Recurrent urinary tract infection in girls. Group with lower tract findings and a benign course

A group of girls is described with recurrent urinary tract infections characterized by predominantly lower tract symptoms. Clinical, laboratory, and radiography findings during the period of follow-up are presented. Infection persisted in most patients over several years. Response to medical and surgical treatment was unsatisfactory. The mean interval between the initial and most recent radiological study was 6 1/2 years. No case of renal parenchymal scarring was seen.     

Cis-4-[(18)F]fluoro-L-proline PET imaging of pulmonary fibrosis in a rabbit model.

A fluorinated analog of proline amino acid, cis-4-[(18)F]fluoro-L-proline (FP), was tested for potential use in PET for detection and evaluation of pulmonary response to respirable crystalline silica. The purpose of the study was to determine whether PET imaging with FP is sensitive for detection of pulmonary fibrosis. METHODS: Experimental silicosis was produced in rabbits by airway instillation of 300 mg respirable silica in 0.9% sterile saline; control rabbits received only saline. After 1, 2, 4, or 5 mo, animals were injected with 37 MBq (1 mCi) FP, and imaged in sets of 2 to 3 in a PET scanner using a dynamic scanning protocol over a 3-h period. Each imaging set contained at least 1 control rabbit. FP uptake in each lung was scored from 0 to 5 (PET score) by consensus of 3 readers blinded to animals' exposure status. Animals were humanely killed 2 d after the last imaging, and tissue sections from each lung lobe were graded from 0 to 5 by histopathology examination (histopathology score) for severity and distribution of fibrosis. RESULTS: Silicotic animals had significantly higher (P < 0.05) PET scores at each time point than did control animals. Repeated-measures ANOVA showed significant differences in PET scores between silicotic and control animals for the total lung field, but there were no statistically significant time trends for either group. Presence of fibrosis (i.e., histopathology score > 1) showed a significant association with elevated PET score (i.e., PET score > 1) using Fisher's exact test (P < 0.05). PET scores also showed excellent predictive ability, as all animals (18/18) with fibrosis also had elevated PET scores, and 95% (18/19) of animals with PET scores > 1 showed evidence of fibrosis. Localization of activity to specific lung areas was less exact, perhaps due in part to the small animal size for the resolution of the clinical PET imager used. PET scores were elevated (>1) for 67% (10/15) of silicotic right lungs and 75% (12/16) of silicotic left lungs; fibrosis scores > 1 were measured in 91% (10/11) of right lungs with PET scores > 1, and in 92% (12/13) of such left lungs. CONCLUSION: The FP tracer provided sensitive and specific identification of silicotic animals in early stages of the disease. This suggests that FP PET imaging has the potential sensitivity to detect active fibrosis in silicosis and other lung diseases. Additional studies are needed to determine the specificity of the FP tracer for fibrosis versus inflammatory processes.     

Effect of laser fluence,nanoparticle concentration and total energy input per cell on photoporation of cells

Intracellular delivery of molecules can be increased by laser-exposure of carbon black nanoparticles to cause photoporation of the cells. Here we sought to determine effects of multiple laser exposure parameters on intracellular uptake and cell viability with the goal of determining a single unifying parameter that predicts cellular bioeffects. DU145 human prostate cancer cells in suspension with nanoparticles were exposed to near-infrared nanosecond laser pulses over a range of experimental conditions. Increased bioeffects (i.e., uptake and viability loss determined by flow cytometry) were seen when increasing laser fluence, number of pulses and nanoparticle concentration, and decreasing cell concentration. Bioeffects caused by different combinations of these four parameters were generally predicted by their cumulative energy input per cell, which served as a unifying parameter. This indicates that photoporation depends on what appears to be the cumulative effect of multiple cell–nanoparticle interactions from neighboring nanoparticles during a series of laser pulses.     

Prevention strategies for trichothecenes

Contamination of cereal commodities with mycotoxins represents a significant hazard to consumer health and has thus received increasing attention from food safety authorities and legislators. For trichothecenes, and deoxynivalenol (DON) in particular, the imminent implementation of legislative limits has focused attention on ways to prevent entry of such mycotoxin contaminants into the food and feed chains. Knowledge of the pre- and post-harvest stages in the cereal production chain and in particular information on where prevention strategies can be implemented is being used to develop quality assurance systems for improving food safety. Information on the ecology of Fusarium species, breeding for resistance, more effective fungicides, potential for biological control and effective drying and storage and preservation systems, are all helping to develop effective preventative strategies for minimising consumer exposure to trichothecenes and other mycotoxins.     

Infant Deaths – Data Disparity and Use of Ante,Intra and Post-natal Services Utilization: An Experience from Tribal Areas of Gujarat

Background:

Infant death depends upon the care during the infancy and also upon the service utilization during antenatal and intra-natal periods and with its decline, it is necessary to find the under-reporting if any and identify the most appropriate agency for its reporting.

Objectives:

(1) To document disparities between different reporting systems about infant deaths and find out the under-reporting if any and identify the most appropriate agency and (2) To identify utilization of health services during ante, intra and post-natal period for all infant deaths.

Materials and Methods:

Study was conducted in 51 villages of 3 Primary Health Centers (PHCs) from a tribal dominated Taluka (block) of South Gujarat during September - November 2005. Information was gathered for 1 year (1 September 2004 to 31 August 2005) from 4 sources namely health care system, Integrated Child development services (ICDS) scheme, Civil Registration System (CRS) and Investigator himself (Gold standard). Data was collected in a designed verbal autopsy questionnaire by house to house survey and analyzed in Epi Info.

Results:

A total of 48 infant deaths were recorded by investigator against reported 2, 10 and 8 infant deaths by CRS, Health System and ICDS respectively. While profiling these 48 infant deaths it was found that only 29.2% mothers received full antenatal care (ANC) and 60.4% delivered at home (by untrained personnel). Not a single delivery was done at PHCs or its sub centers (SC). In 25% cases there was poor cord care. 39.6% mothers did not breastfeed and 35.4% gave pre-lacteal feeding.

Conclusions:

There was gross underreporting of infant mortality in all 3 agencies. The utilization of ANC and post natal care (PNC) services was poor in these death cases. Health system and ICDS need to be sensitized to work in coordination to provide quality ANC, INC and PNC to prevent such avoidable infant deaths.     

Formulation and Characterization of Benzoyl Peroxide Gellified Emulsions

The present investigation was carried out with the objective of formulating a gellified emulsion of benzoyl peroxide, an anti-acne agent. The formulations were prepared using four different vegetable oils, viz. almond oil, jojoba oil, sesame oil, and wheat germ oil, owing to their emollient properties. The idea was to overcome the skin irritation and dryness caused by benzoyl peroxide, making the formulation more tolerable. The gellified emulsions were characterized for their homogeneity, rheology, spreadability, drug content, and stability. In vitro permeation studies were performed to check the drug permeation through rat skin. The formulations were evaluated for their antimicrobial activity, as well as their acute skin irritation potential. The results were compared with those obtained for the marketed formulation. Later, the histopathological examination of the skin treated with various formulations was carried out. Formulation F3 was found to have caused a very mild dysplastic change to the epidermis. On the other hand, the marketed formulation led to the greatest dysplastic change. Hence, it was concluded that formulation F3, containing sesame oil (6%w/w), was the optimized formulation. It exhibited the maximum drug release and anti-microbial activity, in addition to the least skin irritation potential.     

Toxicity of the herbicide atrazine: effects on lipid peroxidation and activities of antioxidant enzymes in the freshwater fish Channa punctatus (Bloch)

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the toxicity and effects of a commercial formulation of the herbicide atrazine (Rasayanzine) on lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzyme system in the freshwater air breathing fish Channa punctatus. The 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h LC(50) of atrazine, calculated by probit analysis, were determined to be 77.091, 64.053, 49.100, 44.412 and 42.381 mg·L(-1), respectively, in a semi static system with significant difference (p < 0.05) in LC(10-90) values obtained for different times of exposure. In addition to concentration and time dependent decrease in mortality rate, stress signs in the form of behavioral changes were also observed in response to the test chemical. In fish exposed for 15 days to different sublethal concentrations of the herbicide (1/4 LC(50) = ～10.600 mg·L(-1), 1/8 LC(50) = ～5.300 mg·L(-1) and 1/10 LC(50) = ～4.238 mg·L(-1)) induction of oxidative stress in the liver was evidence by increased lipid peroxidation levels. The antioxidants superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione reductase (GR) responded positively in a concentration dependent pattern, thus, suggesting the use of these antioxidants as potential biomarkers of toxicity associated with contaminations exposure in freshwater fishes.     

Expression of Fas and Fas ligand in Hodgkin's disease.

Fas and Fas ligand expression were investigated in twenty two cases of classical Hodgkin's disease (HD) by immunohistochemistry. While Reed-Sternberg (RS) cells in 7/22 (32%) cases expressed Fas ligand, reactive lymphoid cells expressed Fas ligand in only 2 (9%) cases. In 20/22 (91%) cases, the RS cells expressed Fas. A higher proportion of RS cells in the nodular sclerosis subtype expressed Fas as compared to the mixed cellularity subtype. In 18/22 (82%) cases, Fas expression was also noted in the reactive lymphoid cells. In eight cases, the reactive lymphoid cells were also analyzed by flow cytometry and a majority of them were CD4+CD45RO+. Most of these activated T-cells expressed Fas but were negative for Fas Ligand. To investigate the co-expression of Fas and Fas Ligand in the RS cells, six cases were subjected to Fas and Fas ligand immunostaining on consecutive sections. The co-expression was documented in the RS cells in four of six cases. These six cases with expression of both Fas and Fas ligand were investigated for the incidence of apoptosis. There was no statistically significant relationship between expression of Fas on reactive cells, expression of FasL on RS cells and the proportion of apoptotic reactive cells. In all these cases apoptosis was not observed in the RS cells. Thus Fas - FasL interactions may not lead to apoptosis of the RS cells.