Effect of time and day of admission on hospital care quality for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation in England and Wales: single cohort study.

Objective: To evaluate if observed increased weekend mortality was associated with poorer quality of care for patients admitted to hospital with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation.

Design: Prospective case ascertainment cohort study.

Setting: 199 acute hospitals in England and Wales, UK.

Optimising prescription and titration of oxygen for adult inpatients using novel silicone wristbands: results of a pilot project at three centres.

Oxygen is the most commonly used drug in the acute hospital setting. Oxygen can be lifesaving but there is increasing evidence that it can cause harm if it is not given correctly. Prescription of oxygen, according to target saturations, has been advocated since 2008 but compliance remains at low levels.

Matrix metalloproteinase-12 (MMP-12) SNP affects MMP activity, lung macrophage infiltration and protects against emphysema in COPD.

Background: Recent genetic and animal studies have implicated matrix metalloproteinase-12 (MMP-12) in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It has previously been shown that individuals homozygous for the A/A allele of rs652438 in MMP-12 are over-represented among patients with severe COPD (n=1517). A study was undertaken to examine the functional basis of these findings.

MMP-9 protein level does not reflect overall MMP activity in the airways of patients with COPD.

Background: Animal and human studies have implicated an imbalance of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases (TIMPs) in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). MMP-9 protein is increased in COPD and we hypothesized that total MMP activity would be raised although this has not previously been measured.

Methods: Using fluorescence and biotin labelled MMP assays, RT-PCR, western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay we examined total MMP activity, specific gelatinase, elastase, collagenase activity, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 in induced sputum from smokers with COPD and smokers without COPD.

Evaluation of the medication sketch artist, a new method of determining unknown patient medications.

Medication errors are responsible for a significant number of hospital admissions, and significant morbidity and mortality. Many of these errors result from differences in physicians' and patients' understanding of medications. Health care providers think in terms of medication name and dose, however patients remember size, shape, and markings of their medications more frequently than the names.

Fas expression and function in normal and malignant breast cell lines.

Expression and function of the Fas apoptotic pathway was investigated in normal and malignant human breast epithelial cells. Nontransformed mammary epithelial cell lines all expressed high levels of Fas mRNA and protein, but only one of seven breast cancer cell lines (T47D) expressed high levels of Fas. Apoptosis was induced in the nontransformed lines when they were incubated with the anti-Fas antibody.

The protein tyrosine phosphatase DEP-1 is induced during differentiation and inhibits growth of breast cancer cells.

Sodium butyrate-induced differentiation of breast cancer cell lines was used to identify protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) involved in differentiation and growth inhibition of breast cancer cells. Of 42 PTPs analyzed, 31 were expressed in the ZR75-1 breast cancer cell line. Expression of four PTPs (DEP-1, SAP, PTP gamma, and PAC) was regulated in ZR75-1 cells undergoing differentiation.

Postoperative radiotherapy for locally advanced colon cancer.

Background: The role of adjuvant postoperative radiotherapy for locally advanced colon cancer is not well documented.

Methods: Seventy-eight patients who underwent a complete resection of B2-C colon cancer received postoperative radiotherapy. Twenty-eight patients received < or = 45 Gy; 50 patients received 50-55 Gy.

A technique for postoperative irradiation of carcinomas of the larynx and hypopharynx.

Postoperative radiation is commonly employed for advanced lesions of the larynx and hypopharynx which have undergone a laryngectomy. It is technically difficult to achieve a homogeneous distribution of irradiation throughout the treatment volume because of the marked variation in contour across the treated area. We have described a technique which employs a 15 degrees lateral kick-out of the treatment table and a 15 degrees gantry angle above the horizontal for each of two lateral fields.

Stage IB or IIA-B carcinoma of the intact uterine cervix treated with irradiation: a multivariate analysis.

Although treatment results for Stage IB-IIA-B carcinoma of the cervix are generally stratified only by stage, several authors have found that other parameters such as tumor size, patient age, histology, and pretreatment hematocrit may influence pelvic control and/or survival. This is an analysis of 306 patients with carcinoma of the cervix treated with irradiation alone at the University of Florida between October 1964 and June 1984. Results were analyzed for the end points of pelvic control, distant metastasis, relapse-free survival, and overall survival.

Odontoid fractures treated by anterior odontoid screw fixation.

While odontoid fractures are common injuries, disagreement exists regarding treatment. Some authors claim a high rate of pseudoarthrosis and have therefore recommended early posterior fixation and fusion. This, however, results in decreased cervical rotation.

Carbohydrate metabolism and capillary basement-membrane thickness in children. II. Longitudinal studies.

Longitudinal biochemical and histologic studies were carried out in 11 children receiving oral hypoglycemic agents. There were five "suspected" diabetics (with evidence of glucose intolerance but without repeated fasting hyperglycemia) and six diabetics. Mean fasting plasma glucose (FPG) values showed no significant change during treatment with phenformin alone.

Carbohydrate metabolism and capillary basement-membrane thickness in children. I. cross-sectional studies.

Thirty-nine children from three to 16 years of age were included in this study. Nineteen were diabetics, seven were "suspected" diabetics (with evidence of glucose intolerance but without repeated fasting hyperglycemia), and 13 were controls. Mean glucose disappearance rates (K) during intravenous glucose tolerance tests (IVGTTs) were 2.