Blood Lead Levels in Young Children: US, 2009-2015.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate trends in blood lead levels in children <6 years of age, this Quest Diagnostics Health Trends report builds on previously reported National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data with a much larger national group and adds more detail and novel assessments. STUDY DESIGN: This report describes the results from a 6-year retrospective study (May 2009-April 2015) based on >5 million blood lead level results (including >3.8 million venous results) from children <6 years old living in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. We evaluated yearly changes and examined demographic categories including sex, pre-1950s housing construction, poverty income ratios (PIRs), Medicaid enrollment status, and geographic regions. RESULTS: Among children <6 years old, 3.0% exhibited blood lead levels ≥5.0 µg/dL (high). There were significant differences in high blood lead levels based on sex, pre-1950s housing construction quintiles, and PIR <1.25 and PIR >5 (all P < .01). Health and Human Services regions, states, and 3-digit ZIP code areas exhibited drastically different frequencies of high blood lead levels and blood lead levels ≥10.0 µg/dL (very high). Generally, levels declined over time for all groups. CONCLUSION: Examination of more than 5 million venous blood lead level results in children younger than 6 years old allowed for a robust, detailed analysis of blood lead level group results by geography and other criteria that are prohibited with the narrower National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database. Progress in reducing the burden of lead toxicity is a public health success story that is incomplete with some identified factors posing larger, ongoing challenges.

Granulosa cell tumour of the ovary with bilateral mature cystic teratomas. A case report.

Granulosa cell tumour with synchronous mature cystic teratoma is extremely rare and only eight cases are documented in the literature. Granulosa cell tumours are low-grade malignancies and need a close follow-up for recurrences which may be late. We report a case of granulosa cell tumour and mature cystic teratoma occurring synchronously in the same ovary in a post-menopausal woman.

Granulosa cell tumour of the ovary with bilateral mature cystic teratomas. A case report

Granulosa cell tumour with synchronous mature cystic teratoma is extremely rare and only eight cases are documented in the literature. Granulosa cell tumours are low-grade malignancies and need a close follow-up for recurrences which may be late. We report a case of granulosa cell tumour and mature cystic teratoma occurring synchronously in the same ovary in a post-menopausal woman

Stabilographic analysis of unconstrained standing.

Natural standing is characterized by postural changes and several hypotheses have been proposed to explain these changes. In this paper, four hypotheses were investigated by quantifying the number of postural changes in the centre of pressure data from unconstrained standing in different experimental conditions, studying the effects of mechanical loading, visual conditions, and type of support surface and sole of the shoes. The subjects stood for 30 min with no specific instructions other than not to step off a force plate. There were no significant effects on the number of centre of pressure patterns associated with the postural changes due to load, vision, surface and shoes during standing; on average, approximately two centre of pressure patterns per minute were observed in all conditions. The analysis of the centre of pressure data by the commonly used statistical parameters (standard deviation, velocity, and mean frequency of the centre of pressure displacement and area of the stabilogram) also did not reveal any effect of the different conditions.

The stimulation of bone formation in vitro by therapeutic ultrasound.

A controlled study was performed to evaluate the effects of different ultrasound (US) intensities on 5-day-old mouse calvaria bone in tissue culture. A special technique to apply the US was developed, and the following parameters were measured: collagen and noncollagenous protein (NCP) synthesis (bone formation), and temperature change. It was found that ultrasound at 0.1 W/cm2 (SATA), pulsed 1:4, 3 MHz, 5 min, significantly stimulates bone formation (i.e., the synthesis of collagen and NCP) (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01). However, pulsed ultrasound at higher doses (1.0-2.0 W/cm2 (SATA), pulsed 1:4, 3 MHz, 5 min) significantly inhibited the synthesis of both collagen and NCP (p < 0.05). The temperature measurements showed a maximum rise of 1.8 degrees C [at 2.0 W/cm2 (SATA)] and no detected rise at 0.1 W/cm2 (SATA), suggesting that the effects in this study were primarily nonthermal. These results may reflect the healing effect of US on fractures and osteoradionecrosis and reinforces the use of low intensity US regimens [0.1 W/cm2 (SATA)] in clinical practice.

The potassium impermeable apical membrane of insect epithelia: a target for development of safe pesticides.

Columnar cell apical membranes (CCAM) in series with goblet cell apical membranes (GCAM) form an electroosmotic barrier separating the midgut lumen from epithelial cell cytoplasm. A unique K+ ATPase in GCAM generates three gradients across this barrier. A greater than 180 mV electrical gradient (lumen positive) drives amino acid uptake through voltage-dependent K+ symports. A greater than 1000-fold [H+] gradient (lumen alkaline) and a greater than 10-fold [K+] gradient (lumen concentrated) are adaptations to the high tannin and high K+ content, respectively, in dietary plant material. Agents which act on the apical membrane and disrupt the PD, H+, or K+ gradients are potential insecticides. Insect sensory epithelia and mammalian stria vascularis maintain similar PD and K+ gradients but would not be exposed to ingested anti-apical membrane insecticides. Following the demonstration by Sacchi et al. that Bacillus thuringiensis delta-endotoxin (Bt) induces specifically a K+ conductance increase in CCAM vesicles, we find that the K+ channel blocking agent, Ba2+, completely reverses Bt inhibition of the K+-carried short circuit current in the isolated midgut of Manduca sexta. Progress in characterizing the apical membrane includes finding that fluorosulfonylbenzoyladenosine binds specifically to certain GCAM polypeptides and that CCAM vesicles can be mass produced by Ca2+ or Mg2+ precipitation from Manduca sexta midgut.