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Biomedical subjects

S Hills

Publications and source records attributed to S Hills.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

The role of the Lumina intense pulsed light system in the treatment of port wine stains--a case controlled study.

The pulsed dye laser has been the treatment of choice for port wine stains over the past 20 years. In the past 5 years there has been increasing discussion of the role of other light treatments, such as the intense pulsed light system in the treatment of port wine stains. These systems use high-energy lamps, which emit noncoherent broad-spectrum light. Cut off filters are applied depending on the treatment modality to limit the wavelengths emitted. We present the results of a 3-year prospective within patient controlled clinical trial using an intense pulsed light system called the Lumina, developed by Lynton Lasers of Cheshire, England. Our aims and objectives were to assess the effectiveness of the system in the treatment of port wine stains in a human model and to record the optimum treatment parameters and the incidence of side effects. Following ethical approval 12 subjects were enrolled into the trial. In order to meet the requirements of the local ethics committee these were all adults with port wine stains located in less visible areas of the body. The results showed that eight of the 12 subjects had some degree of fading of their port wine stain as measured on a percentage scoring system. Of the four who failed to show any response, all had pink port wine stains. It did seem the case that the darker the port wine stain, the better the fading seen. Furthermore, the more distal lesions tended to be less responsive than those situated closer to the head area. However, it is difficult to draw any definitive statistical conclusions due to the small number of patients in the trial.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Microbiological water quality in a large in-building, water recycling facility.

The Thames Water recycling plant at the Millennium Dome, London, reclaimed three sources of water: greywater from the washbasins, rainwater from the Dome roof and groundwater from a borehole on site. These were pre-treated separately, and the mixed stream filtered using ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis membranes. Monitoring for indicator microorganisms was undertaken throughout the plant and in the reclaimed water distribution system, as well as ad-hoc monitoring for the presence of pathogens in the raw waters. Treatment to the level of ultrafiltration was more than adequate to produce a water quality meeting existing worldwide reclaimed water guidelines for toilet flushing. Owing to the excellent quality of the water leaving the plant, no significant microbiological growth was observed in the reclaimed water distribution system during the year. The raw greywater exhibited a higher faecal bacterial load than the rainwater and groundwater, as predicted from more human contact (i.e. hand washing). Environmental strains of Legionella were observed in the three raw greywater samples analysed for pathogens, as was Cryptosporidium, Giardia and faecal enterococci. The rainwater had relatively high levels of faecal bacteria, probably of avian origin. Giardia was detected in one rainwater sample confirming the potential for this water source to contain pathogens.

Conservation of Natural Resources↗
PubMed2002

The Millennium Dome "Watercycle" experiment: to evaluate water efficiency and customer perception at a recycling scheme for 6 million visitors.

Thames Water's "Watercycle" project at the Millennium Dome was one of the largest in-building recycling schemes in Europe, designed to supply up to 500 m3/d of reclaimed water for WC and urinal flushing. It catered for over 6 million visitors in the year 2000. Overall, 55% of the water demand at the Dome was met by reclaimed water. The site was also one of the most comprehensive studies ever carried out of water conservation in a public environment, evaluating a range of water efficient appliances and researching visitor perceptions of reclaimed water. Within the Dome there were six identical core buildings housing the washrooms, which were equipped with a variety of different water-efficient devices for comparison. Water usage by the different appliances was monitored using a sophisticated metering and telemetry system. The importance of correct installation and maintenance of "high tech" water efficient devices was highlighted during the research programme, as some water wastage occurred due to poor installation. The results prove that metering should complement any large-scale water efficient system, so that any faults with the appliances can be quickly identified. The visitor survey showed very positive attitudes to the use of reclaimed water for non-potable uses.

Conservation of Natural Resources↗
PubMed2001

Water recycling at the Millennium Dome.

Thames Water is working with the New Millennium Experience Company to provide a water recycling system for the Millennium Dome which will supply 500 m3/d of reclaimed water for WC and urinal flushing. The system will treat water from three sources: rainwater--from the Dome roof greywater--from handbasins in the toilet blocks groundwater--from beneath the Dome site The treatment technologies will range from "natural" reedbeds for the rainwater, to more sophisticated options, including biological aerated filters and membranes for the greywater and groundwater. Pilot scale trials were used to design the optimum configuration. In addition to the recycling system, water efficient devices will be installed in three of the core toilet blocks as part of a programme of research into the effectiveness of conservation measures. Data on water usage and customer behaviour will be collected via a comprehensive metering system. Information from the Dome project on the economics and efficiency of on-site recycling at large scale and data on water efficient devices, customer perception and behaviour will be of great value to the water industry. For Thames Water, the project provides vital input to the development of future water resource strategies.

Conservation of Natural Resources↗
PubMed2000

Public health implications of dengue in personnel returning from East Timor.

In north Queensland the vector of dengue fever (Aedes aegypti) is present; hence any viraemic individual importing dengue has the potential to transmit the disease locally. In early 2000 approximately 2,000 personnel returned from East Timor to Townsville, north Queensland. Seven importations of dengue occurred and individual cases were viraemic for up to 6 days in Townsville. No subsequent local transmission occurred. There were 3 cases each of dengue type 2 and dengue type 3. One case could not be serotyped. A response, including mosquito control measures, was initiated in another 18 cases in which dengue fever was clinically suspected but which subsequently proved not to be dengue. The planning and processes undertaken to prevent local transmission of dengue in Townsville during an intense period are described.

Dengue↗
PubMed1999

An outbreak of measles in a rural Queensland town in 1997; an opportunity to assess vaccine effectiveness.

This report describes a measles outbreak in a rural town in south-east Queensland and presents the results of a vaccine effectiveness (VE) study performed during this outbreak. It is important to assess the effectiveness of a vaccine in an outbreak to determine if the outbreak is due to failure of the vaccine or failure to vaccinate. There were 44 cases of measles amongst local residents, which represents a notification rate of 396.7 per 100,000 population. Case investigations identified a group of people who had been exposed to measles at a seminar. The attack rate for the seminar cohort was 18% (11/61). This presented an opportunity to conduct a VE study using data about children aged less than 16 years who attended the seminar. In this cohort of 23 attendees, all 7 children who had not received any measles vaccinations became cases whilst the 6 who were fully vaccinated for their age according to NHMRC guidelines were protected from measles illness. Although there were insufficient fully vaccinated cohort members to reliably estimate VE for this group, the vaccine was 84.6% (95% CI: 15.0-99.7%) effective for those who had received at least one validated dose of vaccine. Despite the sample size limitations, the results support the view that failure to vaccinate rather than vaccine failure contributed to the high infection rate in the seminar cohort.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Insulin-like growth factor-2 regulation of conceptus composition: effects of the trophectoderm and inner cell mass genotypes in the mouse.

The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of insulin-like growth factor-2 deficiency on the growth of the mouse conceptus. Initial observations on normal development in the 129J/Sv strain established that wet and dry weights were reduced by 35% when the insulin-like growth factor-2 gene was inactive. The DNA contents were reduced by only 15%. We exchanged the inner cell mass and trophectoderm between mouse blastocysts that had or lacked an active insulin-like growth factor-2 gene. At embryonic Day 16.5, lack of this gene's activity in the derivatives of either tissue decreased the fluid volumes of the exocelomic and amniotic cavities. The wet weights of the "fetal placentas," the yolk sacs, and the fetuses were also decreased. However, the tissue wet weight decrease could not be accounted for by the change in DNA content, indicating that cell-associated biomass had changed. The conclusions are 1) that insulin-like growth factor-2 levels regulate the composition of the fetus and extra-embryonic tissues and 2) that trophectoderm and inner cell mass derivatives cooperate to control extra-cellular fluid volume in the conceptus.

Amnion↗
PubMed1996

Ross River virus and Barmah Forest virus infection. Commonly asked questions.

Ross River virus infection and Barmah Forest virus infection are two commonly reported arboviral diseases in Australia. Ross River virus has long been recognised as a cause of epidemic polyarthritis and polyarticular disease. Clinical disease as a result of Barmah Forest virus infection has only been identified since 1988 and Australia is the only country in which this virus has been detected. Severe and prolonged symptoms can occur as a result of infection with either virus and may result in significant distress to the patient. This article reviews some of the issues that patients raise in relation to both Ross River virus and Barmah Forest virus disease including the source of infection, the duration of symptoms and measures to prevent infection.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Ideas for training teachers and search analysts using on-line services, arising from the training working group of the MEDLINE Workshop, 1979.

The types of organization offering training courses in on-line information retrieval techniques are grouped into four broad classes: system suppliers and data-base owners, library schools, independent organizations and individuals within organizations. The form of courses offered by the suppliers of the National Library of Medicine's (NLM) data-bases in Europe and Australia, discussed at the MEDLINE Workshop held in Paris in June 1979, are described. NLM already has a large programme of continuing education for search analysts, but not very much has been attempted in Europe as yet, because the services are still comparatively new. The training needed for teachers of on-line services was briefly discussed at the MEDLINE Workshop. This training includes a knowledge of computerized techniques, details of the actual system and software, public speaking, the design of courses and lectures, and the design of documentation and aids. After being trained initially, a teacher also has to keep up-to-date with changes made by the suppliers as well as developments in teaching. Seminars are proposed as a means of achieving this.

Humans↗