The acute administration of propranolol or phentolamine resulted in a small (16-19%) but significant reduction in the rate of ethanol disappearance in vivo in the naive Wistar rat. A reduction of essentially similar magnitude was also observed in ethanol-treated rats and pair-fed (sucrose) control animals, following the administration of these blockers.

Alcohol Drinking↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Certification of a long-term sampling system for PCDFs and PCDDs in the flue gas from industrial facilities.

AMESA (adsorption method for sampling of dioxins) is a fully automatic system for long term monitoring of dioxin emissions from industrial processes based on the adsorption method. The system has been tested and undergoing a certification procedure according to the German guidelines for certification of systems for continuous monitoring of special substances. The certification covered parameters such as disposability of the system, reproducibility of the results and comparability of the sampling method with German and European standard methods. Furthermore break through, blanks and sample storability were investigated. The results prove that AMESA is a state of the art sampling system for continuous monitoring of dioxin/furan emissions.

Adsorption↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The effect of intermittent cold treatment on the adipose tissue of the cat. Apparent transformation from white to brown adipose tissue.

Young cats (Felis domestica), aged 10-13 weeks, were intermittently exposed to a temperature of -30 degrees C for two periods of 1 hr per day. Animals were sacrificed on the 7th day and adipose tissue from the perirenal, pericardial, axillary, interscapular, and subcutaneous-inguinal depots was examined by electron microscopy and analysed stereologically. All examined depots were morphologically changed after cold treatment. Adipose tissue of perirenal, pericardial, and axillary depots showed a greater decrease in lipid content than the interscapular and subcutaneous-inguinal depots, but other changes were similar. Compared to the control group, which consisted of typical white adipose tissue, the diameter of adipose cells examined after cold treatment was diminished, in extreme cases to 18 micron (from 75 micron in the control group). The number of capillaries per cell was doubled (as evaluated on semithin sections). The most dramatic changes were observed in the mitochondria. Their volume increased to 0.48 micron 3 (from 0.13 micron 3 in the control), and the surface density of mitochondrial cristae per mitochondrial volume increased to 50 micron 2/micron 3 (from 32 in the control). Pleomorphism in mitochondrial size and inner structure and the presence of intramitochondrial electron-dense bodies and crystalline structures led us to conclude that the cold stress induced an increase in the absolute number of mitochondria in the adipose cells. The adipose tissue after cold treatment thus morphologically resembled the brown adipose tissue of cold-acclimated rodents. This implies that the adipose tissue of young cats can change its morphology and function, depending on the requirements of the organism.

Acclimatization↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Mental gait training -- effectiveness of a therapy method in the rehabilitation after hip-replacement].

PURPOSE: New neurophysiological findings cover the effectiveness of movement images to the movement learning and deliver the theoretical base for the reasonable application of mental training forms in orthopaedic rehabilitation. In support of the mental training set-up in the high-performance sport, suitable movement images are developed and trained systematically in the mental gait training. The present study examines the question of the effectiveness of mental gait training. METHOD: A randomised control group study [experimental group: mental walking training; control group: no treatment (treatment additional to the customary physiotherapy)] with measuring repetition was carried out. With 24 patients after total hip replacement surgery the relevant kinematic data were collected by applying the procedure SIMI Motion to the walking movement. RESULTS: The experimental group improved in comparison to the control group in the variable stride length, as well as in the factor variable kinematics significantly. CONCLUSION: It can be stated that this study gives further proof for the reasonable application of mental training forms in rehabilitation. Further studies on the application of mental training forms to the movement learning (concerning different movements and further syndromes) must follow to provide further support of the effective and efficient application of these procedures within the context of rehabilitation.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Obesity: physiologic considerations.

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Obesity↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Selection of antimicrobial agents for treatment of neonatal sepsis.

The incidence of sepsis among neonates born in the United States varies from less than one to more than eight per 1,000 live births. Bacterial meningitis occurs in about one-third of infants with sepsis and is more frequent during the first month of life than during any subsequent period. The clinical diagnosis of sepsis in newborn infants is difficult since signs are subtle and nonspecific. Because of the difficulty of diagnosis, many infants receive treatment although few significant bacterial infections are subsequently documents; approximately 5%-10% of neonates born in the United States receive parenteral antibiotics. The choice of antimicrobial agents for treatment of bacterial infections in neonates is based on knowledge of the responsible organisms and their patterns of antimicrobial susceptibility. Group B Streptococcus and Escherichia coli are currently the bacterial pathogens most often responsible for sepsis and meningitis in the United States. A penicillin and an aminoglycoside are the drugs usually used for initial therapy in infants with suspected sepsis. Present regimens are not optimal, however; mortality from sepsis and meningitis varies from 10% to 50%. Many survivors have significant sequelae. In addition, dose-related toxicity of the aminoglycosides is a concern. New beta-lactam antibiotics with increased efficacy against gram-negative enteric bacilli and with minimal or no dose-related toxicity warrant careful evaluation in newborn infants.

Anti-Infective Agents↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The outcome of clinical pregnancies following intracytoplasmic sperm injection is not affected by semen quality.

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of severe oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT) on pregnancy outcome. For this purpose 279 consecutive intracytoplasmic sperm injection (i.c.s.i) cycles were retrospectively evaluated and compared to 436 consecutive IVF cycles performed during the same time frame. Group A (n = 62) included ICSI patients with severe OAT; group B (n = 217) included patients who underwent ICSI for other indications; and group C (n = 436) included couples who underwent standard IVF. The mean age of female patients and mean number of embryos transferred were comparable in all groups. No difference was observed regarding implantation, clinical pregnancy, delivery and miscarriage rates between all three groups, but fertilization rate was significantly lower in group A than in groups B and C. It is concluded that couples undergoing ICSI with severe male infertility (OAT) have a slightly reduced fertilization rate but their chances of delivery and pregnancy loss are similar to those of other patients undergoing clinical ICSI and IVF with non-male infertility.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Clinical significance of the colonoscopic allergen provocation test.

BACKGROUND: To improve the diagnosis of intestinal allergy, we developed a colonoscopic allergen provocation (COLAP) test. METHODS: The cecal mucosa was challenged with three food antigen extracts, a buffer control and a positive control (histamine). The mucosal wheal and flare reaction was registered semiquantitatively 20 min after challenge, and selected tissue biopsies were examined for mast cell and eosinophil activation by immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. The COLAP test was performed on 70 adult patients with abdominal symptoms suspected to be related to food allergy and in 5 healthy volunteers. In parallel, skin prick tests were performed and IgE was measured in serum. RESULTS: 97 out of 210 antigen challenges performed in the patient group induced a significant wheal and flare reaction of the mucosa (46%), whereas no reaction in response to antigen was observed in healthy volunteers. Antigen-induced wheal and flare reactions were dependent on patients' histories of adverse reactions to food, but not on serum levels of specific IgE or skin test results. Degranulation of mast cells was observed in almost all tissues in which food antigens caused a wheal and flare reaction. Eosinophil activation was also highly correlated with the extent of the wheal and flare reaction (r(s) = 0.86). CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that the COLAP test may be a useful diagnostic means in patients with suspected intestinal food allergy and a new tool for the study of underlying mechanisms.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The mechanism of erythrocyte sedimentation in Westergren's examination.

The authors deduced the equation that describes the sedimentation of erythrocytes as the function of time, hematocrit, hemoglobin and some plasma protein concentrations and the citrate viscosity and density. This values served to describe plasma and erythrocyte density, plasma viscosity, erythrocyte aggregation and the influence of suspension concentration on the erythrocyte sedimentation rate. The influence of citrate on blood dilution (the reduction of hematocrit and plasma protein concentrations) was also considered. A good agreement between the observed and predicted values was obtained.

Blood Sedimentation↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Mechanism and role of trypsinogen activation in acute pancreatitis.

In healthy subjects, the 3 known pancreatic trypsinogens, which are endopeptidases belonging to the chymotrypsin superfamily, are activated by enterokinase and partial autoactivation in the duodenum. The premature activation of trypsinogen in the pancreatic interstitium, with the subsequent activation of other pancreatic zymogens, is believed to lead to the autodigestion of the gland, this being the first event in acute pancreatitis. The mechanisms that lead to trypsinogen, activation in acute pancreatitis are largely unknown. However, ischemia, hypercalcemia and the activation of cathepsin B (by cholecystokinin) are thought to be of importance. The easiest and most reliable way to assess trypsinogen activation is the measurement of the activation peptide, TAP, in urine, plasma, pancreatic tissue or ascitic fluid. In the animal model of acute pancreatitis, TAP in ascites and pancreatic tissue has been shown to correlate with the presence and extent of necroses. It has proven to be a good marker for the severity of pancreatitis and is a useful marker in examining the pathophysiology and possible treatment modalities in the animal model of acute pancreatitis. Studies on TAP in human acute pancreatitis were most commonly focused on urinary TAP. Within a 48-hour time frame after the onset of the disease, TAP was a good predictor of the severity of acute pancreatitis. The main advantage over other markers, such as CRP, is that TAP is the earliest marker of necrosis to be increased. Also, increased levels of TAP in ascitic fluid were shown to correlate well with pancreatic necroses. In our experience, plasma TAP was found to have a "diagnostic window" within the first 3 days predicting pancreatic necroses. Positive TAP gave a very good positive prediction and a high specificity towards the development of pancreatic necroses, but did not differ between necrotizing pancreatitis with systemic complications or uncomplicated necrotizing pancreatitis. We therefore think that plasma TAP is a very good marker for local complication in acute pancreatitis and its routine measurements may help to identify patients at a high risk within the first days of the disease.

Acute Disease↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Not Available].

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Biochemistry↗