Quality of life in inflammatory bowel disease.

Quality of life with inflammatory bowel disease has not been well examined. Recently, a questionnaire to determine subjective health status for patients with inflammatory bowel disease has been developed and verified. To examine the quality of life in a group of "well" outpatients with inflammatory bowel disease, we developed a self-administered form of this questionnaire containing 36 questions identifiable to five dimensions: systemic symptoms, bowel symptoms, functional impairment, social impairment, and emotional function. We identified outpatients with inflammatory bowel disease through the local chapter of the Ileitis and Colitis Foundation and distributed 396 questionnaires, by mail, with 182 being returned completed (46% response rate). Forty-eight age- and sex-matched controls filled out and returned an identical questionnaire. Response options for each question were framed on a seven-point scale in which 7 represented best function and 1 represented worst function. Male-to-female ratio and mean age were similar to those of controls for the inflammatory bowel disease group. In each dimension, as well as globally, the quality of life of patients with inflammatory bowel disease was significantly worse than that for their age- and sex-matched controls. In conclusion, this survey demonstrates that inflammatory bowel disease adversely affects quality of life in a highly motivated group of "well" outpatients when compared to an age- and sex-matched population.     

Growth hormone benefits children with 18q deletions

Most individuals with constitutional deletions of chromosome 18q have developmental delays, dysmyelination of the brain, and growth failure due to growth hormone deficiency. We monitored the effects of growth hormone treatment by evaluating 23 individuals for changes in growth, nonverbal intelligence quotient (nIQ), and quantitative brain MRI changes. Over an average of 37 months, the treated group of 13 children had an average nIQ increase of 17 points, an increase in height standard deviation score of 1.7, and significant change in T1 relaxation times in the caudate and frontal white matter. Cognitive changes of this magnitude are clinically significant and are anticipated to have an effect on the long-term outcomes for the treated individuals.     

Measurement of total bile acids in gastric juice

An established method for the assay of total bile acids was validated for use in fasting and post-prandial gastric juice samples. Fasting and post-prandial intragastric bile acid concentrations were measured in 29 healthy volunteers, 15 patients after vagotomy and gastrojejunostomy (V and GJ) and 15 patients after vagotomy and pyloroplasty (V and P). Healthy female volunteers had higher post-prandial bile acid concentrations than age matched healthy males (p less than 0.02). Patients with V and GJ had higher fasting and post-prandial bile acid concentrations than age and sex matched control subjects (p less than 0.01). Patients with V and P had higher bile acid concentrations than control subjects only in post-prandial samples (p less than 0.05).     

Comparison of the affinities to bovine and human prothrombin of the staphylocoagulases from Staphylococcus intermedius and Staphylococcus aureus of animal origin.

Staphylocoagulases of Staphylococcus aureus (40 strains originally isolated from horses, dogs, cats, cows, sheep, opossums, pigs, humans, and a goat) and Staphylococcus intermedius (19 isolates from dogs and 1 pigeon strain) were tested for their affinity to prothrombins of either bovine or human origin. The tests used were the coagulase tube test (using human, bovine, or equine fibrinogen with either bovine or human prothrombin as the source of coagulase-reacting factor) and a chromogenic assay which enabled quantification of the amidolytic activity of the staphylocoagulase-prothrombin complex. S. intermedius showed weak specificity for human prothrombin, with 15% of the coagulases clotting human fibrinogen, 25% clotting equine fibrinogen, and 40% clotting bovine fibrinogen. However, 65% of coagulases clotted equine fibrinogen, 75% of coagulases clotted human fibrinogen, and 100% of coagulases clotted bovine fibrinogen when bovine prothrombin was used. The animal isolates of S. aureus displayed more diverse specificity toward prothrombin than S. intermedius strains. While 85% of coagulase preparations clotted human fibrinogen when human prothrombin was used, only 45% of preparations clotted bovine fibrinogen when bovine prothrombin was used. However, 62.5% of coagulases clotted human fibrinogen when bovine prothrombin was used and 85% of coagulases clotted bovine fibrinogen when human prothrombin was used. This may be a reflection of the diversity of the animal origins of S. aureus isolates.     

Contribution of magnetic resonance microscopy in the 12-week neurotoxicity evaluation of carbonyl sulfide in Fischer 344 rats

In this carbonyl sulfide (COS) study, magnetic resonance microscopy (MRM) and detailed light microscopic evaluation effectively functioned in parallel to assure that the distribution and degree of pathology in the brain was accurately represented. MRM is a powerful imaging modality that allows for excellent identification of neuroanatomical structures coupled with the ability to acquire 200 or more cross-sectional images of the brain, and the ability to display them in multiple planes. F344 rats were exposed to 200-600 ppm COS for up to 12 weeks. Prior to MRM, rats were anesthetized and cardiac perfused with McDowell Trump's fixative containing a gadolinium MR contrast medium. Fixed specimens were scanned at the Duke Center for In Vivo Microscopy on a 9.4 Tesla magnetic resonance system adapted explicitly for microscopic imaging. An advantage of MRM in this study was the ability to identify lesions in rats that appeared clinically normal prior to sacrifice and the opportunity to identify lesions in areas of the brain which would not be included in conventional studies. Other advantages include the ability to examine the brain in multiple planes (transverse, dorsal, sagittal) and obtain and save the MRM images in a digital format that allows for postexperimental data processing and manipulation. MRM images were correlated with neuroanatomical and neuropathological findings. All suspected MRM images were compared to corresponding H&E slides. An important aspect of this study was that MRM was critical in defining our strategy for sectioning the brain, and for designing mechanistic studies (cytochrome oxidase evaluations) and functional assessments (electrophysiology studies) on specifically targeted anatomical sites following COS exposure.     

Electron microscopic observation of feline kidney cells infected with a feline calicivirus

An electron microscopic study of kitten kidney cells infected with a feline calicivirus (a member of the family Picornaviridae) has been carried out. Although cells appeared to be synchronised by the light microscope, electron microscopic changes were extremely variable. The first observable and consistent changes occurred in the nucleus followed by the formation of membrane bound vesicles in the cytoplasm. A variety of arrangements of virus particle accumulation were observed in infected cells. These included crystalline arrays, membranous cisternae and accumulation of particles in fine fibrillar material. The finding of accumulations of virus particles in association with smooth membranes is of importance in respect of the recent biochemical evidence of poliovirus assembly in relation to smooth membranes.     

Female and male partner age and menotrophin requirements influence pregnancy rates with human menopausal gonadotrophin therapy in combination with intrauterine insemination

This study analyses the influence of female and male patient age and human menopausal gonadotrophin (HMG) requirements on clinical pregnancy rates and live birth rates with ovulation stimulation using HMG in combination with intrauterine insemination (IUI). In this study, 363 consecutive HMG/IUI treatment cycles in 184 patients carried out at a university fertility centre were analysed in a retrospective fashion. The main outcomes measured were clinical pregnancy rates and live birth rates. Increased female partner age (> or = 35) and male partner age (> or = 40) were found to negatively influence pregnancy rates with HMG/ IUI therapy. In addition, this study demonstrated a critical threshold of HMG requirements beyond which pregnancy did not occur. No pregnancies occurred in treatment cycles requiring > 25 ampoules (1875 IU) of menotrophins to achieve follicular maturity, irrespective of patient age. In conclusion, female partner age, male partner age, and HMG requirements all significantly influence pregnancy rates with HMG/IUI therapy.