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PubMed · 2549562

Radon: is it a problem?

B L Hart·F A Mettler·N H Harley
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Abstract

Radon gas is a major source of radiation exposure to the general public. Radon-222 is a product of uranium-238, present in varying concentrations in all soils. Radon enters buildings from soil, water, natural gas, and building materials. Its short-lived breakdown products, termed "radon daughters," include alpha-emitting solids that can deposit in the lungs. Firm evidence links lung cancer risk in miners with high exposure to radon daughters. The amount of risk associated with the much lower but chronic doses received in buildings is difficult to establish. By some extrapolations, radon daughters may be responsible for a significant number of lung cancer deaths. The existence or extent of synergism with smoking is unresolved. Local conditions can cause high levels of radon in some buildings, and measures that reduce indoor radon are of potential value.

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BismuthFacility Regulation and ControlHousingHumansLeadLung NeoplasmsNeoplasms, Radiation-InducedPoloniumRadioactive PollutantsRadonRadon DaughtersRisk FactorsSmokingJournal ArticleReview

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B L Hart, F A Mettler, N H Harley. 1989. Radon: is it a problem?. https://doi.org/10.1148/radiology.172.3.2549562

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Randomised controlled trial of short term treatment to eradicate Helicobacter pylori in patients with duodenal ulcer.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether one week's drug treatment is sufficient to eradicate Helicobacter pylori in patients with duodenal ulcer. DESIGN: Single blind, randomised controlled trial. SETTING: Specialised ulcer clinic in a teaching hospital. PATIENTS: 155 patients with H pylori and a duodenal ulcer verified endoscopically which had either bled within the previous 24 hours or was causing dyspepsia. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were allocated randomly to receive either omeprazole for four weeks plus bismuth 120 mg, tetracycline 500 mg, and metronidazole 400 mg (all four times a day) for the first week (n = 78), or omeprazole alone for four weeks (n = 77). Further endoscopy was performed four weeks after cessation of all drugs. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Presence or absence of H pylori (by urease testing, microscopy, and culture of antral biopsy specimens), duodenal ulcer, and side effects. RESULTS: Eradication of H pylori occurred in 70 (95%) patients taking the four drugs (95% confidence interval 86% to 97%) compared with three (4%) patients taking omeprazole alone (1% to 11%). Duodenal ulcers were found in four (5%) patients taking the four drugs (2% to 12%) and in 16 (22%) patients taking omeprazole alone (14% to 32%). Mild dizziness was the only reported side effect (six patients in each group) and did not affect compliance. CONCLUSIONS: A one week regimen of bismuth, tetracycline, and metronidazole is safe and effective in eradicating H pylori and reduces the number of duodenal ulcers four weeks after completing treatment.

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