Lipid and lipoprotein measurements in a normal, adult Cuban population

An attempt was made to determine the normal reference values of lipid- and lipoprotein levels (cholesterol), triglycerides, cholesterol in high- and low-density lipoproteins) in a selected, apparently healthy, Cuban population. Results were expressed as mean, and various percentiles of measured values; two ratios: Risk 1 (LDL-C/HDL-C) and Risk 2 (TC/HDL-C) were also calculated. Approximately 40% of the subjects aged 20 to 30 years had cholesterol values above 200 mg/dl. Females had significantly higher cholesterol HDL-C values than males, whereas the concentrations of LDL-C and LDL were higher in males. Risk 2 ratios were elevated in males. A correlation was shown between lipid levels and age. There was a strong negative correlation between HDL-C and relative body weight. It is suggested that obesity might be an individual risk factor in the population studied.     

广州地区不同年龄组支气管哮喘儿童变应原体外检测结果分析

目的观察广州地区不同年龄组支气管哮喘（哮喘）儿童总IgE（TIgE）水平和15种变应原特异性IgE（slgE）的阳性分布情况。方法入选859例小儿呼吸门诊的0～14岁哮喘儿童,采用德国FookeAllergy-O-LIQ变应原检测系统,通过酶联免疫捕获法检测TI姬和变应原sIgE,比较0～2岁、3～5岁、6～10岁和11～14岁组哮喘儿童的TIgE水平和15种变应原slgE的阳性分布差异。结果TIgE在6～10岁组[148．2（260．8）IU／ml]和11～14岁组[156．5（329．4）IU／ml]分别明显高于0～2岁组[38．7（82．2）IU／ml]和3～5岁组[64．2（138．2）IU／ml]（均为P〈0．01）。吸入变应原sIgE阳性率前4位是屋尘（51．9％）、屋尘螨（49．7％）、粉尘螨（47．7％）和热带螨（9．3％）,其阳性率均随年龄的增加而t增高,4个年龄组比较差异具有统计学意义（r分别为61．987、125．439、152．507和87．997,均P〈0．01）。食物变应原sIgE阳性率前4位是牛奶（37．7％）、全蛋（23．1％）、花生（6．3％）和小麦粉（5．6％）,4个年龄组比较差异具有统计学意义（r分别为50．766、22．913、8．275和7．808,均P〈0．05）,牛奶和全蛋的阳性率因年龄的增加而降低,而花生和小麦的阳性率分别在6～10岁组和3～5岁组达高峰后下降。结论广州地区哮喘儿童TIgE水平和主要的吸入变应原屋尘、屋尘螨、粉尘螨及热带螨sIgE阳性率总的变化趋势随年龄的增加而增高,而主要的食物变应原牛奶和鸡蛋的sIgE阳性率则随年龄的增加而下降。     

Cow's milk protein-specific IgE concentrations in two age groups of milk-allergic children and in children achieving clinical tolerance

BACKGROUND: IgE-mediated cow's milk protein allergy (CMPA) is usually outgrown in children by the age of 3 years. The immunological responses to cow's milk proteins in children who achieve tolerance, in comparison with those who remain allergic, however, are not well described. OBJECTIVE: To compare the level of cow's milk protein-specific IgE among children with documented CMPA under the age of 3 years, another group over the age of 9 years (persistent allergy), and in another group of children in whom clinical tolerance developed. METHODS: Stored sera from children with CMPA were analysed for IgE antibodies specific for whole cow's milk, casein, whey, alpha-lactalbumin (ALA), beta-lactoglobulin (BLG), and bovine serum albumin (BSA) using the Pharmacia CAP System FEIA. RESULTS: Within each group of CMPA children, the concentration of specific IgE antibody to casein proteins was not significantly different from that to whey proteins. However, children in the group with CMPA over 9 years of age had significantly greater concentrations of whole milk (P = 0.02) and casein-specific (P = 0. 04) IgE antibodies compared with the group of children with CMPA under age 3 years. Children under the age of 3 years had a higher median concentration of casein-specific IgE (20.2 vs. 5.5, P = 0.04) than another group of 11 children (mean age 3.5 years), who later lost their milk allergy. Out of 16 children who lost sensitivity to milk, 75% had milk-specific IgE levels below 14.3 kUA/L (median, 1.3 kUA/L). CONCLUSIONS: Although a dominant allergenic milk protein fraction was not identified within either of the two age groups, those with persistent CMPA over age 9 years had significantly elevated levels of milk and casein-specific IgE compared with younger children with CMPA.     

Lipid profiles of Helicobacter pylori colony variants

A phase variation in Helicobacter pylori has been previously described. In one phase the bacterium had a cell wall lipid content typical for gram-negative bacteria (HpL), whereas in the other phase the bacterium was found to have a cell wall with increased amounts of lysophospholipids (HpS). The conversion is spontaneous, but could also be induced by acid (HpS(ind)) and was associated with in vitro release of Vac A and urease. The purpose of the present study was to determine the full phospholipid content of the cell wall to indicate a molecular mechanism of the colony variation. There were no appreciable differences between the lipid profiles of HpS and HpS(ind), while there were major differences between HpL and the S-variant. In the S-variant, lysophospholipids constituted about 50% of the total phospholipids, as compared to less than 2% in the L-variant. The proportion of total and individual cholesteryl glucosides also showed considerable changes. HpL was dominated by the phosphate-linked cholesteryl glucoside (72%) while the acylated cholesteryl glucoside was the main cholesteryl glucoside of the S-variant (65%). Our results demonstrate a dramatic change in cell wall properties after acid induction and spontaneously in vitro, and suggest some molecular mechanisms for this variation from an in vitro non-virulent to a virulent variant.     

Somatic findings at age 9 years on three ethnic groups of Nigerian urban and rural boys

Somatic data were collected in 1983 on 577 Nigerian boys age 9 years drawn from Ibo, Yoruba, and Hausa ethnic groups living in urban and rural locations. On each subgroup, measures of body size, body form, and body composition were analysed for central tendency and variability. From urban samples, means for standing height and body weight were highest on Ibo boys, intermediate on Yoruba boys, and lowest on Hausa boys. Ibo urban boys, on average, were larger than their rural peers by 5.9 cm in standing height, 3.3 kg in body weight, and near 1.5 cm in shoulder width, arm girth, and calf girth. From pooled urban and rural subgroups, calf girth relative to lower limb height was near 40% on Ibo boys, 39% on Yoruba boys, and 38% on Hausa boys. From the three ethnic groups combined, means for thickness of skin and subcutaneous tissue on the arm and abdomen were higher on urban than rural boys. Composite means for 494 Nigerian Ibo and Yoruba urban and rural boys were lower than means for 208 United States Black boys measured during 1974-1977 in Richland County, South Carolina, by 1.7 cm in standing height, 3.0 kg in body weight, and near 1.5 cm in arm girth and calf girth.     

Plasma lipid and lipoprotein profiles in pre- and post-menopausal middle-aged runners

Plasma lipid and lipoprotein profiles were compared in middle-aged trained and untrained women before and after menopause. Subjects were assigned to one of four groups: (1) pre-menopausal trained (Pre-T: n = 17, aged 42 +/- 5 years, body fat 19 +/- 5%, training distance 53 +/- 20 km week-1, VO2max 49 +/- 4 ml kg-1 min-1, mean +/- SD); (2) pre-menopausal untrained (Pre-UT: n = 26, 42 +/- 5 years, 24 +/- 7%, 34 +/- 6 ml kg-1 min-1); (3) post-menopausal trained (Post-T: n = 16, 54 +/- 3 years, 20 +/- 4%, 43 +/- 19 km week-1, 41 +/- 5 ml kg-1 min-1); and (4) post-menopausal untrained (Post-UT: n = 15, 55 +/- 3 years, 25 +/- 6%, 31 +/- 3 ml kg-1 min-1). There were no significant differences in total cholesterol (range 173-194 mg dl-1), triglyceride (56-72 mg dl-1), and HDL-cholesterol (HDLC: 76-85 mg dl-1) among the four groups. LDL-cholesterol (LDLC) in the post-menopausal women (Post-T: 96 +/- 32 mg dl-1; Post-UT: 104 +/- 23 mg dl-1) tended to be higher than in the premenopausal women (Pre-T: 86 +/- 25 mg dl-1, Pre-UT: 81 +/- 23 mg dl-1).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Lipid and lipoprotein profiles, cardiovascular fitness, body composition, and diet during and after resistance, aerobic and combination training in young women

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of various modes of training on the time-course of changes in lipoprotein-lipid profiles in the blood, cardiovascular fitness, and body composition after 16 weeks of training and 6 weeks of detraining in young women. A group of 48 sedentary but healthy women [mean age 20.4 (SD 1) years] were matched and randomly placed into a control group (CG, n=12), an aerobic training group (ATG, n=12), a resistance training group (RTG, n=12), or a cross-training group that combined both aerobic and resistance training (XTG, n=12). The ATG, RTG and XTG trained for 16 weeks and were monitored for changes in blood concentrations of lipoprotein-lipids, cardiovascular fitness, body composition, and dietary composition throughout a 16 week period of training and 6 weeks of detraining. The ATG significantly reduced blood concentrations of triglycerides (TRI) (P < 0.05) and significantly increased blood concentrations of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) after 16 weeks of training. The correlation between percentage fat and HDL-C was 0.63 (P < 0.05), which explained 40% of the variation in HDL-C, while the correlation between maximal oxygen uptake (V˙O_2max) and HDL-C was 0.48 (P < 0.05), which explained 23% of the variation in HDL-C. The ATG increased V˙O_2max by 25% (P < 0.001) and decreased percentage body fat by 13% (P < 0.05) after 16 weeks. Each of the alterations in the ATG had disappeared after the 6 week detraining period. The concentration of total cholesterol (TC), TRI, HDL-C and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol in the blood did not change during the study in RTG, XTG and CG. The RTG increased upper and lower body strength by 29% (P < 0.001) and 38%, respectively. The 6 week detraining strength values obtained in RTG were significantly greater than those obtained at baseline. The XTG increased upper and lower body strength by 19% (P < 0.01) and 25% (P < 0.001), respectively. The 6 week detraining strength values obtained in XTG were significantly greater than those obtained at baseline. The RTG, XTG and CG did not demonstrate any significant changes in either V˙O_2max, or body composition during the training and detraining periods. The results of this study suggest that aerobic-type exercise improves lipoprotein-lipid profiles, cardiorespiratory fitness and body composition in healthy, young women, while resistance training significantly improved upper and lower body strength only. Accepted: 9 April 2000     

Seroprevalence of Epstein-Barr virus antibody among children in various age groups in Bangkok, Thailand.

There are no current data on previous Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infections in different age groups of Thai children. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of anti-EBV IgG antibody in healthy children of various age ranges in Bangkok, Thailand. Between June and December 1998, blood samples were collected from 425 volunteers aged 6 months to 15 years who attended a well baby clinic in the northern suburban part of Bangkok, Thailand. Serum samples were assayed for specific anti-EBV IgG antibodies using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. The percentage of children with positive anti-EBV IgG antibody increased with advancing age. The overall seropositivity rate was 72.7%. Children with anti-EBV IgG antibody were significantly older than those without the antibody. Seronegative children were reared at home significantly more frequently than seropositive children. These seroopidemiologic data will guide calculation of the appropriate age for administration of an EBV vaccine to children, when it becomes available.     

Assessment of infection with polyomaviruses BKV, JCV and SV40 in different groups of Cuban individuals

We investigated the frequency of BKV, JCV and SV40 reactivation in three groups of Cuban patients by multiplex nested PCR assay of 40 paraffin-embedded colorectal neoplasm tissues, 113 urine samples, and 125 plasma samples from 27 transplant recipients, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from 67 HIV-1-infected individuals with central nervous system (CNS) disorders. None of these polyomaviruses were detected in colorectal neoplasms. JCV DNA was detected in 2 of 67 patients (2.9%) with CNS disorders, but neither BKV nor SV40 was identified. BKV was found in urine from 38.5% and 28.6% of adult and pediatric transplant recipients, respectively. In adult renal transplant recipients, excretion of BKV in urine was significantly associated with episodes of acute rejection (p=0.012) and with excretion of HCMV in urine (p= 0.008). In Cuba, the polyomaviruses studied here could not be related to colorectal neoplasms, and JCV was rarely detected in CSFs of HIV-1-infected individuals, whilst BKV reactivation was found to occur frequently in organ transplant recipients.     

Platelet counts in three racial groups

Documented differences exist in red blood cell (RBC) and granulocyte counts between black and white people. However, little comparative information is available on differences in platelet counts in the two racial groups. Therefore, this study was performed to compare platelet counts in healthy white (94), black (92), and Latin-American (63) persons. Black women had significantly higher platelet counts than did white women (P less than 0.025). Latin-American women were between the other two groups. No differences were noted among men. Black women also had a significantly higher prevalence of iron deficiency and microcytosis of RBCs than did white women. After exclusion of women with either microcytosis or iron deficiency, racial differences in platelet counts were no longer evident. The authors conclude that the differences in the platelet counts between black and white women were secondary to common RBC differences (such as iron deficiency and other causes of microcytic anemia) and were not intrinsic to the platelets. These and other factors that can affect platelet counts should be excluded before determining the reference ranges for proper interpretation of the platelet counts.     

Comparison of three different serological techniques for primary diagnosis and monitoring of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in two age groups from Tunisia

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in Tunisia is characterized by its bimodal age distribution involving juvenile patients of 10-24 years and adult patients of 40-60 years. Three serological techniques were compared for primary diagnosis (N = 117) and post-treatment monitoring (N = 21) of NPC patients separated in two age groups. Immunofluorescence assay (IFA) was used as the "gold standard" for detection of IgG and IgA antibodies reactive with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) early (EA) and viral capsid (VCA) antigens. Results were compared with ELISA measuring IgG and IgA antibody reactivity to defined EBNA1, EA, and VCA antigens. Immunoblot was used to reveal the molecular diversity underlying the anti-EBV IgG and IgA antibody responses. The results indicate that young NPC patients have significantly more restricted anti-EBV IgG and IgA antibody responses with aberrant IgG VCA/EA levels in 78% compared to 91.7% in elder patients. IgA VCA/EA was detected in 50% of young patients versus 89.4% for the elder group (P < 0.001). Immunoblot revealed a reduced overall diversity of EBV antigen recognition for both IgG and IgA in young patients. A good concordance was observed between ELISA and IFA for primary NPC diagnosis with 81-91% overall agreement. Even better agreement (95-100%) was found for antibody changes during follow-up monitoring, showing declining reactivity in patients in remission and increasing reactivity in patients with persistent disease or relapse. ELISA for IgA anti-VCA-p18 and immunoblot proved most sensitive for predicting tumor relapse. VCA-p18 IgA ELISA seems suitable for routine diagnosis and early detection of NPC complication.     

T and B lymphocytes in three population groups

The lymphocytes of 166 normal subjects from three population groups were studied by a method in which T and B cells were enumerated in a single preparation, using sheep cell rosette formation together with immunofluorescence for surface immunoglobulins. Ninety-four per cent of peripheral lymphocytes could be classified into one or the other group, with no overlapping except in five subjects who had some cells carrying both markers. Total absolute lymphocyte, T- and B-cell counts were highest in Indians, with significant differences against both the other groups, and lowest in Europeans, with African Negroes showing intermediate values.