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Biomedical subjects

G Berry

Publications and source records attributed to G Berry.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Mortality of factory workers in east London 1933-80.

The mortality of 3000 male factory workers, 1400 laggers, and 700 women factory workers in east London has been studied. The men were first employed between 1933 and 1964, the women between 1936 and 1942. Textiles were produced until the late 1950s as well as other asbestos products. Laggers were employed on contract in increasing numbers in later years. Crocidolite asbestos was used until the late 1950s as well as asmosite and chrysotile. Exposure of workers was graded according to the job into two categories, low/moderate and severe, and subdivided by duration of employment up to two years or longer. Mesothelial tumours accounted for 7.5% of the total mortality in men, and 9% in women with their longer follow up period. Lung cancer accounted for 20% of deaths in men and 14% in women. Both mesothelial tumours and lung cancer showed a dose response relationship. Histopathological examination of a series of predominantly postmortem specimens showed 22% of adenocarcinomas of lung among men and 21% in women. There was an excess of gastrointestinal tumours but no dose response relationship could be shown. Among severely exposed male factory workers there was an excess of deaths from cancer of the larynx and among severely exposed women of carcinoma of the breast and ovary. Twenty four deaths (2%) were due to asbestosis. There is an indication that the incidence of mesothelial tumours is declining but a further period of observation is required for confirmation.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Large-fiber sensory neuronopathy in autosomal dominant spinocerebellar degeneration.

Autosomal dominant hereditary ataxias are heterogeneous groups of disorders in which cerebellar ataxia and pyramidal, extrapyramidal, and extraocular signs predominate. We studied a family with this type of disorder with evidence supporting a large-fiber sensory neuronopathy. Electrophysiologic, histologic, radiologic, and biochemical features were studied. Neuropathic features of some forms of autosomal dominant spinocerebellar degeneration are, therefore, believed to be due to a ganglioneuropathy similar to that described in Friedreich's ataxia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

The determination of the incidence of acute myocardial infarction from hospital morbidity records.

A method for estimating the incidence of acute myocardial infarctions (AMI) from routinely collected hospital morbidity records is presented. The method is based on a review of a sample of routinely collected statistics on hospital diagnoses and the subsequent estimation of the "sensitivity" and "positive predictive value" of hospital diagnoses of AMI. The incidence estimate of AMI is a function of the total number of hospital diagnoses of AMI, the "sensitivity", the "positive predictive value", the proportion of cases of AMI treated at home, and the proportion dying prior to hospital admission. Such estimates may be a practical alternative to community registers for monitoring the incidence of AMI.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Mortality of Chinese in New South Wales, 1969-1978.

A high proportion of adult Chinese living in New South Wales were born elsewhere, most commonly in China. Mortality among these males from 1969-78 was due mainly to ischaemic heart disease (IHD) cancer and cerbrovascular disease. Females showed a similar general pattern. Chinese males had double the risk of dying from cerebrovascular death, but death rates from IHD were similar to those of the Australian population, although the risk of IHD was significantly lower in Chinese females. Male Chinese had significantly higher rates for cancers of the nasopharynx, lung, intestines and rectum, and stomach and liver, whereas females had a significantly higher risk for cancers of the lung and stomach. Mortality patterns were similar to those for United States Chinese. Apart from cancer, relatively little is known about the causes of death in China. Crude death rates only are available for very broad categories of causes of death. Most of our information on Chinese general mortality comes from studies of migrants, or their descendants overseas, mainly in South-East Asia and the USA. In the latter more detailed studies have been made of cancer mortality and cancer incidence than of other causes. The purpose of our study was to describe mortality in Chinese, born in China, and dying in the state of New South Wales from 1969-78.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Hypereosinophilic syndrome with pulmonary vascular involvement.

We have studied a patient with hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) who initially presented with recurrent asthmatic attacks followed by progressive dyspnea. Chronic obstructive lung disease was suspected at first although involvement of cardiac and other organ systems and marked eosinophilia eventually led to the diagnosis. Thereafter a diffuse interstitial pattern gradually developed on the chest radiograph which persisted despite vigorous treatment for cardiac failure. This was due to infiltration and cuffing of the small pulmonary arteries by eosinophils. The bronchi showed changes consistent with asthma. Review of the literature indicates that this type of vascular change is common in HES but involves predominantly organs other than the lung. Similar pulmonary arterial changes have been produced experimentally in the calf by prolonged intravenous infusion of antibiotics, indicating that this may be a hypersensitivity reaction to a blood-borne material entering the pulmonary circulation.

Aged↗
PubMed1984

Intracranial plasmacytoma associated with multiple myeloma.

A 58-year-old man with multiple myeloma presented with a 3-month history of a sensation of occipital pressure, transient blurring of vision and increased bone pain. Funduscopic examination revealed disc swelling, tortuous veins and superficial retinal hemorrhages simulating early hyperviscosity syndrome. Clinical investigation and computerized tomography, however, indicated that an intracranial plasmacytoma was the cause of his papilledema. Cobalt 60 beam therapy and vincristine were added to his treatment regimen. Seven weeks later the intracranial tumour had almost totally disappeared. Symptomatic cerebral compression from an intracranial plasmacytoma associated with systemic disease is uncommon. The diagnosis and management are reviewed.

Brain Neoplasms↗
PubMed1983

CMP-dependent phosphatidylinositol:myo-inositol exchange activity in isolated nerve-endings.

Greatly enhanced manganese-dependent phosphatidylinositol:myo-inositol exchange activity was observed when isolated, intact nerve-endings were incubated with the nucleotide, CMP, suggesting that the enzyme, CDP-diglyceride:inositol phosphatidyl transferase, catalyzes this exchange. CMP, at 10 microM, produced as much myo-[2-3H] inositol incorporation into phosphatidylinositol as did 1 mM. This CMP-stimulated exchange activity may reside on the plasma membrane.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

High-performance liquid chromatography of phospholipids: quantitation by phosphate analysis.

Quantitation of individual phospholipids separated by HPLC from tissue extracts by colorimetric analysis of phosphate was investigated. Elution of inorganic phosphate and breakthrough of lecithin were determined using radioisotopes. A substance which interfered with sample phosphate determinations was found in the column eluant, and a method to minimize its effect was developed. This method allows accurate quantitation of individual phospholipids present at a minimum of 20 nmol phosphate.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Mortality of workers manufacturing friction materials using asbestos.

A mortality (1942-80) study was carried out on 13460 workers of a factory producing friction materials. The only type of asbestos used was chrysotile, except during two well-defined periods before 1945 when crocidolite was used, and over 99% of the population was traced. Compared with national death rates there were no detectable excesses of deaths due to lung cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, or other cancers; 11 deaths were due to pleural mesothelioma. A case-control study was carried out on deaths due to mesothelioma; this showed that eight workers had been exposed to crocidolite and another was possibly exposed intermittently to crocidolite. The other two had been employed for most of their working lives outside the factory, and their mesotheliomas could not be definitely attributed to exposure to chrysotile. Limiting the study to cases and controls who had exposure to 5 fibres/ml of chrysotile asbestos it was found that five of the six cases compared with two of the 10 controls had also been exposed to crocidolite. The probability (1:36) of this occurring were there no association with crocidolite is most unlikely. A case-control study was also carried out on deaths due to lung cancer and gastrointestinal cancer to investigate the dose-response relationships between these tumours and exposure to chrysotile. Measured and estimated fibre concentrations were available for the different jobs over the period of the study. No dose-response relationships were observed, but the exposures were low with only 5% of men accumulating 100 fibre-years/ml. The experience at this factory over a 40-year period showed that chrysotile asbestos was processed with no detectable excess mortality.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

The analysis of mortality by the subject-years method.

The observed mortality of a group of individuals often needs to be compared with that expected from the death rates of the national population, with allowance made for age and period. Expected deaths are usually calculated by the subject-years method (Case and Lea, 1955, British Journal of Preventive and Social Medicine 9, 62-72), in which each person is assumed at risk up to the date of the analysis, the date of death, or the date the person was lost to follow-up, whichever is first. Some of the properties of this method are described, including an approach based on likelihood. For this purpose the observed number of deaths may be treated as though it were a Poisson variable. The likelihood approach leads to a generalization to the cases where the groups have a factorial structure or where covariates are available for each individual. The calculations are readily carried out by use of GLIM or GENSTAT.

Asbestos↗
PubMed1982

The effect of phentolamine on synaptosomal phosphatidylinositol in experimental galactose toxicity.

Abnormal myo-[2-3H]inositol incorporation into phosphatidylinositol has been found in phentolamine-treated synaptosomes that were isolated from the cerebral hemispheres of galactose toxic rats and incubated with [33P]Pi and myo-[2-3H] inositol. In galactose toxic rats phentolamine-stimulated myo-[2-3H]inositol labeling of phosphatidylinositol was 70% greater than in normal animals. This enhanced labeling of synaptosomal phosphatidylinositol in galactose toxic rats during stimulation with phentolamine is in marked contrast to the depressed myo-inositol labeling of phosphatidylinositol reported with acetylcholine stimulation.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Biological effects of tremolite.

Tremolite is an amphibole which has been implicated in a variety of disease patterns in different parts of the world. It occurs in a number of phases, which are chemically identical but have specific physical characteristics. In an attempt to clarify the epidemiological findings, tremolite fibres of 3 specific forms--A, B and C--were characterized and studied for biological activity by: (i) in vivo intrapleural injection of rats (2 separate experiments--1 with poor survival). (ii) in vitro enzyme release from mouse peritoneal macrophages (iii) in vitro giant-cell formation in A549 cultures (iv) in vitro cytotoxicity for V79-4 cells. Sample C, which contained more long thin fibres than A and B, was alone in producing mesotheliomas. C, but not A or B, induced LDH and B-glucuronidase enzyme release, and induced giant cells. A was not cytotoxic, B moderately cytotoxic and C as highly cytotoxic as UICC crocidolite. The in vivo studies were marred by being split between 2 experiments, of which the second had poor survival. We are aware of the weakness of our in vivo data, but as Tremolite C was being considered for commercial use on the European market we felt it timely to submit our findings for publication.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Shape of small opacities and lung function in coalworkers.

Lung function and chest radiographs were reviewed in 357 coalworkers who had been referred from the Cardiff Pneumoconiosis Medical Panel. The chest films were read according to the 1980 ILO classification of radiographs by three experienced readers. An irregularity score, reflecting the shape of the small opacities, was derived from the readings and compared with the lung function variables. Men with higher irregularity scores had significant reductions in ventilatory capacity and gas transfer factor, with no change in total lung capacity, after age, height, profusion of small opacities, and smoking habit had been taken into account. The effects were present both in those with and in those without large opacities. The agreement between readers over the shape of opacities was almost as good as for their profusion. Men with rounded opacities had a lower gas transfer factor if they were predominantly of the "p" type. The results are consistent with those for a combination of emphysema and interstitial fibrosis, which has been found in coalworkers with irregular opacities.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Psychological changes during a controlled trial of rehabilitation in chronic respiratory disability.

Thirty-four men with chronic respiratory disability took part in a randomised, controlled trial of physical training. The control group also undertook exercise training after their control period. During the study measurements were made of exercise tolerance (12-minute walking distance) and the men completed two psychology questionnaires. Walking distance improved significantly more in the treatment group than in the control group. Both groups recorded scores suggesting psychological "improvement" and the changes in the two groups were not significantly different from each other. There were no consistent associations between the increase in walking distance and changes in psychological scores. Initial psychological scores were not useful in predicting changes in walking distance. The results suggest that the effect of treatment on walking distance was not psychological.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗
PubMed1981

High-performance liquid chromatography of phospholipids with UV detection: optimization of separations on silica.

Chromatography of phospholipids was performed on silica columns with detection by absorbance at 205 nm using mixtures of hexane--isopropanol--water in which the role of water and isopropanol in elution was investigated. One system was developed which provided adequate separation of most major phospholipid species. However, lipids with several ionizable groups were not well separated and gave multiple broad peaks. A second system was developed utilizing sulfuric acid for ion suppression. The behavior of phospholipids in this system was found to be dependent on the presence of quaternary ammonium, amino, or hydroxyl groups. Except for plasmalogen, phospholipids were recovered intact. This system was optimized to provide baseline resolution of essentially all phospholipid species commonly found in mammalian tissues.

Animals↗