Evans and Blandy, Dentists and Men of Mystery in Paris and London in the 19th Century.

This article was originally presented as the annual Orland lecture at the 65th American Academy of the History of Dentistry meeting in London, UK.

Reperfusion of the liver allograft with blue blood: is it still the royal perfusate?

The technique of liver transplantation has become relatively standardized. Although not commonly practiced, arterial reperfusion has been shown in both animal and human trials to offer hemodynamic and functional benefits to liver allograft recipients. Whether this is the result of shortening the time to re-establishing arterial perfusion or an effect of the sequence which the liver is revascularized remains unknown.

Individual susceptibility to Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome and alcoholism-induced cognitive deficit: impaired thiamine utilization found in alcoholics and alcohol abusers.

To investigate mechanisms predisposing to alcoholic brain damage, thiamine (vitamin B1 ), riboflavin (vitamin B2 ) and pyridoxine (vitamin B6 ) status was compared in persistent alcohol misusers (PAM) admitted for detoxification without evidence of significant brain damage, in alcoholics known to have severe chronic brain damage (BDAM), and in age, gender and ethnicity matched controls. Thus, activities of thiamine-dependent transketolase (ETK), riboflavin-dependent glutathione reductase, and pyridoxine-dependent aspartate amino transferase were assayed, together with the enzyme activities following addition of the appropriate co-factor. Twenty per cent of the PAM group had an abnormally low ETK activity and an abnormally high activation ratio, while 45% were abnormal in either one or both parameters.

Community care for stroke patients in the last year of life: results of a national retrospective survey of surviving family, friends and officials.

The quality of community care received in the last year of life by stroke patients and their informal carers is described. This is secondary analysis of data from the Regional Study of Care for the Dying, in which information was collected on a randomly selected sample of people who died in 1990, in 20 self-selected English health districts that were nationally representative in terms of socio-demographic characteristics and health care provision. The respondents comprised 20 spouses, 48 relatives, three friends or neighbours and 40 officials who had known about the last year of life of 111 people who died of stroke, and had spent some time at home (or in a residential or nursing home) in the last year of life.

Type II nitric oxide synthase (NOS2) expression correlates with lymph node status in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

In tumour biology, nitric oxide (NO) has a complex array of concentration-dependent actions, including both inhibitory and promoting effects. It is thought that the levels of NO found in many human cancers lead to enhanced angiogenesis and tumour dissemination. In the current study, we assessed the immunohistochemical expression of the enzyme type II nitric oxide synthase (NOS2) in 41 cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma and correlated the findings with lymph node status.

Exposure to systemic prednisolone for 4 hours reduces ex vivo synthesis of GM-CSF by bronchoalveolar lavage cells and blood mononuclear cells of mild allergic asthmatics.

Background: In acute severe asthma, the earliest clinical effects of glucocorticosteroids occur from 4 to 5 h after systemic administration, but the mechanisms are unclear. In persistent asthma, corticosteroids are thought to suppress airway inflammation by modulating the expression of adhesion molecules, enzymes, and leucotactic cytokines, including granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). GM-CSF is also overexpressed in the airways of symptomatic asthmatics.

Access to and use of out-of-hours services by members of Vietnamese community groups in South London: a focus group study.

Background: Communication difficulties, lack of knowledge of services and the appropriateness of services influence access to health care services by black and ethnic minority groups. These problems may be accentuated outside normal working hours. This may be so particularly for those who do not speak English as a first language, as interpreting services across the UK are extremely limited in the out-of-hours period.

Auditory hallucinations: phenomenology, neuropsychology and neuroimaging update.

Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) are a cardinal feature of psychosis. Recent research is reviewed which has attempted to advance our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying this symptom. Phenomenological surveys have confirmed the importance of the content of such hallucinations and their meaning to the voice-hearer.

The prognostic significance of allelic imbalance at key chromosomal loci in oral cancer.

Forty-eight primary oral squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) were screened for allelic imbalance (AI) at 3p24-26, 3p21, 3p13, 8p21-23, 9p21, 9q22 and within the Rb, p53 and DCC tumour suppressor genes. AI was detected at all TNM stages with stage 4 tumours showing significantly more aberrations than stage 1-3. A factional allelic loss (FAL) score was calculated for all tumours and a high score was associated with development of local recurrence (P = 0.

Can questionnaires replace clinical surveys to assess dental treatment needs of adults?

Objective: The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether questionnaires can be used to replace clinical surveys by comparing normative and perceived caries status and treatment needs in a sample of adults living in East London, UK.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in two stages: a structured interview inquired about perceived dental caries status and treatment needs, and dental examinations were performed to determine oral health status and normative treatment needs. Perceived and normative assessments were compared for overall proportions, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV), using the dental examination as a gold standard.

Specificity of IS6110-based DNA fingerprinting and diagnostic techniques for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex.

Restriction fragment length polymorphism and hybridization of DNA extracted from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, nontuberculous mycobacteria, and nonmycobacterial species with a probe derived from IS6110 confirmed that IS6110 was specific to M. tuberculosis complex. In addition, DNA amplification with IS6110-specific primers yielded a 181-bp fragment only in DNA from M.

A pilot investigation into the neuroendocrine correlates of personality in the workplace.

Pilot data are reported on the relation rate of adaptation to a change in usual patterns of circadian behaviour by personality scores. Personality was defined through scores on the Eysenck Personality Inventory and change in circadian behavior as working a random day shift in a predominately night shift work schedule. The rate of adaptation to change in circadian behavior pattern was recorded by levels of salivary Cortisol for each subject.

Measurement of circulating immunoreactive alpha-atrial natriuretic peptide in human plasma: validation and clinical application.

Recent evidence suggests that plasma alpha-atrial natriuretic peptide (alpha-ANP) may serve as a useful biochemical marker of severe heart failure, as circulating levels become ighly elevated. In the present study, a specific radioimmunoassay (RIA) protocol was adapted and optimised for rapid quantitative measurement of circulating alpha-ANP levels in plasma taken from clinically normal subjects and heart transplant recipients with no evidence of heart failure or heart transplant rejection. The plasma concentration of immunoreactive alpha-ANP in heart transplant recipients (115 +/- 10 pg/ml, n = 14) was significantly higher (p < 0.

The role of natriuretic peptides in cardiovascular disorders and human cardiac allografts (Review).

The human myocardium is composed of a variety of cardiac cell types that synthesise cardioactive factors with autocrine, paracrine and endocrine functions. These cardioactive factors include a family of structurally and functionally related peptides, natriuretic peptides (NPs), that act as cardiovascular cell growth modulatory factors and have significant influence on the regulation of cardiovascular function. The three members of the NP family are atrial natriuretic peptide, brain natriuretic peptide and C-type natriuretic peptide.

Identification of endothelial antigens relevant to transplant coronary artery disease from a human endothelial cell cDNA expression library.

Accelerated transplant coronary artery disease (TxCAD) results in increased expression of antiendothelial antibodies whose target antigens remain largely unidentified. One of these endothelial antigens has been identified as vimentin, a cytoskeletal protein present in cells of the blood vessel walls. In the present study, SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis of human endothelial cell (EAHy 926) lysates probed with sera from a TxCAD patient were used to confirm immunoreactivity of antiendothelial antibodies towards several endothelial proteins.

Inhibition of serum and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta1)-induced DNA synthesis in confluent airway smooth muscle by heparin.

1. Airway remodelling occurs in asthma and involves an increase in airway smooth muscle mass through cell proliferation and hypertrophy. Increased eosinophil density in the airways is a feature of asthma.

The role of theophylline and phosphodiesterase4 isoenzyme inhibitors as anti-inflammatory drugs.

Theophylline has been used for over a century in the treatment of asthma and while it is used principally as a bronchodilator, a number of recent studies have demonstrated potential anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activity. Indeed, regular treatment with low-dose theophylline, affords significant clinical benefit at the expense of unwanted side-effects associated with this drug, including headache and vomiting. The mechanism of action of theophylline is unclear, although a significant body of evidence points to an involvement of phosphodiesterase enzyme inhibition.

Biochemical and genetic studies of Caucasian subjects with ethanol-induced flushing reaction.

The prevalence of ethanol-induced flushing was investigated in three different Caucasian student populations, namely Irish, Belgian and English. Approximately 45% of all female subjects reported a flushing reaction, while 33%, 17% and 9%, respectively, of male students reported this reaction. There was a high familial incidence of flushing in all groups, suggesting that a specific gene defect might be involved.

Issues concerning the development of a competency-based assessment system for dentistry.

The issue of standards of competence and assessment is central to professions. For the dental profession there have been suggestions that a change from overall competence to specific fields of competence would be a more suitable mechanism to assess whether an individual was competent. This paper examines the implications of such proposed changes and highlights several key issues, answers to which need to be provided prior to adopting new proposals.

Allelic imbalance at chromosomal loci implicated in the pathogenesis of oral precancer, cumulative loss and its relationship with progression to cancer.

A microsatellite assay was used to screen 31 potentially malignant oral lesions presenting as leukoplakia and erythroplakia, with histological evidence of dysplasia, for genetic abnormalities at loci which frequently show allelic imbalance when oral squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) are examined. The microsatellite and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) markers selected were at 3p21, 8p21-23, 9p21 and included sequences within the Rb (13q14.2), p53 (17p13.

Predictors of relapse to heavy drinking in alcohol dependent subjects following alcohol detoxification-the role of quality of life measures, ethnicity, social class, cigarette and drug use.

Sixty DSM-IV alcohol dependent adults (39 males, 21 females) admitted to a voluntary sector alcohol detoxification unit in South London were studied. Socio-demographic data and information on level of alcohol dependence, quality of life, family history, cigarette smoking and the use of prescription/illicit drugs were collected. The subjects were followed-up at 12 weeks and subdivided into two groups, relapse and non-relapse.

Quality of life measures in alcohol dependent subjects and changes with abstinence and continued heavy drinking.

This study evaluates the quality of life status of 39 male and 21 female Caucasian subjects admitted to a voluntary sector community alcohol detoxification unit. Baseline data including socio-demographics, severity of alcohol dependence and alcohol problems were collected 4-5 days following admission. In addition, the following measures were obtained: Rotterdam Symptoms Checklist, the Beck Depression Inventory, the General Health Questionnaire 12, Chubon's Life Situation Survey and the Nottingham Health Profile.