Are uranium-contaminated soil and irrigation water a risk for human vegetables consumers? A study case with Solanum tuberosum L., Phaseolus vulgaris L. and Lactuca sativa L.

The knowledge of uranium concentration, in the products entering the human diet is of extreme importance because of their chemical hazard to health. Controlled field experiments with potatoes, beans and lettuce (Solanum tuberosum L., Phaseolus vulgaris L. and Lactuca sativa L.) were carried out in a contaminated soil used by local farmers located near a closed Portuguese uranium mine (Cunha Baixa, Mangualde). The soil with high average uranium levels (64-252 mg/kg) was divided in two plots, and irrigated with non-contaminated and uranium-contaminated water (<20 and >900 microg/L). Uranium maximum average concentration in the edible vegetables parts (mg/kg fresh weight) ranged in the following order: lettuce (234 microg/kg) > green bean (30 microg/kg) > potatoes without peel (4 microg/kg). Although uranium in soil, irrigation water and vegetables was high, the assessment of the health risk based on hazard quotient indicates that consumption of these vegetables does not represent potential adverse (no carcinogenic) effects for a local inhabitant during lifetime.

Endothelial cell activation in muscle biopsy samples is related to clinical severity in human cerebral malaria.

To test the hypothesis of vascular sequestration of parasitized erythrocytes in Plasmodium falciparum malaria in vivo, a pathologic and immunohistochemical study was done of the microvasculature of skeletal muscle biopsy samples from P. falciparum malaria patients at different stages of severity. Parasitized red blood cells sequestered in the skeletal muscle vessels were observed in samples from necropsies but were never demonstrated in biopsy specimens. Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 and E-selectin expression was consistent only in specimens from cerebral malaria patients. Samples from such patients had strong staining of the constitutive endothelial adhesion molecules tested. The staining intensity gradually decreased in samples from persons with milder forms of the disease. Four of 13 patients with severe malaria had aggregates of red blood cells, occasionally parasitized inside the muscle fibers. These data suggest that skeletal muscle biopsy could be a useful model for the study of the pathogenesis of malaria in vivo.

[The Ellis-Van Creveld syndrome. Apropos 2 clinical cases]. / Síndrome de Ellis-Van Creveld. A propósito de dois casos clínicos.

The chondroectodermal dysplasia--Ellis-Van Creveld Syndrome--is an unusual form of congenital disease, genetically transmitted with a recessive autosomal pattern, which involves the skeletal system, nails and teeth. In about 50 to 60 percent of cases, the affected individuals show cardiac abnormalities, and the most common are single atrium, large atrial septal defect, ostium primum type. Other abnormalities may accompany these lesions, such as aortic atresia, hypoplasia of the ascending aorta or of the left ventricle. About half of the patients die in the childhood due to cardiorespiratory complications. Two cases are described with this syndrome, a male and a female, with 54 and 45 years old respectively; they were followed in our Departments and showed congestive heart failure and single atrium. These cases led us to review the subject; we believe that the unusual longevity of these patients can be related to their relatively benign cardiac disease.

Cavernous sinus thrombophlebitis in Zimbabwe.

Cavernous sinus thrombophlebitis (CST) was diagnosed in 19 black African patients who presented to two large, general hospitals in Harare, Zimbabwe, over an eight-year period. Diagnosis was based on clinical criteria. The mean age of patients was 22.5 years (range 8 months-70 years). Only three patients (15.5 pc), all of whom were promptly diagnosed and commenced on a regimen including intravenous, high-dose cloxacillin, recovered completely. In ten cases (52.6 pc), initial treatment was penicillin and chloramphenicol. Four of the 19 patients who had serious sequelae including residual blindness, complete ophthalmoplegia or unilateral proptosis, and six patients (31.6 pc) died. The higher than usual mortality rate in this series can be attributed to various factors including late presentation, delay in diagnosis and delay before initiation of effective antibiotic treatment. Whenever CST is suspected, antibiotic treatment should be administered without delay pending further evaluation, and the initial regimen should include high-dose antistaphylococcal antibiotics.

Rhabdomyolysis associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

PIP: A case study is given of a 25-year old woman with rhabdomyolysis associated with HIV infection. The presenting symptoms were a 1-week history of backache, gross swelling of both hands and feet, and weakness and marked pain in most muscle groups; 3 days before admission the urine was black and she was unable to walk. Multiple, firm 1-2 cm lymph nodes were revealed during examination. White blood cell count (WBC) was 22,000/microliter with 12 pc lymphocytes, 7.3 pc monocytes, and 80.5 pc polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Hemoglobin concentration was 15.8 g/deciliter; platelet count was 124,000/microliter with a Westergren ESR of 109 mm/h. An antinuclear antibody test was negative. Serum concentration of urea was 3.8 mmol/liter, creatinine 42 microliter/liter, sodium 128 mmol/liter, and potassium 5.9 mmol/liter. Microscopic examination of urine revealed WBC 100/HPF, red blood cells 20/HBF, and granular casts. The dipstick test showed blood land protein in the urine. Electromyography showed inflammatory myopathy. Creatine Kinase (CK) concentration was 2359 IU/liter and lactate dehydrogenase concentration 1000 IU/liter. Hemolysis was present from clinical or laboratory signs. The patient tested HIV positive by ELISA (Abbott) and Western blot (Dupont). Treatment consisted of administration of 60 mg/day of prednisolone orally. Over 2 weeks, swelling of limbs was reduced and CK concentration was reduced to 931 IU/liter. The patient was discharged and did not keep a follow-up appointment. The patient did not have a history of other predisposing conditions, only HIV infection and persistent muscle weakness and inflammatory myopathy. There is evidence from other patient studies of myopathy associated with HIV infection and polymyositislike illness. In this case study, the patient may have had a acute form of polymyositis, or acute viral myositis such as occurs with echo, influenza, coxsackie, and other viral infections. A detailed viral investigation was not performed. HIV infection may have directly infected myocytes or immunosuppression predisposing to acute myositis by other pathogens. HIV-related muscle disease should include rhabdomyolysis.^ieng