Candida species and yeasts in mouths of infants from a special care unit of a maternity hospital

A group of 99 babies born in hospital and subsequently transferred to the special care unit were examined for the presence of candidas orally. The rate of isolation rose from 6% neonatally to 53% on day 14 of life. Among infants who did not harbour the organisms when discharged from hospital, colonization rapidly took place so that 79% did so at 4 weeks of age, after which the rate fell to 50% at one year of age. The low incidence of clinical candidosis suggests that in these babies as in other groups C. albicans is normally a harmless commensal.     

Dermatomyositis in childhood. Review of eight cases

Eight cases of dermatomyositis in children admitted to Scottish hospitals between 1962 and 1972 have been reviewed. 6 of the 8 were currently in complete remission. In the other 2 cases the disease remained active in 1 and 1 had died of cardiac failure 6 years after the onset of disease. 5 had developed extensive soft tissue calcification for which 2 were treated with ethanehydroxydiphosphonate, one showing definite improvement and the other no change. All had been treated with corticosteroids and two in addition had had cytotoxic agents (methotrexate or cyclophosphamide). The overal prognosis had probably been improved by the use of corticosteroids but not by the cytotoxic drugs. Only one of the patients was incapacitated by residual contractures or calcinosis.     

Prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease in Canadians 55 to 74 years of age: results from the Canadian Heart Health Surveys, 1986-1992

BACKGROUND: By 2016, the proportion of Canadians older than 65 years of age will increase to 16%, and there will be an increase in the absolute number of cases of cardiovascular disease in older Canadians. The Canadian Heart Health Surveys database provides information about this population upon which health policy related to cardiovascular disease can be based. This paper presents for the first time population-based data on the risk factors for cardiovascular disease in older Canadians. METHODS: Canadians from all 10 provinces participated in surveys of cardiovascular risk factors; health insurance registries were used as sampling frames. In each province, probability samples of 2200 adults 18 to 74 years old not living in institutions, on reserves or in military camps were asked to participate in interviews and to undergo testing at clinics for major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. RESULTS: A total of 2739 men (response rate 70%) and 2617 women (response rate 66%) aged 55 to 74 years participated in the survey and also provided follow-up clinical measurements at the clinic. Overall, 52% of participants were hypertensive, 26% had isolated systolic hypertension, and 30% had a total blood cholesterol level of 6.2 mmol/L or greater. Rates of current smoking were lower in women than men (17% v. 22%). Overall, 87% of men and 78% of women who were current smokers smoked at least 10 cigarettes per day. Only slightly more than half of participants exercised at least once a week for at least 15 minutes, and almost half had a body mass index of 27 or greater. In only 4% was no major risk factor for cardiovascular disease detected. INTERPRETATION: Significant numbers of older Canadians have one or more major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Many of these risk factors are amenable to modification.     

ENDOTHELIAL CELL CULTURE AND SEEDING OF PROSTHETIC VASCULAR GRAFTS: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

Current synthetic vascular prostheses do not acquire lining of vascular endothelium in humans or dogs. Endothelial seeding of vascular grafts has been proposed as a means of reducing the thrombogenicity of these grafts. We examined feasibility of cultivating endothelial cells (EC) by tissue culture technique and their subsequent seeding onto small diameter polytetra fluoroethylene (PTFE) grafts. Twenty adult dogs underwent common carotid artery interposition with 4 mm PTFE grafts. Ten dogs received seeded and the remaining ten received unseeded grafts. Grafts were removed at 4 and 12 weeks and their gross/morphological features compared. Cumulative patency rates for seeded grafts were 70% as compared to unseeded ones 30%. Seeded grafts were completely surfaced with a mono-layer of endothelium by 4 weeks. Small graft patency appears to be related to the establishment of an endothelial surface, the development of which is clearly facilitated by seeding with autogenous endothelium.KEY WORDS: Endothelial cell seeding, Vascular grafts     

Parathyroid adenomas evaluated by Tl-201/Tc-99m pertechnetate subtraction scintigraphy and high-resolution ultrasonography

Thallium-201/technetium-99m pertechnetate subtraction scintigraphy of the parathyroid glands was performed in a prospective study of 33 patients who had undergone bilateral neck exploration for elevated serum calcium and serum parathyroid hormone levels. In 31 cases, the Tl-201/Tc-99m subtraction technique yielded an overall sensitivity of 81%, specificity of 99%, and accuracy of 94% for identifying solitary parathyroid adenomas. Tl-201/Tc-99m subtraction scintigraphy correctly identified 73% of parathyroid adenomas weighing less than 499 mg, 79% of those weighing 500-1,499 mg, and 100% of adenomas weighing more than 1,500 mg. In a subgroup of 24 patients with solitary parathyroid adenomas who underwent both scintigraphy and high-resolution sonography, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of both procedures were similar.     

Comparison of total alkaline phosphatase and three assays for bone-specific alkaline phosphatase in childhood and adolescence

We compared serum levels of total alkaline phosphatase (TAP) and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP) as determined by three different assays (lectin affinity electrophoresis, immunoradiometric assay, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) in subjects aged 5–20 years suffering from X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets ( n = 14), chronic renal failure ( n = 10) and chronic cholestatic liver disease ( n = 16). Results were compared to controls of the same age and were expressed as standard deviation scores (SDS). TAP correlated significantly with BAP ( r > 0.9 for each assay; p <0.001) in controls. In children with cholestatic diseases, TAP (median SDS + 2.0) was elevated, but BAP, as measured by the electrophoretic assay, was within the reference range for most patients (median SDS: -0.4; p = 0.003 for the difference between the median SDS of TAP and BAP). In contrast, results for BAP as determined by the two immunoassays were not significantly different from TAP in any of the three patient groups ( p > 0.05 in each group for both assays). In this study, the two immunoassays did not have a detectable advantage over lectin affinity electrophoresis in the determination of BAP.