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C Booth

Publications and source records attributed to C Booth.

85 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Technology and medicine.

Technology, which is older than science, has been of vital importance in the development of modern medicine. Even so, there are voices of dissent to be heard. The disenchantment with technology expressed by Aldous Huxley in Brave new world has been echoed by contemporary writers on the technology of modern medicine. Medicine is seen by some to have been dehumanized by technology, and techniques that are expensive are thought to be consuming a greater proportion of health resources than they deserve. The practice of medicine has, nevertheless, been transformed by modern technology and diagnostic techniques and therapeutic measures undreamed of a few short decades ago are now commonplace. There is no reason why these developments should be any more dehumanizing than the use of similar techniques in modern transportation or communication, nor is their expense out of proportion when compared with other demands on the nation's purse. British workers have been at the forefront of many recent advances. Yet, even though the National Health Service provides a ready market for the products of British medical technology, the nation depends to an inordinate degree on imported products. In the development of appropriate medical technology there is an urgent need for better communication between inventors, scientists, industrialists and the National Health Service. At the same time there is an equal need for improved evaluation of untried techniques. The pressure for a central integrating body to coordinate resources could well be supported by the establishment of evaluation units in the different health authorities in this country.

Diagnosis↗

Tropical sprue.

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Diagnosis, Differential↗

Investigation of [14C] linoleic acid conversion into [14C] arachidonic acid and placental transfer of linoleic and palmitic acids across the perfused human placenta.

In five separate experiments in which single placental lobes were perfused, [14C] antipyrine, [3H] dextran and a fatty acid mixture containing [14C] linoleic and [3H] palmitic acids were added to the maternal circuit. Samples of fetal and maternal perfusate, taken at intervals, were analysed for radioactivity and fatty acid content. The relative placental transport rates of antipyrine, linoleic and palmitic acids and the changes in maternal and fetal circuit content of linoleic, palmitic and arachidonic acids were measured. Mean transfer rates of 150, 0.023 and 0.034 mumol min-1 were obtained for [14C] antipyrine, [3H] palmitic and [14C] linoleic acids, respectively. The transfer of [3H] dextran was negligible. The transfer rates of linoleic and palmitic acids did not differ significantly from one another. The maternal circuit content of palmitic and arachidonic acids increased, whereas linoleic acid content decreased. The fetal content of all three acid increased but in the case of arachidonic and palmitic acids the increase was not as great as that seen in the maternal circuit. In no experiment was radioactivity detected in maternal or fetal perfusate arachidonic acid. It is concluded that linoleic and palmitic acids cross the placenta from the maternal to the fetal side. This transfer appears to be non-selective. The large amounts of arachidonic acid that are released into the perfusate probably originate from placental lipids other than free linoleic acid.

Antipyrine↗

Ozone and UV radiation over southern South America: climatology and anomalies.

Ozone and UV radiation were analyzed at eight stations from tropical to sub-Antarctic regions in South America. Ground UV irradiances were measured by multichannel radiometers as part of the Inter American Institute for Global Change Radiation network. The irradiance channels used for this study were centered at 305 nm (for UV-B measurements) and 340 nm (for UV-A measurements). Results were presented as daily maximum irradiances, as monthly averaged, daily integrated irradiances and as the ratio of 305 nm to 340 nm. These findings are the first to be based on a long time series of semispectral data from the southern region of South America. As expected, the UV-B channel and total column ozone varied with latitude. The pattern of the UV-A channel was more complex because of local atmospheric conditions. Total column ozone levels of < 220 Dobson Units were observed at all sites. Analysis of autocorrelations showed a larger persistence of total column ozone level than irradiance. A decreasing cross-correlation coefficient between 305 and 340 nm and an increasing cross-correlation coefficient between 305 nm and ozone were observed at higher latitudes, indicating that factors such as cloud cover tend to dominate at northern sites and that ozone levels tend to dominate at southern sites. These results highlight the value of long-term monitoring of radiation with multichannel radiometers to determine climatological data and evaluate the combination of factors affecting ground UV radiation.

Journal Article↗