Zur Dekontamination von insektizidbelasteten Flächen nach Entwesungen in Innenräumen

A demand that has been raised for many years in the debate over the health risks posed by residues of insecticides and acaricides from disinsection activities on the surfaces of the target materials is the development of effective decontamination measures. These measures are designed to minimise the toxicological risks of an exposure of human beings, non-target animals, food- and feedstuff, commodities and medical equipment to insecticides and acaricides. The investigations performed have shown that the decontamination success depends largely on the formulation of the insecticide used and on the removal technique applied. The highest reduction in insecticide residues was achieved for micro-encapsulated formulations (CS). With a reduction of more than 99%, high-pressure extraction was the most effective technique for the removal of insecticides residues from non-porous, waterproof surfaces such as glazed tiles. The decontamination result is influenced primarily by the surface structure of the target material, the type of insecticidal formulation applied and the procedure used to remove insecticide residues.     

The development of circadian rhythms in a human infant.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: This study examines the ontogeny and interaction of circadian rhythms of sleep, wake, temperature, melatonin, and feeding in the human newborn, and the influence of photic and non-photic factors on the initiation of entrainment. DESIGN: An infant's sleep-wake state, temperature, and salivary melatonin were monitored from birth to 6 months. Temperature was obtained every hour, and the infant's sleep/eating onset/termination were observed continuously and recorded until day 182. Salivary melatonin was obtained weekly for a 24-hour period, starting at week 3. SETTING: The infant slept in his parents' bedroom. All household members awakened, retired, and ate meals according to a fixed schedule during the study, while the infant ate, slept, and woke on demand. PARTICIPANTS: A healthy male infant was the subject. Biological parents gathered data continuously for six months. INTERVENTIONS: The infant's schedule was on-demand; the household's was fixed. Illumination was restricted to sunlight. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: The circadian rhythm of temperature appeared first, soon after birth, and became statistically significant within one week. The wake circadian rhythm appeared second, attaining significance at day 45; approximately the same time that increased melatonin concentration began to occur at sunset. The sleep circadian rhythm appeared last, attaining significance after day 56. Ninety to 120 minute zones of sustained wakefulness first appeared in the second month of life subsequent to awakening and prior to sleep onset. The infant's nocturnal sleep-onset was coupled to sunset before day 60 and subsequently to family bedtime, giving evidence of initial photic entrainment followed by social entrainment. CONCLUSIONS: Circadian rhythms appeared much more rapidly in this infant than previously reported; their rapid appearance was probably facilitated by maximal exposure to sunlight, and regular social cues. These lighting conditions replicate universal infant experience prior to the invention of artificial light.     

Familial clustering of intracerebral hemorrhage: a prospective study in North Carolina.

Few studies have assessed the frequency of familial clustering in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Of 144 patients with ICH prospectively assessed, 14 (9.8%) had a positive family history of ICH (FH+). Four pedigrees had more than two affected family members. Comparisons between FH+ and FH- probands demonstrated no significant differences in race, age, sex, ICH type or location. An underlying genetic etiology may account for familial clustering in some ICH patients.