Contribution to the 3D computer assisted reconstruction of pancreatic buds in the rat embryos

The aim of this work was to reconstruct, in the rat embryos, stage 12-23, the three dimensional (3D) distribution of the dorsal and ventral pancreatic buds by of a computer assisted method. Ninety-six rat embryos, CRL 3-16 mm, fixed, dehydrated, and paraffin embedded, were submitted to serial histological sections and stained by hematoxylin-eosin and Heidenhain's azan techniques. The images were digitalized by Canon Camera 350 EOS D. The serial views were aligned anatomically by software and the data were analyzed following segmentation and thresholding. The dorsal pancreas developed from the dorsal wall of the duodenum in stage 12, while the ventral pancreas arose from the ventral wall of the hepatic diverticulum in stage 13 and 14. The rotation of ventral pancreas started in stage 15 and was completed in stage 16. The fusion of both buds was evident in stage 17. In stage 23 the limit between dorsal and ventral bud was still marked by the pathway of superior mesenteric vein.     

Parasite prevalence: a static measure of dynamic infections

The intensity of malaria transmission is often measured by looking at the fraction of individuals infected at a given point in time. However, malaria infections in individuals are dynamic, leading to uncertainty about whether a cross-sectional survey that represents a single snapshot in time is a useful representation of a temporally complex process. In this analysis, we examine the impact of parasite density fluctuations on the measurement of parasite prevalence. Our results show that parasite prevalence may be underestimated by 20% or more, depending on the sensitivity of parasite detection.     

Behavioral and physiologic response measures of occupational task performance: a preliminary comparison between typical children and children with attention disorder.

OBJECTIVE: To compare performance on the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS), a measure of functional task performance and physiological responses (salivary cortisol levels) during AMPS administration, between typically developing children and children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHOD: In this quasi-experimental study, independent t tests, and mixed, repeated measures analysis of variance were conducted to compare a group of typically developing children (n = 21) with a group of children with ADHD (n = 12) on two dependent measures: (a) the AMPS and (b) salivary cortisol. Salivary cortisol, a stress hormone, was taken at three time points, baseline, mid-way through AMPS administration, and 20 min following AMPS administration. RESULTS: Significant differences were found on the activities of daily living (ADL) process ability measure of the AMPS (p = .001) and the ADL motor ability measure (p = .04), with the ADHD group performing more poorly than typical children. There was no significant group (ADHD vs. control) by time period interaction effect on cortisol levels. Overall, the cortisol levels of the ADHD group were higher than the levels of those in the control group (p = .02). Cortisol levels tended to drop significantly over time (p = .01) for both groups, however the patterns differed somewhat between groups. Cortisol levels of the typical children dropped at the final time period (20 min post-AMPS administration) whereas the levels of the children in the ADHD remained higher during this time period. This interaction effect approached, but did not reach, statistical significance (p = .15). CONCLUSION: The results of this investigation suggest that the AMPS is sensitive to detecting functional performance concerns, and both motor and process skill deficits, associated with ADHD, and therefore may be a useful assessment tool with this population. Data also suggests that cortisol expression to a well-known ADL task may be lower if the task is not overly challenging for the individual, and provides support for further study of the role of cortisol with disorders of attention.     

Bone loss in adults with cystic fibrosis: prevalence, associated factors, and usefulness of biological markers

BackgroundOsteoporosis is a common complication of cystic fibrosis.ObjectiveTo determine the prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis in adults with cystic fibrosis and to look for factors associated with low bone mineral density (BMD) values.MethodsDuring this prospective 2-year study, we collected clinical data (history, body mass index, and treatments) and laboratory data (nutritional and hormonal status, markers for inflammation and bone turnover, and calcium and phosphate levels). Lung function tests and a 6-meter walking test were performed. BMD was measured at the spine, total hip, and femoral neck.ResultsWe included 55 patients (31 women) with a mean age of 31.9 years; 14 were homozygous and 25 heterozygous for the deltaF508 mutation and 20 (36%) had a history of fractures. BMD values indicated osteopenia in 32 (58.2%) patients and osteoporosis in 11 (20%) patients at one or more measurement sites. At all three sites, BMD values correlated with the body mass index, forced vital capacity as % predicted, and forced expiratory volume in 1 s as % predicted; at the femoral neck and total hip, BMD values correlated with the 6-meter walking test result and grip strength.ConclusionBMD was low in 78.2% of adults with cystic fibrosis. Three factors reflecting lung disease severity were associated with low BMD values, namely, respiratory function, physical function (walking test and grip strength), and nutritional status.     

Clinical and immunogenetic characteristics of European multicase rheumatoid arthritis families

OBJECTIVE—To describe the characteristics of a new set of European families with affected sib pairs (ASP) collected by the European Consortium on Rheumatoid Arthritis Families (ECRAF) to replicate the results of our first genome scan. Potential gradients for disease severity in Europe and concordance within families were studied.
PATIENTS AND METHODS—From 1996 to 1998 European white families with at least two affected siblings were enrolled in the study. Demographic (sex, age at onset), clinical data (rheumatoid factor (RF), disease duration, erosive disease, extra-articular features (EF)), and HLA-DRB1 oligotyping were analysed.
RESULTS—565 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), belonging to 271 families including 319 affected sib pairs (ASP) were collected. Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain contributed 20, 96, 52, 24, 9, and 70 families, respectively. Sex (78% women), age at onset (mean 44 years), and RF positivity (79%) were similar among the countries. Differences were found in disease duration (11-18 years) and in the prevalence of erosive disease (70-93%), nodules (15-44%), subjective Sjögren''s syndrome (5-38%), and EF (3-16%) (p<0.05 in all cases). A total of 22% RA sibs were shared epitope (SE) negative, whereas 47% and 30% carried one and two SE alleles respectively. Carriage of SE differed widely among countries (p<0.0001): no SE alleles (6-36%), one allele (43-60%), and two alleles (20-39%). SE encoding alleles were mainly DRB1*04 in the Netherlands and Belgium, whereas SE carriage was less common and evenly distributed between DRB1*01, *04, and *10 in Mediterranean countries. No concordance within families was found either in age/calendar year of onset (intraclass correlation coefficient <0.50) or in clinical and radiological features (κ<0.22).
CONCLUSIONS—The differences in RA characteristics between European countries and within families underline the heterogeneity of the disease. No clear cut gradient of disease severity was seen in Europe.

     

An examination of the relationships between motor and process skills and scores on the sensory profile.

OBJECTIVE: This quasi-experimental study sought to determine whether children with possible sensory processing deficits, as measured by the Sensory Profile, performed less well on an occupational performance measure compared to children with typical Sensory Profile scores. METHOD: Sixty-eight children were administered both the Assessment of Motor Process Skills (AMPS) and the Sensory Profile. After the assessments were completed, children were divided into two groups based on their Sensory Profile scores. RESULTS: Independent t tests indicated statistically significant differences between groups on the AMPS ADL [Activities of Daily Living] Motor and ADL Process measures (p < .05), with the children with atypical Sensory Profile scores showing more functional difficulties. Correlations revealed significant relationships among the measures. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that children identified with sensory processing deficits on the Sensory Profile are likely to experience some challenges in performing everyday occupations.     

Thrombosis of the superior vena cava after prolonged catheterization. Treatment by progressive removal of the catheter combined with urokinase-heparin administration]

A retrospective study of 13 cases of complete superior vena cava thrombosis due to prolonged catheterization is reported. All the polyurethane catheters had been inserted by anaesthetists in theatre between January 1985 and December 1989, using Seldinger's technique. On the 10th day after the first catheter had been placed, the catheter was replaced by using a guide wire. Superior vena cava obstruction was diagnosed clinically (eyelid, neck, facial and upper limb oedema, cyanosis, collateral venous circulation, lack of blood reflux in the catheter). The clinical diagnosis was confirmed by phlebography. Treatment consisted in administration of urokinase (1,500 IU.kg-1.h-1), together with 10,000 to 25,000 IU.day-1 of heparin, both being injected via the catheter. The catheter was removed progressively (1 cm every 2 to 4 h). As soon as a venous pressure curve was obtained, the catheter was completely removed. Overall 8,784 catheters were inserted during that period. The incidence of superior vena caval obstruction may therefore be estimated to be 1.48 per 1,000 catheters. The catheters remained in place up to a mean of 14.75 +/- 9.6 days before the obstruction occurred. Treatment with urokinase and heparin lasted a mean of 2.53 +/- 1 days. The clinical picture returned to normal in all 13 patients. Phlebography carried out in three of them, after treatment, showed an excellent degree of venous repermeability. Thrombolysis was confirmed by the increase in the concentration of D-dimers, without any decrease in fibrinogen concentration. There were five haemorrhagic complications, including two haematomas of the psoas muscle, one of which required surgical drainage.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Susceptibility of haemophilus to antibiotics: Present status

Summary A total of 100 clinical isolates of Haemophilus were tested for susceptibility to 25 antibiotics. The activity of the five penicillins tested, including penicillin G, was good, almost all strains being inhibited by 6.25 µg/ml of the compounds. Erythromcyin and clindamycin showed similar activity: at 6.25 µg/ml, 100% of the strains were inhibited by erythromycin and 96% were inhibited by clindamycin; in contrast, oleandomycin and lincomycin were less inhibitory, with most strains being resistant to 6.25 µg/ml of these two drugs. MIC's of chloramphenicol and thiamphenicol ranged from 0.1–1.56 µg/ml with most strains inhibited by 0.78 µg/ml. Aminoglycosides and antibiotics belonging to the tetracycline group showed good inhibitory effect with the majority of the strains being inhibited by 3.12 µg/ml. Among the cephalosporins studied, cephradine and cephalexin were considerably less active than other members of this group. Cephapirin was the most active. This study suggests that prediction of the susceptibility of Haemophilus strains to cephalosporins, on the basis of one drug of this group tested alone, is likely to be hazardous.

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Der gegenwärtige Status der Haemophilus-Empfindlichkeit gegenüber Antibiotika

Zusammenfassung Es wurden insgesamt 100 Haemophilus-Stämme aus klinischem Material auf ihre Empfindlichkeit hin gegenüber 25 verschiedenen Antibiotika getestet. Die antimikrobielle Aktivität der fünf untersuchten Penicilline, einschließlich Penicillin-G, war gut; beinahe alle Stämme wurden von 6,25 µg/ml gehemmt. Erythromycin und Clindamycin zeigten eine ähnliche Empfindlichkeit wie die Penicilline (6,25 µg/ml). 100% dieser Stämme wurden durch Erythromycin gehemmt und 96% durch Clindamycin. Im Gegensatz hierzu wirkten Oleandomycin und Lincomycin weniger hemmend; die meisten Stämme waren gegenüber 6,25 µg/ml resistent. Die Minimalhemmkonzentrationen von Chloramphenicol und Thiamphenicol lagen zwischen 0,1–1,56 µg/ml, wobei die Mehrzahl bereits unter 0,78 µg/ml gehemmt wurde. Aminoglycoside und Antibiotika der Tetracyclin-Gruppe zeigten einen guten Hemmeffekt, der bei 3,12 µg/ml lag, bei der Mehrzahl der Stämme. Unter den untersuchten Cephalosporinen waren Cephradin und Cephalexin beträchtlich weniger antibiotisch wirksam als andere Substanzen dieser Gruppe; Cephapirin war am aktivsten. Diese Untersuchung läßt darauf schließen, daß eine Aussage über die Empfindlichkeit von Haemophilus-Stämmen gegenüber Cephalosporinen nicht auf der Basis einer Substanz dieser Gruppe gemacht werden kann.