Disorders of Fatty Acid Oxidation in the Era of Tandem Mass Spectrometry in Newborn Screening

With MS/MS, the world of newborn screening has changed from the “one test-one disorder” system to “one test-many disorders.” Disorders of fatty acid oxidation can be rapidly identified with a dried newborn blood spot on filter paper that is used to detect many other inborn error of metabolism. MS/MS allows the opportunity to identify many newborns with a FAOD before a catastrophic insult, thus, decreasing morbidity and mortality. In addition, MS/MS allows improved understanding of the natural history of FAODs, such as CPT I, MCAD, and VLCAD deficiencies. With appropriate support for biochemical genetics expertise, MS/MS used in newborn screening programs can provide a positive impact on the health of infants with a FAOD and their families.     

Menstrual Perceptions and Preparation Among Female Adolescents

Seventy-four 8th- and 10th-grade students attending a private girls' school in Hawaii were queried about their perceptions of and preparation for menstruation using a questionnaire administered in a health education class. Eighty percent had already started menstruating. The most frequently cited perceptions by the respondents referred to both the inconveniences and the normalcy of menstruation. Many were first informed about menstruation by their mothers and stated that they also first informed their mothers when they started menstruating. Surprise, fear, and embarrassment were common initial reactions, while strong negative or positive emotions were more rare. Only 35% wanted boys and girls together during class discussion, but 89% stated that boys needed to be informed about menstruation. The most frequent reasons cited for noncoed settings were the girls' concern about their comfort in openly discussing menstruation. Thirty-eight percent thought parents should inform other siblings when they started menstruation, although almost half gave specific conditions the parents should consider. The majority thought the fifth to sixth grades were the best times to introduce menstruation content.     

An autopsy case of dentatorubropallidoluysian atrophy showing marked atrophy of the brain stem

An autopsy case of a 66 year-old woman is reported. She developed personality change and psychotic symptoms at the age of 58. She began to show gait disturbance and forgetfullness at the age of 60. She was admitted to Okayama University Hospital at the age of 61, when she showed personality change, dementia, cerebellar sings and chorea like involuntary movement. The illness progressed slowly and she died of septicemia at the age of 66. At autopsy brain weighed 990 g. Macroscopically, the atrophy of the brain stem was severe, and the cerebellum was slightly atrophic. Microscopically, the globus pallidus was almost intact, but the degeneration involved dentate nuclei, their projections, red nucleus and the subthalamic nuclei, so this case was considered to be a case of pseudo-Huntington form of dentatorubropallidoluysian atrophy, proposed by Hirayama. The most striking feature of this case was marked atrophy of the brain stem and her intense familial history. Investigation of her familial history revealed that there were 18 affected cases in 5 successive generations. Their onset of the disease varied from the age of 10 to 60 years old. Cases of juvenile onset showed myoclonus and convulsion as the initial symptoms, and convulsion as the initial symptoms, and those of presenile onset showed dementia, cerebellar ataxia and chorea like involuntary movement. And in some of these cases it was proved by NMR-CT that their brain stem were small. We discussed the meaning of the atrophy of the brain stem in these cases and the difference of the symptoms between the cases of juvenile onset and the cases of presenile onset.     

Postpartal Nursing Diagnosis

The responsibility of nurses for postpartal patients has changed greatly in the past few years. No longer is it adequate to assess and manage only those physical problems that occur during the hospital stay. Today, potential psychosocial problems and consequences of parental knowledge deficit are part of nursing's domain of diagnosis and management. A review of the purpose of nursing diagnosis is important. Clarifying the difference between medical diagnosis and nursing diagnosis is also essential if one is to be comfortable with the process. Careful scrutiny of the unique needs of new parents will form the basis for formulating meaningful postpartal nursing diagnosis.     

Determination of isosorbide dinitrate biotransformation in various tissues of the rabbit by capillary column gas-liquid chromatography

A selective and sensitive capillary column gas-liquid chromatographic procedure has been developed for the simultaneous determination of isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN) and its mononitrate metabolites in rabbit blood and tissue homogenates. The method has a limit of detection of 0.1 ng ml-1 for ISDN, 1 ng ml-1 for isosorbide 5-mononitrate (5-ISMN), and 2 ng ml-1 for isosorbide 2-mononitrate (2-ISMN). The day-to-day coefficients of variation were 2.5, 6.8, and 11.3 per cent for ISDN, 5-ISMN, and 2-ISMN, respectively. The within-day coefficients of variation were 2.7, 4.9 and 6.5 per cent for ISDN, 5-ISMN, and 2-ISMN, respectively. The procedure was used to determine the biotransformation of ISDN (2 X 10(-7) M) to 5-ISMN and 2-ISMN by various rabbit tissue homogenates. The relative rate of biotransformation of ISDN was liver greater than lung approximately equal to intestine greater than kidney greater than blood approximately equal to skeletal muscle, with the lung and intestine homogenates being about two-thirds as active as liver homogenates. These results indicate that extrahepatic biotransformation of ISDN, especially by lung and intestine, may contribute to the systemic clearance of ISDN in the rabbit.     

Clinical reevaluation of continuous intravenous infusion of 5-fluorouracil--plasma concentrations and clinical dose by continuous intravenous and 60-min infusions

Daily and intermittent continuous intravenous infusions [by gravity drip, (IVG) or infusion pump, (IVP)] and intermittent short-time intravenous drip infusion of 5-FU were carried out on advanced cancer patients. The MTD and dose-limiting toxicity were investigated in relation to the plasma concentrations of 5-FU determined by HPLC. Responses in eleven patients receiving IVG administration daily at 8-21 mg/kg/day were NC, but those given 5-FU alone showed no adverse reactions. Plasma concentrations were too low to be determined. In 9 patients receiving IVG or IVP administration weekly at 60 mg/kg for 24 hr, 1 of the 5 evaluable patients showed reduced hepatic metastatic lesions. One of 4 patients receiving IVP administration weekly at 120 mg/kg for 48 hr showed a disappearance of metastatic lesions in the skeletal muscle, but bone marrow suppression was observed as dose-limiting toxicity. Pharmacokinetics were more stable in IVP than in IVG with less individual difference in the plasma concentrations. Among the outpatients receiving short-time iv, IVG administration once or twice a week, 2 patients given weekly administrations at 20 mg/kg for 60 min showed slight adverse reactions. In 6 patients given high-dose administrations, bone marrow suppression was observed. When pharmacokinetics in the patients given 5-FU for 60 min were compared between the IVG and IVP groups, there were individual differences in plasma concentrations, but the differences were not significant. It was concluded from above results that the following practical dose schedules would be recommendable: 60 mg/kg for 24hr/week by IVP for inpatients and 20 mg/kg for 60 min/week by IVG for outpatients.     

Minimal Breastfeeding

Current advice to breastfeeding mothers is that breasts must be emptied regularly and frequently to help maintain lactation. A method of maintaining lactation, minimal breastfeeding, in which mothers nurse once or twice a day without expressing the breast between breastfeedings was investigated. A convenience sample of 30 mothers using minimal breastfeeding was interviewed monthly until weaning. These mothers used minimal breastfeeding as a method of slow weaning, a way to combine breastfeeding and work, and a means of comfort-nursing older infants. In all cases, weaning occurred because the mother or the infant chose to wean, not because of insufficient milk. The authors conclude that for working mothers who cannot express between feeds, breastfeeding can still be maintained, and that minimal breastfeeding is an important alternative to weaning.