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Biomedical subjects

D Bennett

Publications and source records attributed to D Bennett.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Rudolf Karl Freudenberg - from pioneer of insulin treatment to pioneering social psychiatrist.

Rudolf Karl Freudenberg was Physician Superintendent at Netherne Hospital, Couldsdon, Surrey from 1951 to 1973. In his work as superintendent and government adviser he made important contributions to mental hospital reform and to the establishment of community psychiatric services in Britain. Earlier, in Vienna and following emigration to Britain, he was one of the pioneers of insulin coma treatment with a series of publications on this topic. The paper gives an account of published papers of both phases, and it highlights the background to Freudenberg's shift in professional interest from physical to social intervention. It argues that the change of emphasis reflects important general trends, i.e. profound change due to new forms of physical treatment on the one hand and similarly convincing evidence of the impact of social factors on clinical course and outcome on the other hand.

Austria↗
PubMed2000

Prevalence of HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C antibodies in prisoners in England and Wales: a national survey.

Prisoners in eight of the 135 prisons in England and Wales were surveyed in 1997 and 1998 to study the prevalence of and risk factors for transmission of bloodborne viruses in prison. Subjects voluntarily completed a risk factor questionnaire and provided oral fluid specimens for unlinked anonymous testing for the presence of antibodies to HIV, hepatitis C virus (HCV), and the core antigen of hepatitis B virus (HBc). Almost 8% (4778) of the total of 60,561 prisoners were eligible and four fifths (3942) of those eligible took part. Among all those tested (3930) 0.4% (14) were positive for anti-HIV, 8% (308) for anti-HBc, and 7% (293) for anti-HCV (the anti-HBc and anti-HCV prevalences were not adjusted for assay sensitivities of 82% and 80%, respectively). Twenty-four per cent (777/3176) of adult prisoners reported ever having injected drugs, 30% of whom (224/747) reported having injected in prison. Three quarters of those who injected in prison (167/224) shared needles or syringes. Among adult injecting drug users, 0.5% (4/775) had anti-HIV, 31% (240/775) anti-HCV, and 20% (158/775) anti-HBc. The presence of anti-HCV and anti-HBc was associated with injecting inside prison and number of previous times in prison. The results suggest that hepatitis viruses are probably being transmitted in prisons through sharing non-sterile injecting equipment and that a risk of HIV transmission exists. Harm minimisation measures for the 6% of prisoners who continue to inject while in prison should be strengthened.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

The chaperone-like properties of mammalian inhibitor-2 are conserved in a Drosophila homologue.

Phosphatase inhibitor-2 (I-2) is a mammalian phosphoprotein that binds to the catalytic subunit of type 1 serine/threonine phosphoprotein phosphatase (PP1c) and inhibits its activity in vitro. Recombinant PP1c differs from native PP1c in several biochemical criteria, including the requirement for Mn(2+), sensitivity to vanadate, and p-nitrophenyl phosphate (pNPP) phosphatase activity. I-2 can convert recombinant PP1c into a native-like activity in vitro. It has therefore been suggested that I-2 may act as a molecular chaperone for PP1 in vivo. We have identified a Drosophila homologue (I-2Dm) in a two-hybrid screen for PP1c-binding proteins. The sequence of I-2Dm is 35% identical with that of I-2, whereas the catalytic subunits themselves are >85% identical in flies and humans; however, we show that many biochemical properties of I-2 are conserved. Like I-2, I-2Dm can convert recombinant PP1c to a native-like activity. This strongly suggests that this ability is an essential, conserved role of I-2 and I-2Dm.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

Interbreed variation of DLA-DRB1, DQA1 alleles and haplotypes in the dog.

Although 36 DLA-DRB1 and 10 DLA-DQA1 allele sequences have been published to date, no data on individual allele frequencies exists, either for specific breeds or cross breeds, and the full extent of the polymorphism at each of these loci is still not known. We have used sequence-specific oligonucleotide probing (SSOP) to characterise a series of 367 dogs for their DRB1 and DQA1 alleles. These included individual animals from over 60 different breeds, with numbers per breed ranging from 1 to 39. DLA types were generated from 218 dogs for DRB1 and from 330 dogs for DQA1, while 181 dogs were characterised for both these loci. The frequency of individual DRB1 and DQA1 alleles showed considerable interbreed variation, e.g. 83% of West Highland White Terriers were DRB1*01 as opposed to 9% of Collies. No breed had >9 of the 22 DRB1 types defined in this study; several breeds had only two DRB1 types. DLA-DQA1 showed less variation in allele numbers per breed, but also showed considerable interbreed frequency variation. Haplotype analysis revealed over 44 different DRB1/DQA1 combinations. Of these, 25 were in a number of animals, and also in an animal that was homozygous for one or both of these loci. Some DRB1 alleles could be found in combination with several different DQA1 alleles, while others were only present in one haplotypic combination. DLA allele frequency data in normal dogs will be critical for disease association studies. It may also be possible to use haplotype data to establish the genetic relationships between different dog breeds.

Alleles↗
PubMed1999

Value of direct smears of synovial fluid in the diagnosis of canine joint disease.

Assessments of direct smears of synovial fluid by four clinicians were compared with the results obtained with a Coulter counter. Estimates of total white cell counts by the clinicians were inaccurate and generally higher than the Coulter counter results. The method had a low sensitivity and specificity for the identification of degenerative joint disease and normal joints in comparison with the identification of inflammatory joint disease. There were marked variations in the results obtained by the four clinicians for all the analyses in the study.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Oxcarbazepine: double-blind, randomized, placebo-control, monotherapy trial for partial seizures.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of oxcarbazepine in a placebo-control trial. METHODS: A multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-control, two-arm parallel group, monotherapy design was used to compare oxcarbazepine administered 1,200 mg twice daily to placebo in hospitalized patients with refractory partial seizures, including simple and complex partial seizures and partial seizures evolving to secondarily generalized seizures. Patients exited the trial after completing the 10-day double-blind treatment phase or after experiencing four partial seizures, two new-onset secondarily generalized seizures, serial seizures, or status epilepticus, whichever came first. RESULTS: Analysis of the primary efficacy variable--time to meeting one of the exit criteria--showed a statistically significant effect in favor of oxcarbazepine (p = 0.0001). The secondary efficacy variables--percentage of patients who met one of the exit criteria (p = 0.0001) and total partial seizure frequency per 9 days during the double-blind treatment (p = 0.0001)--were also statistically significant in favor of oxcarbazepine. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that oxcarbazepine given as monotherapy is effective and safe for the treatment of partial seizures in this paradigm.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Immunocytochemical demonstration of lymphocyte subsets and MHC class II antigen expression in synovial membranes from dogs with rheumatoid arthritis and degenerative joint disease.

The study describes the distribution of canine leucocyte antigens in synovial membrane biopsies from six dogs with canine rheumatoid arthritis (CRA) and from eight dogs with osteoarthritis (OA) secondary to spontaneous rupture of the cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) (n = 5) or patellar luxation (n = 3). Synovial membranes from five dogs without evidence of joint lesions were used as control tissues. In the subsynovium of dogs with normal joints CD5+, CD4+, CD8+ and alpha beta TCR+ lymphocytes were present only in low numbers. With monoclonal antibody (mAb) to MHC class II antigen, either none or up to 20-30% of synovial lining cells were immunoreactive. Furthermore, scattered MHCII+ stromal cells were seen in the deeper subsynovial layer. In synovial membrane biopsies from dogs with CRA numerous diffusely and perivascularly distributed CD5+ lymphocytes were found in the subsynovium. CD4+ cells outnumbered CD8+ cells and were more numerous in the perivascular areas. In all the CRA cases examined, there were markedly higher numbers of alpha beta TCR+ cells compared with gamma delta TCR+ cells. With mAb to CD21, low numbers of immunoreactive lymphocytes were demonstrated. In all the CRA cases, a marked increase of MHC class II antigen expression was noted. In the majority of samples, 50% or more than 90% of the synovial lining cells were strongly MHC class II+. Throughout the subsynovial layer there were numerous MHC class II+ cells and included those with dendritic morphology and inflammatory mononuclear cells. Furthermore, marked perivascular immunoreactivity for MHC class II antigen was found. In biopsies from dogs with OA, there were markedly lower numbers of subsynovial CD5+, CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes. T-cells were mainly diffusely distributed. In three of the eight OA dogs examined, there was an increased percentage of synovial lining cells expressing MHC class II. The majority of OA cases had subsynovial major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II+ cells with a dendritic morphology.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

DLA-DRB1 polymorphisms in dogs defined by sequence-specific oligonucleotide probes (SSOP).

To date, DNA sequences for 29 dog DLA-DRB1 alleles have been reported. However, no data exists on the frequencies of these alleles within the general dog population, nor is there any indication of whether there is interbreed variation of allele distribution. We have addressed this by establishing a molecular based sequence-specific oligonucleotide probing (SSOP) method to identify all of the known broad DRB1 types and we have used this to type a random panel of dogs. A series of oligonucleotide probes were designed to detect known polymorphisms in the three DRB1 hypervariable regions, together with two distinctive motifs in other regions of exon 2. This set of probes enabled us to assign broad DRB1 types. Two hundred and eighteen dogs were SSOP typed for DRB1. All but 4 of the published DLA-DRB1 alleles were identified in these animals. Interbreed variation in both allele distributions and allele frequencies were observed, which may be useful in the study of genetic variation between breeds. This variation also has implications for the selection of control groups for studies aimed at identifying MHC associations with disease susceptibility in the dog.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Equity of renal replacement therapy utilization: a prospective population-based study.

This 1-year prospective survey assessed the incidence and characteristics of all patients starting renal replacement therapy (RRT) for end-stage renal disease in Scotland, and whether there is equity of utilization of RRT in terms of age, domicile and social circumstance. In the year studied, 104 patients per million population (533 patients) started RRT (390 per million population aged 65-75). In 23.5% the cause of ESRD could not be determined. Diabetes was the single most frequently identified cause (16%). The requirement for RRT rose with age, but over the country as a whole, patients aged over 75 years were under-represented. The majority of health boards provided RRT at a rate within 20% of the national rate. There was no difference in the median age at starting RRT between health boards. The spectrum of social deprivation of patients starting RRT was the same as that of the general population. There was no evidence that social deprivation influences acceptance on to the RRT program, although the relationship between ESRD and deprivation is complex. The utilization of RRT exceeded the minimum rate recommended by the Renal Association, although there was fluctuation between health board areas. The national requirement for resources to provide RRT is likely to rise further to care for an increasingly elderly population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Epidemiology of intensive care medicine: supply versus demand.

Developments in hospital medicine combined with social and demographic changes are likely to increase the need for intensive care services at a time when cost containment and cost-efficacy are the main items on the political agenda. This will exaggerate the supply-demand outcome mismatch unless the problem is approached in a constructive manner by clinicians, managers and politicians. More resources will be required for intensive care, but these must be better targeted and more efficiently employed. Opportunities for prevention should be explored, with intensive care being given a pro-active rather than a re-active role. Intensive care clinicians should understand that this expanded role cannot be achieved if they are willing only to accept responsibility for patient care after the patient has been admitted to the ICU. Clinicians and managers should develop methods for linking the various disciplines which contribute to emergency care, to form an acute care framework within the hospital. Research into the factors which determine risk of critical illness should be combined with enhanced medical and nursing training in intensive care, accompanied by an expansion in resources for intermediate and high dependency care in countries like the UK where there is clear evidence of rationing.

Critical Care↗
PubMed1999

Prevention and transition.

Strategies to protect workers' health and the environment outside of the workplace, were, respectively, once based on the notion of control a series of controls (engineering and administrative) in the workplace and emission controls to protect the public environment. Two parallel changes occurred. The first was a shift from the general principles of control to the notion of a hierarchy of control measures and the second was a recasting of the Hierarchy of Controls into what has been called a Hierarchy of Prevention and Controls. This article cites the Canadian experience to show that this twofold shift is a progressive and constructive move; the United States provides both the sources of the problem and some solutions. "Just Transition" for workers during environmental change was developed in the context of chemical bans and phase-outs. The concept is now much broader. The article argues that certain pollution prevention measures have been construed as an attack on workers' rights; but this problem can be resolved to the benefit of both workers' health and environmental protection. Explanation of the relation of pollution prevention to Just Transition is a part of the solution.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1999

Beyond white light endoscopy--the prospect for endoscopic optical biopsy.

The most important factor in the successful treatment of cancer is early detection. This will be more likely to facilitate eradication of abnormal cells prior to systemic invasion. White light endoscopy has been an essential tool in medical diagnosis for a number of years. Direct endoscopic inspection of gastrointestinal organs has revolutionised diagnostic techniques, improving the targeting of biopsies of macroscopic morphological abnormalities. Recent technological developments are threatening a further revolution enabling the instantaneous and non-invasive diagnosis of microscopic tissue abnormalities in vivo. This is made possible by improving the level of information that can be obtained from the tissue. As well as the two-dimensional surface morphology image, which the traditional endoscope can view, new techniques enable structure at depth, i.e., the third-dimension, to be imaged in high resolution. Other advances enable the detection of biochemical changes in tissue that precede any changes in morphology, thus enabling earlier diagnosis of tissue abnormalities. This review details recent advances that have the greatest potential, for use in partnership with endoscopy, for the diagnosis of malignancy and pre-malignancy.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1999

Three xenon texts.

The few Byzantine medical texts whose titles or contents associate them with the xenon repay close study for what they reveal about that institution as well as about the transmission of medical knowledge in the late Byzantine period. This paper examines common passages in three xenon texts, codd.Vat. gr. 292 and 299 and Laur 75.19. It argues from the evidence of these and other texts that the xenon and its medical staff contributed not only to the preservation and transmission of the medical corpus, but also to that of the craft medical texts of the late Byzantine period.

Byzantium↗
PubMed1998

Matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9 in canine rheumatoid arthritis.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are considered important mediators of tissue damage in joint diseases. The levels of MMPs 2 and 9 were measured in samples of synovial fluid from 20 joints in seven dogs with rheumatoid arthritis by gelatin zymography. The results were compared with the actual gelatinolytic activity of the fluid measured in a gelatin-degradation ELISA. The gelatinolytic activity in synovial fluid from arthritic joints was markedly greater than that in fluid from disease-free joints. The zymographic activity attributable to MMP-9 (identified by Western blotting) was absent from synovial fluid from control joints but prominent in fluid from arthritic joints, and in these joints the presence of a 75 kDa form of MMP-9 was correlated with the gelatinolytic activity of the fluid measured by the ELISA (r = 0.81, P < 0.05). Synovial fluid from one dog with rheumatoid arthritis was examined before and after treatment with corticosteroids. After treatment its zymographic pattern had returned to normal.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗