Catabolic effect in premature infants with early dexamethasone treatment

To evaluate the catabolic effects of dexamethasone therapy on protein metabolism, amino acid concentrations and urinary 3-methylhistidine (3MH) were measured in 28 premature infants who were included in a double-blind controlled study using early dexamethasone therapy in the prevention of bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Fifteen infants received dexamethasone (0.5mg/kg/day i.v.) and 13 infants received normal saline as control. Heparinized venous blood samples for amino acid analysis were obtained before the study and again at day 5 after starting the study. Urinary 3MH was measured on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, 21, and 28 of treatment. A substantial increase in amino acid concentrations was observed in infants receiving dexamethasone. Alanine, glutamine, citrulline, ornithine and cystine concentrations increased twofold or more. The 3MH:creatinine ratio was increased in the treated group. These metabolic effects were most likely due to an increase in protein catabolism.     

Hypersensitivity to Forcipomyia taiwana (biting midge): clinical analysis and identification of major For t 1, For t 2 and For t 3 allergens

BACKGROUND: Forcipomyia taiwana is a tiny, blood-sucking midge that cause intense pruritis and swelling in sensitive individuals. It is distributed island-wide in rural Taiwan and Southern China. Objective: This study aimed to study the allergic immune responses and identify F. taiwana allergens. METHODS: Crude whole body F. taiwana extracts were prepared with phosphate-buffered saline. The specific IgE antibody was determined by enzyme-linked immunoassay and immunoblotting. Protein was analyzed by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Among the 372 subjects that were exposed to F. taiwana bites, 179 (48%) reported an immediate skin reaction with/without delay reaction and 41(11.1%) reported a solely delay reaction. The skin of 21 subjects was tested with F. taiwana extract. Of these 21 subjects, 12 (57.1%) produced immediate skin reactions and contained high levels of specific IgE antibody against F. taiwana. Immunoblotting revealed that 11 allergenic components are able to bind specific IgE. Allergens of 22, 24, 35, 36, and 64 kDa bound 50, 50, 75, 66.7, and 75% of IgE-containing sera tested, respectively. Tryptic fragments of the 24, 35, 36, and 64 kDa allergens were analyzed by ESI-MS/MS. Selected tryptic peptides of 24, 35, and 36, and 64 kDa allergens exhibited significant sequence identity with triosephosphate isomerase of Anopheles merus,Tenebrio molitor,Ochlerotatus togoi, and Chrysops vittatus, fructose 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase of Antheraea yamamai and Homalodisca coagulata, and a slow muscle myosin S1 heavy chain of Homarusamericanus and a protein with unknown function from A. gambiae, respectively. The 35 and 36 kDa proteins may represent different isoforms of the fructose 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase. CONCLUSION: We conclude that immediate reaction to F. taiwana bites is IgE mediated and the 24 (For t 1), 35 (For t 2), and 64 kDa (For t 3) proteins are candidates for major F. taiwana allergens. Further studies are needed to confirm these allergens.     

The rare malformation of nasal aplasia]

BACKGROUND: After presenting two sisters with the rare form of congenital arrhinia, this syndrome is reviewed, an explanation of the pathogenesis is offered and the therapeutic options of the functional and aesthetic reconstruction are discussed. DISCUSSION: In cases of congenital arrhinia different degrees of respiratory distress, cyanotic episodes, and impaired food intake are described. Therefore after birth respiration and food intake need to be monitored to alleviate the situation through intubation or tracheotomy. The following conclusions could be made based on the literature overview. Little is known about the pathophysiology and a great variety of therapeutic interventions and reconstruction solutions with a wide spectrum of complications are described. Due to the numerous forms of complications, which need to be compared with the reconstructive results, indications for surgical reconstruction of the airway and plastic reconstruction of the nose during childhood must be defined very stringently. CONCLUSION: One method to achieve a satisfactory plastic result is with an osseointegrated prosthesis. This facial prosthesis can be inserted without complications and can guarantee an adequate result, whereas no impairment of maxillofacial development was noted.     

Cigarette smoking, familial hematopoietic cancer, hair dye use, and risk of t(14;18)-defined subtypes of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Some evidence suggests that smoking, a family history of hematopoietic cancer, and use of hair dyes are associated with t(14;18)-defined subsets of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) in men. To further evaluate these associations and to expand them to women, the authors determined t(14;18)(q32;q21) status by fluorescence in situ hybridization in 172 of 175 tumor blocks from a population-based case-control study conducted in Nebraska during 1983-1986. Exposures in 65 t(14;18)-positive cases and 107 t(14;18)-negative cases were compared with those among 1,432 controls. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using polytomous logistic regression. Among men, smoking was not associated with risk of t(14;18)-positive or -negative NHL. Among women who had ever smoked cigarettes, there was an association with risk of t(14;18)-negative NHL (odds ratio (OR) = 1.9, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1, 3.3) but not t(14;18)-positive NHL (p-difference = 0.01). The risks for t(14;18)-negative NHL among women increased with longer duration (>30 years: OR = 2.1, 95% CI: 1.1, 4.1) and early initiation (age 相似文献   

An experimental design for quantification of cardiovascular responses to music stimuli in humans

There have been several researches on the relationship between music and human physiological or psychological responses. However, there are cardiovascular index factors that have not been explored quantitatively due to the qualitative nature of acoustic stimuli. This study proposes and demonstrates an experimental design for quantification of cardiovascular responses to music stimuli in humans. The system comprises two components: a unit for generating and monitoring quantitative acoustic stimuli and a portable autonomic nervous system (ANS) analysis unit for quantitative recording and analysis of the cardiovascular responses. The experimental results indicate that the proposed system can exactly achieve the goal of full control and measurement for the music stimuli, and also effectively support many quantitative indices of cardiovascular response in humans. In addition, the analysis results are discussed and predicted in the future clinical research.