Two years' follow-up investigation of a hepatitis E virus (HEV) outbreak in West Kalimantan, Indonesia in 1991 was carried out to investigate the epidemiology of epidemic HEV transmission and the persistence of the immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody response. Sixty cases identified as anti-HEV IgG positive during the outbreak in 1991 were matched with 67 controls and examined, together with 318 members of their families. Overall, the prevalence of anti-HEV IgG among the 445 subjects (representing 127 households) was 59%. There was no significant difference in anti-HEV prevalence between cases (72%) and controls (61%). Loss of detectable anti-HEV IgG after 2 years was demonstrated in 17 of 60 subjects (28%) who were originally positive for anti-HEV in 1991. The mean number of anti-HEV positive subjects per household was 2.04. Cross-sectional prevalence of anti-HEV IgG increased significantly with age (P = 0.01). When communities were grouped into areas of low (< 40%), medium (40-59%) and high (> or = 60%) anti-HEV prevalence, use of river water for drinking and cooking (P < 0.001), personal washing (P < 0.0001), and human excreta disposal (P < 0.001) were associated with high prevalence communities. Conversely, boiling drinking water was negatively associated with increased prevalence (P = 0.02). Subnormal rainfall during the month (August) leading up to the 1991 outbreak (19 cm compared to the monthly mean of 209 cm in 1985-1993) may have contributed to favourable epidemic conditions.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis progression to end-stage renal disease within 48 months is a risk factor for recurrence after pediatric renal transplantation.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Recurrent renal cell carcinoma after 45 years.

Late recurrence of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), arbitrarily defined as > 10 years post nephrectomy, is rare. The longest known clinical disease-free interval of 36 years was reported by Walter and Gellespie in 1960. We report a case of recurrent RCC presenting 45 years after nephrectomy.

Aged↗

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[18F]fluoromethylbenzylsulfonate ester: a rapid and efficient synthetic method for the N-[18F]fluoromethylbenzylation of amides and amines.

We have prepared 4-[18F]fluoromethylbenzylsulfonate esters as fluoromethylbenzylating agents. These agents are readily prepared by an [18F]fluoride ion displacement of the corresponding bissulfonate esters. The application of these 4-[18F]fluoromethylbenzylsulfonate esters to N-alkylation reaction of spiperone and 1-phenylpiperazine shows that the products 3-N-(4-[18F]fluoromethylbenzyl)spiperone and 1-N-(4-[18F]fluoromethylbenzyl)-4-phenylpiperazine are rapidly produced with high radiochemical yields under a no-carrier-added condition.

Alkylating Agents↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Continuing studies on chromosomal polymorphism in a Korean natural population of Drosophila melanogaster.

Investigations on the chromosomal inversion polymorphism were conducted on a Korean (Taenung) natural population of D. melanogaster during the period 1978 to 1992. A total of 66 different endemic and cosmopolitan inversions were found on both major chromosome pairs II and III. Some of them proved to be rare cosmopolitan types (2LKA, 2LNS, 2LF, 2RCy, 3LM, 3RKI, and 3RK), while others were endemics. The distribution of breakpoints for endemic and rare cosmopolitan inversions are not random along the two autosome arms. With respect to frequency changes, the 15-year survey revealed that five of the cosmopolitan types (2Lt, 2RNS, 3LP, 3RC, and 3RMo) exhibit cyclical frequency changes, whereas gene arrangement 3RP shows relatively stable frequencies. Tests for correlations between gene arrangement frequencies and several climatic variables gave no clear evidence for such relationships. Only one correlation coefficient out of 64 was statistically significant.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Assessment of disinfection by-products in drinking water in Korea.

The main purpose of applying the chlorination process during water treatment is for disinfection. Research results, however, indicate that disinfection byproducts (DBPs) including trihalomethanes (THMs), haloacetic acids (HAAs), haloacetonitriles (HANs), haloketones (HKs), and chloropicrin (CP) can be produced by the chlorination process. Some of these DBPs are known to be potential human carcinogens. This 3-year project is designed to establish a standard analysis procedure for DBPs in drinking water of this country and investigate the distribution and sources of specific DBPs. The occurrence level of DBPs in drinking water was below 50 micrograms/l in most cases. THMs in plant effluent accounted for 60% of all DBPs measured, whereas HAAs accounted for 20%, HANs 12%, HKs 5% and CP 3%. Chloroform was found to be the major THMs compound (77%), followed by bromodichloromethane (BDCM, 18%) and bromoform (BF, 3%). The concentration of DBPs formed in distribution systems increased from those detected in plant effluent. Comparison of humic acid and sewage as precursors for THMs formation showed that humic acid was the major THMs precursor. Results would play an important role in exposure assessment as a part of the risk assessment process, and would give basic information for establishment of DBPs reduction and management procedures.

Chlorine↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Conduction block by clonidine is not mediated by alpha2-adrenergic receptors in rat sciatic nerve fibers.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Clonidine, an alpha(2)-adrenergic agonist, has been shown to prolong local anesthesia. It appears that clonidine by itself produces conduction block by acting on peripheral nerves. However, whether clonidine-induced conduction block is mediated through alpha(2)-adrenergic receptors remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to see if clonidine's nerve-blocking action was through alpha(2)-adrenergic receptors by examining clonidine's action in the presence of alpha(2)-adrenergic antagonists. METHODS: The compound action potentials (CAPs) evoked by electrical stimuli were recorded from the isolated rat sciatic nerve in a recording chamber. Conduction block was examined by analyzing CAPs with regard to peak amplitude and time-to-peak in the presence of clonidine alone or clonidine plus alpha(2)-adrenergic antagonist yohimbine or idazoxan. RESULTS: Both clonidine and yohimbine produced concentration-dependent, reversible, conduction block. Based on concentration-response relationships, the 50% of effective concentration (EC(50)) were estimated to be 1.61 +/- 0.51 mmol/L (mean +/- SD) for clonidine and 51.4 +/- 27.2 micromol/L for yohimbine. A mixture of equal volumes of 2.07 mmol/L clonidine and 55.6 micromol/L yohimbine produced conduction block to a level close to the mean value between conduction blocks induced by 2.07 mmol/L clonidine alone and 55.6 micromol/L yohimbine alone. Addition of idazoxan, a more specific alpha(2)-adrenergic antagonist than yohimbine, to clonidine was without effect on clonidine-induced conduction block. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that the mixture of clonidine and yohimbine, in which either drug inhibited impulse conduction, produced conduction block in an additive manner, and that clonidine-induced conduction block was not reversed by coapplication with a specific alpha(2)-adrenergic antagonist idazoxan. These data suggest that clonidine's effects likely depend on mechanisms not mediated by alpha(2)-adrenergic receptors.

Adrenergic alpha-Agonists↗

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L-nucleoside analogues as potential antimalarials that selectively target Plasmodium falciparum adenosine deaminase.

The L-stereoisomer analogues of D-coformycin selectively inhibited P. falciparum adenosine deaminase (ADA) in the picomolar range (L-isocoformycin, Ki 7 pM; L-coformycin, Ki 250 pM). While the L-nucleoside analogues, L-adenosine, 2,6-diamino-9-(L-ribofuranosyl)purine and 4-amino-1-(L-ribofuranosyl)pyrazolo[3,4-d]-pyrimidine were selectively deaminated by P. falciparum ADA, L-thioinosine and L-thioguanosine were not. This is the first example of 'non-physiological' L-nucleosides that serve as either substrates or inhibitors of malarial ADA and are not utilised by mammalian ADA.

Adenosine Deaminase Inhibitors↗

PubMedDate not supplied

New classes of fluorinated L-nucleosides; synthesis and antiviral activity.

The synthesis of 3'-fluorinated apionucleosides 7 and 2'-fluoro-2',3'-unsaturated L-nucleosides 8 via common synthon, 2-fluoro-butenolide 2, has been described. Among the newly synthesized nucleosides, L-2'-F-d4C, L-2'-F-d4FC and L-2'-F-d4A exhibit significant anti-HIV and anti-HBV activities.

Antiviral Agents↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Quantification of glucose utilization in liver metastases: parametric imaging of FDG uptake with PET.

Positron emission tomography (PET) fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) studies are useful for identifying foci of increased FDG uptake in liver metastases, because of the high glycolytic rate of malignancies, as well as for monitoring changes in tumor glucose metabolism during treatment. We performed 15 kinetic PET FDG studies in four patients with metastatic liver disease. We produced parametric images of glucose metabolism in terms of the rate constant K (ml/min/g) for net phosphorylation of FDG. Tumor K values, estimated with nonlinear regression, correlated well with K values estimated with Patlak graphical analysis (r = 0.96), validating the assumption of low k4* values in liver metastases and supporting the use of pixel by pixel Patlak plot analysis of the data to generate parametric images. In normal liver, high levels of glucose-6-phosphatase produce much higher values of k4* than in liver metastases. Uncorrected Patlak graphical analysis underestimates K in normal liver, but this further increases the contrast between tumor and liver and facilitates both tumor detection and quantification. The technique is computationally feasible and is well suited for serial evaluations of tumor metabolism during treatment.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Whole body skeletal imaging with [18F]fluoride ion and PET.

Using our recently reported whole body PET imaging technique, we performed whole body PET studies of the skeletal system with [18F]fluoride ion in 19 patients with a range of malignant and benign skeletal conditions and in 19 normal male volunteers. The technique produces two-dimensional projection images of the entire skeletal system ("a PET bone scan"), in addition to coronal, sagittal, and axial tomographic images of the skeletal system. The tomographic images had a 13% higher lesion detection sensitivity than the projection images. Whole body PET skeletal imaging with [18F]fluoride ion is technically feasible, provides images of excellent quality, and may be coupled with more quantitatively precise kinetic PET [18F]fluoride ion studies (over limited regions of the body) when numerical estimates of skeletal [18F]fluoride ion uptake are desired. The method is potentially useful in clinical applications where the high resolution and numerical precision of PET are of particular value (e.g., in accurately defining the anatomic location and extent of lesions and in assessing changes in bone metabolism on serial studies).

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Cancer detection with whole-body PET using 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose.

OBJECTIVE: This study was done to determine the feasibility and potential utility of whole-body PET using the glucose analogue 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) for the detection of primary malignancies and metastatic lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective, nonrandomized study of whole-body FDG-PET imaging carried out at a large university teaching hospital in Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A. The study group consisted of all patients referred for PET imaging (87) with a suspected diagnosis of primary or recurrent malignancy and who had eventual histological confirmation of their lesions. RESULTS: In the 87 patients, whole-body PET studies were positive (presence of focal FDG uptake relative to surrounding tissues uptake) in 61 of 70 patients (87%) with subsequent biopsy-confirmed primary or recurrent malignant lesions, including carcinomas of breast, lung, ovary, prostate, colon, urinary bladder, and gallbladder origin, as well as malignant melanoma, carcinoid, osteosarcoma, lymphoma, and spinal cord astrocytoma. The PET images revealed no focal hypermetabolism at the known site of tumor in patients with primary prostate carcinoma (two), microscopic ovarian carcinoma (two), breast carcinoma (one), low-grade carcinoid tumors (two), and one patient with recurrent microscopic osteogenic sarcoma. The PET studies detected the primary lesion in 15 of 17 patients with breast carcinoma and in 6 of 6 patients with primary lung carcinoma. Of the 17 patients with benign biopsies, 13 patients had FDG-PET studies without focal areas of uptake. CONCLUSION: Because of the high glycolytic rate of malignant tissue, the whole-body FDG-PET technique has promise in the detection of a wide variety of both primary and metastatic malignancies. The presence of FDG uptake in benign inflammatory conditions may limit the specificity of the technique. The sensitivity for the detection of malignant lesions was 87% and the positive predictive value was 94%. The whole-body FDG-PET method is promising both in determining the nature of a localized lesion and in defining the systemic extent of malignant disease.

Deoxyglucose↗