Self-concept and sociometric outcomes: a comparison of only children and sibling children from urban and rural areas in the People's Republic of China.

We investigated differences in self-concept between 360 only children and 555 sibling children in the sixth grade of three urban schools and three rural schools in the People's Republic of China. Peer perceptions and teacher perceptions were also collected using sociometric measures. Self-concept was determined by the Self-Perception Profile for Children (Harter, 1985). Comparisons of sibling children and only children showed no differences on self-concept; however, urban residents had higher self-concept scores than children from rural areas, and boys scored higher than girls. No significant interaction effects between sibling status, gender, and residence were found.

Diarrhoeal disease in children less than one year of age at a children's hospital in Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.

We performed a case-control study of diarrhoea to determine its causes in children less than 1 year old in Guangzhou, People's Republic of China, in April to September 1989. Stools were cultured for Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter and vibrios by standard techniques; rotavirus (RV) was identified by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; and specific deoxyribonucleic acid probes were used to identify Escherichia coli containing genes coding for Shiga-like toxin I and II, enteropathogenic E. coli adherence factor, and enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC). E. coli isolates were tested for heat-labile toxin (LT) and heat-stable toxin (ST) production and mannose-resistant adherence to HeLa cells. Rotavirus was identified in 13 of 174 children with diarrhoea (cases) and in 2% of 174 age-matched children without diarrhoea (controls), P less than 0.001. C. jejuni was identified in 10% of cases and 2% of controls, P = 0.003. Giardia lamblia was identified in 4 cases, LT and ST enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) in 2, and S. flexneri in 1 case; they were not found in controls. ETEC that produced LT only was isolated from 5 cases and 3 controls, P = 0.721; E. coli that adhered to HeLa cells in a diffuse pattern was isolated from 30 cases and 40 controls, P = 0.229; and E. coli that adhered in an aggregative pattern was isolated from 20 cases and 18 controls, P = 0.863. EIEC was not isolated from cases or controls. Nine cases (5%) developed persistent diarrhoea (greater than 14 d duration). C. jejuni and aggregative E. coli were isolated from different children with persistent diarrhoea.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Fluorescein and tetramethyl rhodamine as haptens in enzyme immunohistochemistry.

Fluorescein (Fl) and tetramethyl rhodamine (Rh) were evaluated as possible candidates for a double hapten sandwich system in enzyme immunohistology. Monoclonal antibodies were raised against Fl and Rh. Their fine-specificity was tested with a competition-like assay. A pair of Mab's was selected for immunohistology in which they functioned as a bridge between Fl/Rh conjugated antibodies and Fl/Rh labeled peroxidase and alkaline phosphatase, respectively. The binding of fluorescein labeled antibodies could be successfully demonstrated in histological slides. A large variability in the efficacy of staining was observed in the case of rhodamine labeled antibodies. The phenomenon is explained by assuming that tetramethyl rhodamine isothiocyanate reacts preferentially with lysine residues near to, or embedded in, hydrophobic regions in a protein. This condition may reduce the accessibility of the Rh moiety for anti-Rh antibodies.