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Biomedical subjects

B Grab

Publications and source records attributed to B Grab.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1976

Rough determination of the cost-benefit balance point of sanitation programmes.

Resources for sanitation programmes in developing countries are limited and therefore must be used judiciously to obtain the best possible effect. Cost-benefit analysis is a tool that permits the better utilization of available resources. A simple method for rough determination of the cost-benefit balance point has been devised which requires little computation. To reduce the computations to a minimum, nomograms have been constructed which require little or no mathematical skill for their use. While the method falls short of perfection, its simplicity makes it useful for a rough evaluation of the benefits from sanitation programmes aimed at disease control in countries whose resources are not available for more sophisticated analysis.

Communicable Disease Control↗
PubMed1976

Impact of control measures on malaria transmission and general mortality.

This paper is an attempt to relate modifications observed in general and infant mortality rates with the dynamic changes in transmission induced by malaria control measures. The observations indicated relationships between the efficacy of control and a decrease in mortality. The daily parasitological inoculation rate was reduced from 0.00958 infective bites per individual before treatment to 0.00037 after treatment (a decrease of 96%). In two years, general mortality decreased from 23.9 to 13.5 deaths per 1000 population and infant mortality decreased from 157 to 93 per 1000 live births. This indirect benefit of malaria control deserves attention in a wider assessment of measures directed against vector-borne diseases.

Adult↗
PubMed1974

A simple epidemiological model for evaluating the malaria inoculation rate and the risk of infection in infants.

A simple epidemiological model for evaluating the malaria inoculation rate and the risk of infection in infants was applied to describe the disease picture in an area of East Africa. Fairly good agreement was noted between the actual and expected curves of disease acquisition; this model could therefore be used for simulating epidemiological processes. Entomological and parasitological inoculation rates were compared by means of different approaches. As a result, it was possible to calculate the factor of proportionality defined as the proportion of anophelines having in their glands sporozoites that are actually infective.

Animals↗
PubMed1973

The second international standard for polymyxin B.

Since supplies of the first International Standard for Polymyxin B were exhausted, it was replaced by a second international standard the potency of which was estimated from the results of a collaborative assay carried out by 5 laboratories in 4 countries. The wide variations in the results probably resulted from difficulties experienced in handling the first international standard. The potency finally agreed upon by the collaborating laboratories, on the basis of the overall mean values obtained after rejection of the most discrepant assays, was 8 403 IU/mg. That value was accepted by the WHO Expert Committee on Biological Standardization (1970), which consequently defined the International Unit of polymyxin B as the activity contained in 0.000119 mg of the second international standard.

International Cooperation↗
PubMed1973

The international standard for colistin.

An International Standard for Colistin has been established and the International Unit defined as the activity contained in 0.00004878 mg of this preparation. The unit was defined on the basis of a collaborative assay in which nine laboratories from six different countries participated. The material used to prepare the international standard had been manufactured in Japan; it was shown to have a composition similar to that of material produced in Europe and to be suitable for the assay of colistin from the existing sources of manufacture.

Colistin↗
PubMed1973

The international reference preparation of colistin methane sulfonate.

The international unit of colistin methane sulfonate has been defined by collaborative assay as the activity contained in 0.00007874 mg of the international reference preparation. The definition was based on results from 7 laboratories in 5 countries which carried out assays against their existing national standards. Because of the complex heterogeneity in composition of this antibiotic the international reference preparation was not designated as an international standard.

Colistin↗
PubMed1972

Methods for the surveillance of endemic treponematoses and sero-immunological investigations of "disappearing" disease.

Although the treatment of whole communities with long-acting penicillin for the control of endemic treponematoses of childhood during the past twenty years has led to a remarkable initial regression of disease, early clinical yaws has not yet been eliminated in large endemic areas and the elimination of early childhood syphilis has been observed in favourable environmental conditions in a single instance only. In most areas, transmission of infection continues at varying levels and recrudescence or periodic focal outbreaks continue to occur.Mass penicillin campaigns have been undertaken in 46 countries and up to the end of 1970 some 160 million people had been examined and some 50 million clinical cases, latent cases, and contacts had been treated. In the past few years, sero-epidemiological studies of the changing pattern of disease and infection have become possible and methods for long-term surveillance of endemic treponematoses have been developed. The application of these methods to the study of "disappearing" disease is described, particularly with regard to yaws but also to childhood syphilis and pinta.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1972

An international reference preparation for human serum immunoglobulins G, A and M: content of immunoglobulins by weight.

An International Reference Preparation for Human Serum Immunoglobulins G, A, and M has been established by the World Health Organization and international units have been assigned to it. This paper describes international collaborative assays carried out by 10 specialized laboratories, which attempted to define the immunoglobulin contents of the International Reference Preparation by weight. For all immunoglobulins the estimates of contents by weight were imprecise, largely owing to heterogeneity of estimates between laboratories. Mean estimates of immunoglobulin contents by weight are given, but it is considered that the results of assays of immunoglobulin against the International Reference Preparation or related preparations are more precisely expressed in terms of international units.

Europe↗
PubMed1971

Epidemiological model of typhoid fever and its use in the planning and evaluation of antityphoid immunization and sanitation programmes.

An epidemiological model has been constructed for typhoid fever in a stable population in order to study the transmission of infection at different levels of endemicity. It involves a number of parameters representing the proportions of epidemiological subgroups in the population-such as the susceptible, the infected, and the immune-and rates of transition between the groups. Numerical values based on available evidence were assigned to the parameters, to provide a realistic simulation of stable endemicity.Changes were then introduced in the values of some of the parameters in order to study the consequences of mass vaccination and improvements in general health conditions and sanitation, in particular on the incidence of disease.The model shows that a single mass vaccination reduces the incidence of disease considerably, but the gain is largely lost after a few years. Repeated vaccinations at 5-year intervals will produce further decreases in incidence, though the additional gain becomes smaller at each consecutive vaccination.The model was also used to estimate the possible effect of improvements in sanitation. The incidence decreases to a new level of stability when the transmission of the infection is reduced because of improved sanitation. The effect of sanitation is long-lasting and in this respect gives better results than vaccination.The simultaneous application of mass vaccination and sanitation gives a cumulative effect, which in some cases tends to be close to the effect of sanitation alone.The model was used to forecast the probable effect of preventive measures against typhoid fever, such as mass immunization and sanitation programmes, on a selected population in terms of prevention of disease, as well as in terms of relative costs and benefits. It provides a useful guide for the rational use of funds and the facilities to be set aside for typhoid fever control purposes.Other possible uses of the model are briefly discussed.The need to adjust the model in relation to specific conditions in the community is stressed, as is the need to readjust it to take into account changes in the pattern of life and the natural history of typhoid fever.

Communicable Disease Control↗