Longitudinal bone mineral density changes in early rheumatoid arthritis

A prospective longitudinal study of patients with early RA was performed to examine the influence of disease duration, disease activity and physical activity on bone loss. Sixty-seven patients with non-steroid treated RA of less than 5 yr duration, including 16 patients with disease duration less than 6 months, had BMD measurements of the femoral neck and the lumbar spine over a 12-month period using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. The BMD changes were compared with values from 72 control patients and were also correlated with serial measurements of disease activity (measured by the Stoke Index) and disability [measured by the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) score], at 3-monthly intervals over the 12-month period. No significant differences in BMD changes were found between RA patients and controls overall. Patients with disease duration of less than 6 months had significantly greater loss of BMD at the femoral neck (-3.9%, S.E.M. 1.5) than the remainder of the cohort (-0.2%, S.E.M. 0.7) (P = 0.02) and controls (-0.8%, S.E.M. 0.6). Lumbar spine BMD changes correlated with the initial Stoke Index (Rs-0.373, P = 0.01) but not mean Stoke Indices. There was no correlation of BMD changes with age or HAQ scores. These findings suggest that significant bone loss occurs within the first few months of disease in patients with RA.     

A multidistrict audit on the management of Chlamydia trachomatis in genitourinary medicine clinics in Yorkshire

Although there have been recent molecular biological studies for evidence of possible changes in trypanosome biochemistry, such studies are not yet complemented by parallel clinical studies to determine the possible implications to the sleeping sickness patient. The study of the duration of symptoms and the case fatality of T. b. rhodesiense showed that the disease progressed to the stage of central nervous system involvement between three weeks to two months of infection. Most (> 80%) deaths occurred within six months of illness. The case fatality rate of treated sleeping sickness patients was 6% of which the rate in the late-stage of sleeping sickness was more than two and a half times that in the early stage. The incidence of melarsoprol encephalopathy was 2.5% and case fatality due to this condition was 1.0% and similar to previous findings. Thus it appears the virulence of T. b. rhodesiense circulating in south east Uganda has not changed during the past decades.     

Effects of pramipexole on contraversive rotation and functional motor impairments in 1-methyl-4-phenyl1,2,3, 6-tetrahydropyridine-induced chronic hemiparkinsonian monkeys

Rotational and functional motor behavioral changes were studied in five MPTP lesioned chronic hemiparkinsonian Macaca nemestrina monkeys after i.m. pramipexole, a predominant D2 subfamily agonist. Pramipexole induced contraversive rotations in a dose-dependent manner with an optimal dose of 56 microg/kg for approximately 2 to 4 hr after injection. Three different rating scales were used to determine drug-induced functional improvement. They included a monkey parkinsonism rating scale, volitional responses to fruit presentations, and number of hand movements that appeared volitional. A dose of 56 microg/kg of pramipexole produced functional improvements on hand disability, and on a parkinsonian rating scale for monkeys in a dose-dependent manner from 32 to 100 microg/kg. These doses produced an increase in significant hand movements in the affected (contralateral) as well as in the normal (ipsilateral) hand to the side of the brain lesion compared with 5% dextrose in water vehicle control. With a dose of 100 microg/kg, the therapeutic effects of pramipexole on hand movements were less than with 56 microg/kg, due to side effects such as scratching.     

Biology of chronic radiation effect on tissues and wound healing

Radiation therapy exerts both acute and chronic effects on normal tissue included within treatment fields. The physics of radiation therapy and treatment techniques to minimize deleterious effects of radiation are presented. Management of radiation-damaged skin is discussed. Radiation effect on tissue, wound healing, and tumorigenesis also are reviewed.     

Detection of anti-HIV-1 IgG antibodies in whole saliva by GACELISA and Western blot assays

The present study, based on 158 HIV seropositives and 167 HIV seronegatives, demonstrates that saliva collected with the Omni-SAL device and tested with GACELISA (an IgG antibody capture ELISA) is an effective non-invasive alternative to serum for anti-HIV IgG antibody screening. The study also shows that a conventional serum Western blot kit can be used, with slight modifications, for confirmatory testing of saliva specimens. Collecting saliva with the Omni-SAL device had a very good acceptance rate among Tanzanian subjects, and although this diagnostic method is not yet known by the general public, 65% of the study participants preferred to give saliva instead of blood for HIV testing.     

A comparison of theoretical and empirical reflection coefficientsfor typical exterior wall surfaces in a mobile radio environment

This paper presents microwave reflection coefficient measurements at 1.9 GHz and 4.0 GHz for a variety of typical smooth and rough exterior building surfaces. The measured test surfaces include walls composed of limestone blocks, glass, and brick. Reflection coefficients were measured by resolving individual reflected signal components temporally and spatially, using a spread-spectrum sliding correlation system with directional antennas. Measured reflection coefficients are compared to theoretical Fresnel reflection coefficients, applying Gaussian rough surface scattering corrections where applicable. Comparisons of theoretical calculations and measured test cases reveal that Fresnel reflection coefficients adequately predict the reflective properties of the glass and brick wall surfaces. The rough limestone block wall reflection measurements are shown to be bounded by the predictions using the Fresnel reflection coefficients for a smooth surface and the modified reflection coefficients using the Gaussian rough surface correction factors. A simple, but effective, reflection model for rough surfaces is proposed, which is in good agreement with propagation measurements at 1.9 GHz and 4 GHz for both vertical and horizontal antenna polarizations. These reflection coefficient models can be directly applied to the estimation of multipath signal strength in ray tracing algorithms for propagation prediction