Variability of actual and potential fibrin-stabilizing factor (FSF) activity of blood plasma in healthy children

Actual and potential fibrin-stabilizing factor (FSF) activity in the blood plasma of children in various are groups and in adults was estimated. Differences in blood plasma activities regarding desmofibrin formation were revealed, which depended upon the changes in enzyme concentration varying with age and upon the changes in thiol group concentration.Investigation partly subsidized by Department VI of the Polish Academy of Sciences.     

Helicobacter pylori antigens in stool specimens of gastritis children before and after treatment

BACKGROUND: Various testing methods are successfully applied to the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection, but noninvasive techniques are still needed for therapeutic monitoring, especially in children. In the search for new noninvasive techniques for the diagnosis of H. pylori infection, the authors evaluated an enzyme immunoassay for the detection of H. pylori antigen in stool (HpSA). METHODS: The authors studied 62 H. pylori-positive children with chronic gastritis and 45 control subjects. H. pylori infection was diagnosed using cultures and histology of gastric biopsy specimens and a stool antigen test before treatment (clarithromycin, amoxicillin, omeprazole for 7 days) and 4 weeks to 6 weeks after treatment. RESULTS: Before therapy, antigen in stool was detected in 55 of 62 H. pylori-positive patients, which indicates that the sensitivity of the HpSA test was 88.7%. Of the 45 control subjects (with negative culture and histology results), 43 had negative results for H. pylori in the stool test (specificity, 95.5%). After completion of therapy, eradication was obtained (and confirmed by culture and histology) in 53 of the 62 H. pylori-positive children (85.5%). Four weeks to 6 weeks after eradication therapy, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the stool antigen (HpSA) test were 88.9%, 96.2%, 80%, and 98%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The accuracy of the HpSA test for the detection of H. pylori in human stool 4 weeks to 6 weeks after treatment is comparable with the accuracy of the culture results. The stool antigen (HpSA) test was found to be a useful method for posttreatment eradication testing of infection in children.     

Triplet pregnancy complicated by intrauterine death of two fetuses--case report

INTRODUCTION: Multiple pregnancy still constitutes a difficult therapeutic problem in perinatology. The incidence of this phenomenon describes Hellin's formula: the number of twin pregnancy is 1/n, triplet--1/n 2 etc. Among complications observed in multiple pregnancy intrauterine death of one or more foetuses is not rare. Due to progressive disturbances in haemostasis the risk for a mother and remaining live foetus increases with gestation. The aim of this paper was to present a case report of triplet pregnancy complicated by an intrauterine death of two foetuses. REPORT: 33 years old patient was diagnosed by ultrasound in the 19th week of her second gestation (1 child) a triplet pregnancy. Three live foetuses were seen then with biometry of about 14/15 gestational week There was one joint placenta on the back uterine wall and two children were sharing an amniotic sac. On the consecutive ultrasound examination the three foetuses were alive, but only one had a biometry for 21st week, two--were slowing down having measurements adequate for 19/20th week. After four weeks on usg the death of two siblings was confirmed (age 19/20 gestational week). One remaining live foetus was according to usg 24 weeks old. The patient was transferred to the II Dept. Even though no disturbances in coagulation were observed, low molecule heparin prophylaxis was introduced. During hospital stay a gestational diabetes was diagnosed well corrected by diet only. Coagulation parameters as well as infection indexes were regularly monitored. The foetal well-being was established by non-stress test, biophysical profile and Doppler vascular flows. After 39 days of hospitalisation an elevation of fibrin degradation products (FDP) was noted so the dosage of low molecule heparin was immediately increased to the therapeutic values. In spite of that FDP still were growing. It was decided to introduce a steroids treatment to accelerate the maturity of foetal lungs. In the 31st week according to usg, after PROM, the emergency caesarean section was performed. Daughter, breech presentation, weighting 1380 grams was born, with Apgar score 6-8-8. At the beginning artificial ventilation was necessary. After 11 days thanks to gradual improvement transfer from NICU to prematurity ward was possible. The postoperative period was uneventful and a mother was discharged home on the 7th day. CONCLUSION: Careful monitoring of a survived foetus as well as coagulation system has allowed to extend the duration of pregnancy for further 45 days and to deliver an infant capable to live.     

The effect of capsaicin on the adenylate cyclase activity of rat brain.

The effect of capsaicin on the adenylate cyclase activity in different regions of the rat brain (preoptic area of the hypothalamus, cerebral cortex and cerebellum) was investigated. Capsaicin added in vitro (10(-7)-10(-5) M) increased the adenylate cyclase activity of different brain regions. Following systemic capsaicin desensitization adenylate cyclase activity was significantly increased in the preoptic area. The enhanced adenylate cyclase activity in the preoptic area was inhibited by the vitro addition of capsaicin or 5-HT, whereas desensitization did not affect the in vitro activating effect of capsaicin in other brain regions (cerebral cortex, cerebellum). It is assumed that the pharmacological effect of capsaicin in the preoptic area is mediated through the activation of adenylate cyclase. Since capsaicin induces irreversible impairment of the function of warmsensitive hypothalamic neurons it is assumed that adenylate cyclase is involved in maintaining normal thermoregulatory functions.     

Perspectives on differences in perceived external stress: a study of women and men with coronary heart disease

Focuses on diversities among women and men are rare, and few studies have focused on gender differences in psychosocial factors and coronary heart disease. The present study is one of a series in which a wide range of psychosocial factors will be analysed with a focus on women. We compared women with men as regards the impact of educational level and occupational position on differences in perceived external stress. A questionnaire (The Stress Profile) was answered by 538 rehabilitation participants (97 women, 441 men), and a reference group (5308 women, 5177 men), aged 40–65 years. Generally, women reported a higher value of perceived external stress than men. Most interesting, however, are the patterns of differences that emerged when women and men were compared in different subgroups. Women with upper secondary school education and women in white‐collar positions reported significantly higher levels of perceived external stress than men in the respective groups. When using common multivariate methods and adjusting for gender a great deal of information can be lost, and adjusting for gender makes it more difficult to find the true effect of exposures. It is only by regarding women and men separately that it is possible to link their very different working conditions and experience of stress to different health effects and vice versa. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Electroconvulsive therapy and plasma prostaglandin E2 metabolite in major depressive disorder

1. 1. Animal experiments show that PGE₂ affects the release of ACTH and corticosteroids. In depressed subjects, plasma concentrations of the same hormones are increased immediately following ECT. Consequently we explored passible effects of ECT on PGE₂.

2. 2. The major plasma PGE₂ metabolite (PGEM), ACTH, and cortisol were determined by RIA.

3. 3. PGEM did not change with time alone and anesthesia without ECT also did not have a consistent effect. PGEM was significantly elevated at all post ECT sampling times. The maximum increase, about fifty percent, was attained at 15 and 30 minutes. Similar changes were observed following ECT-I and ECT-VI.

4. 4. Positive correlations between PGEM, ACTH and cortisol were obtained.

5. 5. The results demonstrate that following ECT stimulus there is a robust increase in circulating PGEM. The increased release of PGE₂ may, in part, account for the elevated plasma ACTH and cortisol.