Cranial rhythmic impulse related to the Traube-Hering-Mayer oscillation: comparing laser-Doppler flowmetry and palpation.

The primary respiratory mechanism (PRM) as manifested by the cranial rhythmic impulse (CRI), a fundamental concept to cranial osteopathy, and the Traube-Hering-Mayer (THM) oscillation bear a striking resemblance to one another. Because of this, the authors developed a protocol to simultaneously measure both phenomena. Statistical comparisons demonstrated that the CRI is palpably concomitant with the low-frequency fluctuations of the THM oscillation as measured with the Transonic Systems BLF 21 Perfusion Monitor laser-Doppler flowmeter. This opens new potential explanations for the basic theoretical concepts of the physiologic mechanism of the PRM/CRI and cranial therapy. Comparison of the PRM/CRI with current understanding of the physiology of the THM oscillation is therefore warranted. Additionally, the recognition that these phenomena can be simultaneously monitored and recorded creates a new opportunity for further research into what is distinctive about the science and practice of osteopathic medicine.

The frequency of unrecognized type 2 herpes simplex virus infection among women. Implications for the control of genital herpes.

To evaluate the prevalence of symptomatic versus asymptomatic or unrecognized type 2 herpes simplex virus (HSV-2) infection, the authors performed physical examination, viral cultures, and type-specific serologic assays in 776 randomly selected women attending an STD clinic and 636 female university students. Forty-six percent of women attending the STD clinic compared with 8.8% of the university students had serologic evidence of HSV-2 infection. Clinical or historical evidence of genital herpes was present in only 34% of the HSV-2 seropositive women attending the STD clinic and in 29% of the HSV-2 seropositive women attending the university clinic. Among women attending the STD clinic, the prevalence of recognized genital infection was more common among those with HSV-2 antibodies only versus those with HSV-1 and -2 antibodies (odds ratio = 2.39; 95% confidence interval = 1.30-4.37), suggesting that HSV-1 infection reduces the likelihood of recognizing HSV-2 infection. In view of the high proportion of seropositive individuals with unrecognized HSV-2 infection in both high and low prevalence HSV-2 seropositive populations, newly developed HSV type-specific serologic methods should be evaluated for detecting carriers of HSV-2 infection and counseling these individuals about strategies for avoiding sexual and perinatal transmission of HSV-2.

Prevalence of genital papillomavirus infection among women attending a college student health clinic or a sexually transmitted disease clinic.

We examined 454 women randomly selected from a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Clinic and 545 consecutive college women undergoing annual examination. Patients were examined for visible genital warts, koilocytes, and human papillomavirus (HPV) antigen on cervical smears and for cervical HPV DNA types 6, 11, 16, 18, and 31. Genital warts were found in 11% of STD Clinic patients and 2% of students (P less than .001). Among those women without genital warts, HPV DNA or antigen was detected in cervical specimens from 10.6% of STD Clinic patients and 11.4% of students (P = .73), with HPV type 16, 18, or 31 being 9.8 times more frequent than cervical HPV 6 or 11 among students and 5.8 times more frequent among STD Clinic patients. Dysplasia was present in 53% of those with HPV type 6 or 11 and in 41% of those with HPV type 16, 18, or 31 DNA.

Vaginal redox potential in bacterial vaginosis (nonspecific vaginitis).

To explore of the association of bacterial vaginosis with anaerobic bacterial growth in the vagina, we measured the redox potential (Eh) at the vaginal epithelial surface of women with this syndrome. Among normal women, the value for Eh in the vagina ranged from +322 mV to +137 mV (mean, +170 mV); whereas among women with bacterial vaginosis, the Eh ranged from +71 mV to as low as -257 mV (mean, -92 mV). Following successful treatment of the vaginosis with metronidazole, the vaginal Eh increased to a mean of +208 mV. Thus, the low redox potential in the vagina during bacterial vaginosis appears to be due to microbial metabolism in the vagina and does not represent a persistent host factor responsible for the anaerobic vaginal flora. Any host factors responsible for bacterial vaginosis remain to be elucidated.