Spirometry as an objective tool for nasal patency

Spirometry can be used as an objective tool for measuring nasal patency. it is sensitive, easy to perform, comfortable to patient The only limitation being that it only can be done in institution.     

Phase-sensitive cardiac tagging--REALTAG.

Fully inverting spins, instead of merely saturating them, provides superior contrast for tagging procedures. The resulting improvement in tag contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) yields higher-precision tag detection. Also, thinner slices and hence reduced tag separations can be employed, providing displacement and strain measurements with better spatial resolution. Alternatively, the improved tag contrast can be used to obtain cine images covering a greater portion of the cardiac cycle. The use of standard magnitude reconstruction for images of these inversion tags causes rectification of the negative-valued signals from the tags, confounding the image interpretation. Therefore, a phase-sensitive reconstruction scheme of the inverted tags must be employed. Here we demonstrate the implementation of inverted tags with phase-sensitive reconstruction in a ramped-flip-angle, steady-state free precession (SSFP) sequence.     

Antifungal potential of disulfiram.

Disulfiram, an alcohol antagonistic drug has been on the market since 1949 with 80% bioavailability and an established safety profile. Recently it has been reported as a P-glycoprotein efflux pump modulator. Herein we report its antifungal potential. The MIC50 and MIC90 of disulfiram for yeast isolates is 4 and 8 microg/ml, respectively, and the MIC range is 1-16 micro g/ml for both fluconazole sensitive and resistant strains. Interestingly, disulfiram also showed fungicidal activity on Aspergillus spp. with MIC50 and MIC90 of 2 and 8 microg/ml, respectively.     

RNA-transfected dendritic cells

Based on their unique ability to stimulate primary immune responses, dendritic cells are the most potent antigen-presenting cells known. This ability stems from the fact that they are very efficient at the uptake and processing of antigen and they express high levels of major histocompatibility complex class I and class II, as well as costimulatory molecules, which are required to prime naive cytotoxic T-cells. Many groups of investigators have tried to take advantage of these features by developing dendritic cell-based vaccines against tumors and infectious diseases. While the basic principle in these studies is the same--dendritic cells pulsed with antigen are used to elicit cytotoxic T-cell responses--the methods used are varied. This is particularly true with respect to the nature of the antigen used and the method of antigen delivery. In this article, we will focus on the use of RNA as a form of antigen with which to load dendritic cells. We will discuss the rationale behind using RNA as an antigen source and will review recent studies in both murine and human settings that use RNA-pulsed dendritic cells as vaccines.     

Phenotypically distinct subsets of CD4+ T cells induce or protect from chronic intestinal inflammation in C. B-17 scid mice

CD4⁺ T cells in the mouse can be subdivided into two fractionsbased on the level of expression of the CD45RB determinant.Previous studies have shown that these subsets are functionallydistinct. We have further characterized the properties of thesesubpopulations in vivo by injecting them into C. B-17 scid mice.The animals restored with the CD45RB^highCD4⁺ T cell populationdeveloped a lethal wasting disease with severe mononuclear cellinfiltrates into the colon and elevated levels of IFN- mRNA.In contrast, animals restored with the reciprocal CD45RB^lowsubset or with unfractionated CD4⁺ T cells did not develop thewasting or colitis. Importantly, the co-transfer of the CD45RB^lowpopulation with the CD45RB^high population prevented the wastingdisease and colitis. These data indicate that important regulatoryinteractions occur between the CD45RB^high and CD45RB^lowCD4⁺T cell subsets and that disruption of this mechanism has fatalconsequences.     

15th Scientific Congress of the European Society for Pediatric Hematology and Immunology (ESPHI) Bingen,Germany, 23–26 August 1995

Abstracts

15th Scientific Congress of the European Society for Pediatric Hematology and Immunology (ESPHI) Bingen, Germany, 23–26 August 1995     

Consensus guidelines on pediatric acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease

JUSTIFICATION: Acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic chronic valvular heart disease is an important preventable cause of morbidity and mortality in suburban and rural India. Its diagnosis is based on clinical criteria. These criteria need verification and revision in the Indian context. Furthermore, there are glaring differences in management protocols available in literature. These facts prompted Indian Academy of Pediatrics to review the management of rheumatic fever. PROCESS: Management of Rheumatic fever was reviewed and recommendation was formulated at national consultative meeting on 20th May 2007 at New Delhi. OBJECTIVES: To formulate uniform guidelines on management of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease in the Indian context. Guidelines were formulated for the management of streptococcal pharyngitis, acute rheumatic fever and its cardiac complication as well as secondary prophylaxis for recurrent episodes. RECOMMENDATIONS: (1) Streptococcal eradication with appropriate antibiotics (Benzathine penicillin single dose or penicillin V oral or azithromycin). (2) Diagnosis of rheumatic fever based on Jones criteria. (3) Control inflammatory process with aspirin with or without steroids (total duration of treatment of 12 weeks). (4) Treatment of chorea according to severity (therapy to continue for 2-3 weeks after clinical improvement). (5) Protocol for managing cardiac complication like valvular heart disease, congestive heart failure and atrial fibrillation. (6) Secondary prophylaxis with benzathine penicillin and management of anaphylaxis.     

Predictive validity of DSM‐IV oppositional defiant and conduct disorders in clinically referred preschoolers

Background: Diagnostic validity of oppositional defiant and conduct disorders (ODD and CD) for preschoolers has been questioned based on concerns regarding the ability to differentiate normative, transient disruptive behavior from clinical symptoms. Data on concurrent validity have accumulated, but predictive validity is limited. Predictive validity is critical to refuting the hypothesis that diagnosing ODD and CD in young children leads to pathologizing normal behavior. ODD and CD have emerged as gateway disorders to many forms of adult psychopathology. Establishing how early we can identify symptoms and disorders that herald poor prognosis is one of the most important goals for research on etiology and prevention. Methods: Subjects were 3–5‐year‐old consecutive referrals to a child psychiatry clinic (n = 123) and demographically matched children from a pediatric clinic (n = 100). A diagnostic interview was used to assess DSM‐IV ODD and CD in a prospective follow‐up design from preschool to school age. Stability of ODD and CD diagnoses and level of impairment were tested as a function of preschool diagnosis. Results: Over 80% of preschoolers diagnosed with ODD and approximately 60% of preschoolers diagnosed with CD met criteria for the same disorder during follow‐up. Impairment over time varied significantly as a function of stability of diagnosis across three years. Conclusions: These results provide the first evidence of the predictive validity of DSM‐IV ODD and CD in clinically referred preschool children. The findings challenge the assumption that symptoms of disruptive behavior disorders that occur during the preschool period tend to be transient.