DTP AND DTP-INACTIVATED POLIO VACCINES: COMPARISON OF ADVERSE REACTIONS AND IgG, IgM and IgA ANTIBODY RESPONSES TO DTP

Abstract. Ruuskanen, O., Viljanen, M. K., Salmi, T. T., Lehtonen, O.-P., Kouvalainen, K. and Peltonen, T. (Departments of Paediatrics and Medical Microbiology, University of Turku, and Department of Paediatrics, University of Oulu, Finland). DTP and DTP-inactivated polio vaccines: comparison of adverse reactions and IgG, IgM and IgA antibody responses to DTP. Acta Paediatr Scand, 69:177, 1980.—Adverse reactions and anti-DTP antibody responses were compared between DTP- or DTP-inactivated-polio-vaccinated children. The material consisted of 380 children whose adverse reactions were registered by detailed questionnaires given to the parents. IgG-, IgM- and IgA-anti-DTP antibodies of 42 children were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Fever, restlessness and local reactions were the most frequent adverse reactions observed. DTP-polio vaccine induced significantly more restlessness than DTP. This was the only significant difference in adverse reactions between the vaccines. An enhancement of IgG-anti-DTP antibody responses at the age of 6 months was observed in the DTP-polio group. The enhancement was transient in antitoxin responses but still present in pertussis antibodies at 8 months of age. Very low and mostly undetectable levels of IgM- and IgA-anti-DTP antibodies were observed in both groups.     

Frequent Attenders of Finnish Public Primary Health Care: Sociodemographic Characteristics and Physical Morbidity

In this article results of a Finnish study on frequent attenderpatients of public primary health care are reported. These patients(n = 96) were compared with other patients (n = 466) attendingthe same surgeries. Frequent attender patients tended to havelower vocational training and to belong to lower social groupsthan other patients. The frequent attender patients also hadmore physical diseases, were more often on disability pensionand had more mixed (physical-psychiatric) complaints than thecontrol patients. The results indicate that many frequent attenderpatients complaints form a complicated network departing fromdifferent levels (physical, psychological and social). The implicationsof the findings are discussed.     

SERUM FERRITIN AND IRON LEVELS IN CHRONIC MALE ALCOHOLICS BEFORE AND AFTER ETHANOL WITHDRAWAL

Serum ferritin and iron concentrations were determined beforeand during 2 weeks of alcohol abstinence in 14 chronic malealcoholics with biochemical signs of liver damage and in 12alcoholic men without these signs. As compared to the controls,the serum ferritin level was elevated in both groups immediatelyafter a drinking bout, significantly more so in men with, thanin those without, biochemical signs of liver injury. The serumferritin was normalized after one and two weeks of alcohol abstinencein alcoholics without and with biochemical signs of liver disease,respectively. The serum iron concentration was equally increased,but returned to normal during the first week of ethanol withdrawalin both groups. No correlations were found between the absoluteserum ferritin and iron values nor between changes therein.The values for serum ferritin, unlike those for the serum iron,correlated positively with the degree of liver damage. Acuteethanol intake was without effect on the serum ferritin andiron concentrations in normal healthy controls. Our resultsdemonstrate that in alcoholics liver injury contributes to theincrease in the serum ferritin, but not to that in the serumiron.     

Effect of Zn and Mg on the formation of whitlockite in human subgingival calculus

X-ray diffraction analyses were carried out from pooled samples of old subgingival calculus. Also the concentrations of Ca, Mg, Zn, Sr, Pb, Fe and Cu from these samples were determined by means of atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The comparison of the samples containing almost the same Zn concentration and two different concentrations of Mg (9 mg/g and 16 mg/g) showed an increase of 2. 0. 10 and 220 whitlockite reflections with an increasing Mg concentration. The increase of Mg concentration shifted whitlockite reflections suggesting a contraction of a-axis. The increase of Zn concentration showed an increase of 2. 0. 10 and 220 reflections indicating the fitness of Zn into the laitice of whitlockite. No changes of a-axis were detectable. When comparing all diffractograms and the results obtained from chemical analyses, the presence of Zn-Mg-whitlockite proved evident.     

Production of monoclonal antibodies against murine dental papilla

Abstract – The mesenchymal component of the embryonic tooth, the dental papilla, shows unique cellular behavior. Only the dental papilla cells are capable of differentiating into odontoblasts. The dental papilla also directs the morphogenesis of the tooth. Our aim is to develop suitable markers for further studies on the molecular mechanisms behind the determination and differentiation of the dental mesenchymal cells. We have produced monoclonal antibodies against this embryonal cell population. Altogether 1114 enzymatically separated mesenchymes from dissected molar tooth germs of 17-day-old mouse embryos were fixed in paraformaldehyde (PFA) and sonicated in saline. A rat was immunized and hybridomas were produced by standard methods. The supernatants were screened by immunohistology, using both frozen sections and sections of PFA-fixed paraffin-embedded mouse molar teeth. Altogether, 19 wells produced antibodies reacting with dental tissues. One monoclonal antibody recognizes a 67 000 dalton intracellular antigen enriched in secretory odontoblasts and ameloblasts. The antigen is also found in osteoblasts and chondrocytes in the developing jaw, and in some cultured murine cells. The method described here appears to be successful for generating and screening monoclonal antibodies against the dental papilla.     

Vascular and cellular responses to guanidino propyl piperazine CK0569A, a new anti-plaque agent

Abstract – Guanidino propyl piperazine CK0569A (abbreviation piperazine) used as a 0.1% mouthrinse has been shown to be effective against plaque bacteria. In addition to its efficacy as an antibacterial agent, its safety should be taken into consideration. In this study the effect of piperazine on the microcirculation of the hamster cheek pouch was studied. The effect of this drug was also investigated on rat leukocytes in vivo and on macrophages and erythrocytes in vitro. Piperazine caused a distinct retardation in the microcirculation of the hamster cheeck pouch even at a low concentration (0.01%), but the effect was abolished in 5 min. The number of leukocytes decreased markedly in the experimentally induced inflammatory exudate in the presence of 0.05% piperazine as compared to the controls. The macrophages in vitro released their lysosomal and cytoplasmic enzymes and lost their viability. The erythrocytes in vitro were destroyed in the presence of 0.005% piperazine as well. Based on these results it can be suggested that 0.005–0.05% piperazine under experimental conditions causes changes that indicate loss of cell viability.     

Characteristics of-neutral proteases present in inflamed human gingiva

Abstract – The existing forms of neutral proteases present in inflamed human gingiva were examined. Neutral 2 M KCl extracts of inflamed human gingival tissue were fractionated by gel filtration on Sephacryl S-200 and the fractions were assayed for collagenase, trypsin-, chymotrypsin-, and elastase-like proteases. Apparent molecular weights of 80–85 kDa were obtained for trypsin-, chymotrypsin-, and elastase-like proteases, and 70–75 kDa for latent collagenase. Further fractionation of high molecular weight proteases on Con A-Sepharose revealed that, unlike collagenase, chymotrypsin-, and elastase-like proteases, the trypsin-like protease was bound by the affinity column. Native human placental type IV (basement membrane) collagen was degraded by chymotrypsin-like and elastase-like proteases but not by the trypsin-like protease. This degradation was inhibited by phenylmethyl sulfonyl fluoride and EDTA. The serine proteases also degraded efficiently denatured type I collagen. No correlation of the activities of trypsin-like protease and the other proteolytic enzymes was found in extracts of 18 individual gingival specimens. Significant correlation, however, was noted between collagenase and gelatinase. The gingival culture studies showed that, while the highest activity of the trypsin-, chymotrypsin-, and elastase-like enzymes were measured in medium during first days of the culture, collagenase and gelatinase activities increased up to the fourth day of culture and stayed high until the end of the culture. These results suggest that the neutral proteases that may participate in the periodontal tissue destruction are produced by different cell types of gingiva.     

Autopsy-verified Causes of Death after Stroke

ABSTRACT. In a population-based sample of 409 stroke patients, autopsy was performed in 82 of the 95 patients who died during the first three months and in 61 of the 128 patients dying thereafter. The dominant causes of death, as verified by autopsy, were cerebrovascular disease in the first week (90%), pulmonary embolism in the second to fourth week (30%), bronchopneumonia during the second and third months (27%) and cardiac disease, mainly myocardial infarction, later than three months after the stroke (37%). Death was attributed to causes other than the brain lesion in 59% of the patients with ischemic and in 24% of the patients with hemorrhagic stroke (p<0.01). Age and sex had little influence on the distribution of causes of death. Fatal pulmonary embolism and bronchopneumonia surprisingly often occurred in ambulatory patients. An intracardiac thrombus was present in 20% of deceased patients with atrial fibrillation, and in 17% of cases with a history of myocardial infarction. When attempts are made to reduce mortality (and morbidity) after stroke, there would seem to be a considerable potential for prevention and early treatment of complications, such as pulmonary embolism, bronchopneumonia and cardiac disorders.     

Trioxsalen bath plus UVA effective and safe in the treatment of psoriasis

Seventy-four patients with psoriasis were treated using a trioxsalen bath (50 mg/150 1 of water) and long wave ultraviolet light (UVA) given in an ordinary PUVA-cabin. Good or excellent results were observed in 92% of the patients in the initial phase and in 63% during the maintenance treatment. Because of local side-effects the therapy was discontinued in two patients. One of them developed contact hypersensitivity to trioxsalen and the other developed blisters with such low doses of UVA that it was difficult to maintain the proper dose. The therapy was started with 0-28 J/cm² of UVA and after an average of 18 treatments, when the average dose was 1.70 J/cm², the patients were moved to maintenance treatment which took place at 1-4 week intervals. The therapy was well tolerated and cosmetically very acceptable. The final tan was even on all but the face, which remained untanned.     

Cholesterol absorption, elimination and synthesis in coeliac disease

Abstract. Hypocholesterolaemia and high faecal elimination of cholesterol was explored by measuring the percentage of cholesterol absorbed, faecal steroids, serum cholesterol and dietary cholesterol in patients with coeliac disease before and after a gluten free diet. From these data, the total and endogenous flux of cholesterol into the gut and the amount of cholesterol absorbed could be calculated.
The mean faecal bile acid excretion was normal, but faecal endogenous steroids and thus faecal total steroids, and the cholesterol synthesis, were increased in the patients. The percentage of cholesterol absorbed was quite low (15·1±2·1 (SEM) v . 34·1 ± 2·5 in the controls), and it was attributable to a mucosal damage in the upper small intestine, suggesting that this played a primary role in the high faecal sterol loss. However, the influx of endogenous cholesterol into the gut had increased, so that in absolute terms the absorption of cholesterol was low only inconsistently. The glutenfree diet caused the opposite changes in the absorption percentage and influx of cholesterol into the gut, while the amount of cholesterol absorbed was only insignificantly increased.
Serum cholesterol was significantly correlated with the cholesterol absorbed ( r = 0·36; P <0·01), faecal endogenous steroids ( r = -0·30; P <0·05), and cholesterol synthesis ( r = -0·29; P <0·05). Furthermore, the rise in serum cholesterol during the gluten-free diet correlated negatively with the changes in cholesterol ( r =-0·55; P <0·05) and bile acid ( r =-0·77; P <0·01) synthesis. These associations and the lack of correlations between the amounts of cholesterol absorbed and synthesized suggest that the serum cholesterol level and regulation of cholesterol synthesis are interrelated in coeliac disease.