Coeliac disease: always something to discover.

The authors present more than 20 years' experience with coeliac disease, with a summary of their published studies. Hair shaft characteristics were determined by scanning electron microscopy. Hair diameter was significantly lower and cuticular erosion scores higher in those who were not on gluten-free diets as compared to controls, showing a tendency towards normal values following start of gluten-free diets. Proton-induced X-ray emission showed significantly lower zinc content of the hair shaft in the group with acute coeliac disease and after a short-term diet, which approached the normal range only after a year-long diet. The serum prolactin levels in healthy controls and in coeliac patients on the diet were within normal limits, whereas in children with coeliac disease taking gluten in their meals, a significant hyperprolactinaemia was found. The erythrocyte glutathione content of coeliac children was elevated, and the glutathione disulfide level was significantly decreased, as compared to values in normal controls. The erythrocyte glutathione disulfide level and glutathione disulfide/erythrocyte glutathione ratio in coeliac children also differed from those in children with iron deficiency. With genotyping, the DQB1*0201/2 (p < 0.00001) and DR3 (p < 0.00001), DR7 (p < 0.01) alleles showed significant positive association with the disease.

HM-PAO-labeled leukocyte scintigraphy in pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Leukocyte scintigraphy (LS) was performed in 20 pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD: 10 with ulcerative colitis, 2 with indeterminate colitis, and 8 with Crohn disease) in different stages of clinical activity. Leukocytes were separated from 15 to 60 ml venous blood and were labeled in vitro with [99mTc]HM-PAO. The segmental extent (small intestine; ascending, transverse, and descending colon; and recto-sigmoideum) of the process was determined by LS. The uptake of each bowel segment was scored in relation to the bone marrow uptake. The scintigraphic activity, calculated by summing the segment scores, was compared with laboratory parameters. The mean labeling efficacy was 76% (60-86%). The segmental extent of the process determined by LS was compared with the results of barium enema or colonoscopy with regard to 32 bowel segments. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of LS were 93, 88, and 91%, respectively. Two extraintestinal manifestations (abdominal abscess and joint involvement) were also detected by LS. These lesions were verified by computed tomography (CT) (abscess) and on the basis of the clinical outcome (arthritis). The scintigraphic activity correlated with the C-reactive protein (CRP) level (r = 0.82, p < 0.001), the alpha 2-globulin level (r = 0.63, p < 0.02), the sedimentation rate (r = 0.51, p < 0.05), and the fS iron level (r = -0.66, p < 0.005). LS is applicable in pediatric patients. The method is an excellent technique for assessment of the extent of IBD in children. Extraintestinal manifestations of IBD can also be investigated by LS. The scintigraphic activity is a useful parameter for determination of the activity of IBD in children.

Simplified identification of aerobic spore-formers in the investigation of foods.

Bacillus spp. are among the main spoilage organisms in food due to their versatile metabolism and heat-resistant spores. Except for B. cereus, no specific identification method is available, although information about Bacillus spp. would be useful in monitoring good manufacturing practice. A simplified identification scheme for aerobic spore-formers for routine laboratory use was elaborated by reducing the number of tests to be performed; 20 Bacillus spp. common in foods were considered. Besides cell morphology six biochemical characters were selected that proved most efficient in identification. In addition, methods were developed and modified to determine these characters by only 3 tests. By applying the simplified identification scheme, 766 strains of bacilli isolated from various foods were tested and species identity of 714 strains (93%) could be determined. Most aerobic spore-formers from foods were B. subtilis, B. pumilus and B. licheniformis. The spectrum of mesophilic bacilli isolated from natural sources was broad and comprised some 20 different species. Only one-third of the thermophilic isolates proved to be identical with, or similar to, B. stearothermophilus, while the rest were identified as five other species. The simplified method merits main application in ecological studies of foods.

[Ultrastructure of human skin melanomas]. / Ul'trastruktura melanom kozhi cheloveka.

Sixty invasive melanomas of human skin including 30 nodular, 28 extending superficially and 2 lentigo-melanomas were studied. The results indicate that electron microscopy may be efficiently used for differential diagnosis of melanomas and poorly differentiated tumors of other histogenesis. Some ultrastructural differences between lentigo-melanoma, melanoma extending superficially and nodular melanomas were found.