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Biomedical subjects

R S Goldsmith

Publications and source records attributed to R S Goldsmith.

90 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

The etiology of acute hepatitis in hospitalized children in Cairo Egypt.

Seromarkers for hepatitis A, B and D were used to determine the cause of acute hepatitis in 94 children (age 2 to 14 years) prospectively studied when they were admitted to Embaba Fever Hospital in Cairo, Egypt, between January and April 1983. The diagnoses were: hepatitis A (4%), hepatitis B (33%), acute hepatitis in HBsAg carriers (10%), dual infections with A and B (2%), and hepatitis non-A, non-B (NANB) (50%). Past hepatitis A was diagnosed in 96%. Among acute hepatitis B infections, 17% (5 of 29 tested) had anti-delta antibody; of HBsAg positive persons, 15% (6 of 40) were HBeAg positive. Two patients had simultaneous presence of HBsAg and antiHBs. For differential diagnosis, clinical, epidemiological, and biochemical findings were evaluated but did not distinguish hepatitis B from NANB hepatitis. Males predominated for HBV infections. No risk factors were found for 58% of HBV and 70% of NANB infections; of the remaining patients, 42% percent of HBV and 30% of NANB infections were associated with injections or surgery but none with transfusion or known contact with hepatitis cases.

Acute Disease↗

Low Toxoplasma antibody prevalence in serologic surveys of humans in southern Mexico.

Antibody prevalence to Toxoplasma gondii among residents of a Pacific coastal region of Oaxaca State, Mexico is among low rates reported worldwide. From 60 small, rural communities, 3229 persons from ages 6 months to over 70 years provided blood specimens that were stored on filter papers. 124 (3.8%) of the eluates were seropositive (positive titer greater than 1:256) in the indirect hemagglutination test, and 43 (1.3%) had titers greater than 1:1024. Seropositive rates increased by age group and females were positive twice as often as males. There was no difference in rates for persons who lived at sea level, compared to those who lived between 600 and 1800 meters. In two small communities in which the number of persons tested were a large percentage of the total population, seropositive rates were 1.0 and 1.9%, respectively. The probable explanation for these low rates is the near absence of cats and paucity of meat in the diet. By contrast, sera tested from 479 persons living about 150 km to the east in the coastal, urban towns of Tehuantepec of Salina Cruz showed positive reactions among 122 (125.5%), and 71 (14.8%) had titers less than 1:1024. These people had a higher standard of living, more meat in their diet, and a few cats.

Adolescent↗