Prevalence of urinary tract infection in febrile young children in the emergency department.

Objective: Establish prevalence rates of urinary tract infection (UTI) in febrile infants and young girls in an emergency department (ED) by demographics and clinical parameters.

Methods: Cross-sectional prevalence survey of 2411 (83%) of all infants younger than 12 months and girls younger than 2 years of age presenting to the ED with a fever (>/=38.5 degrees C) who did not have a definite source for their fever and who were not on antibiotics or immunosuppressed.

Screening for urinary tract infection in infants in the emergency department: which test is best?

Objective: Comparison of rapid tests and screening strategies for detecting urinary tract infection (UTI) in infants.

Methods: Cross-sectional study conducted in an urban tertiary care children's hospital emergency department and clinical laboratories of 3873 infants <2 years of age who had a urine culture obtained in the emergency department by urethral catheterization; results of urine dipstick tests for leukocyte esterase or nitrites, enhanced urinalysis (UA) (urine white blood cell count/mm3 plus Gram stain), Gram stain alone, and dipstick plus microscopic UA (white blood cells and bacteria per high-powered field) compared with urine culture results (positive urine results defined as >/=10 colony-forming units per milliliter of urinary tract pathogen) for each sample. Cost comparison of 1) dipstick plus culture of all urine specimens versus 2) cell count +/- Gram stain of urine, culture only those with positive results.

Human immunodeficiency virus in semen arises from a genetically distinct virus reservoir.

The reservoir of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in semen is unknown. Several lines of evidence suggest that semen HIV may not arise from the same reservoir of infection as peripheral blood. If true, the viral burden in the two compartments could be qualitatively and quantitatively different, a scenario of potentially profound significance for the design of effective strategies of treatment, disease monitoring, and infection containment.

Phosphorylcholine on the lipopolysaccharide of Haemophilus influenzae contributes to persistence in the respiratory tract and sensitivity to serum killing mediated by C-reactive protein.

Haemophilus influenzae undergoes phase variation in expression of the phosphorylcholine (ChoP) epitope, a structure present on several invasive pathogens residing in the human respiratory tract. In this study, structural analysis comparing organisms with and without this epitope confirmed that variants differ in the presence of ChoP on the cell surface-exposed outer core of the lipopolysaccharide. During nasopharyngeal carriage in infant rats, there was a gradual selection for H.

Evaluation of a rapid screening filter test for urinary tract infection in children.

Objective: Clinical evaluation of a rapid screening filter test for urinary tract infection (UTI), FiltraCheck-UTI, comparison to the urine dipstick and conventional urinalysis for test performance and cost effectiveness in children.

Setting: Pediatric emergency department at an urban children's hospital.

Methods: Cross-sectional concordance study of 1298 children age 2 days to 19 years (50% < or = 2 years) for whom a urine culture was ordered; screening tests run by trained laboratory personnel; cost per case detected calculated; retrospective chart review for clinical information.

Ectopic expression of Hel-N1, an RNA-binding protein, increases glucose transporter (GLUT1) expression in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

3T3-L1 preadipocytes ectopically expressing the mammalian RNA-binding protein Hel-N1 expressed up to 10-fold more glucose transporter (GLUT1) protein and exhibited elevated rates of basal glucose uptake. Hel-N1 is a member of the ELAV-like family of proteins associated with the induction and maintenance of differentiation in various species. ELAV proteins are known to bind in vitro to short stretches of uridylates in the 3' untranslated regions (3'UTRs) of unstable mRNAs encoding growth-regulatory proteins involved in transcription and signal transduction.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha regulation of glucose transporter (GLUT1) mRNA turnover. Contribution of the 3'-untranslated region of the GLUT1 message.

In the current study we report on the contribution of the GLUT1 3'-untranslated region (UTR) to the stability of the GLUT1 mRNA. To facilitate these investigations, a hybrid construct was prepared by insertion of the GLUT1 3'-UTR into a normally stable reporter gene coding for preproinsulin. The GLUT1 3'-UTR conferred lability to the otherwise long lived construct and transferred an ability to be stabilized in response to treatment with the cytokine, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF).

Pneumococcal colonization in children with sickle cell disease [see comment].

Objective: The goals of this prospective study were to define the Streptococcus pneumoniae colonization rate in children with sickle cell disease (SCD) at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and to determine the serotype and antibiotic susceptibility of all isolates.

Methods: Children with SCD followed at the hospital were sampled for colonization with S. pneumoniae by means of a throat or nasopharyngeal swab on one or two occasions.

The rapid diagnosis of tinea capitis using calcofluor white.

The clinical presentation of tinea capitis may be varied and confusing. This results in delays in diagnosis, loss to follow-up, and spread of the infection. This article describes the use of calcofluor white (CFW) as a method for rapid diagnosis of tinea capitis.

Expression of an estrogen receptor by human coronary artery and umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Background: Premenopausal women have much lower susceptibility to coronary artery disease than do men or postmenopausal women. It has been proposed that estrogen plays a role in cardioprotection, but little information is available regarding the mechanism by which estrogen may help to protect the vasculature. Here, we describe an estrogen receptor (ER) in human coronary artery and umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Dehydrogenase binding to the 3'-untranslated region of GLUT1 mRNA.

Employing RNA gel mobility shift assays we detected specific binding events between several dehydrogenases and various regions of the GLUT1 mRNA 3'-untranslated region. In particular, the enzymes glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PDH), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) bound to the GLUT1 3'-UTR while isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) and glutamate dehydrogenase (GluDH) did not. Comparison of shifts obtained with purified dehydrogenases to those obtained using authentic cell extracts indicate that G3PDH and G6PDH may play a role in the intact cell.

Protein kinase C isoform expression during the differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes: loss of protein kinase C-alpha isoform correlates with loss of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate activation of nuclear factor kappaB and acquisition of the adipocyte phenotype.

The regulated expression of protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms was examined during the differentiation program of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. In a parallel analysis, differentiation was blocked by treatment of the cells with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) to determine differentiation-specific changes in isoform expression from growth or treatment-induced effects. This analysis revealed that the expression of the conventional PKC-alpha isoform was reduced by 85% as cells attained the adipocyte phenotype.

Oestrogen and endothelial cell angiogenic activity.

1. Increasing evidence suggests that oestrogens protect women from cardiovascular disease during their reproductive years. Although most studies by others have examined the effect of oestrogen on vascular smooth muscle cells, we have evaluated the effect of oestrogen on the angiogenic behaviour of endothelial cells.

Issues in the genetic assessment of predispositions for familial breast and ovarian cancer.

A rapid development in technology has enabled predictive testing for cancer suceptibility genes, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2. Already biotechnology companies and a number of university-based researchers are establishing service laboratories for the analysis of cancer predispositions. It is critical that high standards be established and maintained when conducting DNA testing, which should be performed in a research setting with proper Institutional Review Board approval.

Flow injection analysis chemiluminescence detection of residual ozone.

Chemiluminescent reagents for the determination of residual ozone were compared. Each method was automated using gas diffusion flow injection analysis. The luminol method gave a four order of magnitude working range with an LOD of 0.

The management of prepubertal children with gonorrhea.

To determine whether test-of-cure cultures are necessary for prepubertal children diagnosed with Neisseria gonorrhoeae, we examined the records of all 66 patients < 10 years old seen at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia over a 7.5-year period (1987-1994) diagnosed with gonorrhea. Ninety-eight percent had genital discharge on examination.

Octreotide does not prevent bacterial translocation in an infant piglet model of intestinal ischemia-reperfusion.

The process of bacterial translocation (BT) after ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is reported to be mediated by local mucosal factors, the effects of pancreatic enzymes, epithelial disruption, and by dysfunctional intestinal motility. Octreotide (OCT), a somatostatin analog, has been postulated to protect against BT by influencing one or more of these factors. Twenty-two formula-fed piglets (weight, 3.

Glucose transporter gene expression: regulation of transcription and mRNA stability.

The facilitated diffusion of D-glucose across the plasma membrane is carried out by a set of stereospecific transport proteins known as the glucose transporters. These integral membrane proteins are members of a gene family where tissue-specific expression of one or more members will determine in part the net rate of glucose entry into the cell. The regulation of glucose transporter gene expression is a critical feature of cellular homeostasis, as defects in specific transporter expression can lead to profound alterations in cellular physiology.

Estrogen promotes angiogenic activity in human umbilical vein endothelial cells in vitro and in a murine model.

Background: Angiogenesis is a critical event in wound healing, tumor growth, and the inflammatory vasculitides. Since women have a higher incidence of many vasculitic diseases, we examined the effects of female sex steroids, particularly estradiol, on human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) behavior in vitro and on angiogenesis in vivo.

Methods And Results: HUVECs were grown in estrogen-free medium before each assay.

Hel-N1, an RNA-binding protein, is a ligand for an A + U rich region of the GLUT1 3' UTR.

Hel-N1, is an RRM protein which is a mammalian homologue of the Drosophila melanogaster RNA binding protein, ELAV (embryonic lethal abnormal vision). Hel-N1 binds to RNA containing short stretches of uridylates similar to those found in the 3' untranslated regions (3'-UTRs) of oncoprotein and cytokine mRNAs. The GLUT1 glucose transporter has an extensive 3' UTR that is AU-rich reminiscent of the 3'UTR of an oncogene mRNA.