Intestinal Colonization with Enterobacteriaceae in Pakistani and Swedish Hospital-Delivered Infants

ABSTRACT. Rectal cultures from Swedish and Pakistani hospital-delivered newborn infants were analysed regarding the early aquisition of enterobacteria. Swedish infants were delivered vaginally, Pakistani infants were delivered either vaginally or by caesarean section. The Swedish infants were all breast-fed, whereas breastfeeding was incomplete and often started late among the Pakistani infants. Both groups of Pakistani infants were more rapidly colonized with enterobacteria than were the Swedish infants. Cultures from Swedish infants seldom yielded more than one kind of enterobacteria; E. coli and Klebsiefla were most frequently isolated. E. coli dominated in both Pakistani groups, but especially caesarean section delivered infants were in addition often colonized with Proteus, Klebsiella, Enterobacter or Citrobacter species. Breastfeeding from the first day of life reduced colonization with Klebsiella/Enterobacter/Citrobucter. The results suggest that environmental exposure, delivery mode and early feeding habits all influence the early intestinal colonization with enterobacteria.     

Motor and Sensory Dissociative Phenomena Associated with Induced Catalepsy: A Brief Communication

The purpose of this study was to investigate dissociative symptoms that may occur as an epiphenomenon of tactile-induced catalepsy. In 15 participants, catalepsy was induced in the right arm, and dissociative symptoms were evaluated using a self-report questionnaire. In comparison with the left, noncataleptic arm, the right cataleptic arm was perceived differently. In addition to increased rigidity, the cataleptic arm was characterized by the presence of paresthesias, a decreased perception of sense and a decreased awareness of the arm. Moreover, the self-reported changes in perception were significantly correlated to the hypnotically induced arm-immobilization part of the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale. In conclusion, catalepsy induction elicits a variety of dissociative symptoms and provides a useful research paradigm for the study of motor-perceptual dissociative phenomena.     

AMINO ACID COMPOSITION AND SEQUENCE ANALYSIS OF SAUVAGINE,A NEW ACTIVE PEPTIDE FROM THE SKIN OF PHYLLOMEDUSA SAWAGEI

The complete amino acid sequence of sauvagine, a new active polypeptide from the skin of Phyllomedusa sauvagei, a frog of Central and South America, has been determined by automated liquid-phase procedure after specific removal of the N-terminal pyrrolidonecarboxylic acid, and specific cleavages at the single methionine and at the two arginine residues. The proposed sequence is: Pyr-Gly-Pro-Pro-Ile-Ser-Ile-Asp-Leu-Ser-Leu-Glu-Leu-Leu-Arg-Lys-Met-Ile-GIu-Ile-Glu-Lys-Gln-Glu-Lys-Glu-Lys-Gln-Gln-Ala-Ala-Asn-Asn-Arg-Leu-Leu-Leu-Asp-Thr-Ile-NH₂. Sauvagine possesses a number of pharmacological actions on diuresis, the cardiovascular system and endocrine glands; it can be considered the prototype of a new family of amphibian peptides, in addition to the tachykinins, bradykinins, dermorphins, caerulein-like and bombesin-like peptides.     

Pulmonary gas exchange during orthotopic liver transplantation

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of pulmonarygas exchange during the course of liver transplantation. Westudied 25 adult cirrhotic patients undergoing transplantation,performed with venovenous bypass. A significant increase inPa_o2 and a significant decrease in physiological shunt and alveolar-arterialpartial pressure difference were observed just before the startof venovenous bypass. These changes were probably caused bymodifications in respiratory mechanics, such as an increasein functional residual capacity. There were no other respiratorychanges during the anhepatic and post-anhepatic phases.