Risk of infection following exposures to human parvovirus B19.

In response to concern about the effect of human parvovirus B19 infection of the fetus, we have developed estimates of the risk of adults becoming infected following B19 exposures at home, in schools or day-care centers, and in hospitals. These estimates can then be used with other data to estimate the risk to the fetus of a B19 exposure during pregnancy. The risk to the fetus equals the rate of maternal susceptibility to infection times the rate of maternal infection following the specific type of exposure times the rate of fetal death following maternal infection.

A conjugate of 5-fluorouridine-poly(L-lysine) and an antibody reactive with human colon carcinoma.

The ribose moiety of 5-fluorouridine (FUR) was oxidized with periodate and the product was bound through a poly(L-lysine) bridge to monoclonal antibodies, denoted SF25MAb, reactive with a human colon carcinoma LS180. The antibody was linked via its polysaccharide (previously oxidized with periodate) to the poly(L-lysine)-drug conjugate. The linking of FUR-poly(L-lysine) to the antibody markedly increased the latter's binding to the tumor cells.

Occupational risk of human parvovirus B19 infection for school and day-care personnel during an outbreak of erythema infectiosum.

Human parvovirus B19, the cause of erythema infectiosum, has recently been associated with adverse fetal outcomes. During a large outbreak of erythema infectiosum in Connecticut, a survey was conducted on 571 (90%) of 634 school and day-care personnel to determine the risk of acquiring B19 infection. Serologic evidence of B19 infection was determined by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

The effect of anti-alpha-fetoprotein-adriamycin conjugate on a human hepatoma.

Conjugates between chemotherapeutic agents and antibodies, linked by a dextran bridge, were previously shown to be effective in suppression of hepatoma growth in vitro and in vivo. However, scaling up of production of such conjugates may lead to a high degree of variation in molar ratios of drug to antibody in different batches. In this study, an alternative link between drug and antibody was evaluated.

A large outbreak of epidemic keratoconjunctivitis: problems in controlling nosocomial spread.

Between July 1985 and January 1986, 401 patients with adenovirus epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) were seen at the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary. Of the cases, 110 (27%) were nosocomial; the other 291 patients had community acquired infection. The highest attack rates of EKC occurred in patients attending specialty clinics; the overall attack rate among clinic patients was 4.

Epidemiology of a cluster of Henoch-Schönlein purpura.

We investigated a case cluster of Henoch-Schönlein purpura that occurred in Connecticut during the fall and winter of 1987-1988. In Hartford County, where the case finding was most complete, 16 children were identified with disease onset during the 7-month cluster period (incidence, 1.7 cases per 10,000 children per year) compared with only 3 children with disease onset during the preceding 7 months.

Inhibition of human tumor growth in nude mice by a conjugate of doxorubicin with monoclonal antibodies to epidermal growth factor receptor.

Monoclonal antibodies that recognize the extracellular domain of the epidermal growth factor receptor (mAb108) were conjugated with doxorubicin through a dextran bridge. Several antibody-drug conjugates, containing different amounts of doxorubicin, retained binding capacity to human epidermoid carcinoma (KB) cells overexpressing epidermal growth factor receptors. Slight decrease in drug cytotoxicity was seen in in vitro tests, as determined either by inhibition of thymidine incorporation into cells or by reduction in number and size of KB-cell colonies.

Respiratory syncytial virus outbreak on American Samoa. Evaluation of risk factors.

Acute respiratory illness is one of the leading causes of childhood mortality in developing nations. We investigated an increase in hospitalizations of children less than 2 years old for severe lower respiratory tract illness (LRI) from October 1986 through December 1986 on the island of American Samoa. Hospitalization rates were highest in children less than 6 months of age (60 of 1000 compared with 22 of 1000 for those 6 to 11 months of age, and seven of 1000 for those 12 to 24 months of age).

Reye's syndrome.

The most important recent development in our understanding of Reye's syndrome is the epidemiologic evidence linking this disease to aspirin in the United States. Assessment of epidemiologic issues of concern raised in prior studies did not explain the extremely high odds ratios observed in more recent studies. The observation of a dose-response relation between risk of Reye's syndrome and dose of aspirin ingested during the antecedent illness provides further supportive evidence for a causal link between Reye's syndrome and aspirin.

Efficacy of antibodies to epidermal growth factor receptor against KB carcinoma in vitro and in nude mice.

Iodine-125-labeled monoclonal antibody 108.4 (108.4 mAb), raised against the extracellular domain of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor, was shown to visualize sc xenografts of human oral epidermoid carcinoma (KB) cells in nude mice.

Doxorubicin conjugates of monoclonal antibodies to hepatoma-associated antigens.

A panel of six murine monoclonal antibodies against hepatocellular carcinoma-associated antigens, reactive with PLC/PRF/5 human hepatoma cells, was conjugated to Adriamycin (doxorubicin) via a dextran bridge. This library of antibodies includes three monoclonal antibodies against hepatitis B virus surface antigen, one anti-alpha-fetoprotein, and two other IgG2a antibodies against PLC/PRF/5 hepatoma-associated antigens. The use of dextran for conjugation of Adriamycin to antibodies enabled a 5- to 10-fold amplification of the number of drug molecules linked to antibody.

Reye's syndrome and aspirin. Evidence for a dose-response effect.

Data collected from the Public Health Service Main Study of Reye's Syndrome and Medications were analyzed to assess the relationship between the development of Reye's syndrome and the dose of aspirin received during the antecedent respiratory or chickenpox illness. Among those exposed to aspirin, case-patients were found to have received greater average daily and maximum daily doses of aspirin and greater doses of aspirin on the first four days of the antecedent illness (median, 25.1 mg/kg; 33.

Chiropractic in the yellow pages: a content analysis study.

This paper presents a content analysis of advertisements by chiropractors in the yellow pages. Information was gathered from 13 cities in the United States for the years 1985 and 1986. Results were categorized by size, number and content of the ads.

Human parvovirus B19 and pregnancy.

Although B19 infection during pregnancy usually has no adverse effect on the fetus, it can cause fetal death. Recent studies make it possible to estimate risk of infection following different types of exposure and the risk of fetal death after infection. The most common clinical manifestations of B19 infection are erythema infectiosum and aplastic crisis in patients with chronic hemolytic anemias.

Kawasaki syndrome clusters in Harris County, Texas, and eastern North Carolina. A high endemic rate and a new environmental risk factor.

Sixty-one cases of Kawasaki syndrome (KS) occurred in Harris County, Texas, during the three-year period from January 1982 through December 1984. Fifty-five (90%) of these 61 patients were under 5 years old, for an annual endemic rate in children under 5 years old of 9.1 cases per 100,000 per year.

Risk of adverse outcomes of pregnancy after human parvovirus B19 infection.

Human parvovirus B19 (B19) infection during pregnancy has been associated with fetal deaths. We conducted several studies to develop data needed to make recommendations for preventing fetal death associated with infection. In the first study, after an outbreak of B19 infection, specimens of cord blood from 47 infants with congenital anomalies, 10 with suspected intrauterine infection, and gestational age-matched controls were tested for IgG and IgM antibodies to B19.

Hemolytic-uremic syndrome: a population-based study in Washington, DC and Baltimore, Maryland.

A population-based study of hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) revealed that 20 child residents of Washington, DC and Baltimore, Maryland were hospitalized with HUS from January 1979 through September 1983. The number of cases peaked during the summer and fall; none occurred during the winter. Incidence of hospitalized cases was higher in Whites and girls than in Blacks or boys, and the average annual incidence was 1.

Community outbreak of thyrotoxicosis: epidemiology, immunogenetic characteristics, and long-term outcome.

Between January and March 1984, the first community outbreak of transient thyrotoxicosis in the United States was documented in a seven-county area of southeastern Nebraska; 36 of the total 49 patients resided in York County (2.4 cases per 1,000 population). The median age of patients was 36 years, range six to 82 years; 51 percent were women.

An outbreak of thyrotoxicosis caused by the consumption of bovine thyroid gland in ground beef.

We report an outbreak of thyrotoxicosis without true hyperthyroidism that occurred between April 1984 and August 1985 among residents of southwestern Minnesota and adjacent areas of South Dakota and Iowa. One hundred twenty-one cases were identified through surveillance of medical clinics, laboratories, hospitals, and physicians' offices. Investigation of the outbreak demonstrated an association between the occurrence of thyrotoxicosis and the consumption of ground beef prepared from neck trimmings processed by a single slaughtering plant (odds ratio, 19.