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Biomedical subjects

A Esterman

Publications and source records attributed to A Esterman.

44 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Increased tolerance to complete dentures after surgical modification of mylohyoid ridges.

Of 521 patients referred to a specialist prosthodontic practice for complete dentures, 274 were considered as candidates for simple surgery to smooth prominent mylohyoid ridges before denture construction. Of these, 183 were thus treated. The remaining 91 did not receive surgery because of personal preference, underlying medical conditions, or other reasons. The percent who required three or more postinsertion visits to achieve comfort with their dentures was 7% for those who received surgery, 27% for those who required but did not receive surgery, and 17% for those not deemed to require surgery. This suggests that the surgical smoothing of prominent mylohyoid ridges may markedly improve patients' tolerance of dentures in the short term. However, the potential for confounding from extraneous factors in these nonexperimental circumstances must be considered.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Vaccine prophylaxis of abattoir-associated Q fever.

Q fever is an important cause of morbidity in Australian meatworkers; recently there have been sharp outbreaks of Q fever in abattoirs in several states. In an attempt to control Q fever by vaccination, 924 nonimmune volunteers at two South Australian abattoirs were inoculated with one dose of a purified, formalin-inactivated, Coxiella burneti, Henzerling strain, phase 1 vaccine. Some 56% of workers in one abattoir, and 64% in the other, seroconverted after vaccination. In the 18 months after vaccination, no Q fever occurred in fully vaccinated subjects, whereas there were 34 cases in 1349 unvaccinated workers. Transient local reactions were noted in most vaccinated subjects; only a few had mild general reactions. No cases of vaccine-enhanced disease were observed. Vaccination of susceptible individuals with a purified C burneti phase 1 vaccine appears to be safe and effective in preventing Q fever in the abattoir.

Abattoirs↗
PubMed1984

Determinants of case survival for cancers of the lung, colon, breast and cervix in South Australia.

Survival rates for cancers of the lung, colon and female breast, and for invasive lesions of the cervix have been analysed according to age, place of residence, country of birth, socioeconomic status, and where applicable, by sex and histological type and were found to be negatively related to age. For patients with cancers of the colon and cervix, survival rates were lower in country residents than in those of metropolitan Adelaide. Low socioeconomic status was associated with a lower survival rate for patients with colonic cancers and female breast cancers; a similar trend was suggested for those with cancers of the cervix. Higher survival rates were found for patients with squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas of the lung, and mucinous tumours of the breast. Higher survival rates for patients with breast tumours were associated with small tumour size at diagnosis. In some overseas-born populations, survival rates for patients with lung cancers and cervical cancers were higher than those in the Australian-born population. This warrants further investigation.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1984

Determinants of the microbiological characteristics of South Australian swimming pools.

A survey of 100 swimming pools has been conducted to assess the effectiveness of disinfection practices against various microorganisms and to check compliance with recommended chlorine levels and pH. Microbiological quality was assessed from densities of total coliforms, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, total colony counts, and the presence or absence of amoebae, including the pathogen Naegleria fowleri. Although a free chlorine residual of 1.0 mg/liter and a pH range of 7.0 to 7.6 are recommended by local health authorities, 41 pools had a lower free chlorine residual and 37 had a pH outside this range. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to test the association of field measurements with the microbiological data. The analysis demonstrated a strong positive association of free chlorine with bacteriological quality and the absence of Naegleria spp. No other field measurement was predictive in this regard, although the absence of all amoebae was associated with a relatively low water temperature and pH. Using a mathematical model derived from this analysis, it was estimated that 99% of pools would have acceptable bacteriological quality and 94% would be free of Naegleria spp. at a free chlorine residual of 1.0 mg/liter. However, at the mean water temperature (23 degrees C) and pH (7.5) seen in this study, other amoebae would still be detectable in 500-ml samples taken from 40% of pools at this chlorine level.

Amoeba↗
PubMed1983

Infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the breast in South Australia. Sizes of primary lesions and histological evidence of axillary nodal metastases.

There are few data available at the community level in Australia to indicate the stages of breast cancers at diagnosis, and whether there is a trend towards earlier detection. Therefore, the tumour diameters and extent of axillary nodal metastases in 434 cases of infiltrating ductal carcinoma, which were reported to the South Australian Central Cancer Registry during a three-year period, were analysed. Approximately 27% of tumours were 1.9 cm or less in diameter, about 48% were in the 2.0 cm to 3.9 cm range, and 25% had a diameter of 4.0 cm or greater. Almost half of the patients (48%) had axillary nodal metastases. The extent of nodal involvement was positively related to size of the primary lesion both in women under 50 years of age and in older women. It is intended that this information will be used in future analyses to discover trends over time in tumour size and nodal involvement at diagnosis.

Australia↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The effect of hypoxia on human trophoblast in culture: morphology, glucose transport and metabolism.

The response to hypoxia of trophoblast isolated from term placenta and maintained in culture was studied. Trophoblast exposed to normoxic (PO2 120-130 mmHg) or hypoxic (PO2 12-14 mmHg) conditions were examined by electron microscopy. After 48 h, the cytoplasm of the hypoxic cells was more electron-dense with increased numbers of mitochondria, lysosomes and vacuoles. Compared to normoxic cells, the surface microvilli of the hypoxic cells were sparse, short and unevenly distributed. [3H]thymidine incorporation by both hypoxic and normoxic trophoblast fell rapidly and equivalently after 2 days in culture. The percentage of cells with the proliferation-associated nuclear antigen, Ki 67, also decreased, but remained higher in hypoxic cells suggesting that hypoxia retarded completion of the cell cycle (normoxia, 10.80 +/- 2.51 s.e.; hypoxia, 19.87 +/- 2.73, P < 0.01). Glucose consumption was elevated in hypoxia (3.73 +/- 1.07 s.e. mumol/10(6) cells/24 h) as compared to normoxia (1.46 +/- 0.83, P = 0.01). Although lactate production was consistently higher in hypoxia, the difference was not statistically significant (hypoxia 5.38 +/- 1.54 mumol/10(6) cells/24 h versus normoxia, 1.52 +/- 0.29, P = 0.07). After 48 h, uptake of [3H]2-deoxglucose ([3H]2DG) by hypoxic cells was reduced to 12 per cent +/- 4.3 s.e. of that in normoxic cells; return to normoxia resulted in recovery within 10 min. Lineweaver-Burk plots of [3H]2DG uptake indicated high affinity (KM 2.2 +/- 0.4 x 10(-4) M) and low affinity transporters (KM 4.5 +/- 1.6 x 10(-3) M). Northern blot analysis identified mRNA for GLUT1 and GLUT3. In hypoxia, steady-state GLUT1 and GLUT3 mRNA were approximately three- and 10-fold higher than in normoxia respectively. Inhibitors of oxidative metabolism of glucose increased the uptake of [3H]2DG within 2 h, whereas hypoxia reduced uptake. Hence, trophoblast in culture survives in extreme hypoxia, but manifests striking changes in morphology and in glucose metabolism and transport. Completion of cell cycle appears to be retarded.

Biological Transport↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Children's blood lead levels in the lead smelting town of Port Pirie, South Australia.

This survey included 1,239 children, representing 50% of the elementary school population of the lead smelting town of Port Pirie. Of these children, 7% had a capillary blood lead level equal to or greater than 30 micrograms/dl, which is the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council's "level of concern." There was a statistically significant difference in capillary lead levels by area of residence that was independent of age, sex, soil lead, rainwater tank lead, and school attended. A case-control study indicated that the following subset of factors was most predictive of an elevated blood lead level: household members who worked with lead in their occupations; living in a house with flaking paint on the outside walls; biting finger nails; eating lunch at home on school days; when at school, appearing to have relatively dirty clothing; when at school, appearing to have relatively dirty hands; and living on a household block with a large area of exposed dirt. A program to reduce the risk of elevated blood lead levels in Port Pirie children has been introduced.

Adolescent↗