Temperature changes during the first day of life in the North Staffordshire Maternity Hospital.

A prospective study of post-delivery temperature changes from birth to 24 h, carried out in a busy District General Hospital is reported. The temperature fall after delivery was less than expected and reflected a high level of awareness of the dangers of hypothermia. On the basis of the findings of the survey, hypothermia in the first 24 h can be defined as a rectal temperature of less than 36.4 degrees C. Those babies who did become hypothermic were significantly more likely to be of low birth weight or preterm gestation.     

Body temperature response profiles for selective mu, delta and kappa opioid agonists in restrained and unrestrained rats

In many cases, body temperature is altered in response to opioid agonists, but the direction, magnitude and time course of alteration vary with a number of factors. Body temperature may be subject to differential modification by different opioid receptor types. The authors examined the effect (i.c.v.) of the selective mu, delta and kappa opioid agonists, [D-Ala2, MePhe4, Gly5-ol] enkephalin (DAGO), [D-Pen2, D-Pen5] enkephalin and U50488H, respectively, on the body temperature of restrained and unrestrained rats. Each of the three opioid agonists produced a differentiable profile of body temperature changes. DAGO caused a primary decrease in body temperature of restrained rats and an increase in body temperature of unrestrained rats. The pretreatment dose of naloxone necessary to attenuate the hyperthermic response to DAGO of unrestrained rats was 10 times higher than that required to block the hypothermic response to DAGO in restrained rats. Low doses of both [D-Pen2, D-Pen5]enkephalin and U50488H caused a decrease in body temperature of both restrained and unrestrained rats. Hypothermic responses to U50488H were not blocked by naloxone, whereas hypothermic responses to [D-Pen2, D-Pen5]enkephalin in unrestrained rats were potentiated by naloxone. The results indicate that the three compounds modified body temperature by different means, suggesting activation of different opioid, and perhaps nonopioid, receptors. This may reflect a differential modulation of body temperature by endogenous opioids depending on the specific peptide released and the receptor type activated. Besides the physiologic implications, body temperature responses provided a sensitive pharmacologic measure for distinguishing the in vivo activity of different selective opioid agonists.     

Intraperitoneal P-32 after negative second-look laparotomy in ovarian carcinoma

Thirty-one patients underwent a negative second-look laparotomy between 1976 and 1986. Fourteen patients received intraperitoneal chromic phosphate (P-32) after a negative second-look laparotomy. There has been no local recurrence (zero of 14) and no deaths attributable to recurrent disease. Local control and disease-free survival are 100%, with a minimum follow-up of 2 years and a mean follow-up of 4 years. Seventeen patients received no further therapy because of patient refusal, poor diffusion, or other contraindications to P-32 installation. Four of 17 patients undergoing negative second-look procedures without the addition of P-32 have subsequently recurred. This difference is highly suggestive (P = .076). There have been no major complications with the addition of P-32. The use of intraperitoneal P-32 after negative second-look laparotomies on ovarian carcinoma is well tolerated and effective in preventing recurrence.     

Content of the neurotoxins cycasin (methylazoxymethanol beta-D-glucoside) and BMAA (beta-N-methylamino-L-alanine) in cycad flour prepared by Guam Chamorros.

Exposure to cycad seed kernel is an etiologic factor for the western Pacific amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and parkinsonism-dementia complex (PDC). Traditionally processed cycad flours (n = 17) obtained from Chamorro residents of Guam and the adjacent island of Rota at risk for neurodegenerative disease were extracted and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography for content of beta-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) and methyl-azoxymethanol beta-D-glucoside (cycasin). Cycasin (detection limit: picomole) was present in concentrations of 0.004 to 75.93 micrograms/g (mean, 12.45 +/- 5.0 micrograms/g), and levels of BMAA (detection limit: subpicomole) ranged from 0.00 to 18.39 micrograms/g (mean, 5.44 +/- 1.56 micrograms/g). On average, cycasin content was approximately 10 times higher than that of BMAA. The largest concentrations of cycasin were found in samples from villages with a high reported prevalence of ALS/PDC. Ingestion of cycad-derived food would result in estimated human exposure to milligram amounts of cycasin per day. The cytotoxic properties of cycasin merit consideration in relation to the etiology of western Pacific ALS/PDC.     

Virtual real-time digital processing of hemodynamic data

At present, the majority of cardiac catheterization laboratories acquire and store hemo-dynamic data in analog form. To examine the possibility of performing complex analysis of digital data during the catheterization procedure, we examined whether virtual realtime digital (fast Fourier) analysis improves the accuracy of clinical data. We compared digital filtering of fluid manometry during right heart catheterization with 10-Hz and 250-Hz analog filters. Using the simultaneously acquired micromanometry as the “gold standard,” we found that analog filtering is associated with a greater error and time delay than digital filtering. This study demonstrates that digital hemodynamic data analysis performed during cardiac catheterization can improve the quality of data obtained during right heart catheterization, with the results available within seconds. More extensive use of computers in the cardiac catheterization laboratory may be useful for both clinical and research purposes. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Assigning the source of human campylobacteriosis in New Zealand: A comparative genetic and epidemiological approach

Integrated surveillance of infectious multi-source diseases using a combination of epidemiology, ecology, genetics and evolution can provide a valuable risk-based approach for the control of important human pathogens. This includes a better understanding of transmission routes and the impact of human activities on the emergence of zoonoses. Until recently New Zealand had extraordinarily high and increasing rates of notified human campylobacteriosis, and our limited understanding of the source of these infections was hindering efforts to control this disease. Genetic and epidemiological modeling of a 3-year dataset comprising multilocus sequence typed isolates from human clinical cases, coupled with concurrent data on food and environmental sources, enabled us to estimate the relative importance of different sources of human disease. Our studies provided evidence that poultry was the leading cause of human campylobacteriosis in New Zealand, causing an estimated 58–76% of cases with widely varying contributions by individual poultry suppliers. These findings influenced national policy and, after the implementation of poultry industry-specific interventions, a dramatic decline in human notified cases was observed in 2008. The comparative-modeling and molecular sentinel surveillance approach proposed in this study provides new opportunities for the management of zoonotic diseases.     

Surgery for achalasia cardiae: the Dor operation.

This review describes our use of the Dor operation in the management of 22 patients with achalasia of the cardia over the period 1970 to 1989. There was a male to female ratio of 1.8:1. All presented with dysphagia of varying degree, with regurgitation (86%), weight loss (73%), pain (59%) and chest infections (14%) being associated symptoms. Two patients had undergone previous balloon dilatation, with temporary benefit. The morbidity was low and follow-up results were good in 94% of cases. None of the patients had symptoms of gastro-oesophageal reflux in the postoperative period. In our experience, the Dor modification of the Heller operation has yielded gratifying results.     

The different effects of Helicobacter pylori strains on basal and histamine-stimulated acid and pepsin production: An in vitro study

Inflammation Research -