A study was designed to determine the sensitivity and specificity of a cold air bronchial provocation test. A total of 18 children with asthma (mean age 12 years) and 18 normal children (mean age 14 years) were studied. The cold air challenge consisted of a 4 min period of isocapnic hyperventilation of subfreezing air (mean temperature -15 degrees C). In-Induced response in forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1) expressed as a percentage of predicted normal values was obtained at 4, 6, and 8 min post-challenge. The average response to the cold air was a 27% decrease of FEV1 in asthmatics, which was significantly different from that of the normal children, who showed no statistically significant drop. In both the asthmatic and normal groups, the maximal drop in FEV1 had occurred by the time measurements 4 min post-challenge had been made. At that time, the smallest overlap was observed between normal and asthmatic children. This suggests that the fourth minute post-challenge can be chosen as a cut-off time to distinguish normal from asthmatic children. Considering a decrease of FEV1 greater than 10% as a positive test, the sensitivity of the cold air challenge was 95% and the specificity was 89%.

Asthma↗

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Use of the pigmentometer, a new device for measuring skin albedo: relating skin color with a series of physiological measures.

Use of the Pigmentometer, a new device for measuring skin albedo: Relating skin color with a series of physiological measures. An apparatus has been described for the indirect measurement of skin albedo in human subjects. This device operates on the principle of the reflectance of light as influenced by the lightness or darkness of the skin. This new equipment was used to examine the relationship between lightness or darkness of the skin and the basal level and responsivity of some autonomic nervous system physiological variables in a series of 46 black and 47 white male and female subjects. It was observed that blacks had significantly lower (darker) skin albedo (PI), a significantly higher skin resistance (SR) and amplitude of the galvanic skin response (GSR), and an insignificant higher basal heart rate (HR). Pearson Product-Movement correlations between all measures from the total population showed significant relationships between PI and SR, SR and GSR and HR and HRR (heart rate response). The further separation of the total population into subgroups of blacks, whites, males, females, and black and white male and female goups, respectively, altered some of these differences and relationships previously observed. These results appeared to support the premise that race is more responsible for influencing the measured physiological responses, particularly SR, than is the lightness or darkness of the skin.

Age Factors↗

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Linking diploma and bachelor's degree nursing education: an Illinois experiment.

Changes in the traditional applicant pool, coupled with increased numbers of diploma and associate degree graduates seeking additional nursing education, have promoted the development of nontraditional educational pathways in collegiate schools of nursing. The authors describe a unique cooperative arrangement with a provision that allows students to transfer to a bachelor's nursing program before completing their diploma studies. On the basis of initial student and faculty reports, standardized test performance, academic performance, and National Council Licensure Examination scores, this educational experiment has been successful. The planning, implementation, and evaluation of the project required considerable time and effort on the part of the administration and faculty of both schools. The program's success has led the schools to consider other cooperative ventures. The authors conclude that this approach may serve as a model for other schools interested in providing educational mobility for diploma students.

Career Mobility↗

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Molecular characterization of genome of a novel human T-cell leukaemia virus.

A novel human retrovirus (HTLV-II) was previously found associated with a T-cell variant of hairy-cell leukaemia. Molecular cloning demonstrates that the complete provirus genome is 8.8 kilobase pairs in size and is transmissible to uninfected cells. Two types of infectious deleted provirus were also characterized. The sequences of HTLV-II are distinct from those of HTLV-I.

Base Sequence↗

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Long terminal repeats of human T-cell leukaemia virus II genome determine target cell specificity.

Human T-cell leukaemias and lymphomas associated with the human T-cell leukaemia viruses (HTLV) are invariably neoplasms of cells with mature T-lymphocyte phenotype. Epstein-Barr virus-transformed B- lymphoycte lines which are productively infected with HTLV may be isolated from patients with HTLV malignancies, but no non-lymphoid tissues seem to be involved. Here, to investigate the basis for this tissue specificity, we introduced type II HTLV (HTLV-II) into a variety of human cells by infection and also by transfection of recombinant genomes. We found no HTLV-II expression in non-lymphoid tissues although expression and correct initiation of transcription was observed in B and T lymphocytes. Our results using recombinant genomes indicate that the restriction of expression is at least partly due to cis-acting functions of the long terminal repeats which lie at each end of the HTLV genome.

Base Sequence↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Prevention of transfusion-associated cytomegalovirus infection in neonatal patients by the removal of white cells from blood.

The usual methods employed to reduce the risk of transfusion-associated cytomegalovirus (TA CMV) disease have been to transfuse blood or cellular blood components that are CMV antibody-negative or to administer deglycerolized frozen red cells. To determine if the reduction of white cells (WBCs) in blood by filtration will also eliminate TA CMV disease in a high-risk population, 48 surviving very low birth weight (less than 1250 g) neonatal infants born to CMV-seronegative mothers at three participating institutions in the Hartford, Connecticut area and receiving at least one CMV-seropositive blood transfusion were studied. The incidence of TA CMV disease in 26 neonatal patients who received blood prepared by a modified spin-cool-filter technique and in 22 neonatal patients who received blood filtered through a WBC-reduction filter was compared with the incidence of transfusion-associated disease in similar populations reported in other studies. The CMV antibody prevalence of the blood donor population was found to be 37 percent. At the time of discharge of the individual neonatal infants in the population studied, and/or 2 to 6 months later, 47 of the 48 who had undergone transfusion had CMV antibody-negative serologic tests and/or urine culture. The other infant transiently seroconverted because of passive transfer of the antibody. None of the 48 neonatal infants had clinical evidence of CMV infection. This study indicates that WBC reduction of donor blood can reduce and perhaps prevent TA CMV disease in high-risk neonatal patients.

Cytomegalovirus Infections↗

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AIDS education: process, content, and strategies.

Education represents the single best option for stopping the tide of the devastating epidemic of AIDS. Although its importance is widely recognized, little has been published to assist practitioners in the development and implementation of effective educational programs. This article presents a planning process, program content, and teaching strategies which can be used for AIDS education in schools, work-sites, and communities.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

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The brain-gut axis in health and disease.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Brain↗

PubMedDate not supplied

p53 mutations in epithelial ovarian cancers: possible role in predicting chemoresistance.

PURPOSE: The investigators undertook a retrospective study to determine (1) whether p53 mutations are predictors of survival in patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer, (2) whether p53 status by sequencing is associated with established prognostic indicators, and (3) the agreement of results between direct sequencing of p53 mutations and immunohistochemistry. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was retrospective review of 43 patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer treated with surgery and by paclitaxel-based chemotherapy. Clinical data were extracted from the charts. By use of paraffin-embedded blocks, p53 analysis was carried out by (1) direct sequencing and (2) immunohistochemistry. Kaplan-Meier estimates were used for overall and disease-free survivals. To determine whether p53 mutation (sequencing) was related to prognosis and to determine the agreement between p53 abnormalities by sequencing and immunohistochemistry, risk ratios were calculated. RESULTS: Mean age at diagnosis was 57.4 years. Surgical stages were as follows: 5% were stage IIC, 79% were stage III, and 16% were stage IV. Seventy-seven percent of tumors were serous, and 56% of tumors were grade 3. All patients received paclitaxel-based chemotherapy. Mean disease-free and overall survivals were 16.4 and 22.6 months, respectively. p53 abnormalities were detected by sequencing in 53% of cases and by immunohistochemistry in 70%. Agreement between both techniques was 68%. Patients with stages IIC/IV had a risk of 1.7 of having a p53 mutation by sequencing; grade, histology, disease-free survival and overall survival were not predictive of p53 mutation status. DISCUSSION: The 54% mutation rate may be underestimated by limiting our analysis to exons 5 to 9. p53 mutation status was not predictive of survival (disease free and overall) or of chemoresistance; this suggests that paclitaxel-based apoptosis is independent of the p53 gene. The concomitant use of cisplatin, an inducer of apoptosis that is dependent on the normal function of p53, makes the interpretation of these results difficult. Histopathologic factors were not statistically associated with p53 status, but more advanced surgical stage and tumor grade were suggestive of higher rates of p53 mutations, implying more aggressive behavior. Finally, the lack of agreement between results obtained by sequencing and immunohistochemistry highlights the limitation of the latter technique and the possibility of underestimating abnormal p53 function. In conclusion, because discrepancies exist between the two techniques, we recommend direct sequencing of exons 4 through 10 to determine the true prevalence of p53 mutation. Furthermore, larger randomized studies are required to elucidate the role of p53 in predicting chemoresponse in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.

Adult↗