Christmas Market Facing Problems

Christmas is a festival in European and American countries,therefore.it will bring a lot of profit for the manufactories which produce the decorations and gifts especially for the Christmas.However,with the spread of the financial crisis,the Christmas industry has undergone a recession period.and the profit has become little and little.The thesis will analyze the problems based on a real case study-Happy Christmas Company.     

Unilateral phrenic nerve paralysis from cutting down a Christmas tree

Stretch injury to the phrenic nerve is an unusual cause of unilateral diaphragmatic paralysis. In this case the injury occurred while the patient was lying on the ground and cutting down a Christmas tree with a hand saw.     

Christmas candy maker's asthma. IgG4-mediated pectin allergy

We evaluated a 29-year-old candy maker with no history of asthma who developed asthma after exposure to pectin, a compound manufactured from fruits and fruit rinds. Following eight years of employment during which he added pectin to a recipe for Christmas candies, the candymaker developed acute respiratory symptoms. Challenge testing with the pectin mixture caused a 40 percent decrease in FEV1. Skin prick testing was positive to the pectin extract. Total IgE was normal and pectin-specific IgE antibodies were not detected. A strongly positive pectin-specific IgG4 antibody response was present that was not detected in a control serum and could be inhibited by the addition of pectin. Antigen-specific IgG4 should be sought in IgE negative cases of occupational asthma.     

Malaria at Christmas: risks of prophylaxis versus risks of malaria

A large increase in the number of falciparum malaria cases imported into the UK was reported to the malaria reference laboratory in the first quarter of 1998. Contributory factors were unusually heavy rains in east Africa and a reduction in the use of the most effective antimalarial drug, mefloquine. There was also an increase in the number of cases of severe malaria in the UK. During December 1997 and January 1998, the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, London, treated 5 patients for severe malaria and gave advice on 20 more patients with malaria who had been admitted to intensive care units throughout England. 4 of the severe cases treated at the hospital are reported. In 3 of those 4 cases, incorrect, misleading, or inadequate advice was given by health care professionals. Media coverage of the adverse effects of antimalarial drugs has contributed to confusion about prophylactic regimens among both health care professionals and the public. The incidence of falciparum malaria among travellers who do not take prophylactic drugs is about 0.6% in east Africa and 3.5% in west Africa over a 2-week travel period. Travellers need to take measures to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes and should be taught to promptly seek medical help if they develop a fever while abroad or after they return. Moreover, using any one of the recommended prophylactic regimens is better than not using a potent regimen or no prophylaxis at all. Mefloquine is 90% protective against malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. While the efficacy of proguanil and chloroquine in 1987 was about 70% in west Africa and 50% in east Africa, those levels are now probably lower. The side effects of antimalarial drugs are discussed.     

Christmas and mortality: Death dip, no; death rise, yes.

Research interest in the area of death and dying has recently been focused on the timing of death in connection with certain events. In the present study, we explored the death-dip/death-rise phenomenon. Specifically, we analyzed patterns of mortality around Christmas. Using day and week as the unit of analysis, we analyzed almost 300,000 deaths from natural causes recorded in Ohio from 1979 to 1981. The data supported the death-rise after Christmas but did not support the death-dip prior to Christmas. This pattern was observed when controlling for sex, race, marital status, age, cause of death, and death year (i.e., 1979, 1980, or 1981). In addition, we examined the average daily temperatures for the analyzed period to rule out the influence of seasonal variation on the timing of death. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Purification and characterization of an abnormal factor IX (Christmas factor) molecule. Factor IX Chapel Hill

Human Factor IX (Christmas factor) was isolated from the plasma of a patient with mild hemophilia B. The patient's plasma contained 5% Factor IX clotting activity but 100% Factor IX antigenic activity as determined by immunological assays, which included inhibitor neutralization and a radioimmunoassay for Factor IX. This abnormal Factor IX is called Factor IX Chapel Hill (Factor IXCH). Both normal Factor IX and Factor IXCH have tyrosine as the NH2-terminal amino acid. The two proteins have a similar molecular weight, a similar amino acid analysis, the same number of gamma-carboxyglutamic acid residues (10 gamma-carboxyglutamic acid residues), and a similar carbohydrate content. Both exist as a single-chain glycoprotein in plasma. The major difference between normal Factor IX and Factor IXCH is that the latter exhibits delayed activation to Factor IXa in the presence of Factor XIa and Ca2+. Thus, Factor IXCH differs from other previously described abnormal Factor IX molecules.     

A comparison of human prothrombin, factor IX (Christmas factor), factor X (Stuart factor), and protein S

Human prothrombin, factor IX, and factor X have been idolated in high yield and characterized as the their amino-terminal sequence, molecular weight, amino acid composition, and migration in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. An additional human plasma protein, called protein S, has also been purified and its properties have been compared with those of prothrombin, factor IX, and factor X. Prothrombin (mol wt 72 000), factor IX (mol wt 57 000), and protein S (mol wt 69 000) are single-chain glycoproteins, while factor X (mol wt 59 000) is a glycoprotein composed of two polypeptide chains held together by a disulfide bond(s). The amino-terminal sequence of the light chain of human factor X is homologous with prothrombin, factor IX, and protein S. The heavy chain of human factor X is slightly larger than the heavy chain of bovine factor X and differs from bovine factor X in its amino-terminal sequence.