Choice of career of doctors who graduated from Queen''s University, Belfast in 1977

Questionnaires were distributed in 1983 to 139 doctors who graduated from Queen's University Medical School in 1977, in the final stage of a longitudinal study of their choice of career. Replies were obtained from 96.4%. The average number of postgraduate qualifications among the men was 1.5 and among the women 1.7. An average of 41.6% were working in the field they had favoured in 1977, the greatest degree of consistency being among the general practitioners. The peak years for decisions about choice of specialty were reported by the respondents to be 1978 and 1979. Out of a given list of twenty-three factors likely to be taken into consideration in choice of specialty, the degree of importance accorded to eleven differed significantly between male and female respondents. Significant differences of priority emerged on eight factors among respondents in general practice and community medicine and patient- and technique-oriented hospital specialties. Of the 141 doctors who graduated in 1977, 30% had left the province and 65% wished to remain in Northern Ireland in the long term, an increase of 20% on 1977.     

Amyloid in basal cell carcinomas

Stromal or intratumour deposits of amyloid were found in thirty of forty-six randomly selected basal cell carcinomas. Amyloid was found less often in histologically aggressive tumours than in other sub-types. Immunoglobulins, predominantly IgM, were demonstrated in all but one of these thirty cases, corresponding to the distribution of the amyloid deposits. Electron microscopy revealed 'early' amyloid in one case which showed numerous stromal IgM bodies on immunofluorescence but no evidence of amyloid by routine histochemical methods.     

PATTERNS OF DISABILITY RELATED TO JOINT INVOLVEMENT IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

The relationship between particular disabilities and specificimpairments of which these disabilities could be the consequencehas been explored. Assessments of performance of activitiesof daily living (ADL) have been simplified by factor analysis,and the resultant factors have been related to the sites ofjoint involvement in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Ourpreliminary findings on the grouping together of various ADLactivities are meaningful in terms of underlying impairments,and at the same time indicate an approach for simplificationof ADL assessments so as to enhance their value for researchand the evaluation of outcome. The results are entirely consistentwith a comprehensive model of disablement. ^*Based on a paper presented to the inaugural meeting of theSociety for Research in Rehabilitation, June 1978     

A CLINICAL COMPARISON BETWEEN TRIACETOXYANTHRACENE AND DITHRANOL PASTES IN THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC PSORIASIS

A clinical comparison of the effects of triacetoxyanthracene and dithranol pastes in the treatment of 20 patients with chronic psoriasis has shown that in one-third of the cases the degree of suppression of the disease was approximately the same. In the remainder, dithranol proved to be more effective than triacetoxyanthracene. In those subjects who showed a satisfactory therapeutic response, dithranol had a more rapid suppressive effect in almost two-thirds. It was concluded that triacetoxyanthracene is less effective and slower to exert its therapeutic action than dithranol in the treatment of chronic psoriasis. The relative absence of inflammatory reactions and staining of the skin during the use of triacetoxyanthracene was confirmed. Both dithranol and triacetoxyanthracene were shown to produce an injury response in animal skin. A possible relationship between the intensity of the inflammatory or injury response during clinical usage and the degree of therapeutic activity of dithranol and triacetoxyanthracene is discussed.     

THE EFFECT OF DYDROGESTERONE ON THE MID-CYCLE GONADOTROPHIN SURGE IN REGULARLY CYCLING WOMEN

The effect of dydrogesterone, a retro-progesterone on the spontaneous mid-cycle surge of gonadotrophin in regularly cycling women, was investigated. Blood samples were collected through two complete cycles in six subjects. The first untreated cycle acted as a control for the second cycle during which dydrogesterone (10 mg twice daily) was administered. The start of treatment ranged from day 1 (one subject), mid follicular phase (three subjects) to post-ovulation (two subjects). In all subjects where dydrogesterone was given before ovulation, the mid-cycle gonadotrophin surge was either abolished or markedly diminished. Despite this follicular growth occurred in all four subjects and subsequently luteinisation was observed in three. Dydrogesterone given after ovulation did not produce any alteration in endocrine profiles but menses was postponed in both subjects. Thus dydrogesterone can mimic the known blocking actions of progesterone on the mid-cycle gonadotrophin surge and can support a secretory endometrium for a limited period in the absence of endogenous progesterone.     

A mapping function for human chromosomes

The available simple mapping functions are surveyed, and a new mapping function that provides for positive interference within chromosome arms and no interference across the centromere is proposed, together with the corresponding formula for centromeric linkage. This new function is derived by assuming that all chromosome arms except the short arms of acrocentric chromosomes hav an obligatory chiasma, and that the remaining chiasmata are distributed at random; assumptions which may correspond reasonably well to reality. A method for the comparison of the goodness of fit of mapping functions with family data is given. Low levels of interference seem to be indicated, although as yet insufficient human data is available to allow interference to the specified. Interference has a considerable effect on the estimation of map distances between loci from 3-point lod scores as is shown by the linkage group Rh, UMPK, PGM1, Amy, 1qh, Fy, on chromosome 1.     

Senile Macular Degeneration – The Effects and Management: The Pathological Processes

ABSTRACT This paper, the second in the series on the effects and management of senile macular degeneration (SMD), presents an overview of the pathological processes in the evolution of SMD. The normal macula is first defined and the ageing and degenerative changes which can occur are then described. The histological changes are related to the clinical observations of pigmentary disturbance in the development of either geographic atrophy or disciform macular degeneration. The importance of the appearance of drusen as an indicator of the stage of degeneration is detailed.     

OESTRADIOL SECRETION IN MEN AND PRE-MENOPAUSAL WOMEN

Blood samples were obtained from a group of regularlycycling normal women ( n = 13) and a group of normal men ( n = 5) at 15 min intervals for periods ranging from 9–14 h whilst the subjects remained resting quietly in bed. The concentration of plasma oestradiol was measured in a radioimmunoassay which had been carefully optirnised and the mean concentration and coefficient of variation calculated for each subject.
Plasma oestradiol concentrations were found to fluctuate rapidly in all subjects. The largest sample-to-sample variation was found in regularly cycling women near mid-cycle, and the least variation occurred in the male subjects. The coefficients of variation were approximately twice the intra-assay variation confirming that the observed pulsatile patterns of secretion were not due to technical errors.
An analysis of variance performed on the mean hourly concentrations from each subject showed a significant variation ( P < 0.001) between sampling periods with peaks occurring during the first hour of sampling (08.00–09.00 hours). This result is suggestive of the presence of a circadian rhythm although it is not conclusive.