Health education for pregnant women: the role of background characteristics

This was a pilot study with the purpose of determining the effect of health education in enhancing the self-care agency of pregnant women and to define the role of their background characteristics in the success of this education. Subjects of this study were 30 pregnant women who visited a university hospital for check. The success of the given education was measured by pre- and post-tests that were applied before and after health education using "self-care agency scale". Data were evaluated according to t-test and variance analysis. After health education, the self-agency scores of the pregnant women increased significantly (P < 0.05). It was defined that pregnant women with the least self-care agency scores before health education, displayed the best progress after the education.     

Microcirculation in the upper trapezius muscle during varying levels of static contraction,fatigue and recovery in healthy women —a study using percutaneous laser-Doppler flowmetry and surface electromyography

Summary Microcirculation in the upper portion of the trapezius muscle was measured percutaneously by continuous laser-Doppler flowmetry (LDF) during two 10-min series of alternating 1-min periods of static contraction and rest determined electromyographically (EMG). Stepwise increased contraction was induced by keeping the arms straight and elevated at 30, 60, 90 and 135°, which was repeated with a 1-kg load carried in each hand. Thereafter, fatigue and recovery were recorded while the subject kept her arms straight and elevated at 45° carrying the 1-kg hand load as long as possible, followed by rest with arms hanging and no load. A group of 16 healthy women of different ages was studied. Signal processing was done on line using a 386 SX computer. The LDF- and root-mean-square (rms) EMG signals were normalized. Spectrum analyses of EMG mean power frequency (MPF) and median spectrum frequency were performed. The rms-EMG increased significantly with an increase in the calculated shoulder torque (r=0.75). Accumulated local fatigue was indicated by a decrease in MPF with increased shoulder angle and added load (r = –0.54). Blood flow increased with increased shoulder angle (r=0.82, with hand loadr=0.62) and with increased shoulder torque (r=0.72), and also showed a significant increase with increased EMG activity (r=0.74). The LDF showed a negative correlation to MPF (r= –0.67), with increased values when MPF was lowered. During the endurance test, a moderate increase of LDF occurred which reached its maximum during the 1st min of recovery. Then, a slow return to the base level was recorded. The ability to increase the flow in the microcirculation with increasing muscle load was not diminished with age.     

Human lymphocyte antigens (HLA) and Graves' disease in Turkey

To evaluate the association of HLA types with Turkish patients with Graves' disease, HLA typing, clinical findings, and thyroid antibodies were correlated. The HLA types, clinical findings (ophthalmopathy and age at onset), and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) receptor (TRAb) and antithyroid microsomal antibodies (MAb) were analyzed. Seventy Turkish patients with Graves' disease and 306 control subjects were assessed. Serological HLA typing was performed in HLA A, B, C, DR, and DQ loci. There was a significantly increased prevalence of HLA B8, B49, DR3, DR4, and DR10 in Graves' disease. The association of Graves' disease with HLA DR3 was found to be less strong than previously described. The HLA DR4 antigen may contribute to the predisposition of Graves' disease in Turkey. The results suggest that HLA B7, B13, DR7, DQw2, and DQw3 may confer a protective effect for Graves' disease in Turkey. Patients carrying HLA B12, B18, and B44 haplotypes had a tendency to develop the disease at a later age. The difference from the other studies may be the result of the selection of the controls; in part, of the variability in serological typing reagents; and, also, of the rather weak HLA associations with the disease.This study was presented in part at the Annual Meeting of the National Endocrinology and Diabetes Association, Bursa, Turkey, May 25–28, 1992.     

Arginine selective biosensor based on arginase-urease immobilized in gelatin

Arginase and urease enzymes were immobilized on the surface of pH electrode by using gelatin membrane which is then cross-linked with glutaraldehyde. Sensor response was maximum when 2.5 mM, Tris-HCl buffer (pH 8.5) was used at 25 degrees C. The biosensor response depends linearly on arginine concentration between 0.025-0.310 mM with response time 10 min. Furthermore, application of the system for the arginine detection in serum samples was also tested.     

Morphology of the lumbar spinal canal in normal adult Turks

Pathological changes can occur in the diameters of the lumbar spinal canal. Therefore, assessing the canal size an important diagnostic procedure. Two hundred plain anterioposterior radiographs of the lumbar spine were examined. The sample consisted of 100 males and 100 females. The transverse diameter of the bony spinal canal (interpedicular distance), which was measured as the minimum distance between the medial surfaces of the pedicles of a given vertebra, was measured. In addition, the transverse diameter of the vertebral body, which was measured as the minimum distance across the waist of the vertebra, was measured. The distances were measured to the nearest one tenth of a millimetere using a Vernier caliper. At all levels (L1 - L5) the transverse diameters of the lumbar spinal canal were approximately 1 - 1.5 mm higher in males than in females. The intersegmental differences increased proximodistally, in both sexes. The ratio of the transverse diameter canal to the width of the vertebra ranged from 0.55 to 0.60 mm in both sexes. The distribution of the different lumbar canal types were 47% A, 42% B, 11% C. Additionally, subtypes were determined and classified.     

Number Magnitude Processing and Verbal Working Memory in Children with Mild Intellectual Disabilities

ABSTRACT

This study examined if children (M_age = 14.60) with Mild Intellectual Disabilities (MID) display weaknesses in number processing and verbal working memory. An age-matched and mental age-matched (MA, M_age = 6.17) design extended by a group of 9–10-year-olds, and a group of 11–12-year-olds were used. The MID children’s working memory was equal to the MA group but poorer than the other groups. On number tasks, the MID group was faster than the MA group but slower than the other groups. All groups obtained equal Weber fraction scores and distance effects on the number comparison tasks. The MID group performed subitizing and counting faster than the MA group, but slower than the 11–12-year-olds. The results demonstrate that number processing and working memory in children with MID is characterized by a developmental delay, not a deficit. Their main problem is to access the quantitative meaning of Arabic numerals. The development of different types of cognitive abilities is differently affected by educational experience and intellectual ability. The innate number system appears to be unaffected by intellectual capacity or educational experience, while the innate working memory ability is affected by intellectual capacity but not by educational experience. Culturally acquired symbolic number abilities are strongly affected by educational experience.     

Increased central adiposity is associated with pro-inflammatory immunoglobulin G N-glycans

Background

Increased body fat may be associated with an increased risk of developing an underlying pro-inflammatory state, thus leading to greater risk of developing certain chronic conditions. Immunoglobulin G has the ability to exert both anti- and pro-inflammatory effects, and the N-glycosylation of the fragment crystallisable portion is involved in mediating this process. Body mass index, a rudimentary yet gold standard indication for body fat, has been shown to be associated with agalactosylated immunoglobulin G N-glycans.

Clinical, electrophysiological and magnetic resonance imaging findings in carpal tunnel syndrome

OBJECTIVE: To assess magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and to compare them with electrophysiological findings. METHODS: Routine motor and sensory nerve conduction examinations and needle EMG were performed in 42 hands of 22 patients, who were clinically diagnosed as having CTS in at least one wrist. RESULTS: Of 29 wrists with clinically and electrophysiologically confirmed CTS, MRI could detect abnormality in 18 wrists (62%). Median nerve was found to be abnormal in MRI in 1 of 2 wrists with suspected clinical symptoms and proven CTS by electrophysiological examination. MRI was abnormal in 1 of 4 wrists with normal clinical and electrophysiological examination. MRI was abnormal in 46, 7% of wrists with mild CTS, in 61.6% of moderate CTS and in 100% of severe CTS. Volar bulging of the flexor retinaculum was detected in a single wrist with severe CTS. Enlargement of median nerve was observed in 3 of 5 severe CTS. CONCLUSION: MRI could be useful in the diagnosis of unproven cases in CTS. It also provides anatomical information that correlate well with electrophysiological findings in regard of the severity of median nerve compression.     

Defects of natural killer cell activity in children with untreated acute lymphocytic leukemia

Summary Natural killer (NK) activity against cells of the K-562 line was significantly depressed in 12 of 18 children (66%) with untreated acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). No suppression of allogeneic NK activity was observed with sera of the patients, regardless of the level of NK depression. The ability of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) to suppress allogeneic NK activity was tested in two ALL patients — one with no detectable NK activity, and one with high NK activity. No NK-suppressive activity was found with PBLs of the areactive patient; PBLs of the reactive patients exhibited some suppressive activity, but only at a particular suppressor-to-effector cell ratio. Leukemic blasts were resistant to killing by autologous NK cells stimulated by IFN, as well as to killing by allogeneic, IFN-stimulated PBLs. Leukemic blasts of an ALL patient inhibited lysis of K-562 cells in an 18-h, but not in a 4-h NK assay. The inhibition could partly be reversed by pretreatment of ALL cells with alpha interferon, suggesting that the blasts might inhibit the lysis of K-562 targets in a competitive manner. Disturbed function and/or regulation of NK cells may influence attempts at NK cell activation by lymphokines.Abbreviations ALL acute lymphocytic leukemia - AML acute myeloid leukemia - CLL chronic lymphocytic leukemia - CML chronic myeloid leukemia - IFN interferon - IL-2 interleukin-2 - LGL large granular lymphocyte - NK cell natural killer cell - PBL peripheral blood lymphocyte - Poly I:C polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid     

Adaptive Wiener Filtering for Improved Acquisition of Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions

An innovative acoustic noise canceling method using adaptive Wiener filtering (AWF) was developed for improved acquisition of distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs). The system used one microphone placed in the test ear for the primary signal. Noise reference signals were obtained from three different sources: (a) pre-stimulus response from the test ear microphone, (b) post-stimulus response from a microphone placed near the head of the subject and (c) post-stimulus response obtained from a microphone placed in the subjects nontest ear. In order to improve spectral estimation, block averaging of a different number of single sweep responses was used. DPOAE data were obtained from 11 ears of healthy newborns in a well-baby nursery of a hospital under typical noise conditions. Simultaneously obtained recordings from all three microphones were digitized, stored and processed off-line to evaluate the effects of AWF with respect to DPOAE detection and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) improvement. Results show that compared to standard DPOAE processing, AWF improved signal detection and improved SNR. © 1998 Biomedical Engineering Society. PAC98: 4364Jb, 4360-c, 8790+y