Pyogenic arthritis caused by capnocytophaga gingivalis in an immunocompetent three-year-old male.

Capnocytophaga gingivalis is most often isolated as normal oral flora or with periodontal disease. This organism is also associated with sepsis usually in immunocompromised hosts. We identified pyogenic arthritis caused by C.

Chest pain of esophageal origin.

Patients with unexplained chest pain remain a difficult and perplexing challenge for the gastroenterologist. Despite exclusion of a cardiac origin many patients remain disabled by pain. In these, a diligent search for an esophageal cause-gastroesophageal reflux disease, motility abnormalities, or esophageal hypersensitivity using all available diagnostic (therapeutic) tools-results in a positive outcome.

Chest pain of esophageal origin.

The treatment of patients with unexplained chest pain is difficult and challenging. After a cardiac etiology has been ruled out, a diligent search for an esophageal etiology-gastroesophageal reflux disease, motility abnormalities, or esophageal hypersensitivity-should be undertaken with judicious use of a diagnostic (therapeutic) trial of therapy, ambulatory pH monitoring, or esophageal manometry. The recent literature discusses the use of high-dose omeprazole in diagnosing and treating chest pain associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease, correlates abnormal ambulatory pH monitoring with response to omeprazole, and provides additional insights into the pathogenesis of esophageal chest pain.

Age-related alterations in GABA(A) receptor subunits in the nonhuman primate hippocampus.

Pharmacological studies have documented that altered drug responses, particularly to benzodiazepines, are common in elderly populations. While numerous factors may contribute to changes in drug response, age-related alterations in the molecular composition of GABA(A) receptors may be a key factor in regulating these responses. We employed quantitative densitometry to examine the cytological features and density of highly prevalent hippocampal GABA(A) receptor subunits (alpha1 and beta2/3) in young and aged rhesus monkeys.

A review of the Knops blood group: separating fact from fallacy.

It has been more than 10 years since the topic of "high-titer, low-avidity" (HTLA) antibodies was reviewed in Immunohematology. We have learned a lot about these antibodies in the past 10 years and that knowledge has helped us to understand some of the unusual characteristics of these antibodies. Furthermore, it has helped us to name and delineate the various associated blood group systems.

Subregional analysis of GABA(A) receptor subunit mRNAs in the hippocampus of older persons with and without cognitive impairment.

We employed in situ hybridization and quantitative densitometry techniques to examine hippocampal mRNA expression of GABA(A) receptor subunits alpha1 and alpha5 in human subjects with progressing cognitive impairment. Included in this study were 17 participants of the Religious Order Study (ROS), who were categorized into three groups based upon degree of cognitive impairment: no cognitive impairment (n = 6); moderate cognitive impairment (n = 5); and probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) (n = 6). While the levels of each specific subunit mRNA were relatively homogeneously distributed throughout the five hippocampal subregions analyzed (CA1-4, and the granule cell layer of the dentate gyrus), mRNA expression of the alpha1 receptor subunit was found to be 20% reduced in the moderate cognitive impairment group as compared to the no cognitive impairment group.

Intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation in US and non-US centres: results of the Benchmark Registry.

Aims: To examine differences in patient characteristics and outcomes in 19636 patients enrolled in the USA and 3027 patients enrolled in other countries undergoing intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) counterpulsation.

Methods And Results: Indications for IABP use; a larger percentage of US patients were identified as 'early support and stabilization for angiography or angioplasty' (21.1% US vs 11.

Alterations in cerebral mitochondria during acute hypoglycemia.

To test the hypothesis that acute hypoglycemia leads to free radical induced alterations in cerebral mitochondria, newborn piglets were subjected to 2 h of insulin-induced hypoglycemia (blood glucose 1 mmol/l). The effects of free radicals were determined in cerebral cortical synaptosomes, mitochondria, and neuronal nuclei by measuring membrane lipid peroxidation. Fragmentation of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA was also examined.

Iodine: an environmental trigger of thyroiditis.

Like most autoimmune diseases of humans, chronic lymphocytic (Hashimoto's) thyroiditis results from the combination of a genetic predisposition and an environmental trigger. A body of clinical and epidemiologic evidence points to excessive ingestion of iodine as an environmental agent. In genetically determined thyroiditis in animals, iodine enrichment has been shown to increase the incidence and severity of disease.

Cervical spinal stenosis with cord neurapraxia: evaluations and decisions regarding participation in athletics.

Cervical spinal cord neurapraxia (CCN) leads to transient episodes ranging from paresthesia to paresis to plegia (complete paralysis), and occurs in athletes with some demonstrable degree of cervical spinal stenosis. Determination of spinal stenosis requires demonstrating a sagittal diameter of the spinal canal less than 14 mm from C4 to C6. Because radiologic techniques vary affecting the accuracy of this measure, a ratio method was developed comparing the spinal canal to the vertebral body width, demonstrating that a ratio of less than 0.

Readiness of psychiatry residency training programs to meet the ACGME requirements in cognitive-behavioral therapy.

The authors assessed the readiness of adult psychiatry residency programs to train residents in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) prior to the January 2001 revision of program requirements by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Adult residency training program directors were surveyed. Data analysis evaluated relationships between directors' confidence in CBT training and the program and faculty characteristics.

Inhibition of oxidized LDL aggregation with the calcium channel blocker amlodipine: role of electrostatic interactions.

Atherogenic low-density lipoproteins (LDL) are characterized by elevations in cholesterol content and increased electronegativity, factors that contribute to aggregation and foam cell formation. This study was designed to test the effect of the positively charged calcium channel blocker (CCB) amlodipine on the aggregation properties of oxidized LDL lipids. Large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) (100 nm diameter) labeled with a non-exchangeable marker [3H]cholesteryl hexadecyl ether were prepared with lipids extracted from human LDL following oxidation.

Kinetics of mononuclear cell infiltration and cytokine expression in iodine-induced thyroiditis in the NOD-H2h4 mouse.

Mononuclear cell infiltration of the thyroid gland is a common histologic feature of chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis. Although the infiltrating mononuclear cells have been implicated in the destruction of the thyroid, information concerning the progression of infiltration into the thyroid is limited. In this report, we examine the composition and kinetics of mononuclear cell infiltration in the thyroid and the expression of major histocompatibility complex class II (I-Ak), IL-12, and IFN-gamma in the thyroid of the NOD-H2h4 mouse, a model of spontaneous autoimmune thyroiditis accelerated by the administration of excess dietary iodine.

Understanding the Knops blood group and its role in malaria.

The antibodies that once were referred to as "HTLAs" have now help to define an entire blood group system with a well characterized genetic basis. Although not "clinically significant" in transfusion medicine, the Knops blood group has gained importance in the field of infectious disease. Its further role in protein (CR1) function and autoimmune diseases remains unknown but may provide interesting work for years to come.

Effect of hepatic artery flow on bile secretory function after cold ischemia.

These studies evaluated the influence of hepatic arterial flow on biliary secretion after cold ischemia. Preparation of livers for transplantation or hepatic support impairs biliary secretion. The earliest indication of cold preservation injury during reperfusion is circulatory function.

Newer therapies for cystic fibrosis.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a chronic, progressive, genetic disease caused by flawed ion transport across epithelial membranes due to a genetic mutation. Most therapeutic efforts are centred on the main clinical manifestations of the disease: progressive destructive airway disease and pancreatic insufficiency. Most individuals with CF succumb to lung disease.

Hospital-acquired viral pathogens in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Hospital-acquired infections caused by viruses are a cause of considerable morbidity and occasional mortality in critically ill neonates. The intensive care environment allows for efficient spread of viral pathogens, and secondary cases among both patients and healthcare workers are frequently observed. We review the common viral causes of hospital-acquired infections in neonates, including rotavirus, respiratory syncytial virus, and others, discuss epidemiology and clinical syndromes, and summarize recommendations for control in outbreak situations.

Mechanisms of plaque stabilization for the dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker amlodipine: review of the evidence.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the consequence of atherosclerosis, a vascular disorder that is the leading cause of death and disability throughout much of the developed world. Certain cellular changes in the vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque are characterized by a loss of normal calcium regulation. This observation has led to interest in a potential antiatherogenic role for calcium channel blockers (CCBs), independent of their effects on vasodilation.

Orthopedic issues after cerebrovascular accident.

Patients who have had a cerebrovascular accident with resultant hemiplegia often present to the orthopedic surgeon with characteristic complaints and deformities. The most common of these include muscle spasticity and contracture, shoulder pain, hip fracture, and heterotopic ossification. Although some of these disorders are clinically evident, others may be easily overlooked.

Pontocerebellar axon guidance: neuropilin-1- and semaphorin 3A-sensitivity gradients across basilar pontine nuclei and semaphorin 3A variation across cerebellum.

To assess the role of semaphorin 3A (Sema3A) and its receptor component neuropilin-1 (Npn-1) in pontocerebellar axon guidance, we compared the distributions of Sema3A, Npn-1, and DiI-labeled pontocerebellar axons in neonatal mouse cerebellum. Between embryonic day 18 and birth there was a large increase in Npn-1 expression in the basilar pontine nuclei (BPN), the major source of pontocerebellar axons. Sema3A expression in cerebellum also increased at this time.

Thrombospondin-1 promotes proliferative healing through stabilization of PDGF.

Purpose: Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) mediates chemotaxis, cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and protease regulation in healing. TSP-1 also binds platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta). This study confirms the role of TSP-1 and defines the relationship between TSP-1 and PDGF in proliferative tissue repair.

Impact of intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation with different balloon volumes on cardiac performance in humans.

Intra-aortic balloon (IAB) counterpulsation can augment the cardiac output. However, the effect of different IAB volumes on cardiac performance has not been adequately evaluated in humans. Eighty-two patients (52 males [63%]; mean age, 65 +/- 12 years; mean body surface area [BSA], 1.