Experiments on antiviral activity of hand disinfectants. Some theoretical and practical considerations

Various members of the picornavirus family, adenovirus 2, papovavirus SV40, as well as rotaviruses were tested for inactivation of infectivity by hand disinfectants formulated on the basis of ethanol. The inactivating effect of povidine-iodine (Betaisodona) on enteroviruses and rotaviruses was also investigated. The degree of inactivation by these disinfectants on the various non-enveloped viruses studied, however, was found unpredictable. In fact, striking differences with the very same disinfectant existed even for members of one virus family. Isopropanol was inactive against enteroviruses. These findings are discussed from a theoretical point of view and practical implications are considered. Disinfection of poliovirus 1-contaminated hands by 80% (v/v) ethanol proved not very effective, despite encouraging results obtained in the suspension test. The load of rotavirus-contaminated hands, however, was substantially reduced by treatment with Desderman. A practical regimen can be proposed.     

Effects of early unilateral blur on the macaque's visual system. I. Behavioral observations

We raised 8 macaque monkeys with chronic atropinization of one eye throughout the first 6-10 months after birth. This rearing procedure produces retinal image blur, with the most pronounced contrast attenuation occurring at high spatial frequencies. Measurements of contrast sensitivity were made using behavioral methods in 6 monkeys and evoked potential methods in 2 monkeys. The results showed that this rearing procedure produced long-term deficits in the contrast sensitivity and spatial resolution of the atropinized eye, which were not due to residual losses in accommodative capacity. There was considerable interanimal variation in the magnitude of the effects on visual performance. Similar losses in visual performance are seen in some forms of human amblyopia. Rearing monkeys with chronic instillation of atropine therefore provides a nonhuman primate model for studying the underlying neural mechanisms of anisometropic amblyopia.     

Iodine absorption in patients undergoing ERCP compared with coronary angiography.

BACKGROUND: Systemic absorption of iodinated contrast material occurs during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), the clinical significance of which has not yet been determined. METHODS: Urinary iodine excretion was measured before and after coronary angiography (n = 20) and ERCP (n = 12). Thyroid hormone levels were determined before iodine load and after 6 and 24 weeks. RESULTS: Before coronary angiography, iodine excretion was 101 +/- 38.3 micromol/mol creatinine and increased to 865. 10(5) +/- 721. 10(5) micromol/mol on the next day (p 相似文献   

Effacement of the fetal cisterna magna in association with myelomeningocele

The cisterna magna is effaced in association with myelomeningocele. The authors retrospectively investigated the size of the fetal cisterna magna as a predictor of fetal myelomeningocele in 67 pregnant women (17-38 menstrual weeks) referred for prenatal sonography because of an elevated serum alpha-fetoprotein level (n = 61) or a suspicion of fetal ventriculomegaly on previously obtained sonograms (n = 6). Twenty fetuses had myelomeningocele, 14 had isolated ventriculomegaly, and 33 were normal. A normal-sized cisterna magna (range, 4-9 mm in depth) was present in all normal fetuses. In 19 of 20 fetuses with myelomeningocele, the views of the posterior fossa were adequate, and in each of these the cisterna magna was effaced (n = 18) or very small (n = 1). The cisterna magna was effaced in five of 13 (38%) fetuses with isolated ventriculomegaly in whom the posterior fossa was adequately imaged. Although effacement of the cisterna magna is a nonspecific finding, the high negative predictive value of this sign is useful during routine screening of the fetal neural axis.