bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Immunological cross reactivity between Schistosoma mansoni and cholera toxin
Authors: AKHIANI A.A. , NILSSON L.‐Å. , OUCHTERLONY Ö.
Published: November 2003

Intranasal administration of schistosome antigens in combination with appropriate adjuvant may be an effective route for immunization against schistosomes, since the lungs represent an important site of elimination of schistosomulae. Our previous studies have shown that in mice intranasal administration of cholera toxin (CT) before infection with Schistosoma mansoni results in an enhancement of the worm burden in comparison to nontreated infected animals. In the present study, it was shown that mice treated intranasally with CT displayed high numbers of schistosome‐reactive IgM‐secreting cells in the spleen as well as high levels of schistosome‐reactive serum IgM antibodies, whereas no significant immunological response against two other antigens, ovalbumin (OVA) or keyhole limpet haemocyanin (KLH) was noted. Sera from mice treated intranasally with CT recognized a 22 kDa antigen on SWAP blots. This band was not demonstrable after absorption of the sera with SWAP. These findings indicate a possible cross reactivity between cholera toxin and schistosome antigens. Further analysis by Western blot revealed that a 22 kDa antigen was detected on CT blots by sera from mice and humans infected with S. mansoni. This band was not demonstrable after absorption of the mouse or the human sera with CT. The 22 kDa cross reactive antigen was heat‐stable. The antibodies against the 22 kDa antigen were only found within the IgM class but not within other Ig isotypes. Our findings also indicate that the 22 kDa antigen detected by anti‐S. mansoni antibodies represents the A1 fragment of the cholera toxin.
Roles of different phytochromes in Arabidopsis photomorphogenesis
Authors: WHITELAM G. C. , DEVLIN P. F.
Published: November 2003

The red/far‐red light‐absorbing phytochromes play fundamental roles in photoperception of the light environment and the subsequent adaptation of plant growth and development. Higher plants possess multiple, discrete phytochromes, the apoproteins of which are the products of a family of divergent (PHY) genes. Arabidopsis thaliana has at least five PHY genes, encoding the apoproteins of phytochromes A‐E. Through the analysis of mutants that are deficient in phytochrome A or B and the corresponding double mutant, it is becoming clear that these phytochromes perform both discrete and overlapping roles throughout plant development. Through analysis of the phyA phyB double mutant, it has been possible to define several responses that are mediated by other members of the phytochrome family. This article reviews some of the recent progress in the study of phytochrome‐deficient mutants of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.
Phytochrome photoconversion
Authors: BRASLAVSKY S. E. , GÄRTNER W. , SCHAFFNER K.
Published: November 2003

The spectral properties of native and modified phytochromes and the molecular events during phytochrome photoconversion, , are reviewed. Steady‐state and time‐resolved absorption spectra of native phytochrome A, as well as recombinant phytochromes (oat and potato phytochrome A and potato phytochrome B) reconstituted with phycocyanobilin and phytochromobilin as chromophores, are analysed. The vinyl double bond, present at position 18 in phytochromobilin and substituted by an ethyl group in phycocyanobilin, has a considerable influence on the photo‐transformation kinetics of phytochromes A and B, evidently due to a strong interaction of this region of the chromophore with the protein surrounding. The kinetics of the phototransformation of potato phytochrome B differs from that of oat phytochrome A (wild‐type and recombinant), indicating that the chromophore‐protein interaction in phytochrome B is different from that in phytochrome A. It remains to be seen whether this difference is due to the di‐ versus monocotyledon origin of the phytochromes. Optoacoustic spectroscopy, applied to native oat phytochrome A, afforded thermo‐dynamic, structural and kinetic parameters of the Pr→I700 and the I700→Pr phototransformations. Raman and infrared spectroscopic data for wild‐type phytochrome A suggest that the protonated chromophore in Pr undergoes torsions around two single bonds in addition to the Z→E isomerization of the 15,16 double bond, and that all transients, possibly with the exception of IbI, are protonated at the central pyrrole ring.
Photomorphogenic mutants of tomato
Authors: KENDRICK R. E. , KERCKHOFFS L. H. J. , VAN TUINEN A. , KOORNNEEF M.
Published: November 2003

Photomorphogenesis of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is being studied with the aid of mutants which are modified either in their photoreceptor composition or in their signal transduction chain(s). Phytochrome chromophore mutants, presumably deficient in all phytochromes, and mutants specifically deficient in phytochrome A (phy A) or B1 (phyB1) have been used to study the roles played by phytochromes in photomorphogenesis. In addition, other mutants, including transgenic lines overproducing phyA, exhibit exaggerated photomorphogenesis. Studies using these mutants are reviewed, with emphasis being placed on anthocyanin biosynthesis and plastid development as model systems for the dissection of the complex interactions between photoreceptors and to elucidate the nature of photoreceptor transduction chains. Recently, new mutants have been isolated by screening in a phyA, phyB1‐deficient background. The novel phenotypes selected are candidates for mutants in additional photoreceptors or their transduction chains.
The phytochrome photoreceptor in the green alga Mesotaenium caldariorum: implication for a conserved mechanism of phytochrome action
Authors: WU S.‐H. , LAGARIAS J. C.
Published: November 2003

Chloroplast movement in the unicellular green alga Mesotaenium caldariorum is one of the earliest documented photomorphogenetic responses in plants. Photobiological studies have established that this response is under the control of phytochrome, whose rigid association with the plasma membrane and/or cytoskeleton enables the algal cells to orientate the chloroplast in response to the direction and intensity of light from the environment. While many of the key components of the algal phytochrome signalling pathway have been elucidated (i.e. Ca2+, calmodulin, actin and myosin), the primary biochemical mechanism of algal phytochrome action is unknown. To begin to address this important question, phytochrome and its corresponding genes have been isolated and characterized in this alga. These studies reveal that Mesotaenium cells contain a single type of phytochrome which is encoded by a small family of highly related genes. On the basis of its biochemical properties, primary structure and ability to interfere with the photoregulatory activity of phytochrome in transgenic plant seedlings, it appears likely that the primary mechanism of phytochrome action has been conserved throughout its evolution.
The cryptochrome family of photoreceptors
Authors: CASHMORE A. R.
Published: November 2003

CRY1, the primary photoreceptor responsible for blue light‐mediated inhibition of hypocotyl elongation in Arabidopsis thaliana, has been characterized. The properties of CRY1, and those of the related protein CRY2, and their relationship to the photolyase family of flavoproteins are discussed.
Sugar repression of photosynthesis: the role of carbohydrates in signalling nitrogen deficiency through source:sink imbalance
Authors: PAUL M. J. , DRISCOLL S. P.
Published: November 2003

The aim of this work was to examine whether carbohydrates are involved in signalling N deficiency through source:sink imbalance. Photosynthetic metabolism in tobacco was studied over 8 d during the withdrawal of N from previously N‐sufficient plants in which the source:sink ratio was manipulated by shading leaves on some of the plants. In N‐sufficient plants over this time‐scale, there was a small decline in photosynthetic rate, Rubisco protein and amino acid content, with a larger decrease in carbohydrate content. Withdrawal of N from the growing medium induced a large decrease in the rate of photosynthesis (35% reduction after 8 d under the growing conditions, with a reduction also apparent at high and low measuring CO2), which was caused by a large decrease in the amount of Rubisco protein (62% after 8 d) and Rubisco activity. Higher amounts; of hexoses preceded the loss of photosynthetic activity and sucrose and starch accumulation. Reduction of the sourcersink ratio by shading prevented the loss of photosynthetic activity and the increase in hexoses and other carbohydrates. These data indicate that the reduction of photosynthesis that accompanies N deficiency in intact plants has the characteristics of sugar repression of photosynthesis observed in model systems, but that the accumulation of hexose prior to the decline in photosynthesis is small. The possibility that sugar repression of photosynthesis under physiological conditions depends more crucially on the C:N status of leaves than the carbohydrate status alone is discussed.
How is the relationship between the C4 cereal Sorghum bicolor and the C3 root hemi‐parasites Striga hermonthica and Striga asiatica affected by elevated CO2?
Authors: WATLING J. R. , PRESS M. C.
Published: November 2003

The C4 cereal Sorghum bicolor was grown under either ambient (350 μmol mol−1) or elevated (700 μmol mol−1) [CO2] in either the presence or absence of the C3 obligate root hemi‐parasites Striga hermonthica or S. asiatica. Both uninfected and infected sorghum plants were taller and had greater biomass, photosynthetic rates, water‐use efficiencies and leaf areas under elevated compared with ambient [CO2]. There was no evidence of any downregula‐tion of photosynthesis in sorghum grown at elevated [CO2]. Biomass of infected sorghum was lower under both ambient and elevated [CO2], and although infected plants were larger under elevated [CO2] the relative impact of infection on host biomass was either the same (S. asiatica) or only slightly less (S. hermonthica) than under ambient [CO2]. In contrast, biomass of S. hermonthica and S. asiatica per host was lower under elevated than ambient [CO2], although rates of photosynthesis were higher at elevated [CO2] and parasite stomatal conductance was not responsive to [CO2]. Parasites emerged above‐ground and flowered earlier under ambient compared with elevated [CO2]. It appears that the mechanism(s) by which the parasites affect host growth is (are) relatively insensitive to increased atmospheric [CO2], although the parasites themselves were adversely affected by growth at elevated [CO2].
The impact of subcanopy light environment on the hydraulic vulnerability of Rhododendron maximum to freeze‐thaw cycles and drought
Authors: LIPP C. C. , NILSEN E.T.
Published: November 2003

The vulnerability of xylem to embolism development in Rhododendron maximum L., an evergreen diffuse‐porous shrub, was investigated in relation to the frequency of winter freeze–thaw cycles in high and low light sites of the Eastern US. Though the frequency of freeze–thaw cycles during the winter was lower in North Carolina than in Virginia, the hydraulic conductivity of 3‐year‐old branches was reduced by up to 60% by winter embolism development in North Carolina compared to less than 30% in Virginia. Generally, small vessel diameters and volumes were associated with a significant resistance to embolism formation resulting from repeated freeze–thaws of xylem sap. In stems grown in high light sites (gaps), larger vessel volumes, and greater diameter growth of stems were associated with a significantly higher degree of freeze–thaw embolism development than in those grown in the low light sites. Thus, the growth patterns of R. maximum stems, under conditions of higher light availability, rendered them more susceptible to freeze–thaw‐induced embolisms. Vulnerability to drought‐induced embolism in stems was not affected by light environment. Rhododendron maximum was relatively sensitive to drought‐induced embolism because 50% loss of hydraulic conductivity occurred at a water potential of ‐2.2 MPa. The distribution and gas exchange of R. maximum are constrained by the dual effects of freeze‐thaw cycles and drought on vascular function.
Stomatal responses to changes in vapour pressure difference between leaf and air
Authors: YONG J. W. H. , WONG S. C. , FARQUHAR G. D.
Published: November 2003

We observed that stomata of Gossypium hirsutum, Glycine max and Xanthium strumarium respond to a change in vapour pressure difference between leaf and air at ambient partial pressures of CO2 and below the CO2 compensation point. Our report is at variance with a recent report (J. A. Bunce 1997, Plant, Cell and Environment 20, pp. 131–135) that stomatal sensitivity of leaves to a change in vapour pressure difference between leaf and air was eliminated when gas exchange measurements were made at near‐zero carbon dioxide partial pressures (0–5 Pa).
H+ flux kinetics around plant roots after short‐term exposure to low temperature: identifying critical temperatures for plant chilling tolerance
Authors: SHABALA S. N. , NEWMAN I. A.
Published: November 2003

H+ flux kinetics were measured in solution around the roots of chilling‐tolerant pea (Pisum sativum) and bean (Vicia faba), chilling‐sensitive cucumber (Cucumis sativus) and pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo), and intermediate corn (Zea mays) species using a microelectrode technique to measure net flux. As a root warmed to room temperature alter 90 min at 4°C, at which temperature the H+ flux was near zero, the flux rose (influx) and then fell. These changes occurred at two apparent critical temperatures, which were higher for the more chilling‐sensitive species. The First, lower, apparent critical temperature may represent the start of passive inward H+ transport. The higher critical temperature may represent the start of active H+ extrusion. From these apparent critical temperatures we have calculated the real critical temperature and the time delay of the chilling signal transduction process. Passive and active H+ transporters appear to have the same real critical temperature of chilling sensitivity, about 9°C, but have, respectively, 4 min and 11 min time delays. Measurement of these apparent critical temperatures may provide quick and reliable screening for chilling sensitivity in plant breeding programmes. Future ion flux studies may show the cellular location of chilling stress perception and the signal transduction pathways.
A reduced xylem pressure altered the electric and growth responses in cucumber hypocotyls
Authors: STAHLBERG R. , COSGROVE D. J.
Published: November 2003

This study measured the electric and growth responses in excised cucumber hypocotyls and compared them with those in intact seedlings. Root excision (first severing cut) eliminated most of the positive xylem pressure (Px) in the hypocotyl, caused a rapid, transient drop in the hypocotyl growth rate (GR) and some small, local depolarization near the cut site. Although accompanied by a smaller decrease in Px, a second, severing cut in the basal hypocotyl caused a decrease in GR which was no longer transient and a depolarization which was increased in both size and extent. These changes were not wound effects because they could be simulated by root incubation in mannitol. The reduced GR recovery occurred also in the absence of electric changes after a second increase in the mannitol concentration incubating the root of intact seedlings. Increased electric sensitivity and altered growth response therefore appear to be two independent examples of physiological changes resulting from a lowered Px.
Acclimation by suboptimal growth temperature diminishes photooxidative damage in maize leaves
Authors: LEIPNER J. , FRACHEBOUD Y. , STAMP P.
Published: November 2003

Leaves of Zea mays L. seedlings which developed at optimal (25°C) or suboptimal (15°C) temperature were exposed to high irradiance (1000 μmol m−2 s−1) and a severe chilling temperature (5°C) for up to 24 h to investigate their ability to withstand photooxidative stress. During this stress, the degradation of the endogenous antioxidants ascorbate, glutathione and α‐tocopherol was delayed and less pronounced in 15°C leaves. Similarly, the decline in chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, β‐carotene and lutein was slower throughout the stress period. Faster development and a higher level of non‐photochemical quenching (NPQ) of chlorophyll fluorescence, related to a stronger de‐poxidation of the larger xanthophyll cycle pool in 15°C leaves, could act as a defence mechanism to reduce the formation of reactive oxygen species during severe chilling. Furthermore, plants grown at suboptimal temperature exhibited a higher amount of the antioxidants glutathione and α‐tocopherol. The higher α‐tocopherol content in leaves (double based on leaf area; 4‐fold higher based on chlorophyll content) which developed at suboptimal temperature may play an especially important role in the stabilization of the thylakoid membrane and thus prevent lipid peroxidation.
Interactions between water stress, sun‐shade acclimation, heat tolerance and photoinhibition in the sclerophyll Heteromeles arbutifolia
Authors: VALLADARES F. , PEARCY R. W.
Published: November 2003

Gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence techniques were used to evaluate the acclimation capacity of the schlerophyll shrub Heteromeles arbutifolia M. Roem. to the multiple co‐occurring summer stresses of the California chaparral. We examined the influence of water, heat and high light stresses on the carbon gain and survival of sun and shade seedlings via a factorial experiment involving a slow drying cycle applied to plants grown outdoors during the summer. The photochemical efficiency of PSII exhibited a diurnal, transient decrease (δF/Fm′) and a chronic decrease or photoinhibition (Fv/Fm) in plants exposed to full sunlight. Water stress enhanced both transient decreases of δF/Fm’and photoinhibition. Effects of decreased δF/Fm’and Fv/Fm on carbon gain were observed only in well‐watered plants since in water‐stressed plants they were overidden by stomatal closure. Reductions in photochemical efficiency and stomatal conductance were observed in all plants exposed to full sunlight, even in those that were well‐watered. This suggested that H. arbutifolia sacrificed carbon gain for water conservation and photoprotection (both structurally via shoot architecture and physiologically via down‐regulation) and that this response was triggered by a hot and dry atmosphere together with high PFD, before severe water, heat or high PFD stresses occur. We found fast adaptive adjustments of the thermal stability of PSII (diurnal changes) and a superimposed long‐term acclimation (days to weeks) to high leaf temperatures. Water stress enhanced resistance of PSII to high temperatures both in the dark and over a wide range of PFD. Low PFD protected photochemical activity against inactivation by heat while high PFD exacerbated damage of PSII by heat. The greater interception of radiation by horizontally restrained leaves relative to the steep leaves of sun‐acclimated plants caused photoinhibition and increased leaf temperature. When transpirational cooling was decreased by water stress, leaf temperature surpassed the limits of chloroplast thermostability. The remarkable acclimation of water‐stressed plants to high leaf temperatures proved insufficient for the semi‐natural environmental conditions of the experiment. Summer stresses characteristic of Mediterranean‐type climates (high leaf temperatures in particular) are a potential limiting factor for seedling survival in H. arbutifolia, especially for shade seedlings lacking the crucial structural photoprotection provided by steep leaf angles.
Effect of water restriction on carbohydrate metabolism and photosynthesis in mature maize leaves
Authors: PELLESCHI S. , ROCHER J.‐P. , PRIOUL J.‐L.
Published: November 2003

The time course of the modifications induced by a mild water stress has been examined for photosynthesis and several traits of carbohydrate metabolism in adult leaves of two inbred maize lines of North American and European origins, respectively. An early response was a sharp increase of the acid soluble invertase activity in adult leaves, 3–4 d after initiation of water shortage. Accordingly, correlated accumulations of fructose, glucose and to a lesser extent sucrose were observed. In the most responsive genotype, invertase activity finally reached a value > 3 times larger than the control value. By contrast, sucrose phosphate synthase activity, measured either under saturating or limiting substrate conditions, was progressively reduced by 20–40% on the 5th day and by 50–80% on the 7th day, depending on the genotype. Leaf photosynthetic rate was affected at approximately the same time as carbohydrate metabolism and stomatal conductance. Leaf water status, as measured by relative water content, declined afterwards. For all the observed responses, the two genotypes behaved very differently.
Psoriasis and sex: a study of moderately to severely affected patients
Authors: Gupta Madhulika A. , Gupta Aditya K.
Published: November 2003

Background Psoriasis can have a significant impact upon sexual functioning for 30%—70% of patients. We examined the dermatologic and psychologic factors associated with the effect of psoriasis on this important dimension of qualify of life.

Methods One hundred and twenty consenting psoriasis patients (63 men and 57 women; mean ± SD age, 46.8 ± 15.7 years; mean ± SD total body surface area affected, 53.4%± 22.9%) completed a battery of questionnaires which included their response (endorsed with a “Yes” or “No”) to the following question: “Do you believe that since the onset of psoriasis your sexual activity has declined?” The differences in dermatologic and psychologic measures between the subgroup that endorsed a “Yes” response and the subgroup that endorsed a “No” response were examined.

Results Forty‐nine out of 120 patients (40.8%) were sexually affected, i.e. they endorsed a “Yes.” There were no significant differences between the affected and unaffected groups with respect to marital status, age, sex, and duration of psoriasis. The affected group reported more joint pains (P = 0.01), marginally greater psoriasis severity affecting the groin region (P = 0.07), greater scaling (P = 0.06), and greater pruritus severity (P = 0.07). Psychologically, the affected group had higher depression scores (P = 0.02) which were in the range for clinical depression, a greater tendency (P = 0.02) to seek the approval of others, and a marginally greater tendency (P = 0.08) to drink alcohol. A decline in sexual activity was related to a decrease in the patient's sex drive for 42.6% of patients; however, only 14.9% of these patients attributed the decline in their sexual activity to decreased sex drive of their spouse/partner.

Conclusion In addition to some dermatologic factors, comorbid psychologic factors, such as depression and a tendency for alcohol use, may be important determinants of decreased sexual functioning in psoriasis.
The proportion of medical consultations motivated by skin diseases in the health centers of Bamako (Republic of Mali)
Authors: Maheé Antoine , N'Diaye Hawa Thiam , Bobin Pierre
Published: November 2003

Background Skin diseases have recently been identified as a public health problem in developing countries. However, most studies on skin diseases in developing countries have been conducted in specialized dermatologic centers. Data on the proportion of consultations motivated by skin diseases in nonspecialized health centers in developing countries are scarce. In order to appreciate the request for dermatologic care of the population of a developing African country, we attempted to measure this proportion in health centers of Bamako, the capital of Mali.

Methods Eight out‐patient health centers were randomly selected in Bamako, and the medical registers for the first 6 months of 1993 were consulted.

Results Out of a total of 14,058 consultations given, 1639 (11.7%) were motivated by skin diseases. The main diagnoses registered were pyoderma (42.2% of all the dermatologic diagnoses), eczema (15.5%), scabies (8.5%), and fungal infections (7.9%).

Conclusions The high proportion of ambulatory consultations in health centers in Bamako motivated by skin diseases suggests that they are an important health problem for the population of this city. Public health policies should be Implemented in order to manage this problem.
Effective management of marked lymphedema of the leg
Authors: Araüjo Juan A. , Curbelo Jorge G. , Mayol Alfredo L. , Pascal Gerardo G. , Vignale Raul A. , Fleurquin Fernando
Published: November 2003

Background

Several conservative and surgical treatment methods have been demonstrated to be useful in the management of lymphedema.

Methods

In a patient with an enormous lymphedema of the leg, we first used complex decongestive physiotherapy as proposed by Földi et al. in 1989, and then followed it with surgery.

Results

Satisfactory results were obtained in a short period of time and were maintained during the 2‐year follow‐up.

Conclusions

We recommend a combined medical, surgical, and physiotherapeutic approach in patients with marked lymphedema.
Cutaneous localization of endothelin‐1 in patients with systemic sclerosis: immunoelectron microscopic study
Authors: Tabata Hideyuki , Yamakage Akio , Yamazaki Soji
Published: November 2003

Background Endothelin‐1 (ET‐1) has some relation to the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc) and Raynaud's phenomenon. This study was performed to determine the localization of ET‐1 in patients with SSc.

Methods The localization of ET‐1 on the specimen by skin biopsies from nine patients with SSc, was observed with immunoelectron microscopic techniques.

Results High‐density deposits existed on the ribosomes and on the rough endoplasmic reticulum in the endothelial cells of microvessels of the upper dermis. The same findings were also seen in the fibroblasts of the dermis, but not found in the skin of normal controls. The level of deposits in the endothelial cells and dermal fibroblasts seemed to have a positive correlation with the serum levels of ET‐1 of patients with SSc.

Conclusion From these results, it can be seen that ET‐1 is produced much more from the endothelial cells and fibroblasts of the dermis in the skin of SSc patients than from the normal controls. It is suspected that ET‐1 is one of the pathogenetic factors of SSc.
The in vitro effect of hydroxychloroquine on skin morphology and transglutaminase*
Authors: Wolf Ronni , Schiavo Ada Lo , Lombardi Maria Luisa , Esposito Carla , Ruocco Vincenzo
Published: November 2003

Background Antimalarials are some of the most notorious drugs which may induce psoriasis, with 25% of all reported cases being associated with them. Antimalarials do not induce psoriasis de novo, but trigger subclinical psoriasis. In a previous report, we suggested that antimalarials exert their effect by interfering with the epidermal transglutaminase (TGase) activity.

Objective on verify this hypothesis by examining the effect of hydroxychloroquine sulfate (HCQS) on cultured human skin and on TGase activity in vitro.

Materials and methods Skin samples from normal donors were cultured in the presence of HCQS for 4 days, and then processed for microscopic examination. TGase activity was assayed in the presence of HCQS and compared with blanks.

Results Significant changes in epidermal morphology were seen in all explants cultured in the presence of HCQS at all concentrations employed. Areas of enhanced and irregular keratinization were observed in the upper epidermis, while a loss of cell polarity, with keratinocyte crowding and disarray, was seen in the lower epidermis. In addition, we observed intraepidermal splitting at different levels and dermo‐epidermal detachments. HCQS showed a concentration‐dependent inhibition of TGase activity.

Conclusions We suggest that HCQS causes an initial break in the barrier function of the epidermis by inhibiting TGase activity; this is followed by a physiologic response of the epidermis aimed at barrier restoration. This rather nonspecific stimulus to epidermal proliferation is probably sufficient to trigger psoriasis in predisposed individuals or aggravate it in psoriatic patients.
Seroprevalence study of HIV‐I, HIV‐II and HTLV‐I among patients at the Dermato‐Venereology Clinic of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital
Authors: Olumide Y.M. , Dada A.J. , Sogbanmu I.B. , Aruna G.A.
Published: November 2003

Background Seroprevalence studies of HIV‐I and HIV‐II that have been reported in Nigeria were among commercial sex workers and blood donors. There are no data from STD patients and dermatologic patients.

Methods A seroprevalence study of HIV‐I, HIV‐II and HTLV‐I was prospectively conducted among STD clinic attendees and among patients with dermatoses which have been linked with HIV disease. The studies were done in 1992 and 1994.

Results Some patients had more than one seropositive type. In 1992, the percentages of seropositive results to HIV‐I, HIV‐II and HTLV‐I were 31, 19 and 50, respectively, and in 1994 the percentages of HIV‐I and HTLV‐I were 65 and 35, respectively.

Conclusions Patients should be routinely screened for HTLV‐I, in addition to HIV‐I and HIV‐II, among blood donors and also neurology clinic attendees In Nigeria. They should also be screened for retroviral infections when they present with dermatoses clinically suggestive of papular urticaria, onchodermatitis, or papulonecrotic tuberculids.
Scrotal glans penis (glans penis plicatum) associated with scrotal tongue (lingua plicata)
Authors: Fisher Benjamin K. , Linzon Charlene D.
Published: November 2003

Scrotal glans penis (glans penis plicatum), is manifested by thin deep vertical furrows and tiny papillomas of the glans penis. The condition is similar to the changes seen in scrotal tongue (lingua plicata). Both conditions were seen in the same patient. We are unaware of similar cases described previously. A 26 year old Caucasian married man, complained of a two‐year history of tenderness of the head of the penis occurring during sexual intercourse, at about the time of ejaculation. The patient had been aware of cracks on the head of the penis since before the age of six and wondered if these were responsible for his recent discomfort.

The patient was aware that his tongue had grooves which did not bother him, but he could not specify when this was first noticed. No family member was known to have a similar penile or tongue condition. On the advice of his general practitioner, he had used on his penis an antifungal cream, ketoconazole (Nizoral), and a topical steroid cream, mometasone furoate (Elocom), without effect. He was otherwise in good health and not on any medication. There was a history of allergy to penicillin.

Physical examination revealed that the penis was circumcised. The glans was of normal size and color and had several parallel, thin furrows running from the urethral opening to the corona. Multiple tiny, skin‐colored papillomas were present on the glans with the majority on its dorsal aspect. Separating the furrows by pulling the skin folds apart, revealed no cracks or bleeding (Fig. 1). The scrotum was normal and showed no similar changes.

The tongue showed typical features of scrotal tongue (lingua plicata) (Fig. 2).
Difference between dorsal and ventral iris in lens producing potency in normal lens regeneration is maintained after dissociation and reaggregation of cells from the adult newt, Cynops pyrrhogaster
Authors: Okamoto Mitsumasa , Ito Mayumi , Owaribe Katsushi
Published: November 2003

In Wolffian lens regeneration, lentectomized newt eye can produce a new lens from the dorsal marginal iris, but the ventral iris has never shown such capabilities. To investigate the difference of lens regenerating potency between dorsal and ventral iris epithelium at the cellular level, a transplantation system using cell reaggregates was developed. Two methods were devised for preparing the reaggregates from pigmented iris epithelial cells. One was rotating cells in an agar‐coated multiplate on a gyratory shaker and the other was incubating cells in a microcentrifuge tube after slight centrifugation. Reaggregates made of dorsal iris cells that had been completely dissociated into single cells were phenotypically transformed into a lens when placed in the pupillary region of the lentectomized host eye. None of the ventral reaggregates produced a lens. Even dorsal reaggregates could not transdifferentiate into lens when they were placed away from the pupil. The produced lenses from the reaggregates were morphologically and immunohistochemically identified. To obtain evidence whether produced lenses really originated from singly dissociated cells, we labeled dissociated cells with a fluorescent dye (PKH26) before reaggregate formation and then traced it in the produced lens.
Neural induction and patterning by fibroblast growth factor, notochord and somite tissue in Xenopus
Authors: Barnett Mark W. , Old Robert W. , Jones Elizabeth A.
Published: November 2003

Two natural neural inducing sources have been used, the notochord and the somites together with the growth factor bFGF, to investigate the anterior/posterior patterning of neural tissue in an animal cap explant model in Xenopus laevis. Notochord and somite tissue from stages 12.5/13 and 16, respectively, were manually isolated, and combined heterochronically with responding animal cap ectoderm aged to gastrula stages. Somite recombinants were also constructed with animal caps injected with noggin mRNA. The responses of the ectoderm were analyzed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) detection of marker gene expression, and in some cases by in situ hybridization. The requirement for FGF receptor function was analyzed using the dominant negative FGF receptor (XFD). The experiments showed that bFGF is capable of direct neural induction in caps aged to stage 10.5. It was also shown that notochords are capable of inducing anterior neural tissue in gastrula stage animal cap ectoderm, and this induction is sensitive to XFD in the responding tissue. Injection of noggin mRNA results in the induction of anterior neural differnetiation, and it was demonstrated that this induction was insensitive to the expression of XFD in the responding tissue. It was also shown that somite tissue recombined with gastrula stage animal cap ectoderm, can induce both anterior and posterior nervous tissue and can also posteriorize noggin‐induced anterior neural tissue when combined with noggin‐injected animal cap ectoderm. This response is partially sensitive to XFD expression. The results shed light on the role of competence of animal cap ectoderm and the signals from postgastrulation axial and paraxial mesoderm in the patterning of the amphibian nervous system.
Cannabis and brain function
Authors: COURT JM
Published: November 2003

Current literature and practice experience has been reviewed to clarify what is known about the effects of cannabis on brain function, the risk that cannabis use may pose for young people during their adolescence, and risk factors within the individual or their environment that may predispose to long‐term abuse and dependence. There is sound evidence that cannabis intoxication has an adverse effect on cognitive function and behaviour, and may, in vulnerable individuals, lead to a psychotic reaction. Regular use may have an adverse effect on learning, with possible mid‐ to long‐term psychological and cognitive impairment. Heavy use may lead to emotional dependence with consequent social and psychological dysfunction. Intervention strategies must go beyond the conventional education and public health measures that appear to have been unsuccessful so far in influencing cannabis use in teenagers. Such strategies may more usefully aim at assessment of risk factors in individuals and groups for dependence on the drug, and the combined and cooperative intervention of parents, schools, health professionals and teenagers themselves.
Cortical malformations: A significant cause of paediatric neurological morbidity
Authors: LEVENTER RJ , HARVEY AS
Published: November 2003

Disorders of cortical development are a significant cause of epilepsy, developmental delay and congenital neurological deficits in children of all ages. Disruption of neuronal proliferation, differentiation, migration and organization during the middle trimester are recognized as the basis of most of these disorders. With advances in magnetic resonance imaging and increasing recognition of the characteristic radiological appearance of these lesions, a variety of lesions are now described. Furthermore, detailed clinical and genetic studies have lead to the recognition of clinicopathological syndromes of cortical maldevelopment with specific modes of inheritance. Our understanding of these disorders is increasing rapidly and will continue to do so with improvements in neuroimaging, advances in developmental neurobiology and heightened clinician awareness.
Cryptorchidism associated with meningomyelocele
Authors: FERRARA P , ROSSODIVITA A , RUGGIERO A , PULITANÒ S , TORTOROLO L , SALVAGGIO E
Published: November 2003

Objective:

The authors studied 75 male infants with meningomyelocele (MMC) to analyse the association with cryptorchidism.

Methods:

All infants were diagnosed at birth and surgically corrected after 24–48 h. Testes were classified undescended in accordance with Kaplan. The associated malformations, the exact levels of the lesion (surgical report) and the presence of hydrocephalus and the cremasteric reflex have each been assessed.

Results:

In these patients a higher incidence of cryptorchidism (14.8%) was found than in the normal population. Lesion level (L2–L3) and absence of cremasteric reflex was higher in children with associated cryptorchidism. Infants with MMC and undescended testes showed no increased incidence of hydrocephalus and sexual hormone levels remained within the normal range. These results suggest that the cremaster muscle could be a major factor involved in testis descent through the inguinal canal.

Conclusions:

The authors propose that spinal cord lesion, as well as neurologic dysfunction, is of major importance in the pathophysiology of cryptorchidism in spina bifida.
Short‐ and long‐term neurological outcomes following neonatal chest physiotherapy
Authors: BEEBY PJ , HENDERSON‐SMART DJ , LACEY JL , RIEGER I
Published: November 2003

Objective:

To test the hypothesis that chest physiotherapy in extremely premature infants is associated with abnormal neurological outcomes.

Methods:

All babies born during the years 1992–1994 at gestations of 24–29 weeks who survived to 28 days were included in the study cohort (n=213). Chest physiotherapy was provided by trained physiotherapists for babies with secretions causing obstruction to the airway or for babies with evidence of collapse and/or consolidation. The relationship between chest physiotherapy and cystic brain lesions at discharge, or cerebral palsy (CP) and developmental quotient (DQ) at 1 year corrected age, were then explored.

Results:

Ninety‐seven babies (45% of the cohort) received physiotherapy. No baby had a brain lesion similar to that described as encephaloclastic porencephaly. Babies receiving physiotherapy had significantly lower birthweights and gestational ages. Of the 13 babies found to have either periventricular leucomalacia or porencephalic cysts, seven (7%) were in the physiotherapy group, and six (5%) were in the nonphysiotherapy group. Of the babies surviving to 1 year corrected age, 189 (92%) had multidisciplinary follow‐up. Eleven (13%) of the babies who received physiotherapy had suspected CP, and 14 (13%) of those not receiving physiotherapy had CP. The DQ of those who received physiotherapy was 96.0±16.6, and 101.6±16.6 for those who did not. Following adjustment for gestational age and other unequal risk factors using logistic regression, none of the above outcomes was significantly associated with the number of physiotherapy treatments.

Conclusion:

We could find no evidence that chest physiotherapy, as given in our unit, was associated with abnormal neurological outcomes in extremely preterm infants.
Excessive rates of childhood mortality in the Northern Territory, 1985–94
Authors: SILVA DT , RUBEN AR , WRONSKI I , STRONACH P , WOODS M
Published: November 2003

Objectives:

To estimate the post‐infant/childhood mortality rate (1–14 years) in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia.

Methods:

A retrospective study of post‐infant death in the 10 years 1985–94 inclusive in the NT.

Results:

Two hundred and forty‐four deaths were identified. Compared to a non‐Aboriginal, an Aboriginal child was twice as likely to die from accidents, 11 times more likely to die from infection and 3.2 times more likely to die from all causes. Road traffic accidents were the leading cause of accident mortality in Aboriginal children. All children who died in collisions or rollovers were unrestrained. Drowning was the major cause of death amongst non‐Aboriginal children aged 1–4 years; none of the residential pools in which drowning occurred had fencing which complied with the recommended Australian fencing standards. Mortality rates from infection were highest in Aboriginal children aged 1–4 years. The overall mortality rate decreased over the 10‐year period with a significant reduction in non‐Aboriginal but not in Aboriginal children.

Conclusions:

NT children aged 1–14 years have higher mortality rates than their Australian counterparts and these are significantly higher in Aboriginal compared to non‐Aboriginal children. Legislation and enforcement of isolation pool fencing, car seat restraints and safer driving on rural roads could have a significant impact on reducing accident mortality.
Malnutrition, gastroenteritis and trypsinogen concentration in hospitalised Aboriginal children
Authors: BRIARS GL , THORNTON SJ , FORREST Y , EHRLICH J , SHEPHERD RW , CLEGHORN GJ
Published: November 2003

Objective:

To explore relationships between malnutrition and pancreatic damage in hospitalised aboriginal children.

Methods:

Immunoreactive trypsinogen (IRT) concentrations were measured in two populations of hospitalised aboriginal children in Australia: 472 children aged 0–3 years, in Alice Springs (Northern Territory); and 187 children aged 0–16 years in Mount Isa (Queensland). Correlation of whole blood IRT with height and weight z‐scores, four‐site skinfold thickness and upper arm circumference was sought.

Results:

In Mount Isa, the geometric mean IRT concentration rose with decreasing weight z‐score. The IRT concentration was otherwise unrelated to nutritional indices. Sixty percent of the 39 Mount Isa patients with gastroenteritis and 24.5% of the 358 Alice Springs patients with gastroenteritis had an IRT concentration in the upper quartile for their population, compared with 16% for patients with other diagnoses in both populations.

Conclusions:

A high IRT concentration in patients with low weight z‐scores is a confounding effect of gastroenteritis, and may result from subclinical pancreatic disease in gastroenteritis.
Overdose of ergometrine in the newborn infant: Acute symptomatology and long‐term outcome
Authors: DARGAVILLE PA , CAMPBELL NT
Published: November 2003

Objective:

To document the short‐ and long‐term effects of accidental administration of ergometrine in adult dosage to the newborn infant.

Methods:

The case records of all infants admitted to the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) since 1970 with a diagnosis of acute ergometrine overdose were reviewed, and details of the acute symptomatology, management, and the neurodevelopmental outcome at follow‐up were noted. Similar information was obtained, where available, from previous case reports, and from two major drug information services. Additionally, data relating to administration of uterotonic agents and vitamin K were collected from tertiary perinatal centres around Australia.

Results:

Seven cases of neonatal ergometrine overdose were identified at RCH. The major features of the acute toxicity syndrome were: encephalopathy (100% RCH cases, 79% combined cases); seizures (100%, 70%); peripheral vascular disturbances (100%, 83%); and oliguria (43%, 34%). Other important symptoms were hypoxaemia, hypertension and feed intolerance. 86% of RCH cases (72% overall) required ventilatory support. Virtually all symptoms resolved within 4 days, and 86% of RCH infants (86% all cases) were neurologically intact at the time of discharge. Long‐term neurodevelopmental outcome was normal in 100% of RCH infants (n=6). All the perinatal centres surveyed give vitamin K in the labour ward soon after delivery, and 7 of 18 (39%) reported using Syntometrine (ergometrine 0.5 mg, Syntocinon 5 IU) routinely during the third stage of labour. Thus the circumstances in which ergometrine overdose can occur still exist in many labour wards around the country.

Conclusions:

Despite the catastrophic initial presentation, the long‐term prognosis after neonatal ergometrine overdose appears to be favourable. To prevent further cases of this life‐threatening drug error, we recommend that administration of vitamin K be deferred until just prior to, or shortly after, transfer of the newborn infant to the postnatal ward.
Geographic differences in bacterial meningitis: Less may be as interesting as more
Authors: MCINTYRE P
Published: November 2003

Many reports in the last decade have described populations with a high incidence of bacterial meningitis, especially amongst indigenous groups in industrialised countries, such as North American Eskimos and Apache Indians and Australian Aborigines, particularly with meningitis due to Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib). Lack of evidence that invasive Hib disease, including meningitis, is a significant health problem has been attributed to lack of appropriate data, either due to lack of laboratory and clinical facilities, such as in most less industrialised countries, or lack of study. Host differences in immune response, though known to be important for individual susceptibility to Hib disease and bacterial meningitis, have not been thought important on a population level. Good quality epidemiologic data now available from Hong Kong and Japan, based on sound laboratory methods, have shown bacterial meningitis, particularly due to Hib and Neisseria meningitidis, to be significantly less common than in predominantly Caucasian populations in various industrialised countries. Differences in host immune response to these capsular polysaccharides seems the most likely explanation for this observation. It is interesting that other immunologically mediated disorders such as Kawasaki disease and systemic lupus erythematosis have a relatively high incidence in Sino Japanese populations, lending plausibility to inherited differences in immune response as a mechanism for these observations.
The use of an interactive computer program for the education of parents of asthmatic children
Authors: FALL AJ , HENRY RL , HAZELL T
Published: November 2003

Objective: To assess whether an interactive computer program improves the asthma knowledge of parents of asthmatic children attending a respiratory clinic, and to assess the acceptability of this educational method to parents.

Methodology:

Parents’ knowledge was assessed before and one month after using the computer program. Knowledge scores were compared using paired Student’s t‐tests. Parents’ comments about the program were invited.

Results:

Whilst knowledge scores improved after exposure to the computer program, the improvement was not statistically significant (P=0.06). However, parents felt subjectively that the program was both enjoyable and useful to them.

Conclusion:

Used as the sole instrument for asthma education, the program did not produce a large increase in asthma knowledge in the study population. It was, however, universally popular and may prove useful in other settings and in combination with other forms of asthma education.