Effectiveness of dental health educational programs in schools

The largest and most important group that may be reached by health education is found in the school system. Children not only are fast learners and anxious to acquire new skills but also are at risk for the development of dental health problems. Therefore, regardless of the equivocal nature of the evidence regarding the effectiveness of school dental health educational programs, it is important that they continue to be developed. The programs created should have objectives, pretesting, participatory and cognitive experiences, periodic review of dental health program by an advisory committee, a liaison between school personnel and health professionals, and realistic models to assess the effects of the program on health. Because dental disease preventive programs and regimens such as water fluoridation, topical fluorides, dental sealants, and oral hygiene regimens are available that have the potential to eliminate dental disease, effort should be made to increase the awareness of the children who can benefit from them.     

舌黏膜尿道成形治疗尿道狭窄的初步报告

目的:探讨舌黏膜补片法尿道成形治疗尿道狭窄的疗效。方法:采用舌黏膜尿道成形治疗尿道狭窄14例。尿道狭窄段3.5~14cm,平均6.2cm;术前耻骨上膀胱造瘘8例,余6例排尿均较为困难,最大尿流率2.5~5.5ml/s,平均3.8ml/s。结果:术后随访2~8个月,1例因伤口感染致尿道皮肤瘘,余患者均排尿通畅,最大尿流率增至22~51ml/s,平均29.6ml/s。结论:舌黏膜具有取材方便、对患者创伤小、抗感染力强等特点,是一种较好的尿道替代物,尤其适合尿道狭窄段<6cm的患者。     

Suppurative corneal ulceration in Bangladesh

Suppurative keratitis is an important preventable cause of blindness, particularly in the developing world. This study analyses 142 cases of suppurative keratitis referred to Chittagong Eye Infirmary, Bangladesh. Some 53.5% of cases were bacterial and 35.9% were fungal. The five most common pathogens were: Pseudomonas sp. 24%, Streptococcus pneumoniae 17%, Aspergillus sp. 13%, Fusarium sp. 7% and Curvularia sp. 6%. Gram stain and culture results were consistent in 62.6% of cases. Previous antibiotic treatment was a significant factor for failure of culture isolation and less so for Gram stain failure. On Gram stain, 55.9% of pseudomonal cases were missed, but only 2% of fungal cases were missed. Over all, Gram stain had a sensitivity of 62% and positive predictive value of 84% for bacterial cases, and 98% and 94% for fungal cases, respectively. Fungal ulcers were typically filamentous, but an antecedent history of trauma was not common. The most frequent injury was due to rice grains, but the inoculum appeared to be introduced during eye washing with contaminated water. Pseudomonal ulcers occurred most frequently in the monsoon season, and Fusarium cases were seen only in the hot, dry season.     

Superior oblique palsy: diagnosis and treatment

To pinpoint the diagnostic dilemmas and to look for differentiating preoperative features in cases of masked bilateral superior oblique palsy, the authors reviewed the charts of 50 patients (26 males and 24 females with an average age at presentation of 25.6 years) with an established diagnosis of superior oblique palsy seen between 1980 and 1987. Most patients had a history of symptoms from childhood or following trauma. Typically, patients complained of torticollis and diplopia and manifested inferior oblique overaction and superior oblique underaction of the paretic eye. Twenty-two of the patients underwent a total of 28 operations; surgery resulted in elimination of symptoms and neutralization of the hyperdeviation in 77%. On the basis of this experience the authors discuss the presenting features and the differential diagnosis of superior oblique palsy and present a rational approach to surgical intervention.     

Nonheme iron in sickle erythrocyte membranes: association with phospholipids and potential role in lipid peroxidation

Previous studies documented the abnormal association of heme and heme proteins with the sickle RBC membrane. We have now examined RBC ghosts and inside-out membranes (IOM) for the presence of nonheme iron as detected by its formation of a colored complex with ferrozine. Sickle ghosts have 33.8 +/- 18.2 nmol nonheme iron/mg membrane protein, and sickle IOM have 4.3 +/- 3.0 nmol/mg. In contrast, normal RBC ghosts and IOM have no detectable nonheme iron. The combination of heme and nonheme iron in sickle IOM averages nine times the amount of membrane- associated iron in normal IOM. Kinetics of the ferrozine reaction show that some of this nonheme iron on IOM reacts slowly and is probably in the form of ferritin, but most (72% +/- 18%) reacts rapidly and is in the form of some other biologic chelate. The latter iron compartment is removed by deferoxamine and by treatment of IOM with phospholipase D, which suggests that it represents an abnormal association of iron with polar head groups of aminophospholipids. The biologic feasibility of such a chelate was demonstrated by using an admixture of iron with model liposomes. Even in the presence of tenfold excess adenosine diphosphate, iron partitions readily into phosphatidylserine liposomes; there is no detectable association with phosphatidylcholine liposomes. To examine the bioavailability of membrane iron, we admixed membranes and t-butylhydroperoxide and found that sickle membranes show a tenfold greater peroxidation response than do normal membranes. This is not due simply to a deficiency of vitamin E, and this is profoundly inhibited by deferoxamine. Thus, while thiol oxidation in sickle membranes previously was shown to correlate with heme iron, the present data suggest that lipid peroxidation is related to nonheme iron. In control studies, we did not find this pathologic association of nonferritin, nonheme iron with IOM prepared from sickle trait, high-reticulocyte, postsplenectomy, or iron-overloaded individuals. These data provide additional support for the concept that iron decompartmentalization is a characteristic of sickle RBCs.     

Serum ionic fluoride levels in haemodialysis and continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients

High serum fluoride (F-) in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is associated with risk of renal osteodystrophy and other bone changes. This study was done to determine F- in normal healthy controls and patients with ESRD on haemodialysis (HD) or peritoneal dialysis (PD). Seventeen healthy controls (12 males, 5 females) and 39 ESRD patients on dialysis (17 males, 22 females) were recruited in the study in a community with 47.4 +/- 3.28 microM/l (range 44-51 microM/l) of F- content in drinking water. Control subjects showed a mean serum F- concentration of 1.08 +/- 0.350 microM/l. Males in control group showed slightly higher F- levels (1.15 +/- 0.334, range 0.55-1.9 microM/l) than females (0.92 +/- 0.370, range 0.6-1.5 microM/l). Mean serum F- concentration did not correlate significantly with age and sex among control subjects, whereas such correlation was observed in patients with ESRD on dialysis. Mean serum F- concentration was significantly higher in patients on dialysis (2.67 +/- 1.09, range 0.8-5.2 microM/l) than normal controls. When grouped according to sex, the mean serum F- concentration in males (3.05 +/- 1.04, range 1.8-5.2 microM/l) was significantly higher than females (2.38 +/- 1.08, range 0.8-5.2 microM/l). When patients were grouped according to age, it was observed that F- concentration was significantly higher in patients with age groups 21-70 (2.86 +/- 1.05) than those with age group 13-20 years (1.42 +/- 0.531). Thus F- concentration correlated with age and sex, being higher in males and above 20 years. Despite appreciable clearance of F- (39-90%) across the peritoneum, patients on CAPD showed higher serum F- concentration than those on HD (3.1 +/- 1.97 vs 2.5 +/- 1.137 microM/l). Of the total 39 patients on dialysis 39% had their serum F- concentration above 3.0 microM/l, posing the risk of renal osteodystrophy.      

Unusual dissection of the proximal vertebral artery: description of three cases.

We report three cases that reveal an array of etiologic and radiologic findings associated with dissection of the proximal segment of the vertebral arteries. Regardless of etiology, the proximal segment may be the principal site of dissection in these vessels.