Current state of follow-up care for patients with Hymenoptera venom anaphylaxis in southwest Germany: Major impact of early information.

Background: Up to 3.5% of the population experience anaphylactic reactions in response to Hymenoptera stings. Current guidelines are in place for the diagnostic workup and follow-up care of patients with Hymenoptera venom anaphylaxis (HVA).

Saturable absorption in poly(indenofluorene): a picket-fence polymer.

Poly(indenofluorene) shows a strong degenerate four-wave mixing (DFWM) response when it is excited with 100-fs pulses at 800 nm. The DFWM signal scales with the 1.5 power of the input intensity, which we interpret as being due to absorption saturation phenomena.

Oligoindenopyrenes: a new class of polycyclic aromatics.

A new class of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons--oligoindenopyrenes--has been synthesized featuring a Pd-catalyzed Suzuki-Heck coupling cascade. The oligoindenopyrenes are robust, highly colored substructures of C(70) and have properties that might prove useful in new organic materials or devices. After excitation, the tetraindenopyrene derivative 3d undergoes efficient deactivation (99%) by internal conversion to the ground state.

Folic acid and the prevention of neural tube defects (NTDs). Challenges and recommendations for public health.

Objective: To outline specific challenges facing public health in Canada that need to be addressed to ensure that all women of childbearing years can attain optimal folate status for prevention of NTDs.

Methods: The new Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) for folate was examined in terms of the literature on the effective form of the vitamin, the level of folic acid provided by the Canadian food supply and the folic acid content of available supplements.

Findings: There are six major challenges facing public health in Canada on this issue.

Postoperative behavioural changes in children: comparison between halothane and sevoflurane.

Background: A questionnaire, modified from the posthospitalization behavioural questionnaire, was sent to all parents of children under 8 years of age who had elective surgery in the hospital of Lahr during the years 1997 and 1998. The parents were asked about long lasting changes (more than 1 week) in their child's behaviour after surgery.

Methods: The anaesthesia records of all these children were evaluated on the inhalational agent used (halothane or sevoflurane), the type of surgery, the sedative premedication used, the method of inducing anaesthesia and the use of opioids or nonopioids for pain therapy.