Surveillance of congenital cytomegalovirus disease, 1990-1991. Collaborating Registry Group.

In January 1990, a registry was initiated for surveillance of infants with the often severe symptoms of congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease. In the first 2 years, 100 cases were reported to the registry. Petechiae, the most commonly noted clinical sign, were reported for approximately 50% of infants, usually accompanied by hepatomegaly and splenomegaly. Of the various severe neurologic conditions that can result from congenital CMV infection, the most frequent was intracranial calcifications, which were noted in 43% of the cases. The most common laboratory abnormality was low platelet count, which was observed in 52% of the cases. Infants with severe neurologic damage were about twice as likely as infants with less severe damage to have most other clinical signs and laboratory abnormalities. Databases will be developed to facilitate comparisons among symptomatically infected infants and asymptomatically infected as well as noninfected infants.     

Partners in Growth: Implementing Family-Centered Changes in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Although there are several forces driving changes with regard to parents within neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), they all culminate in the ideals represented in family-centered care. This article examined the variables that are perceived by parents to be barriers to their assumption of parental roles while their infants were hospitalized in the NICU. Data were used to support and implement pragmatic changes in program development and service delivery within the NICU.     

A study comparing biopharmaceutic characteristics of four once daily controlled release diltiazem preparations

Summary— In the present study we have compared the steady state biopharmaceutic characteristics of four diltiazem once daily controlled release capsules: Mono-Tildiem LP 300® (300 mg), Adizem® XL (300 mg)¹, Cardizem® (300 mg) and Dilacor® (240 mg). Sixteen healthy male volunteers (aged 22.9 ± 3.3 years, range 19–31 years) completed an open label, multiple oral dose, randomized, four-period crossover study without a washout period in between. The volunteers received each diltiazem formulation once daily for four days. Trough diltiazem and metabolites plasma concentrations were determined on days 3 and 4. The 24-h plasma concentration-time profiles were assessed after the dose on day 4 of each period. The following steady state pharmacokinetic parameters for diltiazem were calculated: the minimum plasma concentration (c_min), the maximum plasma concentration (c_max), the time to reach that concentration (t_max), the time interval during which the plasma concentration exceeds 50% of c_max (t₅₀), the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC_72–96) and the peak-to-trough fluctuation (PTF). For the metabolites of diltiazem, N-mono-desmethyl-diltiazem (NDM) and desacetyldiltiazem (DAD), AUC_72–96 (AUC_NDM and AUC_DAD) and the ratio metabolite/parent compound were calculated. Steady state was achieved on day 3. Except one, all controlled release formulations have satisfactory controlled release properties allowing once daily administration. However, significant (P < 0.05) differences were found between the pharmacokinetic characteristics which do not allow exchange of the various formulations. Concentrations well below 50 ng·mL^-1 in the morning hours were observed for Dilacor® (240 mg) and Adizem® XL (300 mg), which could be a disadvantage of these formulations as it is well-known that ischaemic events occur at a higher rate during that part of the day. The plasma concentration profiles of NDM and DAD, the major circulating metabolites, parallel the plasma concentration profiles for the parent compound. From a clinical point of view, all treatments were well tolerated.     

A case of subcortical grey matter heterotopia presenting as bipolar disorder.

A case of previously diagnosed bipolar disorder was found to be associated with unilateral subcortical grey matter heterotopia, cortical hemiatrophy, midline shift, and ventriculomegaly on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The patient responded to pharmacotherapy with lithium carbonate and carbamazepine. This case dramatically illustrates the need for neuroimaging in psychiatric patients with apparently "functional" affective illness.     

Determination of pipothiazine in human plasma by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

A method is described for the determination of pipothiazine in human plasma, based on reversed-phase HPLC. The method has been applied in a pharmacokinetic study of pipothiazine in six psychiatric patients receiving repeated depot intramuscular injections for six months. A number of compounds likely to be taken concurrently by patients were tested for potential to interfere with the assay. There was no evidence of "dose-dumping" in the period following injection. Comparison of the pharmacokinetic profiles after the first and sixth injections showed no evidence of drug accumulation.     

The intestinal and rectal epithelial lymphocyte in AIDS. An electron-microscopic study

Injury to the gastrointestinal tract may be mediated in part by the intraepithelial lymphocyte. In this study, we utilized electron microscopy to define the morphological appearance of 86 intestinal and 55 rectal intraepithelial lymphocytes observed in 11 patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and one patient with AIDS-related lymphadenopathy syndrome. The data obtained from intraepithelial lymphocytes of AIDS are compared to those from 106 normal intestinal epithelial lymphocytes and 52 untreated celiac sprue epithelial lymphocytes. The AIDS epithelial lymphocyte possesses more organelles and appears "activated." Eighty-four percent of AIDS epithelial lymphocytes and 44% of normal epithelial lymphocytes possess lysosomal granules. There are 3.3 lysosomal granules/AIDS epithelial lymphocyte and 1.0 lysosomal granule/normal epithelial lymphocyte. Lymphocytes in AIDS usually possess multiple surface projections, which indent and make point contact with adjacent epithelial cells. Thirty-four percent of AIDS epithelial lymphocytes, 23% of sprue epithelial lymphocytes, and 2% of normal epithelial lymphocytes appear "activated." Lymphocytes in AIDS are "activated" in both the presence and absence of gastrointestinal pathogens. Epithelial lymphocytes are increased in intestinal, but not in rectal, AIDS tissue. Mucosal injury, including single cell necrosis, is minimal in the AIDS tissue. We speculate that the "activated" epithelial lymphocyte in AIDS, often possessing large lysosomes, could function as a cytotoxic effector in the development of gastrointestinal immune injury reported to be present in some patients with AIDS.     

Auditing paediatric diabetes care and the impact of a specialist nurse trained in paediatric diabetes

AIMS: To define outcome measures for auditing the clinical care of children and adolescents with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and to assess the benefit of appointing a dedicated paediatric trained diabetes specialist nurse (PDSN). METHODS: Retrospective analysis of medical notes and hospital records. Glycaemic control, growth, weight gain, microvascular complications, school absence, and the proportion of children undergoing an annual clinical review and diabetes education session were assessed. The effect of the appointment of a PDSN on the frequency of hospital admission, length of inpatient stay, and outpatient attendance was evaluated. RESULTS: Children with IDDM were of normal height and grew well for three years after diagnosis, but grew suboptimally thereafter. Weight gain was above average every year after diagnosis. Glycaemic control was poor at all ages with only 16% of children having an acceptable glycated haemoglobin. Eighty five per cent of patients underwent a formal annual clinical review, of whom 16% had background retinopathy and 20% microalbuminuria in one or more samples. After appointing the PDSN the median length of hospital stay for newly diagnosed patients decreased from five days to one day, with 10 of 24 children not admitted. None of the latter was admitted during the next year. There was no evidence of the PDSN affecting the frequency of readmission or length of stay of children with established IDDM. Non-attendance at the outpatient clinic was reduced from a median of 19 to 10%. CONCLUSIONS: Outcome measures for evaluating the care of children with IDDM can be defined and evaluated. Specialist nursing support markedly reduces the length of hospital stay of newly diagnosed patients without sacrificing the quality of care.