Neurologic outcome after electroencephalographically proven neonatal seizures.

Infants in whom neonatal seizures were confirmed by randomly recorded ictal electroencephalographic (EEG) tracings were retrospectively examined to determine their global neurologic outcome and the specific frequency of epilepsy, development delay, and cerebral palsy. Perinatal and postnatal clinical and EEG variables were also examined for their relevance to the neurologic outcome. Forty infants with EEG documented seizures of diverse etiologies were studied.

Effect of alkalosis on maximum oxygen uptake in rats acclimated to simulated altitude.

The objective of the present experiments was to determine whether prevention or moderation of exercise acidosis would influence arterial blood oxygenation and exercise capacity in hypoxia. The effect of administration of 0.3 M NaHCO3 (3 ml/100 g) on maximum O2 uptake (VO2max) and arterial blood oxygenation was determined in rats acclimated to simulated altitude (370-380 Torr barometric pressure) for 3 wk (HxBic) and in normoxic littermates (NxBic).

Maximum oxygen uptake and arterial blood oxygenation during hypoxic exercise in rats.

The objectives of these experiments were 1) to describe the effect of maximum treadmill exercise on gas exchange, arterial blood gases, and arterial blood oxygenation in rats acclimated for 3 wk to simulated altitude (SA, barometric pressure 370-380 Torr) and 2) to determine the contribution of acid-base changes to the changes in arterial blood oxygenation of hypoxic exercise. Maximum O2 uptake (VO2max) was measured in four groups of rats: 1) normoxic controls run in normoxia (Nx), 2) normoxic controls run in acute hypoxia [AHx inspiratory PO2 (PIO2) approximately 70 Torr], 3) SA rats run in hypoxia (3WHx, PIO2 approximately 70 Torr), and 4) SA rats run in normoxia (ANx). VO2max (ml STPD.

Reduction in the incidence of acute bronchitis by an oral Haemophilus influenzae vaccine in patients with chronic bronchitis in the highlands of Papua New Guinea.

Following the administration of a standardized questionnaire, 62 adult patients with chronic bronchitis were enrolled into a double-blind controlled trial of an oral killed Haemophilus influenzae vaccine in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. A 3-day course of vaccine or placebo was given monthly for 3 consecutive months. Participants were monitored weekly over 12 months for acute exacerbations; early morning sputum specimens were collected monthly and during acute exacerbations.

The variability of immunoglobulins and albumin in salivary secretions of children.

The variation of concentrations of immunoglobulins and albumin in consecutive daily collections of saliva was studied in 33 infants, aged 6 months to 5 years, for periods ranging from 16 to 26 days. The concentration and the within-child variability of IgA and albumin and the detection of IgG and IgM in saliva increased with age. Between-child variances were greater than the within-child variances by a factor of 2.

Wheat dust-associated respiratory disease in a farming community.

Sixty-six volunteers who considered themselves to have wheat dust-related respiratory disease, were reviewed from a farming community. A spectrum of disease was described ranging from a mild allergic rhinitis limited to periods of wheat dust exposure through to perennial asthma in which wheat dust was but one of several precipitating factors. Approximately half of those with asthma had symptoms limited to times of wheat dust exposure.

Lissencephaly-pachygyria associated with congenital cytomegalovirus infection.

We report the presence of major cerebral migrational defects in five severely, multiply handicapped children with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. These patients had both computed tomographic (CT) scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evidence of marked migrational central nervous system defects consistent anatomically with the spectrum of lissencephaly-pachygyria, a disorder commonly idiopathic or associated with chromosomal abnormalities or with unknown early gestational insults. Neuroradiologic features included broad, flat gyri, shallow sulci, incomplete opercularization, ventriculomegaly, periventricular calcifications, and white-matter hypodensity on CT scans or increased signal intensity on long-TR MRI scans.

EEG changes during recovery from acute severe neonatal citrullinemia.

We report our observations of serial clinical and EEG examinations in 3 neonates during recovery from acute severe encephalopathy due to citrullinemia. Their electroclinical picture closely resembles the clinical stages of experimental models of hyperammonemia in monkeys. The length of the EEG interburst interval, a quantitative measure of EEG background abnormality, correlated with elevated serum levels of ammonia and suggests that hyperammonemia itself is a key figure in the genesis of encephalopathy in this condition.

Postnatal epilepsy after EEG-confirmed neonatal seizures.

We examined infants whose neonatal seizures were confirmed by randomly recorded ictal EEG tracings to determine the types and frequency of postnatal epilepsy (PNE)--unprovoked, recurring postnatal seizures. Perinatal and postnatal clinical and EEG variables were also examined for their relevance to PNE. Forty infants with EEG-documented neonatal seizures of diverse etiologies were studied.

Dual mechanisms of inhibition of the immune response by enterocytes isolated from the rat small intestine.

Antigen presentation by enterocytes isolated from the rat small bowel was studied by using T cell proliferation, and immunoregulatory function in an antigen-driven culture system, as indicator systems. Lymph node T cells obtained from rats immunized with ovalbumin (OA) failed to divide when cultured for 4 days in the presence of freshly isolated Ia+ enterocytes and OA. However, cell division was noted when enterocytes were removed after 18 h by Percoll gradient centrifugation, followed by culture of T cells for a further 4 days in the absence of antigen.

Use of thionitrobenzoic acid to characterize the stability of nitric oxide in aqueous solutions and in porcine aortic endothelial cell suspensions.

Nitric oxide is an important vasodilator which can be biologically produced from leukocytes and endothelial cells. However, it is highly unstable, which is an obstacle to detection and quantitation. We have exploited the reactivity of nitric oxide with thiols to establish an assay based on oxidation of thionitrobenzoic acid (TNB).

Compensation of respiratory alkalosis induced after acclimation to simulated altitude.

Conscious intact rats previously acclimated for 3 wk to barometric pressure of 370-380 Torr (3WHx) were made alkalotic for 3 h by a decrease in inspired O2 fraction from 0.10 to 0.075 at ambient barometric pressure (730-740 Torr).

Inhibition of adhesion of Haemophilus influenzae to buccal cells by respiratory secretions.

The ability of salivary secretions and sputum sol from patients with chronic bronchitis to inhibit the adhesion of non-serotypable Haemophilus influenzae to human buccal epithelial cells has been examined. Specific H. influenzae antibodies were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Evaluation of a selective medium for the isolation and differentiation of Haemophilus influenzae and Haemophilus parainfluenzae from the respiratory tract of chronic bronchitics.

Respiratory tract specimens from chronic bronchitic patients were cultured for Haemophilus species on conventional chocolate agar and a modified sucrose medium in order to determine the accuracy of the new medium in differentiating Haemophilus influenzae from Haemophilus parainfluenzae strains. Haemophilus influenzae biotypes II and III and Haemophilus parainfluenzae biotypes I and II were found to be the predominant strains isolated from the respiratory tract. The modified sucrose medium was found to be a rapid and reliable means of differentiating Haemophilus influenzae from Haemophilus parainfluenzae by sucrose fermentation, on initial isolation.

Acquired neuropathologic lesions associated with the hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

This study details the type, frequency, clinical presentation, and etiologic associations of acquired brain lesions in 40 infants with the hypoplastic left heart syndrome encountered during a 52-month interval. Detailed postmortem neuropathologic examinations showed that 55% of the infants were free of acquired brain lesions. However, the other 45% had combinations of hypoxic-ischemic lesions and intracranial hemorrhage.

Congenital brain anomalies associated with the hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

This study details the type, frequency, and clinical presentation of developmental brain anomalies in 41 infants with the hypoplastic left heart syndrome encountered during a 52-month interval. Overall, 29% of the infants had either a major or minor central nervous system abnormality. Overt central nervous system malformations, including 3 cases of agenesis of the corpus callosum and 1 case of holoprosencephaly, were seen in 4 infants (10%).

Protection against recurrent acute bronchitis after oral immunization with killed Haemophilus influenzae.

Subjects prone to recurrent acute bronchitis were admitted to a six-month double-blind clinical study, in which the value of oral immunization with a preparation of killed Haemophilus influenzae was tested. Most subjects had early smoking-related chronic lung disease, unrecognized by either the patient or his/her doctor. Subjects taking the active agent had a 41% reduction in the total number of episodes of acute bronchitis (P = 0.

Effect of cellular acidosis on cell volume in S2 segments of renal proximal tubules.

The presence of pH-sensitive transport mechanisms in the basolateral membrane of proximal tubular cells suggests that cell volume and its regulation may be sensitive to changes in cell pH. We have measured the response of cell pH and cell volume to changes in the acid-base composition of solutions bathing isolated, lumen-collapsed, proximal S2 tubular segments taken from the rabbit kidney. Cell pH was determined by measurement of the fluorescence emission of 2',7'-bis(carboxyethyl)-5(6)-carboxyfluorescein.

Bacterial colonisation of the respiratory tract in chronic bronchitis.

One hundred and nine subjects with chronic bronchitis were studied prior to winter and without clinical infection, to determine baseline patterns of bacterial colonisation. Qualitative analysis of cultures of oropharyngeal swabs showed little difference from age matched normal controls (17) except for growth of small numbers of Gram negative coliforms in the chronic bronchitic group. Quantitation of bacteria colonising the oropharynx showed small numbers (mean of 10(5) cfu/ml), with no particular bacteria dominating.

Symmetrical thalamic degeneration with calcifications of infancy.

We describe the clinical and radiographic features of three premature infants with symmetric thalamic calcification recognized by computed tomographic scan on days 6, 12, and 49 of life and contrast our findings with those reported in the literature. These lesions follow prepartum or intrapartum hypoxiaischemia and are clinically distinguished by prominent bulbar dysfunction, featuring weak or absent cry, poor feeding, and facial weakness. Neonatal thalamic calcification in premature infants may serve as a radiological marker of an acute, short-lived hypoxic-ischemic event.

An animal model demonstration of enhanced clearance of nontypable Haemophilus influenzae from the respiratory tract after antigen stimulation of gut-associated lymphoid tissue.

An animal model of the clearance of nontypable Haemophilus influenzae has been developed to determine both optimal immunization strategies for controlling colonization of the respiratory tract in patients with damaged airways and mechanisms of action of immune clearance. It was demonstrated that stimulation of gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) (either by direct injection or by ingestion of antigen) followed by local administration of antigen into the bronchus was required to enhance clearance in this model. The primary effect of GALT immunization persisted for at least 6 wk; it was specific and could not be replaced by systemic immunization.