[Proceedings of the 56th meeting of the Japan Endocrine Society. Osaka, 26-28 May 1983. Abstracts].
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Animals↗
SEARCH · PubMed Health
Results for “English Abstract”
Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.
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[5th International Colloquium on Prospective Biology. Pont-à-Mousson, 4-8 October 1982. Abstracts].
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Animals↗
Abstractness and emotionality values for 398 English words.
This study is aimed to replicate Vikis-Freibergs' classic study (1976) on the values of vividness for French words. Vividness resulted from the concreteness and the emotionality values of words, here defined, respectively, as referring to something that can be experienced through senses and that can arouse pleasant or unpleasant emotions. 398 English words were rated on two different scales, Abstractness and Emotionality, by a group of English native speakers and also by a group of Italian subjects who used English as a second language. Results show a low correlation between the concreteness and emotionality ratings in line with Vikis-Freibergs' previous study of French words (1976). A negative correlation between Abstractness and Emotionality was observed for British data but a slightly positive correlation for the Italian data.
Adult↗
[CancerNet online--a contribution to improving oncologic management].
OBJECTIVE: We started the CancerNet project to evaluate the suitability of the internet to improve the quality of health care and the physician-patient relationship by offering worldwide access to high quality guidelines and standards. METHODS: Since early 1994 we have offered access to the National Cancer Institute's guidelines for current cancer therapy to physicians via WWW. These guidelines, which are provided by the NCI in accordance with the rules for evidence-based medicine, are accompanied by general information for non-professionals. Every month about 500 text-documents are HTML-encoded, linked together to about 10,000 abstracts available online as well as to MEDLINE. CancerNet is offered in English, Spanish, and German (only patient information) (http://www.meb.uni-bonn.de/cancernet/). RESULTS: From analyzing log files and user surveys in 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000, we know that offering guidelines and patient information via the web fits most expectations of our users (physicians, health professionals, scientists, and laymen) on a high quality medical information service. Since 1994 nearly 2 million users, including more than 200,000 physicians, used our service. About 95% rated our service excellent or good.
Data Collection↗
[Risk factors for development of cerebrovascular stroke].
INTRODUCTION: Nowadays stroke has a dominant place in the structure of neurological morbidity. According to data of the World Health Organization, stroke is the third highest cause of morbidity and mortality in the developed countries of the world, immediately following ischemic heart disease and malignant diseases. The appearance of the disease is influenced by many etiological factors, that is risk factors. Natural risk factors are: heredity, sex, age, geographical and climatic factors. Other diseases being risk factors include: hypertension, heart disease and diabetes. Bad habits as risk factors are: eating habits, obesity, smoking, alcoholism and physical and mental inactivity. The paper presents a review of risk factors, their categorization and the influence of each individual risk factor on the development of stroke. HEREDITY: Hereditary factors have a significant role in development of stroke and they may serve as a basis for determining the person's susceptibility to stroke in a certain period of life. SEX: It has been proved that persons of female sex in the period prior to menopause are less susceptible to atherosclerosis risk and its side effects--ischemic heart disease and stroke. It is due to the fact that in this period of life women have a higher concentration of high-density lipoproteins, which are known to protect blood vessels against atherosclerosis. AGE: The incidence of stroke is higher at an older age, although nowadays there is evidence that younger people may develop the disease as well. CLIMATIC FACTORS: It has been noticed that the frequency and intensity of insult are connected with abrupt changes of the front (weather conditions with certain values of atmospheric factors). A high correlation between the frequency of cerebrovascular insult and abrupt change of the front is evident during spells of warm front in cold months and during spells of cold front in warm months. Moreover, changes during the circadian cycle are of utmost importance. HYPERTENSION: Hypertension is one of the factors contributing to the development of cerebrovascular insult, apart from heart diseases and diabetes. HEART DISEASES: The most frequent heart diseases correlating with stroke are: endocardial diseases, myocardial diseases in the form of chronic heart failure or heart attack, atrial fibrillation, hypertrophy of the left chamber and congestive heart failure. DIABETES MELLITUS: Diabetes as an associated risk factor correlates with stroke. EATING HABITS: A special emphasis is placed on nutrition as a risk factor in development of stroke. Inadequate nutrition contributing to the development of stroke is primarily nutrition which includes a high percentage of fats and leads to hyperlipoproteinemias. Therefore the basic principle in the nutrition of a patient with hyperlipoproteinemias is to limit the overall intake of fats, to reduce the quantity of saturated fats and to increase the intake of unsaturated fatty acids. In order to prevent stroke it is recommended to consume sea fish, legumes rich in diet plant fibres, oats and corn cereals, whole grain rice, fruit and vegetables rich in vitamins C and E. OBESITY: It has been proved that obesity or increase in body weight increases the risk of developing stroke by 1.4 to 2.5 times. SMOKING: Smoking accelerates the process of atherosclerosis leading to the incidence of myocardial and brain stroke. In proportion to the length of smoking and the number of cigarettes, a relative risk of development of stroke goes from 2.4 to 6.1 for men and from 3 to 3.7 for women. ALCOHOL DRINKING: A research performed by Finnish authors has shown that in chronic alcoholism the risk of developing stroke is twice as high in men and five times as high in women in relation to the general population. Alcohol reduces the regional cerebral flow by its toxic effect on the cerebral metabolism and thus induces vasospasm and hemoconcentration. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)
Humans↗
[International Congress on Cancer Pain. 20-23 May 1982, Heidelberg. Abstracts].
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Humans↗
[Tropheryma whippelii, an emerging intracellular pathogen causing Whipple disease].
CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS: Whipple's disease is a diffuse disease with a wide variety of clinical manifestations. Differential diagnoses include chronic enteritis, chronic joint disease, chronic meningoencephalitis and prolonged fever with weight loss, chronic uveitis and endocarditis with negative blood culture. MOLECULAR DIAGNOSIS: Histologically the characteristic lesions contain PAS-positive inclusions. PCR of RNAr gene 16S in fresh tissue identifies Tropheryma whippelii and confirms bacteriological diagnosis. AN EMERGING PATHOGEN: Tropheryma whippelii is a recently identified pathogen highly difficult to culture. Since its discovery, it has been a model of emerging pathogens. Clinical observation, microscope studies, molecular and cellular biology, and bacteriology have all contributed to its recent isolation which should lead to the development of indirect diagnostic techniques [abstract corrected]
Actinobacteria↗
[Malaria situation in the People's Republic of China in 1991. Advisory Committee on Parasitic Diseases].
According to the case reporting system, there were 101,636 malaria cases in the nation (Taiwan not included) in 1991, the incidence being 8.875 per a hundred thousand, and 45 cases succumbed to the disease. In comparison with the data of 1990, the case number was reduced by 15,723 and the incidence, by 15.9%. In areas where there were no malaria cases occurred or the incidence was below 1/10000, the residents accounted for 88.1% of the whole population of the country, whereas incidence of 1-10/10000 was recorded in areas covering 10.0% of the total population, and only in areas with 1.9% population, the incidence exceeded 10/10000. In southern part, an increase of 8.61-54.35% in incidence was revealed in Guangdong, Guizhou, Yunnan and Guangxi provinces/autonomous region, which was accompanied by some focal outbreaks; the situation was primordially attributed to the frequency of population migration. In Hainan, Sichuan and Fujian provinces, the malaria incidence was reduced by 3.77-50.57%, however, increase in incidence was noted in individual places at district/city and county levels. In these 7 provinces/autonomous region, the subtotalled cases were 67,241, in a proportion of 66.2% of the total malaria cases of the nation. In the middle and eastern part, despite the flood severely affected many places in Anhui, Jiangsu, Hubei and Henan provinces in 1991, the implementation and intensification of malaria prophylaxis and treatment effectively resulted in an incidence decline by 9.44-41.28%, and no malaria epidemics had occurred.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
China↗
[Biological origins of malignant tumors].
With respect to the recent discoveries related to activation and effects of oncogenes, it should be postulated that malignant transformation is due to their inappropriate activation. The postulate must be taken into account when analyzing any other question concerning malignant tumors, e.g. the role of genetic and environmental factors, defence mechanisms, strategy of prevention and treatment, etc. It is argued in this paper that a) in principle, tumors are caused by the events occurring within the body (oxidative radicals that damage DNA), whereas the environmental factors influence the incidence of certain tumors only superficially, eliciting no effect upon the overall tumor incidence; b) malignant transformation (tumors) is one of the consequences of biological deterioration of the body which, like aging, is caused by mutation accumulation; the death due to a malignant tumor is "one of the mechanisms of dying due to the aging process", c) congenital resistance to tumors mostly concerns the quality of DNA, less the influence of classical defence mechanisms, like immune system; d) malignant tumors are relatively more frequent today, which should not be ascribed to (increased) environmental pollution but is due to the increased longevity of contemporary man, and possibly to negative selection materialized through extremely effective modern medicine. Future research will bring about detailed understanding of the mechanisms of action and interaction of oncogenes in the process of cell malignant transformation for numerous types of tumors, elucidation of the role of oncogenic viruses and, much later, use of drugs providing protection against oncogenic viruses and selectively killing the transformed cells, at least in some (early) phases of the disease.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Humans↗
[Spiramycin].
Spiramycin is a 16-membered ring macrolide (antibiotic). It was discovered in 1952 as a product of Streptomyces ambofaciens. As a preparation for oral administration it has been used since 1955, in 1987 also the parenteral form was introduced into practice. The antibacterial action involves inhibition of protein synthesis in the bacterial cell during translocation. Resistance to spiramycin can develop by several mechanisms and its prevalence is to a considerable extent proportional to the frequency of prescription in a given area. The antibacterial spectrum comprises Gram-positive cocci and rods, Gram-negative cocci and also Legionellae, mycoplasmas, chlamydiae, some types of spirochetes, Toxoplasma gondii and Cryptosporidium sp., Enterobacteria, pseudomonads and pathogenic moulds are resistant. Its action is mainly bacteriostatic, on highly sensitive strains it exerts a bactericide action. As compared with erythromycin, it is in vitro weight for weight 5 to 20 less effective, an equipotential therapeutic dose is, however, only double. This difference between the effectiveness in vitro and in vivo is explained above all by the great affinity of spiramycin to tissues where it achieves concentrations many times higher than serum levels. An important part is played also by the slow release of the antibiotic from the tissue compartment, the marked action on microbes in sub-inhibition concentrations and the relatively long persisting post-antibiotic effect. Its great advantage is the exceptionally favourable tolerance-gastrointestinal and general. It is available for parenteral and oral administration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Humans↗
[Malaria situation in the People's Republic of China in 1992. Advisory Committee on Malaria, MOPH].
According to the case reporting system, the number of malaria cases accounted for 73,955 in the nation (Taiwan not included) in 1992, the incidence being 6.391 per a hundred thousand, and the lethal cases caused by malaria were 52 in number. In comparison with the data of 1991, the case number declined by 27,681 and the incidence, by 27.99%. In areas where there were no reported malaria cases or the incidence was below 1/1000, the residents totalled 1.0566 billion, whereas incidence of 1-10/1000 was noted in areas with people of 84.5 million, and 10.1-100/1000 in areas with people of 16 million. In a border city of Yunnan where resided merely 10,000 people, the incidence was more than 100 per 10,000. In the southern part, except for the resurgence of the disease in Guangxi, a decrease in the incidence at various extents was demonstrated in the other 6 provinces. Nonetheless, incidence fluctuation was revealed in some prefectures and cities, and the occurrence of several focal outbreaks was also recorded. Malaria cases in the preceding 7 provinces/autonomous region totalled 55,896, amounting to 75.6% of the entire number of malaria cases in China. In the middle and eastern parts, apart from the increase in case number due to the expansion of exogenous cases in Hunan, steady diminution of malaria incidence was evidenced in the other 8 provinces/municipality. The reported malaria cases for these areas were 17,819, accounting for 24.1% of the total cases in the country.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
China↗
[Adenocarcinoma of the prostate].
Cancer of the prostate is an heterogenic, "epidemic" world-wide tumor, which represents the most common form of solid cancer in adult males, excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer. Prostate cancer now surpasses the incidence of lung cancer and becomes the second leading cause of male cancer death in the industrialized West countries. The incidence and mortality of prostate cancer are increasing to alarming rates (in the USA carcinoma prostate was projected to be responsible for 14% of all male cancer deaths in 1996). As the life expectancy of the male population increases over time, the incidence of clinical prostate cancer will also increase. There is a wide geographic variation in the incidence of clinical prostate cancer, with higher rates in the United States than in China. A difference in diagnostic practice with regard to prostate cancer can be the explanation for this wide divergence. One risk factor which could explain this fact is the high fat Western diet. It is also apparent that prostate cancer is now being detected at less advanced stages than in the past. It has become evident that there is a greater than expected incidence of this tumor in the male relatives of men who died from the disease. Hereditary prostate cancer is characterized by Mendelian autosomal dominant inheritance, and an early onset of the disease. Prostate specific antigen (PSA) represents the best serum marker for prostatic carcinoma and is considered as most perfect tumor marker available today. Nevertheless, the use of PSA to detect prostate cancer is clinically imprecise since benign and malignant prostate disease can cause elevations in PSA. The biological behaviour and the natural course of prostate cancer are poorly understood. There are far larger numbers of males who have a so-called latent, well-differentiated microscopic (clinically insignificant) prostate carcinoma that may never progress to invasive clinical disease with metastatic potential. These incidental cancers discovered histologically after the transurethral or open prostatectomy and as a result of the prostate biopsy in patients with the high level of PSA are currently not well understood. Results of the mass screening for prostate cancer are at present controversial and their benefit is still not confirmed. There is now strong evidence for the screening of first degree male relatives of men with prostate cancer, particularly male relatives of those developing the disease at a young age and those with a strong positive family history of the disease. There is no debate that the earlier diagnosis of prostate carcinoma, especially in young men give them the best chance to be cured. The "watchful waiting" seems the best treatment strategy for older men with so called insignificant carcinoma. The aggressive modalities of the therapy--radical prostatectomy, radiation therapy, interstitial brachy-therapy or interstitial cryotherapy--are the curable methods only for organ-confirmed tumors and advocated in patients with life expectancy longer than 10 years. Androgen ablation therapy is the treatment of choice for the palliation of patients with advanced prostate cancer. Maximal androgen ablation (combination of medical or surgical castration and an antiandrogen) has been shown to increase the survival of patients with metastatic prostate cancer. As the incidence and prevalence of prostate cancer have increased, so has mortality, though at a slower rate. This fact may more a reflection of earlier diagnosis rather than improvements in treatment. Five-year prostate cancer survival has improved for every stages of disease in the last decenium. Thanks to the screening programmes performed in many countries, urologists are faced with an increasing incidence of clinical less advanced prostate cancer and this trend is likely to continue. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)
Adenocarcinoma↗
Vitamin E in the treatment of tardive dyskinesia.
OBJECTIVE: To review the efficacy of vitamin E in the treatment of tardive dyskinesia (TD). DATA SOURCES: Published articles and abstracts in English were identified from January 1986 to March 1999 by MEDLINE and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts searches using the terms vitamin E, alpha-tocopherol, and tardive dyskinesia. Additional articles were identified from the references of the retrieved articles and cross- referencing selected articles. DATA EXTRACTION: All clinical trials evaluating the use of vitamin E in human subjects with TD were reviewed. Selected articles also included those considered to be helpful in providing a basic introduction to TD pathophysiology and management. DATA SYNTHESIS: TD occurs in approximately 20% of patients treated with neuroleptics. The resulting dyskinesias can be irreversible and are often psychologically and physically debilitating. Recent research suggests that TD may be a result of neuronal damage inflicted by free radicals generated from increased neurotransmitter turnover and metabolism. Vitamin E as a naturally occurring free radical scavenger has been evaluated in the treatment of TD. Eighteen completed trials are available either in completed or abstract form. Twelve of these trials have produced positive results with vitamin E in the treatment of TD. Patients who have had TD for less than five years appear to respond better than patients with long-standing TD. CONCLUSIONS: Research suggests that vitamin E offers benefit in the management of a subgroup of patients with TD. Further investigation is needed to ascertain continued efficacy with long-term use as well as the role of vitamin E in TD prophylaxis.
Clinical Trials as Topic↗
[Challenge in scientific publication].
We discuss the main problems which make a scientific text difficult to find, to be read or to be accepted by readers. A scientific text is considered a logical argument. Therefore, methods, results and data from literature are premises supporting the conclusions of the work; and in the "Introduction" session, the justification corroborates the objective of the study. This conception makes the text a hermetically coherent structure where only the necessary data should be included (some controversy is still pertinent). In a second step, we show formal mistakes in scientific writing which make texts less attractive. Thus, we give examples of errors or inadequacy of formal aspects of presenting titles, abstracts, results (figures and tables), and grammar mistakes in Portuguese (but also valid for English grammar). After that, we emphasize the need for writing in international language (English) and for publication in periodicals with international impact on the scientific community. Finally, considerations to improve the Brazilian periodicals in the biological area are presented.
Periodicals as Topic↗
[Ethical aspects of short health technology assessments--a systematic review].
Ethical aspects are of high relevance to Short Health Technology Assessments (HTAs). We therefore conducted a systematic review to find out to what extent ethical aspects have been considered in previous Short HTAs. We included articles whose title or abstract suggested that it was a "short", "rapid" or "brief" assessment published in German, English, or French. 272 out of 513 Short HTAs were included. Twenty-five publications (9%) explicitly mentioned ethical aspects, 32 publications (12%) dealt with ethical aspects without explicitly addressing them as 'ethical', 208 publications (76%) did not consider ethical aspects and in another 7 publications (3%) ethical aspects were not relevant. Short HTAs are regularly used to assess sparsely evaluated and/or emerging technologies for which a particular need for an ethical assessment can be assumed. However, the majority of the Short HTAs included in this review did not consider ethical aspects. In this article we therefore suggest a set of key words that will allow authors of Short HTAs to do a systematic literature search for ethical papers in their respective subject of investigation.
Biomedical Technology↗
[Clinical test of apposition and counter-apposition of the thumb].
In order to test the opposition and the counter-opposition (reposition) of the thumb, the method proposed here does not require the measuring of angles; rather, the hand itself is used as the system of reference. The opposition test consists of touching the four long fingers with the tip of the thumb: the score is 1 for the lateral side of the second phalanx of the index finger, 2 for the lateral side of the third phalanx, 3 for the tip of the index finger, 4 for the tip of the middle finger, 5 for the ring finger and 6 for the little finger. Then, moving the thumb proximally along the volar aspect of the little finger, the score is 7 when it touches the DIP crease, 8 on the PIP crease, 9 on the proximal crease of the little finger and 10 when it reaches the distal volar crease of the hand. This test is valid only if the first stages are possible: a crawling thumb in the palm is not an opposition motion. The counter-opposition test (or reposition test) needs the other hand as a reference system. The hand to be tested is set upon the table palm-down while; the other hand is laid on the table on its medial side, close to the tip of the first hand thumb; now this thumb is actively drawn up as high as possible.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Humans↗
[Congenital adrenal hyperplasia].
INTRODUCTION: Congenital adrenal hyperplasia is generally considered to be a rare disease; however, the incidence of severe forms of CAH is probably greater than 1 in 10,000 people and the incidence of milder forms is probably 10 times higher. It is a group of autosomal recessive disorders of adrenal steroidogenesis caused by a genetic disorder in one of the steroidogenic enzymes. These disorders impair cortisol synthesis, resulting in stimulation of pituitary proopiomelanocortin and hypersecretion of adrenocorticotropin, which in turn causes adrenal growth. A genetic disorder in one of the steroidogenic enzymes interferes with normal steroid hormone synthesis. The sings and symptoms of the disease derive from a deficiency of the steroidal end product and from the effects of the accumulated steroidal precursors proximal to the disordered step. Because five enzymatic steps are involved in cortisol biosynthesis, there are five distinct CAH syndromes. CAH-SYNDROMES: 21-Hydroxylase deficiency is the most common variant of CAH, accounting for about 90% of all cases. The clinical syndrome is consequence of defective 21-hydroxylation of progesterone and 17-OH progesterone, with resulting deficient production of both cortisol and aldosterone. The disease occurs in a wide spectrum of clinical variants, including a severely affected form with defect in aldosterone biosynthesis ("salt-wasting" type), a form with apparently normal aldosterone biosynthesis ("simple virilizing" type) and a mild "nonclassic" form that may be asymptomatic or may be associated with symptoms of androgen excess developing during childhood or at puberty. In "classic" forms ("salt-wasting" and "simple virilizing") sings of androgen excess often are prominent. The key measurement for the diagnosis of 21-hydroxylase deficiency is basal plasma 17-OH progesterone. It will be elevated and will hyper-respond to ACTH stimulation. 11 beta-hydroxylase deficiency is the second most frequent cause of CAH. The abnormality is an inherited deficiency of 11 beta-hydroxylase enzyme of the adrenal cortex with consequences in impaired conversion of 11-deoxycortisol to cortisol and of deoxycorticosterone to corticosterone and aldosterone. About two thirds of patients with the severe, "classic" form have hypertension, often beginning within the first few years of life. Patients with mild ("late onset" or "nonclassic") form have normal or, at most, mildly elevated blood pressure. Signs of androgen excess are also often prominent. The diagnosis can be confirmed by demonstrating marked accumulation of deoxycorticosterone and 11-deoxycortisol in plasma and their tetrahydrometabolites in urine. 17 alpha-hydroxylase/17, 20 lyase deficiency is the second of two hypertensive forms of CAH. Deficient 17 alpha-hydroxylation of pregnenolone and progesterone result in decreased secretion of cortisol and sex steroids, but increased secretion of sodium-retaining corticoids (corticosterone and deoxycorticosterone). Females present with normal external genitalia but failure to develop secondary sex characteristics and primary amenorrhea. Males frequently fail to develop masculine external genitalia fully (male pseudohermaphroditism). Both sexes have hypertension, hypokalemic alkalosis, and failure to progress into puberty. The diagnosis can be established by the demonstration of elevated plasma deoxycorticosterone and corticosterone 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase is rare cause of CAH. Patients with this biosynthetic defect have deficient production of adrenal glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids, and testicular testosterone. However, they have excessive production of 5-adrenal androgens. In "classic" form, affected newborns present with symptoms and sings of adrenal insufficiency of varying degree and ambiguous genitalia in both sexes. The "late onset" form is a mild type of disorder. It has been described in women with hirsutism and menstrual abnormalities and may be quite common. (ABSTRACT TRUN
Adrenal Hyperplasia, Congenital↗
[Are relative risks and odds ratios in abstracts believable? Secondary publication].
The first result in 520 abstracts that reported relative risks or odds ratios was statistically significant in 70% of the randomized trials, 84% of cohort studies and 84% of case-control studies. Many results were derived from subgroup or secondary analyses or biased selection of results. The distribution of p values in the interval 0.04-0.06 was extremely skewed for trials, but most of the significant results were wrong, very doubtful, or could be discussed. The skewness was even larger in observational studies. This study shows that significant results reported in abstracts should be interpreted with great caution.
English Abstract↗