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Biomedical subjects

L Meyer

Publications and source records attributed to L Meyer.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Survival of breast cancer patients in relation to factors which affect the risk of developing breast cancer.

In order to evaluate the prognostic significance of risk factors for developing breast cancer, a population-based study was conducted of 2,445 breast cancer patients diagnosed in Denmark, 1983-1984. Data on clinical and pathological characteristics of breast cancer were derived from the Danish Breast Cancer Cooperative Group and data on risk factors from a self-administered questionnaire. Among 1,744 patients (71%) with complete information, survival was determined primarily by size of the tumour, skin invasion, number of positive lymph nodes and grade. No significant association was found between survival and reproductive or hormonal risk factors, dietary variables, alcohol consumption and smoking. Low current body weight and weight loss indicated a poor prognosis, independent of the clinical characteristics of the tumour.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1991

Performance of 133 compounds in the lambda prophage induction endpoint of the Microscreen assay and a comparison with S. typhimurium mutagenicity and rodent carcinogenicity assays.

The Microscreen assay was developed as a means of testing very small samples, as in complex mixture fractionation. It is a multi-endpoint assay which utilizes E. coli WP2s(lambda). Exposure takes place to serial dilutions of the test compound in microtitre wells (250 microliters) followed by sampling from wells in which growth has occurred ('non-toxic wells'). Although a number of different endpoints can be measured, only the prophage induction endpoint (the first one developed) has been extensively tested. Results with 133 compounds are presented. These include 111 compounds which have been tested in the S. typhimurium assay and 66 compounds for which both rodent bioassay and S. typhimurium assay data exists. The concordance for the Microscreen assay and the S. typhimurium assay was 71%. For this group of compounds, the sensitivity of the Microscreen assay in detecting carcinogens was 76% compared with 58% for the S. typhimurium assay. However, the S. typhimurium assay was somewhat more specific (69%) compared with the Microscreen (56%). The overall association between carcinogenicity and Microscreen results was statistically significant (p = 0.029), whereas for the S. typhimurium assay the association with carcinogenicity was non-significant (p = 0.086). The Microscreen assay was able to detect halogenated compounds better than the S. typhimurium assay. The Microscreen assay should prove useful in complex mixture fractionation, or in other situations where sample size is limiting.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Prevention of sexually transmitted diseases: a randomised community trial.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of a programme for the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases which affect fertility. DESIGN OF THE PREVENTION PROGRAMME: The programme took place in six French geographical departments. Three of these, randomly selected, served as experimental departments while the other three were matched with the first three and served as controls. DESIGN OF THE EVALUATION: Genital discharge was used as the indicator of a sexually transmitted disease. In each department, about 40 voluntarily participating general practitioners (263 in total) gathered information on the frequency of infected patients and on their characteristics, both before and after the campaign. PATIENTS: Before and after the programme respectively, 412 and 288 women and 117 and 94 men with a genital discharge were described. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: After the programme, tests for chlamydia trachomatis were prescribed more often to both women and men with a discharge in the experimental departments. The characteristics of women having consulted a general practitioner with a discharge differed according to the department group studied. In the experimental departments, the women were younger than those in the control departments and had fewer sexual partners. In contrast to the results obtained for women, no behavioural changes were observed among men with a discharge. CONCLUSIONS: The results may indicate a decreased risk in spread of infection. Methodological problems associated with such a design are discussed. There is a need to develop specific messages aimed at changing male sexual behaviour. The study design has implications for the best strategy in delivering prevention messages to the general population which are relevant to the present AIDS epidemic.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

[Knowledge about alcohol and alcohol drinking habits in the 7th and 9th grades. A questionnaire study in the county of Roskilde].

A total of 4,044 pupils in the seventh and ninth grades in the County of Roskilde participated in a questionnaire investigation. Approximately 1/10 of the pupils in the seventh grade and approximately 1/3 in the ninth grade drank alcohol once a week or oftener. The majority misapprehension that their peers drank much more often than was indeed the case was striking: in the seventh grade a factor 4 and in the ninth grade a factor 2. In the ninth grade, 0.5% drank alcohol daily and 11.5% a couple of times a week. 3.3% in the ninth grade and 0.5% in the seventh grade took more than ten drinks a week. 34.5% in the ninth grade and 4.9% in the seventh grade drank three or more drinks per week. The number who felt excluded from the community if they did not drink varied from 0 to 20% from school to school. Teaching about alcohol is important. It is, however, also important that, despite stringent economy, efforts are made to capture young peoples interests in a healthy manner in their everyday life.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

[Tobacco, hashish--knowledge and habits in schools].

A questionnaire investigation was carried out among pupils in the seventh and ninth grades of schools in the County of Roskilde in 1988-1989 to eluciate their knowledge and habits where tobacco and hash were concerned. A total of 4,044 pupils replied to the questionnaire. The investigation was anonymous. 5.7% of the pupils in the seventh grade and 9.7% of the pupils in the ninth grade stated that they smoked daily. At parties, 15.6% of the 13-year-olds and 35% of the 15 year-olds smoke. 0.5% of the 13 year-olds and 35% of the 15 year-olds smoke. 0.5% of the 13 year-olds and 44% of the 15 year-olds smoke more than ten cigarettes daily. 2.4% of the pupils in the seventh grade and 12.8% of those in the ninth grade had tried smoking hash. Differences were found between various municipalities and various schools. A total of 1.3% of the 15 year-olds are considered to be regular users of hash. The number of young tobacco smokers is still high and is probably influenced by the attitudes of parents, siblings and peers. Attempts to reduce the numbers of young smokers and to involve the parents in the problem are important. The number of hash smokers is alarming as these adolescents may obtain stronger drugs through the same channels as they obtain hash. It is important that all persons involved in youth welfare should combine their activities in combating these dangers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

[Drugs, narcotics--knowledge and habits in schools].

During the school session 1988/1989, the school doctors in the County of Roskilde carried out a questionnaire investigation among 4,004 pupils in the seventh and ninth classes about their knowledge, habits and attitudes to euphorising drugs. The questionnaire investigation was voluntary and anonymous and this probably contributed to the serious replies. Ten municipalities participated and the results showed that more than 50% of the pupils had employed analgesic medicine within the past three months. The consumption of medicine requiring prescription was about 2% during the same period. Medicine was obtained mainly from the parents. Approximately 6% of the pupils in the ninth grade had been offered speed while less than 1% had consumed speed. 1-4% of the pupils had attempted sniffing while only very few had tried cocaine, heroin and morphine. The need for a multidisciplinary health educational campaign concerning euphorising drugs is emphasized.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Comprehensive surveillance of surgical wound infections in outpatient and inpatient surgery.

A surgeon-specific computer-generated monthly questionnaire was used to improve surveillance of surgical wound infections in outpatients as well as inpatients following discharge. From July 1988 through June 1989, 20,536 surgical procedures were performed at our medical center, of which 53% were for outpatients. The total wound infection rate was 0.63%: 0.13% in outpatients and 1.2% in inpatients (p less than .005). Of the infected wounds, 20% were reported by the survey alone and would have gone undetected by conventional surveillance methods (71.4% of outpatient and 13.8% of inpatient wound infections). As a whole, clean and clean-contaminated wounds in outpatients were much less likely to become infected than those in inpatients. Wound cultures were not obtained in 85% of infections reported by the survey alone, and were less likely to be obtained in outpatients. The average time spent by the infection control department on the survey was approximately two hours per week.

Ambulatory Surgical Procedures↗
PubMed1990

Isolation and characterization of a structural subunit from the core light-harvesting complex of Rhodobacter sphaeroides 2.4.1 and puc705-BA.

A method for isolating a structural subunit, B825, from the B875 core light-harvesting complex (LHC) of Rhodobacter sphaeroides 2.4.1 (wild-type) and a B800-B850(-) mutant, puc705-BA, is presented. This method, based on one developed to prepare a similar subunit, B820, from the core LHC of Rhodospirillum rubrum [Miller et al., Biochemistry 26, 5055-5062 (1987)], requires the dissociation of treated chromatophores with the detergent, octyl-glucoside. A subsequent gel filtration step separates B800-850 (if present), reaction centers, and free bacteriochlorophyll from the subunit complex. B825 was quantitatively reassociated into an 873 nm absorbing form which resembled the in vivo complex as judged by its absorption properties. The polypeptides in B825 and B800-850 were isolated by HPLC and identified by N-terminal amino acid sequencing. Two polypeptides, alpha and beta, were found in each complex in a 1:1 ratio. The spectral and biochemical properties of the subunits isolated from Rhodospirillum rubrum, Rhodobacter sphaeroides, and Rhodobacter capsulatus are compared.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1990

Comparison of aerosolized glycopyrrolate and metaproterenol in acute asthma.

The efficacy of nebulized glycopyrrolate compared with metaproterenol was evaluated in 46 patients with acute asthma. In a double-blinded, randomized fashion, patients received, as sole therapy, either 2 mg of glycopyrrolate or 15 mg of metaproterenol every 2 h over a 6-h study period. Of the 35 patients completing the study, analysis of variance demonstrated no difference in percentage of change in FEV1 between glycopyrrolate and metaproterenol. Two hours after the initial dose, there was a 30 percent increase in FEV1 for glycopyrrolate compared with a 25 percent increase for metaproterenol (p greater than 0.05, NS). In contrast to the comparable bronchodilator activity, the side effects profile of the two agents were markedly dissimilar. Not only were subjective complaints of tremor, palpitations, and paresthesias increased for metaproterenol, but the heart rate response was significantly elevated (p less than 0.05) compared with glycopyrrolate. Based on these data, administration of the aerosolized anticholinergic agent, glycopyrrolate, is a reasonable therapeutic alternative for acute asthma.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed1990

cDNA-cloning and expression of VP1-specific sequences of foot-and-mouth disease virus types A5 and O1.

The RNA genome of foot- and mouth disease virus strains A5 Westerwald and O1 Lausanne has been reverse-transcribed and cloned in lambdaphages or plasmids. Identification of cDNA-clones containing VP1-specific sequences was achieved by hybridization, restriction mapping, and sequence analysis. VP1-coding cDNA-fragments were subcloned into the expression vector pEX which led to synthesis of fusion proteins with beta-galactosidase. These fusion proteins reacted with anti-VP1 antibodies on a Western blot, but were not capable of inducing neutralizing antibodies to mice. This seemed to suggest a tertiary structure of the VP1-epitopes unlike those of native VP1. Other attempts are discussed to construct VP1-fusion proteins folding similarly to the native viral protein structure.

Amino Acid Sequence↗