Detection of dentine lead level and its correlation with blood lead and child intelligence

Environmental pollution from lead has long been recognized to cause adverse effects in children. In the present study, personal lead exposure was assessed in teeth and blood and the correlation between their levels and child intelligence and school performance was detected. A cross sectional study which included primary school children attending the dental clinic of insurance hospital at Banha in a period of six months was carried out. The parents were given a questionnaire about family background and child health and performance. Each child supplied a shed tooth and a blood sample and answered an IQ scoring and schools achievement leveling sheets. Lead levels were determined in teeth and blood. 100 children completed all the steps. Their mean [ +/- S.D.] dentine lead was 2.678 [ +/- 1.421] ug/g and that of blood lead was 6.255 [ +/- 2.830] ug/dl. Dentine lead was significantly related to blood lead. Demographic factors that were associated with higher lead values included residence in urban areas, smoking parents and manually working fathers. IQ scores and school achievement results showed significant negative correlations with teeth and blood lead levels. Measuring dentine lead level in shedding deciduous teeth of children is an available noninvasive method that can be used in detection of lead levels

Immune alterations of morphine on phagocytic power and serum interleukin [IL] in rats

In spite of the evidence suggesting that many morphine addicts are victims ofdiseases and infections, yet there is little information about the extend ofimmune alterations and whether it is uniform on all immunologic parameters ornot. In order to clarify these issues, morphine [10 mg/kg] was administeredto Sprague Dawley rats in acute and chronic manners to have models foraddictive

influence of age on sex determination from greater sciatic notch, before puberty

This study was carried out on radiological examination of 151 human pelvicbones of both sexes [76 males and 75 females] at different ages. Variousparameters of the greater sciatic notch [GSN] [width, depth and posteriorsegment of the width] were measured and indices I and II were calculated. Width and depth of the greater sciatic notch were found to be statisticallyinsignificant for sexing purposes before the age of puberty. Also, index Iwhich depends on width and depth of the greater sciatic notch was accordinglyuseless in the sexing of hip bones during infancy period. On the other hand,it was observed that the posterior segment of the width and index II werestatistically significant in sex determination as early as before puberty. So, these two parameters of the greater sciatic notch were found to be thebest for identification of sex at different ages until puberty