The relationship of human papillomavirus (HPV) detection to pap smear classification of cervical-scraped cells in asymptomatic women in northeast Thailand.

OBJECTIVE: To correlate the detection of human papillomavirus (HPV) with the Pap smear classification of cervical-scraped cells from asymptomatic women living in northeast Thailand. METHODS: A total of 260 asymptomatic women attending the Obstetrics and Gynecology's Outpatient Clinic, Srinagarind Hospital, Thailand, were interviewed for risk factors and cervical scrapes were taken. The cells were examined by Pap smear for cytological changes and by PCR for HPV DNAs--nononcogenic (HPVs 6 and 11) and oncogenic (HPVs 16, 18 and 33) types. Cervical biopsies were taken from women with abnormal Pap smears for histological examination. RESULTS: Of the 260 cervical smear samples, the cervical cells were classified as normal and abnormal in 174 and 86, respectively. Twenty-three percent of all samples were positive for overall HPV DNA. HPV DNAs (mostly HPVs 6 and 11) were detected in 21% of normal cells, and the higher detection rate (27%) for HPV DNA in abnormal cells gradually increased in severity from 16% in Class 3 to 35 and 60% in Classes 4 and 5, respectively. Histologically 46, 90 and 100% of HPV detection was associated with CIS, SCC and adenocarcinoma, respectively. Almost all of the HPV DNAs detected were types 16, 18 or 33. There was no significant association between HPV infection and reproduction history, sexual behavior and demographic variables. CONCLUSION: We speculated that an abnormal Pap smear and the detection of an oncogenic type HPV may indicate the presence of neoplastic cells in asymptomatic woman who might be at risk for the development of cervical cancer.

The antiulcerative effect of Thai Musa species in rats.

Bananas are reported to have an antipeptic ulcer effect, however, the beneficial action can be affected by many factors, including the variety. Our study was undertaken to investigate the antipeptic ulcer effect of the Palo and Horn varieties of banana, grown and consumed in the northeast of Thailand. Indomethacin and acetic acid-induced gastric lesions in rats were employed as models of peptic ulcer disease. The lengths of gastric lesions in the glandular part of the stomach were measured for the assessment of the protective effect of bananas. The healing effect was studied by histological examination of the ulcerated area. The lesions in rats treated with the extract of banana were significantly less dominant than those of the control. The average length of total lesions of rats treated with an extract of Palo or Horn bananas at a dose of 1.0 g/kg/d for 3 days prior to indomethacin administration were 4.47+/-1.2 and 1.87+/-0.44 mm, respectively, whereas those observed in the control rats were 14.56+/-2.43 mm. In the ulcer-healing model, only the Hom-banana-extract-treated group showed a beneficial effect which manifested as a milder degree of histological change than that of the indomethacin-induced-chronic-ulcer control group. However, in acetic acid-induced ulcers, the histological changes of every group were similar. The present findings indicate that bananas of different varieties have varying antipeptic ulcer effects. The extracts of Palo and Hom bananas have a prominent gastroprotective effect, whereas only the extract of Hom banana had an observed ulcer-healing effect.

Etiology of acute lower respiratory tract infection in children at Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen, Thailand.

We investigated the etiology of acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) in children under 5 admitted to Srinagarind Hospital. The causative bacteria and viruses were determined by hemoculture and viral isolation from blood and nasopharyngeal aspirate samples. Antigens of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and Chlamydia trachomatis were detected using EIA. The 74 children less than 5 years of age with ALRI enrolled in our study were diagnosed with pneumonia (75.7%), croup (16.2%), and bronchiolitis (8.1%), respectively. Examination of blood or nasopharyngeal aspirate revealed viral or bacterial infections in 26 and 22 cases, respectively, whereas 5 of the children aged under 1 year (10%) were diagnosed with pneumonia caused by Chlamydia trachomatis. RSV was the most common virus detected (24.3%) and was associated with pneumonia and bronchiolitis, while the parainfluenza virus was the primary cause of croup. In cases of pneumonia, bacterial infections were identified in almost all of the cases: and Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae were the most commonly isolated (at 8.9% each). Mixed infections were detected in 8 cases (10.8%). The incidence of RSV infection peaked during the especially warm and cool seasons, whereas the bacterial infections were primarily associated with the relatively cool season. Our study indicates that a combined pneumococcal and Hib vaccine and a RSV vaccine would reduce the high rate of pneumonia in children under 5 years of age in Northeast Thailand.

The influence of brain catecholamines on 'drug taking behaviour' relative to oral self-administration of d-amphetamine by rats.

Oral administration of 5 mg/kg of d-amphetamine to adult Wistar rats caused brain NE to decrease to approx. 80% of the control level during 4-24 h after acute treatment and slowly further to 65% after 24 days of self-administration via drinking water. The norepinephrine (NE)-reducing effect was first recognized at 1 mg/kg and appeared to peak at 5 mg/kg of d-amphetamine. Brain dopamine (DA) and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) were only shortly affected. Neither iprindole nor desipramine altered the effect of amphetamine on brain NE. DA was decreased by both inhibitors depending on the duration of pre-treatment. Iproniazid and alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine antagonized and potentiated respectively the amphetamine effect on NE- and DA-concentration after 4 days of simultaneous treatment. In the free choice experiment (water vs. 0.005% d-amphetamine solution) rats developed an aversion to amphetamine. The number of rats taking the drug and the consumption by rats still drinking it declined gradually from 100% and approx. 3 mg/kg/day to 50% and approx. 1.5 mg/kg/day, respectively, during 18 days. The time course of the developing aversive reaction to oral amphetamine ran approximately parallel to that of NE-depletion. Iprindole and desipramine intensified, iproniazid and propranolol weakened, while alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine and haloperidol hardly influenced the aversive effect of amphetamine. It is concluded that the development of aversive behaviour in response to oral d-amphetamine is mediated not only through the depleting effect of amphetamine on NE stores but also by its direct stimulation at beta-adrenergic receptors in the CNS.