Prior incubation of quiescent cultures of Swiss 3T3 cells with pertussis toxin selectively inhibited the stimulation of DNA synthesis induced by peptides of the bombesin family. While pertussis toxin blocked mitogenesis at an early stage in the action of the peptide, the toxin did not impair the rapid stimulation of polyphosphoinositide breakdown, Ca2+ mobilization or activation of protein kinase C promoted by bombesin. Thus, inhibition of bombesin-induced mitogenesis by pertussis toxin can be dissociated from inactivation of the phospholipase C signalling pathway.

Animals↗

PubMed1987

Vaccine-associated poliomyelitis in a household contact with Netherton's syndrome receiving long-term steroid therapy.

Paralytic poliomyelitis developed in a man 51 days after his two-month-old daughter received her first dose of trivalent live oral poliovirus vaccine. The patient was receiving long-term glucocorticosteroid therapy (tapered to 12.5 mg per day for the eight months prior to his poliomyelitis) for Netherton's syndrome, a congenital syndrome characterized by bamboo-like hair, hyperkeratotic and hyperhidrotic skin, and multiple allergies. The patient was ventilator-dependent and quadriplegic throughout most of his hospital stay and died in the hospital 10 months after the onset of paralysis. "Vaccine-like" type 3 poliovirus was isolated from a stool specimen and his serum showed a significant rise in neutralizing antibody titer against type 3 virus. This case report represents the first documented case of vaccine-associated poliomyelitis in a household contact receiving glucocorticosteroids, although evidence of immunosuppression was not documented. Nevertheless, the case reinforces current recommendations not to administer oral poliovirus vaccine to persons known to be immune deficient or suppressed or to normal persons with close contacts known to be immune deficient or suppressed.

Adult↗

PubMed1987

Goals for TDM: a correction.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Drug Therapy↗

PubMed1987

Enzymic method for acetaminophen adapted to an Abbott ABA-200 analyzer.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Acetaminophen↗

PubMed1985

Search for cytomegalovirus in postmortem brain tissue from patients with Huntington's chorea and other psychiatric disease by molecular hybridization using cloned DNA.

Postmortem human brain extracts were examined for the presence of human cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA by molecular hybridization using a dot blot technique. The method was able to detect picogram quantities of homologous DNA, but CMV specific hybridization was detected in only one of 83 brains examined. The positive case came from a patient who had received immunosuppressive therapy. We were not able to confirm the report that CMV is present in the brains of patients with Huntington's chorea, nor was CMV detected in the temporal cortex of brains from schizophrenic patients. Our findings are discussed in relation to the methodology for investigating a possible viral etiology of some neuropsychiatric diseases.

Adult↗

PubMed1984

Metronidazole in periodontitis. I. Clinical and bacteriological results after 15 to 30 weeks.

The statistical association of certain anaerobic organisms such as black pigmented bacteroides (BPB) species and spirochetes with clinical signs of active periodontitis, i.e. bleeding upon probing and bone loss, suggests that the lesions may actually reflect a "specific infection" involving these or unidentified species. All the known oral species of BPB and spirochetes are anaerobes which suggests that antimicrobial treatment directed specifically against anaerobes might be effective in periodontal therapy. In this report, the short-term results of metronidazole treatment plus mechanical debridement in patients with extensive periodontal disease and of a double-blind clinical study in which metronidazole plus mechanical debridement is compared to placebo plus mechanical debridement are described. The findings indicate that 1 week of systemic metronidazole can optimize the clinical reduction of pockets and increase the apparent attachment in periodontitis patients who receive concurrent mechanical debridement of their root surfaces. In patients with extensive clinical involvement, metronidazole resulted in a significant reduction in the number of sites exhibiting pocket depths and attachment loss greater than or equal to 7 mm. When metronidazole plus mechanical debridement was compared with placebo plus mechanical debridement in a double-blind study, the metronidazole patients exhibited a significant improvement in those sites initially greater than or equal to 7 mm. The beneficial effect of the metronidazole was associated with a significant and sustained reduction of certain anaerobic organisms such as Bacteroides gingivalis and the large spirochetes. These data indicate that treatment aimed specifically toward the anaerobic component of the plaque flora can be associated with impressive clinical improvements 15 to 30 weeks after the initiation of treatment.

Alveolar Process↗

PubMed1983

Experiences with phrenic nerve pacing in children.

We report a series of four spinal cord-injured children with ventilator dependency who were implanted with radiofrequency phrenic nerve pacers. At injury, their ages ranged from 6 to 9 years. Implantation occurred from 15 to 47 months following injury. The longest term of pacing has been 59 months. One patient, who was being paced full-time, died suddenly at 32 months of a viral myocarditis. Two patients underwent bipolar phrenic implantation in the neck, while two other patients underwent bilateral thoracotomy with monopolar electrode implantation in the mediastinum. There have been no complications related to pacer dysfunction in the postoperative course. Selective pacing schedules have been developed to minimize problems related with external mechanical ventilation. Radiofrequency phrenic nerve pacing is of value in the complete rehabilitative management of these severely disabled children.

Adult↗

PubMed1983

Relationship between oxygen tension and subgingival bacterial flora in untreated human periodontal pockets.

The predominance of anaerobic bacteria in subgingival plaque samples suggests that the pocket environment is anaerobic. In the present investigation, a small oxygen tension (pO2) electrode was inserted into the base of the pocket and the pO2 was recorded. In addition, the plaque in these pockets was examined culturally and microscopically. The oxygen tension at the bottom of 36 pockets (5 to 10 mm in depth) ranged from 5 to 27 mmHg (1 mmHg congruent to 133.3 Pa) with a mean value of 13.3 mmHg. Moderate pockets (5 and 6 mm) exhibited a mean pO2 of 15.7 mmHg, which was significantly higher than the 12.0 mmHg found in the deeper pockets. The deep pockets had higher percentages of spirochetes and Bacteroides intermedius, whereas the moderate pockets had elevated proportions of Actinomyces naeslundii and Streptococcus mutans. The sites with oxygen tensions equal to or less than 15 mmHg had significantly higher percentages of spirochetes, whereas the microaerophilic Capnocytophaga species were found in pockets with a pO2 greater than 15 mmHg. The presence of bleeding in the pocket was associated with higher proportions of B. intermedius, Capnocytophaga sp., and A. naeslundii. These pO2 readings of periodontal pockets indicated that there is a spectrum of pO2 values which seem to define, in a general way, the microbiological composition of the pocket.

Aerobiosis↗

PubMed1983