Blood cells and alcohol consumption with special reference to smoking habits

In the course of the Paris study on risk factors of cardiovascular disease in a large professional group, 7710 active and apparently healthy men aged between 48 and 54 were examined. This study measured the relationship between clinical abnormalities suggesting alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and the following blood parameters: white (WBC) and red (RBC) blood cell counts, haematocrit (H), and mean corpuscular volume (MCV), the former computed as H/RBC ratio. A subsequent analysis was performed on a random sample of 485 subjects without ALD who were questioned on their daily average alcohol consumption. Each subject was classified as ;smoker' or ;non-smoker' according to his daily tobacco consumption for the last five years. Analysis of the data confirmed that smoking and alcohol were related to the blood parameters; but, according to smoking habit, different relationships between alcohol consumption (or ALD) and MCV, RBC, or WBC counts were found: for smokers, RBC count significantly decreased and MCV increased with alcohol consumption (or ALD); for non-smokers, WBC count significantly increased with alcohol consumption (or ALD). So, it would be of interest to consider the relation between alcohol and tobacco in interpreting possible changes in blood parameters and in formulating hypotheses on the mechanisms of their specific action.     

Fifty years of genetic epidemiology, with special reference to Japan

Genetic epidemiology deals with etiology, distribution, and control of disease in groups of relatives and with inherited causes of disease in populations. It took its first steps before its recognition as a discipline, and did not reach its present scope until the Human Genome Project succeeded. The intimate relationship between genetics and epidemiology was discussed by Neel and Schull (1954), just a year after Watson and Crick reported the DNA double helix, and 2 years before human cytogenetics and the Japan Society of Human Genetics were founded. It is convenient to divide the next half-century into three phases. The first of these (1956–1979) was before DNA polymorphisms were typed, and so the focus was on segregation and linkage of major genes, cytogenetics, population studies, and biochemical genetics. The next phase (1980–2001) progressively identified DNA polymorphisms and their application to complex inheritance. The last phase began with a reliable sequence of the human genome (2002), followed by exploration of genomic diversity. Linkage continues to be useful to study recombination and to map major genes, but association mapping gives much greater resolution and enables studies of complex inheritance. The generation now entering human genetics will have collaborative opportunities undreamed of a few years ago, without the independence that led to great advances during the past half-century.     

Bio-energetic profile in 144 boys aged from 6 to 15 years with special reference to sexual maturation

Summary The effects of growth and pubertal development on bio-energetic characteristics were studied in boys aged 6–15 years (n = 144; transverse study). Maximal oxygen consumption (VO_2max, direct method), mechanical power at (VO_2max ( ), maximal anaerobic power (P_max; force-velocity test), mean power in 30-s sprint (P _30s; Wingate test) were evaluated and the ratios between P_max,P _30s and were calculated. Sexual maturation was determined using salivary testosterone as an objective indicator. Normalized for body massVO_2max remained constant from 6 to 15 years (49 ml· min^–1 · kg^–1, SD 6), whilst P_max andP _30s increased from 6–8 to 14–15 years, from 6.2 W · kg^–1, SD 1.1 to 10.8 W · kg^–1, SD 1.4 and from 4.7 W · kg^–1, SD 1.0 to 7.6 W · kg^–1, SD 1.0, respectively, (P < 0.001). The ratio P_max: was 1.7 SD 3.0 at 6–8 years and reached 2.8 SD 0.5 at 14–15 years and the ratioP _30s: changed similarly from 1.3 SD 0.3 to 1.9 SD 0.3. In contrast, the ratio P_max:P _30s remained unchanged (1.4 SD 0.2). Significant relationships (P < 0.001) were observed between P_max (W · kg^–1),P _30s (W · kg^–1), blood lactate concentrations after the Wingate test, and age, height, mass and salivary testosterone concentration. This indicates that growth and maturation have together an important role in the development of anaerobic metabolism.     

Growth of Wroc?aw children aged 0-2 years born in 1964-65 and in 1973-75: longitudinal data

One hundred boys and 100 girls born in Wroc?aw, Poland in 1964-65 and the same number of children born in 1973-75 were measured every month during the first year of life and every three months during the second. The characters investigated were body length and weight, head circumference and Rohrer's index. Generally, it seems that during the decade considered body dimensions in girls have shown slight secular increases while in boys these dimensions have remained stable or have decreased. Consequently, sex differences have decreased. Values of Rohrer's index indicate that children born in the 1970s are slimmer than those born in the 1960s. This particularly concerns girls. It seems that the explanation of these changes should be sought in the lack of improvement of the socio-living conditions and the increase of harmful environmental influences, to which boys may react quicker. With girls, the secular changes may persist for some time, since their reaction to environmental stimuli is slower.     

Surface ultrastructure of human arteries with special reference to the effects of smoking.

The surface ultrastructure of uterine arteries from 20 women was studied with scanning electron microscopy. Specimens were excised and fixed under pressure shortely after removal of the uterus during hysterectomy. Two groups of patients were selected: non-smokers and women who smoked more than 15 cigarettes a day. The prevalence of seven different morphological criteria was evaluated without knowledge of the smoking habits of the patients. Endothelial cells were usually well demarcated and distributed with their length axis paralledl to that of the artery. The cell nucleus was revealed by a gentle bulging into the lumen, and cell borders by the presence of rows of microvilli. Inter- and intracellular holes alon the cell borders were more common in arteries from smokers, whereas microvillie were more common on the cell surfaces of arteries from non-smokers. These differences might be related to cell injury. Previous studies indicate that holes are more frequent in injured than in non-injured cells, whereas the surface of injured cells is often smoother than that of non-injured cells. Therefore, these data may be taken to suggest that smoking can lead to endothelial injury in man.     

The National Study of Health and Growth: nutritional surveillance of primary school children from 1972 to 1981 with special reference to unemployment and social class

The height, weight for height and triceps skinfold of primary school children in England and Scotland in 1972 and 1981 were compared. Children of both sexes aged 5 to 11 years were taller in 1981 than in 1972. The median triceps skinfold and the percentage of children above the 90th centile of the 1972 distribution also increased, more consistently in boys than in girls. Children with fathers who were unemployed at the time of the survey were taller in 1981 than were the corresponding group in 1972. The difference in height between children whose fathers were unemployed and those who were employed was less in 1981 than it was in 1972, significantly in girls and almost significantly in boys. These findings illustrate that this surveillance system in the UK can document changes in the pattern of growth of children over a short period of time.     

Endocardial fibroelastosis in children with special reference to the lesions of cardiac ganglia

In all cases of primary endocardial fibroelastosis investigated diffuse degenerative changes in the ganglion cells were detected. Thickened endocardium was formed by the proliferation of mesenchymal cells located under the endothelial endocardium and of the mesenchyme surrounding the necrobiotic muscle cells. In some cases ;axial' vacuolar degeneration, necrobiosis, and necrosis of muscle cells, interstitial oedema, and dilatation of capillaries and lymphatic spaces were found in the whole myocardium. In all cases these changes were in the subendocardial layer.In the cases discussed morphological changes in the endocardium were seen to be secondary to lesions in myocardial and possibly in neural structures.     

The Second National Growth and Development Survey of Children in China, 1985: children 0 to 7 years

To evaluate the normal physical growth and development of Chinese children and to compare the nutritional status of today with that of ten years ago, a second national cross-sectional growth survey was undertaken in the same urban and suburban rural areas of nine main cities in China in 1985 as in 1975. In this survey 152 874 boys and girls from birth to age 7·0 years were measured for weight, height, sitting height, and chest, head and upper arm circumferences. Compared with the results in 1975, the condition of growth and development of children for both boys and girls from urban or suburban rural areas has been relatively much improved. Average weight and height had increased in the past 10 years by 0·40 kg and 1·8 cm respectively, in 6–7-year-old children. The greater part of the increase in height has been due to increase in leg length. The urban-rural difference in stature has become smaller, as the increase has been greater in rural areas. The data from this survey can be used as a new growth standard for Chinese children.     

Practical evaluation of the Figlu test in pregnancy with special reference to the white cell changes

Using slight modifications to the method of Kohn, Mollin, and Rosenbach (1961) the histidine loading test has been carried out in 210 pregnant women. Seventy per cent. of the cases showed complete haematological correlation and this rose to 87% when marrow puncture was performed. False positive results occurred in some cases showing active erythropoiesis in response to iron therapy. False negative results were noted when other complications in addition to anaemia were present, and it was felt that these might interfere with the metabolism of histidine. In some cases the histidine test anticipated the haematological change.     

Growth performance of Punjabi children aged 6-12 years

The study aims at evaluating the growth performance of primary school children of Patiala (Punjab, India) belonging to lower and lower middle socio-economic groups, with special emphasis on the effects of social class and urbanization. Cross-sectional data on 1380 children (656 boys and 724 girls) ranging in age from 6 to 12 years were collected during 1974. Dimensions measured were height, weight, circumferences of chest and upper arm, triceps, subscapular and suprailiac skinfolds. Standard techniques (Weiner and Lourie 1969) were followed for taking these measurements. The boys are significantly taller and heavier than the girls, whereas the girls possess significantly more amounts of subcutaneous tissue, from 6 to 12 years. The Punjabi children are taller than the combined Indian sample. On average, the children of the present study are smaller in size and lighter in body weight than the British children and fall between the 3rd and 25th centiles of the British standards. Children belonging to lower and lower-middle socio-economic classes are significantly lighter in body weight and smaller in height than their coevals of higher groups. The urban boys are taller and heavier than their rural peers, however, the differences are not as marked and clear as those of socio-economic groups.     

Studies on the pathogenicity of classical enteropathogenic Escherichia coli strains isolated from acute diarrhoea among children 0-5 years of age

The mechanisms of pathogenicity in EPEC strains were studied in tissue culture. Escherichia coli was isolated as the predominant organism in the primary culture of 1293 (70.54%) diarrhoeal cases. 284 (90.44%) cases from the age group of 1-6 months showed Escherichia coli as the predominant organism. Classical Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) were detected in 311 (24.05%) cases. Among EPEC isolates 277 (89.06%) did not produce either LT or ST. 32 (10.28%) produced LT or ST. 2 strains produced verotoxins belong to serotypes 0:86; K:61, 0.26; K:60, serogroups 0.86:K61 0142:K86, 0:128:K67, 0 126: 71, 0125:K 70, 0119: k69 showed localised adherence and serogroups 0111:K58-055:K59 showed both localised and diffused adherence to HeLa cells.     

Studies on the pathogenicity of classical enteropathogenic Escherichia coli strains isolated from acute diarrhoea among children 0-5 years of age

The mechanisms of pathogenicity in EPEC strains were studied in tissue culture. Escherichia coli was isolated as the predominant organism in the primary culture of 1293 (70.54%) diarrhoeal cases. 284 (90.44%) cases from the age group of 1-6 months showed Escherichia coli as the predominant organism. Classical Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli) were detected in 311 (24.05%) cases. Among EPEC isolates 277 (89.06%) did not produce either LT or ST 32(10.28%) produced LT or ST. 2 strains produced verotoxins belong to serotypes 0:86; K:61, 0:26; K:60, sero groups 0.86 :K:61, 0.142:K 86, 0.128:K 67, 0.126:K 71, 0125:K 70 0119:K69 showed localised adherence and serogroups 0111:K58-055:K59 showed both localised and diffused adherence to HeLa cells.