The transformation of chlorophenols by lactoperoxidase.

The lactoperoxidase-catalyzed transformations of penta-,2,3,4,6-tetra-, 2,4,6-tri-, 2,4-di- and 4-monochlorophenol were followed spectrophotometrically. Apparent stoichiometries of chlorophenol:H2O2 ranged from 1:1 for the tri- and tetrachlorophenol at pH7 to 5:2 for pentachlorophenol at pH 4. The initial velocity (v0) was only slightly influenced by changes in [H2O2] greater then 5 microns. v0 responded to [chlorophenol] according to the empirical expression v0=[lactoperoxidase] . (k1[chlorophenol] + k2[chlorophenol]2). The constant k1 was trichlorophenol, respectively, at pH 7. With the di- and monochlorophenol the solution soon became opaque, and the reaction ceased. The results show that more than one reaction occurs. Some comparisons were also made with horseradish peroxidase A and C. Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide prevented opaqueness, but was shown to be a substrate for lactoperoxidase. Assuming an average concentration of 0.1 microns for H2O2 and pentachlorophenol in man, the metabolic rate becomes 30 ng/h per g of peroxidase-containing tissue, possibly with deposition of the products.

Pressurised liquid extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from contaminated soils.

The reliability and efficiency of the pressurised liquid extraction technique (PLE) for extracting polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from contaminated soil has been investigated. Experimental design was used to study the influence of seven extraction variables (sample load, solvents used, solvent ratios, pressure, temperature, extraction time, and rinse volume). The results show that large sample loads in combination with small solvent volumes may result in low extraction efficiency. They also indicate that the recovery of low-molecular-mass PAHs is reduced by low extraction temperatures. The exact settings of the other variables are, however, less significant for the extraction efficiency. Repeated extractions at optimised settings of the tested variables show that PLE is an exhaustive extraction technique that generally results in high yields. In addition, extraction of a certified reference material (CRM 103-100) revealed that the method is both accurate and precise. Another finding was that adding the internal standard on top of the soil in the extraction cell causes considerable over-estimation of the concentrations when large samples are extracted with small solvent volumes. This is because the PLE-cell resembles a chromatographic column, so compounds added to the top of the soil layer have a longer distance to travel through the soil compared to the average distance of the native compounds, which are distributed evenly throughout the column. We therefore recommend that the internal standard should be added to the extract immediately after the extraction or, alternatively, carefully mixed with the sample prior to extraction.

Effects on quality of life, symptoms and daily activity 6 months after termination of an exercise training programme in heart failure patients.

BACKGROUND: Exercise training in heart failure patients improves exercise capacity, physical function, and quality-of-life. Prior studies indicate a rapid loss of these effects following termination of the training. We wanted to assess any sustained post-training effects on patients global assessment of change in quality-of-life (PGACQoL) and physical function. METHODS: Fifty-four stable heart failure patients were randomised to exercise or control. The 4-month exercise programme consisted of bicycle training at 80% of maximal intensity three times/week, and 49 patients completed the active study period. At 10 months (6 months post training) 37 patients were assessed regarding PGACQoL, habitual physical activity, and dyspnea-fatigue-index. RESULTS: Both post-training patients (n=17) and controls (n=20) deteriorated PGACQoL during the 6-month extended follow-up, although insignificantly. However, post-training patients improved PGACQoL slightly but significantly from baseline to 10 months (P=0.006), differing significantly (P=0.023) from controls who were unchanged. Regarding dyspnea-fatigue-index, post-training patients were largely unchanged and controls deteriorated insignificantly, during the extended follow-up as well as from baseline to 10 months. Both groups decreased physical activity insignificantly during the extended follow-up, and from baseline to 10 months post-training patients tended to decrease whereas controls significantly (P=0.007) decreased physical activity. CONCLUSION: There was no important sustained benefit 6 months after termination of an exercise training programme in heart failure patients. A small, probably clinically insignificant sustained improvement in PGACQoL was seen in post-training patients. Controls significantly decreased the habitual physical activity over 10 months and post-training patients showed a similar trend. Exercise training obviously has to be continuing to result in sustained benefit.

Effect of ozone on metabolic activities of rat hepatocytes and mouse peritoneal macrophage.

Peritoneal macrophage from mice and isolated hepatocytes from rats were exposed to ozone. Ozone dosages were expressed as 0-5 nmol/10(6) cells. Measurements were made of viability, glucose transport, glutathione, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, Mg-ATPase, Na/K-ATPase, and lipid synthesis. The most sensitive parameter was glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase in the peritoneal macrophage. In hepatocytes both lipid synthesis and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase were sensitive to ozone. Effects on viability, glucose transport, Mg-ATPase, and Na/K-ATPase were small to negligible in both cell types.

Stabilisation and development of the hip after closed reduction of late CDH.

We used ultrasound to investigate the anatomy and stability of the hip during the phase of joint stabilisation after closed reduction of unilateral late CDH in 15 infants aged from two to 15 months. Conservative treatment by splintage in abduction led to complete stability in all hips in from three to 13 weeks. Immediately after reduction, interposed soft tissue caused lateralisation of the femoral head, but this progressively disappeared, and the initially smaller femoral head on the dislocated side regained normal size. Ultrasonic evaluation of the hip in late CDH is a valuable and safe tool; it reduces the need for radiographic examination and improves treatment by visualising the actual pathology. The more frequent use of ultrasound can reduce the need for open reduction in the age group that we studied.

Painful testicular lithiasis.

Testicular pain both acute and chronic is quite common and may result from many different diseases located both in and outside of the testis. Diffuse testicular microlithiasis is a rarely encountered problem in urology and up to now a unique sonographic appearance. We here report a case with combination of both signs and give a short review of the literature.

Sonography in congenital dislocation of the hip.

A new technique for ultrasonic examination of the hip joint was evaluated in neonatals and infants. An anterior approach was used with the sound sector centered over the femoral head and parallel to the femoral neck. The ultrasonograms corresponded to lateral radiographs of the joint with the leg in Lorenz' first position. It was possible to evaluate the size and depth of the acetabulum and the size and position of the femoral head. The projection also permitted a dynamic examination for determination of hip instability. Thus, the technique provided a method for an objective diagnosis in congenital dislocation of the hip (CDH). In 216 hips, the results of clinical evaluation for CDH were correlated with the degree of instability demonstrated by ultrasound. The comparison showed the clinical diagnosis to be highly inaccurate.

Familial amyloidosis with polyneuropathy: roentgenological and gastroscopic appearance of gastrointestinal involvement.

Forty-three patients suffering from familial amyloidosis with polyneuropathy were examined by means of barium meal, barium follow through, barium enema, cholecystogram, and gastroscopy. The findings were reviewed with respect to the presence of steatorrhea and impaired d-xylose absorption. Seven patients had gastric stasis (without gross anatomical changes) on barium meal examination and seven others on the gastroscopy. Gastroscopy revealed that another five patients had inactive peristalsis of the antrum-pylorus. Only one patient had slow transit of barium on follow through. The transit time of barium did not correlate with increased fecal fat output or decreased d-xylose absorption. Barium enema and cholecystogram were normal. The main radiological and gastroscopic finding in familial amyloidosis with polyneuropathy was reduced gastric motility.

Use of elaborative encoding to facilitate verbal learning after adolescent traumatic brain injury.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of elaborative encoding in learning and remembering word definitions after traumatic brain injury (TBI). DESIGN: Two case studies. SETTING: University outpatient clinic. PARTICIPANTS: Two adolescents with severe memory impairments after TBI who needed specific vocabulary for school. INTERVENTIONS: A series of individual speech-language therapy sessions incorporating clinician- and subject-generated strategies to facilitate elaborative encoding. Target words were based on school requirements and pretreatment test results and were assigned randomly to treatment or control groups. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Accuracy of free-recalled definitions at the conclusion of therapy and after 1 month with no therapy. RESULTS: Significant improvement in expressed word knowledge at the conclusion of therapy, with improvement on treated words maintained at 1 month for both subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Elaborative encoding was an effective tool for teaching specific information required for school. Patterns of response differed substantially from those of normally developing children. Generalization to classroom use was planned for and should be measured in future research.

[Health status of illegitimate children during their lst year of life]. / Sostoianie zdorov'ia vnebrachnykh detei pervogo goda zhizni.

The results of medico-social study of health status of 298 children born out of wedlock and raised in incomplete families are presented. A higher level of morbidity is found in the study group as compared with control group at birth and during the first year of life. The influence of such factors as the mode of feeding biological history (the course of pregnancy and labour), harmful habits of mothers, the attendance of preschool institutions by children, the desire of child for mother, on the incidence of diseases among children born out of wedlock is determined. Measured to reduce the incidence of diseases among children born out of wedlock are suggested.

Expression of Ly49A on T cells alters the threshold for T cell responses.

In this study we investigated the balance between activating and inhibitory signals during T cell activation. We have used transgenic mice in which CD8+ T cells expressed an inhibitory receptor, Ly49A, and a specific activating alphabeta TCR. This TCR recognizes an lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus peptide in combination with H-2Db. We observed a quantitative influence on cellular responses that depended upon the activating signals received through the TCR and the inhibitory signals received through Ly49A. By varying the peptide concentration given to stimulating cells or target cells, we could adjust the amount of ligand available to trigger the TCR. At low doses of peptide, Ly49A-expressing T cells were unresponsive on target cells that expressed H-2Dd, but responded against target cells without H-2Dd. However, this inhibition could be overcome by increasing the peptide concentration or by addition of anti-Ly49A F(ab')2 fragments. Thus, rather than behaving as simple "off" switches, our data indicate that Ly49 receptors modulate T cell signaling so that higher amounts of activating signals are required for effector-cell responses.

Identification of a novel insertion element, IS1548, in group B streptococci, predominantly in strains causing endocarditis.

Hyaluronidase has been postulated to be a virulence factor in group B streptococci (GBS). No hyaluronidase activity was found in 15 of 50 GBS isolates from adults studied. Most of these hyaluronidase-negative strains belonged to serotype III. In strains lacking hyaluronidase activity, an insertion of 1317 nucleotides was found in the hyaluronidase gene. The fragment was cloned and sequenced and found to have characteristics of a novel insertion sequence, designated IS1548. As well as in GBS serotype III, this sequence was found in 3 of 6 serotype II isolates and in all 10 group A streptococcal strains (GAS) tested. Homologies were found with repeated sequences in Streptococcus pneumoniae and with H repeats in Escherichia coli. All GBS strains harboring IS1548 and some GAS strains had one copy of IS1548 located downstream of the C5a peptidase gene. IS1548 was present in 9 of 13 GBS isolates from blood in endocarditis patients and in 3 of 22 vaginally colonizing strains.

Hepatic portal vein gas following endoscopic retrograde cholangiography with sphincterotomy. Case report.

In a 60-year-old woman, endoscopic retrograde choledochography with sphincterotomy was followed by appearance of gas in the portal venous system. Venous bleeding was seen immediately after completion of sphincterotomy. The patient recovered well. Even in the absence of duodenal perforation, sphincterotomy may be complicated by hepatic portal venous gas.