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At least 289 records · Page 16Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

[Mycoplasma carrier state in the respiratory apparatus of sheep and lambs].

Mycoplasma and acholeplasma organisms (M. ovipneumoniae, M. arginini, etc.) were isolated from clinically normal lambs and sheep as well as from lambs with a respiratory disease. M. ovipneumoniae was more frequently isolated than M. arginini, and was found in higher percent during the winter. Both sheep and lambs of the Romanovska breed proved more susceptible, however, lambs of local breeds, aged 30-40 days also contracted the disease in conditions of overpopulation and higher humidity. The respiratory diseases were complicated with P. haemolytica infections.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

[Comparative study of the prevalence of Epstein-Barr virus infections in Iran and Germany].

352 persons from Iran and 469 persons from West-Germany were tested for EBV-antibodies using an immunofluorescence assay. In Iran the virus infection starts early in infancy and attains higher antibody values as compared with age related German population. In the age group of 1-5 years 70% of the Iranians are antibody positive in contrast to only 56% of the Germans in the same age group. The high prevalence of EBV-antibodies is due to unfavourable hygienic facilities as well as to regional overpopulation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Is sex selection ethical?

The argument of this paper is that sex selection, except to avoid sex-linked disorders, is unethical. Two reasons are given: 1) Prima facie examination of any argument for sex selection cannot overcome the unfair and sexist basis of a choice to select the sex of a child. The desire to control the sex of a child is not rational, since any claim that is made for the parents' preference for one sex can be demonstrated to be provided also by the other sex. 2) On an examination of the consequences of sex selection, if it were practiced by parents in significant numbers, the harmful consequences would far outweigh the few fleeting beneficial consequences. The hypothesis that sex selection might reduce population in less developed or overpopulated nations cannot be demonstrated without violation of ethical principles of fairness and beneficence. The paper clarifies and, to an extent, revises a position taken earlier by the author on sex selection by amniocentesis. In an effort to argue that the motives of parents who desire to choose the sex of their child should not be singled out for harsh judgment in societies that allow abortion, the author's position about the ethics of sex selection itself was not directly stated. This paper attempts to strengthen the ethical content of the author's views and recommends a policy for physicians who receive requests from parents to assist them in sex selection.

Choice Behavior↗
PubMed1983

Evolutionary and social aspects of disease.

There are important interactions between disease and organic evolution, between disease and cultural evolution, and between all three. Social behaviour influences disease and is influenced by it. Disease and disease mortality are woven into the complex of behavioural and physiological reactions to the stresses of overpopulation, which act to reduce population size. These principles are illustrated with reference to a number of diseases, including vitamin D imbalance, phenylketonuria, lactose intolerance, malaria, sickle cell anaemia, favism, plague, yellow fever, syphilis, ergot poisoning, kuru, and the sweating sickness.

Agriculture↗
PubMed1982

Population, environment, medicine and global sustainability.

The final two decades of this century see our planet in a highly perilous condition. This paper, after touching on the problem of nuclear proliferation, goes on to consider three other issues overpopulation, environmental depredation and the future of medical practice all of which are of high salience. The section on population concentrates on the time required for numbers to stabilize at two children per family. Europe is likely to attain stabilization before 2050, North America and the USSR by 2100. In the developing world South and East Asia could also be in balance by the beginning of the twenty-second century; but the situation in Africa vis-à-vis population growth is much more serious and stabilization cannot be anticipated until about 2150. Destruction of life support systems on a massive scale continues, particularly in developing countries. Much of Asia, Africa and Latin America is riddled with soil erosion; expanding populations of humans and livestock are proving a notable catalyst to desertification; the 'firewood crisis' is deepening as slowly but surely the earth is being deforested. There is little convincing evidence that the major aims of the World Conservation Strategy maintenance and responsible utilization of essential ecological systems, preservation of genetic diversity are being obeyed anywhere in the world. In the more sustainable society of the future engineering medicine with its proclivity for resource depletion will be less attractive. Rather will the emphasis be on prevention and on attempting to delineate the environmental factors known to be responsible for an increasing number of diseases. The likely pattern of morbidity and mortality in the twenty-first century is discussed. Geriatric medicine will hold pride of place; the incidence of cancer will rise markedly, and as an increasing number of Third World nations undergo the process of development diseases, which up till now have mainly affected affluent technological societies, it will spread throughout the planet.

Africa↗
PubMed1978

Medicine in South India.

A three-month sabbatical allowed a superficial overview of Indian medical history and practice. As in Western nations, cost is a major determinant of health care delivery in India; poverty and fiscal shortages, however, deny care to many. The education of Indian physicians is similar to that in Western nations and a high level of clinical competence is seen. However, physician compensation is woefully low by Western standards. India possesses its own indigenous medical systems, purported to be the oldest in the world and predating Hippocrates by several millenia. Most Indians are cared for by native practitioners whose medical techniques are intricately related to the Hindu and Islamic religions. Many of their herbal medicines have been assimilated into contemporary Western practice. Diseases unknown to us except by textbooks are commonly seen and effectively treated. On the other hand, Western diseases such as coronary arteriosclerosis are not uncommon in a land of massive overpopulation and malnutrition. The humbling aspect of this experience is the realization that medical practice dating back several millenia can be made more modern and carried out competently by contemporary physicians. A Western physician working in India finds an unparalleled variety of disease in a totally different medical-religious environment allowing him to reorganize his priorities and to rediscover himself in the world within which he lives.

Delivery of Health Care↗
PubMed1995

Ecosystem and population health: the role of Canadian physicians at home and abroad.

Seemingly intractable problems of overpopulation, ecologic degradation, diminishing resources and regional warfare are having a profound effect on global population health. Canadian physicians can assist in ameliorating these problems by helping to modify the overconsumption of natural resources at home and by participating in international health projects focused at the community level, where the health of individuals and that of their environment intersect. The author describes the work of the Canadian Hunger Foundation in Vietnam and Sri Lanka, where a team of professionals worked with local farmers to improve the local water supply, decrease soil erosion and increase food production. The team observed changes in the physical health of communities that resulted in part from interventions that empowered them to address their own problems.

Canada↗
PubMed1994

Prospects for new hormonal male contraceptives.

Overpopulation is a paramount global crisis, as it underlies virtually all major worldwide problems, including poverty, malnutrition, and warfare. It is imperative that proliferation be curbed by expediting reductions in fertility. This article discusses the demand for and acceptability of male contraceptives and the process of spermatogenesis. Endocrine control of spermatogenesis, and potential sites for disruption of male fertility, including steroid combinations and GnRH agonists and antagonists are reviewed also. Risks and benefits of these approaches are considered.

Androgen Antagonists↗
PubMed1994

The position of Islamic tradition on contraception.

The first source of Islamic law, the Koran, does not mention contraception. On the contrary, most of the 'sayings' (hadith) of the Prophet Mohammed (the second source of Islamic law) on the subject, tolerate coitus interruptus (azl). The position commonly and historically shared by Islamic jurists coincides with Al-Ghazali's interpretation according to which, under many circumstances, coitus interruptus is a blameworthy but tolerated (makruh) act. However, there has always been a minority of jurists opposed to contraception. Analogical reasoning (qiyas, the fourth source of Islamic law) makes it possible to legitimize most modern contraceptive techniques. Nowadays, because of the risks of overpopulation, the majority of Islamic governments have passed family planning laws; however among the masses the wrong belief that Islamic law prohibits contraception is spreading.

Contraception↗
PubMed1994

[Ethology of the pigeon (Columba livia)].

An ethometrical analysis of street pigeons showed that most social interactions under conditions of overpopulation are of an aggressive nature. Through various mechanisms this frequent aggressive behaviour leads to "slumlike" living conditions characterized by intraspecific stress. It is possible to characterize street pigeons in their urban environment by calculating the frequencies of the most important aggressive and sexually-motivated social interactions. Behavioral patterns adapted to their living conditions result in misbehaviour in an anthropogenous environment. A high population density in commercial pigeon units should therefore be avoided. It is also necessary to consider the typical disposition of a race for aggressive behaviour. The frequent aggressive interactions among street pigeons at their breeding lofts seem to play an important role as a density dependent regulator of population size.

Aggression↗
PubMed1995

[Infectious diseases from the hygienic viewpoint with special reference to environmental infections--a retrospective and prospective view].

Infectious diseases showed a considerable change in their epidemiologic significance during this century. Twenty years ago it seemed that infectious diseases would be definity under control. As a result there was a neglect of the efforts for prevention, recognition and controlling of infectious diseases, especially in the administration. Today we have to state that old and new infectious diseases have regained a new and partly dramatic epidemiologic importance, influenced by several factors like overpopulation, wars, hunger, migration in the underdeveloped countries and the increase of the old and the immunosuppressed people of the population in the developed countries. A review is given of the increasing significance of old and new infectious diseases in the last 2 decades. Transmissible diseases from the environment have a special importance because many people are affected hereby. Hygienic aspects of drinking and swimming water, air- and ground caused infectious diseases are treated. The political support is requested. The institutions have had an important role in the prevention and control of infectious diseases in the past like the public health departments, hygiene and medical microbiologic urgently need the support and promotion of the government.

Communicable Disease Control↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Crowding.

Crowding is the situation in which case a large number of animals, including man, are restricted in environmental space. Such an occurrence may start with just a few animals. In plants, including bacteria in culture, agriculture may be considered as an artificial example of this process. We see the ontogenic forms of crowding developing from stress into superorganisms (such as certain social insects) and from stress into pathological crowding in animals, plants and man. Crowding is shown by environmental changes such as in the introduction of new species of certain rodents and lagomorphs into the Australian environment. Aspects of crowding play a role during the housing of zoos, domestic or laboratory animals. Space limitations and overpopulation initiates stress and infections such as tuberculosis and tumours. This is found in man himself in the development of slums through to urbanisation as seen in Asia particularly, in prisons, in the workplace, in the school or home.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Local immunotherapy with interferon-alpha in metastatic pleural and peritoneal effusions: correlation with immunologic parameters.

Interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) has been found to exert multiple enhancing effects in the immune response in vitro, IFN-alpha has been also used in clinical trials with variable response rates. The aim of the present study was to assess the effectiveness of IFN-alpha in the treatment of 25 patients with malignant pleural or peritoneal effusions caused by lung, and metastatic breast and ovarian cancer. Clinical responses were correlated with a) the ratio of malignant effusion (ME)-associated tumor cells to ME-associated mononuclear cells (MEMNC), b) MEMNC-derived cytotoxic responses against autologous or allogeneic tumor targets, and c) major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigen expression on tumor cells. After partial drainage of pleural or peritoneal fluid, the patients were allocated to receive 10 million units of IFN-alpha by intrapleural or intraperitoneal injection at weekly intervals. The treatment was terminated if the malignant effusion disappeared or the patients had received four to six consecutive procedures. None of the patients received concomitant systemic chemotherapy or radiation therapy. MEMNC and tumor cells were isolated by centrifugation on discontinous percoll density gradients. Cytotoxic and phenotypic profiles of MEMNG were analyzed before and after treatment with IFN-alpha. An improvement was observed in patients with increased ratios of tumor cells to malignant effusion-associated mononuclear cells (MEMNC) in the effusions. In the same patients MEMNC were overpopulated by CD8+ T lymphocytes. In this group of patients the administration of IFN-alpha was associated with 25% complete response and 75% partial response rates. In contrast only 17% partial responses were achieved in patients whose effusions had decreased tumor cell to MEMNC ratios. The immunomodulation induced by IFN-alpha in vivo was also tested. Thus in a group of 6 patients, treatment with IFN-alpha resulted in the induction of CD8+ cell-mediated lysis against autologous tumor cells which was associated with PR (two patients). Natural killer (NK)-cell activity, and MHC class I antigen expression on effusion-associated tumor cells were also enhanced during treatment, but were not correlated with the outcome of the therapy since similar findings were also observed in the 4 non-responders. Local infusions of IFN-alpha provide an effective alternative treatment for malignant effusion in patients with lung, breast, and ovarian cancer. Increased ratios of tumor cells to MEMNC and the presence of CD8+ T lymphocytes within the malignant effusions may play an important role in the outcome of such a treatment with IFN-alpha but more patients need to be studied for definite conclusions.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

[Sociocultural reasons for the pigeon problem].

The feeding of animals as a friendly gesture is deeply rooted in man. This behaviour has a negative effect on the Street-pigeons which as a consequence suffer from overpopulation. The problem can only be solved by limiting this feeding. The pigeon-feeders are the cause of the pigeon-problem in our cities. The feeders can by their motivation be classified in various groups. Play-feeders and display-feeders can be recognised. They are more easily to be dealt with than the fanatical pigeon-friends who show a strong emotional attachment to these birds. The pigeon-problem can be overcome if this stubborn group can be taught to change his behaviour. Such a solution would be highly rewarding as great sums of money are spent to remove damages caused by the pigeons to buildings and works of art.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed1990

The tragedy of the commons: twenty-two years later.

The authors take up the hypothesis originally proposed by Garrett Hardin that resources held in common, such as oceans, rivers, air, and parklands, are bound to be subject to massive degradation. Specifically, they "examine the accumulated evidence pertaining to common-property resource management and provide a critique of the conventional theory expounded by Hardin." They conclude that recent evidence suggests that users of such resources are able to restrict access to them and establish rules among themselves for their sustainable use.

Conservation of Natural Resources↗