Handgrip strength in English schoolchildren

Aims: The aims of this study were to evaluate patterns of handgrip (HG) strength in relation to gender and age in English schoolchildren and to compare this with existing data and produce reference data for this population. Methods: The HG of 7147 English schoolchildren (3773 boys and 3374 girls) aged 10–15.9 years was measured using a portable Takei handgrip dynamometer (Takei Scientific Instruments Co. Ltd, Tokyo, Japan). Centile data were produced using the Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale and Shape. Z‐scores were generated using existing data for European children. Age and gender interactions were analysed using analysis of covariance. Results: In boys and girls, significant increases in HG were found between every age‐group (p < 0.001). Boys were significantly stronger than girls at every age (p < 0.001) and the boys’ age‐related increase was significantly greater than the girls’ (p < 0.001). Conclusion: This study provides reference data for handgrip strength in English schoolchildren. Handgrip strength in English children is broadly similar to existing European data, after adjusting for mass and stature. These data could be used for clinical or athletic screening of low and high strength in this population.     

Effect of quinolone antibiotics on hepatic growth and protein synthesis following partial hepatectomy in rats

Quinolone antibiotics inhibit eukaryotic as well as prokaryotic cell growth and protein synthesis. To determine whether these properties adversely affect hepatic growth and recovery following surgical resection, five groups of healthy, adult male rats (n = 7–8/group) were treated for 10 days with equal volumes of either ofloxacin (50 mg/kg), fleroxacin (25mg/kg), ciprofloxacin (25 mg/kg), norfloxacin (15mg/kg) or sterile saline (controls) prior to 70% partial hepatectomy (PH) and daily thereafter until death. Restituted liver mass, DNA and protein synthesis rates were determined at 24, 48 and 72 h PH. The results of the study revealed that all parameters of hepatic regeneration were similar in the five study groups at each time interval. To ensure that an effect on hepatic regeneration was not dose-dependent, additional experiments were performed where 1, 10 and 100 mg/kg ciprofloxacin was administered and DNA synthesis was measured 24 h post-PH. Once again, the results were similar to sterile saline-treated controls. These findings suggest that the quinolone antibiotics are unlikely to have an adverse effect on hepatic recovery following surgical resection of the liver and are safe to use in that setting.     

Myocardial perfusion is preserved in patients with psoriasis without clinically evident cardiovascular disease

Background  Psoriasis is associated with a premature atherosclerosis due to the chronic inflammatory process. To evaluate the effect of disease process on myocardial perfusion, we planned to perform 99mTc-MIBI myocardial perfusion single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in patients with psoriasis.
Methods  The study group consisted of 28 psoriasis patients (17 men, 11 women), aged 18-76 years, and mean age 41.2 ± 14.1 years. The patients were selected among those who were older than 18 years and longer than 10 years of disease duration with more than two times of systemic treatment. All patients underwent 99mTc-MIBI myocardial perfusion SPECT with the same day protocol.
Results  We detected various risk factors including smoking habits in 7, family history of cardiovascular disease in 4, hypertension in 1, hyperlipidemia in 9 patients. We completed myocardial perfusion SPECT for each patient and found normal perfusion pattern in SPECT images.
Conclusion  We detected that myocardial perfusion is preserved in the patients with psoriasis. The majority of acute heart attacks are caused by noncritical coronary stenosis and this may be an explanation for increased cardiovascular risk in these patients despite normal coronary perfusion.     

Role of the B domain for factor VIII and factor V expression and function

Factor V and factor VIII are homologous cofactors in the blood coagulation cascade that have the domain structure A1-A2-B-A3-C1-C2, of which the B domain has extensively diverged. In transfected COS-1 monkey cells, expression of factor VIII is approximately 10-fold less efficient than that of factor V, primarily because of inefficient protein secretion and, to a lesser extent, reduced mRNA expression. To study the functional significance and effect of the B domain on expression and activity, chimeric cDNAs were constructed in which the B domains of factor V and factor VIII were exchanged. Expression of a factor VIII chimera harboring the B-domain of factor V yielded a fully functional factor VIII molecule that was expressed twofold more efficiently than wild-type factor VIII because of increased mRNA expression. Thus, sequences within the factor VIII B domain were not responsible for the inefficient secretion of factor VIII compared with factor V. Expression of a factor V chimera harboring the B domain of factor VIII was slightly reduced compared with wild-type factor V, although the secreted molecule had significantly reduced procoagulant activity correlating with dissociated heavy and light chains and resistance to thrombin activation. Interestingly, the factor V chimera containing the factor VIII B domain was efficiently activated by Russell's viper venum (RVV). A factor V B domain deletion (residues 710- 1545) molecule also exhibited significantly reduced procoagulant activity caused by resistance to thrombin cleavage and activation, although this molecule was activatable by RVV. These results show that, in contrast to factor VIII, thrombin activation of factor V requires sequences within the B domain. In addition, thrombin activation of factor V occurs through a different mechanism than activation by RVV.     

Duodenal hematoma: the ring sign in MR imaging

Proper management of duodenal hematoma requires that an accurate diagnosis be made using noninvasive radiological methods. Conventional imaging may be nonspecific if there is no history of trauma or coagulopathy. Two cases of duodenal hematoma that were imaged by magnetic resonance (MR) and computed tomography (CT) are described. In both cases the hematoma had a well-defined concentric ring configuration on MR images, a finding which helped establish the diagnosis. MR imaging may provide tissue-specific characterization of duodenal hematomas.     

Ferrite particles for bowel contrast in MR imaging: design issues and feasibility studies

Diverse materials with varying physical and magnetic properties have been evaluated as gastrointestinal contrast agents for magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Uniform marking of the small bowel remains the greatest challenge. Ferrites are magnetically active iron oxide particles that are miscible with water and cause loss of signal on MR images. The decrease in MR signal intensity produced by ferrites occurs with a wide range of iron concentrations (0.1-10 mM) and with both T1- and T2-weighted pulse sequences. These effects of ferrites are explained by predominant T2 shortening with negligible T1 effects. The ferrite preparation used in this study was stable in vitro, with little iron solubilized by acid. Intragastric administration of ferrite (5 mg of iron per kg in 6 ml) routinely marked the small bowel of rats. The authors conclude that ferrites represent a promising new class of contrast agents for gastrointestinal MR imaging.     

Comparison of weekly and daily incremental protocols of narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy for psoriasis

BACKGROUND: Different protocols have been used for narrowband ultraviolet B (UVB) therapy, commonly used in the treatment of psoriasis; however, more effective and reliable protocols are still required. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the weekly and daily dose increment protocols of narrowband UVB phototherapy in psoriasis patients. METHODS: Thirty patients with plaque psoriasis underwent narrowband UVB treatment three times a week and 15 patients selected consecutively among these patients underwent a weekly (once in three treatments) dose increment whereas the remaining 15 patients underwent a daily dose increment. Patients were monitored for 10 weeks and evaluated by the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI). RESULTS: When the two groups were evaluated according to median PASI scores prior to the treatment and during 10 weeks of treatment, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups (P > 0.05). During the treatment lasting for 10 weeks, four patients in the group with a weekly dose increment and three patients in the group with a daily dose increment recovered and no statistically significant difference was detected between the groups (P > 0.05). The groups were also evaluated according to the median cumulative dose. The median cumulative dose was higher in the group with a daily dose increment and the difference between the groups was statistically significant (P = 0.002). CONCLUSION: The application of daily dose increments was no better than that of weekly dose increments in narrowband UVB treatment for psoriasis. Therefore, although our results may need to be supported by large-series studies, we conclude that application of weekly dose increments with a lower cumulative dose having the same efficacy is preferred in narrowband UVB treatment of psoriasis.