Information on the frequency of epilepsy/seizure disorders and factors associated with development of epilepsy in an underprivileged urban ghetto population is urgently needed. A feasibility study was undertaken, and a questionnaire to collect information on seizure activity and behavior in the community was administered to a series of households with known seizure disorders, a series of households with chronic diseases, and a series of households chosen at random. Sensitivity and specificity of the seizure questions were estimated to be 0.93 and 0.89 respectively. The community was receptive to a survey of this type, and the overall refusal/nonresponse rate was 7.2%. Factors that would contribute to the success of an urban minority community survey are considered.

Epilepsy↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Latex, an intriguing allergen.

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Allergens↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Genetic variation in Pneumocystis carinii isolates from different geographic regions: implications for transmission.

To study transmission patterns of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) in persons with AIDS, we evaluated P. carinii isolates from patients in five U.S. cities for variation at two independent genetic loci, the mitochondrial large subunit rRNA and dihydropteroate synthase. Fourteen unique multilocus genotypes were observed in 191 isolates that were examined at both loci. Mixed infections, accounting for 17.8% of cases, were associated with primary PCP. Genotype frequency distribution patterns varied by patients' place of diagnosis but not by place of birth. Genetic variation at the two loci suggests three probable characteristics of transmission: that most cases of PCP do not result from infections acquired early in life, that infections are actively acquired from a relatively common source (humans or the environment), and that humans, while not necessarily involved in direct infection of other humans, are nevertheless important in the transmission cycle of P. carinii f. sp. hominis.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Gut mucosal mast cells and goblet cells during acute graft-versus-host disease in rats.

Intestinal inflammation occurs in both nematode infections and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). In nematode infections, this involves the proliferation of mucosal mast cells (MMC) and goblet cells (GC). To examine MMC and GC responses in GVHD, female Lewis rats were given allogeneic bone marrow (BM). Each animal received 1,020 rads and, one day later, 6 X 10(7) ACI BM cells plus 2 X 10(7) ACI spleen cells i.v. Control rats received 6 X 10(7) BM cells. On days 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 post-transplant, rats were sacrificed and their intestines removed and prepared for histological examination of MMC and GC. Cells in 10 villus-crypt units (VCU) of the gut were counted for each animal. Skin and tongue were also removed and examined to determine the degree of GVHD. GVHD was first evident on day 8 in allogeneic BM recipients and progressed thereafter. No evidence of GVHD was seen in syngeneic BM recipients. Rats receiving allogeneic BM showed a 10-fold increase from day 12 to day 20 (p less than 0.01). Rats receiving syngeneic BM showed no significant change in MMC through the 20th day. In animals with GVHD, GC decreased by day 12 and remained lower than control animals during the subsequent 8 days. It was concluded that, similar to nematode infection, MMC proliferation is a feature of GVHD. In contrast, GC do not appear to proliferate in an acute GVHD.

Animals↗