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PubMed1985

Primary and secondary radiation doses from neon beam fragments.

The neon beam at 250 MeV/nucleon from the Bevalac at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory is bombarded in nuclear emulsion. The experimental interaction cross section of the neon beam in emulsion is 1078 +/- 35 mb, in agreement with the calculations from the modified Bradt and Peters formula. The secondary fragments were identified and their partial production cross sections were calculated. From the fluences of the primary and secondary fragments, we determine their radiation doses which are presented as a function of depth in the absorber.

Ions↗

PubMed1985

The effect of high energy (HZE) particle radiation (40Ar) on aging parameters of mouse hippocampus and retina.

Eight month old C57BL6 mice were exposed (head only) to 0.5 rad or 50 rads of Argon particles at the Lawrence Berkeley Radiation Facility, CA. Neuromotor performance was assessed monthly for six months beginning twelve weeks post-irradiation using a "string test". The decline in motor performance was dose-related and none of the animals was able to complete the task after four months of testing. Morphological changes were monitored six and twelve months post-irradiation by light and electron microscopy. The synaptic density in the CA-1 area of the hippocampus decreased six and twelve months after irradiation. The decrease after twelve months was less than after six months. The width of the outer nuclear layer (ONL) of the retina increased with increasing dose. The number of blood vessels between the ONL and the ganglion layer decreased twelve months after irradiation and this area did not show significant accumulation of age pigment.

Aging↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of an extended degree program in public health for working professionals.

The faculty of the School of Public Health, University of California at Berkeley, developed an extended degree program in health services administration for persons who could not attend the university full time. Course formats were redesigned so the courses could be taught off campus in Sacramento and in the San Francisco Bay Area. The extended degree program was designed to be the equivalent of the in-residence program in all respects: the minimum number of units required for the degree was the same and regular faculty taught in both programs. The course of study for the two programs was similar; a major difference, however, was that many more electives were available to on-campus students. Two cohorts of extended degree students were admitted (34 and 37), and 61 completed the program. This article evaluates the success of that program. Evaluation began in 1980, 4 years after the first cohort, and 2 years after the second cohort were graduated--sufficient time for the graduates and faculty to reflect on their experiences. By the measures used--entering grade point average, graduating grade point average, and scores on a common comprehensive examination--the two groups were comparable. Faculty and students alike evaluated the program favorably. All but one graduate stated that they would recommend this program to others if it were available.

Adult↗

PubMed1984

Brucella classification and regional distribution.

The most significant advances in the field of Brucella classification since the last meeting have been in the field of Brucella phages reviewed by Corbel & Morgan (1980) Handbuch der Bakteriellen Infektionen bei Tieren, 4, Ed Blobel & Schliesser) and Corbel & Morgan (Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology. In press). The Berkeley phages, especially the BK2 variant has been found to be able to lyse smooth B. melitensis, as well as smooth strains of the other species. A further advance has been the isolation of phages which lyse rough strains of B. abortus as well as B. canis and B. ovis. The most recent comprehensive account of the world-wide distribution of brucellosis has been given by Hansen and Müller (1982. Tierarztl Umschau 37, 564-570), supplemented by recent reviews by Morgan, Hellman, Weber, Meyer, and Wundt (1980) in Handbuch der Bakteriellen Infektionen bei Tieren 4). Except in those countries where B. abortus infection has been eradicated in cattle, the disease still remains a world-wide problem in cattle, sheep, goats and pigs as well as in wild animal reservoirs in certain parts of the world.

Bacteriophage Typing↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Heavy charged particle irradiation of human cancers.

One of the attractive areas of radiation oncological research is the study of improved local and regional control of resistant tumors through delivery of more effective radiation therapy. A number of potentially useful modalities are under study including combinations of debulking surgery and radiotherapy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, hypoxic cell sensitizers and radiotherapy, hyperthermia, and multiple daily fractionation of photon irradiation. Radiotherapy with pions, helium and heavier charged particles have several advantageous characteristics for accomplishing this goal. At the University of California Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (LBL) we have been studying the use of radiotherapy with helium and heavier charged particles which have several advantageous characteristics for delivery of cancerocidal therapy to deep seated tumors. These include greater localization of the radiation dose to the target volume as well as potentially greater tumor cell-killing potency relative to normal cell damage: A significant lessening of the radiation protective effect of hypoxia on tumor cells may be expected when radiation exposures are made with ions heavier than atomic number 10. Heavy ions also depress enzymatic repair mechanisms, decrease variations in radiosensitivity during the cell division cycle, cause greater than expected delay in cell division and decrease the protective effects of neighbouring cells in organized systems. A potential clinical advantage may result from irradiation with heavy ions in the atomic number range of 10-15 if a significant difference in the above parameters can be found between normal tissues and tumors.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Brain Neoplasms↗

PubMed1984

Response of sensitive human ataxia and resistant T-1 cell lines to accelerated heavy ions.

We have studied the radiation dose responses of two human fibroblast lines: cells from a patient with Ataxia telangiectasia (AT-2SF) and an established line of human T-1 cells. Aerobic and hypoxic 225 kVp X-ray survival curves were used as controls to the heavy ion exposures. Nearly monoenergetic accelerated neon and argon ions were used at the Berkeley Bevalac with various residual range values. The LET of the particles varied from 30 keV microns-1 to over 1,000 keV microns-1. All Ataxia survival curves were exponential functions of the dose. Their radiosensitivity reached peak values at 100-200 keV microns-1. Human T-1 cells have effective sublethal damage repair as has been evidenced by split dose experiments, and they are much more resistant to low LET than to high LET radiation. At high LET their radiosensitivity approached that of the Ataxia cells. The repair-misrepair model has been used to interpret these results. According to this model, the molecular repair processes culminate either in eurepair or in misrepair. We have obtained mathematical expressions that describe the cross sections and inactivation coefficients for both human cell lines as a function of the LET and the type of particle used. We assume that the lesions induced in T-1 and Ataxia cells are qualitatively similar and that each cell line attempts to repair these lesions. The result in most irradiated Ataxia cells, however, is either lethal misrepair or incomplete repair leading to cell death. T-1 cells have efficient repair mechanisms at low LET, and the repair-misrepair model suggests that at high LET the T-1 cells can still efficiently repair individual lesions, but that as the lesions become closely spaced along the tracks, the probability of misrepair increases.

Ataxia Telangiectasia↗

PubMed1983

Confidence interval estimation for the ratio of simple and standardized rates in cohort studies.

Computer simulation has been used to compare four methods for calculating confidence intervals for simple rate ratios estimated from cohort studies. The method proposed by Cornfield (1956. In Proceedings of the Third Berkeley Symposium on Mathematical Statistics and Probability. Vol. IV, 135-148) for interval estimation for the odds ratio in a 2 X 2 table (adapted to the ratio of two Poisson variables) gives reasonable and conservative results, and is recommended in view of its relative computational simplicity. Three methods are compared for interval estimation for the ratio of standardized rates, such as the standardized morbidity or mortality ratio, when the data are stratified by some confounding factor. The adapted Cornfield method again is the recommended procedure. An examination of the use of a summary chi square test with and without continuity correction indicates that the test size closest to the nominal is given by excluding such a correction when the test statistic is computed.

Computers↗

PubMed1982

Effect of maternal weight gain on fetal, infant, and childhood death and on cognitive development.

The effect of maternal weight gain during pregnancy on fetal, infant, and childhood death and on cognitive development was analyzed by examining the conception products of 2590 women who participated in the Child Health and Development Studies of the School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley. Although there was a strong inverse association between maternal weight gain and fetal and neonatal death, the implications of this are uncertain and are herein discussed. When the analysis was confined to pregnancies with gestational periods greater than 35 weeks, there was no effect of maternal weight gain on fetal, neonatal, infant, or childhood death. Children whose mothers gained between 5 and 29 lb during their pregnancy scored higher on the Raven Coloured Progressive Matrices test at age 5 than did those whose mothers gained less than 5 or more than 29 lb. Within the 5- to 29-lb group there were no significant differences in test scores among the different categories of maternal weight gain.

Body Weight↗

PubMed1981

Some indications of structural damage in retina by heavy ion radiation.

At the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Bevalac Facility, iron nuclei were accelerated to an energy of 600 MeV/amu. The beam of iron thus obtained was used to irradiate living biological specimens in order to study possible microscopic tissue damage with the aid of SEM. The experiments involved total head irradiation of live rats which were subsequently returned to their cages to remain for 1 day and 30 days before further examination. After the 1 day and 30 day waits, both eyes were enucleated and placed in chemical fixative followed by ethanol dehydration and critical point drying. Retinas were carefully removed from the eye cups and loaded separately on aluminum stubs which were sputter coated. SEM of the 1 day and 30 day retinas revealed lesions which were not found at all in control retinas. The 1 day and 30 day retinas manifest regions where outer rod segments were missing or rearranged. A single energetic iron nucleus may be capable of generating a retinal lesion which becomes enlarged as biological processes intervene during the 1 day and 30 day waits. Being composed of highly specialized nerve cells, retinas cannot regenerate following irradiation which severely damages the rod cells. Thus one would expect the observed radiation induced retinal lesions to correspond to permanent tissue damage and possible loss of visual acuity in the intact animal.

Animals↗

PubMed1980

Retinal changes in rats flown on Cosmos 936: A cosmic ray experiment.

Ten rats, five centrifuged during flight to simulate gravity and five stationary in flight and experiencing hypogravity, orbited the Earth. No differences were noted between flight-stationary and flight-centrifuged animals, but changes were seen between these two groups and ground controls. Morphological alterations were observed comparable to those in the experiment flown on Cosmos 782 and to the retinal cells exposed to high-energy particles at Berkeley. Affected cells in the outer nuclear layer showed swelling, clearing of cytoplasm, and disruption of the membranes. Tissue channels were again found, similar to those seen on 782. After space flight, preliminary data indicated an increase in cell size in montages of the nuclear layer of both groups of flight animals. This experiment shows that weightlessness and environmental conditions other than cosmic radiation do not contribute to the observed damage of retinal cells.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Round table discussion 'gene therapy and society'--summary and conclusions.

An international group consisting of scientists, physicians, and one lawyer reported on the problems of gene therapy with regard to society in their respective countries and discussed ethical, legal and scientific aspects of gene therapy. Ethical questions and fear in society were addressed by Dr Odenbach, former Secretary General of the German Medical Association, member of the German Parliamentary Enquiry Commission, 'Prospects and Risks of Gene Technology' and present adviser of the Ethical Committee of the World Medical Association, and by PH Hofschneider, Professor of Virology at the Max-Planck-Institut for Biochemistry, Munich, with a long-time strong interest in medical ethics; legal aspects were addressed by H Hausheer, Professor of Civil Law with many years experience in constitutional law and jurisdiction in Switzerland. Medical and scientific aspects were discussed by R Strohman, Emeritus Professor of Molecular Biology, Berkeley, USA, F Takaku, President of the International Medical Center of Japan and Chairman of the Central Evaluation Committee of the Japanese government for gene therapy, Tokyo and J Goldman, Professor of Leukemia Biology at Hammersmith Hospital, London, and known for this pioneering work in bone marrow transplantation. The discussion was moderated by R Hehlmann, Professor of Medicine at the University of Heidelberg and member of the World Committee of the International Association.

Bioethics↗

PubMed1995

Acute lower respiratory tract illness in illicit drug users--South Carolina, 1995.

On July 31, 1995, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control was notified of a cluster of five patients with acute, severe lower respiratory illnesses among previously healthy residents of a small rural community in Berkeley County (1990 population: 128,776). All five patients were users of illicit drugs. This report summarizes the preliminary findings of an investigation initiated to describe the clinical features and epidemiology of this syndrome and to determine an etiology. Based on information about the five cases obtained from interviews with the patients and reviews of records, a case was defined as an unexplained acute, severe respiratory illness in a previously healthy person aged < 65 years characterized by shortness of breath and/or pleuritic pain with onset of symptoms during July 15-31. One additional case was identified by contacting local physicians, intensive-care units, and pulmonary and infectious disease specialists. No cases of similar acute respiratory illness were noted in household contacts of patients.

Acute Disease↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The efficacy of two comprehensive perinatal programs on reducing adverse perinatal outcomes.

Through the collaboration among University of California at Berkeley School of Public Health, Samuel Merritt College, and a private nonprofit, community-based medical center, the adequacy of two perinatal programs was assessed based on the pregnancy outcomes of teenaged Medi-Cal clients. Historical data from June 1991 to June 1992 were compiled on the pregnancy outcomes of 312 Medi-Cal clients, 12-18 years of age, delivering at the study medical center in Oakland, California. The effect of enrollment in two special perinatal programs, Comprehensive Perinatal Services Program (CPSP) and a school-based program, the Comprehensive Teenage Pregnancy and Parenting Program (CTAPPP), on the occurrence of adverse perinatal outcomes was examined. Adverse perinatal outcomes were defined as the occurrence of one of the following: low birthweight (< 2,500 grams), gestational age less than 37 weeks, or admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), not related to congenital syphilis. The percentage of teens experiencing adverse perinatal outcomes was 10.9% at the study hospital. No significant association was observed between CTAPPP enrollment and reduced adverse perinatal outcomes, but CPSP enrollment was associated with reduced adverse perinatal outcomes. This association persisted after controlling for potential confounders, including substandard prenatal care, which were also found to be risk factors for adverse perinatal outcomes. Enrollment in both programs simultaneously was not associated with a reduction in adverse outcomes. The significant association between CPSP enrollment and reduced adverse perinatal outcomes indicates that a more comprehensive prenatal program may be beneficial in improving birth outcomes, specifically among high-risk teenage populations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗

PubMed1975

[Ploidy and liquid-holding recovery in yeasts sensitive to radiation and nitrous acid].

The effects of genome ploidy and posttreatment incubation on inactivation by nitrous acid (NA) were studied in normal, radio- and nitrous acid-sensitive strains of yeast. In normal yeast cells the increase of ploidy (haploid to triploid) resulted in "the protective effect", i.e. haploid cells were the most sensitive, triploid -- the most resistant. This "protective effect" is absent in polyploid yeast homozygous for the xrs1-5 (rad 54) mutation; in this case the NA-sensitivity rises with the increase of ploidy, i.e. haploid cells are the most resistant ones. The effect of liquid holding (LH) after the NA treatment depends on the genetic background and ploidy of treated cells. Posttreatment incubation in buffer has practically no effect on the survival of wild-type Berkeley's yeast strains (1n, 2n, 3n). The highly homozygous haploid strains from Zakharov' collection, both wild type and xrs1-5 mutant, exhibit no LH-recovery too. However the death of wild-type cells drastically rises in LH-condition as the ploidy increases. 24 hours incubation in buffer results in at least a ten-fold decrease in survival of wild type 2n, 3n, 4n cells. The loss of viability is proportional to the time of incubation, but the cell titer being constant. The strains (2n, 3n, 4n) homozygous for the xrs1-5 mutation (rad 54) show considerable LH-recovery. It is supposed that the xrs1-5 mutation results in the derepression of the prereplicative pathway of LH-recovery which eliminates the NA-INDUCED DAMAGE OF DNA.

Cell Survival↗

PubMed1994

Immune status of human immunodeficiency virus seropositive and seronegative hemophiliacs infused for 3.5 years with recombinant factor VIII. The Kogenate Study Group.

Recent studies suggest that treatment of hemophiliacs with highly purified factor VIII concentrates may preserve immune function. To test this hypothesis, we prospectively studied 51 hemophilic patients (21 human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] seropositive and 30 seronegative) who were on home therapy exclusively with recombinant factor VIII (Kogenate, Miles Laboratory, Berkeley, CA) for 3.5 years. Patients, all of whom had been previously treated with plasma-derived factor VIII concentrates, were monitored every 6 months with T-lymphocyte subsets and beta 2-microglobulin levels. Mean rate of change in absolute CD4 cell counts, calculated from regression slopes for individual patients, showed a small but statistically significant decrease over the 3.5-year study period for HIV seropositive hemophiliacs. No decrease in CD4 cell counts was seen in HIV seronegative hemophiliacs when the data for children under age 6 years were excluded from the analysis. beta 2-microglobulin levels and CD8 cell counts remained unchanged. These data show stability of immunologic parameters in HIV seronegative hemophiliacs, and a small decrease in CD4 cell counts in HIV seropositive hemophiliacs treated with recombinant factor VIII.

CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes↗

PubMed1994

When gay is pretty: physical attractiveness and low homophobia.

Photographs of physically attractive men and women were presented as depicting homosexuals and heterosexuals to subjects on the University of California at Berkeley campus who were generally judged to be nonhomophobic opposite-sexed students. Analysis showed that the 62 women rated 3 men as significantly more physically attractive when they believed the men were homosexual than when they believed the men were heterosexual. The 65 men did not rate photographs of 3 women as more physically attractive when they believed the women were lesbian compared to when they believed the women were heterosexual. The results illustrate an effect of the "gay-pretty-boy stereotype," namely, that women judged to be nonhomophobic perceived homosexual men as more physically attractive than comparable heterosexual men.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Noncardiac operations in patients supported with mechanical circulatory support devices.

BACKGROUND: Recent advances in technology as well as refinements of patient selection criteria have improved results of ventricular assistance in patients with end-stage heart disease. With a "normal" cardiac output and the resultant improvement in end-organ perfusion, some patients revert to normal or near normal physiology. Seven patients supported with cardiac assist devices who have undergone general surgical, nonassist device related procedures with the assist device in place are presented. STUDY DESIGN: This is a historical review of seven cases. RESULTS: The surgical procedures included three cholecystectomies, one dialysis catheter placement, and one thoracoscopy. Six patients had Thoratec ventricular assist devices (Thoratec Laboratories Corp., Berkeley, CA) and one was supported with a Jarvik (Symbion, Inc., Tempe, AZ) total artificial heart. In one patient, postcholecystectomy bleeding was the only complication that may have been directly attributable to having an assist device in place. Four patients underwent successful transplantation and three patients died, two during support and one after transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: As heart transplant waiting lists become longer and when permanent ventricular assist devices become available, an increasing number of patients on ventricular assistance will have noncardiac related pathology requiring operative intervention. In our experience, patients supported on mechanical assist devices tolerated these procedures well.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Preoperative predictors of survival in patients with Thoratec ventricular assist devices as a bridge to heart transplantation. Thoratec Ventricular Assist Device Principal Investigators.

Approximately two-thirds of patients implanted with ventricular assist devices recover sufficiently to requalify for heart transplantation, and the other one-third die of complications that are often secondary to delayed ventricular assist device implantation and subsequent end-organ failure. To determine whether any preoperative predictors of survival exist, univariate statistics and multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis were performed on pre-ventricular assist device demographics, hemodynamics, and blood chemistry in 186 patients receiving Thoratec ventricular assist devices (Thoratec Laboratories Corp., Berkeley, Calif.) while awaiting transplantation. The duration of circulatory support averaged 19.6 days (maximum, 226 days). One hundred thirty-seven patients (74%) received biventricular support, 47 received isolated left ventricular assist devices, and two received right ventricular assist devices. The average blood flow was 5.0 +/- 0.9 L/min. One hundred eighteen patients (63%) ultimately received heart transplants, of whom 96 patients were discharged. Age, gender, weight, and diagnosis were not related to survival, nor were preoperative cardiac index, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, intraaortic balloon pumps, or cardiac arrests. Pre-ventricular assist device creatinine levels (p = 0.24) and total bilirubin levels (p = 0.09) were not significant, but blood urea nitrogen level (p = 0.02) and previous operations (p = 0.05) were related to survival, using univariate techniques. Patients with cardiac operations more than 30 days previously had the lowest survival-to-transplantation (39%) compared with patients with no previous operations (67%) or operations within the previous 30 days (61%). Blood urea nitrogen level was the only parameter found to be significant (p = 0.016) in a multivariate model.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗