Screening for cancer of the cervix. Program of the Central Region of Portugal

Cervical cancer screening is clearly efficient, as can be proved by a simple comparison of the incidence and mortality rates for this neoplasia before and after the implementation of screening programmes in various countries and regions. The Screening Programme of the Central Region of Portugal is done by the G.P., who collects cytological smears in the Health Centres and sends them to the Cytopathology Laboratory of the Coimbra Cancer Institute (IPO). The IPO not only does the cytological test but also coordinates the programme and is responsible for quality control. To date, 83,173 women have been screened. Although the average participation rate is low (34.5%) some Health Centres have a very high rate, above 90%. The detection rate of pre-malignant lesions by cytology is 4.5%, which falls within the parameters provided by the WHO. The study of these cases confirms the high degree of sensitivity of cytology. For women who were tested a second time, the number of pre-malignant lesions revealed was not significant, so this procedure is more for quality control. When the programme began, only 0.4% of carcinomas were pre-invasive, compared to 42.1% now! Before the programme, only 18.6% of patients were able to be treated surgically, whilst now, 74.4% are able to benefit this way. The main problem continues to be the lack of definitions of the role of the Health Centres in the screening programme.     

Relation between birth weight at term and systolic blood pressure in adolescence

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether birth weight is related to systolic blood pressure during adolescence. DESIGN: Retrospective (comparative) cohort study. The observers who traced and studied the subjects were unaware of their case-control status. SUBJECTS: 330 subjects were born in Cardiff in 1975-7. Cases who were low birth weight at term (< 2500 g) were matched with controls of normal birth weight (3000-3800 g) at term. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Systolic blood pressure measured by random zero sphygmomanometry in the subject's right arm with the subject supine, corrected for size and age. RESULTS: The mean age at examination was 15.7 years. The mean systolic blood pressure of the cases was 105.8 mm Hg and of the controls 107.5 mm Hg. The corrected difference (95% confidence interval) in systolic blood pressure between the cases and controls was 1 mm Hg (-3 to +1 mm Hg; two tailed probability 0.33). CONCLUSION: Systolic blood pressure in adolescents of low birth weight is not significantly different from that of adolescents of normal birth weights.     

Measured energy savings due to photocell control of individual luminaires

The results of a series of measurements into the electrical energy savings achieved by PIR and photocell control of individual fluorescent luminaires are presented. Two versions of the PIR/photocell control system (referred to as ‘intelligent’ luminaires from here on) were tested. The results are compared with estimates of the performance of switchstart and ‘standard’ high frequency fluorescent luminaires.The results show that the original ‘intelligent’ control system installed achieved electrical savings of around 10% when compared to ‘standard’ high frequency fittings. An improved version of the ‘intelligent’ system achieved energy savings averaging around 80% when compared to ‘standard’ high frequency fittings. This latter result is in line with the savings predicted by BRE Digest 272⁽¹⁾ for photoelectric dimming control. The study also showed that these fittings need proper commissioning to return their full potential savings.     

Origin of variable extraction of myosin from myofibrils treated with salt and pyrophosphate

When isolated myofibrils are treated with solutions containing NaCl and pyrophosphate to imitate conditions in meat being cured, considerable dijfirences are observed between myofibrils in the concentration of NaCl required for extraction of the myosin-containing A-band. The diferences in extent of extraction at an intermediate concentration of NaCl are between bundles of myofibrils rather than within them, indicating that the variation derives from differences between muscle fibres. The extraction behaviour is determined by the myosin isoenzyme content of the muscle fibre. Thus, the proportion of myofibrils extracted at an intermediate concentration of NaCl in preparations from various bovine and rabbit muscles reflects the documented proportion of fast-contracting fibres in each muscle. Rabbit M plantaris myofibrils from fast white fibres are extracted in a low concentration of NaCl, whereas those myofibrils containing slow myosin are extracted only in a high Concentration of NaCl. Myofibrils probably from fast red fibres require an intermediate concentration of NaCl for extraction.     

Peptide agonist of the thrombopoietin receptor as potent as the natural cytokine

Two families of small peptides that bind to the human thrombopoietin receptor and compete with the binding of the natural ligand thrombopoietin (TPO) were identified from recombinant peptide libraries. The sequences of these peptides were not found in the primary sequence of TPO. Screening libraries of variants of one of these families under affinity-selective conditions yielded a 14-amino acid peptide (Ile-Glu-Gly-Pro-Thr-Leu-Arg-Gln-Trp-Leu-Ala-Ala-Arg-Ala) with high affinity (dissociation constant approximately 2 nanomolar) that stimulates the proliferation of a TPO-responsive Ba/F3 cell line with a median effective concentration (EC50) of 400 nanomolar. Dimerization of this peptide by a carboxyl-terminal linkage to a lysine branch produced a compound with an EC50 of 100 picomolar, which was equipotent to the 332-amino acid natural cytokine in cell-based assays. The peptide dimer also stimulated the in vitro proliferation and maturation of megakaryocytes from human bone marrow cells and promoted an increase in platelet count when administered to normal mice.