Orthodontic extractions: a comparative study of inhalation sedation and general anaesthesia.

Objective: To compare directly inhalation sedation and general anaesthesia in terms of treatment success rate, various aspects of morbidity and time taken, when used for patients having orthodontic extractions.

Design: Patients requiring orthodontic extractions were treated with either inhalation sedation or general anaesthesia. The two groups were matched for age, sex, number of teeth extracted and pre-operative anxiety.

Deeply Penetrating Banded Zonal Flows in the Solar Convection Zone.

Helioseismic observations have detected small temporal variations of the rotation rate below the solar surface that correspond to the so-called "torsional oscillations" known from Doppler measurements of the surface. These appear as bands of slower- and faster-than-average rotation moving equatorward. Here we establish, using complementary helioseismic observations over 4 yr from the GONG network and from the MDI instrument on board SOHO, that the banded flows are not merely a near-surface phenomenon: rather, they extend downward at least 60 Mm (some 8% of the total solar radius) and thus are evident over a significant fraction of the nearly 200 Mm depth of the solar convection zone.

Dynamic variations at the base of the solar convection zone.

We have detected changes in the rotation of the sun near the base of its convective envelope, including a prominent variation with a period of 1.3 years at low latitudes. Such helioseismic probing of the deep solar interior has been enabled by nearly continuous observation of its oscillation modes with two complementary experiments.

Benefit of intensified treatment for all children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: results from MRC UKALL XI and MRC ALL97 randomised trials. UK Medical Research Council's Working Party on Childhood Leukaemia.

Treatment of children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) aims to cure all patients with as little toxicity as possible and, if possible, to restrict further intensification of chemotherapy to patients with an increased risk of relapse. However in Medical Research Council (MRC) trial UKALL X two short myeloablative blocks of intensification therapy given at weeks 5 and 20 were of benefit to children in all risk groups. The successor trials, MRC UKALL XI and MRC ALL97, tested whether further intensification would continue to benefit all patients by randomising them to receive, or not, an extended third intensification block at week 35.

BAC trimming: minimizing clone overlaps.

Bacterial vectors containing large inserts of genomic DNA are now the standard substrates for large-scale genomic sequencing. Long overlaps between some clones lead to considerable redundant effort. A method for deleting defined regions from bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) inserts, using homologous recombination, was applied to minimize the overlap between successive BAC clones.

The epidemiology of rabies in Zimbabwe. 2. Rabies in jackals (Canis adustus and Canis mesomelas).

The epidemiology of rabies in Canis adustus (the side-striped jackal) and Canis mesomelas (the black-backed jackal) in Zimbabwe is described using data collected from 1950-1996. Cases in the two species made up 25.2% of all confirmed cases, second only to domestic dogs.

The epidemiology of rabies in Zimbabwe. 1. Rabies in dogs (Canis familiaris).

The epidemiology of rabies in dogs in Zimbabwe is described using data from 1950, when rabies was re-introduced after a 37-year absence, to 1996. Dogs constituted 45.7% of all laboratory-confirmed rabies cases and were the species most frequently diagnosed with the disease.

Local low-dose IL-2 therapy.

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a powerful drug for treating cancer. However, it is only powerful if it is properly applied. That is, IL-2 should be applied at the tumor site, because at the transition of normal and malignant tissue are the tumor infiltrating cells.

Independent occurrence of the novel Arg2163 to His mutation in the factor VIII gene in three unrelated families with haemophila A with different phenotypes. Mutations in brief no. 126. Online.

Using chemical mismatch analysis or denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis followed by nucleotide sequencing, we have identified the same G6545A mutation leading to an Arg2163 His subsitution in the factor VIII gene of three haemophiliacs from unrelated families. One of the affected individuals has severe haemophilia, while the other two are moderately severe. While we cannot exclude the possibility that these differences in phenotype arise from differences in VIII:C assay methods, other studies have also identified different clinical phenotypes in individuals with the same mutations, and suggested that they may arise from extragenic factors that affect or modify gene expression or protein function.

Bizarre parosteal osteochondromatous proliferation in the anterior maxilla: report of a case.

Bizarre parosteal osteochondromatous proliferations are a rare subgroup of the osteochondromatous lesions. They must be differentiated from reactive osteochondromatous proliferations, low grade parosteal osteogenic sarcoma, and chondrosarcoma. Their recognition is important from the point of view of management, which should be by simple excision.

Food consumption patterns of Inuit women.

To evaluate nutrient intake and food consumption patterns of Inuit women of child-bearing age, a 24-hour diet recall and general health and food frequency questionnaire was administered to 688 Inuit women aged 15-44 in six isolated communities. Data were analyzed using the 1991 Canadian Nutrient File. Mean intakes of essential nutrients were expressed as percentages of Health Canada's 1990 Recommended Nutrient Intakes (RNI).

Food affordability in air stage communities.

In 1991 and 1992, changes were made to the rate structure and eligibility requirements of the Northern Air Stage Program. To determine the effect of these changes on the affordability of a nutritious diet, food price surveys were conducted in 20 isolated communities, staging points, and selected southern cities and used to cost a 46-item Northern Nutritious Food Basket (NFB), which meets the nutrient requirements of a reference family of four. Food affordability was calculated as the percentage of "after-shelter" social assistance income required to purchase the NFB.

Food mail: the Canadian alternative to food stamps.

Purpose: To describe the impact of a selective transportation subsidy on food costs in isolated communities in Northern Canada, and the government's proposal to refine the "food mail" program to promote better nutrition.

Method: The cost of various components of a Northern Food Basket has been monitored since 1990. An assessment of the probable impact and acceptability of program refinements was made through surveys of merchants and health and social service providers and focus group sessions.

A clinical guide to the endodontic treatment of non-vital immature permanent teeth.

A meticulous clinical technique is required for the successful endodontic treatment of non-vital immature permanent incisors. This paper describes the clinical procedures used to produce a hard tissue barrier in the open apex against which a gutta percha and zinc oxide-eugenol root filling is condensed.

Efficacy of SAG-2 oral rabies vaccine in two species of jackal (Canis adustus and Canis mesomelas).

Trials were carried out to test the efficacy of SAG-2 oral rabies vaccine in two species of jackals, namely the side-striped jackal (C. adustus) and the black-backed jackal (C. mesomelas).

An encyclopedia of mouse genes.

The laboratory mouse is the premier model system for studies of mammalian development due to the powerful classical genetic analysis possible (see also the Jackson Laboratory web site, http://www.jax.org/) and the ever-expanding collection of molecular tools.

Theoretical and experimental tests of a chromosomal fingerprint for densely ionizing radiation based on F ratios calculated from stable and unstable chromosome aberrations.

In the present study, F ratios for both stable chromosome aberrations, i.e. ratios of translocations to pericentric inversions, and unstable aberrations, i.

Pediatric oncology and hematology in Birmingham, England.

The hematology and oncology service at Birmingham Children's Hospital was established in the late 1960s and now is one of the largest in the United Kingdom. It provides comprehensive care for the entire range of childhood malignancies, coagulation disorders, and hemoglobinopathies and other hematological disorders, and undertakes bone marrow transplant and megatherapy/peripheral blood stem cell procedures. Research includes clinical trials of treatments of childhood cancers; molecular biology studies on leukemia, Hodgkin's disease, neuroblastoma, and sarconas; childhood cancer epidemiology, and geographical and racial incidence; and treatment of hemophilia and molecular investigation of coagulation disorders.

A repeated criterion-based audit of radiographic usage by a paediatric dentistry unit.

Aims: To report a simple clinical audit which was conducted within a single hospital paediatric dental unit and to demonstrate the potential value of such small-scale projects.

Design: A criterion-based audit of radiographic practice which was repeated after 3 years in order to evaluate changes.

Setting: Six 1 hour meetings of an audit group consisting of the staff and postgraduate students of the Unit.

The use of tailed octamer primers for cycle sequencing.

Studies have been carried out on the use of octamer oligonucleotides tailed with different base analogues as primers in cycle sequencing reactions. 5-Nitroindole tails improved the performance as primers of a number of octamers. A tail length of three or four 5-nitroindole residues significantly increased the sequencing signal intensity for almost all primers.

Use of 5-nitroindole-2'-deoxyribose-5'-triphosphate for labelling and detection of oligonucleotides.

The 5'-triphosphate of 5-nitroindole-2'-deoxyriboside has been shown to be a good substrate for terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT). An antibody has been prepared for the detection of 5-nitroindole and has been used for the detection of 5-nitroindole tailed DNA both in single-stranded form and after hybridisation to a template. This is therefore a new method for the detection of nucleic acid probes.

In vivo activities of GroEL minichaperones.

Fragments encompassing the apical domain of GroEL, called minichaperones, facilitate the refolding of several proteins in vitro without requiring GroES, ATP, or the cage-like structure of multimeric GroEL. We have identified the smallest minichaperone that is active in vitro in chaperoning the refolding of rhodanese and cyclophilin A: GroEL(193-335). This finding raises the question of whether the minichaperones are active under more stringent conditions in vivo.

Analysis of the immunophenotype of children treated on the Medical Research Council United Kingdom Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia Trial XI (MRC UKALLXI). Medical Research Council Childhood Leukaemia Working Party.

Despite many years of meticulous immunophenotyping of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) cases the prognostic significance of some subtypes remains unclear. The Medical Research Council UKALLXI trial (1990-1996) in which uniform treatment has been given to 2090 children with ALL below the age of 18 years and above the age of 1 year, has afforded the opportunity to review these issues. Children with ALL of mature B cell type were not entered into this trial.

Plasma levels of von Willebrand factor antigen in acute bronchitis and in a normal population.

von Willebrand factor (vWF) is a large glycoprotein secreted predominantly by endothelial cells in both the systemic and pulmonary circulations and has a central role in the formation of the platelet plug. It has been put forward as a possible marker of endothelial cell injury, but is not ideal in that it is not specific for either the pulmonary or systemic circulation and may be released as part of the acute phase response from otherwise healthy endothelial cells. We undertook two studies (i) to assess within-subject to assess within-subject variation in plasma von Willebrand factor antigen (vWF:Ag) levels over time and to assess between-subject variation in a healthy patient population, and (ii) as part of a descriptive study of acute bronchitis, to assess whether plasma vWF:Ag levels altered in such a common and minor insult.