The role of respiratory viruses in cystic fibrosis.

Background: Previous studies have suggested a role played by respiratory viruses in the exacerbation of cystic fibrosis (CF). However, the impact of respiratory viruses could have been underestimated because of the low detection rate by conventional laboratory methods.

Methods: Children with CF had nasal swabs and sputum samples obtained on a routine basis and when they developed respiratory exacerbations.

Evaluation of clinical effectiveness of the Frova single-use tracheal tube introducer.

A prospective observational study design was used to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of the Frova single-use tracheal tube introducer. Data were collected from 203 patients. Consultants and trainee anaesthetists completed 61 (30%) and 142 (70%) forms respectively, when the Frova introducer was used.

The effect of flow on the filtration performance of paediatric breathing system filters.

The effect of flow on the filtration performance of six different types of filter intended for use in paediatric anaesthesia was measured by challenging the filters with sodium chloride particles at five different flows: 6, 10, 15, 20 and 30 l x min(-1). Twenty-five unused samples of each filter type were evaluated. The pressure drop across each filter was measured at the same flows as those used to measure penetration.

Minimum and optimum light requirements for laryngoscopy in paediatric anaesthesia: a manikin study.

Direct laryngoscopy is performed regularly in paediatric anaesthetic practice for the purpose of intubating a patient's trachea. A minimum illumination of 700 lux at a distance of 20 mm has been suggested in a draft standard for laryngoscopes from the International Organization for Standardization. We investigated the minimum and optimum illumination required by anaesthetists during laryngoscopy.

Cryopreservation of mammalian oocytes.

Two methods for the cryopreservation of mammalian oocytes are described. One method uses a relatively low concentration of the cryoprotectant propanediol plus sucrose and requires controlled-rate cooling equipment to achieve a slow cooling rate. Such a method has produced live births from cryopreserved human oocytes.

Does ad hoc quality-of-life discussion in inflammatory skin disease consultations reflect standardized patient-reported outcomes?

Background: There is little information concerning how much health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) information is elicited in dermatology outpatient consultations.

Objectives: To observe and record ad hoc HRQoL discussion in inflammatory skin disease consultations, to systematically measure the patient's HRQoL and to measure patient satisfaction with dermatology care.

Methods: Clinic consultations of patients with inflammatory skin conditions attending a secondary care clinic were observed by a single researcher (CP).

Human papillomavirus, cervical carcinogenesis and chemoprevention with Indole derivates - a review of pathomechanisms.

Cervical cancer is the second most common female cancer worldwide with high risk Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection playing an essential aetiological role. Oestrogen interacts with HPV at a cellular level causing cell growth and inhibition of apoptosis. Indole derivatives, formed during digestion of cruciferous vegetables, have been shown to have chemopreventative properties inhibiting HPV transcription and influencing oestrogen metabolism.

Therapeutic vaccines for cervical cancer: concept and clinical results.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is associated with transformation and clonal expansion of infected epithelial cells, resulting in the production of a benign growth, i.e. a wart.

N-WASP is a putative tumour suppressor in breast cancer cells, in vitro and in vivo, and is associated with clinical outcome in patients with breast cancer.

N-WASP is a key regulator of cell migration and actin polymerisation. We examined the correlation of N-WASP, with human breast cancer, in vitro, in vivo and in clinical breast cancer tissue. Immunohistochemical study of frozen sectioned human breast mammary tissues (n=124) revealed that mammary epithelial cells stained positively for N-WASP and that cancer cells in tumour tissues stained very weakly.

Hepatocyte growth factor regulation: an integral part of why wounds become chronic.

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a cytokine known to play multiple roles during the various stages of wound healing. This study addresses the ongoing key questions regarding the role of HGF in wound healing, namely: are HGF and its regulators expressed differently in chronic and acute wounds? Biopsies from normal skin (n=10), acute (n=10), and chronic wounds (n=17) were analyzed by immunohistochemistry, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and quantitative real-time RT-PCR for the presence of HGF, its receptor cMet, its activators and its inhibitors. Immunohistochemical staining for HGF, HGF activators, and HGF inhibitors was similar, with expression being greater in chronic wound dermis compared with acute wound dermis.

Non-pharmacological interventions for epilepsy in people with intellectual disabilities.

Background: Approximately 30% of epilepsy patients remain refractory to drug treatment and continue to experience seizures whilst taking one or more antiepileptic drugs. There are a number of non-pharmacological interventions available to refractory patients which may be used in conjunction with or as an alternative to antiepileptic medication. In view of the fact that seizures in intellectually disabled people are often complex and refractory to pharmacological interventions it is evident that good quality randomised controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the efficacy of alternatives or adjuncts to pharmacological interventions are needed in this population.

Sex differences in symptom patterns of recurrent major depression in siblings.

The objectives of this study were to examine sex differences in depressive symptom patterns in 475 sib pairs with well-defined recurrent major depression and to test the hypotheses that (a) symptom patterns show higher intraclass correlations within same sex sib pairs versus mixed sex sib pairs; and (b) symptoms more associated with women, e.g. atypical depressive and anxiety symptoms, account for differences between male and female siblings within the same family.

Microalbuminuria in Type 2 diabetes indicates impaired microvascular vasomotion and perfusion.

Vascular oscillation (vasomotion) occurs in the microcirculation and is thought to be a significant contributor to tissue perfusion. Our aims were to assess the relationship of vasomotion to perfusion in the cutaneous microcirculation of diabetic patients, to determine the influence on it of endothelium-dependent and nonendothelium-dependent vasodilatory stimuli, and to assess the relationship to perfusion and vasomotion of various biochemical markers of vascular function (HbA1c, LDL- and HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin resistance, high sensitive C-reactive protein, L- and E-selectin, soluble ICAM, von Willebrand factor) and microalbuminuria. Perfusion and vasomotion (spectral density at low and very low frequencies) were measured by laser-Doppler flowmetry after local heat and iontophoresis of ACh and sodium nitroprusside.

Involving students in the challenges of caring for older people.

Students acquire nursing knowledge and values through occupational socialisation during varied work-based placements. Such experiences not only influence their career paths but, crucially, their orientation towards older people in practice. This paper draws on research exploring nursing students' experiences of working with older people during a pre-registration course.

Mitotic bypass via an occult cell cycle phase following DNA topoisomerase II inhibition in p53 functional human tumor cells.

Cells cycle checkpoints guard against the inapproriate commitment to critical cell events such as mitosis. The bisdioxxopiperazzine ICRF-193, a catalytic inhibitor of DNA topoisomerase II causes a reversible stalling of the exit of cells from G(2) at the decatenation checkpoint (DC) and can generate tetraploidy via the compromising of chromosome segregation and mitotic failure. We have addressed an alternative origin-endocycle entry-for the tetraploidisation step in ICRF-193 exposed cells.

The prevalence of alcohol intoxication in the night-time economy.

Aim: To assess the prevalence of alcohol misuse in the night-time economy.

Method: A random sample of 893 people were interviewed and breathalysed in 24 repeated, cross-sectional surveys over the course of a year in the city centre streets of a European capital city between 11.00 pm and 3.

Quality of life indices.

The measurement of the impact of skin diseases on patients' quality of life is important. This review explains the reasons for this, explains the main methods of measuring quality of life in dermatology and describes recent research in this area. Virtually all aspects of patients' lives can be affected by skin disease.

Pharmacological interventions for epilepsy in people with intellectual disabilities.

Background: The development of epilepsy in a person with intellectual disabilities is a common occurrence. In view of the fact that seizures in intellectually disabled people are often complex and refractory to treatment and that antiepileptic medication may have a profound effect upon behaviour in this patient group, it is evident that good quality randomised controlled trials are needed in this population.

Objectives: The aim of our study was to assess the data available from randomised controlled trials of antiepileptic drug interventions in people with epilepsy and intellectual disabilities.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of anastrozole vs tamoxifen in adjuvant therapy for early stage breast cancer in the United Kingdom: the 5-year completed treatment analysis of the ATAC ('Arimidex', Tamoxifen alone or in combination) trial.

Results from the completed treatment analysis of the ATAC (Arimidex, Tamoxifen alone or in combination) trial indicated that anastrozole was significantly superior to tamoxifen in terms of efficacy and safety in the adjuvant treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive (HR+) early breast cancer. On the basis of these results, this study estimated the cost-effectiveness of anastrozole vs tamoxifen, from the perspective of the UK National Health Service (NHS). A Markov model was developed using the 5-year completed treatment analysis from the ATAC trial (ISRCTN18233230), as well as data obtained from published literature and expert opinion.

Bone morphogenetic proteins and their receptor signaling in prostate cancer.

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) belong to the TGF-Beta superfamily and are vital bone inductive factors. BMPs also play important roles during embryonic development and the postnatal homeostasis of various organs and tissues, by controlling cellular differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in Western countries, with a high incidence of bone metastasis.

Variation in human papillomavirus type-16 viral load within different histological grades of cervical neoplasia.

The objective of this study was to investigate variation in human papillomavirus (HPV) type-16 load within histologically defined grades of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. Two hundred and thirty-seven liquid based cytology samples were collected from women attending colposcopy clinics, DNA was extracted, and presence of virus determined by PCR-enzyme immunoassay. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to determine viral load for 70 HPV-16 positive single infections.

Interferon-gamma protects against the development of structural damage in experimental arthritis by regulating polymorphonuclear neutrophil influx into diseased joints.

Objective: Local interaction between soluble mediators within the inflamed synovium is a key factor that governs the pathologic outcome of inflammatory arthritides. Our aim was to investigate the interplay between the Th1 lymphokine interferon-gamma (IFNgamma) and pivotal cytokines that drive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pathology (interleukin-1beta [IL-1beta] and tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNFalpha]) in modulating inflammation and arthritis in vitro and in vivo.

Methods: Monarticular antigen-induced arthritis (AIA) was initiated in IFNgamma-deficient (IFNgamma(-/-)) mice and age-matched wild-type (IFNgamma(+/+)) mice.

A comparison of the disposable Ambu AuraOnce Laryngeal Mask with the reusable LMA Classic laryngeal mask airway.

Single-use supraglottic airway devices are now available and are intended to be comparable with the reusable LMA Classic laryngeal mask airway. We performed a randomised cross-over study comparing the Ambu AuraOnce Laryngeal Mask with the LMA Classic. Fifty patients participated in the trial.