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Biomedical subjects

B Moore

Publications and source records attributed to B Moore.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The relationship between back pain and lead apron use in radiologists.

Anecdotal experience has suggested that back pain in radiologists may result from extensive wearing of lead aprons. To investigate this possibility, we sent questionnaires to 688 radiologists in various subspecialties whose use of lead aprons varied from none to moderate to extensive. The questionnaire included both objective items that quantitated apron use and back pain and subjective items that asked, for example, if the respondent believed that lead aprons were responsible for his or her back pain. We received 236 responses (34% response rate). Objective data from those radiologists who had experienced no back pain before wearing a lead apron (179 radiologists, 26% of those surveyed) were tabulated; respondents were grouped according to age, time spent wearing a lead apron, and degree of back pain. Odds ratios were calculated. Answers to subjective questions for all respondents were tabulated. Back pain was reported by 52% of those who estimated their lead apron use at greater than or equal to 10 hr per week, the mean response, as opposed to 46% of those who wore lead aprons fewer than 10 hr a week. These and related results were not statistically significant. Our study does not prove that wearing a lead apron is a significant risk factor for the development of back pain.

Adult

Serum IgG and IgM levels in new and regular long-term plasmapheresis donors.

This Australian study monitored the effects of monthly plasmapheresis on donor serum IgG and IgM levels in 127 new and 124 established plasma donors who donated 1014 units over a five-month period. Of the 251 donors, 3% had reduced total serum protein (TSP) levels, 7% had low IgG levels and 12% had low IgM levels prior to donation on at least one occasion over the study period. Statistical analysis showed that the TSP, IgG and IgM levels of new donors who had donated plasma on less than 10 occasions were no more likely to fall below normal than those of old donors. However, new and old donors whose IgG or IgM levels fell below normal at any time during the study had significantly lower levels of the relevant parameter on entry to the study. Followed longitudinally, IgG and IgM levels in old and new donors tended to fall, although levels fluctuated throughout the study. Statistical analysis failed to show any correlation between TSP levels and IgG or IgM levels. These parameters did not correlate significantly with the number of previous plasmaphereses, donor weight, volume collected or history of infection. This study highlighted the need for regular, specific quantitation of IgG and IgM levels as well as TSP in regular plasmapheresis donors. The frequency of testing is yet to be determined, in view of the high materials and labour costs of such a programme.

Adolescent

Climacteric symptoms in a Tanzanian community.

Climacteric symptoms were investigated among healthy women living in and around a small town in Tanzania. The incidence of symptoms was high and similar to that recorded in Western societies. Statistically significant associations were observed between some symptoms and the number of years since menopause. More attention needs to be paid to climacteric problems among African women.

Climacteric

Summary and frequency of KR presentation effects on retention of a motor skill.

This experiment investigates the recent proposal of Schmidt, Young, Swinnen, and Shapiro (1989) that summary knowledge of results (KR) improves skill retention. In Schmidt et al.'s experiment, however, summary length varied concomitantly with the frequency of KR presentation. The current investigation held KR presentation frequency constant while manipulating the number of trials seen in the summary KR display. Subjects were required to perform a timing task on a linear slide. Five groups (n = 12) of subjects participated in acquisition trials then in 10-min and 2-day delayed no-KR retention tests. In 4 conditions, subjects completed each acquisition block without any KR, but following each block they received KR on either 15, 7, 3, or 1 of the 15 trials performed in that block. In the final condition subjects received immediate KR. Analysis of the absolute constant error (magnitude of CE) data for acquisition revealed all groups improved with practice and the immediate KR group performed better than all the summary groups which in turn did not differ significantly. Analysis of the magnitude of CE retention data found performance to be worse on the 2-day retention test for all groups. The effect of condition was significant. The 1/1 group had lower error scores than all other groups, which in turn were not significantly different. Analyses of variable error (VE) revealed only that VE decreased with practice. These findings suggest frequency of KR presentation may be the basis for the summary KR effect found by Schmidt et al. (1989).

Female

Inhibition of K88ab-mediated haemagglutination by polymyxin B nonapeptide.

The ability of the cyclic peptide polymyxin B nonapeptide (PMBN) to inhibit haemagglutination of erythrocytes by Escherichia coli bearing K88ab, K99 or F41 fimbriae was examined. The agent strongly inhibited K88ab-mediated haemagglutination, but had little or no effect on haemagglutination mediated by K99 or F41 fimbriae. Inhibition of K88ab-mediated haemagglutination did not result from release of fimbrial adhesins from the bacterial cell surface, nor from solubilization of K88ab receptors in erythrocytes. Since PMBN also prevented haemagglutination mediated by partially-purified K88ab fimbriae, the agent may directly obstruct access of fimbriae to their mammalian receptor binding sites.

Adhesins, Escherichia coli

Could preventive intranasal interferon lower the morbidity in children prone to respiratory illness?

Recent studies have demonstrated that rhinovirus infections can be prevented in the family setting through use of intranasal interferon sprays which are commenced when another family member develops a cold. One hundred and twenty-seven children aged 4-9 years who had been hospitalized during their first year of life for severe infections caused by respiratory syncytial virus were studied virologically and epidemiologically during a seven-month period which included the winter months. The hypothesis was that a significant part of their respiratory morbidity would be preventable by a contact prophylaxis approach using intranasal interferon. However, the findings suggest that a preventive approach of this kind would not substantially reduce the burden of respiratory illness in these children because: the target children themselves more often introduced illness into the family than did other household members; rhinovirus infections preventable by interferon were associated with little lower respiratory morbidity; and rhinoviruses were minor contributors to the total respiratory illness burden in these respiratory illness-prone children.

Administration, Intranasal

The effect of menopausal status and sequential mestranol and norethisterone on serum cholesterol, triglyceride and electrophoretic lipoprotein patterns.

The serum cholesterol, triglycerides and electrophoretic lipoprotein patterns of 35 postmenopausal women, who subsequently received sequential mestranol and norethisterone, were compared with those of 35 premenopasual women of the same age and weight. The postmenopausal women had a significantly higher level of serum cholesterol (p less than 0.01) than the premenopausal women, and a significant reduction (p less than 0.001) occurred in this group after two months of therapy. There was no significant difference in level of serum cholesterol between the premenopausal group and the postmenopausal group receiving sequential mestranol and norethisterone for two months. The serum triglycerides were not significantly higher in the postmenopausal group but there was a significant increase (p less than 0.001) after two months of therapy. The marked alteration in lipid levels at the menopause may in part account for the great increase in coronary artery disease in postmenopausal women but whether these changes are reversible by giving hormone therapy remains speculative.

Adult

Efficiency and safety of methidathion applied as a pour-on systemic insecticide for control of cattle lice.

Methidathion applied to cattle as a pour-on insecticide for control of lice (predominantly Linognathus vituli, but also Haematopinus eurysternus and Damalinia bovis) caused a reduction in the lice population of approximately 98% to 99% in laboratory trials at the minimum recommended dose of 4 mg/kg and a 98.8% to 100% efficiency was achieved in field trials. In a comparative efficiency trial in the laboratory methidathion at 3.5 to 5 mg/kg reduced the lice population by 98.8% to 99%, fenthion by 98.5% at 4.5 mg/kg and famphur by 99.7% at 16.5 mg/kg. Methidathion was tolerated by calves aged 15 to 20 weeks at dose rates up to 40 mg/kg indicating an approximate 7 fold safety margin, but 1 of 4 calves treated at 50 mg/kg died following treatment. Treatment with fenthion at 50 mg/kg, 7.4 times the average recommended rate, famphur at 75 mg/kg, 3 times the average rate and chlorpyrifos at 85 mg/kg, 5 times average rate, caused reductions in whole blood cholinesterase activity of 52%, 27% and 47% respectively which were similar to the reductions in cholinesterase activity found in calves treated with methidathion at similar levels above the recommended commercial dose rates. It was found that 2 day old calves were more sensitive to treatment with methidathion than calves 9 or 16 days old. A further 11,900 cattle of varying age, breed and sex were treated with methidathion under field conditions at the recommended rate of 4 to 8 mg/kg, and 534 cattle were treated at 24 mg/kg without any signs of toxicity.

Animals

An extensive rotavirus outbreak in aboriginal infants in central Australia.

Faecal specimens were obtained from 92 Aboriginal infants admitted to Alice Springs Hospital during an extensive outbreak of gastroenteritis in the surrounding area in July, 1976. Specimens were examined for potentially pathogenic viruses, bacteria and parasites. Rotavirus proved to be by far the most common potential pathogen, being detected in 54% of specimens.

Australia