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 172,036 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

One of the more intriguing aspects of the spleen is the protection against certain bacterial infections afforded by its unique vascular and immune function. There have been extensive clinical surveys which indicate an incidence of overwhelming postsplenectomy infection (OPSI) above that of the disease for which the splenectomy was done. In the absence of the spleen, either congenital or subsequent to surgical removal, this overwhelming sepsis has a 50% case fatality rate. The most common infective organism has been Diplococcus (tstreptococcus) pneumoniae (D. pneumoniae). Intensive investigations indicated loss of phagocytic function of the spleen, depression of serum IgM levels, a possible suppression of the lymphocyte responsiveness, and changes in opsonin-alternative complement system as potential causes of OPSI. Preventive measures against OPSI include trials of prophylactic Phenoxymethyl Penicillin (penicillin) and pneumococcal vaccine.
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PMID:Overwhelming postsplenectomy infection. 32 70

Quantification of human peripheral blood NK subsets has been made in a group of Kenyan adults and children with acute P. falciparum malaria. Results were compared with data obtained from three age- and sex-matched control cohorts: parasitaemic but asymptomatic children; aparasitaemic children and adults; and adult Caucasians with no previous history of malaria. Separated NK subsets were tested in vitro for cytotoxicity to erythrocytic schizonts of P. falciparum in the presence and absence of cytokines. There was a statistically significant quantitative and qualitative depression of the CD3-CD56+ subset in patients with acute malaria and this was accompanied by an expansion of the 'non-functional' CD3-CD57+CD16-CD56- subset. Both CD3-CD16+ and CD3-CD56+ NK cells from all patients and donors lysed schizonts, and this cytotoxicity was enhanced by the addition of recombinant interferon-alpha and/or IL-2, notably with the CD3-CD56+ subset. Interestingly, asymptomatic donors had the highest levels of CD3-CD56+ NK cells, which also demonstrated an enhanced response to cytokine stimulation. Cytotoxicity to schizonts was accompanied by the release of soluble NK cell lytic factors. Neomycin suppressed cytotoxicity in a dose-dependent manner, indicating that the lysis of schizonts by NK cells involves phospholipase C-mediated phosphoinositide metabolism. Our findings define a role for NK cells in immunity to malaria through the lysis of infected erythrocytes as a first-line defence against the parasite.
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PMID:Cytotoxicity of human natural killer (NK) cell subsets for Plasmodium falciparum erythrocytic schizonts: stimulation by cytokines and inhibition by neomycin. 183

Using the "Bi-Digital O-Ring Test," generalized abnormal circulation of the distribution of the 3 cerebral arteries at each side of the brain (i.e., anterior cerebral artery, middle cerebral artery and posterior cerebral artery) can be predicted, without any expensive instruments usually in a few minutes. When abnormality was found in the bifurcation area of the common carotid artery by the "Bi-Digital O-Ring Test," there were always abnormal findings of the area of the brain where circulation was coming from either one or both of the anterior or middle cerebral arteries. When abnormal "Bi-Digital O-Ring" response was found at the vertebral artery and posterior cerebral artery representation point, discovered by the author, at the side of the 6th cervical vertebra (corresponding to the entry point of the vertebral artery into the transverse foramen), the areas of the cerebrum, cerebellum and brain stem where circulation is coming from the posterior cerebral artery, basilar artery and vertebral artery were also abnormal. Most of these abnormalities were found to be associated with problems of the cervical vertebrae and spastic muscles of the neck and shoulders and are often reversible. In this study, the author was able to differentiate abnormal brain circulation of any major branch of arteries in the brain due to organic changes or functional reversible changes by relaxing these spastic muscles and improving the circulation of the neck and shoulder area by giving either manual acupuncture, massage, or transcutaneous electrical stimulation. This in turn often improved brain circulation. If it was a functional abnormality, within a few minutes after one of these procedures the "Bi-Digital O-Ring Test" usually showed normal response or improvement. However, if it was an organic abnormality, the abnormality remained. When the supra-orbital arterial blood pressure at both sides of the forehead decreases below 40 or 30 mmHg, most patients develop so-called "Cephalic Hypotension Syndrome," which is characterized by sleep disturbance pattern; difficulty in concentration; easy forgetfulness of recent events; irritability; decreased pain threshold with or without depression; spastic skeletal muscles, particularly the neck, shoulder and back areas. All of these symptoms can be explained by decreased circulation to the Nucleus Raphe Centralis Superior (controls sleep and waking pattern), Nucleus Raphe Magnus (serotonin & modulation of pain), Nucleus Reticularis Giganto Cellularis (controls muscle tone), etc. in reticular formation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:Simple and quick non-invasive evaluation of circulatory condition of cerebral arteries by clinical application of the "Bi-Digital O-Ring Test". 286 68

The cardiotoxic actions of Kenyan green mamba (Dendroaspis angusticeps) venom have been investigated using primary myocardial cell cultures isolated from neonatal rat hearts. The cardiotoxic actions of the whole venom and its fractionated components were evaluated on the basis of leakage of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), changes in morphology, cell membrane lysis, decreases in viability and inhibition of spontaneous beating activity. The whole venom caused time- and concentration-dependent arrest of myocardial contraction, leakage of LDH, extensive disruption of cell monolayer, and decreases in viability. The venom was separated into 6 (DaI to DaVI) fractions by gel permeation chromatography on Sephadex G-50. Spontaneous beating activity was abolished by DaI to DaVI at high concentrations, while at lower doses they induced progressive depression of beating frequency after a 3-h treatment period. DaI to DaIV caused significant leakage of LDH, morphological damage, and decreases in viability after a 6-h incubation period. The most cardiotoxic fraction (DaIV), which also contains about 54% of the total protein of the whole venom, was fractionated into 18 polypeptides (Da1 to Da18) by ion exchange chromatography on Bio-Rex 70. On the basis of their ability to abolish myocardial contractility, release LDH, alter cellular structure, lyse cell membranes and reduce viability, the 18 fractions have been divided into 4 arbitrary subgroups of cytotoxins: cardiotoxins, Da1 to Da3; cardiotoxin-like polypeptides, Da4 to Da12, Da14; less active membrane lytic polypeptides, Da13, Da15 to Da17; and membrane lytic polypeptide, Da18. Marked synergistic cell membrane lysis occurred in myocardial cell cultures treated simultaneously with 2 cardiotoxin-like polypeptides, Da7 and Da11. It is suggested that the additive and synergistic cardiotoxic effects of high molecular weight cytotoxic proteins (DaI to DaIII), very low molecular weight cholinomimetic substances (DaV to DaVI) and the 4 subgroups of cardiotoxins may directly contribute to the pronounced cardiovascular problems observed in victims of green mamba bites.
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PMID:Cardiotoxicity of Kenyan green mamba (Dendroaspis angusticeps) venom and its fractionated components in primary cultures of rat myocardial cells. 318 32

When ten cats were infected orally with undiluted or a 10(-1) dilution of virulent feline infectious enteritis (panleucopaenia) virus, all developed severe leucopaenia followed by the development of demonstrable antibody, but none died. Eighteen of 29 cats given a 10(-2) dilution of virus died of the disease. Three of the survivors had white blood cell counts of less than 4000 and three had counts between 4000 and 6000 cells. Although the remaining five animals never had individual counts of less than 6000 cells, the geometric means of these counts showed that a marked depression in the leucocyte counts had occurred. All surviving cats developed antibody.Among the ten cats dosed with either 10(-3) or 10(-4) dilution of virus, four died of feline infectious enteritis and three developed antibody after falls in the leucocyte counts. It is suspected that low dilutions of feline infectious enteritis virulent virus in cats produce a phenomenon similar to that reported by von Magnus (1954) with influenza virus in eggs.Leucopaenia is commonly defined as less than 4000 white blood cells/mm.(3) of blood. Counts lower than this are usual in cats which either die of the disease or have received large doses of virus; they are less common in cats surviving after administration of diluted virus. Challenge of cats with pre-existing antibody did not provoke a depression in the leucocyte counts.
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PMID:Deterination of an optimal dilution of virlent feline infectious enteritis (panleucopaenia) virus for challenge purposes. 527 9

Thirty Kenyan patients of black African origin undergoing treatment for clinical depression in Nairobi, and 40 matched non-psychiatrically disturbed controls in the community were studies for life events using the Brown-Harris model. It was found that the depressed group had significantly more life events (P less than 0.001 with Yates correction for continuity) in the twelve months preceding the onset of their depression than the controls in the same period. These results are similar to those obtained by several workers in Western settings. Their implication for the practice of psychiatry in an African context is examined, and some myths about psychiatry in Africa re-examined.
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PMID:Life events and depression in a Kenyan setting. 730 51

Following the method of Brown and Harris 30 Kenyan patients suffering from depression and 40 community non-psychiatrically-disturbed controls were studied for contextual and reported threat due to short-term and long-term life events. It was found that the patients did not over-rate threat due to events (in 'search for the meaning') nor did the controls under-rate the threat of life events. Some theoretical issues on the 'contextual threat' of life events are raised.
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PMID:The relation between contextual and reported threat due to life events: a controlled study. 733 60

As part of a Kenyan Medical Research Institute study of sexually transmitted diseases, psychiatric and neuropsychological functioning was assessed and related to HIV status. All 373 workers in the food industry who attended an occupational health clinic in Kenya's Nyanza Province for statutory annual health checks during a 10-week period in 1994, were eligible for study enrollment. Of the 337 study volunteers (mean age, 29.1 years), HIV status was available for only 230 subjects due to the loss of specimens between collection and laboratory delivery or the illegibility of numerical codes on specimen tubes; psychiatric and neuropsychological data were collected from 229. 78 workers (34%) were HIV-positive and another 14 (6%) had indeterminate results. No substantial differences in psychiatric morbidity, including depression or performance on neuropsychological tests, were found between HIV-positive workers and HIV-negative controls. Previous studies have documented substantial psychiatric morbidity and cognitive impairment in HIV-infected patients. The methodology of the present study differed from previous research, however, in that volunteers were asymptomatic and unaware they were being tested for HIV and interviewers were uninformed as to the subject's HIV status.
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PMID:Psychological morbidity and HIV in Kenya. 957 Apr 86

The trans-10, cis-12 CLA isomer has been causally related to milk fat depression in dairy cows, although no molecular mechanism has been established. Sterol response element-binding protein (SREBP)-1 is a transcription factor synthesized and retained as a membrane-bound precursor in the endoplasmic reticulum and proteolytically cleaved to release an active fragment that migrates to the nucleus to stimulate lipogenic gene transcription. Certain lipid molecules (i.e., PUFA) were shown to inhibit the proteolytic activation of SREBP-1 in rodent liver models, although there has been no previous demonstration of its presence in bovine tissues or in mammary tissue of any species. We used a bovine mammary cell line (MAC-T) to assess the involvement of SREBP-1 in the regulation of lipid synthesis in bovine mammary cells by trans-10, cis-12 CLA. Treatment with 75 micromol/L trans-10, cis-12 CLA for 48 h resulted in an approximately 50% reduction of (14)C-acetate incorporation into total lipid and corresponding reductions in mRNA abundance for acetyl CoA carboxylase, fatty acid synthase, and stearoyl CoA desaturase, whereas cis-9, trans-11 CLA had no effect on these genes. There was no reduction in SREBP-1 mRNA or precursor protein, but the abundance of the activated nuclear fragment of the protein was significantly reduced by treatment with 75 micromol/L trans-10, cis-12 CLA. These results indicate that trans-10, cis-12 CLA reduces lipid synthesis in the bovine mammary gland through inhibition of the proteolytic activation of SREBP-1 and subsequent reduction in transcriptional activation of lipogenic genes.
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PMID:The inhibitory effect of trans-10, cis-12 CLA on lipid synthesis in bovine mammary epithelial cells involves reduced proteolytic activation of the transcription factor SREBP-1. 1546 41

The desire for self-mutilation in the absence of any discernible psychopathology is relatively rare. Self-mutilation is most commonly a manifestation of an underlying psychopathology such as depression, schizophrenia, personality disorder, transexuality, body dysmorphic disorder and factitious disorder. In this article, a case in which a 29-year-old single Kenyan lady of African origin demanded a surgical operation to modify and reduce the size of her external genitalia is presented. Although female genital mutilation is still widespread in the country, this case is of interest in that the woman did not seek the usual circumcision but sought to specifically reduce the size of her labia minora so that she could feel like a normal woman. The unique challenges in her management are discussed. Possible aetiological factors in patients who demand surgical removal or modification of parts of their bodies without an obvious cause is discussed.
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PMID:Body dysmorphic disorder: case report. 1807 64


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