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Biomedical subjects

C Cassimos

Publications and source records attributed to C Cassimos.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1983

Prognostic criteria in idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis in children.

An epidemiologic survey was undertaken of 30 children in whom idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis (IPH) had been identified. In determining the prognostic significance of various parameters, a clinical severity score was used. This included the year of onset of IPH, fever, difficulty in breathing, the severity of the anemia, the roentgenographic findings and therapeutic modalities such as transfusions, administration of steroids, antibiotic treatment and splenectomy. Eighteen patients had died. The results of this investigation suggest that: (1) The severity of the disease at its onset does not determine the survival; (2) Females survived longer; (3) Young age of the patients at the onset of IPH seems to carry a less favorable prognosis; (4) The common therapeutic modalities in use have not proved to be beneficial. We believe that some environmental insult to the developing lung in genetically predisposed persons may contribute to a higher morbidity in the younger patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Arterial blood pressure serum lipids and cardiovascular complications in families of hypertensive children.

The arterial blood pressure (B.P.), the cardiovascular complications and the type of hyperlipoproteinemia were studied in 98 families of hypertensive children (group A) and in 100 families of normotensive children (group B). In group A, hypertension was found in 27% of the parents and 47.4% of grandparents, whereas in group B in 7.5% and 22.5% respectively. In siblings of hypertensive children hypertension was found in 13.5% as apposed to 5.4% of those of normotensive children. Cardiovascular complications were recorded in 27.5% in the parents and grandparents of group A and in 12% in group B. Hyperlipoproteinemia with obvious preponderance of type II (IIa, IIb) and IV was found in 58.5% of parents in group A and 21.1% in group B.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Serum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, D-glucaric acid excretion and plasma half-life of antipyrine in newborns with severe jaundice of unknown etiology and due to glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in Greece.

Serum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (gamma-GT) activity, urinary D-glucaric acid (D-GA) excretion and plasma half-life of antipyrine were measured in 22 healthy children as well as in 45 full-term newborns on the 10th day of life. Of these 45 newborns, 20 had jaundice of unknown etiology, 14 had jaundice due to G-6 PD deficiency, and 11 were normal and served as controls. Serum gamma-GT activity was found to be within the normal range in the 22 healthy children, whereas it was in the upper range of the norm in all newborns during the neonatal period. Urinary D-GA excretion was normal in the healthy children and in control known etiology and in 57% of babies with jaundice due to G-6-PD deficiency. Plasma half-life of antipyrine was normal (less than 30 h) in the 22 healthy children, whereas it was prolonged (greater than 30 h) in 9% of the normal newborns, in 60% of the newborns with jaundice of unknown etiology and in 7% of the newborns with jaundice due to G-6-PD deficiency. These findings suggest that in severe neonatal jaundice of unknown etiology there is a greatly reduced excretion of endogenously formed D-GA as well as prolongation of the plasma half-life of antipyrine. This is probably due to decreased activity of the liver enzymes involved in the metabolism of glucuronic acid and the oxidation of antipyrine. These defects probably contributed to the unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia observed in these newborns.

Antipyrine↗
PubMed1980

Skin sensitization to 2, 4 dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) in the first months of life.

The skin reactivity to 2, 4 dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) was evaluated in 94 healthy term neonates, aged 1-30 days and in 190 infants aged 2-9 months. For contact sensitization to DNCB an initial dose of 1 mg DNCB and a challenge one of 0.1 mg were used. Sensitization was induced in 6.7% of neonates in the first 15 days of life. This proportion rose to 25.7% by the end of the first month, to 63% in the third month and to 91% in the ninth month. It is concluded that DNCB test is a safe and simple screening test for evaluating cell-mediated immunity in the first months of life. It appears to have some advantages over the skin tests using specific antigens, as a positive result with DNCB can be obtained at an earlier age.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1979

Mechanisms of smooth muscle antibody production: a clinical study in children with infections, haemolytic syndromes, and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.

Sera from 530 children suffering from various diseases and from 64 controls were tested for smooth muscle autoantibodies (SMA) by indirect immunofluorescence. A high incidence of SMA (51-86%) was found in patients with viral and bacterial infections (viral hepatitis, infectious mononucleosis, measles, mumps, chickenpox, typhoid fever, and brucellosis), independently of liver invovlvement, and in patients with acute haemolytic anaemia due to G-6-PD deficiency (48%). By contrast, the incidence of SMA from patients with beta-thalassaemia major and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura was no higher than in the controls. The discrepancy in incidence in haemolytic anaemias due to different causes may reflect the effect of endogenous and extrinsic agents. In the viral infections, SMA were mainly of the IgM class and gave an 'SMA-V' staining pattern. In bacterial infections (typhoid fever and brucellosis), SMA were either IgG only or IgM and IgG, and the staining pattern was also mainly 'SMA-V'. In infections which affect or may affect the liver (viral hepatitis, infectious mononucleosis, typhoid fever, and brucellosis), SMA was present at high titres (1:80-1:320), whereas in infections not affecting the liver (measles, mumps, and chickenpox) the titres were lower (less than or equal to 1:80). In most patients SMA occurred transiently and without apparent pathogenetic significance. The antigen against which infection-induced SMA is directed is not actin; its nature has yet to be identified.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1977

Blood pressure in children and adolescents.

Blood pressure (BP) levels were recorded in 2223 male and 2205 female children and adolescents ranging in age from 7 to 18 years. In addition, 521 male adults (soldiers) ranging in age from 21 to 25 years were included in the study. Children and adolescents who participated in the survey were selected at random the Elementary and High Schools. The results of the study showed that a gradual increase occurred in the systolic, as well as in the diastolic component of blood pressure from 7 to 18 years of age. By contrast, there was no increase with age in the systolic and diastolic blood pressure in the young male adult subjects, who had BP measurements comparable to those observed in children. A child was characterized as hypertensive according to the criteria outlined by Master et al. Children with BP between the 90th and the 95th percentile were considered as suspect hypertensive, whereas those with BP exceeding the 95th percentile were considered definitely hypertensive. The overall incidence of hypertension in children in this survey was 3.1%.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

Effect of blood transfusion on the immune response of children with thalassaemia.

The effect of blood transfusions on the immune response of 46 thalassaemic children was studied. Cell-mediated immune response was evaluated by performing skin tests to specific (streptokinase-streptodornase and candidin) and nonspecific (dinitrochlorobenzene and phytohaemagglutinin) antigens. Antibody response to specific antigen (tetanus toxoid) was estimated by measuring the tetanus antitoxin titre before and after vaccination. No gross impairment of cell-mediated immunity was elicited. The larger proportion of negative phytohaemagglutinin skin tests found in thalassaemic patients does not necessarily suggest a cell-mediated immunity impairment, since this skin reaction is also affected by other factors, especially the inflammatory skin response. The transfused antibodies may inhibit the recipient's sensitization and primary immune response to the homologous antigen, especially when the antibody level in the transfused blood is high whereas the secondary immune response is not affected.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

Response of blood and bone marrow neutrophils to the nitroblue-tetrazolium test in children.

The ability of blood and bone marrow neutrophils to reduce nitroblue-tetrazolium both before and after stimulation with Escherichia coli endotoxin was investigated. The polymorphonuclear cells of the bone marrow are less able to reduce the dye than blood cells. This difference is maintained after stimulation by endotoxin. Early forms of neutrophils (myelocytes and metamyelocytes) have some reducing ability but this is more marked after stimulation with endotoxin.

Bone Marrow↗
PubMed1975

Immunological studies in children with acute viral hepatitis.

Sera from 116 consecutive unselected cases of sporadic acute viral hepatitis in children were examined for hepatitis B antigen (HBAg), smooth-muscle autoantibodies (SMA), other autoantibodies and immunoglobulins, and skin tests were performed with dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB). HBAg was detected in twenty-one and SMA in ninety-eight out of 116 sera that had been obtained during the 1st or 2nd week from the onset of jaundice. Hepatitis B antigen was present in seventeen out of the eighteen SMA negative patients (94-4%) and in only four out of the ninety-eight SMA-positive patients (4-1%). The presence of SMA was not related to the sex and age of the patients or to the serum bilirubin and transaminase levels. SMA did not persist for more than 6 weeks from the onset of jaundice in most of the cases. In twenty-eight out of forty-one sera which were tested the IgM level was found to be elevated during the acute phase of illness and within normal limits during the recovery stage. A negative correlation between the presence of SMA and the elevated serum IgM level and the presence of HB Ag in the same patients was observed. The DNCB skin test was found to be positive in all fifty-two patients who did not have HBAg in their serum and in twenty out of the twenty-one patients who had circulating HbAg. From these findings there appears to be no gross impairment of cell-mediated immunity in acute viral hepatitis, and hepatitis A is associated with SMA production and an increase in serum IgM levels, when compared to hepatitis associated with HBAg.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

D-Glucaric acid excretion in newborns with severe jaundice of unknown etiology and due to glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in Greece.

The urinary D-glucaric acid of 86 full-term newborns was determined on the 10th day of life. Of these, 28 had jaundice due to glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) deficiency, 24 jaundice of unknown etiology and 18 Rhesus incompatibility. Practically all the cases of the first two groups had a greatly decreased D-glucaric acid excretion whereas this was not a constant finding in the 18 cases with Rh-incompatibility. Normal values were found in 16 healthy controls of the same age. These findings suggest that in severe neonatal jaundice due to G-6-PD deficiency and in jaundice of unknown etiology, there is a greatly reduced excretion of endogenously formed D-glucaric acid, due probably to decreased activity of liver enzymes involved in the metabolism of glucuronic acid. This defect probably contributes to the unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia in these newborns.

Adipates↗