Birth weight of Hausa infants in Northern Nigeria.

The birth weight of 1460 Hausa singleton infants was recorded and analysed. The birth weight of Hausa infants (Mean +/- SD) was 3.03 +/- 0.45 kg, being higher in males (3.08 +/- 0.47 kg) than females (2.97 +/- 0.48 kg). The difference was significant (P less than 0.001). The mean birth weight of first born children was significantly lower than the subsequent born, and increasing birth order was associated with higher birth weight irrespective of maternal age. The birth weight was influenced more by the parity as compared to maternal age. The incidence of low birth weight was 15.8 per cent, being lower in males (13.6 per cent) as compared to females (18.1 per cent). Comparison were made with studies from other parts of the country as well as from other countries.     

Tracheal or esophageal compression due to benign thyroid disease

Tracheal or esophageal compression was present in 91 (33 percent) of 273 consecutive patients with benign goiter during a 7 year experience. The underlying disease was nodular colloid goiter in 66 percent, adenoma in 21 percent, thyroiditis in 9 percent and Graves' disease in 4 percent. The incidence of tracheoesophageal compression was higher in patients with thyroiditis (67 percent) than in those with colloid goiter (46 percent). Thirty of 91 patients were completely asymptomatic but had marked tracheal deviation on roentgenography. Two thirds presented with significant dyspnea, or dysphagia or both. A long history of goiter preceding the onset of symptoms and progressive worsening of compression symptoms after its onset were common in the latter group. Previous radiographs demonstrating significant tracheal deviation during a previous presymptomatic period were available in 11 of 36 dyspneic patients. Sudden tracheal occlusion developed in 3 percent and required emergency treatment.Tracheal compression occurred more often and when present was a more ominous symptom. Compression manifestations were more frequent in patients with multinodular goiter, were more likely to appear when the underlying disorder was thyroiditis, affected the trachea more often than the esophagus and were generally gradually progressive with time.A clinical spectrum ranging from a presymptomatic tracheal compression stage to one wherein progressive worsening of symptoms occurs is suggested. After symptoms of tracheal compression become clinically manifest, the occurrence of complete airway occlusion may be sudden and unpredictable. Early operation whenever roentgenographic evidence of tracheal deviation becomes manifest is recommended.     

The efficacy of bupropion in winter depression: results of an open trial.

BACKGROUND: Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) refers to regularly recurring episodes of affective illness bearing a fixed relationship to season. Wintertime depression is its most widely recognized form. This study was undertaken to assess the efficacy of bupropion as a treatment for this disorder. METHOD: Fifteen consecutively presenting patients were treated with bupropion (200 to 400 mg/day). All met DSM-III-R criteria for major depression with a seasonal pattern. All were moderately to severely depressed. A modified version of the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (mHAM-D) including ratings of hypersomnia, increased appetite and carbohydrate craving, and weight gain was used to quantify the severity of illness. Up to 5 weeks of treatment was allowed before the subjects were categorized as nonresponders, partial responders, or responders. RESULTS: The mean +/- SD mHAM-D scores before and after treatment were 25.5 +/- 6.4 and 4.1 +/- 3.1, respectively. Ten (66.7%) of the subjects had a complete response to treatment (mHAM-D score less than or equal to 5). The other 5 (33.3%) had a partial response (mHAM-D score = 6-10). Five of the subjects had chronic pain and 3 had panic attacks restricted to episodes of depression. These problems resolved simultaneously with the symptoms of depression. CONCLUSION: The results of this open trial suggest that bupropion is an effective treatment for winter depression. However, controlled studies are required to confidently determine whether this is the case.     

Lung mitochondria in experimental asbestosis

Alterations in lung mitochondria were followed in guinea pigs at different periods after a single intratracheal injection of chrysotile dust. Cytochrome c oxidase and succinic dehydrogenase activities showed gradual increase after 90 days, whereas monoamine oxidase remained unaffected throughout the study. There was an increase in glutamate dehydrogenase activity in postmitochondrial as well as in mitochondrial fractions, the latter being accompanied by decreased latency of the enzyme. Mitochondria from asbestotic lung appeared to be more swollen than in normal animals at and after 90 days of exposure. There were fluctuations in the contents of different phospholipids as a result of asbestosis. Beyond 90 days, collagen and mucopolysaccharides also increased. The results confirm the contention that pulmonary mitochondria are among the major target sites in asbestosis.     

Patched1 functions as a gatekeeper by promoting cell cycle progression

Mutations in the Hedgehog receptor, Patched 1 (Ptch1), have been linked to both familial and sporadic forms of basal cell carcinoma (BCC), leading to the hypothesis that loss of Ptch1 function is sufficient for tumor progression. By combining conditional knockout technology with the inducible activity of the Keratin6 promoter, we provide in vivo evidence that loss of Ptch1 function from the basal cell population of mouse skin is sufficient to induce rapid skin tumor formation, reminiscent of human BCC. Elimination of Ptch1 does not promote the nuclear translocation of beta-catenin and does not induce ectopic activation or expression of Notch pathway constituents. In the absence of Ptch1, however, a large proportion of basal cells exhibit nuclear accumulation of the cell cycle regulators cyclin D1 and B1. Collectively, our data suggest that Ptch1 likely functions as a tumor suppressor by inhibiting G1-S phase and G2-M phase cell cycle progression, and the rapid onset of tumor progression clearly indicates Ptch1 functions as a "gatekeeper." In addition, we note the high frequency and rapid onset of tumors in this mouse model makes it an ideal system for testing therapeutic strategies, such as Patched pathway inhibitors.