Childhood leukaemia in the West Berkshire and Basingstoke and North Hampshire District Health Authorities in relation to nuclear establishments in the vicinity.

During the years 1972-85, 89 children aged 0-14 were registered with leukaemia in the West Berkshire and Basingstoke and North Hampshire District Health Authorities. Two nuclear establishments are located within the health authorities, and a third is situated nearby. Fifty of the 143 electoral wards in the two district health authorities lie wholly within, or have at least half their area lying within, a circle of radius 10 km around the establishments.

A cautionary note on the application of family therapy principles to organizational consultation.

Family therapy principles only partly apply to organizations. Although families and organizations are alike in some ways, they differ in goals, rules for participation, and membership. Family therapists can use organizational consultation to cross-validate systemic theories, increase nonclinical income, and influence organizations.

Lack of effect of deferoxamine, dimethyl sulfoxide, and catalase on monocrotaline pyrrole pulmonary injury.

Monocrotaline pyrrole (MCTP) is a reactive metabolite of the pyrrolizidine alkaloid monocrotaline. MCTP given intravenously to rats causes pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular hypertrophy. Lesions in lungs after MCTP treatment contain macrophages and neutrophils, which may contribute to the damage by generation of reactive oxygen metabolites.

Is diurnal variation a meaningful symptom in unipolar depression?

The present study found that defining groups of patients based on the presence or absence of diurnal variation highlighted several important differences between the two groups. Diurnal patients had longer episodes, better response to treatment, and were less frequently classified as RDC agitated. Within this diurnal population, evening sufferers had more decrease in appetite than morning sufferers.

Effect of a mixed function oxidase inducer and inhibitor on monocrotaline pyrrole pneumotoxicity.

Monocrotaline (MCT) produces vascular injury to the lung, pulmonary hypertension, and right ventricular hypertrophy when injected into rats. It is well established that the pneumotoxicity of MCT depends on its hepatic bioactivation to monocrotaline pyrrole (MCTP) and perhaps other toxic metabolites. To test whether MCTP requires further bioactivation, we synthesized this metabolite chemically, confirmed its structure using fast-atom bombardment-mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance, and injected it into rats previously treated with an inducer or inhibitor of MFOs.

Cancer mortality and type of water source: findings from a study in the UK.

The age-adjusted, sex-specific mortality rates from certain cancers of the digestive system were analysed by type of water source supplied to 238 urban areas in England, Wales and Scotland using weighted multiple regression. Of the types of water source, the per cent supplied from upland rivers best described the pattern in cancer mortality for each cancer site and each sex. After adjustment was made for a number of socioeconomic factors, the regression coefficient for the percentage of upland river supply remained statistically significant only for female stomach cancer and female intestinal cancer.

Stability of total cholesterol, high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides in frozen sera.

When human serum must be stored for extended periods before analysis, conditions must be such that samples give results comparable with those for "fresh" (unstored) samples. In a balanced experiment with statistically pre-determined sample size, we assessed, at three-weekly intervals for 18 weeks, the stability of total cholesterol, high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides in human serum stored at -15 degrees C. No significant changes were observed.

Breast self-examination in an urban population: estimates of prevalence and quality of performance.

Interview data from 434 women (aged greater than or equal to 20 years) in two Wellington suburban areas were used to estimate the prevalence and quality of performance of breast self-examination. Although 98% of women were familiar with breast self-examination, and 73% had performed it at least once, only 39% did so at least monthly. Its practice was significantly more common in the middle years (30-59), among Europeans, and in women with tertiary education.

Effects of sodium cyanate in mice bearing B16 melanoma.

Sodium cyanate injected IP at a dose level of 200 or 250 mg/kg caused a 90% or greater inhibition of the incorporation of [3H]thymidine into DNA of B16 melanoma transplanted SC in mice. Despite the inhibitory effect of sodium cyanate on precursor incorporation into DNA, no significant effect on host survival was observed when sodium cyanate was administered as a single agent in the diet, in drinking water, or by IP injection to mice that had received IP transplants of B16 melanoma. The action of melphalan and 1-(2-chloroethyl)-3-cyclohexyl-1-nitrosourea (CCNU) in prolonging the survival time of melanoma-bearing mice was not enhanced by combined treatment with sodium cyanate.

Neonatal thyroid function: influence of perinatal factors.

Indices of thyroid function were measured in 229 healthy term neonates at birth and at 5, 10, and 15 days of age. Results were analysed to assess whether maternal diabetes mellitus, toxaemia of pregnancy, intrapartum fetal distress, duration of labour, method of delivery, asphyxia at birth, race, sex, birthweight, birth length, head circumference, or method of feeding influenced any index. Thyroxine, the free thyroxine index, and free thyroxine concentrations at birth correlated with birthweight.

Optical performance of a diffraction-limited molded-glass biaspheric lens.

Optical performance results are reported for a molded-glass biaspheric lens. The 6-mm optical diam lens is intended for use in a laser-based optical disk application. The design with fabrication tolerances has an expected on-axis transmitted wave-front performance of 0.

Empathic perceptions of nursing students: self-reported and actual ability.

Clearly, one of the goals of nursing education is to enhance the empathic functioning of nursing students. In this study we examined one major component of empathic functioning--accuracy of empathic perceptions--in both undergraduate (n = 66) and graduate nursing students (n = 50) We predicted that actual ability (Kagan's Affective Sensitivity Scale) and self-perceived ability would vary as a positive function of educational level. The results supported the first prediction, even when the effects of the subjects' age and amount of prior nursing experience were controlled.

A study of mental illness in Asians, West Indians and Africans living in Manchester.

First admission rates have been determined for immigrants living in Manchester. They show that immigrants as a whole had about twice the rate of British-born subjects, but that various subgroups had rates still higher, including those aged 35-44 and Asian women. According to hospital diagnoses the psychiatric conditions responsible for these increased rates are schizophrenia (in all groups) and neuroses and personality disorders (in the Asians).

Relationship between pre-operative anxiety and post-operative state.

Janis (1958) has proposed a curvilinear relationship pre-operative anxiety and post-operative emotional state. While other hypotheses share the prediction of a poor outcome for patients with pre-operative high anxiety, Janis' theory is unique in predicting a poor outcome for those with low anxiety. Subsequent research has failed to confirm Janis' hypotheses, perhaps because the designs have been insensitive to the predictions for low anxiety patients.

A controlled trial of oxypertine in tardive dyskinesia.

A study was undertaken to investigate the effects of oxypertine in treating tardive dyskinesia. The design was double-blind, placebo-controlled, between-patient, in 28 patients from whom previous medication was withdrawn, with 14 patients in each group. Treatment was for 4 weeks.

Hereditary neonatal hyperparathyroidism.

Neonatal hyperparathyroidism usually presents as a "failure to thrive" syndrome. It may be transmitted as an autosomal dominant trait and may involve more than one offspring. We report on two brothers with neonatal primary hyperparathyroidism.