[Association between indoor contamination and respiratory diseases in children living in Temuco and Padre Las Casas, Chile]. / Fuentes de contaminación intradomiciliaria y enfermedad respiratoria en jardines infantiles y salas cunas de Temuco y Padre Las Casas, Chile.

BACKGROUND: Indoor air pollution, is the main cause of population exposure to polluting agents. AIM: To establish an environmental profile of indoor contamination emission sources in families of children under 5 years that assist to kindergartens in Temuco and Padre Las Casas. To associate respiratory disease episodes in children with indoor contamination. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Cross sectional analysis of 355 family groups subjected to questionnaires about indoor contamination and number of respiratory disease episodes. RESULTS: Forty six percent of mothers or caregivers smoked, 37% smoked at home and 93% smoked one to two cigarettes per day. There was a significant association between respiratory diseases in children and drying clothes in the kitchen, using firewood for heating and the presence of humidity in the dwelling. Mothers identified as indoor contaminants the use of braziers in 76% of cases and firewood stoves in 24%. Ninety seven percent considered that these appliances were detrimental for respiratory health. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of awareness about indoor contamination among subjects of low socioeconomic status should prompt educational campaigns to modify behaviors in their dwellings.

Fuentes de contaminación intradomiciliaria y enfermedad respiratoria en jardines infantiles y salas cunas de Temuco y Padre Las Casas, Chile / Association between indoor contamination and respiratory diseases in children living in Temuco and Padre Las Casas, Chile

Background: Indoor air pollution, is the main cause of population exposure to polluting agents. Aim: To establish an environmental profile of indoor contamination emission sources in families of children under 5years that assist to kindergartens in Temuco and Padre Las Casas. To associate respiratory disease episodes in children with indoor contamination. Material and methods: Cross sectional analysis of 355 family groups subjected to questionnaires about indoor contamination and number of respiratory disease episodes. Results: Forty six percent of mothers or caregivers smoked, 37 percent smoked at home and 93 percent smoked one to two cigarettes per day. There was a significant association between respiratory diseases in children and drying clothes in the kitchen, using firewood for heating and the presence of humidity in the dwelling. Mothers identified as indoor contaminants the use of braziers in 76 percent of cases and firewood stoves in 24 percent. Ninety seven percent considered that these appliances were detrimental for respiratory health. Conclusions: The lack of awareness about indoor contamination among subjects of low socioeconomic status, should prompt educational campaigns to modify behaviors in their dwellings.

Morphometry of pineal synaptic ribbon profile numbers after cytochalasin D treatment.

Synaptic ribbons (SRs) are electron-dense, plate-shaped synaptic organelles, to which electron-lucent synaptic vesicles (SVs) are attached by tiny stalks. In the mammalian pineal gland SRs are dynamic organelles, waxing and warning in number under different physiological and experimental conditions. The way in which SRs are formed, or catabolized, is not known. Since it has been suggested that actin may be part of SRs, in the present study the effect of the actin-disrupting drug cytochalasin D (CD, 1 microgram/ml, for 4 h) was examined in cultured guinea pig and rat pineal glands. The glands were preincubated for 48 h so that intra-pineal sympathetic nerve fibres degenerate and no longer release noradrenaline which may distort the results. CD had no effect on SR profile numbers in guinea pigs, but decreased them in rats (p > 0.05). The nonsignificant depressive effect of CD in rats was verified in a second experiment. To clarify the issue, acutely cultured rat pineal glands were treated with CD for 4 h, without effect. The results taken together suggest to us that CD has no major effect on pineal SR profile numbers, but that in rats preincubation for 48 h makes them vulnerable to catabolic processes. In all the experiments, the electron-dense plate of the SRs was qualitatively unaffected. However, the SVs were often larger and more irregular in shape and the stalks linking the SVs with the SRs were less frequently seen in CD-treated glands. In guinea pig pineals, in which SRs frequently lie in groups and parallel to each other, neither the distance between neighboring SRs nor the thickness of individual SRs were affected by CD. It is concluded that actin is not a major component of the SRs and the connecting stalks.

[Implant fixation strength and osseointegration following systemic administration of recombinant factor XIII and factor XIII concentrate. Animal experiment with implant fixation strength and osseointegration of porous surface implants]. / Implantatverankerungsfestigkeit sowie Knocheneinwachsverhalten nach systemischer Gabe von rekombinantem Faktor XIII und Faktor XIII-Konzentrat. Eine tierexperimentelle Untersuchung mit Bestimmung von Implantatverankerungsfestigkeit sowie Knocheneinwachsverhalten bei porösen Oberflächenimplantaten.

30 cylindrical commercially pure titanium fiber porous coated Ti6A14V implants were inserted press-fit into the proximal humeral portion of 30 sheep humeri to determine the systemic effect of recombinant factor XIII and placenta-derived factor XIII concentrate on bone ingrowth and on strength of fixation. For both the recombinant factor XIII and the factor XIII concentrate group the volume fraction of bone ingrowth and the strength of fixation was higher when compared with the control specimens. However the difference was only significant for the factor XIII concentrate group.

[Diagnosis and therapy of coxitis fugax with special reference to the value of ultrasonographY-assisted diagnosis and hip joint puncture]. / Zur Diagnostik und Therapie der Coxitis fugax unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Wertigkeit der sonographisch gestützten Diagnostik und Hüftgelenkspunktion.

Between 1984 to 1991 55 children (mean age 7.0 years) were observed with a painful effusion of the hip examined by ultrasound. Children with radiologically diagnosed hip diseases were excluded. In 47 cases we found a transient synovitis of the hip which started at an average interval of 4 days in mean before admission. All children were reexamined 6 weeks after the end of treatment sonographically and clinically, 4 of those revealing incipient Perthes diseases. The primary sonographic right/left difference in amount of effusion (mean) was 4.0 +/- 1.7 mm and after aspiration 1.5 +/- 1.4 mm with a significantly correlation with the amount of aspirated synovial fluid. The radiological findings for a diagnosis of an effusion of the hip were not reliable. Beside the diagnostic signs of the appearance of the aspirated fluid the sonographic assisted aspiration of the hip is an important treatment mode to reduce the intracapsular pressure and the pain of a hip effusion in children.

[Biomechanic study of the tensile strength of lyophilized and deep frozen human Achilles tendons following gamma and ethylene oxide sterilization]. / Biomechanische Untersuchung über die Zugfestigkeit lyophilisierter und tiefgefrorener humaner Achillessehnen nach Gamma- und Ethylenoxid-Sterilisation.

By a failed first operation allogenic tissues, as human Achilles tendons are offered for anterior cruciate ligament replacement. The effects of freeze-drying and primary Gamma- or EO-sterilization on the mechanical properties of 62 complete and 74 bisected tendons again fresh frozen controls were investigated under axial tension. A significant decrease of tensile strength for the freeze-dried preparations of 33% for the whole and 43% for the bisected tendons were observed, while Gamma- or EO-sterilizations showed a smaller deleterious effect on the tendons. Considering only the primary mechanical strength complete freeze-dried or complete and bisected irradiated Achilles tendons show sufficient tensile strength for anterior cruciate ligament replacement.

[Is conservative treatment of partial or complete anterior cruciate ligament rupture still justified? An analysis of the recent literature and a recommendation for arriving at a decision]. / Ist die konservative Behandlung der partiellen oder kompletten vorderen Kreuzbandruptur noch gerechtfertigt? Eine Analyse der neueren Literatur sowie ein Vorschlag zur Entscheidungsfindung.

In a review of the recent literature after conservative treatment of the complete anterior cruciate ligament (acl) rupture good results were found in an average (av) of 56% (12-80%) of all cases. In comparison the conservative treatment of partial tears showed in 84% (60-100%) of all cases good results. 79% (32-100%) of the patients with complete acl ruptures and 90% (66-100%) of the cases with partial acl tears were able to continue their sport activities. Secondary acl replacement or meniscus surgery were later necessary in 20% and 14% of the cases (av) with complete acl ruptures and in only 6% and 5% (av) of the cases with partial tears. Most of the patients who were operated later were young and ambitiously engaged in sports. The results of the mostly retrospective studies display a high variability. For this reason it is necessary to perform more prospective, controlled and randomized studies to verify the preventive effect of an early operative treatment to protect the joint form osteoarthritis and progressive instability. Arthrocopy is essential for all cases of acute hemartrosis. Partial acl tears are predominantly treated conservatively, while complete acl ruptures should be treated following an individual decision regimen. A tree for decision making of the treatment of acute acl-injuries is proposed.