Rooibos tea may prevent DNA damage and inflammation by its anti-oxidative activity in vivo. As Rooibos tea is free from caffeine, routine intake may be safe and useful in reducing oxidative stress in children.
SummaryTo evaluate the immunological development of preterm infants, especially in early infancy, we examined the serum cytokine levels and the expression of Th2 and Th1 chemokine receptors, CCR4 and CCR5, on days 0, 14 and 28 in 16 low birth weight infants (1720·38 ± ± ± ± 502·80 g) born at less than 37 (33·63 ± ± ± ± 3·29) weeks of gestation. Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), serum interleukin (IL)-4 levels exhibited an increase on day 14, but decreased to the initial level on day 28 ( P < < < < 0·05). The significant elevation of serum transforming growth factor (TGF)-b b b b levels was confirmed on day 14 ( P < < < < 0·05) but decreased to the initial level on day 28 ( P < < < < 0·05). The expression of CCR4 and CCR5 were examined using reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and flow cytometric analysis. The RT-PCR confirmed the expression of CCR5-mRNA soon after birth, while there was no expression of CCR4-mRNA. Thereafter, the expression of CCR4-mRNA increased significantly and reached the level of CCR5-mRNA expression on day 28 ( P < < < < 0·05). Flow cytometric analysis, however, revealed that the expression levels of both CCR4 and CCR5 were low at birth. Thus, CCR4
Key wordsconvulsions, exanthem subitum, human herpesvirus 6, hyponatremia, syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion.Many causes of syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) have been reported, 1 but reports of SIADH associated with exanthem subitum are rare. Here, we report two cases of exanthem subitum complicated by SIADH. Case 1An 11-month-old male with no atypical family or perinatal medical history was referred to Urayasu-Ichikawa Shimin Hospital, Urayasu-shi, Japan, because of a generalized clonic convulsion lasting for 30 min and clouding of consciousness on the third day of a persistent fever. On the day of hospital admission, skin turgor and blood pressure were normal. Laboratory examinations revealed a decreased level of serum sodium (124 mEq/L) and the inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone (plasma osmolality, 256 mOsm/kg H 2 O, serum antidiuretic hormone (ADH), 1.66 pg/mL (normal range, 0.3-4.2 pg/mL) and urinary osmolality, 526 mOsm/kg H 2 O). Urinary sodium excretion continued despite hyponatremia; the patient did not exhibit any weight loss. Based on the above findings, a diagnosis of SIADH was made. Human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) DNA sequences were not detected and no cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) abnormalities were found. After 10 h of restricted fluid intake, the patient's serum sodium concentration was 133 mEq/L; on the following days, the serum sodium concentration reached 141-144 mEq/L. The plasma osmolality was 287 mOsm/kg H 2 O, and the urine osmolality improved to 372 mOsm/kg H 2 O. On the fifth day of his illness, his fever resolved and a generalized maculopapular rash appeared on his trunk. The HHV-6 antibody IgM and IgG titers were 1 : 10 on the seventh day of illness and, 1 month later, an IgG titer of 1 : 640 was detected. He recovered without developing sequelae. Case 2A 15-month-old female was referred to our hospital because of seven episodes of 10-min long generalized tonic clonic convulsions occurring within 6 h and a clouding of consciousness on the third day of a persistent fever. On the day of hospital admission, her skin turgor and blood pressure were normal. Her serum sodium level was 114 mEq/L, and an inappropriately elevated level of ADH (plasma osmolality, 230 mOsm/kg H 2 O; serum ADH, 30 pg/mL; urinary osmolality, 576 mOsm/kg H 2 O) was observed. After 24 h of restricted fluid intake, the patient's serum sodium concentration increased to 139 mEq/L and her level of consciousness improved. On the fifth day of her illness, fever resolved and a generalized maculopapular rash appeared on her trunk. Exanthem subitum was clinically confirmed, and the patient recovered without developing sequelae.Only three previous reports of SIADH associated with exanthem subitum induced by an HHV-6 infection have been made, and all of these cases were reported in Japan. 2-4 These reports are summarized in Table 1. All of the cases exhibited a prolonged seizure or repeated episodes of convulsions with a disorder of consciousness lasting until the nor...
Methanol extract of three Nigerian medicinal plants were screened for antimicrobial activity using modified KirbyBauer disc diffusion and agar dilution techniques to determine the diameters of zone of inhibition and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the extracts respectively. The extract of each of the plants were tested against five clinical bacterial isolates comprising of two Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus) and three Gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia) organisms. All the extracts exhibited moderate to high level of antimicrobial activities against these microorganisms. Phytochemical screening of powdered plant material revealed the presence of some secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, saponins, tannins, anthraquinones and flavonoids. These Nigerian medicinal plants could be developed into cheap, safe and culturally acceptable standardized herbal products and may serve as a source of new molecules for broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents.
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