Circulatory neurosteroid levels in underweight female adolescent anorexia nervosa inpatients and following weight restoration.

Nineteen female adolescent inpatients diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, restricting type (AN-R) and 16 non-eating disordered (ED) controls were assessed for plasma dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), dehydroepiandrosterone-sulphate (DHEA-S), and cortisol levels, and for eating-related and non-eating-related psychopathology. AN-R patients were assessed at admission, 1 month and 4 months following hospitalization. The non-ED controls were assessed once. No baseline between-group differences were found in plasma cortisol, DHEA, and DHEA-S levels, whereas the patient group had a significantly lower Cortisol/DHEA-S ratio and elevated scores on most psychopathological parameters. A significant increase was found in the body mass index of the AN-R patients at 4 months post-hospitalization, accompanied by a decrease in plasma cortisol levels and a trend towards decreased Cortisol/DHEA and Cortisol/DHEA-S ratios, whereas no change occurred in psychopathology. The difference in Cortisol/DHEA-S ratio between AN-R patients and non-ED controls, and the different patterns of change in cortisol vs. DHEA(-S) levels following weight restoration, may in part account for the feeding difficulties in AN, particularly during refeeding.

Fetal intrathoracic injuries following mild maternal motor vehicle accident.

Reported herein are the cases of three infants who were born with serious intrathoracic injuries, apparently sustained at the time of the mother's involvement in a motor vehicle accident. The accidents occurred at 26th, 29th and 36th weeks of pregnancy and resulted in minimal injuries to the mothers themselves. The infants were born four weeks, three hours and two days later, respectively. Their injuries were manifested (singly) by hemothorax, pneumothorax and contusion of lung, the latter in a setting of multi-organ trauma. We suggest that chest x-ray, in addition to brain ultrasound, be routinely included in the evaluation of neonates whose mothers were involved in a motor vehicle accident during pregnancy, not excluding cases wherein the mother's injuries were negligible or inapparent and regardless of the time elapsed between accident and delivery.

Acute renal failure in a neonate caused by the transplacental transfer of a nephrotoxic paraprotein: successful resolution by exchange transfusion.

Acute renal failure was diagnosed within 6 days of birth in a full-term neonate. The mother was known to have a monoclonal gammopathy, immunoglobulin G (IgG) lambda, discovered a year before pregnancy on being investigated for hematuria and proteinuria. Her renal function was intact. Maternal renal biopsy performed at the time showed a focal proliferative glomerulonephritis with nonfibrillary homogeneous mesangial and intramembranous electron-dense deposits. Immunoperoxidase staining was positive for IgG and lambda and kappa light chains along the glomerular and tubular basement membranes. Pregnancy was uneventful. Protein electrophoresis and immunofixation of the infant girl's serum and urine samples showed the presence of a paraprotein electrophoretically identical to that found in the mother. Exchange transfusion resulted in a rapid improvement of renal function in parallel to the disappearance of the monoclonal component.

Trisomies 9 and 8 detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization in patients with systemic mastocytosis.

BACKGROUND: Systemic mastocytosis is a rare disease characterized by proliferation of mast cells in one or more organs. The origin of the mast cells is still debated, although it has been recently shown that they derive from CD34+ hematopoietic progenitors. Some clinical and in vitro studies have suggested a possible link between myeloproliferative disorders and systemic mast cell disease. OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to further evaluate the association between systemic mast cell disease and other hematologic disorders by means of conventional cytogenetic analysis and fluorescent in situ hybridization. METHODS: We used cytogenetic analysis and fluorescent in situ hybridization with probes to chromosomes 8 and 9 in six patients with systemic mast cell disease. RESULTS: Fluorescent in situ hybridization helped to identify five patients with trisomy 9 and one with trisomy 8. In contrast, chromosomal analysis demonstrated an abnormal karyotype (45,XO/46,XY) in only one patient. CONCLUSION: The association between myeloproliferation disorders and systemic mast cell disease may be explained by the finding that trisomy 9 and trisomy 8 are common in both disorders. A trisomy was detected in all of the patients in our small group compared with nearly 40% of previously reported patients with myeloproliferative disorders. FISH is more sensitive than conventional cytogenetics in detecting these aberrations.

[The importance of short-term test therapy in the differential diagnosis and surgical treatment procedure in lung diseases]. / Znachenie kratkovremennoi test-terapii v differentsial'noi diagnostike i taktike khirurgicheskogo lecheniia zabolevanii legkikh.

Methods of differential diagnostics of diseases of the lungs based on using short-term antiinflammatory therapy during 2-3 weeks are substantiated. An analysis of results of the methods in question in 225 patients has shown that additional diagnostical information can be obtained in 78% of the patients operated upon and among patients of the differential diagnostic department-in 41% of the patients. These methods must be always used in cases of uncertain results of clinical diagnostics which will prevent diagnostic errors and their negative consequences.

[Correlation of specific immune response and tuberculous changes in the lungs]. / O sootvetstvii form spetsificheskogo immunnogo otveta kharakteru tuberkulëznykh izmenenii v lëgkikh.

A clinicoimmunological examination of 312 new-onset cases of tuberculosis was performed to investigate the relationships between factors of humoral and cellular immunity and tuberculous process. Specific immune response (SIR) and the trends in the disease progress showed some interdependences. The forms of SIR reported can serve criteria for alterations in the lungs and prognosis of the process outcome.

[A method of increasing the accuracy and effectiveness of cytologic diagnosis of lung cancer using the prednisolone test]. / Sposob povysheniia tochnosti i éffectivnosti tsitologicheskoi diagnostiki raka legkogo s pomoshch'iu prednizolonovogo testa.

The patients are given oral prednisolone (30 mg daily for 3 days) and then daily for 3-4 days their sputum is examined for lung carcinoma. The method improves cytological diagnosis of lung carcinoma.

[The effect of prednisolone on the efficacy of the diagnosis of pulmonary cancer and tuberculosis]. / Vliianie prednizolona na éffektivnost' diagnostiki raka i tuberkuleza legkikh.

The report describes a test intended to increase the efficacy and precision of cytologic diagnosis of lung cancer as well as bacterioscopic diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis. The test is run during examinations of sputum and pleural exudate. It uses prednisolone, per os, 30 mg daily, for 3 days, then sputum and pleural exudate are tested for cancer cells presence and/or mycobacteria of tuberculosis. A 100% diagnostic specificity of the test in diagnosing cancer and tuberculosis and unsophisticated procedures involved make the case for its application in all oncological, pulmonological and tuberculosis controlling institutions.

[Current principles of diagnosis of cavitary formations in the lungs]. / Sovremennye printsipy diagnostiki polostnykh obrazovanii v legkikh.

Tuberculosis, cancer or abscessed pneumonia were diagnosed in 141 (84%) of the 168 patients who had solitary cavities in the lungs in the absence of M. tuberculosis or cancer cells isolation. The most informative diagnostic signs in these cases are provided by sex, age, special features of the onset and course of the disease in the period between diagnosis establishment and patients' hospitalization, data obtained when fluorograms taken from archives were compared with the X-ray picture at the moment of disease detection as well as by the results of serological reactions such as tuberculous antigen detection and Mantoux test, and blood level fibrinogen determination. On the second stage of examination the supplementary signs were obtained in bronchoscopy, cytologic examination of the bronchial contents after prescription of irritating inhalations and prednisolone test and immunologic study. Correct diagnosis can be established in 99% of the cases in the presence of simultaneously five and more significant signs.

[Immunologic status of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and pneumonia]. / Immunnyi status bol'nykh tuberkulezom legkikh s pnevmoniei.

A combined immunologic examination included 67 patients with concurrent lung pathology (tuberculosis with pneumonia), 64 with tuberculosis and 71 with pneumonia. The relation of the immune status to the pattern of the process was demonstrated proceeding from the findings. Pneumonia in the abatement phase had no influence on the immunologic parameters of a tuberculosis patient. Acute pneumonia combined with tuberculosis was marked by suppressed T-lymphocyte functional and specific activity, increased counts of T-suppressors and the presence of antituberculous antibodies. It was found that the newly developed diagnostic tables can be used effectively for differentiating the combined pathology from the uncomplicated tuberculosis and pneumonia.

[Tuberculosis and pneumonia]. / Tuberkulez i pnevmonia.

Analysis of the clinical course of acute pneumonia in pulmonary tuberculosis patients is presented. The lowest rate of acute pneumonia morbidity was found in patients with active tuberculosis during antituberculosis therapy. As soon as the specific process subsides and its activity diminishes acute pneumonia morbidity grows. Specific features of the course of acute pneumonia in patients with different phases of tuberculosis development are shown. Data on the study of liquid-crystal thermography are presented as well as the assessment of the capillary blood flow and the results of immunologic study in the presence of combined pathology. The terms of alleviation of acute pneumonia in tuberculosis patients are delayed, especially in inflammation development in the zones of post-tuberculosis changes.

[Value of different combinations of immunological signs for differential diagnosis of lung diseases]. / Znachenie razlichnykh sochatanii immunologicheskikh priznakov dlia differentsial'noi diagnostiki zabolevanii legkikh.

Stemming from the results of a complex immunologic examination of 653 patients with lung diseases, 4 immunologic reactions of highly diagnostic value were identified, i. e. specific antibody formation, blast transformation with PPD and PHA and spontaneous rosette formation. The most valuable combinations of these reactions were defined for each type of the pathology. For tuberculosis, 16 such combinations were found, including 5 without specific antibody formation; 5 in cancer; 3 in nonspecific inflammation; and 1 in sarcoidosis. Diagnostically important combinations of the above immunologic reactions are summarized in the Table whose use in differential diagnosis of doubtful cases of tuberculosis, cancer, nonspecific pneumonia and sarcoidosis can increase their diagnostic probability up to 0.95-0.99 in 30 per cent of the patients without employing invasive methods.

[Organization of fluorographic examinations of the population in large cities]. / Ob organizatsii fliuorograficheskikh obsledovanii naseleniia v usloviiakh bol'shogo goroda.

A 5-year experience with fluorographic examination of the population of Leningrad is described. The data show that it is untimely to prolong the intervals between check fluorographic examinations. Difficulties in forming the risk groups are also indicated. Ways for improving organization of fluorographic examinations by using the available reserves are defined. On the whole, the present arrangement of prophylactic fluorographic examinations is rather efficient in regard to early detection of many pulmonary diseases including tuberculosis and peripheral cancer of the lungs.

Species differences in polysaccharide and sugar taste preferences.

This study compared the polysaccharide and sugar taste preferences of humans and four rodent species (laboratory rats, Rattus norvegicus; Golden Syrian hamsters, Mesocricetus auratus; Mongolian gerbils, Meriones unguiculatus; Egyptian spiny mice, Acomys cahirinus). In Experiment 1 human subjects rated the pleasantness, sweetness, and flavor intensity of polysaccharide (Polycose), sucrose, and maltose solutions at concentrations of 0.0125 M to 0.4 M, and 1% to 32% concentrations. At the higher molar concentrations Polycose was rated as less sweet and less pleasant than the sucrose and maltose solutions; there were no differences in the flavor intensity ratings. With the percent concentrations Polycose was rated as less sweet and less flavorable as the sucrose and maltose solutions; there were no reliable differences in the pleasantness ratings. In Experiment 2, the Polycose, sucrose, and maltose preferences of rats, hamsters, gerbils, and spiny mice were compared using 24 hr two-bottle tests (saccharide vs. water) at concentrations of 0.001 M, 0.005 M, 0.01 M, and 0.1 M. In general, the rats displayed stronger preferences for Polycose and maltose than did the other three species. In addition, the gerbils showed a stronger Polycose preference at the 0.1 M concentration than did the hamsters and spiny mice, and the spiny mice display a weaker preference for sucrose than did the other three species. Within species comparisons revealed that all four species displayed preferences for Polycose that were as strong or stronger than their preferences for sucrose and maltose. With only a few exceptions, male and female rodents did not differ in their saccharide preferences. Thus, while rats show the most robust Polycose preference of the four rodent species, all four species were attracted to the taste of polysaccharides. Humans, on the other hand, reported that Polycose solutions were unpleasant. The results suggest that rodents have taste receptors for starch-derived polysaccharides that humans lack.

Sex differences in polysaccharide and sugar preferences in rats.

The preferences of adult male and female rats for sucrose and polysaccharide (Polycose) solutions were measured in three experiments. In Experiment 1, male and female rats did not differ in their preference for molar solutions of sucrose or Polycose as measured by 24-hr solution vs. water tests. In Experiment 2, however, male rats displayed a greater preference for Polycose, and females a greater preference for sucrose as measured in 3-min and 30-min/day sucrose vs. Polycose tests. Both sexes preferred Polycose to sucrose at low concentrations, but switched their preference at higher concentrations. Experiment 3 revealed that both male and female rats strongly preferred 32% sucrose to 32% Polycose in 30-min/day two-solution tests, but this preference did not persist when the rats were given 24-hr/day access to the two solutions. Male rats lost their sucrose preference, while female rats developed a preference for Polycose over sucrose. The sexes also differed in that the female rats increased their total caloric intake more and consumed proportionately more carbohydrate than did the male rats during the 24-hr/day test. The findings demonstrate that while both male and female rats have an avid appetite for polysaccharide and sucrose solutions, they differ in their short-term and long-term relative preferences for the two carbohydrates, as well as in their caloric and diet selection responses to the carbohydrate solutions. The possible functional significance of these sex differences are discussed.