Nitric oxide-inhibitory effect of aminoguanidine on renal function in rats.

Inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) synthesis by structural analogues of L-arginine reduces glomerular filtration, renal blood flow, sodium excretion, and urine output. N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) inhibits constitutive and inducible isoforms of NO synthase, while aminoguanidine (AG) selectively inhibits inducible isoforms of NO synthase. We assessed the NO-inhibitory activity of AG on renal function.

Outcome of a four-year randomized study of daily versus three times weekly somatropin treatment in prepubertal naive growth hormone-deficient children. Genentech Study Group.

A comparison was made of the growth responses of prepubertal naive GH-deficient children who were randomly assigned to receive 0.3 mg/kg.week recombinant human GH administered either daily (QD) or three times weekly (TIW) over 4 yr.

Five year retrospective evaluation of sulfonylurea ingestion in children.

Background: Oral hypoglycemic medications are frequently used for Type II diabetes and accidental ingestions by children may occur. There are no comprehensive pediatric studies documenting poison center experiences.

Study Objective: To evaluate the toxicity of oral sulfonylurea ingestion in children and the efficacy of treatments instituted in these cases.

Mycotic infections in pediatric surgical patients.

Mycotic infections have become an increasingly common problem in immunosuppressed pediatric patients. The management of fungal infections requires not only the recognition of the potential for infection, but also of the types of organisms that can cause infection. The identification of the organ system(s) affected is important in directing therapy.

The adequacy of medical ethics education in a pediatrics training program.

Purpose: To identify ethical dilemmas commonly encountered during pediatrics training as a step toward improving medical ethics curricula for residents.

Method: The authors identified seven recurring topics by reviewing the required case reports on ethical dilemmas experienced by students in the third-year pediatrics clerkship from June 1992 to June 1994 at the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Based on the topics identified, the authors then surveyed pediatrics housestaff in 1993-94 regarding the frequency of encountering the topics, levels of comfort in addressing the topics, role models and resources, and perceived need for improved training.

Evaluation of the pediatric surgical matching program by the directors of pediatric surgical training programs.

In a previous survey of successful candidates (SC) and unsuccessful candidates (USC) to the pediatric surgery matching program (PSMP), significant discriminating factors associated with SC included previous participation in basic science research, number of publications, number of national presentations, and contact with and letters of recommendation from well-known pediatric surgeons. The purpose of this study was to determine the selection criteria used by directors of the pediatric surgery training programs (PSTP) in choosing residents for the PSMP. A two-part survey of the PSMP was completed by directors of the PSTP (n = 24) to identify the factors (n = 31) that most influence their selection process when choosing a resident, and to help clarify questions (n = 11) posed by the candidates during the first survey.

Two-day therapy with cefuroxime axetil is effective for urinary tract infections in children.

Short-course therapy for pediatric urinary tract infection (UTI) remains controversial. The present study was undertaken to compare the effectiveness of cefuroxime axetil (Ceftin) as short-course (2-day) versus conventional (10-day) therapy for uncomplicated pediatric UTIs. In a randomized, controlled, prospective study, we enrolled 50 children, 2-11 years of age, to receive oral cefuroxime axetil, 125 mg twice a day, for either 2 or 10 days.

Current biologic and therapeutic implications in the surgery of neuroblastoma.

Advances in the understanding of neuroblastoma biology have helped distinguish those patients who require maximum therapy from those who do not. However, management of children with advanced disease remains a significant problem. New more intensive multiagent chemotherapy, ablative chemoradiotherapy with bone marrow transplantation, radiolabelled monoclonal antibody technology and a host of biologic response modifiers are currently being intensively studied.

Induction of antibody response to Chlamydia trachomatis in the genital tract by oral immunization.

Groups of BALB/c mice were orally immunized with Chlamydia trachomatis serovar L2/434/Bu in order to characterize the nature and kinetics of the chlamydial antibody response in the cervix and other mucosal sites. These animals were subsequently challenged intravaginally to determine whether oral immunization offers protection against chlamydial antigen shedding in the genital tract. Following oral immunization, immunoglobulin A antibody activity was detected in the genital tract as well as other mucosal sites.

Changes in nasopharyngeal flora during otitis media of childhood.

The nasopharyngeal flora of healthy children were compared with flora in children with otitis media caused by nontypable Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Moraxella catarrhalis. Forty healthy children were followed prospectively and compared with 70 children with 43 episodes of nontypable H. influenzae, 21 episodes of S.

Physiologic formation of intracellular vesicles in mature erythrocytes.

The ability of mature erythrocytes to spontaneously form intracellular vesicles has been implied from clinical studies but has not been examined experimentally. An in vitro model was developed to demonstrate whether mature erythrocytes are capable of spontaneously forming intracellular vesicles. Normal human erythrocytes were incubated in vitro at 37 degrees C for 144 hr in a synthetic medium.