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R Scholte

Publications and source records attributed to R Scholte.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

The contribution of existing health facilities to the control of urinary schistosomiasis in northern Cameroon.

This paper attempts to analyse the impact of the regular functioning of existing health services on the control of urinary schistosomiasis in two villages in northern Cameroon. The health centres' diagnostic systems selectively recognise heavy infections. The efficacy of reaching and subsequently treating heavily infected subjects, however, is low. No more than around 5% of the heavily infected subjects in the health centres' catchments areas is reached on an annual basis. Further analysis shows that the percentage of infected and heavily infected subjects is not higher among the visitors of the health centre than in the inhabitants of the villages involved. Heavy infection is not a reason to visit the health centre, in these villages. To increase the role of the existing health structure in coping with Schistosoma haematobium infections, the diagnostic system, used in the health centres, could be improved by a standardized inclusion of laboratory examination of clinically suspected individuals. Simultaneously, the awareness of the infected population to respond to infection by visiting the health centre needs further development.

Adolescent↗

Melanoma and occupation: results of a case-control study in The Netherlands.

Several studies have reported excesses of risk of melanoma in specific industries. Data from a case-control study in The Netherlands, including 140 cases with a cutaneous melanoma and 181 controls with other types of malignancy, were used to evaluate whether the reported associations with these specific industries could be reproduced. Adjustment for characteristics of pigmentation and exposure to sunlight was made. Increased risks of cutaneous melanoma were found for subjects who had ever worked in the electronics industry (odds ratio (OR) = 2.03, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.63-6.62), in the metal industry (OR = 2.61, 95% CI 0.96-7.10), and in the transport and communication branch (OR = 1.92, 95% CI 0.84-4.35). These ORs were adjusted for age, sex, education, hair colour, tendency to burn, freckling, and exposure to sunlight. No increased risks were seen for workers in the chemical industry, the textile industry, and among health care workers. Analyses according to duration and latency of exposure did not give consistent results, but existing patterns may be obscured by the imprecision of the estimates.

Age Factors↗

Electrocortical activity patterns during chloral hydrate induced sleep in developing rats.

The neocortical EEG was quantified during sleep, while under light chloral hydrate anaesthesia, in rats ranging from 9 to 20 days of postnatal age. Continuous amplitude modulation at 0.5-1.0 min per cycle, synchronously over all frequency bands, was observed in 9- and in 10-day-old pups. By day 13, the mean amplitude had risen considerably in each of the frequency bands, and a slow fluctuation in delta-wave activity began to be discernible. Sodium glutamate injections induced EEG changes at 10 days which mimicked certain aspects of normal maturation (viz., large stereotyped potentials at irregular intervals, along with a selective increase in delta-wave activity). Natural as well as experimentally induced EEG changes were paralleled by a rise in neocortical amino acid concentrations, including glutamic acid and GABA. Delta wave amplitudes during quiet sleep increased still further between 13 and 14 days, while beta activity remained at a constant level. Between days 14 and 15 a precipitous decline in delta-wave activity was found, attributable to greater inhibition of slow waves during active sleep. No further developmental changes were noted, except for a gradual rise in the time spent in quiet sleep relative to active sleep.

Aging↗