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Biomedical subjects

J F Silva

Publications and source records attributed to J F Silva.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

The urgent need to train orthopaedic surgeons in Third World countries.

The paper stresses the need to train orthopaedic surgeons for Third World countries. The urgent need for such a programme is emphasized. A suitable training scheme is outlined which could be followed in any developing country to train its own orthopaedic surgeons of the future. The importance of training in the local environment is emphasized.

Developing Countries

Prevalence of parasitemia and seroreactivity to Trypanosoma cruzi in a rural population of Northeast Brazil.

Age-specific prevalence rates of parasitemia and seroreactivity to Trypanosoma cruzi were determined in a rural area endemic for Chagas' disease in Northeast Brazil. Parasitemia was detected by blood cultures and xenodiagnosis, and serum antibodies to the parasite were measured by the complement fixation (CF) and indirect immunofluorescence (IFA) tests. Of the 116 persons examined, 39 (33.7%) had antibodies and 23 (19.8%) had parasitemia. Ninety-six percent of parasitemic individuals were seropositive and 56% of seropositive individuals were parasitemic. The percentage of seropositive individuals with detectable parasitemia declined with age; all seropositive children in the 1- to 4-year age group and two-thirds of seropositive persons 5-19 years old had parasitemia while only one-third of seropositive adults above 19 years had parasitemia. CF and IFA tests were equally sensitive in detecting persons with parasitemia. Xenodiagnosis was more sensitive than culture for detecting parasitemia, but the two methods together were more sensitive than either method alone. Using the age-dependent relationship of parasitemia to seropositivity determined in this study, the prevalence rate of T. cruzi parasitemia was estimated in a much larger adjacent population in which seropositivity rates and the demographic structure were already known.

Adolescent

A comparative study of road traffic accidents in West Malaysia.

The problem of road traffic accidents in developing countries is now becoming a cause for concern. This is more so as preventive measures have not kept pace with economic progress and development. This paper reviews the present situation in West Malaysia, one of the better developed countries of the East, during the period 1970 to 1975. A comparative study has been made between the United States and Malaysia. To enable the urgency of the problem in developing countries to be appreciated the increases in the country's population and in the number of vehicles in use and their relation to the lesser increase in road mileage over the period of study have been discussed. The study has considered every aspect of the causative factors leading to traffic accidents, such as the effects of weather, seasonal variation, and road and lighting conditions. The common human errors leading to accidents have been discussed. Other factors, such as the ethnic distribution in Malaysia, and their relation to road accidents have shown the effect of the social structure on the problems. The data evaluated in this study make it clear that preventive measures are very necessary in underdeveloped as well as in developed countries.

Accidents, Traffic

Total elbow replacement.

This is a report of a total elbow low friction arthroplasty consisting of a vitallium humeral component and a high density polyethylene ulnar component equipped with a special snap-lock fit joint. The immediate results in 16 patients are most encouraging.

Adult

An epidemiologic study of osteogenic sarcoma in Malaysia. Incidence in urban as compared with rural environments and in each of three separate racial groups, 1969-1972.

To explore the possibility that environmental and/or genetic factors may yield clues to the etiology of osteogenic sarcoma, an epidemiologic retrospective study of all cases of osteogenic sarcoma in a country with clear geographic and racial variables (Malaysia) was conducted covering a 4-year period. Sixty-eight cases were identified (+85% of the predicted total). The incidence (cases per 100,000 population per year) was 0.11 in Malay, 0.23 in the Chinese, and 0.23 in the Indian. The urban versus rural incidence in the Malay was 0.22 versus 0.09, and in the Chinese 0.31 versus 0.18. The Indian population was too small when dividied into urban and rural segments to be significant.

Adolescent