Showing papers in "Acta medica Croatica : c̆asopis Hravatske akademije medicinskih znanosti in 1991"

Lactate and glucose in cerebrospinal fluid heavily contaminated with blood

Abstract: To simulate a traumatic lumbar puncture, blood was added to 33 normal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens. A hypothesis was tested if the CSF glucose and CSF lactate were unchanged after contamination with blood. Lactate and glucose here measured in both normal and blood-stained CSF. The estimated contamination of the normal CSF with red cells ranged from 84000 to 676500 cells per cubic millimeter. CSF lactate was unchanged by the addition of blood (P = 0.8), whereas CSF glucose was significantly higher in the blood-stained CSF (P = 0.0005). Therefore, the determination of lactate levels in the CSF heavily contaminated with blood could be useful in differentiating viral from bacterial meningitis.

Persistence of immunity against measles in persons immunized with Edmonston-Zagreb vaccine.

Abstract: Cohorts of 30 children--470 in all--vaccinated against measles 2 to 17 years earlier were tested for measles heminhibiting antibodies. The vaccinees were randomly selected from a semi-urban, semi-rural population where the circulation of the wild measles virus has never been interrupted. The vaccinal status of the vaccinees varied widely, some were vaccinated only once, some twice or even three times, in some the primary vaccination was performed with a measles monovalent and in some with a combined MMR vaccine, only the revaccination having always been performed with a monovalent vaccine. The results of this serologic study reveal that the vaccine-induced immunity against measles does not fade with time, on the contrary, as judged by the mean geometric antibody titers, it rises. This is speculatively attributed to the booster effect of natural reinfection(s). Thereafter it is demonstrated that revaccination(s) do not yield a better immunity than the primary vaccination alone. This "revaccination", if withheld, helps only to attain a better coverage of children that have escaped primary vaccination.

[Prenatal, perinatal and neonatal factors in infantile autism].

Abstract: Analysing prenatal, perinatal, and neonatal complications in autistic children by a specially prepared questionnaire, the authors aimed at establishing whether there is a connection between prenatal, perinatal, and neonatal complications and autism in comparison with normal and mentally retarded children The results have shown that there is a statistically significant connection of some of these factors with autism in relation to the control group of healthy children, while these differences proved less significant in relation to the group of mentally retarded children The results obtained partly correspond to the results of similar investigations in the world, indicating a complex etiology of autism

Histochemical aspects and fine structural characteristics of thyreocytes in pinealectomized and melatonin treated rats prior to irradiation.

Abstract: The authors were investigating the histochemical and electron microscopic characteristics of thyreocytes in pinealectomized rats treated with melatonin, prior to irradiation. They observed that the animals that did not receive melatonin show a higher degree of the destruction appearing at the level of all ultrastructural organelles and a very low expression of the DNA and RNA histochemical reaction. These results suggest the role of melatonin in the determination of the thyreocyte behaviour under given irradiation conditions.

Evaluation of the effect of local corticosteroids in the phototherapy of psoriasis

Abstract: An open clinical trial was carried out in order to establish to what extent the application of topical corticosteroids with the UVB therapy influences the complete dosage of the UVB radiation required for the clearing of psoriasis and the duration of remission. Out of 30 patients who were administered the suberythemogenic UVB dosage, 15 received a topical corticosteroid and 15 an indifferent ointment (u. emolliens). Although the therapeutic response was initially somewhat more immediate in the corticosteroid--UVB group, there is no statistically significant difference between these two groups in the total UVB dosage required for the remission of the disease. The patients in the topical corticosteroid--UVB group remained in remission longer than the patients in the control group receiving no local corticosteroid.

Relationship between cumulative occupational exposure to asbestos fibres and respiratory symptoms.

Abstract: A survey of chronic respiratory symptoms was undertaken in 1127 asbestos workers engaged in asbestos mining, asbestos cement production, production of friction materials or in the manufacture of asbestos textile. A control group of 593 persons was also surveyed. The exposure of asbestos workers was analysed by evaluating separately the cumulative exposure to total airborne particles and to airborne asbestos fibres. The prevalences of all the respiratory symptoms (chronic cough, chronic phlegm, chronic bronchitis, dyspnoea grade 3+) were significantly higher in asbestos workers compared to controls in both nonsmokers and smokers (p less than 0.01). The prevalences of all the respiratory parameters in asbestos workers increased with both the length of employment and cumulative exposure to total airborne particles. Prevalences of chronic cough, chronic phlegm and chronic bronchitis did not show an increase with cumulative exposure to airborne asbestos fibres expressed as fibres/cc years. It is concluded that the development of chronic cough, chronic phlegm and chronic bronchitis in asbestos workers is likely to be an unspecific effect of the exposure to the difficulty soluble airborne particles rather than a specific effect of the exposure to airborne asbestos fibres.