Results of a field study on the influence of HygienicWood mattress toppers on the number of mites in bed dust and the state of health of people with house dust mite allergies

Objectives: So far, there has been no practical or toxicologically non-hazardous way to decimate mites – without interrupting use of beds – in their main reservoir on bed mattresses to such an extent that the allergic condtion of people suffering from house dust mite allergies is reduced or even remedied. As so-called HygienicWood was effective against mites under simulated conditions, the influence of a mattress topper filled with HygienicWood chips on the content of mite antigen Der p1 was to be investigated and the influence on the state of health of the persons concerned analysed at the same time.Procedure: 32 test persons suffering from dust mite allergy were randomly selected. During the course of 5 months, the influence of a HygienicWood mattress topper on the content of the mite antigen Der p1 as well as the number of bacteria, dermatophytes and yeasts in the bed dust were determined and compared with the values obtained during the 5 weeks prior to the application of HygienicWood mattress toppers. The samples were taken from between the HygienicWood mattress topper and the sheet below. At the same time, changes in well-being, state of health, typical allergy symptoms and frequency of taking antihistamines and glucocorticoids were recorded as self-assessments in the form of questionnaires.Findings: The most striking finding was the significant decrease (p=0.000) of the house dust mite antigen Der p1 during usage of the HygienicWood mattress toppers. The effect started immediately after applying the toppers and continued with little fluctuation until the end of the observation period without lessening. At the end of the study, 43% of the test persons stated a slight improvement in their well-being. 13% of the test persons felt no change, and 6% of the test persons stated a slight deterioration. The situation was similar with regard to allergy symptoms: 43% reported a significant reduction, 38% a slight reduction, and 19% did not notice any change. The improvement in symptomatology could not be ascribed to an increased intake of antihistamines or glucocorticoids.The dermatophytes, too, showed a slight, albeit statistically not significant decrease after application of HygienicWood mattress toppers. In contrast, the pollution of bed dust with yeasts rose significantly (p=0.002), whereas there was only a tendency towards an increase in the number of bacteria, which, if one considers the slight increase, is without hygienic relevance. Conclusion: HygienicWood mattress toppers are able to reduce the house dust mite allergen load. This leads to a distinct reduction in the allergy symptomatology, and the well-being of the persons concerned increased significantly.     

Percutaneous ethanol injection and radio-frequency ablation for the treatment of nonresectable colorectal liver metastases – techniques and results

Background: Percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) and radio-frequency (RF) ablation are possible palliative treatment modalities for patients with non-resectable liver metastases of colorectal carcinomas. The different techniques are explained and reviewed. Results: PEI did not show promising results for the treatment of liver metastases. RF results were more encouraging; some studies showed improved mean survival times for patients when a complete necrosis of the metastases could be achieved. The maximum diameter of the necrotic area possible in a single session is about 5 cm. Conclusion: PEI and RF are palliative last-line treatment strategies for patients with non-resectable liver metastases and should only be applied if chemotherapy is not sufficient or not possible. The long-term efficacy of RF ablation in this group of patients has to be evaluated. Received: 10 March 1999 Accepted: 29 June 1999     

Everyday memory functioning in obsessive- compulsive disorder.

Memory performance in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is discussed as a pathogenetic risk factor for the emergence of OCD, particularly checking compulsions. At present, however, findings are mixed and little is known about memory performance in tasks relevant to everyday functioning in patients with OCD. For the present study, memory performance was assessed in 31 patients diagnosed with OCD and 33 healthy controls with the Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test (RBMT), which covers a wide range of verbal and nonverbal memory components as well as prospective memory. OCD patients performed comparably to healthy controls on the memory task for verbal, nonverbal, and prospective memory (p > .1). According to norm values, memory performance was unimpaired in most OCD patients. The present findings further challenge a broad account of the "memory deficit" hypothesis of OCD and compulsive checking, respectively.     

Coagulation Profiling of Random-Source Cats

The chemistry and hemostatic parameters of class B vendor cats (Felis catus) can show wide levels of variation, possibly because of initial health status. We compared prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, common pathway assay and thrombin time between Class B vendor cats (n = 30) and a control group of healthy cats (n = 16). The antiprotease activities of antiXa, antiIIa, heparin cofactor II, and antithrombin were measured also. Plasma samples from citrated blood were analyzed by using standard clotting assays and commercially available chromogenic substrate assays. Tests for homogeneity of variances and 1-way ANOVA were used to test for significant differences between groups. Results of ANOVA were highly significant between groups for heparin cofactor II and Heptest activity levels. Variances were significantly different between groups for prothrombin time; therefore, an ANOVA was not done. These studies suggest that the class B cats exhibited sufficiently wide variations in their coagulation parameters that they may not be optimal subjects for vascular or cardiovascular research.Abbreviations: aPTT, activated partial thromboplastin time; USDA, United States Department of AgricultureFor many years the domestic cat (Felis catus) has been used by research institutions for a variety of studies,¹² including cardiovascular research,⁵ leading to advancements in both human and feline healthcare.¹⁷ Cats that are available to research institutes are acquired through 1 of 2 groups approved by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and protected by a division of the USDA, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.¹⁹ Class A dealers supply purpose-bred animals and provide information that describes the genetic and pathogen status of these animals and assures the investigator that any data obtained by using these animals will be similar in results.¹⁰ Alternatively, class B dealers supply random-source animals and are required to supply information regarding the name and address of the seller or donor, USDA license number of the dealer, vehicle license plate number, the animal''s birth date, and either the purchase price of the animal or whether the animal was donated. However, class B vendors are not required to provide a long-term history of an animal''s health.¹⁹ Of the 34 research universities that responded to a survey question in 2006 regarding the purchase of random-source animals, 10% indicated that they in fact did purchase animals from licensed class B vendors.⁹When cats are used for cardiovascular or hematologic studies, the investigator should know the health status of the animal, because various illnesses can alter the coagulation cascade and affect the final data. The coagulation system typically is evaluated by the use of clotting tests,⁴ which screen the different pathways of the coagulation cascade. In particular, prothrombin time is used to screen the extrinsic pathway which includes factors X, VII, V, prothrombin, and fibrinogen;¹⁵ activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) screens the intrinsic pathway comprising of factors XII, XI, X, IX, VIII, V, prothrombin, and fibrinogen;¹⁴ a proprietary commercial assay (Heptest, Hemochem, St Louis, MO) which measures clotting time relative to components of the common coagulation pathway, including factors X and V, prothrombin, and fibrinogen;²¹ and thrombin time measures the conversion of fibrinogen into fibrin.³Serine protease inhibitors target chymotrypsin-like serine proteases including thrombin¹ and play an important role in the regulation of coagulation.⁷ These inhibitors are evaluated by the use of chromogenic substrate assays and include antiXa,²⁰ antiIIa,⁸ antithrombin (which targets factors X, IX, XI, XII, and II of the intrinsic clotting pathway as well as factor VII of the extrinsic pathway),¹³ and heparin cofactor II which specifically inhibits thrombin¹⁸.Results from earlier clinical studies in cats demonstrated that 1 or more abnormalities in the coagulation profiles, including prolonged prothrombin time and prolonged aPTT, can be associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, but the cats were asymptomatic.² Other diseases that can be associated with hemostatic abnormalities include neoplasia and diabetes mellitus.¹⁷ An individual cat''s health status can affect each step of the hemostatic process,¹² and underlying conditions may exist that could compromise the use of coagulation markers, even though the cat itself is asymptomatic.¹⁷ The health status of every cat should be known before data collection can begin. However, depending on the source of the cat, that information may or may not be readily available. We hypothesized that because underlying disease can affect various laboratory parameters, including hematologic and clinical chemistry values, and because random-source cats, depending on the quality of care prior to purchase, have unknown initial health status upon arrival at research facilities, the hemostatic system of random-source cats could be compromised unknowingly. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the health of class B cats affects the range of variation in coagulation parameters and serine protease inhibitors compared with those of cats with a known health history. Our findings will help researchers determine what source of cat best suits their study requirements.