Feto-maternal transfer and production of cortisol in the sheep.
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Animals↗
Biomedical subjects
S James
Publications and source records attributed to S James.
Capacity building in health economics opportunities for training in developing countries.
This paper provides an overview of the opportunities available for training in health economics in the regions of Africa, Asia and Latin America, following a WHO forum on Capacity Building in Health Economics held in Geneva in December 1995. It describes in brief the training opportunities available throughout Asia, Africa and Latin America. It then gives a detailed resume of courses available for students and professionals at Chulanlongkorn University, Thailand, the University of Cape Town, South Africa and the University of the West Indies, Trinidad. It also describes the international and regional networks which have developed and now provide further opportunities for training. The final section of this paper looks to the future and suggests that although continued financial and academic support will be needed from the countries of the North, the development of regional capacities in health economics should be as much as possible through regional resources, and regional strategies should be a priority.
Delivery of Health Care↗
The detection of pyrogens in blood products using an ex vivo whole blood culture assay.
Induction of interleukin-6 (IL-6) secretion by whole blood cultures (WBC) was used as an in vitro assay system for pyrogen-induced inflammatory reactions. The assay system was very sensitive to Eschericia coli (E coli) endotoxin (< 10 pg/ml). The potential pyrogenic effects of human serum albumin (HSA), Fibronectin (Fn) and stabilised human serum (SHS) solutions were analyzed using this system. None of the products assayed had an effect on the sensitivity of the WBC assay. Spike recovery studies with isolated endotoxin, gram positive and gram negative bacteria showed that none of the products had an effect on the spike recovery of these pyrogenic substances. Good correlations were found between the WBC assay and the rabbit assay for pyrogens for all the production batches tested. When these samples were analysed by the limulus amoebocyte lysate (LAL) assay, the LAL test gave anomalous results for 1 out of the 22 production batches tested. This batch gave a false negative result on the LAL assay and might be indicative of the inability of the LAL assay to detect pyrogens other than endotoxin.
Adult↗
Differentiation between endotoxin and non-endotoxin pyrogens in human albumin solutions using an ex vivo whole blood culture assay.
Purified E.coli endotoxin, Gram negative bacteria and Gram positive bacteria induce IL-6 secretion by whole blood cultures (WBC's). Polymyxin B at concentrations greater than 2 U/ml completely inhibits IL-6 secretion caused by 10 EU/ml of endotoxin. Polymyxin B has no effect on IL-6 secretion by WBC's in the absence of endotoxin. The inhibition of endotoxin induced IL-6 secretion is Polymyxin B concentration dependent at concentrations less than 1 U/ml. IL-6 induction caused by E.coli is only partially inactivated by 8 U/ml Polymyxin B. Polymyxin B has no effect on IL-6 secretion caused by B.subtilis. Two pyrogenic batches of human serum albumin (HSA), as tested by the rabbit assay for pyrogens, were also investigated. Polymyxin B at 4 U/ml inhibits less than 40 % of IL-6 secretion caused by these pyrogenic HSA batches. All the endotoxin activity in HSA samples spiked with purified endotoxin is inhibited by Polymyxin B indicating that HSA does not protect endotoxin against Polymyxin B inhibition. These results indicate that the pyrogenicity of these HSA batches are caused by Polymyxin B inhibitable and non-inhibitable fractions. This study shows that pyrogenic substances other than endotoxin can contaminate batches of pharmaceutical products and that results obtained using the Limulus Amoebocyte Lysate (LAL) assay does not necessarily indicate the pyrogenic status of pharmaceutical products. The WBC assay for pyrogens, having a broader sensitivity range than the LAL assay, is a better indicator of the pyrogenic status of pharmaceutical products.
Animals↗
Ultrasonographic adrenal gland measurements in dogs without evidence of adrenal disease.
The purpose of this retrospective study was to determine measurements of adrenal glands from longitudinal sonograms, in a large population of dogs and to correlate these measurements to age, sex and descriptors of body size. Dogs were selected from the clinic population presented for routine abdominal ultrasonography between September, 1991 and March, 1994. Dogs with elevated serum cholesterol or alkaline phosphatase levels, polyuria/polydipsia, and/or clinical diagnoses of adrenal pathology were excluded. Dogs with ultrasound-documented abnormalities (mass lesions, abnormal architecture) of either adrenal were not considered. Age, sex, weight and breed were recorded, and the body surface area of each dog was calculated. Adrenal length and caudal polar width were determined from longitudinal, two-dimensional ultrasound images. Adrenal measurements were compared with body size measurements and age using least squares linear regression analysis and the correlation coefficient (r) and coefficient of determination (r2) calculated. One hundred and ninety three dogs were included in the study, with a weight and body surface area range of 1.8-72 kg and 0.2-1.8 m2, respectively. The left adrenal gland (n = 182) length range was from 10.7 to 50.2 mm, and the range of the caudal polar widths was 1.9 to 12.4 mm. Right adrenal gland (n = 85) length range was from 10 to 39.3 mm, and the range of the caudal polar widths was from 3.1 to 12 mm. In dogs where both adrenal gland lengths were measured (n = 74), the right adrenal gland length was less than that of the left in 46 dogs, equal to the left in one dog, and greater than the length of the left in 27 dogs. The strongest linear association was noted between the left adrenal gland length and body weight (kg, r = 0.71, p < 0.0001) or body surface area (m2, r = 0.71, p < 0.0001). Similar significant association was noted between the right adrenal gland length and body weight (kg, r = 0.69, p < 0.0001). A significant positive association was also noted between age and left adrenal gland length, (r = 0.25, p = 0.009). The summation of all four adrenal measurement values (left length and width, right length and width) did slightly improve the correlation (r = 0.74, p < 0.0001) when compared with body weight (kg). There was not a significant difference in the adrenal measurements with regard to sex. With regard to the correlation coefficient values, there was no advantage noted to calculating the body surface area from body weight. The causes for the low degrees of the correlation between adrenal size and the variables investigated in this study are unknown; measurement error, effects of non-adrenal illness on adrenal size, and a non-linear or complex linear relationship between adrenal gland size (as measured by longitudinal parameters) and descriptors of body size are among possible explanations.
Adrenal Glands↗
Injury patterns in recreational rock climbers.
We studied 39 recreational rock climbers to determine the incidence and pattern of injuries sustained in the sport at their level. Eleven climbers (26%), who climbed beyond the sport level, had sustained a major injury from a fall. Thirty-five climbers (89%) sustained at least one significant injury. Fifty percent of the injuries involved the hand or wrist. Only seven climbers (19%) had evidence of a digital pulley injury (climber's finger). Four climbers (11%) had evidence of a carpal tunnel syndrome. Twenty climbers (50%) had tendinitis in an upper extremity on physical examination.
Accidental Falls↗