Human selenium status and glutathione peroxidase activity in north-west England

Nutritional selenium deficiency disease, due to low soil selenium content, is well recognized in British livestock. The adequacy of the selenium status of 25 healthy human volunteers, 50 blood donors, 94 general medical patients and 106 allergy clinic patients was investigated in 1987/8 by measuring serum selenium concentration and platelet glutathione peroxidase activity. Mean serum selenium concentration for the entire study population was 92 micrograms/l. Significant linear correlations between serum selenium concentration and peroxidase activity indicate that a substantial proportion of both healthy volunteers and medical patients are of low selenium nutritional status. Twenty-five per cent of healthy volunteers and 50 per cent of medical patients had serum selenium values below those required for full expression of selenium-dependent enzyme activity. Deficiency of the antioxidant activities of selenium and selenium-dependent enzymes may be relevant to geographical differences in morbidity from a wide range of human disease states.     

Preventive systemic cyclosporin A in risk keratoplasty

Systemic cyclosporin A prophylaxis was applied in 18 high-risk corneal transplants. Immunoreactions occurred in three cases. They correlated with too low serum level of cyclosporin A. Two of them could be reversed by an increase of cyclosporin A dosage in combination with an intensive corticosteroid therapy. Four corneal transplants failed from persistent severe basic disease. Eleven corneal transplants remained clear during the follow-up (5-33 months). A constant trough cyclosporin A serum level of 100-120 ng/ml has been shown to exert efficient immunomodulating effects. We currently judge a postoperative prophylaxis period of 6 to 12 months with cyclosporin A to be sufficient in most high-risk cases.     

The prevalence of autonomic neuropathy in the primary glaucomas

The results of systemic autonomic nerve function studies in patients with closed-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension are reviewed. Autonomic neuropathy has been demonstrated in 58% of patients with closed-angle glaucoma and 42% of ocular hypertensive subjects, with significantly increased prevalence in ocular hypertensives with narrow iridocorneal angles. The implications are discussed, with particular reference to the pathogenesis of raised intraocular pressure.     

Possibilities of the clinical use of a new Soviet laser device on the anterior and posterior segments of the eye

A new Soviet laser device for multiple-purpose ophthalmologic application is described. The design is based on neodymium-doped glass laser with radiation at a 1.06 micron wavelength in a Q-spoiled mode and YAG laser with radiation frequency doubling at a wavelength of 0.532 micron in continuous operation. Clinical potentialities of this laser design in the treatment of abnormalities of the anterior and posterior segment of the eye were studied in the treatment of 48 patients (48 eyes). The results evidence that the device is fit for coagulation as well as for mechanical destruction of tissue.     

School-Based Cardiovascular Health Promotion: The Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH)

The Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH) is a multisite intervention research study that builds on significant progress made in school health education research in the 1980s. The study has three phases: Phase I deals with study design, intervention, and measurement development, Phase II involves the main trial in 96 schools in four states, and Phase III focuses on analysis. The intervention program targets third-fifth grade students and focuses on multiple cardiovascular health behaviors, including eating habits, physical activity, and cigarette smoking. Classroom curricula, school environmental change, and family involvement programs are developed for each grade level and behavioral focus. This paper describes Phase II of CATCH with a rationale for cardiovascular health promotion with youth. The process of change that appears to be necessary for school-based health promotion and that will be tested in CATCH are presented as a framework to guide these efforts.     

Embryonic and maternal heat shock responses to a teratogenic hyperthermic insult

Exposing embryos to elevated temperatures both in vivo and in vitro has been shown to result in the production of offspring with severe congenital abnormalities. While a direct effect of heat cannot be excluded, recent interest has been focused on the possible role that the induction of the heat shock response may have in the etiology of the observed congenital defects. In the present study, mouse embryos from inbred strains known to differ in terms of their sensitivity to heat-induced exencephaly were treated in vivo and their heat shock response determined using SDS-PAGE electrophoretic techniques. Further, the embryonic responses were compared with a maternal cell type. We observed excellent agreement between the two test systems following exposure to a teratogenic hyperthermic insult. Both the embryonic and maternal cells underwent a reduction in total protein synthesis and an enhanced synthesis of four heat shock proteins migrating with the molecular weights of 68, 70, 97, and 110 kDa. The results failed to indicate any strong correlation between the heat shock response and enhanced genetic sensitivity to hyperthermia-induced neural tube defects.     

Comparative evaluation of invasive methods of examination of pulmonary coin lesions

The results of examination of 575 solitary spherical structures in the lungs are analysed. Comparative evaluation of various methods of examination showed that transthoracic aspiration biopsy conducted under the control of computered tomography by means of two thin needles has advantages over radiological examination, cytological examination of sputum, and bronchofibroscopic biopsy. The authors developed a diagnostic algorithm used in a patient with a solitary spherical structure in the lung.