Specific IgA detection can be used for perinatal diagnosis of HIV in children under protocol ACTG 076.

Detection of anti-HIV-1 IgA antibodies using a modified ELISA test for the early diagnosis of perinatally acquired HIV-1 infection in children treated with protocol ACTG 076 was evaluated. A total of 177 sera were obtained from 141 infants between 1 and 12 months of age (46 were treated and 95 were non-treated with protocol ACTG 076) and tested for HIV IgA antibodies by an ELISA test after removal of IgG with recombinant protein G. Infants were classified according to CDC's classification system after a follow-up until 20 months of age. Of the 46 treated children 22 turned out to be infected and in the group of 95 untreated children, 52 were infected. All 81 samples from uninfected children treated or untreated with protocol ACTG 076 were persistently IgA-negative. HIV IgA antibodies were detected in 14 of 25 plasma samples from infected children with treatment, and in 58 of 71 samples in infected children without treatment. Considering that the sensitivity of this test is lower in children younger than 6 months the population of children studied was divided into two groups; those under and those over 6 months of age. No significant differences were observed in the detection of IgA in treated or untreated children in both age groups. The overall specificity of the test was 100 per cent; sensitivity in children older than 6 months was 76.92 per cent in treated children and 93.10 per cent in untreated children. In spite of the small number of samples studied it could be demonstrated that treatment with zidovudine does not affect the detection of IgA antibodies. This is a simple and inexpensive method that could be used for diagnosis of treated and untreated children in developing countries.

Human immunodeficiency virus bDNA assay for pediatric cases

Techniques to quantify plasma HIV-1 RNA viral load (VL) are commercially available, and they are adequate for monitoring adults infected by HIV and treated with antiretroviral drugs. Little experience on HIV VL has been reported in pediatric cases. In Argentina, the evaluation of several assays for VL in pediatrics are now being considered. To evaluate the pediatric protocol for bDNA assay in HIV-infected children, 25 samples from HIV-infected children (according to CDC criteria for pediatric AIDS) were analyzed by using Quantiplex HIV RNA 2.0 Assay (Chiron Corporation) following the manufacturers recommendations in a protocol that uses 50 microliters of patients plasma (sensitivity: 10,000 copies/ml). When HIV-RNA was not detected, samples were run with the 1 ml standard bDNA protocol (sensitivity: 500 HIV-RNA c/ml). Nine samples belonged to infants under 12 months of age (group A) and 16 were over 12 months (group B). All infants under one year of age had high HIV-RNA copies in plasma. VL ranged from 30,800 to 2,560,000 RNA copies/ml (median = 362,000 c/ml) for group A and < 10,000 to 554,600 c/ml (median = < 10,000) for group B. Only 25 of children in group B had detectable HIV-RNA. By using the standard test of quantification, none of the patients had non detectable HIV-RNA, ranging between 950 and 226,200 c/ml for group B (median = 23,300 RNA c/ml). The suggested pediatric protocol could be useful in children under 12 months of age, but 1 ml standard protocol must be used for older children. Samples with undetectable results from children under one year of age should be repeated using the standard protocol.(AU)

Human immunodeficiency virus bDNA assay for pediatric cases

Techniques to quantify plasma HIV-1 RNA viral load (VL) are commercially available, and they are adequate for monitoring adults infected by HIV and treated with antiretroviral drugs. Little experience on HIV VL has been reported in pediatric cases. In Argentina, the evaluation of several assays for VL in pediatrics are now being considered. To evaluate the pediatric protocol for bDNA assay in HIV-infected children, 25 samples from HIV-infected children (according to CDC criteria for pediatric AIDS) were analyzed by using Quantiplex HIV RNA 2.0 Assay (Chiron Corporation) following the manufacturer's recommendations in a protocol that uses 50 microliters of patient's plasma (sensitivity: 10,000 copies/ml). When HIV-RNA was not detected, samples were run with the 1 ml standard bDNA protocol (sensitivity: 500 HIV-RNA c/ml). Nine samples belonged to infants under 12 months of age (group A) and 16 were over 12 months (group B). All infants under one year of age had high HIV-RNA copies in plasma. VL ranged from 30,800 to 2,560,000 RNA copies/ml (median = 362,000 c/ml) for group A and < 10,000 to 554,600 c/ml (median = < 10,000) for group B. Only 25 of children in group B had detectable HIV-RNA. By using the standard test of quantification, none of the patients had non detectable HIV-RNA, ranging between 950 and 226,200 c/ml for group B (median = 23,300 RNA c/ml). The suggested pediatric protocol could be useful in children under 12 months of age, but 1 ml standard protocol must be used for older children. Samples with undetectable results from children under one year of age should be repeated using the standard protocol.

Postcoital contraception: present and future options.

PURPOSE: This article reviews information on currently available postcoital contraceptives, and discusses recent advances in postcoital contraception, mostly notably RU 486. METHODS: Postcoital contraceptives, or "morning after pills," are currently available in the form of high dose estrogens, oral contraceptives, danazol and intrauterine devices. These methods are plagued by high incidences of side effects and less than optimal success rates. RESULTS: Currently, their primary use in the adolescent age group is for victims of sexual assault, but they may also be used as back-up for consensual unprotected intercourse. RU 486, best known as a first trimester abortifacient, has a number of potential uses, including that of a postcoital contraceptive. Two recently published studies from the UK showed RU 486 to have a very low pregnancy rate and fewer side effects when compared with current methods. RU 486 may someday replace high doses of oral contraceptives as the method of choice for postcoital contraception.

PIP: Postcoital contraceptives are available for adolescent use in the US. They include combination oral contraceptives (OCs), high dose estrogens, danazol, and IUDs. Mifepristone (RU-486) is currently not available in the US but is used in France, the UK, and Sweden. Postcoital contraception is especially important for adolescents who have a very high pregnancy rate due to poor contraceptive use. Administration of 2-5 mg ethinyl estradiol (EE) for 5 days beginning within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse yields pregnancy rates ranging from 0-0.92%. EE-related side effects include nausea, vomiting, sore breasts, and irregular menstrual bleeding. DES should not be used, since it is associated with reproductive tract anomalies and vaginal cancers in exposed offspring. Conjugated estrogens have not been used in adolescents for postcoital contraception. The Yuzpe regimen consists of 2 tablets of a combined OC with 200 mg EE and 2 mg dl-norgestrel administered within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse followed by the same dose 12 hours later. Common side effects are nausea and vomiting. Its pregnancy rate is 1.8%. Levonorgestrel-containing OCs can also be used. Administration of 800-1200 mg danazol up to 120 hours after unprotected intercourse protects against pregnancy in about 98% of cases. Copper IUDs have a high efficacy rate when used as postcoital contraception (99.9%), but public opinion, medicolegal considerations, financial costs, and potential for infection impede IUD as a postcoital contraceptive in the US. RU-486 is best known as an abortifacient. It is also a potential postcoital contraceptive. Two UK studies find that RU-486 used as a postcoital contraceptive has a very low pregnancy rate and fewer side effects than the Yuzpe regimen and danazol. It is much more costly than currently used postcoital contraceptives (600 mg of RU-486 cost US$ 68, while Ovral costs US$ 0.48-2.24). Nevertheless, RU-486 may replace the higher doses of OCs as a postcoital contraceptive method.

Brain SPECT in a case of cortical blindness.

BACKGROUND: Published reports on patients with cortical blindness describe bilateral brain hemispheric lesions visualized in radiological and functional imaging studies. CASE DESCRIPTION: We present a case with a unilateral lesion on radiological studies and bilateral abnormalities on single-photon emission-computed tomographic (SPECT) scanning. CONCLUSIONS: SPECT images correlated much more closely than radiological studies with the patient's clinical status. We suggest that SPECT scanning can be a useful indicator of focal brain dysfunction in brain injury in spite of normal radiological studies. We also hypothesize that our patient's clinical and functional imaging findings could be attributed in part to the process of diaschisis.

Potentialization of the lactoperoxidase system for preservation of raw milk in the tropics.

The antimicrobial ability of the lactoperoxidase system was increased by the addition of larger amounts of the thiocyanate and hydrogen peroxide at levels above those suggested by other authors. Results of laboratory and field trials revealed that the potentialized system was able to preserve poor-quality raw milk for longer periods of time, at "tropical" temperatures, than when used as recommended previously. It was possible to preserve some milks at 20 degrees C for more than one day, without diminishing their overall quality. At 36 degrees C, the milks did not show acidity development for about 10 hours. Tests conducted under real collection and transportation conditions validated these findings. It was therefore proved that the system can be used practically and that its bactericidal/bacteriostatic effect on the spoilage flora of milk can be increased in order to overcome the particularly adverse conditions of milk handling in the tropics.

Potentialization of the lactoperoxidase system for preservation of raw milk in the tropics

Se aumentó la capacidad antimicrobiana del sistema lactoperoxidas, mediante la adición de tiocianato y peróxido de hidrógeno en cantidades mayores a las sugeridas por otros autores. Los resultados de laboratorio y las pruebas de campo revelaron que por otros autoes. Los resultados de laboratorio y las pruebas de campo revelaron que el sistema potencializado pudo preservar leches de baja calidad microbiológica, a temperaturas "tropicales" por períodos más largos que al usarlo como se recomienda en la literatura. Se pudo conservar leches a 20-C por más de un día, sin menoscabo de su calidad general. A 36-C, las leches no acusaron desarrollo de acidez durante el término de 10 horas. Las pruebas realizadas en condiciones reales de recolección y transporte validaron los resultados de laboratorio. Se logró así probar que el sistema lactoperoxidasa es viable de uso en la práctica, y que su poder bactericida/bacteriostático sobre la flora deterioradora de la leche puede aumentarse a fin de superar las condiciones especialmente adversas que involucra el menejo de la leche en los trópicos

Biochemical composition of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus interfering particles.

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM) was interfering particles were enriched relative to infectious virions by ultracentrifugation in a shallow gradient made of Urografin. Electrophoretic analysis revealed that they lacked the small ('S') 23S RNA as well as GP-1 and GP-2 of the infectious virion and also lacked a newly characterized glycoprotein of apparent mol. wt. 85 x 10(3); instead, they contained a novel glycoprotein with mol. wt. 65 x 10(3).