Influence of fetal anemia on fetal splenic artery Doppler in Rh-alloimmunized pregnancies.

OBJECTIVE: To verify the correlation between fetal splenic artery Doppler velocimetry and fetal hemoglobin (Hb) levels in Rh alloimmunization. METHODS: Splenic artery Doppler peak systolic velocity (PSV) and pulsatility index (PI) were obtained before cordocentesis in rhesus-alloimmunized fetuses. Doppler was performed before 80 cordocentesis in 36 patients between 20 and 35 weeks of gestation. Mild, moderate and severe anemia were defined as a Hb deficit of >or=2, >or=5 and >or=7 g/dl respectively. RESULTS: Anemia was noted in 64% of the fetuses and moderate and severe anemia in 18 and 21%. Splenic artery PSV was higher in groups with moderate (p = 0.001) and severe (p < 0.000) anemia but not in the group with mild anemia (p = 0.189) when compared to non-anemic fetuses. Splenic artery PI was higher only in the severely anemic group (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The splenic artery PI and PSV are higher in fetuses with severe anemia.

Xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity of some Panamanian plants from Celastraceae and Lamiaceae.

Thirty four crude extracts of Panamanian plants, from nine species of Celastraceae and Lamiaceae, were assayed for xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitory activity. The enzymatic activity was estimated by measuring the increase in absorbance at 290 nm due to uric acid formation. Eighty five percent of the crude extracts were found to possess XO inhibitory activity at 50 micrograms/ml and all the extracts of the species from Lamiaceae were active even at 1 micrograms/ml. The ethanol extracts of Hyptis obtusiflora Presl ex Benth. (Lamiaceae) and H. lantanaefolia Poit. (Lamiaceae) exhibited the highest activity with an inhibition of approximately 40% at 1 micrograms/ml.

Screening of antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of Panamanian plants.

34 crude extracts of Panamanian plants, representing 4 species of Celastraceae and 5 species of Lamiaceae, have been screened for antimicrobial activity against thirteen bacterial strains and two yeasts. The cytotoxic activity was assayed against HeLa and Hep-2 cell lines. Fifty-three percent were found to have significant antimicrobial activity against at least two of the organisms tested, and 26.5 percent showed an IC(50) < 100 µg/ml against one cell line.

Medicinal plant inventory of Kuna Indians: Part 1.

Results of an ethnopharmacognostic survey of 90 plants used by the Kuna Indians of San Blas Islands, who live in Ailigandí, are listed. Results of a literature search are also reported, including medical uses, known constituents and pharmacological effects.

Ethnobotanical inventory of medicinal plants used by the Guaymi Indians in western Panama. Part II.

A list of newly identified plants is presented to supplement Part I (Joly et al. (1987) Journal of Ethnopharmacology 20, 145-171). A comparative analysis is made between our work and two other recent inventories of plants used by the Guaymi Indians of Panama and Costa Rica. As in Part I, the results of a literature survey are also provided, including medicinal uses, known constituents and pharmacological effects.

Immunodiagnosis of human and porcine cysticercosis. Detection of antibodies and parasite products.

In this paper we report the immunodiagnosis of cysticercosis by the detection of antibodies in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients, by standard enzyme immunoassay (EIA) which gave 90% sensitivity. We are also showing the results obtained with a double homologous polyclonal or monoclonal antibody based EIA that detects parasite products: we analysed CSF of patients and obtained sensitivities ranging from 14% to 75% for single antibody systems and 90% when analysing the samples with two or three systems simultaneously. The sera of infected pigs were also evaluated; with one monoclonal antibody we could detect 79% of positive samples. The good results obtained encourage the standardization and improvement of the technique for diagnostic as well as for epidemiologic purposes.