Lack of Peroxisome Proliferation in Marmoset Liver Following Treatment with Ciprofibrate for 3 Years

The effect of treatment of marmosets with ciprofibrate for 3years on activities of hepatic enzymes, hepatic histomorphology,and ultrastructure were investigated. Male and female mar mosetswere dosed with ciprofibrate (2, 10, and 20 mg/kg) by oral gavageonce daily for 3 years. No effect on liver weight (adjustedfor body weight) or liver morphology was observed. The activitiesof catalase, glutathione peroxidase, -glycero phosphate dehydrogenase,benzphetamine N-dernethylase, and ethoxyresorufln O-deethylasewere unaffected by treatment with ciprofibrate. Activity ofglutathione transferase was in creased in the low dosage groupbut unaffected in the mid and high dosage groups. Modest increasesin activities of peroxiso mal ß-oxidation (2.5-fold,maximal), carnitine acetyl transfer ase (1.7-fold, maximal),and carnitine palmitoyl transferase (2- fold, maximal) wereobserved. Cytochemical staining and quan titative image analysisfailed to indicate any effect on peroxisomal number, size, orvolume density. Similarly, there was no increase in lipofuscindeposition. This study provides data on the effects of a potentperoxisome proliferator on pri mate liver following a dosingperiod much greater than that used in previously published studiesand is further evidence that the marmoset is relatively insensitiveto the well-documented effects that ciprofibrate and other peroxisomeproliferators have on rat liver.     

The effect of hypotonicity on the mean platelet volume of patients with thrombo-embolism

Summary When dipotassium EDTA anticoagulated platelet rich plasma was incubated against a range of hypotonic saline concentrations, platelet volume was seen to change in a particular and rcproducible fashion. When platelets taken from patients suffering a thromboembolic episode were tested in the same manner, a different pattern of response was observed the platelets being far less tolerant to osmotic stress. Similar changes occurred in platelets from ante-natal subjects. Platelets from both groups regained their tolerance to hypotonicity following either the thromboembolic incident or parturition respectively.     

WHAT BECOMES OF PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA REFERRED TO COMMUNITY PSYCHOGERIATRIC TEAMS?

Objective: To monitor key processes and outcomes in joint health and social services community psychogeriatric teams. Design: Six month follow-up of new referrals to 4 teams in Cambridge. Data collected from structured clinical assessment forms at baseline and interviews with keyworkers at follow-up. Data for groups with and without dementia were compared. Setting: Two rural and two urban teams in area with relatively large long stay inpatient facility but low independent sector provision. All were routine service teams, rather than run for research purposes. Main outcome measures: The main outcome measures were survival, institutionalisation, key worker assessments of avoidable admissions, appropriateness of placement, unmet needs, carer stress and global outcome for patient and carers. Results: Rates of referral to urban teams were double rural rates. Around forty percent of the dementia group had a social worker as assessor and keyworker. The dementia group was significantly more dependent and received more informal and formal care. After six months, only 54% of the dementia group were alive and living outside institutional care, compared to 79% in the functionally ill group. Unplanned admissions to hospitals or homes were rarely judged avoidable by keyworkers. Outcomes for carers were judged poor in 15% of both groups, and 13% and 11% of carers respectively were judged to be under severe stress. Unmet needs were more common in the dementia group, and related principally to residential care and carer respite. A number of measures, including evidence of geographical inequity and identification of unmet needs, provided an important contribution to local policy development. Further work is needed on the validity of keyworker assessments of carer stress, given the findings of the carer interview sub-study.     

Dental Age Assessment: a comparison of 4- to 24-year-olds in the United Kingdom and an Australian population

Background.  The physiological age of a person is determined by the degree of maturation of the different tissue systems. Children of the same chronological age (CA) can demonstrate different degrees of maturation. Dental age (DA) is based on the maturation of teeth. Tooth formation is a continuous process, where the developmental stages of the tooth can be sequenced and defined depending on the degree of mineralization. These stages can be visualized on a dental panoramic tomograph (DPT).
Aim.  The aim of this study was to use a new method of Dental Age Assessment (DAA) to compare a United Kingdom (UK) and an Australian (AUS) population.
Design.  The DPTs used are from the archives of the Westmead Centre for Oral Health (Westmead, Australia) and the King's College London Dental Institute. From the preliminary sample of 89 DPTs from each population, 77 were suitable for use as matched pairs. The radiographic technique used was developed by Demirjian and describes eight stages of tooth development. This was used in combination with numerical data derived from a meta-analysis of a single UK subject.
Results.  A significant difference was shown between the CA and DA of the AUS patients. The AUS patients were also shown to have a significant 0.82 years delay in their DA compared to the UK patients. The findings indicate a difference in AUS compared to UK patients. These results indicate the need to develop a reference data set for the AUS population for DAA.
Conclusions.  This research is of significance in a number of clinical disciplines and can also be used to assist in age determination of subjects of unknown birth date to assist in forensic dentistry or social deliberations.     

An unusual pattern of metastases from Merkel cell carcinoma

An unusual case of Merkel cell carcinoma is presented in which the time course to development of nodal and haematogenous metastases was protracted and the predominant site of metastatic disease was small bowel.     

Salivary oestriol in normal and abnormal pregnancies

Summary. Profiles of daily salivary oestriol concentrations throughout the third trimester of pregnancy have been constructed for 14 normal and 11 abnormal pregnancies. Day-to-day variations were significantly higher than those reported for unconjugated oestriol in plasma or serum. A sustained decline in salivary oestriol concentrations was observed in one pregnancy in which intrauterine death occurred. Sustained falls were also observed in two pregnancies in which a healthy infant was born at term. In all other patients a normal salivary oestriol profile correlated with a favourable outcome. Salivary oestriol measurements provide similar information to plasma unconjugated oestriol measurements while offering the advantages of a simple, non-invasive sample collection procedure.