Assay of urinary iodides by specific electrodes: its value in dysthyroidism

A simple and reliable electrochemical urinary iodides determination method, using a crystalline membrane specific electrode is proposed. Normal adult values are determined. Determinations performed on 74 patients with an excess iodine induced hyperthyroidism show that urinary iodides determination is a good clinical evolution marker.     

Vaccine-Induced Protection from Homologous Tier 2 SHIV Challenge in Nonhuman Primates Depends on Serum-Neutralizing Antibody Titers

1. Download high-res image (179KB)
2. Download full-size image

     

Psychopathology Symptoms are Associated with Prenatal Health Practices in Pregnant Women with Heavy Smoking Levels

Purpose

Smoking during pregnancy may be linked to other problematic prenatal health behaviors in women. We examined interrelationships among prenatal smoking, prenatal health behaviors and mental health. The objective of this study was to examine factors that may contribute to variations in prenatal health practices among women who smoke during pregnancy.

Methods

Birth mothers from an adoption study (N?=?912) were interviewed about prenatal smoking, health behaviors, and mental health symptoms at 5 months postpartum.

Results

One-quarter of participants (N?=?222) reported smoking 6 or more cigarettes daily for at least 1 trimester. For mothers who smoked more than 6 cigarettes daily, higher levels of antisocial behaviors (β?=????.14, p?=?.03) and depressive symptoms (β?=????.17, p?=?.03) were associated with less frequent prenatal folate use; antisocial behaviors and depressive symptoms were not associated for prenatal folate use among women who did not smoke more than 6 cigarettes daily. For mothers who did not smoke more than 6 cigarettes daily, more depressive symptoms were associated with fewer prenatal care visits (β?=?.12, p?=?.01). Antisocial behaviors and anxiety symptoms were not associated with prenatal care visits in either group of mothers.

Conclusions for Practice

Maternal antisocial behaviors and depressive symptoms during pregnancy may be markers for poorer adherence to recommendations for folate supplementation among women who smoke 6 or more cigarettes daily during pregnancy, independent of adequacy of prenatal care.

     

Fragile X syndrome, DSM-III-R, and autism

Although reports of autistic behavior in fragile X males have been published for 8 years, there is little information about specific behaviors shown by fragile X males that are suggestive of the diagnosis of autism. The new diagnostic criteria for autistic disorder contained in the DSM-III-R provided the opportunity for more closely investigating the topography of autistic behavior in 17 fragile X males and the effects of age and IQ on its occurrence. The criteria most frequently met by these subjects were related to deficits in social interaction with peers, abnormalities in verbal and nonverbal communication, stereotypic motor behavior, and unusual responses to sensory stimuli. Fragile X subjects did not frequently show abnormalities in attachment behaviors and reciprocal interaction with caregivers. There were no discernable age or IQ effects. The importance and implications of these findings are discussed and the need for greater exploration of autism "subtypes" is emphasized.     

Susceptibility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to a photodynamic effect of the arginine hematoporphyrin derivative

The photodynamic effect of the arginine hematoporphyrin derivative (HpD-Arg(2)) on the growth of selected Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates is described as compared to the effect of hematoporphyrin derivative (HpD). Growth inhibition of HpD-Arg(2) of three Gram-positive strains (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Micrococcus luteus) and five laboratory strains of Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, P. aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterobacter cloacae) was observed as well. Serratia marcescens strain was resistant to light-activated HpD-Arg(2) or HpD. The antimicrobial activity of light-activated HpD-Arg(2) against P. aeruginosa may offer an additional option in the anti-pseudomonal therapy of wounds.     

Laterality of hand, foot, eye, and ear in twins

Information on handedness, footedness, eyedness, and earedness was collected from 33 monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs and 67 dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs. The incidence of nonright-sidedness in the twins is not higher than that reported in the literature for singletons. Similar results are found for the other lateralities. The results of assessing handedness with preference tests do not differ from those carried out with performance tests. There are no differences in incidence of nonright-sidedness between MZ and DZ twins. The concordance of lateralities is similar in MZ and DZ twins. The proportions of Right-Right, Right-Nonright, and Nonright-Nonright pairs in both groups of twins show a binomial distribution. The present results do not confirm a genetic hypothesis of determination of sidedness in humans and are comparable with the results obtained by other twin studies.     

Effect of counselling rejected blood donors to seek health care

The appropriate public health role of a blood bank has not been completely defined. An evaluation of verbal counselling as an incentive for rejected blood donors to seek follow-up medical care was undertaken. Two groups, deferred from donating blood because of low hematocrits, were compared in terms of compliance rate (percentage seeking medical care). The first group, comprising 60 individuals deferred in a traditional manner with either a brief written or verbal statement, had a compliance rate of 25%. In the second group, comprising 61 individuals to whom additional counselling was offered, 79% requested such counselling. A compliance of 60% was found among those counselled, and an overall compliance rate of 54% was noted in the group as a whole. The more than doubling of the compliance rate indicates that a blood bank can effectively encourage deferred donors, most of whom are asymptomatic, to seek health care.     

Decision-making process in abdominal surgery in the geriatric patient

The high rates of abdominal disorders in a growing population of geriatric patients and the greater willingness of the surgeon to cope with major problems in the elderly are factors contributing to a steady increase in abdominal procedures in this group. Four hundred consecutive major abdominal surgical procedures in patients over 70 years of age were submitted for computer analysis, the purpose of which was to determine the principal factors affecting mortality and morbidity. The etiological profile of abdominal surgery in the elderly was characterized by a high percentage of procedures related to the biliary tract, with the second largest group being those for intestinal obstruction due to benign and malignant conditions. The decision-making process in geriatric surgery is of great importance, requiring consideration of ethical, medico-legal and economic factors in addition to the purely medical ones. Analysis of data presented in this series leads to the following conclusions:

1. There is a declining mortality rate in all elective operations in the elderly, in the absence of widespread malignancy.
2. Timing is all important in abdominal emergencies in the elderly, and early operations are usually more successful than either immediate or delayed operations.
3. Definitive procedures are sometimes both safer and more cost effective than minimal procedures performed under such circumstances.
4. The principal factors leading to high mortality rates are the presence of malignancy, generalized peritonitis, and moderate-to-severe involvement of life-support systems.

     

Children and adolescents with velocardiofacial syndrome: a volumetric MRI study

OBJECTIVE: Velocardiofacial syndrome is a common genetic condition often accompanied by mild cognitive impairment. Children and adolescents with velocardiofacial syndrome also are at greater risk for developing serious neuropsychiatric disorders in adulthood, particularly schizophrenia-like disorders. The purpose of this preliminary study was to 1) elucidate through brain imaging the neurobiological basis of cognitive and neuropsychiatric problems in velocardiofacial syndrome, and 2) consider the association between variations in neuroanatomy in velocardiofacial syndrome subjects and the associated neurobehavioral phenotype. METHOD: Fifteen children and adolescents with velocardiofacial syndrome were matched by age and gender with 15 comparison subjects. High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging scans were analyzed to provide quantitative measures of specified brain tissues and regions. Rater-blind morphometric analyses were conducted to examine tissue volumes of the four lobes and the cerebellum. RESULTS: Total brain volume was approximately 11% smaller in the children with velocardiofacial syndrome. Gray matter volume was reduced to a lesser extent (7.5%) than white matter volume (16.3%). Multivariate analyses of variance indicated a distinct pattern of regional morphological variation among the children with velocardiofacial syndrome. Specifically, frontal lobe tissue tended to be enlarged relative to the overall reduction in brain volume. Normal symmetry of parietal lobe tissue observed in the comparison group was not evident in the velocardiofacial syndrome group. This loss of symmetry was attributable to a significant reduction of gray matter in the left parietal lobe. CONCLUSIONS: Aberrant brain morphology is associated with velocardiofacial syndrome. These changes are potentially related to the language and learning deficits associated with the syndrome and may provide clues about neurodevelopmental pathways associated with schizophrenia.