ABSTRACT
Hepatitis B surface antigen was determined by EIA in the serum of 284 women at the end of their pregnancy. They belonged to the lower socio-economical status of the cities of Caracas and Valencia in Venezuela. In Caracas (Petare) all were negative, in Valencia, 5 of 150 (3.3%) resulted positive.
Subject(s)
Hepatitis B Surface Antigens/analysis , Hepatitis B/epidemiology , Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/epidemiology , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Female , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Pilot Projects , Pregnancy , Prevalence , Prospective Studies , Random AllocationABSTRACT
Human anti-Entamoeba histolytica immunoglobulin was used to detect Entamoeba histolytica in 74 positive samples from several different sources, using an indirect immunoperoxidase method. In 73 samples, the protozoan was easily identified. Trophozoites and cysts of all cultured Entamoeba strains examined were strongly stained, and as few as 3 trophozoites per microscope slide could be detected. In addition, 51 negative control samples were also tested and non-specific reactions were not observed. These preliminary results show that this method is both sensitive and specific, and can easily detect trophozoites and cysts of different E. histolytica strains.
Subject(s)
Amebiasis/diagnosis , Entamoeba histolytica/immunology , Entamoebiasis/diagnosis , Animals , Antigens, Protozoan/analysis , Feces/parasitology , Humans , Immunoenzyme Techniques , Liver Abscess, Amebic/diagnosisABSTRACT
The enzymatic activities of maltase, sucrase, and lactase were determined in jejunal biopsies obtained from 24 children with gastrointestinal symptoms and different degrees of protein energy malnutrition (PEM) to see if these differences were related to the extent of malnutrition or concomitant small intestinal mucosal injury. Even in patients with moderate PEM, lactase activities were significantly lower than control values. The decrease in lactase activity seemed to depend on the severity of malnutrition. In contrast, maltase and sucrase activities were decreased only in second and third degrees of PEM, while no significant changes were observed in first degree and marasmic kwashiorkor. Histologically, all children with PEM had grade I to II mucosal injury which did not correlate with the degree of malnutrition. These results indicate that PEM affects each of the disaccharidases of the jejunal mucosa differently, with lactase being most sensitive to PEM and reflecting most closely the degree of PEM. In contrast, morphological changes showed no correlation with the degree of PEM.
