Vergiftungen. (Gewerbliche auch unter Gewerbehygiene)

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Psychiatrie und gerichtliche Psychologie

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Molecular cloning and nucleotide sequence of hog cholera virus strain Brescia and mapping of the genomic region encoding envelope protein E1

Genomic RNA of hog cholera virus (HCV) strain Brescia was cloned and sequenced. The nucleotide sequence was deduced from overlapping cDNA clones and comprises 12,283 nucleotides. We cloned the complete 3' end of the HCV genome, but could not unequivocally prove that the cDNA sequence also completely covers HCV RNA at the 5' end. The HCV genome contained one large open reading frame, which spans the viral plus strand RNA and encodes an amino acid sequence of 3898 residues with a calculated molecular weight of 438,300. To identify structural HCV glycoproteins, we prepared rabbit antisera against three synthetic peptides deduced from the sequence. Because one of these antisera reacted with a 51- to 54-kDa glycoprotein (envelope protein E1 of HCV) on Western blot, the genomic position of the sequence encoding gp51-54 could be clearly established. The amino acid sequence of Brescia was compared with that of HCV strain Alfort and that of BVDV strains NADL and Osloss. The degree of homology between the two HCV strains was 93%, and between Brescia and the BVDV strains about 70%. NADL contained an inserted sequence of 90 amino acids that was absent from the sequences of Brescia, Alfort, and Osloss, whereas Osloss contained an inserted sequence of 76 amino acids that was absent from the sequences of Brescia, Alfort, and NADL. Sequences in p80, the most homologous protein among pestiviruses, showed similarity to six sequence motifs found conserved in helicase-like proteins represented by eIF-4A. Furthermore, a trypsin-like serine protease domain detected in p80 of BVDV was also found conserved in HCV, suggesting that pestivirus p80 may be bifunctional.     

Innervated full thickness grafts in distal finger amputations

Innervated full thickness graft will be presented as an option to reconstruct a fingertip defect which might result in better sensibility than standard reconstruction using a full thickness graft without innervation. Also, anastomosing the nerve stumps can decrease the chance of developing neuroma.     

Association between nutritional status and subjective health status in chronically ill children attending special schools

Purpose

In hospitalized children with a chronic disease, malnutrition was associated with a lower subjective health status. In outpatient children with a chronic disease attending special schools, this association has never been studied. The aim of this study was to assess the association between nutritional status and subjective health status in chronically ill children attending special schools.

Methods

Overall, 642 children, median age 9.8 years (IQR 7.7–11.5), 60 % male, 72 % Caucasian, were included in this prospective study in nine special schools for chronically ill children in the Netherlands. Overall malnutrition was assessed as: acute malnutrition (<?2 SDS for weight for height (WFH)) and chronic malnutrition (<?2 SDS for height for age). The malnutrition risk was assessed with the nutritional risk-screening tool STRONG_kids. Subjective health status was assessed with EQ-5D.

Results

Overall, 16 % of the children had overall malnutrition: 3 % acute and 13 % chronic malnutrition. Nurses reported ‘some/severe problems’ on the health status dimensions mobility (15 %), self-care (17 %), usual activities (19 %), pain/discomfort (22 %), and anxiety/depression (22 %) in chronically ill children. Their mean visual analogue scale score (VAS) was 73.0 (SD 11.1). Malnutrition, medication usage, and younger age explained 38 % of the variance of the VAS score.

Conclusions

The presence of overall malnutrition in chronically ill children attending special schools was associated with lower subjective health status, especially in younger children and in those with chronic medication usage. Therefore, it is important to develop and use profile-screening tools to identify these children.

     

Pancreatic cancer in rats and hamsters does not induce IAPP-related hyperglycaemia

Many patients with exocrine pancreatic cancer develop diabetes mellitus due to insulin resistance. This may relate to concurrent over-production of islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) by the pancreatic beta cells. We investigated the effects of pancreatic cancer on circulating IAPP and glucose homeostasis in azaserine-treated rats (developing acinar pancreatic tumours) and BOP-treated hamsters (developing ductular pancreatic tumours). Glucose, insulin and IAPP levels in plasma were neither affected in azaserine-only treated rats nor in animals with enhanced carcinogenesis after chronic caerulein treatment. Azaserine-treated rats on a high-fat diet had decreased insulin levels and enhanced IAPP/insulin ratios in plasma, without hyperglycaemia. All BOP-treated hamsters showed pancreatic carcinogenesis at 6 months post-treatment. Supranormal plasma glucose levels in animals on a low-fat diet were the only change observed. After a second 6-month period, subnormal plasma glucose levels, at least 4-fold decreased plasma insulin and up to 2-fold decreased plasma IAPP levels were present in all hamsters. Remarkably, both in azaserine-treated rats on high-fat and in BOP-treated hamsters, decreased insulin levels and elevated IAPP/insulin ratios are not associated with hyperglycaemia. In contrast to humans with pancreatic cancer, IAPP over-production and hyperglycaemia do not develop in rats and hamsters with (pre-)neoplastic pancreatic lesions. Int. J. Cancer 72:637–641, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.