On gestational day 8, pregnant Sprague-Dawley derived rats received two intraperitoneal injections of 0.015 ml/g body weight of a 24% v/v ethanol solution representing an absolute alcohol dose of 2.82 g/kg per administration (ETOH Group). Control females were injected with similar volumes of saline (SAL Group) or did not receive any type of intraperitoneal administration of drugs (AC Group). In comparison with the control treatments, the ethanol treatment did not affect long-term maternal body weight gain during pregnancy, total length of gestation, probability of delivery, number of pups born per litter or the offsprings' preference of alcohol odor. Nevertheless, this ethanol insult was sufficient to significantly reduce body weights at birth and to retard the ontogeny of some sensorimotor patterns among offspring, as assessed through the Righting Reflex, Horizontal Screen Test and opening of the external auditory canals. The maturation of other reflexes (Cliff Aversion and Negative Geotaxis) appeared to be retarded indirectly as an outcome of the maternal injection procedure, with ETOH and SAL pups exhibiting similar developmental delays when compared with AC animals. During adulthood, rats prenatally exposed to alcohol exhibited a decreased hypothermic response to an intoxicating dose of alcohol as well as significant increases in voluntary alcohol consumption in comparison with both control conditions. Collectively, these results suggest that relatively acute alcohol exposure early in gestation may not only affect normal patterns of development but also later responsiveness to this pharmacological agent.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on behavior during the early postnatal period.

Offspring of Sprague-Dawley dams injected SC with 40 mg/kg/3 cc cocaine HCl daily from gestational days 8-20, pair-fed dams injected with the vehicle alone and nontreated control dams were examined behaviorally during the early postnatal period. No significant differences were observed among the treatment conditions in maternal weight gain during pregnancy, duration of pregnancy, or number of live male and female pups/litter. Offspring body weights at birth and weaning, physical maturation and reflex development were not significantly affected by prenatal cocaine exposure. In contrast, neonates exposed prenatally to cocaine were observed to exhibit significant deficits in learning of an odor/milk association that nontreated offspring learned and retained for a 24 hr period. On postnatal day 12, cocaine offspring exhibited an increase in locomotor activity and attenuated wall climbing precipitated by footshock, in the absence of any alteration in sensitivity to footshock. Given that wall climbing has been previously shown to be strongly related to levels of catecholamine activity at this age, these data suggest the possibility that there may be some attenuation in catecholaminergic function in pups exposed gestationally to cocaine. The results of this study provide evidence that prenatal cocaine exposure may have an impact upon behavioral and cognitive function even during the early postnatal period. More work is needed to fully characterize the range of alterations observed and the neural mechanisms underlying these early exposure effects.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Patient dynamics in early stages of vocational rehabilitation: a pilot study.

Since little is known of the dynamics of the rehabilitation process, this pilot study aims to explore (1) the work performance and personal and social functioning of patients attending a vocational reintegration program; (2) any significant differences in course between successful and unsuccessful patients; and (3) whether these subgroups differed at entrance assessment. Using the 30-item Nurses' Observation Scale for inpatient Evaluation (NOSIE) and a global work performance scale, the sample (N = 31) showed a significant decrease in work performance and a negative trend in most NOSIE scores, instead of the expected steady progress. The turning point is reached after 9 to 12 weeks. In the entrance assessment, the failure subgroup (n = 11) displayed more negative and general symptoms and fewer social skills. It seemed to be not their initial work performance but their resources to cope with the stress of the program that were insufficient. However, not every downhill trend leads automatically to failure, and some patients still have a chance of later improvement.

Affective Disorders, Psychotic↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Morbidity of schistosomiasis mansoni in the highlands of Madagascar and comparison of current sonographical classification systems.

To study the morbidity of schistosomiasis mansoni in the highlands of Madagascar, a cross-sectional study examined the extent to which liver fibrosis occurred in a rural community. The Managil and the Cairo classification systems were used. A second purpose was to investigate the effect of the measurements of 2 different branches of the portal vein (either segmental or sub-segmental branches) on the resulting staging of morbidity using the Cairo classification system. In a rice farmer village, 656 inhabitants (95% of the total population) were parasitologically examined; 561 patients underwent sonographic work-up based on the Managil scoring system, and in 307 randomized patients the outer to outer diameters of both the segmental and the sub-segmental branches of the portal vein were measured and scored by the Cairo classification system. Overall prevalence of schistosomiasis mansoni in the study area in 1994 was 68.3%. Upon sonographic examination and scoring by the Managil system 23.4% of the population showed liver changes (Managil degree I/II/III, 20%/2.5%/0.9%). Measuring the sub-segmental branches only and scoring by the Cairo classification, 19% of the study population were found to have liver changes, none with severe fibrosis. By contrast, 82% were found to have liver changes (Cairo degree 1/2/3, 70%/11%/2%) when the segmental branches were measured. The diameters of the sub-segmental branches were about two-thirds of those of the segmental branches. Both the Cairo- and the Managil-examination protocols have pitfalls. Using the Cairo classification, a considerable systematic error in classifying morbidity is created by measuring different branches of the portal vein.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Ebstein anomaly as a rare cause of a non-immunological fetal hydrops: prenatal diagnosis using Doppler echocardiography].

The Ebstein's malformation occurs in 0.5% of patients with congenital heart disease. The prenatal diagnosis of such a malformation in the 33rd week of pregnancy is reported. The fetal echocardiography was performed owing to a severe nonimmune hydrops fetalis. The typical distal displacement of the annular attachment of the tricuspid valve leaflets could be viewed in the apical four-chamber view. The application of the pulsed Doppler ultrasound enables the analysis of the cardial haemodynamics and thus the assessment of the severity and prognosis of the diagnosed malformation. In our case the prognosis was interdisciplinary estimated as being very poor (severe cardiac lesion with congestive heart failure already in utero); In the following days intrauterine death occurred. The autopsy confirmed all the prenatal findings.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A melatonin preparation with a pulsatile liberation pattern: a new form of melatonin in replacement therapy.

Using melatonin (MLT) as a circadian synchroniser in humans to treat rhythm disorders, it is desirable to have controlled-release dosage forms. Following in vitro liberation tests, one fast-release form containing 5 mg MLT (capsule A) and two oral pulsatile-dosage forms containing 10 mg MLT each (capsules B and C) were studied in a randomised, single-dose, threefold cross-over study in 15 healthy male volunteers after investigation of capsule B in dogs. Mean peak concentrations of MLT in serum (pmol/ml) were reached between 0.5 h and 0.75 h: Cmax1 20.7 (A), 16.4 (B), 9.7 (C). Capsules B and C released a second MLT pulse after about 3.5 h with Cmax2 of 13.0 and 17.5 pmol/ml, respectively. The time course of the renally excreted main metabolite 6-sulphatoxymelatonin (aMT6s) correlates with that of changes in MLT serum concentrations. The kinetic profile of the delivery system is adjusted to the pattern of sleep maintenance disturbances.

Administration, Oral↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Sequential appearance and ultrastructure of amphophilic cell foci, adenomas, and carcinomas in the liver of male and female rats treated with dehydroepiandrosterone.

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a hormone of the adrenal cortex, acts as a peroxisome proliferator and hepatocarcinogen in rats upon long-term treatment with high doses in the diet. The aim of the present study was to identify the site of origin of hepatocellular neoplasms and the sequence of preneoplastic lesions. Twenty-five female and 25 male rats were given 0.6% DHEA in the diet; 25 animals of each sex were controls. Groups of 5 treated and untreated animals were sacrificed after 4, 20, 32, 70, and 84 wk. Amphophilic cell foci were detected after 32 wk of treatment; they developed from the liver parenchyma almost exclusively in the vicinity of portal tracts. Adenomas of the amphophilic or amphophilic/tigroid cell phenotype were observed at 70 wk of treatment. Highly differentiated hepatocellular carcinomas presenting a similar cellular phenotype occurred after 70-84 wk. The incidence of hepatocellular carcinomas was 44% in female and 11% in male rats. Ultrastructural studies of the amphophilic cell foci and tumors revealed a marked proliferation of mitochondria and a moderate proliferation of peroxisomes in all lesions. In addition, a very strong peroxisome proliferation was observed in perivenular hepatocytes in the liver of female rats. Peroxisomes usually lacked core and showed flocculent matrices. In male rats, weak peroxisomal proliferation was observed. Typical morphological abnormalities of these peroxisomes were paracrystalline inclusions of striated appearance. Although the most prominent peroxisome proliferation was observed in perivenular hepatocytes, these cells did not seem to be involved in tumor development. In contrast, the morphological similarity of the amphophilic cell foci and the amphophilic/tigroid cell adenomas and carcinomas, their coincident localization near portal tracts, and the sequential appearance of these lesions suggest that the amphophilic cell foci represent an early stage in DHEA-induced hepatocellular neoplasia. Mitochondrial proliferation as the most prominent feature in all stages of this model of hepatocarcinogenesis may offer a new approach for analysis of hepatocarcinogenesis induced by DHEA and possibly other peroxisomal proliferators.

Adenoma↗

PubMedDate not supplied

CYFRA 21-1 in the early diagnosis of recurrent disease in non small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC).

UNLABELLED: Due to its high specificity and sensitivity CYFRA 21-1 was found to be the leading marker in NSCLC. We focused our interest on the diagnostic value of CYFRA 21-1 in the detection of recurrent disease of 86 patients suffering from NSCLC following R0-resection (median follow up: 22.7 months). Preoperatively, CYFRA 21-1 was positive (cut off 3.3 ng/mL) in 38 of the 86 patients (45%). 48 hours after surgery all 38 patients had CYFRA 21-1-concentrations within the reference range corresponding to a R0-resection. During further follow up 22 of these patients developed local recurrence and/or distant metastases. All 22 patients showed elevated CYFRA 21-1-values at time of detection of relapse, in 8 patients the CYFRA 21-1-increase preceded the detection of recurrence by 2 to 15 months. 16 patients remained disease free and had stable low CYFRA 21-1-values all the time. Out of the 48 preoperatively CYFRA 21-1-negative patients 15 developed recurrent disease. 7 of the 15 patients proved to express cytokeratin 19-fragments at this time. CONCLUSION: CYFRA 21-1 possesses a high specificity and sensitivity in the detection of recurrent disease of patients suffering from NSCLC and with elevated values at time of primary diagnosis. Thus CYFRA 21-1 could contribute to an economical follow up care. Even if there is not the possibility of curative therapy at time of relapse the early use of systemic therapy could be considered.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Prenatal diagnosis and management of fetal arrhythmias].

Reported in this paper are 25 cases of fetal arrhythmia handled at the Gynaecological Department of the Berlin School of Medicine (Charité) over a period of two years. They were subdivided by tachycardiac, bradycardiac, and simple forms, following ultrasound-assisted diagnosis (realtime, M-Mode, Doppler). This proved to be useful for better prenatal management and prognosis. The first and second forms were linked to higher rates of malformations or contributory and recordable causes, whereas the third form could be considered harmless, the more as spontaneous postnatal regression was to be expected. Successful experience is reported, as obtained from prenatal therapy either via the mother or by direct invasive treatment to the child (thigh, umbilical vein). Early referral to an adequately staffed and equipped centre and exclusion of cardiac defects are conditions for good success. Intrauterine deaths occurred in two cases due to cardiac malformations, and non-immunological fetal hydrops was established in four cases. Optimal management of the inhomogenous group of fetal arrhythmias should be undertaken in interdisciplinary teamwork at centres with experience in perinatal medicine.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied