The incidence of AIDS among blacks and Hispanics

Compared with whites, the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) has affected blacks and Hispanics disproportionately. The cumulative incidence (CI) for black men was 2.6, and for Hispanic men 2.5, times the rate for white men. Intravenous (IV) needle use alone does not account for this difference. Not counting IV needle-using cases, the CIs for black and Hispanic men were 1.7 times the CI for white men. Although there were fewer cases in women than men, the white-to-minority disparity was greater for women. The CIs for black and Hispanic women were 12.2 and 8.5 times, respectively, the CI for white women. Prevention programs are urgently needed and should focus on risky behavior (IV needle sharing and receptive anal intercourse), not just risk groups.     

Secretion of lung fluid by the developing fetal rat alveolar epithelium in organ culture.

We studied lung explants in submersion organ culture to examine the role of the developing fetal alveolar epithelium in the production of lung fluid. Fourteen-day-gestation fetal rat lungs were grown in a collagen gel matrix supplemented with F-12 media and 10% fetal calf serum. In this model, the lung continues to grow, secrete fluid, and become progressively cystic in morphology. There is gradual thinning of the distal epithelial layer, which is lined by alveolar type II cells and their precursors. After 6 to 8 days in culture, we impaled the cyst walls with a microelectrode and continuously recorded the transepithelial potential (psi t). Stable, baseline transepithelial potentials of -1.1 to -6.2 mV (mean +/- SEM = -3.3 +/- 0.11 mV, lumen negative, n = 34) were measured in bicarbonate-buffered Ringer's solution, suggesting active electrolyte transport. When bumetanide, an inhibitor of chloride secretion in other systems, was added to the bathing solution, psi t decreased from a baseline of -3.5 +/- 0.07 mV (mean +/- SEM) to a value of -2.2 +/- 0.07 mV, suggesting chloride transport contributes to the voltage (n = 18, P less than 0.0005). Isoproterenol hyperpolarized psi t from a baseline of -4.3 +/- 1.0 mV to -6.5 +/- 1.0 mV (n = 7, P less than 0.005). 8-(4-Chlorophenylthio) adenosine 3':5'cyclic monophosphate (CPT-cAMP) plus isobutylmethylxanthine (IBMX) similarly hyperpolarized psi t from a baseline of -4.6 +/- 0.4 mV to -7.3 +/- 0.7 mV (n = 11, P less than 0.005). Addition of bumetanide after stimulation with isoproterenol or CPT-cAMP/IBMX depolarized psi t.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Using automated pharmacy records to assess the management of tuberculosis

We used automated pharmacy dispensing data to characterize tuberculosis (TB) management for 45 health maintenance organization (HMO) members. Pharmacy records distinguished patients treated in HMOs from those treated elsewhere. For cases treated in HMOs, they provided useful information about appropriateness of prescribed regimens and adherence to therapy.     

Development of the innervation and airway smooth muscle in human fetal lung

Human and porcine fetal airways have been shown to contract spontaneously from the first trimester, the latter also contracting in response to neural stimulation. Our object was to map immunohistochemically the innervation and its relationship to the airway smooth muscle (ASM) in the human fetal lung from early gestation to the postnatal period. Whole mounts of the bronchial tree were stained with antibodies to the pan-neuronal marker protein gene product 9.5, the Schwann cell marker S-100, and the ASM contractile protein alpha-actin, and imaged using confocal microscopy. By the end of the embryonic period (53 d gestation), the branching epithelial tubules in the primordial lung were covered with ASM to the base of the terminal sacs. An extensive plexus of nerve trunks containing nerve bundles, forming ganglia, and Schwann cells ensheathed the ASM. By 16 wk (canalicular stage), maturation of the innervation was advanced with two major nerve trunks running the length of the bronchial tree, giving rise to varicosed fibers lying on the ASM. An extensive nerve plexus in the mucosa was also present. The distal airways of infants who had died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome were also covered with smooth muscle and were well innervated. Thus, an essentially complete coat of ASM and an abundant neural plexus ensheathing the airways are an integral part of the branching epithelial tubules from early in lung development.     

Growth of Pakistani children in relation to the 1990 growth standards

This study was designed to compare the growth of Pakistani schoolchildren in the UK with the 1990 UK growth standards. Measurements of height, weight, and sitting height were performed on 785 Pakistani schoolchildren aged 5-14 years with the mean values for each age and sex being plotted on the UK growth standards. The results were expressed as SD scores relative to the 1990 reference data. The mean height for the boys was only 0.2 SD scores below the mean for the new growth standards with the mean height for the girls being 0.4 SD scores below the mean. The mean values for weight and body mass index were 0.3 and 0.5 SD scores less than the mean for boys and girls respectively. This study demonstrates that the growth of Pakistani schoolchildren in the UK is comparable to the 1990 UK growth standards with only minor differences. It is not safe to assume that short stature or low body weight in a Pakistani child is due to his or her ethnic background.