Chest X-ray Appearances in Pneumonia and Bronchiolitis

ABSTRACT. Chest X-ray findings were related to virus diagnosis, age and secretory bacterial findings in 128 infants and children under 7 years of age with clinical pneumonia and bronchiolitis. They belonged to a cohort examined in connection with the introduction of rapid methods for virological diagnosis. Seventy-six children had a virus infection diagnosed by examination of nasopharyngeal secretion and/or by serological methods. Thirty-seven of these children were classified as having pathogenic bacteria of importance in the respiratory tract. Four groups were compared: virus infected children with or without bacteria in the secretion and the corresponding virus negative groups. The X-rays were normal significantly more often in the virus positive/bacteria negative group compared with the other groups. Alveolar pneumonia appearing as lobar or segmental consolidations ("lobar" pneumonia) was observed with equal frequency and without relation to bacterial findings in the virus positive and the virus negative groups. But it was more often observed in the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infected children under 6 months of age compared with the older RSV children. In comparison disperse alveolar infiltrations ("bronchopneumonia") mostly appeared in the virus positive group. Interstitial pneumonia and peribronchitis were often present together in children over 6 months of age. There was no significant difference in the X-ray appearances in the groups with and without bacterial findings in the tracheal secretion except for a higher frequency of normal chest radiographs in the bacteria negative group.     

Cross-sectional Study of Health Effects of Cryolite Production

A cross-sectional health study of 101 cryolite workers was performed,using spirometry and a questionnaire. Multiple regression analysisrevealed a significant correlation between the index of smokingand a decrease in FEV₁ (per cent). There was no significantcorrelation between work-related exposure and lung function. Many cryolite workers described a group of symptoms appearingafter 15 to 30 min of heavy dust exposure: nausea, followedby epigastric pain with relief after spontaneous or provokedvomiting. Thirty-four (336 per cent) workers complained of nausea,vomiting or diarrhoea in relation to work, compared to 38 percent of 1752 men participating in the Copenhagen Male Study. Requests for reprints should be addressed to: Dr Henrik Friis, Gersonsvej 6, 2900 Hellerup, Denmark     

Purification, Subunit Characterization and Ultrastructure of Three Soluble Bovine Lectins: Conglutinin, Mannose-Binding Protein and the Pentraxin Serum Amyloid P-Component

Conglutinin and mannose-binding protein (MBP) are members of the C-type lectins which are widely present in mammalian plasma. Serum amyloid P-component (SAP) is a member of the pentraxin family with lectin properties. A scheme for the partial purification of all three lectins by carbohydrate affinity chromatography and selective elution was developed. The purification was monitored by SDS-PAGE, Western blotting and electron microscopy. Binding of the lectins to Sephadex-iC3b, their collagenase sensitivity, and the size and antibody reactivity of their subunits was investigated. The demonstration, by SDS-PAGE, of 25-kDa subunits, which were unaffected by collagenase treatment but bound to Sephadex-iC3b and antibodies to human SAP, indicated the existence of bovine SAP. Bovine conglutinin (BK) also showed calcium-dependent binding to Sephadex-iC3b, whereas bovine MBP did not. The binding of BK was inhibitable with GlcNAc. A 3000-fold increase in BK activity (ELISA) was obtained in eluates from Sephadex-iC3b. SDS-PAGE analyses of BK and MBP revealed subunits with an Mr of 43 kDa and 30 kDa, respectively. These subunits were sensitive to collagenase treatment which reduced the Mr to 20 kDa. Electron micrographs revealed a prominent flexible tetramer molecule (diameter 96 nm) in the BK preparations, a predominantly hexameric structure (diameter 30 nm) in the MBP preparations, and single annular pentameric disc-like molecules (diameter 11 nm) in the SAP preparations.     

Alcohol and Liver Injury: dose-related or permissive effect?

The studies addressing the risk of development of cirrhosis of the liver in relation to alcohol consumption have been based on comparisons at the aggregate population level and at the individual level, on case-control studies and cohort studies, and on retrospective and prospective assessment of alcohol consumption. The ideal, but unfeasible, study design for estimation of the risk function is a prospective monitoring of alcohol consumption and recording of rate of development of cirrhosis per unit of time. Two recent studies, approaching this design, suggested that above a rather low, but not precisely determined, level of alcohol consumption, the risk of development of cirrhosis is not further influenced by the amount of alcohol consumed. A critical analysis of previous studies suggests that this risk function actually is compatible with their findings. The contention that alcohol abuse has a permissive rather than a dose-dependent role in the development of alcoholic liver injury encourages research into the additional factors that must act before the liver injury occurs.     

IMMUNOLOGICAL STUDIES IN TWO CHILDREN WITH RECURRENT PAROTITIS

ABSTRACT. In two children with recurrent parotitis, labial salivary gland biopsies showed chronic sialoadenitis. Immunofluorescence studies disclosed deposits of immunoglobulins and complement in juxta-acinar small vessels. Case 1 had gluten enteropathy, IgA deficiency and high titres of antinuclear antibodies (ANA), and in vivo fixation of ANA to nuclei of different cells in lip, skin and jejunum was present. Case 2 showed deposition of IgM in the dermo-epidermal junction of the skin. These findings suggest that autoimmune reactivity and immune complexes may play a role in the pathogenesis of this disorder.     

Concanavalin-A-Activated Suppressor Cells in Patients with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

Concanavalin-A-induced suppressor cell activity was investigated in 63 patients with a definite diagnosis of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Peripheral blood lymphoid cells from these patients did not have the same ability as cells from normal individuals to suppress the proliferative response of autologous cells, responding to phytohaemaglutinin, Candida albicans antigen, or allogeneic cells. No correlation was found between suppressor activity, disease activity, or number of joints involved. Nor was there any significant association between decreased suppressor cell activity and HLA-A, -B, -C, -D antigens, although there was a tendency towards association between decreased suppressor cell activity and HLA-B27.