Jacob E. Bearman

Effect of prolonged use of inhaled steroids on the cellular immunity of children with asthma

BACKGROUND Systemic corticosteroids may affect the cellular immunity, but there is no available controlled data on such effects associated with a prolonged use of inhaled corticosteroids. OBJECTIVE The investigation was designed to study the effect of long-term inhaled beclomethasone dipropionate in daily doses of up to 600 micrograms on cellular immune functions. METHODS Twenty-four children with asthma treated with inhaled beclomethasone dipropionate for a mean of 22.6 months were compared with 16 children with asthma not treated with an inhaled steroid and with 20 healthy adults. Cellular immune parameters included differential white blood count, T- and B-cell numbers, T helper and suppressor counts, T-cell mitogenic transformation, and interleukin-1 and interleukin-2 secretion. RESULTS There was no difference in any of the studied cellular immune functions among the three study groups. CONCLUSION Long-term use of inhaled beclomethasone dipropionate by children with asthma, at daily doses of up to 600 micrograms, has no effect on certain parameters of cellular immunity.

Improved outcome of hypothermic infants

Fifty-six hypothermic infants (23 to 34°C), aged four to 113 days, admitted during the winter months over a three-year period are reported. Low weight and malnutrition were frequent findings on admission. One or more severe associated disturbances, including metabolic abnormalities, bleeding tendency, infection, and respiratory failure were observed in most cases. All 56 patients were closely monitored for vital signs and metabolic status. Thirty-eight received conventional slow warming, but 18 of the worst cases received rapid warming. These 18 were among the 24 cases treated in a pediatric intensive care unit. Fourteen of the 56 infants required assisted mechanical ventilation. Fifty-three of 56 infants survived. Of the three who died, none was rapidly warmed, and two of them had severe underlying central nervous system infection. Hypothermia of infancy and the associated disturbances are treatable today, on condition that modern medical facilities are available. It appears that the warming method has been overly stressed

Lipoprotein profile of children with asthma receiving long-term theophylline therapy: a preliminary study.

Lipid profiles were determined in three groups of children: children with asthma receiving long-term therapy with slow-releasing theophylline, children with asthma not treated with theophylline, and a control group of children without asthma. Total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and apolipoprotein A levels and the high-density lipoprotein/low-density lipoprotein ratio were significantly higher among theophylline-treated children. The observed changes do not seem to increase the risks of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease.

Post-exposure rabies prophylaxis: Establishing effectiveness of abbreviated treatments

Several publications have reported recently the apparently successful use of human diploid cell rabies vaccine (HDCV) in volumes of less than the 6 X 1.0 cm3 dosage schedule currently recommended by the World Health Organization for post-exposure rabies prophylaxis. The newer proposed treatments are advocated to economize on an expensive product that may be available rarely in many Third World areas.

Correlation of Peroxidase activity in Human Breast Cancer with Oestradiol and Progesterone Receptors

CONFLICTING data have been published on the relation between progesterone and oestrogen receptors in breast cancer and the presence of peroxidase activity, a marker for oestrogenic activity in uterine and vaginal tissues [l]. Duffy and Duffy [Z] found positive peroxidase activity in 78% of 37 oestrogen receptor-positive tumours. Collings and Savage [3] reported 65% peroxidase-positive tumours among their oestrogen receptor-positive tumours and 71% peroxidase-positive tumours among their oestrogen receptor-negative turnours. On the other hand, Keenan et al. [4] recently reported 24% peroxidasepositive tumours among both oestrogen and progesterone receptor-positive tumours and 57% peroxidase-positive tumours among oestrogen and progesterone receptor-negative tumours. We examined 131 consecutive human breast cancer tissues obtained between 1976 and 1979. Cytosolic oestrogen receptors and progesterone receptors were routinely assayed. Peroxidase activity was assayed in 69 tumours. Biopsy material was received at the pathological laboratory and immediately placed at -70°C. On the day of the assay, usually within 3 weeks of the surgical procedure, the tissues were thawed, weighed and homogenized. Cytosolic oestrogen and progesterone receptors were assayed by the