
BACKGROUND:The value of other health care professionals is increasingly being recognized to compensate for the shortage of physicians in Canada. Chronic cough is one of the most...Full Text Available
The aggregation substance (AS) of Enterococcus faecalis, encoded on sex pheromone plasmids, is a surface-bound glycoprotein that mediates aggregation between bacteria thereby facilitating...Full Text Available
The nuo-6 and isp-1 genes of C. elegans encode, respectively, subunits of complex I and III of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Partial loss-of-function...Full Text Available
Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (Osler-Rendu-Weber disease) is a genetic disorder with autosomal dominance, variable penetrance, and an estimated prevalence of 1/10,000 inhabitants in France. Diagnosis is based on clinical criteria including epistaxis, telangiectasia, visceral manifestations, and familial occurrence. Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations, present in 15-33% of patients, are its primary visceral complications. The disease may be revealed by infectious and ischemic neurological manifestations due to paradoxical embolism. The high frequency of neurologic complications even in asymptomatic patients justifies systematic screening for pulmonary arteriovenous malformations. Treatment of these malformations is based on percutaneous transcatheter coil embolization of the feeding artery. Pulmonary arterial hypertension is rare in this disease. It may be due to systemic arteriovenous shunting in the liver, which increases cardiac output, or be similar to ...
An asymptomatic pink discoloration of a maxillary right fourth premolar tooth was discovered during a routine oral examination on a 9 year-old Belgian Malinois dog. A radiolucent lesion was seen in the pulpal chamber on radiographic examination. The lesion had perforated the mesiobuccal root of the tooth. The primary differential diagnosis was idiopathic internal resorption. The tooth was treated by partial resection (removal of the mesiobuccal root and associated crown). A vital pulpotomy and amalgam restoration was performed on the remaining tooth structure. A follow-up 1 year later demonstrated a successful treatment outcome. The animal was asymptomatic and able to perform military duties. Clinical and radiographic signs of healing were evident and the tooth was functional. PMID:10518874
Spondylarthritides (SpA) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are idiopathic, chronic inflammatory disorders. Although they are very distinct and well-defined entities, there is clinical and genetic evidence supporting some degree of overlap between the pathogenesis of the two. Subclinical gut inflammation is present in up to two thirds of all SpA patients and can evolve into IBD. This subclinical gut inflammation has been shown to be strongly associated with joint inflammation, providing a clue for a common pathophysiologic background. Despite extensive research progress in the field over the past few years, many questions remain unanswered. In this paper, we focus on the clinical, genetic, and pathophysiologic overlap of SpA and IBD. Furthermore, we discuss some of the targets that may i...
Precocious puberty is a significant child health problem, especially in girls, because 95% of cases are idiopathic. Our earlier studies demonstrated that low-dose levels of manganese (Mn) caused precocious puberty via stimulating the secretion of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH). Because glial-neuronal communications are important for the activation of LHRH secretion at puberty, we investigated the effects of prepubertal Mn exposure on specific glial-derived puberty-related genes known to affect neuronal LHRH release. Animals were supplemented with MnCl2 (10 mg/kg) or saline by gastric gavage from day 12 until day 22 or day 29, then decapitated, and brains removed. The site of LHRH release is the medial basal hypothalamus (MBH), and tissues from this area were analyzed by real-...
Objective: To find out safety and efficiency of Misoprostol in cervical ripening and induction of labour to achieve vaginal delivery. Results: From Misoprostol insertion to delivery time was 4-24 hours. Vaginal delivery was achieved in 80.2%, which included spontaneous, forceps and vacuum extraction. Caesarean section rate was 19.7%. Indications for C. Section included Misoprostol unresponsiveness 11% and fetal distress in 8.6%. Oxytocin augmentation was required in 32% of cases. Term babies were 58%. Intrauterine death and neonatal deaths were 9.8% and 8.6% respectively. Hyper stimulation and postpartum haemorrhage was seen in 2.4% and 3.7% of patients respectively. Conclusion: intravaginal Misoprostol is well tolerated and is very effective for the induction of labour in eclampsia. It helps vaginal delivery in toxemic patients, reduces maternal morbidity, mortality and hospital stay. (author)
Serum heat-stable alkaline phosphatase (HSAP) level in 649 cases of normal pregnancy and 164 cases of high-risk pregnancy is measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA). The results indicate that the HSAP level in normal pregnancy increased proportionally with gestation weeks (r = 0.9843). In 33 cases of pregnancy induced hypertension and 21 cases of intrauterine fetal growth retardation, the HSAP level is significantly low. In 7 cases of neonatal asphyxia and 26 cases of fetal distress, the HSAP level in the mother's serum is also low. In 53 cases of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, the HSAP level is similar to those of normal pregnancy. This study illustrates that HSAP RIA can play an important role in the evaluation of placental function and fetal prognosis for cases of high-risk pregnancy.
ABSTRACT Aim The study aimed to test simultaneously our understanding of the effects of bupropion sustained-release (SR) treatment on putative mediators and our understanding of determinants of post-quit abstinence, including withdrawal distress, cigarette craving, positive affect and subjective reactions to cigarettes smoked during a lapse. The specificity of bupropion SR effects was also tested in exploratory analyses. Design Data from a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of bupropion SR were submitted to mediation analyses. Setting Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention, Madison, WI, USA. Participants A total of 403 adult, daily smokers without contraindications to bupropion SR use. Intervention Participants were assigned randomly to receive a 9-week course of bupropion...
The intrinsic fluorescence of clear amniotic fluid from third-trimester pregnancy is reported. The fluorescence intensity peaked at 405 nm when excited by ultraviolet light in the range of 310 to 360 nm. All of the 33 samples tested fluoresced, and their emission spectrum had the same shape, varying only in magnitude. Changing sample temperature (20 to 50 C) and sample pH (7.2 to 7.7) had little effect on the emission spectrum. The same fluorescence, with higher intensity, was observed when some newborn urine was tested. The fluorescence of amniotic fluid may provide a new tool to determine fetal age, fetal organ maturation, and fetal distress. (author).
This study assessed the impact of the results of genetic testing for hereditary cancer from a multifactorial health psychology perspective, considering that emotional expression plays a key role in psychological adjustment. Measures of dispositional and transactional coping strategies, anxiety and alexithymia were filled out by 77 participants in a longitudinal study design. Statistical analyses were performed using general linear models and partial least squares path modelling, low-constraint methods that are particularly useful in the behavioural sciences. While anxiety levels prior to the result announcement were predictive of the distress experienced by noncarriers, considerable variability was observed for mutation carriers. Some subjects who had lower anxiety levels before the test d...
Individuals with male factor infertility resulting from idiopathic oligo-, astheno- or teratozoospermia are frequently offered IVF in an attempt to increase their chances of having a child. A concern remains whether these infertile males have an elevated risk of transmitting chromosomal abnormalities to their offspring. Sperm chromosomal complements from these men were assayed using the human sperm/hamster oocyte fusion system and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) on sperm nuclei. For each of 5 infertile patients, 100 sperm karyotypes were analyzed and multicolour FISH analysis was performed on a minimum of 10,000 sperm nuclei for each chromosome-specific DNA probe for chromosomes 1 (pUC1.77), 12 (D12Z3), X (XC) and Y (DYZ3). As a group, the infertile patients showed increased frequencies of both numerical ({chi}{sup 2}=17.26, {proportional_to} <0.001) and total abnormalities ({chi}{sup 2}=7.78, {proportional_to} <0.01) relative to control donors when ...
Pattern and model makers are skilled tradespersons who may be exposed to hardwoods, softwoods, phenol-formaldehyde resin-impregnated woods, epoxy and polyester/styrene resin systems, and welding and metal-casting fumes. The relationship of respiratory symptoms (wheezing, chronic bronchitis, dyspnea) and pulmonary function (FVC% predicted, FEV1% predicted, FEV1/FVC% predicted) with interview-derived cumulative exposure estimates to specific workplace agents and to all work with wood, plastic, or metal products was investigated in 751 pattern and model makers in southeast Michigan. In stratified analyses and age- and smoking-adjusted linear and logistic regression models, measures of cumulative wood exposures were associated with decrements in pulmonary function and dyspnea, but not with other symptoms. In similar analyses, measures of cumulative plastic exposures were associated with wheezing, chronic bronchitis, and dyspnea, but not with decrements in pulmonary ...
Lebers hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON), the most frequent mitochondrial disorder, is mostly due to three mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations in respiratory chain complex I subunit genes: 3460/ND1, 11778/ND4 and 14484/ND6. Despite considerable clinical evidences, a genetic modifying role of the mtDNA haplogroup background in the clinical expression of LHON remains experimentally unproven. We investigated the effect of mtDNA haplogroups on the assembly of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) complexes in transmitochondrial hybrids (cybrids) harboring the three common LHON mutations. The steady-state levels of respiratory chain complexes appeared normal in mutant cybrids. However, an accumulation of low molecular weight subcomplexes suggested a complex I assembly/stability defect, which was ...
The growth response, total hemocyte count (THC), respiratory burst (release of superoxide anion), phenoloxidase (PO) activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity as well as resistance to the pathogen Vibrio alginolyticus were measured in Litopenaeus vannamei, which had been fed diets supplemented with glycyrrhizin (the aqueous extract of licorice, Glycyrrhiza glabra, roots) at 0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 mg/kg of feed for 8 wk. In the feeding trial, there was no significant difference in survival rate (P > 0.05). Significant higher specific growth rate was observed in treatments with dietary glycyrrhizin than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Shrimp fed a diet with 200 mg/kg of glycyrrhizin had significant higher THC, PO activity, respiratory burst a...
The relationships between changes in energy metabolism and the antioxidant defense system in the weed species Ipomoea triloba L. during seed germination and early seedling growth were investigated. The effects of some common allelochemicals on these parameters also were studied. Respiratory activity and the activities of alcohol dehydrogenase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, guaicol peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and lipoxygenase were measured. Mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation resumed shortly after the seed imbibition period, as indicated by considerable KCN-sensitive respiratory activity in embryos of I. triloba. The occurrence of superoxide dismutase, catalase, guaicol peroxidase, and lipoxygenase activities in the embryos, along with significant KCN-inse...
Background: Cardio-respiratory interactions are weak at the earliest stages of human development, suggesting that assessment of their presence and integrity may be an important indicator of development in infants. Despite the valuable research devoted to infant development, there is still a need for specifically targeted standards and methods to assess cardiopulmonary functions in the early stages of life. We present a new methodological framework for the analysis of cardiovascular variables in preterm infants. Our approach is based on a set of mathematical tools that have been successful in quantifying important cardiovascular control mechanisms in adult humans, here specifically adapted to reflect the physiology of the developing cardiovascular system.Methods: We applied our methodology ...
Two millimeter long secondary root tips of etiolated mung bean (Phaseolus aureus) plants were given 4 minute consecutive treatments of darkness, red light, far red light, and acetylcholine...Full Text Available
To evaluate a dose conversion factor from the `Working Level of Month` (WLM) of radon to the absorbed dose (mGy), the quality of radon and its progeny was assessed, and exposures controlled for each deposition region were planed as follows: 1) exposure of radon gas to the entire respiratory tract, 2) exposure of `unattached` fractions to the upper respiratory tract, 3) exposure of `attached` fractions onto ultrafine particles to the deep lung, 4) exposure of `attached` fractions onto fine particles to the lower respiratory tract, 5) exposure of `attached` fractions onto coarse particles to the upper respiratory tract. In this preliminary study, a prototype exposure system of radon and its progeny for small rodents was designed. A whole body exposure chamber with a volume of about 0.5 m{sup 3} was used, which it held 20 rats. The aging and mixing chamber separated by the exposure chamber had a volume of ...
Tonsillar and nasal swabs were collected from weanling pigs in 50 representative Ontario swine herds and tested for the presence of 5 important bacterial upper respiratory tract pathogens. All but 1...Full Text Available
Phthalate esters (PE's) are plasticizers used to soften PVC-based medical devices. PE's are the most abundant man-made pollutants and increase the risk of developing an allergic respiratory disease...Full Text Available
Daily exposures of adult beagle dogs to inhaled radon daughters plus uranium ore dust, with and without concurrent cigarette smoking, for 2 to 5-1/2 yr have produced massive pulmonary fibrosis and severe emphysema. The cumulative exposure doses are similar to those associated with a 5-fold or greater increase in death rate of uranium miners due to chronic respiratory insufficiency, including pneumoconiosis, pulmonary fibrosis, and emphysema.
Objectives1) To establish a protocol for transfection of immortalised type I cells with SiRNA and its effect on cell viability; 2) To optimise silencing of genes involved in endocystosis using SiRNA and confirm successful transfection with western blotting; 3) To investigate the effect of gene silencing on uptake of flourescently-labelled latex nanoparticles.DescriptionTo investigate the mechanisms of particle uptake.
To evaluate the reactivity of the recombinant proteins expressed in Escherichia coli strain BL21(DE3), a Western blot assay was performed by using a panel of 78 serum samples obtained,...Full Text Available
The sensitivity and specificity of the MGIT TBc identification (TBc ID) test for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) detection in positive Bactec MGIT cultures were 95.2% and 99.2%, respectively. When MTC-positive results obtained from two additional molecular methods were included, the sensitivity of the MGIT TBc ID test was 85.4%, while that of culture was 95.7%. PMID:21450949
Gamma-irradiation of isolated rat liver mitochondria with up to 475 Gy leading to hydrated electrons (G = 1.9, corrected for reaction with solutes), 30 Gy leading to carbohydrate radicals, (G = 5.6), 100 Gy leading to superoxide radicals (G = 6.2), and 130 Gy leading to formate radicals (G = 6.2) showed no effects on the rate of oxygen uptake in various respiratory states, the respiratory control ratio, or the adenosine diphosphate to atomic oxygen ratio. Typical values were 0.020-0.100 nmol O/sub 2/ s/sup -1/ mg protein/sup -1/ for State 1 respiration, 0.25-0.33 nmol O/sub 2/ s/sup -1/ mg protein/sup -1/ for State 4 respiration and 0.65-1.10 nmol O/sub 2/ s/sup -1/ mg protein/sup -1/ for State 3 respiration. Typical respiratory control ratios ranged from 2.0-3.5 for succinate and 4.0-6.5 for a 1:1 glutamate: malate substrate mixture. Adenosine diphosphate to atomic oxygen ratios with succinate as substrate varied from 1.6 ...
An overview is given of techniques to analyze all kinds of complaints from occupants of office buildings about their working environment: headaches, lethargy, eye irritation, respiratory problems, and complaints about the temperature and draught. Special attention is paid to the sensory evaluation of air quality. 4 figs., 7 refs.
The NucliSens easyMAG and BioRot 9604 automated nucleic acid extraction systems were evaluated and compared with the manual QIAamp (Qiagen) extraction method for their abilities to extract nucleic acid...Full Text Available
Respiratory allergy affects all age groups but the children are the worst affected by the respiratory allergy. Bioparticles from different biological sources are the main cause of allergy. Pollen grains, fungal spores, insect and other materials of biological origin form the most important allergen load in the air. For the efficient diagnosis of the allergy and its effective treatment it is very important to know about the prevalence, seasonal and annual variations of aeroallergens of the area. India being the climatically diversed country, there is diversity in the flora and fauna of different parts of the country. Atmospheric surveys carried out in different parts of India reveal that, Alanus nitida, Amarantus spinosus, Argemone mexicana Cocos nucifera, Betula utilis, Borasus flabellifer, Caraica papaya, Cedrus deodara, Cassia fistula, Parthenium, Chenopodium album, Dodonaea viscosa, Malotus phillipensis, Plantago ovata, Prosopis juliflora, ...
Respiration and related physiologic variables in different tissues of Barytelphusa guerini and the respiration of this freshwater crab as a whole are closely synchronized in phase and in frequency along the circadian scale, in the face of large differences in circadian amplitude. A very close timing of most of the 36 variables examined in 2 separate circadian profiles and a modulation of some of these variables in added profiles as a function of lunar stage are clearly demonstrable, statistically significant and illustrative of time relations at 2 interacting frequencies. PMID:6745009
Daily exposures of adult beagle dogs to inhaled radon daughters and to uranium ore dust for 4-1/2 to 6 yr have produced respiratory tract carcinomas, at similar cumulative working level months (WLM) of exposures to those which induced carcinomas in uranium miners. Biological data from the beagle-dog experiments can therefore be used for prediction of carcinogenic risk under changing exposure conditions in future uranium miners.
The distribution of radiation dose commitments within the body that can result from the lung deposition of a number of transuranic radionuclides ("2"3"7Pu, "2"3"8Pu, "2"3"9Pu, "2"4"0Pu, "2"4"1Pu, "2"4"2Pu, "2"4"3Pu, "2"4"4Pu, "2"4"1Am, "2"4"2Am, "2"4"3Am, "2"4"4Am, "2"4"2Cm, "2"4"3Cm, "2"4"4Cm, and "2"4"6Cm) was calculated. The variables that influence these organ dose commitments include the mobility of the particle or its dissolution products within the body, the radiation characteristics of the inhaled radionuclides and their progeny, and the size of the particles inhaled. In the calculation of organ dose commitments for whole-body, lungs, liver, bone tissues, kidneys, and gastrointestinal tract from the inhalation of transuranium radionuclides, physical characteristics of importance are the dimensions of the particle, its aerodynamic properties, and its density. For particles within the respirable size range, a useful description is provided by the activity median aerodynamic ...
Multiple-breath nitrogen washouts (MBNW) were performed with 21 adult dairy cows (seven normal cows tested on two days each, four clinically normal cows tested on six days, and ten cows with respiratory...Full Text Available
Abstract in english We hypothesized that chronic oral administration of the phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor sildenafil could improve the exercise capacity and pulmonary hemodynamics in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) on the basis of previous short-term studies. We tested this hypothesis in 14 subjects with PAH, including seven patients with the idiopathic form and seven patients with atrial septal defects, but no other congenital heart abnormalities. Patients were subjected (more) to a 6-min walk test and dyspnea was graded according to the Borg scale. Pulmonary flow and pressures were measured by Doppler echocardiography. Patients were given sildenafil, 75 mg orally three times a day, and followed up for 1 year. Sildenafil therapy resulted in the following changes: increase in the 6-min walk distance from a median value of 387 m (range 0 to 484 m) to 462 m (range 408 to 588 m; P
Citrate is an important naturally occurring inhibitor of calcium stone formation in urine. Urinary citrate excretion was examined in 43 consecutive patients with recurrent idiopathic calcium nephrolithiasis and in 50 normal controls by a specific enzymatic technique. Hypocitraturia (<1.6 mmol/24h) was found in 14 (33%) stone formers compared to 6 (12%) normal controls (p = 0.03). Citrate excretion expressed as citrate-creatinine ratio in 24 hour urine samples was significantly lower in the stone formers than in the healthy controls (p = 0.03), and significantly lower in healthy men, compared to healthy females (p = 0.006). There was a great variability in urinary citrate levels in both groups, and a considerable overlap in the urinary citrate excretion between normal subjects and stone formers. Factors other than urinary citrate excretion must therefore be of importance in the pathophysiology of calcium stone formation. Citrate-calcium ratio in urine proved to ...
Parallel imaging and echo sharing techniques have markedly reduced the acquisition times for MRI of large volumes. Dynamic 2 and 3-dimensional data sets of the chest with high temporal resolution (up to 10 images/s with single slice and 2 volume/s) allow an analysis of respiratory motion of the lungs and tumors. Time-resolved 2D series in preselected planes can be used to observe respiratory motion during free breathing or after respiratory commands, e.g. to exclude chest wall invasion by a tumor or for diagnosing impairment of respiratory mechanics. Time-resolved 3D-series (4D-MRI) allow monitoring of the spatial displacement of the lungs and tumors as a whole volume. Present limitations such as an overestimation of tumor size and an underestimation of displacement due to a limited temporal resolution are expected to be overcome with further technical developments. However, 4D-MRI already appears to be ...
Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common problem in the female population. Women with diabetes mellitus are possibly at a higher risk. The usual medical therapy for UTI is antibiotic treatment. The aim of this study is to explore strategies employed by diabetic women for prevention and self-treatment of UTI. Forty-two women with diabetes mellitus who had experienced at least one episode of UTI in the last six months were included. Data collection included background information, questions about prevention and self-treatment strategies and a clinical examination to measure maximal urine flow, residual urine, a blood test evaluating diabetic control (HbA1c) and a urine test strip for determination of glucose, leucocytes, nitrite, blood, protein and pH. Thirty-five participants (83.3%) reported changes in daily routines like 'always keeping warm', 'increased fluid intake', 'good personal hygiene' as prevention strategies. Different herb and plant extracts were used for prevention by ...
Severe damage to the pelvic viscera is a complication of irradiation therapy that, unfortunately, cannot always be avoided. Resulting rectal and rectocolonic strictures, rectovaginal fistulas, and shortening and stenosis of the vagina present very difficult problems that frequently require a colostomy for relief and may permanently impair sexual function. The authors present a new approach to correction of these unfortunate lesions based on the use of proximal nonirradiated colon which serves as a vascular pedicle graft to correct the defect without a complicated and massive resection. Twenty-two such operations have been done with 19 satisfactory to excellent results and two total failures (one death from small bowel complications). All patterns and combinations of irradiation injury have been found amenable to this technique of repair. These have included both web and linear strictures with and without fistulas. In half of the patients, it was possible to make use of normal colon ...
The effect of fetal distress on the neonatal brain was investigated by neonatal CT brain scan, FHR monitoring and mode of delivery. This study involved 11 cases of full term vertex delivery in which FHR was recorded by fetal direct ECG during the second stage labor. All infants weighed 2,500 g or more. FHR monitoring was evaluated by Hon's classification. Neonatal brain edema was evaluated by cranial CT histgraphic analysis (Nakada's method). 1) Subdural hemorrhage was noted in 6 of 7 infants delivered by vacuum extraction or fundal pressure (Kristeller's method). 2) Intracranial hemorrhage was demonstrated in all of 3 infants with 5-min. Apgar score 7 or less. 3) Two cases with prolonged bradycardia and no variability had intraventricular or intracerebral hemorrhage which resulted in severe central nervous system damage. 4) The degree of neonatal brain edema correlated with 5-min. Apgar score. 5) One case with prolonged bradycardia and ...
The effect of fetal distress on the neonatal brain was investigated by neonatal CT brain scan, FHR monitoring and mode of delivery. This study involved 11 cases of full term vertex delivery in which FHR was recorded by fetal direct ECG during the second stage labor. All infants weighed 2,500 g or more. FHR monitoring was evaluated by Hon's classification. Neonatal brain edema was evaluated by cranial CT histgraphic analysis (Nakada's method). 1) Subdural hemorrhage was noted in 6 of 7 infants delivered by vacuum extraction or fundal pressure (Kristeller's method). 2) Intracranial hemorrhage was demonstrated in all of 3 infants with 5-min. Apgar score 7 or less. 3) Two cases with prolonged bradycardia and no variability had intraventricular or intracerebral hemorrhage which resulted in severe central nervous system damage. 4) The degree of neonatal brain edema correlated with 5-min. Apgar score. 5) One case with prolonged bradycardia and no variability resulted in ...
A 72-year-old man was exposed to the sarin gas attack in a Tokyo subway on March 20 th, 1995. After exposure, he noticed eye discomfort, chest tightness, headache and weakness of the lower limbs and oropharyngeal muscles. Despite these symptoms, he visited a hot spring on the same day with his family. On March 25 th, his muscle weakness progressed, and a low grade fever appeared. His muscle weakness disappeared 8 days after exposure to sarin, but respiratory failure rapidly developed, necessitating artificial ventilation within four day after hospitalization on March 28th. Chemotherapy with erythromycin, imipenem/cilastatin, and steroid pulse therapy was begu. PCR and culture of sputum collected by bronchofiberscopy were positive for Legionella pneumophila, serogroup I. His respiratory state improved, but subsequent infection with Pseudomonous aeruginosa. Enterobacter cloacae, and Candida tropicalis/glabrata caused his death 71 days after ...
Recent studies indicate that [Fe]-hydrogenases and H{sub 2} metabolism are widely distributed among green algae. The enzymes are simple structured and catalyze H{sub 2} evolution with similar rates than the more complex [Fe]-hydrogenases from bacteria. Different green algal species developed diverse strategies to survive under sulfur deprivation. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii evolves large quantities of hydrogen gas in the absence of sulfur. In a sealed culture of C. reinhardtii, the photosynthetic O{sub 2} evolution rate drops below the rate of respiratory O{sub 2} consumption due to a reversible inhibition of photosystem II, thus leading to an intracellular anaerobiosis. The algal cells survive under these anaerobic conditions by switching their metabolism to a kind of photo-fermentation. Although possessing a functional [Fe]-hydrogenase gene, the cells of Scenedesmus obliquus produce no significant amounts of H{sub 2} under S-depleted conditions. Biochemical ...
The studies reported here used genetic differences in susceptibility of C57BL/6N and C3H/HeN mice and exacerbation of the disease by nitrogen dioxide (NO/sub 2/) as tools in assessing the role of early host responses in the pathogenesis of MRM. The two strains did not differ in susceptibility to infection, but C3H/HeN mice were more susceptible to and had increased severity of lung lesions 14 days after intranasal inoculation as determined by 50% biological endpoints and morphometric analysis of tissues. Exposure to NO/sub 2/ for 4 hours prior to exposure to infectious aerosols exacerbated murine respiratory mycoplasmosis (MRM) by 7 days after exposure in both mouse strains. NO/sub 2/ appeared to affect host lung defense mechanisms responsible for limiting mycoplasmal growth in the lungs. The NO/sub 2/ exposure concentration required for this effect varied with the genetic background of the host, the dose of mycoplasmas administered, and the endpoint measured. ...
IMPORTANT REMINDER If you have just come back from one of the regions identified by the WHO as being infected with SARS, it is essential to monitor your state of health for ten days after your return. The syndrome manifests itself in the rapid onset of a high fever combined with respiratory problems (coughing, breathlessness, breathing difficulty). Should these signs appear, you must contact the CERN Medical Service as quickly as possible on number 73802 or 73186 during normal working hours, and the fire brigade at all other times on number 74444, indicating that you have just returned from one of the WHO-identified areas with recent local transmission.China: Beijing, Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region), Guangdong Province, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi Province, Tianjin ProvinceTaiwan:TaipeiMoreover, until further notice the CERN Management requests that all trips to these various regions of the world be reduced to a strict minimum and then only with the consent ...
The effectiveness of Noveko's antimicrobial filter was evaluated after 16 months of exposure to commercial swine production. The experiment involved the use of a scaled model of a commercial swine facility consisting of 2 small chambers connected by a duct containing the filters. A 5 kg naive pig was placed in the reception chamber for a period of 6 hours after aerosolization with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). Blood samples from pigs were collected before and after aerosolization to test for the presence of PRRSV RNA. Only blood samples were tested for PRRSV antibodies by IDEXX 2XR ELISA. None of the 9 pigs tested were found to be infected. The study showed that the technology used to integrate the antimicrobial agent into the filter fibers allows the filter combination to withstand extreme weather and endure commercial swine production for at least 16 months, and can maintain its effectiveness to avoid airborne transmission ...
Rats from an inbred Sprague-Dawley strain were fed semisynthetic diets with a low (0.3 energy percent (en %)), normal (3 en %) or high (10 en %) content of essential fatty acids (EFA) for at least three generations. Twenty-nine- to 33-day-old male rats were given a single intragastric dose of (1-14C)linoleic acid in olive oil, and the respiratory CO2, urine and feces were collected for 46 hours (expt 1) or 20 hours (expt 2). The 14C activity in respiratory CO2, feces, urine and the carcass was determined in both experiments. In experiment 2 it was also measured in samples of the brown fat, liver, adrenals, white fat, skeletal muscles and brain. In both experiments the rats fed the low EFA diet retained significantly more 14C activity than the rats fed the normal or high EFA diets. In all groups the concentration of label was highest in the brown fat and the adrenals, but the above differences among the groups with respect to 14C retention were ...
A methodology for assessing the impact of subacute concentrations of organometallic agents on bioenergetic and oxidative damage processes in animals, cells and energy transducing subcellular organelles is being developed. Several of the assays are noninvasive and thus lend themselves to human tests. At the whole-animal level we utilize a treadmill chamber where physiological parameters of exercising animals are monitored. These include parameters of whole animals' work performance such as oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide evolution and endurance. Oxidative damage can be monitored in experiments by analyzing expired air of the animals for ethane and n-pentane. These alkanes correlate with lipid peroxidation in vivo. At the cellular and subcellular levels, respiratory activity, lipid peroxidation and free radical species are assayed. Respiratory activity is measured in muscle homogenates and isolated mitochondria using substrates which ...
Twenty children with respiratory disease ingested 500 ..mu..Ci of Tc-99m sulfur colloid orally, and scintigrams of the thorax were obtained to determine whether pulmonaryaspiration of gastric contents could be detected. The children ranged in age from 1 mo to 14 y; 13 were 8 months of age or younger. Children were studied at 5 min and 4 h after ingestion of Tc-99m sulfur colloid using a high-sensitivity computer oscilloscope to record 100K-count images. Additional images were obtained after the children had slept overnight. Five children (25%) showed definite pulmonary accumulation of activity; four of these also had a barium swallow and three showed either pulmonary aspiration of barium or moderately severe gastroesophageal reflux. Oral ingestion of Tc-99m sulfur colloid provides a noninvasive means for diagnosing pulmonary aspiration under physiologic conditions in infants and children.
Background 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) has led to a global increase in severe respiratory illness. Little is known about kidney outcomes and dialytic requirements in critically ill patients infected with pandemic H1N1. Study Design Prospective observational study. Setting & Participants 50 patients with pandemic H1N1 admitted to any of 7 intensive care units in Manitoba, Canada, were prospectively followed. Outcome & Measurements Outcomes were kidney injury and kidney failure defined using RIFLE (risk, injury, failure, loss, end-stage disease) criteria or need for dialysis therapy. Results The pandemic H1N1 group was composed of 50 critically ill patients with pandemic H1N1 with severe respiratory syndrome (47 confirmed cases, 3 probable). Kidney injury, kidney failure, a...
Adult and newborn rats were exposed to "2"3"9PuO_2 aerosols of four different size distributions. Rats of both ages were killed at intervals between 1 hr and 60 days postexposure. There were marked age- and particle-related size differences in deposition, although retention was similar throughout. The differences in deposition are attributable to relatively greater deposition of larger particles in the upper respiratory tracts of newborns.
Back pain from osteoporosis is commonly related to compression fractures. The patient with vertebral compression fractures additionally suffers from an ongoing risk of recurrent fractures and postural abnormalities that can result in impaired respiratory function, leading to increased risk of morbidity. Weakened back muscles, especially the back extensor group, are felt to contribute significantly to this risk. The combination of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions, through physical activity, exercise, and modalities, are potential interventions that could be used to help reduce the pain of osteoporotic compression fractures as well as potentially reducing recurrent fracture rates.
In the present study, the immunomodulatory effect of {beta}-endorphin ({beta}-E) and shorter pro-opiomelancortin (POMC) fragments was evaluated by assessing their influence on respiratory burst in human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN). The effect of the peptides on phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)-stimulated production of reactive oxygen metabolites was measured in a lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence (CL) assay. Both POMC peptides with opiate-like activity and their non-opioid derivatives were tested. With the exception of {alpha}-E, PMA-stimulated respiratory burst was suppressed by all POMC fragments tested. A U-shaped dose-response relation was observed. Doses lower than 10{sup {minus}17}M and higher than 10{sup {minus}8}M were without effect. {beta}-E and dT{beta}E both suppressed PMA-induced oxidative burst in human PMN at physiological concentrations. {gamma}-E and dT{gamma}E proved to be less potent inhibitors, reaching maximal ...
The adequacy of the nasopharyngeal airway has been found to be related to craniofacial development. Obstruction of the airway by adenoid tissue, nasal septal deviation or abnormal morphology of the area is associated with characteristic changes in craniofacial morphology such as long anterior face height, facial retrognathism, and a steep inclination of mandibular plane often with a high vaulted palate and crossbite. Some studies have shown the changes to be reversible after adenoidectomy which improves nasal airway patency and a control mechanism for facial growth has been proposed to account for the relationships between airway adequacy, craniofacial morphology and craniocervical postural relationships. It is therefore important to be able to measure nasal respiratory resistance so that the effect of operative procedures in the area such as rapid maxillary expansion (RME) can be determined. Nasal respiratory resistance (NRR) is a measure of ...
To assess the utility of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in the study of pediatric patients with clinical suspicion of pituitary disease. We studied 18 patients aged 7 to 18 years.Fifteen had hormonal disturbances, two presented amenorrhea and 1 complained of headache, fever and symptoms of polyuria and polydipsia. All the patients were examined using a Siemens SP 42 1-Tesla MRI scanner. Sagittal and coronal T1-weighted spin-echo images were obtained; in addition T2-weighted spin-echo or fast spin-echo imaging was performed in ten cases and intravenous gadolinium was administered in nine. We found 9 patients with hypothalamic-pituitary dysgenesis, 2 with germinoma, 2 cases of pituitary hemosiderosis in patients with thalassemia, 2 cases of microadenoma, one abscess, one case of idiopathic central diabetes insipidus and one of Langerhans cell histiocytosis. MR enabled us to assess pituitary structural alterations in children with hypothalamic-pituitary hormone ...
Full text: Disorders of brain development and phakomatosis are resulting from disturbed embryonic-foetal development One third of all major embryological anomalies involve CNS, and over 2000 different anomalies have been described. Anomalies of the brain often cause foetal and neonatal death, and mental and physical retardation in pediatric group. The majority of disorders of brain development and phakomatosis are idiopathic, and most of them are not hereditary or familial. Ultrasonography plays the important role in screening foetal and neonatal brain, but after closure of fontanels it is difficult to find the acoustic window. CT has limited contrast resolution, and disadvantage exposing infant to ionizing radiation. It is helpful to demonstrate the presence of calcifications. MR imaging has proved to be a diagnostic tool of major importance in children with disorders of brain development and phakomatosis. The excellent grey/white matter differentiation and ...
Bone formation and resorption have been measured in patients with idiopathic osteoporosis by histomorphometry of 7.5-mm trephine biopsies and in the whole body by 85Sr radiotracer methodology and calcium balances. The studies were synchronized and most were preceded by double in vivo tetracycline labeling. Correlations between histological and kinetic bone formation indices were better when better when based on the extent of double tetracycline labels than on measurements of osteoid by visible light microscopy. Correction of the kinetic data for long-term exchange, using 5 months' serial whole body counting of retained 85Sr, improved the fit of the kinetic to the histological data. A statistical analysis of the measurement uncertainties showed that the residual scatter in the best correlations (between exchange-corrected bone formation rates and double-labeled osteoid surface indices) could be attributed to measurement imprecision alone. The ...
No research has compared expressions of weight bias across different subgroups of obese individuals. This study compared attitudes toward and beliefs about obesity in women with and without binge eating disorder (BED) and examined whether these attitudes are related to psychological factors. Fifty obese women with BED were compared with an age- and body mass index (BMI)-matched group of 50 obese women without BED on a battery of established measures of anti-fat attitudes and beliefs about weight controllability and psychological factors (self-esteem, depression, and eating disorder features). The ageand BMI-matched groups did not differ with respect to beliefs about obesity or attitudes toward obese persons, or in self-esteem or depression. Correlational analyses conducted separately within each group revealed that women with BED who reported more favorable attitudes towards obese persons had higher self-esteem and lower levels of depression, whereas there were no significant ...
A large proportion of patients may develop chronic pain following cancer treatments such as surgery, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy. These patients can experience significant levels of physical and psychological morbidity. Our aim was to investigate a cognitive-behavioral pain management program (PMP) for cancer patients with chronic treatment-related pain. Thirteen patients (1 man, 12 women; mean age 52 yrs) completed the study, 9 of whom had a history of breast cancer and had received extensive medical treatment, including surgery. A combination of physical and psychological techniques were adapted from previous work in chronic benign pain and implemented by two therapists. Interventions included education, relaxation, exercise training, and goal setting. A variety of outcomes were examined to assess general fitness, psychological distress, coping success, activities of daily living, and pain report. The median number of interventions by each therapist was 10 (4 ...
We have studied the application of direct aperture optimization (DAO) as an inverse planning tool for breast IMRT. Additionally, we have analysed the impact of respiratory motion on the quality of the delivered dose distribution. From this analysis, we have developed guidelines for balancing the desire for a high-quality optimized plan with the need to create a plan that will not degrade significantly in the presence of respiratory motion. For a DAO optimized breast IMRT plan, the tangential fields incorporate a flash field to cover the range of respiratory motion. The inverse planning algorithm then optimizes the shapes and weights of additional segments that are delivered in combination with the open fields. IMRT plans were generated using DAO with the relative weights of the open segments varied from 0% to 95%. To assess the impact of breathing motion, the dose distribution for the optimized IMRT plan was recalculated ...
Chest computed tomography (CT) was valuable in detecting extrinsic tracheal compression by mediastinal masses in two pediatric patients. This prompted an independent evaluation by CT of 14 children with masses involving the middle mediastinum and possible intrathoracic tracheal narrowing. Computer programs permit precise calculation of tracheal cross-sectional areas. Any apparent decrease in tracheal area may be compared with CT-derived data in normal children. Chest CT not only demonstrates the presence of extrinsic airway compression in pediatric patients with mediastinal masses, but also is capable of precisely measuring the extent of this narrowing. This method identifies children at potential risk for respiratory compromise and may aid in subsequent therapy.
Background The 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) infected over 8000 people and killed 774. Transmission of SARS occurred through direct and indirect contact and large droplet nuclei. The World Health Organization recommended the use of household disinfectants, which have not been previously tested against SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV), to disinfect potentially contaminated environmental surfaces. There is a need for a surrogate test system given the limited availability of the SARS-CoV for testing and biosafety requirements necessary to safely handle it. In this study, the antiviral activity of standard household products was assayed against murine hepatitis virus (MHV), as a potential surrogate for SARS-CoV. Methods A surface test method, which involves drying an amo...
This report covers the second year of the 28 month grant current grant to Clarkson University to study the chemical and physical behavior of the polonium 218 atom immediately following its formation by the alpha decay of radon. Because small changes in size for activity result in large changes in the delivered dose per unit exposure, this behavior must be understood if the exposure to radon progeny and it dose to the cells in the respiratory tract are to be fully assessed. Two areas of radon progeny behavior are being pursued; laboratory studies under controlled conditions to better understand the fundamental physical and chemical process that affect the progeny`s atmospheric behavior and studies in actual indoor environments to develop a better assessment of the exposure of the occupants of that space to the size and concentration of the indoor radioactive aerosol. This report describes the progress toward achieving these objectives.
This report covers the second year of the 28 month grant current grant to Clarkson University to study the chemical and physical behavior of the polonium 218 atom immediately following its formation by the alpha decay of radon. Because small changes in size for activity result in large changes in the delivered dose per unit exposure, this behavior must be understood if the exposure to radon progeny and it dose to the cells in the respiratory tract are to be fully assessed. Two areas of radon progeny behavior are being pursued; laboratory studies under controlled conditions to better understand the fundamental physical and chemical process that affect the progeny's atmospheric behavior and studies in actual indoor environments to develop a better assessment of the exposure of the occupants of that space to the size and concentration of the indoor radioactive aerosol. This report describes the progress toward achieving these objectives.
In Kanazawa, Japan, air pollution from a Mn treatment factory was found to affect local junior high school students, who showed reduced respiratory function relative to their exposure to Mn. The use of Mn as an antiknock ingredient in automobile fuels has recently been introduced, placing the general population at risk of chronic low-level exposure. There are few animal studies on the effects of compounds other than manganese chloride (MnCl{sub 2}). In the case of environmental pollution by Mn, the differing physiological effects of the various chemical forms of Mn must be considered. The present study therefore examined the differences in the effects of several Mn compounds on the physiology and behavior of mice by short-term oral administration.
Paraquat is a nonselective contact herbicide of great toxicological importance, being associated with high mortality rates, mainly due to respiratory failure. We report the case of a 22-year-old male admitted to the emergency room with a sore throat, dysphagia, hemoptysis, and retrosternal pain after the ingestion of 50 mL of a paraquat solution, four days prior to admission. Chest CT scans revealed pulmonary opacities, pneumomediastinum, pneumothorax, and subcutaneous emphysema. The patient was submitted to two cycles of immunosuppressive therapy with cyclophosphamide, methylprednisolone, and dexamethasone. The pulmonary gas exchange parameters gradually improved, and the patient was discharged four weeks later. The clinical and tomographic follow-up evaluations performed at four months after discharge showed that there had been further clinical improvement. We also present a brief review of the literature, as well as a discussion of the therapeutic algorithm for ...
Paraquat is a nonselective contact herbicide of great toxicological importance, being associated with high mortality rates, mainly due to respiratory failure. We report the case of a 22-year-old male admitted to the emergency room with a sore throat, dysphagia, hemoptysis, and retrosternal pain after the ingestion of 50 mL of a paraquat solution, four days prior to admission. Chest CT scans revealed pulmonary opacities, pneumomediastinum, pneumothorax, and subcutaneous emphysema. The patient was submitted to two cycles of immunosuppressive therapy with cyclophosphamide, methylprednisolone, and dexamethasone. The pulmonary gas exchange parameters gradually improved, and the patient was discharged four weeks later. The clinical and tomographic follow-up evaluations performed at four months after discharge showed that there had been further clinical improvement. We also present a brief review of the literature, as well as a discussion of the therapeutic algorithm for ...
The #alpha# radiation dose to the lungs of people who live in buildings constructed of some granites, low density concretes, and gypsum boards is higher than for residents of most other types of dwellings due to the air-borne progeny of radon. There is evidence that sealing the interior surfaces with epoxy paint, for example, can reduce the #alpha# dose to the lung significantly without a compensating increase in whole-body exposure to the #gamma#-rays from radon progeny. Based on the incidence rates for lung cancer in uranium miners, a concentration of radon of the order of 1 to 5 pCi/l. appears to be a reasonable limit for 'lifetime' exposure indoors for 'typical' home ventilation conditions. (author).
Recent research findings of epidemiologist Alice Stewart suggest that nuclear workers may be at risk of contracting cancer even though their measured occupational doses fall within current safety standards. It is argued that these standards are inappropriate as they are based on extrapolations of studies on survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki explosions. These individuals received single doses of radiation, whereas today's nuclear industry personnel are exposed to low-level ionizing radiation over the length of their working lives. Stewart's team linked low dose occupational exposure to ionizing radiation with an increased risk of cancer in respiratory, digestive and blood-forming tissues. The nuclear industry and United States government agencies hotly contest these assertion with their potentially damaging political and economic consequences. (UK).
Recent research findings of epidemiologist Alice Stewart suggest that nuclear workers may be at risk of contracting cancer even though their measured occupational doses fall within current safety standards. It is argued that these standards are inappropriate as they are based on extrapolations of studies on survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki explosions. These individuals received single doses of radiation, whereas today's nuclear industry personnel are exposed to low-level ionizing radiation over the length of their working lives. Stewart's team linked low dose occupational exposure to ionizing radiation with an increased risk of cancer in respiratory, digestive and blood-forming tissues. The nuclear industry and United States government agencies hotly contest these assertion with their potentially damaging political and economic consequences. (UK).
A detailed knowledge about the dynamics of phytoplanktonic photosynthesis and respiration is crucial for the determination of primary productivity in open oceans as well as for biotechnological applications. The dynamics are best studied in photobioreactors that are able to simulate natural conditions in such, that light can be modulated not only diurnally but also mimicking effects of solar elevation angle from sunrise to sunset, variable cloudiness, light modulation in refractory sun flecks due to water waves, or light intermittence due to turbulent flow in dense suspensions. In addition, high performance photobioreactors ought to be able to monitor in real time photosynthetic and respiratory activities as well as culture growth. Here, we demonstrate performance of a newly designed bench...
Pneumonia caused by Mannheimia haemolytica is an important disease of domestic sheep (DS, Ovis aries) and cattle (BO). M. haemolytica is a normal commensal of the upper respiratory tract in ruminants, but during stress and viral infection it breaches the host innate mucosal defense and descents into lungs causing fibrinous pleuropneumonia. Leukotoxin (Lkt) produced by M. haemolytica is cytolytic to all subsets of ruminant leukocytes. Earlier, we and others have shown that DS and BO LFA-1 (CD11a/CD18) and Mac-1 (CD11b/CD18) can mediate Lkt-induced cytolysis. It is not clear whether CR4 (CD11c/CD18), which is involved in chemotaxis, phagocytosis and regulates host immune response can also mediate Lkt-induced cytolysis in ruminants. The host innate immune response to M. haemolytica is poorly ...
Complex I (NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase) is the largest enzyme of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Compared to its bacterial counterpart which encompasses 14-17 subunits, mitochondrial complex I has almost tripled its subunit composition during evolution of eukaryotes, by recruitment of so-called accessory subunits, part of them being specific to distinct evolutionary lineages. The increasing availability of numerous broadly sampled eukaryotic genomes now enables the reconstruction of the evolutionary history of this large protein complex. Here, a combination of profile-based sequence comparisons and basic structural properties analyses at the protein level enabled to pinpoint homology relationships between complex I subunits from fungi, mammals or green plants, previously identified...
Evaporation of "9"9"mTc-pertechnetate at about 2500"0C on a carbon surface generates an ultrafine aerosol of labelled carbon clusters. Its particle size of about 2-5 nm enables the aerosol to behave similarly to a gas regarding the ability of penetration. After inhalation, the radioactive particles adhere to the walls of the respiratory bronchioli and alveoli. The high concentration of the radioactivity in the argon carrier gas makes it possible to record a scintigram after a single deep breath. We studied four healthy volunteers and 79 patients including 34 with a tentative diagnosis of pulmonary embolism, 20 with bronchus carcinoma, and 15 with various other lung diseases. Ten of these patients were infants, the youngest being nine months old. All patients also had a perfusion scintigraphy. (orig.).
A study was made of employee exposure to oil sludge and vapors during oil-sludge removal and maintenance activities at the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company's Ballast Water Treatment Facility, Valdez, Alaska. Total hydrocarbons, except benzene, toluene, and xylene, showed concentrations from 371 to 1228mg/m3. Of eight maintenance workers, five reported headache, dizziness, or nausea when working without a respirator. The authors conclude that workers were potentially exposed to benzene vapors and total hydrocarbon vapors exceeding the evaluation criteria for these substances. The authors recommend the use of respiratory protection measures to reduce exposures during work operations.
The results of nine years of study of the 237 patients who suffered from acute radiation syndrome (ARS) as a consequence of the Chernobyl accident are reported. Thirty-eight of these patients have died, 28 in the acute period in 1986, 5 in 1987-90 and 5 in 1992-93. The reasons for death show no clear tendencies. They include: gangrene of the lung, organic disease of the brain and spinal chord, hypoplasia of haematopoeisis, coronary heart disease, sarcoma and an automobile accident. Investigations have been carried out on an annual obligatory basis of the patients` haemopoietic, immune, nervous and endocrine systems. An analysis of the data is presented. Histograms are included showing the incidence of digestive tract, nervous system, respiratory and cardiovascular disorders, the frequency and degree of disablement and serum prolactin concentration. The types of skin damage sustained by 39 of the patients are listed. (6 figures, 3 tables). (UK).
Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), and Hashimotos thyroiditis (HT) are autoimmune disorders caused by impaired self-tolerance mechanisms triggered by interaction between genetic and environmental factors. ITP is an immune-mediated destruction of platelets resulting in mucocutaneous bleeding, GBS is an ascending motor paralysis caused by an inflammatory demyelination of peripheral nerves, and HT is characterized by autoimmune-mediated destruction of the thyroid gland. The concurrent development of ITP and GBS has only rarely been reported in the literature, and GBS itself rarely occurs with other autoimmune disorders. We present a 21 year-old patient with known Hashimotos hypothyroidism that simultaneously developed GBS and ITP after an upper respiratory t...
Simultaneous exposures of rats and hamsters to inhaled radon daughters, with and without uranium ore dust, were performed daily for five months. Pulmonary pathology developing in 6 to 13 mo after cessation of daily exposures included interstitial fibrosis, emphysema, epithelial hyperplasia, squamous metaplasia, and malignant neoplasia. Rats showed a greater variety and more severe response to these uranium mine inhalation exposures than did hamsters. Inhalation of radon daughters with uranium ore dust displayed the site of greatest damage, including squamous carcinoma, from the nasopharynx to the lungs. Sixty percent of the rats exposed to radon daughters with ore dust developed primary pulmonary carcinomas, providing an appropriate short-term experimental animal model for investigation of respiratory tract carcinogenesis in uranium miners.
AbstractBackground Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in the 1970s and early 1980s showed the polysaccharide serogroup A vaccine (SgAV) prevented serogroup A meningococcal meningitis (SGAMM). Subsequent non-RCTs suggested significant variations in the age-specific duration of protection among children. Objectives To determine the protective effect, duration of protection, age-specific effects and the effect of booster doses in children of the SgAV against SGAMM. Search strategy We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2010, issue 2) which contains the Acute Respiratory Infections Group's Specialised Register, MEDLINE (January 1950 to May Week 3, 2010) and EMBASE (January 1974 to May 2010). Selection criteria We included RCTs. Non-RCTs ...
Teleost gut associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) consists of leucocyte populations located both intraepithelially and in the lamina propria with no structural organization. The present study aims to assess different protocols for the isolation of GALT cells from an important fish species in the Mediterranean aquaculture, the gilthead seabream. Mechanical, chemical and enzymatic treatments were assayed. Nylon wool columns and continuous density gradients were used for further separation of cell subpopulations. Light microscopy and flow cytometry showed that the highest density band (HD) consisted of a homogeneous lymphocytic population, whereas the intermediate density band (ID) corresponded to epithelial and secretory cells and some lymphocytes. Respiratory burst activity of total cell suspen...
Background Aluminium phosphide tablets popularly known, as ?celphos? is a highly toxic fumigant used as insecticide for preservation of food grains. India is an agricultural country and celphos tablets are easily available to psychologically vulnerable young people. It is swallowed with suicidal intent and death comes in minutes. Patients and methods In this series there were seven patients with tracheo esophageal complications out of 342 patients reviewed. Four patients had esophageal stricture and three had stricture plus tracheo esophageal fistulas. Types of symptoms including progressive dyshagia and extent of respiratory symptoms were evaluated. Nutrition status and success or failure of dilatation at the time of endoscopy was taken into account. The criteria for oesophageal replaceme...
Most common bacterial species causing peritonitis in the course of peritoneal dialysis (PDP) are coagulase-negative staphylococci, Staphylococcus aureus and streptococci. Haemophilus influenzae is rarely associated with PDP. Hereby we present the first known case of APD-associated peritonitis caused by non-type able H. influenzae (NTHi) presenting the beta-lactamase negative, ampicillin-resistant (BLNAR) phenotype. An 18 year old boy who had been treated with the APD for 12 months due to SLE was admitted in good general condition with diagnosis of PDP. Standard diagnostic and therapeutical procedures were initiated. Dialysis fluid was turbid with cytosis of 435 WBC/ml. From dialysis fluid pure culture of Gram-negative coccobacillus was isolated. The isolate was identified as a BLNAR phenotype. The same bacterium was isolated from nasal swab. Blood cultures were negative. After evaluation of antimicrobial susceptibility the treatment was changed for the oral ciprofloxacin. The treatment ...
This report highlights four main points. (1) A residue substitution in phosphoribulokinase of Synechocystis PCC 6803 renders the mutant light-sensitive. The authors isolated a light-sensitive mutant (BRLS) of the photosynthetic cyanobacterium Synechocystis 6803 that does not survive exposure to bright light; 70% of BRLS cells die upon exposure to light of > 3000 lux for 2 hr. (2) Excitation energy transfer from phycocyanin to chlorophyll in an apcA-defective mutant of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. A greenish mutant of the normally bule-green cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PC 6803, designated UV6p, was isolated and characterized. UV6p possesses functional photosystems I and II but lacks normal light harvesting phycobilisomes because allophycocyanin is absent and core-specific linker proteins are almost entirely absent. (3) Deletion of the psbG1 gene of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 leads to the activation of the cryptic psbG2 gene. The genes psbG1 and psbG2 in ...
Ketamine-anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed in H orientation to far-field 9.3-GHz continuous-wave (CW) and pulsed (2 microseconds 500 pps) radiofrequency radiation (RFR) at average power densities of 30 and 60 mW/sq. cm (whole-body average specific absorption rates of 9.3 and 18.6 W/kg, respectively). Irradiation was conducted to cyclicly increase colonic temperature from 38.5 to 39.5 C. Colonic, tympanic, and subcutaneous temperatures, ECG, blood pressure, and respiratory rate were continuously recorded during experimentation. At both power densities, the subcutaneous and tympanic temperature increases significantly exceeded the colonic temperature increase. At both exposure levels, heart rate increased significantly during irradiation and returned to baseline when exposure was discontinued. Blood pressure and respiratory rate did not significantly change during irradiation. There were no significant differences between the effects ...
This study was intended to help explain individual differences in susceptibility to irritant effects of ozone (O3), by determining whether prior ambient O3 exposures and/or recent acute respiratory illness modified response to laboratory O3 exposures. Response was measured in terms of lung function changes and irritant symptoms. Initially, 59 adult volunteer Los Angeles area residents underwent screening exposures in spring, before the season of frequent high ambient O3 levels. Unusually responsive and nonresponsive individuals (N = 12 and 13 respectively) underwent followup exposures in autumn (late in the high-O3 season) and in winter (low-O3 season). All exposures were to 0.18 ppm O3 for 2 hr with intermittent heavy exercise at 31 degrees C and 35% relative humidity. Nonresponders tended to remain nonresponsive throughout. In fall, responders had lost much of their reactivity, as if they had adapted to summer ambient O3 exposures. They did not regain reactivity ...
Antiquitin (ATQ) deficiency is the main cause of pyridoxine dependent epilepsy characterized by early onset epileptic encephalopathy responsive to large dosages of pyridoxine. Despite seizure control most patients have intellectual disability. Folinic acid responsive seizures (FARS) are genetically identical to ATQ deficiency. ATQ functions as an aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH7A1) in the lysine degradation pathway. Its deficiency results in accumulation of ?-aminoadipic semialdehyde (AASA), piperideine-6-carboxylate (P6C) and pipecolic acid, which serve as diagnostic markers in urine, plasma, and CSF. To interrupt seizures a dose of 100mg of pyridoxine-HCl is given intravenously, or orally/enterally with 30mg/kg/day. First administration may result in respiratory arrest in responders, and thus treatment should be performed with support of respiratory management. To make sure that late and masked response is not missed, treatment with oral/enteral ...
Numerous laboratory investigations have shown that sulfur dioxide (SO/sub 2/) induces bronchoconstriction and respiratory symptoms in exercising asthmatics. These effects appear to depend on dose rate (the product of exposure concentration and ventilation rate), and may occur at dose rates attainable during outdoor exercise in SO/sub 2/-polluted communities. Effects are rapid in onset, requiring no more than 5 min of exercise during exposure. Thus they may be induced by transient elevations of SO/sub 2/ levels, which may occur near large pollution sources even when longer-term average concentrations meet existing air quality standards. Even very mild asthmatics typically are far more sensitive to SO/sub 2/ than healthy volunteers. The authors discuss an investigation designed to expand and improve the dose-response information on SO/sub 2/. In comparison to earlier work it employed a larger, clinically more diverse population of volunteer subjects. Comparatively ...
The results of a scoping study of onsite radiation exposures which could take place in each of three types of postulated reactor accidents are presented. The accident types are (1) a fuel handling accident at a Mark III BWR; an interfacing system LOCA or V sequence at a PWR; and and Anticipated Transient Without Scram (ATWS) at a Mark I BWR. Both external and internal dose pathways are considered. The results of the study indicate the prohibitively high radiation doses could be received in some plant areas if personnel were to remain there. However, times of the order of a few minutes to a few hours, depending on the type of accident, would be available before life-threatening doses would be accumulated assuming that the provided full face respiratory protection equipment were used promptly. Special attention was given radiation doses possibly received by control room personnel for several control room air in-leakage assumptions. For occupancy during severe ...
Intercrosses of heterozygous pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) mice result in homozygous null progeny at lower frequencies than expected. Genotyping offspring at pre-, peri-, and postnatal stages revealed that over half of homozygous null mutants die in the early postnatal stages. To investigate the reasons for this early postnatal lethality, we analyzed in detail different parameters in the initial hours after birth. POMC null mutants born to heterozygous dams presented at birth with corticosterone levels no different from wildtype littermates, were euglycemic, and had normal liver glycogen stores. However, already 30 min after birth corticosterone levels dropped by 80% and were undetectable thereafter, while corticosterone levels in wildtype animals increased during postnatal hours. Circulating adrenaline was almost below detection 1h after birth. Blood glucose levels fell sharply in all genotypes within 30 min after birth; however, wildtype and heterozygous pups overcame hypoglycemia ...
Twenty autopsy cases with 2009 pandemic influenza A (2009 H1N1) virus infection, performed between August 2009 and February 2010, were histopathologically analyzed. Hematoxylin-eosin staining, immunohistochemistry for type A influenza nucleoprotein antigen, and real-time reverse transcription-PCR assay for viral RNA were performed on formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded specimens. In addition, the D222G amino acid substitution in influenza virus hemagglutinin, which binds to specific cell receptors, was analyzed in formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded trachea and lung sections by direct sequencing of PCR-amplified products. There were several histopathological patterns in the lung according to the most remarkable findings in each case: acute diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) with a hyaline membrane (four cases), organized DAD (one case), acute massive intra-alveolar edema with variable degrees of hemorrhage (three cases), neutrophilic bronchopneumonia (five cases) and tracheobronchitis ...
This paper summarizes results of preliminary experiments to develop cytological and biochemical indicators for estimating damage to respiratory cells in test animals exposed by inhalation to toxic agents associated with nonnuclear energy production, the specific goal being the application of advanced multiparameter flow-systems technologies to the detection of early atypical cellular changes in lung epithelium. Normal Syrian hamster lung cell samples composed of histiocytes, leukocytes, macrophages, ciliated columnar cells, and epithelial cells were stained with fluorescent dyes specific for different biochemical parameters and were analyzed in liquid suspension as they flowed through a chamber intersecting a laser beam of exciting light. Multiple sensors measured the total or two-color fluorescence and light scatter on a cell-by-cell basis. Cellular parameters proportional to optical measurements (i.e., cell size, DNA content, total protein, nonspecific esterase ...
Ketamine-anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to far-field 700-MHz continuous-wave radiofrequency radiation (RFR) in both E and H orientations. Irradiation was conducted at whole-body average specific absorption rates (SARs) of 9.2 and 13.0 W/kg (E and H, respectively) that resulted in approximately equivalent colonic specific heating rates (SHRs). Exposures were performed to repeatedly increase colonic temperature by 1 deg C (38.5 to 39.5 deg C). Tympanic, tail, left and right subcutaneous (toward and away from RFR source), and colonic temperatures, arterial blood pressure, and respiratory rate were continuously recorded. In spite of equivalent colonic SHRs and the reduced E-orientation average SAR, the right subcutaneous, tympanic, and tail SARs, SHRs and absolute temperature increases were significantly greater in E than in H orientation. The cooling rate at all monitoring sites was also significantly greater in E than in H orientation. Heart rate and ...
Oryctes agamemnon (Burmeister 1847) (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) was accidentally introduced in the southwestern oases of Tunisia (Tozeur) around 1980 and spread to the Rjim Maatoug region. In these areas O. agamemnon was specific to date palm trees causing severe damage that can result in potential danger due to collapse of the tree. This study was conducted from April 2004 to March 2006 in 4 sites in the region of Rjim Maatoug. Different levels of palm tree attack were determined, ovioposition sites were identified, and pest damage was described in detail to specify their relative importance and to indicate factors governing palm tree attack. Eggs were individually oviposited in the attacked parts. Dead parts of palm trees were the main target of O. agamemnon including the respiratory roots, tough, trunk bark, dry petiole and the periphery of the crown. The crown itself was not attacked. Feeding by larvae caused significant damage. The biggest danger occurred when ...
Medetomidine and fentanyl-droperidol (Innovar-vet) were assessed over a three hour period in 80 healthy dogs. Following physical examination, electrocardiogram (ECG), arterial blood sample analysis, and dynamometer pressure threshold (analgesia score), the dogs were randomly assigned to one of four treatments: Miv--medetomidine (750 micrograms/M2) administered intravenously (IV), Mim--medetomidine (1000 micrograms/M2) administered intramuscularly (IM), Iiv--Innovar-vet IV (0.05 mL/kg) or Iim--Innovar-vet IM (0.1 mL/kg). All assessments were carried out by a single individual unaware of the treatment used. Objective assessments included temperature, heart and respiratory rates, analgesia score, arterial blood gases, acid-base and lactate levels. Subjective evaluation included degree of sedation, response to various clinical procedures, noise responsiveness, posture, and the incidence of side effects. Onset and duration of effect were also recorded. The ECG strips ...
The family of natriuretic peptides consists of the atria natriuretic peptide (ANP), the cerebral natriuretic peptide (BNP), the type C natriuretic peptide (CNP) and the peptide isolated from the dendroaspis snakes' poison (DNP), whose presence in humans has not been confirmed. The physiological function of ANP is in the control of arterial blood pressure by regulation of systemic vascular resistance of blood vessels. BNP is produced as one of the factors in the acute response to inflammatory tissue damage, mainly in coronary vessels. Increased serum concentrations of natriuretic peptides have been found in stress situations, such as trauma or major surgery, systemic hypotension, and in intrinsic myocardial dysfunction. High concentrations of natriuretic peptides were observed in severe sepsis, septic shock and in multiple organ failure, probably due to increased secretion by mediators of the inflammatory process.The highest concentrations of ANP and BNP were found in lethal conditions. ...
SummaryStudy Objectives: To compare the effect of noninvasive mechanical ventilation (NIV) in severely acidotic with mildly acidotic patients with acute hypercapnic chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD).Design: Comparison of NIV in consecutively enrolled patients with acute hypercapnic COPD with mild (pH 7.25-7.35) or severe (pHPaCO2, duration of NIV treatment, length of stay in hospital and survival.Results (meadian (IQR)): Twenty-nine patients had 36 episodes of acute hypercapnic respiratory failure: Seventeen with pHPaCO2 improve (12 (6-34) vs 12 (4-28)h, respectively, Formula Not Shown ), with similar duration of NIV treatment (60 (35-96) vs 68 (36-48)h, respectively, Formula Not Shown ) and hospital length of stay (8 (7-18) vs 9 (5-17) days, respectively, Formula Not Shown ). Overal...
Wildland fire suppression personnel employed by the CDF do not currently have the equipment to protect themselves from the short-term acute affects of smoke from wildland fires. In addition, no regulations exist that specify appropriate respiratory protection and the current air-purifying respirator technology and carbon monoxide monitoring has not been adapted to fit wildland fire suppression requirements. This three-year limited study evaluated the ability of wildland fire fighters to perform their normal job function while wearing full-face air-purifying respirators. In the first two years of this study we designed, developed and field tested a prototype ``smart`` air-purifying respirator which incorporated a real-time carbon monoxide monitor into a commercial full-face respirator.` Data on carbon monoxide exposure while fighting wildland fires was collected. During the third year of this study we evaluated eight different commercially available full-face ...
To determine if barbiturates would protect brain at high doses of radiation, survival rates in rats that received whole-brain x-irradiation during pentobarbital- or lidocaine-induced anesthesia were compared with those of control animals that received no medication and of animals anesthetized with ketamine. The animals were shielded so that respiratory and digestive tissues would not be damaged by the radiation. Survival rates in rats that received whole-brain irradiation as a single 7500-rad dose under pentobarbital- or lidocaine-induced anesthesia was increased from between from 0% and 20% to between 45% and 69% over the 40 days of observation compared with the other two groups (p less than 0.007). Ketamine anesthesia provided no protection. There were no notable differential effects upon non-neural tissues, suggesting that pentobarbital afforded protection through modulation of ambient neural activity during radiation exposure. Neural suppression during ...
Aim: The study aimed to analyze blood pressure (BP) responses in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) over a 24h period following resistance (RES) and aerobic (AER) exercise. Methods: Ten adults with T2D (age: 55.8+/-7.7 years; weight: 79.4+/-14.0kg; fasting glucose: 133.0+/-36.7mg.dL^-^1) underwent: (1) AER: 20min of cycling at 90% lactate threshold (90% LT); (2) RES: three laps of a circuit of six exercises with eight repetitions at 70% 1-RM and 40s of recovery; and (3) a control session of no exercise. Heart rate (HR), and systolic (SBP), diastolic (DBP), mean arterial (MAP) and pulse (PP) BP, as well as lactataemia (Lac), VO2, respiratory exchange ratio (RER) and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured at rest, during exercise and control (CON) periods, and 60min after interve...
Beagle dogs given a single exposure to "2"3"9PuO_2 or "2"3"8PuO_2 aerosols are being observed for life-span dose-effect relationships. The "2"3"9Pu body burden of the nine dogs that died of pulmonary fibrosis-induced respiratory insufficiency during the first 3 yr after exposure was 1 to 12 #mu#Ci. One of these dogs had a pulmonary tumor. Five additional dogs with body burdens of 0.7 to 1.8 #mu#Ci died due to pulmonary neoplasia 3 to 5 yr after exposure. None of the dogs exposed to "2"3"8Pu have died during the first 3 postexposure yr. Lymphocytopenia was the earliest observed effect after inhalation of "2"3"9PuO_2 or "2"3"8PuO_2, occurring 0.5 to 2 yr after deposition of greater than or equal to 80 nCi plutonium in the lungs.
We analyzed the clinical features of inpatients at a Japanese pediatric department who were infected with pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus. Study participants included 46 children hospitalized from July 2009 to January 2010. Infection with the virus was confirmed using real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The epidemic month was October 2009; 34 patients were boys, and median age was 7?years. Pandemic influenza-associated respiratory diseases included pneumonia (n?=?42), bronchitis (n?=?3), and pharyngitis (n?=?1). The median time from onset to admission was 3?days. Children were divided into those with severe (n?=?32) versus nonsevere illnesses (n?=?14) according to Japanese guidelines. Significant features in the severe group were younger age, previous asthmatic a...
AIDE (Activity and Internal Dose Estimates) is a software for calculating activities in compartments and committed doses due to occupational exposures, and for performing intake and dose estimates using bioassay data. It has been continuously developed and tested for more than 20 years. Its calculation core has been applied in several situations, like performing all dose estimates due to (137)Cs intakes, which occurred during the Goiania accident in 1987; performing quality assurance of the ICRP Task Group on Dose Calculations regarding calculations of activities in compartments and generation of dose coefficients for adults due to intakes by inhalation, ingestion and injection of several radionuclides; and producing the tables of activities in compartments and dose coefficients using the NCRP Wound Model for the NCRP report. It provides several capabilities like performing calculations using modified Human Respiratory Tract Model parameters for the mechanical ...
T_2 weighted ultra-short turbo spin echo sequences were used in five individuals with variations in echo times, delayed triggering and echo intervals. To reduce movement artifacts all examinations were carried out with ECG and respiratory triggering. The sequences giving optimal image quality were then employed in 19 patients having various pulmonary abnormalities. Image resolutions, artifacts, image contrasts and diagnostic value were then judged by two observers and compared with CT. In the first study, a diastole-triggered UTSE sequence with the shortest echo proved optimal (T_E=90 ms, T_R=2-4 s, echo=9 ms, turbo factor=19). In the patient series studied, MRT was inferior to CT with regard to resolution and number of artifacts, but better in respect of contrast and diagnostic value. Using UTSE of the lung, MRT can produce images of good quality. Compared with CT, contrast is better with MRT, offering diagnostic advantages for MRT. (orig./MG).
This contribution provides an overview and imparts basic knowledge on pertinent technical developments in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the liver: 3D sequences, respiratory triggering, parallel imaging, and 3 Tesla (3T). 3D sequences can be used as T1-weighted (T1w) sequences for analyzing dynamics of contrast enhancement or as T2w sequences for MR cholangiography. Consistent improvements in respiratory triggering make it possible to obtain good image quality on T2w scans even in patients unable to hold their breath. Parallel imaging as a universal technique to accelerate image acquisition is particularly appropriate for MRI of the liver, and it has been shown that the reduced acquisition time is not achieved at the expense of image quality. Further progress in MRI of the liver can be expected with use of the 3T systems, but hitherto irrelevant problems must still be solved. Overall the innovations presented here, applied alone or in ...
Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 is a model environmental organism that possesses diverse respiratory capacities, including the ability to reduce soluble Cr(VI) to sparingly soluble, less toxic Cr(III). Effective bioremediation of Cr-contaminated sites requires knowledge of the molecular mechanisms and regulation of heavy metal resistance and biotransformation by dissimilatory metal-reducing bacteria. Towards this goal, our ERSP-funded work is focused on the identification and functional analysis of genes/proteins comprising the response pathways for chromate detoxification and/or reduction. Previous transcriptomic profiling and whole-cell proteomic analyses implicated the involvement of a functionally undefined DNA-binding response regulator (SO2426) and a putative azoreductase (SO3585) in the chromate stress response of MR-1. Here we describe a detailed functional analysis of SO2426 and SO3585 in order to begin to understand the role of these proteins in the cellular ...
Most households in low and middle income countries, including in India, use solid fuels (coal/coke/lignite, firewood, dung, and crop residue) for cooking and heating. Such fuels increase child mortality, chiefly from acute respiratory infection. There are, however, few direct estimates of the impact of solid fuel on child mortality in India. Methods: We compared household solid fuel use in 1998 between 6790 child deaths, from all causes, in the previous year and 609 601 living children living in 1.1 million nationally-representative homes in India. Analyses were stratified by child's gender, age (neonatal, post-neonatal, 1-4 years) and colder versus warmer states. We also examined the association of solid fuel to non-fatal pneumonias. Solid fuel use was very common (87% in households with child deaths and 77% in households with living children). After adjustment for demographic factors and living conditions, solid-fuel use significantly increase child ...
From 1946 - 1990, i.e. from shortly after the end of World War II and the rise of the cold war until the German reunification, there had been extensive uranium mining both in Saxony and Thuringia, which formed the southern parts of the former German Democratic Republic. Mining activities started in Saxony in the Ore Mountains (German: Erzgebirge). Mining was conducted by a Soviet, since 1954 by a Soviet- German Incorporated Company named Wismut. It is estimated that about 400,000 persons may have worked in this time period with the company, most of them underground or in uranium ore processing facilities. In the early years, exposure to radiation and dust was particularly high for underground workers. After introduction of several ventilation measures and wet drilling from 1955 onwards, the levels of exposures to the various agents steadily decreased. After German reunification, it was decided by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment to save health data that were stored in ...
Using discrete air sampling, values of {delta}{sup 13}C and {delta}{sup 18}O in atmospheric CO{sub 2}, as well as its concentration, were measured in a forest in the central part of the main island of Japan during the period from June 1994 to June 1996 to examine the biospheric contribution to their temporal variations. {delta}{sup 13}C shows a prominent diurnal variation with high values in the daytime and low values in the nighttime, especially during the warm season. {delta}{sup 13}C also vary seasonally, showing a maximum in summer and a minimum in spring. The diurnal and seasonal variations of {delta}{sup 13}C are opposite in phase with those of the CO{sub 2} concentration. The rate of change in {delta}{sup 13}C with respect to the CO{sub 2} concentration is found to be approximately -0.005 per mille/ppmv. This suggests that the diurnal and seasonal variations of the CO{sub 2} concentration are produced primarily by diurnally- and seasonally-dependent ...
Two candidate small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) corresponding to severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) spike gene were designed and in vitro transcribed to explore the possibility of silencing SARS-CoV S gene. The plasmid pEGFP-optS, which contains the codon-optimized SARS-CoV S gene and expresses spike-EGFP fusion protein (S-EGFP) as silencing target and expressing reporter, was transfected with siRNAs into HEK 293T cells. At various time points of posttransfection, the levels of S-EGFP expression and amounts of spike mRNA transcript were detected by fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, Western blot, and real-time quantitative PCR, respectively. The results showed that the cells transfected with pEGFP-optS expressed S-EGFP fusion protein at a higher level compared with those transfected with pEGFP-S, which contains wildtype SARS-CoV spike gene sequence. The green fluorescence, mean fluorescence intensity, and SARS-CoV S RNA ...
The relationships between severity of iron deficiency anemia, response to iron treatment, respiratory and gastrointestinal illness and weight changes were assessed before (T1) and after (T2) iron therapy. Seventy-five pre-school children from rural Guatemala received daily oral iron (ferrous sulfate 5 mg/kg/day) for eleven weeks, and were classified into one of three groups: (1) severe iron deficient (Hgb < 9.25 g/dl at T1 and > 1g/dl Hgb response (T2-T1) to Fe Rx; (2) moderately iron deficient (Hgb 9.25 g/dl to 11.5 g/dl and T2-T1 > 1g/dl); (3) normal controls (Hgb > 11.5 g/dl and T2-T1 < 1g/dl). When both severely and moderately anemic children were pooled together, there was a statistical significant difference between the number of days ill with gastrointestinal symptoms of these children and those in the control group. Children with T1 Hgb > 11.5 had more days ill than those classified as severely or moderately anemic. There was no other ...
Thirty-two asthmatic volunteers 8 to 16 yr of age, recruited through local schools and private physicians, were exposed in a chamber to clean air (control condition) and to sulfuric acid aerosol at a low concentration (46 +/- 11 micrograms/m3; mean +/- SD) and at a high concentration (127 +/- 21 micrograms/m3). Acid aerosols had mass median aerodynamic diameters near 0.5 microns with geometric standard deviations near 1.9. Temperature was 21 degrees C, and relative humidity was near 50%. Subjects were exposed with unencumbered oronasal breathing for 30 min at rest plus 10 min at moderate exercise (ventilation rate approximately 20 L/min/m2 of body surface). A subgroup (21 subjects) were exposed similarly to clean air and to high acid (134 +/- 20 micrograms/m3) with 100% oral breathing. Increased symptoms and bronchoconstriction were found after exercise under all exposure conditions. For the group, symptom and lung function responses were not statistically different during control and ...
There is extensive evidence that exposure to asbestos causes pulmonary parenchyma fibrosis, pleural disease, and malignant neoplasm in asbestos-exposed workers. However, few data concerning brake-lining workers are available in the literature. In this study, we aimed to assess the long-term effects of chrysotile asbestos exposure on lung function and the risk of asbestos-related diseases in brake-lining workers. Seventy-four asbestos-exposed workers who processed brake-lining products and 12 unexposed office workers were offered pulmonary function tests (spirometry and transfer actor) in 1992 and 1999. In 1999, the mean duration of asbestos exposure was 0.00#+-#4.07 and 11.02#+-#4.81 years (7-31 years) in non smoking and smoking asbestos workers, respectively. Transfer factor (T_L, CO) and transfer coefficient (K_C_O) decline were significant in the 7-year follow-up in both smoking and non smoking asbestos workers. However, lung function indices of he control group, whom were all ...
The authors hypothesized that acute respiratory responsiveness to ozone predicts chronic lung injury from repeated exposure to ozone-containing air pollution. They tested this hypothesis in 164 middle-aged nonsmoking residents of an ozone-polluted community who underwent lung-function measurements during 1986 and 1987 (i.e., time 3). The time-3 study was a follow up of more comprehensive studies conducted in 1977--1978 (time 1) and in 1982--1983 (time 2). In contrast to the apparent rapid (i.e., {approx} 60 ml/y) decline in lung-function measurements between times 1 and 2, their subjects showed little change in forced vital capacity (FVC) or forced expired volume in 1 s (FEV{sub 1.0}) between times 2 and 3, and they experienced a normal decline between times 1 and 3. A subgroup (n = 45) underwent 2-h laboratory ozone exposures to 0.4 ppm ozone, accompanied by intermittent exercise, and they experienced mild acute reductions in FEV{sub 1.0} and FVC, but there was ...
Streptococcus pneumoniae colonizes the mucosal surface of the human upper respiratory tract. A colonization event is gradually cleared through phagocytosis by monocytes/macrophages that are recruited to the airway lumen. Here, we sought to define the bacterial and host factors that promote monocyte/macrophage influx and S. pneumoniae clearance using intranasal bacterial challenge in mice. We found that the recruitment of monocytes/macrophages required their expression of the chemokine receptor CCR2 and correlated with expression of the CCR2 ligand CCL2. Production of CCL2 and monocyte/macrophage recruitment were deficient in mice lacking digestion of peptidoglycan by lysozyme (LysM) and cytosolic sensing of the products of digestion by Nod2. Ex vivo macrophages produced CCL2 following bacterial uptake, digestion by LysM, and sensing of peptidoglycan by Nod2. Sensing of digested peptidoglycan by Nod2 also required the pore-forming toxin pneumolysin. The generation ...
Background: Pleural biopsy and cytology are standard procedures for the investigation of pleural disease. Recent medical literature has suggested that image-guided pleural biopsy shows improved sensitivity for the diagnosis of pleural malignancy, when compared with the more commonly performed reverse bevel needle biopsy such as Abrams' needle. In our centre there has been an increasing trend towards performing image-guided pleural biopsies, and to our knowledge there is no large published series documenting the complication rate and diagnostic yield. Methods: The radiology and pathology databases were searched for all image-guided [computed tomography (CT) and ultrasound (US)] pleural biopsies from January 2001 to December 2004. All imaging and histology were reviewed, and final diagnostic information about patients was obtained from the respiratory multidisciplinary team database and patient notes. A record was made of complications following biopsy, presence of ...
In response to a request from the International Chemical Workers Union, Akron, Ohio, an investigation was made into possible hazardous working conditions at two American Smelting and Refining Company (SIC-1031) zinc mines (New Market and Young) in Mascot, Tennessee. Specifically, exposures to asbestos (1332214), silica (14808607), and diesel emissions were determined. At both mines overexposures were found to nitrogen-dioxide (10102440) (NO2) and coal-tar pitch volatiles. Twenty-four percent of the NO2 measurements taken were above the NIOSH recommended ceiling of 1 part per million (ppm), but none exceeded the Mine Safety and Health Administration's (MSHA) ceiling of 5ppm. Exposure to diesel particulates ranged from 0.24 to 1.06mg/cu m. None of the 52 respirable dust samples collected exceeded the calculated MSHA limits for free silica exposure. A medical evaluation was offered and 83 of the 400 current employees and one retired employee participated. Seven underground ...
The fundamentals and the technical application methods of the imaging procedures are discussed in detail with regard to their application in medicine. The development of the X-ray contrast media has led to a better tolerance and a significant reduction of risks. Problems relating to radiation protection and radiation exposure are discussed critically. The general point gives an overview of the radiological examination methods and is meant to deepen the understanding of the special techniques and their rationally determined application. The following special part deals with diagnosing of organs in the region of the neck and the thorax. The general basis is the conventional radiological examination. The great increase in information achieved by means of the new imaging methods becomes clear if we look at the diagnostics of the soft tissue of the neck. Computerized tomography and NMR imaging open the view at the fine structures of the mediastinum. Mammography is an examination method ...
Metabolism of benzene is thought to be necessary to produce the toxic effects, including carcinogenicity, associated with benzene exposure. To extrapolate from the results of rodent studies to potential health risks in man, one must know how benzene metabolism is affected by species, dose, dose rate, and repeated versus single exposures. The purpose of our studies was to determine the effect of repeated inhalation exposures on the metabolism of [14C]benzene by rodents. Benzene metabolism was assessed by characterizing and quantitating urinary metabolites, and by quantitating 14C bound to hemoglobin and micronuclei induction. F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice were exposed, nose-only, to 600 ppm benzene or to air (control) for 6 hr/day, 5 days/week for 3 weeks. On the last day, both benzene-pretreated and control animals were exposed to 600 ppm, 14C-labeled benzene for 6 hr. Individual benzene metabolites in urine collected for 24 hr after the exposure were analyzed. There was a significant ...
Isocapnic hyperventilation with cold air (IHCA) is a reliable technique for assessing indirect bronchial hyperresponsiveness in patients with asthma. Impedance measurement of the respiratory system by the forced pseudorandom noise oscillation technique is a sensitive technique to assess changes in bronchial tone after IHCA. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of 6 weeks of treatment with beclomethasone dipropionate, 1,000 microg x day-1, on IHCA in asthmatic patients, measured with both forced oscillation technique and flow-volume recordings. Forty patients with mild asthma were included in this double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel-group study. Stratification on the basis of sex was performed to overcome differences in airway diameter. At entry and every 2 weeks during the treatment period, IHCA was performed and patient diaries were evaluated. Characteristic changes in forced oscillation parameters after IHCA were observed in all patients. After ...
The spike (S) protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) has two major functions: interacting with the receptor to mediate virus entry and inducing protective immunity. Coincidently, the receptor-binding domain (RBD, residues 318-510) of SAR-CoV S protein is a major antigenic site to induce neutralizing antibodies. Here, we used RBD-Fc, a fusion protein containing the RBD and human IgG1 Fc, as a model in the studies and found that a single amino acid substitution in the RBD (R441A) could abolish the immunogenicity of RBD to induce neutralizing antibodies in immunized mice and rabbits. With a panel of anti-RBD mAbs as probes, we observed that R441A substitution was able to disrupt the majority of neutralizing epitopes in the RBD, suggesting that this residue is critical for the antigenic structure responsible for inducing protective immune responses. We also demonstrated that the RBD-Fc bearing R441A mutation could not bind to soluble and ...
CT is the most accurate method to detect pulmonary emphysema in vivo. They compared prospectively two different methods for emphysema quantitation in 5 normal volunteers and 20 consecutive patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). All subjects were submitted to function tests and HRCT; three scans were acquired at preselected levels during inspiration. The type and extent of pulmonary emphysema were defined by two independent observers under blind conditions. Disagreements were subsequently settled by consent. All subjects were also examined with expiratory spiral CT using a density mask program, at two different cut-off levels (-850,-900 HU). Visual score and expiratory spiral density mask values (-850 HU) were significantly correlated (r = 0.86), but the visual extent of emphysema was always higher than shown by expiratory spiral CT. The emphysema extent assessed with both CT methods correlated with the function result of expiratory airflow obstruction and gas ...
CT is the most accurate method to detect pulmonary emphysema in vivo. They compared prospectively two different methods for emphysema quantitation in 5 normal volunteers and 20 consecutive patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). All subjects were submitted to function tests and HRCT; three scans were acquired at preselected levels during inspiration. The type and extent of pulmonary emphysema were defined by two independent observers under blind conditions. Disagreements were subsequently settled by consent. All subjects were also examined with expiratory spiral CT using a density mask program, at two different cut-off levels (-850,-900 HU). Visual score and expiratory spiral density mask values (-850 HU) were significantly correlated (r = 0.86), but the visual extent of emphysema was always higher than shown by expiratory spiral CT. The emphysema extent assessed with both CT methods correlated with the function result of expiratory airflow obstruction and gas ...
Purpose : To evaluate whether the early pulmonary irradiation can prevent or decrease the pulmonary damage and contribute to improve ultimate survival in paraquat lung. Materials and Methods : From Jun. 1987 to Aug. 1993, thirty patients with paraquat poisoning were evaluated. Fourteen of these patients were received pulmonary irradiation(RT). All of the patients ere managed with aggressive supportive treatment such as gastric lavage, forced diuresis, antioxidant agents and antifibrosis agents. Ingested amounts of paraquat were estimated into three groups(A: minimal < about 5cc, B: mouthful 5-50 cc, C: Large > 50cc). Pulmonary irradiation was started within 24 hours after admission(from day 1 to day 11 after ingestion of paraquat). Both whole lungs were irradiated with AP/PA parallel opposing fields using C0-60 teletherapy machine. A total of 10Gy(2Gy/fr. X 5 days)was delivered without correction of lung density. Results : In group A, all patients were alive regardless of ...
T{sub 2} weighted ultra-short turbo spin echo sequences were used in five individuals with variations in echo times, delayed triggering and echo intervals. To reduce movement artifacts all examinations were carried out with ECG and respiratory triggering. The sequences giving optimal image quality were then employed in 19 patients having various pulmonary abnormalities. Image resolutions, artifacts, image contrasts and diagnostic value were then judged by two observers and compared with CT. In the first study, a diastole-triggered UTSE sequence with the shortest echo proved optimal (T{sub E}=90 ms, T{sub R}=2-4 s, echo=9 ms, turbo factor=19). In the patient series studied, MRT was inferior to CT with regard to resolution and number of artifacts, but better in respect of contrast and diagnostic value. Using UTSE of the lung, MRT can produce images of good quality. Compared with CT, contrast is better with MRT, offering diagnostic advantages for MRT. (orig./MG) ...