Severe eosinophilic cystitis in a woman with anorexia nervosa

Eosinophilic cystitis is a rare inflammatory disorder. It is considered to be self limiting necessitating only supportive therapy. Surgical intervention is unusual. We report here an association between eosinophilic cystitis and anorexia nervosa in an adult woman requiring radical surgery for progressive relentless disease. Estrogen deficiency associated with a possible allergic etiology could explain this association.     

Developmental Toxicity Evaluation of Dietary Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate in Fischer 344 Rats and CD-1 Mice

Developmental Toxicity Evaluation of Dietary Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalatein Fischer 344 Rats and CD-I Mice. TYL, R. W., PRICE, C. J.,MARR, M. C. AND KJMMEL, C. A. (1988). Fundam. Appl. Toxicol.10, 395–412. Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), a widelyused plasticizing agent, was evaluated for developmental toxicityin timed-pregnant Fischer 344 rats (22-25 dams/dose) and CD-Imice (24-30 dams/dose). DEHP was administered in the diet ongestational Days (gd) 0 through 20 at 0.0,0.5, 1.0, 1.5, or2.0% (rats) and on gd 0 through 17 at 0.00, 0.025,0.05, 0.10,or 0.15% (mice). At termination (gd 20, rats; gd 17 mice), allfetuses were examined for external, visceral, and skeletal malformationsand variations. In rats, maternal toxicity and reduced fetalbody weight per litter were observed at 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0%.Increased resorptions and decreased number of live fetuses/litterwere observed at 2.0%. Maternal food consumption was reducedand water consumption was increased in all DEHP groups. Thenumber and percentage of fetuses malformed per litter were unaffectedby treatment. In mice, maternal toxicity, increased resorptionsand late fetal deaths, decreased number of live fetuses, andreduced fetal body weight per litter were observed at 0.10 and0.15%. Maternal food and water consumption exhibited a dose-relatedupward trend with food consumption significantly increased at0.15%. The number and percentage of fetuses malformed per litter(open eye, exophthalmia, exen-cephaly, short, constricted, orno tail, major vessel malformations, fused or branched ribs,and fused or misaligned thoracic vertebral centra) were elevatedat 0.05,0.10, and 0.15% DEHP. In conclusion, DEHP was not teratogenicat any dose tested in Fischer 344 rats when administered inthe feed throughout gestation but did produce maternal and otherembryofetal toxicity at 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0%. In contrast, DEHPadministration throughout gestation in CD-I mice resulted inan increased incidence of malformations at doses which producedmaternal and other embryofetal toxicity (0.10 and 0.15%) andat a dose (0.057percnt;) which did not produce significant maternaltoxicity. No treatment-related embryofetal toxicity includingteratogenicity was observed in mice at 0.025% Or in rats at0.5% DEHP.     

Conformational study of O-glycosylated threonine containing peptide models

¹H n.m.r. studies of Z-Thr-OMe, Z-Thr-Ala-OMe, Z-Ala-Thr-OMe and their glycosylated derivatives indicate the possibility of an intramolecular hydrogen bond between Thr NαH and the N-acetyl carbonyl of the carbohydrate moiety, 3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-α-d -galactopyranose(AcGalNAc). This is especially true in the case of Z-Thr(AcGalNAc)-Ala-OMe, suggesting that the strength of this hydrogen bond is dependent on the neighboring amino acids on the carbonyl terminal side of Thr. The existence of such a hydrogen bond implies a conformation in which the carbohydrate moiety is restricted to an orientation with its plane roughly perpendicular to the peptide backbone. In such an orientation, steric problems will be minimized in the case of clustered O-glycosidically linked Thr(Ser) residues as found in human erythrocyte glycophorin. A locked orientation of the carbohydrate moiety with respect to the peptide backbone may also play a conformational role in antifreeze glycoproteins.     

Integration and disintegration: the case of family planning in Haiti

This paper considers the impact of recent efforts to integratethe national family planning programme in Haiti into the Ministryof Public Health and Population as part of a broad-scale effortto improve rural health delivery. In spite of major investmentover the last 5 years, there has been a decline in family planningactivities, extremely low contraceptive prevalence and a lackof direction in the programme. The family planning managementinformation system did not allow programme leaders and policy-makersto monitor programme results and take corrective action. Toorapid integration, based on little more than conventional wisdom,led to the disintegration of a family planning programme thathad shown slow but steady growth and progress for 10 years.Steps needed to improve the situation are discussed.     

Occlusal tooth contacts in natural normal adult dentition in centric occlusion studied by photocclusion technique

Abstract— The inter- and intraexaminer reproducibility in the interpretation of the registrations of the photocclusion technique as well as the number of occlusal contacts and their intensity in natural normal dentition in centric occlusion were studied in 20 adults. No significant differences were found regarding the inter- and intraexaminer interpretations for both number and intensity of occlusal contacts. A mean number of 23.8 contacts per individual, an almost symmetric and balanced distribution of the contacts between left and right sides of the dentition, and an absence of any significant differences between female and male subjects characterized the normal natural dentition.     

N.m.r. study on conformation of Ac-Thr(α-GalNAc)-Ala-Ala-OMe as a model for mucin type glycoprotein

This study report on the results of high resolution ¹H n.m.r. investigations on Ac-Thr(α-GalNAc)-Ala-Ala-OMe 1 as a mucin type model glycopeptide of antifreeze glycoprotein (AFGP) in both dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and H₂O. The temperature dependence of amide proton chemical shifts strongly suggested the presence of the intramolecular hydrogen bond between the amide proton of GalNAc and the carbonyl oxygen of the Thr residues. Due to this bond, the orientation of the sugar residue of 1 appears to be fairly restricted relative to its peptide backbone. Despite the lack of the clear evidence for such intramolecular hydrogen bond in H₂O, ¹H coupling constant data suggested the structural similarity of 1 in DMSO and H₂O, indicating the presence of the intramolecular hydrogen bond even in H₂O, which may play an important role in determining the orientation of the sugar moiety with respect to the peptide backbone in glycoprotein.     

Subcutaneous Fat Necrosis in Pancreatitis

A case of subcutaneous fat necrosis as the initial manifestation of an attack of acute pancreatitis is presented. The accompanying features of respiratory distress syndrome, leukemoid reaction, shock, pleural effusions, and arthritis due to necrosis of periarticular fat are described. Autopsy findings are pancreatic pseudocyst, serofibrinous peritonitis, pleuritis, and pericarditis and fat necrosis not only in the subcutaneous fat but also in the pericardial, pleural, mediastinal, mesenteric, retroperitoneal, and pericalyceal fat.