Green teeth in a premature infant following hemolytic jaundice.

Green staining of the dentition is a phenomenon associated with the deposition of bilirubin in the matrix of hard tissue during formation. This article presents a case of green teeth in a patient born 28 weeks premature with a medical history of hemolytic jaundice and grade IV intraventricular hemorrhage at birth.

Surface oxidation study of single wall carbon nanotubes.

Functionalization of single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) is desirable to enhance their ability to be incorporated into polymers and enhance their bonding with the matrix. One approach to carbon nanotube functionalization is by oxidation via a strong oxidizing agent or refluxing in strong acids. However, this approach can damage the nanotubes, leading to the introduction of defects and/or shorter nanotubes. Such damage can adversely affect the mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. A more benign approach to nanotube functionalization has been developed involving photo-oxidation. Chemical analysis by XPS revealed that the oxygen content of the photo-oxidized SWCNTs was 11.3 at.% compared to 6.7 at.% for SWCNTs oxidized by acid treatment. The photo-oxidized SWCNTs produced by this method can be used directly in various polymer matrices or can be further modified by additional chemical reactions.

Field Emission and Radial Distribution Function Studies of Fractal-like Amorphous Carbon Nanotips.

The short-range order of individual fractal-like amorphous carbon nanotips was investigated by means of energy-filtered electron diffraction in a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The nanostructures were grown in porous silicon substrates in situ within the TEM by the electron beam-induced deposition method. The structure factor S(k) and the reduced radial distribution function G(r) were calculated. From these calculations a bond angle of 124 degrees was obtained which suggests a distorted graphitic structure. Field emission was obtained from individual nanostructures using two micromanipulators with sub-nanometer positioning resolution. A theoretical three-stage model that accounts for the geometry of the nanostructures provides a value for the field enhancement factor close to the one obtained experimentally from the Fowler-Nordheim law.

Efficacy and safety of a transdermal contraceptive system.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy, cycle control, compliance, and safety of a transdermal contraceptive system that delivers norelgestromin 150 microg and ethinyl estradiol 20 microg daily. METHODS: In this open-label, 73-center study, 1672 healthy, ovulatory, sexually active women received ORTHO EVRA/EVRA for six (n = 1171) or 13 cycles (n = 501). The treatment regimen for each cycle was three consecutive 7-day patches (21 days) followed by 1 patch-free week. RESULTS: The overall and method-failure probabilities of pregnancy through 13 cycles were 0.7% and 0.4%, respectively. The incidence of breakthrough bleeding was low throughout the study. Perfect compliance (21 consecutive days of dosing, followed by a 7-day drug-free interval; no patch could be worn for more than 7 days) was achieved in 90% of subject cycles; only 1.9% of patches detached completely. Adverse events were typical of hormonal contraception, and most were mild-to-moderate in severity and not treatment limiting. The most common adverse events resulting in discontinuation were application site reactions (1.9%), nausea (1.8%), emotional lability (1.5%), headache (1.1%), and breast discomfort (1.0%). CONCLUSIONS: The transdermal contraceptive patch provides effective contraception and cycle control, and is well tolerated. The weekly change schedule for the contraceptive patch is associated with excellent compliance and wearability characteristics.

Effect of tree and grass pollens and fungal spores on spring allergic rhinitis: a comparative study.

BACKGROUND: Current literature indicates tree pollen is less important than grass pollen as the cause of spring allergic rhinitis. The role of fungal spores is secondary and uncertain. OBJECTIVE: To assess the relative allergenicity of tree and grass pollen and fungal spores as the cause of spring allergic rhinitis in central Indiana. METHODS: (1) Chart review of 189 Indiana natives with seasonal allergic rhinitis to ascertain clinical sensitivity to tree or grass pollens. (2) A prospective study conducted in the spring of 1997 in 51 patients, correlating patients' symptom and medication scores with daily pollen and spore counts, obtained with a Burkard spore trap. RESULTS: One hundred thirty of 189 patients (69%) reported symptoms before May with positive prick test to at least one tree pollen. One hundred thirty-four patients (71%) had symptoms in May and June with positive test to grass pollen. The ratio between the two groups is 1:1, in contrast to a ratio of 1:4 derived from the literature. The prospective study revealed a symptom score increase parallel to the rise of tree pollen counts beginning in mid-March and reaching a plateau in early May prior to the onset of grass season. Medication use continued to increase and peaked at the height of grass pollination. Spore counts increased in late May and stayed at high levels throughout June, yet symptom and medication scores steadily declined following the peak of grass pollination in early June. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that in central Indiana, tree pollen is more important as the cause of spring allergic rhinitis than that suggested by the literature. This study confirmed previous observations that fungal spores are substantially less allergenic than pollens.

Thoracic duct lymph. Relative contribution from splanchnic and muscle tissue.

We have shown previously that thoracic duct lymph insulin dynamics are well correlated with tracer-determined whole-body glucose uptake and have suggested that thoracic duct lymph insulin is representative of insulin concentration in muscle interstitial fluid. However, thoracic duct lymph is comprised of interstitial fluid from all sub-thoracic tissue beds. To investigate the relative contribution of muscle interstitial fluid to total thoracic duct lymph flow, the distribution and elimination of [14C]inulin was investigated in eight experiments with conscious dogs. Both plasma and thoracic duct lymph were measured, and a three-compartment model that was hypothesized to consist of plasma, splanchnic interstitial fluid, and muscle interstitial fluid was identified. Identifications were performed with either a bolus protocol (n = 4) or an infusion protocol (n = 4), and the predicted [14C]inulin dynamics in the splanchnic and muscle interstitial fluid compartments were compared with measured values in thoracic duct lymph. Neither compartment predicted the thoracic duct [14C]inulin dynamics; however, a model based on a percentage contribution from each tissue bed fit the thoracic data well. The relative contribution of splanchnic interstitial fluid to the total thoracic duct lymph flow averaged 78 +/- 5% for the bolus protocol and 54 +/- 5% for the infusion protocol. Thus, we conclude that in the conscious animal, approximately 25-50% of thoracic duct lymph originates from muscle interstitial fluid.

Tourette's syndrome and treatment with clomipramine hydrochloride.

Clomipramine hydrochloride, a tricyclic antidepressant that blocks serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake, is indicated in the treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. It has been reported that patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and a concomitant diagnosis of Tourette's Syndrome respond well to treatment with clomipramine (1). It has also been reported that these dually-diagnosed patients, when treated with clomipramine, receive relief from the symptoms of both disorders (2). Published reports of Tourette's patients, without a concomitant Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, successfully responding to treatment with clomipramine are rare. To the authors' knowledge, no such report has been published since 1975. This article reports the case of a 41-year-old male Tourette's patient, without a dual diagnosis of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, who successfully responded to clomipramine therapy.

Ventilatory response of moderately obese women to submaximal exercise.

To investigate the effect of moderate obesity on ventilatory responses to graded exercise, we compared the ventilatory responses of ten moderately obese (35 +/- 5 percent body fat) and nine leaner women (22 +/- 2 percent body fat) during walking on a treadmill with incremental increases in percent grade. Speed remained constant at 3.0 mph. In the obese women, VO2 in l/min and ml/FFW/min, fb (b/min), VE (l/min), and HR were significantly greater (P less than 0.05) at all four absolute workloads. At 10.0 and 12.5 percent grade, VO2 (ml/kg/min) was smaller and VE/VO2 was greater in the obese women. The difference in VE/VO2 suggests a lower ventilatory threshold for the obese women. Percent VO2 max and R (VCO2/VO2) were significantly different at 12.5 percent grade only. When VO2 was divided by HR (oxygen pulse), the two groups were not significantly different at any of the four workloads tested. The groups were compared further at workloads representing approximately 55, 65, 75, and 85 percent of VO2 max. HR was not significantly different at any of the four relative exercise intensities. VE was significantly greater in the obese at 85 percent of maximum only (P less than 0.05) and fb was significantly greater at 55, 75, and 85 percent of maximum. Whereas cardiorespiratory responses of moderately obese women are increased at absolute workloads when compared to that of leaner women, HR is similar at comparable intensities of exercise. VE is also similar at comparable intensities of exercise below ventilatory threshold but fb is greater. The effect of the higher fb on exercise tolerance is unknown.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Neuroepidemiology of Parkinson's disease: analysis of mortality data for the U.S.A. and Georgia.

Death rates for Parkinson's Disease (PD) in the U.S.A. and the state of Georgia were investigated for the period 1979-83. Age adjusted death rates for the U.S.A. were greater in whites than blacks and greater in men and women. No differences were found in Georgia between urban and rural counties. Death rates were not higher in countries containing paper mills.

Recent trends in tuberculosis in children.

From 1976 through 1981, the incidence of tuberculosis in the United States among children 0 through 14 years of age failed to decline. The incidence had declined at a rate of about 9% per year from 1962 through 1975. The failure was observed for both sexes and for white children and children of "other" races. Data confined to 1980 and 1981 suggested that Hispanic children with tuberculosis may have accounted for the stability of the tuberculosis case rate among white children. Tuberculosis among Indochinese refugee children accounted for the stability of the case rate among children of other races.

Foreign-born persons with tuberculosis in the United States.

Two recent surveys of selected states and cities suggest that foreign-born persons account for approximately 15 per cent of the new cases of tuberculosis reported annually in the areas surveyed. In both surveys the largest number of foreign-born persons came from the Western Hemisphere, the next largest from Asia. The largest number of foreign-born persons with tuberculosis are in the 15-29 year age group, presumably because most entering aliens are in this age group. Among persons with tuberculosis, a larger per cent of foreign-born patients have extrapulmonary disease than do native-born patients. About 50 per cent of the foreign-born persons with tuberculosis entered the United States within the five years prior to onset of disease. Within the United States, significant inter-area variation exists in the proportion of persons with tuberculosis who are foreign-born and in countries of origin of these persons.

Extrapulmonary tuberculosis in the United States.

In recent years, the decrease in reported tuberculosis in the United States has been due almost entirely to a drop in the number of cases of pulmonary disease. There has been little change in the average number of extrapulmonary cases reported. A retrospective survey of extrapulmonary tuberculosis has shown that it differs from pulmonary tuberculosis with regard to sex and race distribution, diagnosing physician's speciality and proportion of cases bacteriologically confirmed. There is variation within extrapulmonary cases according to specific anatomic site with regard to the above characteristics as well as age distribution. These epidemiologic differences in tuberculosis of different sites are unexplained.