Infective endocarditis in children--incidence, pattern, diagnosis and management in a developing country.

Background: In developing countries, patients with infective endocarditis are referred late, there is low yield of blood cultures and incidence of rheumatic heart disease is still high.

Objective: Evaluate clinical pattern, assess diagnostic criteria in our settings and determine outcome.

Setting: A tertiary referral center for paediatric and adult cardiology.

Successful occlusion of a coronary arteriovenous fistula using an Amplatzer duct occluder.

In an 11-year old boy with a large coronary arteriovenous fistula between the left coronary artery and the right atrium, we achieved successful closure using a 10-8 Amplatzer Duct Occluder introduced from the right internal jugular vein. Angiography 6 weeks later showed complete occlusion of the fistula, with normal opacification of the left coronary arterial system. This technique may be used as an alternative to coils and surgery in selected patients.

Hypotensive action of coumarin glycosides from Daucus carota.

Daucus carota (carrot) has been used in traditional medicine to treat hypertension. Activity-directed fractionation of aerial parts of D. carota resulted in the isolation of two cumarin glycosides coded as DC-2 and DC-3.

Mutagenicity of sodium azide and its metabolite azidoalanine in Drosophila melanogaster.

The mutagenic and toxic activities of sodium azide (NaN(3) ) and its organic metabolite L-azidoalanine [N(3)-CH(2)-CH(NH)(2)-COOH] were examined in the different stages of spermatogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster. Both azide and azidoalanine were toxic to the injected males, but azidoalanine was significantly less toxic than sodium azide. Following the injection with 0.

Induction of chromosomal aberrations by the rhodium(III) complex cis-[Rh(biq)(2)Cl(2)]Cl in cultured human lymphocytes.

The genotoxicity of the rhodium(III) complex cis-[Rh(biq)(2)Cl(2)]Cl (complex R) in cultured human lymphocytes was studied using the chromosome aberrations (CAs) assay. Lymphocyte cultures were initiated from two adult healthy non-smoking male volunteers and were exposed to the complex for a duration of 3 or 20 h prior to cell collection. The reduction in mitotic indices (MI) and the induction of CAs represented the toxic and clastogenic effects of the different treatments, respectively.

The effect of trifluoperazine on the genotoxicity of bleomycin in cultured human lymphocytes.

The effects of trifluoperazine on the toxicity and mutagenicity of bleomycin were examined in cultured human lymphocytes. Lymphocyte cultures were initiated from three adult healthy non-smoking male volunteers. Cultures were exposed to the drugs for either three or twenty hours prior to cell collection.

The mutagenic and toxic effects of bleomycin and trifluoperazine in Drosophila melanogaster.

The mutagenic and toxic effects of trifluoperazine and bleomycin on Drosophila were investigated in the progenies of males injected with 0.2 microliter of bleomycin and/or trifluoperazine. The Muller-5 method was used to study the induction of complete- and mosaic-sex-linked recessive lethals induced by 0.

Studies on fetal hemoglobin and gamma globin gene triplication in newborns in Jordan.

Quantitation of fetal hemoglobin (Hb F) and quantitation of it's gamma chain composition is important for the identification of different hemoglobinopathies. This is the first study done on the Jordanian newborns to test the hematological data and the gamma globin chain variants. A total of 52 randomly selected healthy Jordanian newborns were examined.

Induction of mosaic sex-linked recessive lethals in the different germ cell stages of Drosophila melanogaster by bleomycin.

The mutagenicity of bleomycin was studied in the different stages of spermatogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster. Following the injection of 2 microliters of 0.1 micrograms/ml of the chemical into young wild-type males, complete and mosaic sex-linked recessive lethals were scored by the Muller-5 method in five successive broods, mainly representing the different stages of spermatogenesis.

Management and outcome of infants and children with right atrial isomerism.

Objectives: To assess the current results and outcome of surgery in infants and children with right atrial isomerism and complex congenital heart disease.

Setting: Tertiary referral centre.

Methods: 20 consecutive children with right atrial isomerism and complex congenital heart disease underwent surgery over a 6 year period between August 1987 and July 1993.

Quality assurance in nuclear medicine--biological quality control of radiopharmaceuticals.

Quality assurance is the sum of all parameters concerning the preparation and control of a finished product. It is a wide term commonly used for the confirmation and validity of various ways and measurements adopted to obtain a high quality procedure for intended use with guaranteed performance. Biological quality control of pharmaceutical products becomes essential as they are ultimately to be consumed by living organisms, in particular the humans.

Late systemic desaturation after total cavopulmonary shunt operations.

Objectives: To assess the medium-term results of total cavopulmonary shunt operations in children with left atrial isomerism, interrupted inferior vena cava, and complex congenital heart defects.

Background: Creation of a total cavopulmonary shunt provides very good interim palliation for children with interrupted inferior vena cava and complex congenital heart disease; however, longer term results after this operation have not been reported.

Methods: Detailed follow up of six children who underwent creation of a total cavopulmonary shunt at a tertiary referral centre.

Endocarditis with multiple intracardiac shunts: identification and repair.

An 8-year-old boy who suffered from Hirschsprung's disease had development of tricuspid valve endocarditis that progressed to aortic root abscess formation, development of a fistulous communication between aorta and right atrium, atrial and ventricular septal defects, and a left ventricle to right atrium defect. Several surgical procedures were required. Operation consisted initially of closure of the septal defects and aortic valve repair.

Influence of ethnic origin on the pattern of congenital heart defects in the first year of life.

Objective: To assess the prevalence and patterns of congenital heart defects in infants requiring hospital admission in a defined population and to determine the differences in ethnic groups.

Design: A three year retrospective analysis of all hospital admissions for paediatric congenital heart defects in a single centre.

Setting: Tertiary referral centre for infant cardiac services in the West Midlands region, United Kingdom.

Effectiveness and safety of paediatric interventional cardiac catheterisation in a subregional cardiothoracic unit.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness and safety of paediatric interventional cardiac catheterization during the development of the service.

Setting: Sub-regional Paediatric Cardiothoracic Centre.

Patients And Methods: All paediatric admissions for cardiac catheterisation between January, 1985 and December, 1992.

Congenitally divided left atrium: diagnostic pitfalls in cross-sectional echocardiography.

A 20-month-old patient with a previously diagnosed atrial septal defect presented with acute heart failure. The clinical and echocardiographic features at admission to hospital were of a congenitally partitioned left atrium. At surgery a medially displaced and infolded left atrial appendage together with infolded left atrial wall was found, which gave a false appearance of a left atrial 'membrane'.

Molecular characterization of beta-thalassemia in north Jordan.

We have studied the beta-thalassemia mutations in 91 chromosomes of 43 patients with beta-thalassemia major and five with Hb S-beta-thalassemia, aged 6 months to 24 years. Many are blood transfusion-dependent and are being treated at the major hospital, the Princess Basma Hospital, in Irbid, Jordan. As many as 13 different mutations have been identified; three Mediterranean mutations [IVS-I-110 (G-->A), IVS-II-I (G-->A), and IVS-II-745 (C-->G)] were present in 54% of the chromosomes tested, while six other Mediterranean alleles were found in 24% of the chromosomes, for a total of 78% of Mediterranean origin.

False aneurysm of the right ventricular outflow tract after total correction of tetralogy of Fallot: diagnosis by echocardiography and successful repair by neck cannulation for cardiopulmonary bypass.

A case of false aneurysm related to the left side of the heart with a connection to the right ventricular outflow tract was found by echocardiography after complete repair of tetralogy of Fallot. Cardiopulmonary bypass was established by cannulating the right internal jugular vein and the ipsilateral common carotid artery. The aneurysm was then excised and the right ventricular outflow tract reconstructed by direct sutures.

Developmental regulation of antisense-mediated gene silencing in Dictyostelium.

In Dictyostelium, the expression of antisense transcripts has been successfully used to reduce or eliminate gene expression. In most cases this occurs on the level of RNA stability resulting in a loss of both sense and antisense transcript accumulation. We here show that the antisense effect is regulated during the developmental cycle, i.

Bioaccumulation of nickel and vanadium by clams (Meretrix meretrix) living in different salinities along the Saudi coast of the Arabian Gulf.

The objective of this study was to investigate bioaccumulation of nickel (Ni) and vanadium (V) in clams living in different salinity regimes along the Saudi coast of the Arabian Gulf. Several hundred clam (Meretrix meretrix), sediment, and seawater samples were collected from 12 locations. Concentrations of Ni and V were determined in these samples using an inductively coupled argon plasma analyzer.