OBJECTIVE: To analyze the correlation of risk factors to the occurrence of urinary tract infection in full-term newborn infants. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective study (1997) including full-term infants having a positive urine culture by bag specimen. Urine collection was based on: fever, weight loss > 10% of birth weight, nonspecific symptoms (feeding intolerance, failure to thrive, hypoactivity, debilitate suction, irritability), or renal and urinary tract malformations. In these cases, another urine culture by suprapubic bladder aspiration was collected to confirm the diagnosis. To compare and validate the risk factors in each group, the selected cases were divided into two groups: Group I - positive urine culture by bag specimen collection and negative urine culture by suprapubic aspiration, and Group II - positive urine culture by bag specimen collection and positive urine culture by suprapubic aspiration. RESULTS: Sixty one infants were studied, Group I, n = 42 (68.9%) and Group II, n = 19 (31.1%). The selected risk factors (associated infectious diseases, use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, renal and urinary tract malformations, mechanical ventilation, parenteral nutrition and intravascular catheter) were more frequent in Group II (p<0.05). Through relative risk analysis, risk factors were, in decreasing importance: parenteral nutrition, intravascular catheter, associated infectious diseases, use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, mechanical ventilation, and renal and urinary tract malformations. CONCLUSION: The results showed that parenteral nutrition, intravascular catheter, and associated infectious diseases contributed to increase the frequency of neonatal urinary tract infection, and in the presence of more than one risk factor, the occurrence of urinary tract infection rose up to 11 times. (+info)
Evidence of a high-activity C type of carbonic anhydrase in human ciliary processes.
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Carbonic anhydrase activity was found in the ciliary process of fresh human donor eyes, originating from an enzyme antigenically similar to the erythrocyte high-activity isoenzyme HCA C. It was sensitive to inhibition by acetazolamide and resistant to inhibition by halides like HCA C. The enzyme is probably identical with HCA C. Its tissue concentration was one fifth to one tenth of that in the human kidney. The erythrocyte low-activity isoenzyme HCA B was also found in the processes as a contaminant. (+info)
Glucocorticoid is involved in food-entrainable rhythm of mu-opioid receptor expression in mouse brainstem and analgesic effect of morphine.
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The repeated manipulation of feeding schedule has a marked influence on the chronopharmaological aspects of many drugs. In this study, we investigated the role of endogenous glucocorticoid in the mechanism by which restricting the feeding time modulates the analgesic effect of morphine. Male ICR mice were housed under a light-dark cycle (light on from 07:00 to 19:00) with food and water ad libitum or under repeated time-restricted feeding (feeding time from 09:00 to 17:00) for 2 weeks before the experiment. Under the ad libitum feeding, mRNA levels of mu-opioid receptor and its binding capacity in mouse brainstem increased around the early dark phase, following the 24-h variation in circulating glucocorticoid levels. As a consequence, potent analgesic effects of morphine were observed in mice injected with the drug during the dark phase. Daily restricted feeding modulated the time-dependency of mu-opioid receptor function, accompanied by the alteration of the rhythm in circulating glucocorticoid levels. Under the time-restricted feeding, potent analgesic effects of morphine were found in mice injected with the drug during the light phase. Because the manipulation of feeding schedule was unable to produce the food-entrainable rhythm in the expression of mu-opioid receptor in the brainstem of adrenalectomized mice, endogenous rhythm of glucocorticoid secretion seems to be involved in the mechanism by which the time-restricted feeding modulates the analgesic effects of morphine. (+info)
Human IgE-binding synthetic peptides of bovine beta-lactoglobulin and alpha-lactalbumin. In vitro cross-reactivity of the allergens.
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The allergenicity of cow's milk whey proteins, purified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), was examined by the radio-allergosorbent test (RAST) against the sera of children immediately hypersensitive to milk. beta-lactoglobulin and alpha-lactalbumin bound specific IgE in the sera of 63% and 75% of these patients respectively. These allergens were tested for cross reactivity with each other by RAST inhibition. Both inhibited the binding of IgE, in the sera of allergic patients, to the other protein. Two possible determinant peptides, one from beta-lactoglobulin and one from alpha-lactalbumin, were selected by computer prediction of antigenic sites and synthesized by the fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (FMOC)-polyamide method. The peptides were adsorbed to nitrocellulose discs and used in further RAST studies with sera from the allergic children. Both peptides bound specific IgE in the RAST assay. (+info)
Synthesis of an antigenic site of native acetylcholine receptor peptide 159-169 of Torpedo acetylcholine receptor alpha-chain.
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A region of the alpha-subunit of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) of the Torpedo electric organ, containing residues 161-166, has been proposed to be a major antigenic site in the native AChR protein. We report the synthesis of a peptide corresponding to residues 159-169, which contains the proposed antigenic region. In quantitative radiometric titrations, radiolabelled anti-(native AChR) antibodies from three different species, rabbit, rat and dog, exhibited considerable binding (approx. 15% relative to native AChR) to Sepharose-immobilized peptide 159-169, but did not bind significantly to Sepharose-immobilized unrelated proteins or peptides. Specificity was further confirmed by the finding that no rabbit anti-AChR antibodies bound to the peptide after absorption with native AChR. These data indicate that the region 159-169 contains an antigenic site that is readily accessible in solubilized native Torpedo AChR. (+info)
Three cases of bronchial asthma after middle ages associated with pets.
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Three cases of bronchial asthma after middle ages associated with pets were presented. Case 1 was a 39-year-old man who was admitted due to exacerbation of asthma after having fed a cat and a dog for 2 years. IgE-RAST was positive for cat fur and house dust. Inhalation test of cat hair antigen was positive. His symptoms improved by avoidance of the cat. Case 2 was 54-year-old woman suffering from asthma for 6 years after having fed a cat. IgE-RAST was positive for dog hair and cat fur. Symptoms did not improve by any treatment because she could not give up pets. Case 3 was a 45-year-old woman suffering from asthma attacks for two months. She had kept a dog for 1 year. IgE-RAST was positive for dog hair. Her symptoms disappeared by avoidance of the dog. Patients with pet allergy have increased in recent years because of the pet boom, but it is not so common to have asthma attacks in aged people. Bronchial asthma caused by allergens of pets easily improves by avoidance of them and it is important to establish early diagnosis of this disorder. (+info)
An efficient one-step method for isolating immune complexes from whole serum using a monoclonal anti-C3g affinity immunosorbent.
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A simple and efficient method of extracting complement-fixing immune complexes (IC) from whole serum and recovering them has been developed. 125I-labelled, in vitro prepared IC in whole serum were incubated with Sepharose 4B covalently linked to monoclonal anti-C3g or anti-C1q and the binding and recovery of IC was monitored by radioactivity. The anti-C3g immunosorbent bound 45% and 76% of HAGG and BSA-anti-BSA IC respectively, all of which were recovered by elution with 4M MgCl2. The anti-C1q immunosorbent only bound 14% and 12% of the same IC and only 64% were recovered by eluting with 4M MgCl2. The IC extracted by the anti-C3g immunosorbent included those capable of extraction by the anti-C1q. The anti-C3g monoclonal recognizes not only the iC3b fragment of C3 and will therefore bind IC with affinity for bovine conglutinin but also subsequent degradation products containing the C3g antigen. Its wide range of reactivity for IC plus its excellent recovery properties make it the immunosorbent of choice for isolating complement-fixing IC. (+info)
Measurement of total IgE antibody levels in lacrimal fluid of patients suffering from atopic and non-atopic eye disorders. Evidence for local IgE production in atopic eye disorders?
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Total IgE levels in lacrimal fluid of patients suffering from different eye disorders were quantitatively measured by a modification of the paper radio immuno sorbent test (PRIST). The geometric mean values for patients with atopic conjunctivitis, patients with keratoconjunctivitis vernalis, and patients with asthma without conjunctivitis differed significantly from those for control persons and those for patients without atopic conjunctivitis. Besides lacrimal fluid IgE levels, serum IgE levels as well as lacrimal fluid and serum albumin levels were measured. From these values the local IgE production was calculated. Although there seemed a good correlation between the level of lacrimal fluid IgE and the amount of local IgE production, the results suggest that local IgE production in lacrimal fluid is not restricted to patients with atopic eye disorders only. (+info)