A 4-month study on the effect of chlorhexidine mouth washes on 50 soldiers

abstract – Aqueous solutions of chlorhexidine salts have been used as mouth washes to supplement routine oral hygiene in a group of young adults for a period of 4 months. In the first part of the study (2 months) the effect of plaque formation and gingival condition in the presence of calculus and rough surfaces was studied. Under such circumstances the chlorhexidine mouth washes reduced the amount of plaque on an average of 66%, whereas the gingival inflammation was reduced by 24% in the same period. In the next 2 months the effect of chlorhexidine was studied on scaled and polished teeth. The plaque reduction was now 84% and the Gingival Index values were reduced by 43% after subgingival scaling. No effect on gingival inflammation adjacent to pockets exceeding 3 mm was observed.     

Mercury concentrations in blood from Danish dentists

Abstract — Blood samples from a group of 130 dentists and a control group of 40 blood-donors were analyzed by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrophotometry in order to evaluate the extent of mercury exposure. The median blood concentration of mercury was 4.0 (range: 1.2–19.2) μg/1 for dentists and 2.0 (1.1–4.6) μg/1 for controls (2 P <0.01). Practice characteristics obtained in a questionnaire showed no statistically significant relationship to blood mercury, but 49 dentists having one or more fish meals per wk, had a median concentration of mercury, which was 47% higher than dentists seldomly consuming fish (2 P <0.01). It was concluded that none of the examined dentists had blood concentrations above the level (35 μg Hg/1) associated with the hygienic threshold limit.     

Acute Rheumatic Fever in Swedish Children 1971-80

ABSTRACT. Hospital records from all Swedish children 0–15 years old diagnosed as having acute rheumatic fever (ARF) during 1971–80 were studied. Thirty-one children fully met with Jones'modified criterias which gives an incidence of 0.2 cases per 100000 children and year. Carditis was the most common major manifestation of ARF. In most children the carditis was mild but in three cases there was a persistent cardial affection. 16 of the children received prophylactic antibiotic treatment. No recurrent attacks of ARF were found during the study period.     

Protease-catalyzed synthesis of Leu-enkephalin in a solvent-free system

The total enzymatic synthesis of a model peptide Leu-enkephalin on a preparative scale was accomplished in the so-called solvent-free system. The syntheses were carried out in a rotary glass homogenizer by admixing solid reactants with native proteases and Na₂CO₃· 10H₂O. The most feasible way leading to biologically active Leu-enkephalin, was based on the strategy of 2 + (1 +2) condensation catalyzed by α-chymotrypsin, thermolysin and papain for the final segment coupling. Subtilisin was used for the ester hydrolysis of peptide intermediates. Alternative strategies as well as the influence of several reaction conditions on the yield of the protease-catalyzed synthesis of Leu-enkephalin or Leu-enkephalin amide were also investigated. © Munksgaard 1996.     

Erythrocyte Mean Cell Volume—Correlation to Drinking Pattern in Heavy Alcoholics

ABSTRACT. Erythrocyte mean cell volume (MCV) correlates well to alcohol intake in moderate alcoholism, but only about 50% of heavy drinkers have increased MCV. To evaluate the influence of the duration and extent of a drinking episode on MCV, 64 addictive alcoholics were investigated prospectively within two weeks after a drinking period. Their daily alcohol intake was 120–480 g and the actual drinking period has lasted for 1–104 weeks. For comparison, 21 non-active alcoholics were investigated. There was no correlation between MCV of active alcoholics and daily alcohol consumption or smoking habits, whereas a significant positive correlation was found between MCV and both duration of actual drinking episode and total alcohol intake in this period. We conclude that MCV is probably of greater value in estimating the duration and extent of actual drinking episodes in heavy alcoholics than in screening for alcoholism.     

Successful Topical Treatment of Sorafenib-Induced Hand–Foot Skin Reaction in a Child with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Abstract:  Orally active kinase inhibitors such as Sorafenib are known to elicit cutaneous side effects in the majority of adult patients, whereas specific cutaneous complications of this agent have not been described in children so far. We here present the first pediatric case of Sorafenib-induced hand-foot-skin reaction and its successful topical therapy facilitating continuation of kinase inhibitor treatment.     

Fetal growth from mid‐ to late pregnancy is associated with infant development: the Generation R Study

Aim The aim of this study was to investigate within a population‐based cohort of 4384 infants (2182 males, 2202 females) whether fetal growth from early pregnancy onwards is related to infant development and whether this potential relationship is independent of postnatal growth. Method Ultrasound measurements were performed in early, mid‐, and late pregnancy. Estimated fetal weight was calculated using head and abdominal circumference and femur length. Infant development was measured with the Minnesota Infant Development Inventory at 12 months (SD 1.1mo, range 10–17mo). Information on postnatal head size and body weight at 7 months was obtained from medical records. Results After adjusting for potential confounders and for postnatal growth, faster fetal weight gain from mid‐ to late pregnancy predicted a reduced risk of delayed social development (odds ratio [OR] 0.82; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.71–0.95, p=0.008), self‐help abilities (OR 0.84; 95% CI 0.73–0.98, p=0.023), and overall infant development (OR 0.65; 95% CI 0.49–0.87, p=0.003). Similar findings were observed for fetal head growth from mid‐ to late pregnancy. Interpretation Faster fetal growth predicts a lower risk of delayed infant development independent of postnatal growth. These results suggest that reduced fetal growth between mid‐ and late pregnancy may determine subsequent developmental outcomes.