Assessing compliance with 60-hertz magnetic-field exposure guidelines

Exposure limits for magnetic fields in the extremely low frequency range (3 to 3000 hertz) have been established by a number of organizations. The limits are generally intended to prevent overstimulation of electrically sensitive tissue and are expressed as ceiling values-levels not to be exceeded even momentarily. Exposures near or above the limits occur around high-current equipment and often have large spatial and temporal variability. The combination of variable exposures and ceiling-value exposure limits means that a practical exposure assessment must be statistically based. Practical guidance for assessing compliance for these exposures is limited. To fill this gap, this work develops a statistically based sampling and analysis methodology for evaluating compliance with magnetic-field exposure guidelines, using 60-hertz exposures in the electric utility industry as a model. The resulting methodology relies on (1) defining a scenario that includes tasks with similar high-field exposures for a group of workers, (2) having appropriate protocols for performing magnetic-field personal exposure measurements or having an exposure data set corresponding to that scenario, (3) assuming that the measured peak field is consistent with the exposure limit, (4) assuming that the peak exposure values follow a lognormal distribution, and (5) collecting sufficient measurements to determine the probability of compliance with a desired degree of statistical confidence. As examples, specific compliance probabilities and their confidence intervals are estimated for electric utility scenarios from available personal exposure measurements. This specific application demonstrates the general methodology and indicates that compliance with existing exposure limits may become an issue for certain tasks.     

The prehospital treatment of status epilepticus (PHTSE) study: design and methodology

Status epilepticus is a neurological emergency that is typically first encountered and managed in the prehospital environment. Although aggressive pharmacological treatment of status epilepticus is well established in the emergency department and hospital settings, the relative risks and benefits of active therapy for status epilepticus in the prehospital setting are not known. The Prehospital Treatment of Status Epilepticus (PHTSE) study is a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study designed to address the following aims: (1) to determine whether administration of benzodiazepines by paramedics is an effective and safe means of treating status epilepticus in the prehospital setting and whether this therapy influences longer-term patient outcome, (2) to determine whether lorazepam is superior to diazepam for the treatment of status epilepticus in the prehospital setting, and (3) to determine whether control of status epilepticus prior to arrival to the emergency department influences patient disposition. The initial phase of the PHTSE study began in January 1994 and was completed in February 1999 after the successful enrollment of 205 patients into the three treatment arms. In this paper, we describe the rationale for the conceptualization of the study and details of the study design and methodology, and emphasize some aspects of study implementation that are unique to research involving the emergency medical system.     

Assessment of knowledge and attitude about basic life support among dental interns and postgraduate students in Bangalore city,India

BACKGROUND: Life-threatening emergencies can occur at anytime, at anywhere and in anyone. Effective management of an emergency situation in the dental office is ultimately the dentist's responsibility. The lack of training and inability to cope with medical emergencies can lead to tragic consequences and sometimes legal complications. Therefore, health professionals including dentists must be well prepared to deal with medical emergencies. This study was undertaken to assess the knowledge about and attitude towards basic life support(BLS) among dental interns and postgraduate students in Bangalore city, India.METHODS: A cross sectional survey was conducted among dental interns and postgraduate students from May 2014 to June 2014 since few studies have been conducted in Bangalore city. A questionnaire with 17 questions regarding the knowledge about and attitude towards BLS was distributed to 202 study participants.RESULTS: The data analyzed using the Chi-square test showed that dental interns and postgraduate students had average knowledge about BLS. In the 201 participants, 121(59.9%) had a positive attitude and 81(40.1%) had a negative attitude towards BLS.CONCLUSIONS: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation should be considered as part of the dental curriculum. Workshops on a regular basis should be focused on skills of cardiopulmonary resuscitation for dental students.     

Mixed micropapillary–ductal carcinomas of the breast: a genomic and immunohistochemical analysis of morphologically distinct components

Micropapillary carcinomas (MPCs) can present as a rare histological special type of breast cancer; however, this histological type is more frequently found admixed with invasive ductal carcinomas of no special type (IDC‐NSTs). We have previously demonstrated that pure MPCs constitute a distinct entity at the morphological and genetic levels. Here, we sought to determine whether mixed MPCs have genomic aberrations similar to those found in pure MPCs, and to investigate whether the distinct morphological components of MPCs harbour different genetic aberrations. Using high‐resolution microarray comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH), we profiled a series of 10 MPCs of mixed histology and 20 IDC‐NSTs matched for grade and oestrogen receptor (ER) status. In addition, we generated tissue microarrays containing a series of 24 pure and 40 mixed MPCs and performed immunohistochemical analysis with ER, progesterone receptor (PR), Ki‐67, HER2, cytokeratin (CK) 5/6, CK14, CK17, EGFR, topoisomerase‐IIα, cyclin D1, caveolin‐1 and E‐cadherin antibodies. In situ hybridization was employed to evaluate the prevalence of HER2, TOP2A, EGFR, CCND1, MYC and FGFR1 gene amplification. Our results demonstrate that mixed MPCs harbour similar patterns of genomic aberrations and phenotype (82.5% luminal and 17.5% HER2) compared to pure MPCs. A comparison between the distinct morphological components of mixed MPCs in a pairwise fashion revealed that both components harbour strikingly similar genomic profiles. When compared to grade‐ and ER‐matched IDC‐NSTs, mixed MPCs significantly more frequently harboured amplification of multiple regions on 8q (adjusted Fisher's p value < 0.05). Furthermore, mixed MPCs displayed higher proliferative rates than grade‐ and ER‐matched IDC‐NSTs. Our results suggest that micropapillary differentiation in breast cancer may identify a subgroup of more aggressive ER‐positive breast carcinomas, even in those featuring a mixed histology, and that mixed MPCs are more closely related to pure MPCs than to IDC‐NSTs. Copyright © 2009 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Association analysis of ADPRT1, AKR1B1, RAGE,GFPT2 and PAI-1 gene polymorphisms with chronic renal insufficiency among Asian Indians with type-2 diabetes

Background  

To determine association of nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in ADP ribosyltransferase-1 (ADPRT1), aldo-keto reductase family 1 member B1 (AKR1B1), receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE), glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase-2 (GFPT2), and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) genes with chronic renal insufficiency (CRI) among Asian Indians with type 2 diabetes; and to identify epistatic interactionss between genes from the present study and those from renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), and chemokine-cytokine, dopaminergic and oxidative stress pathways (previously investigated using the same sample set).     

Cholera in India: an analysis of reports, 1997�C2006

Objective

To more accurately define the annual incidence of cholera in India, believed to be higher than reported to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Methods

We searched the biomedical literature to extract data on the cases of cholera reported in India from 1997 to 2006 and compared the numbers found to those reported annually to WHO over the same period. The latter were obtained from WHO’s annual summaries of reported cholera cases and National health profile 2006, published by India’s Central Bureau of Health Intelligence.

Findings

Of India’s 35 states or union territories, 21 reported cholera cases during at least one year between 1997 and 2006. The state of West Bengal reported cases during all 10 years, while the state of Maharashtra and the union territory of Delhi reported cases during nine, and Orissa during seven. There were 68 outbreaks in 18 states, and 222 038 cases were detected overall. This figure is about six times higher than the number reported to WHO (37 783) over the same period. The states of Orissa, West Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Assam and Chhattisgarh accounted for 91% of all outbreak-related cases.

Conclusion

The reporting of cholera cases in India is incomplete and the methods used to keep statistics on cholera incidence are inadequate. Although the data are sparse and heterogeneous, cholera notification in India is highly deficient.     

肾移植后多瘤病毒相关性肾病

背景：多瘤病毒感染是导致多瘤病毒相关性肾病和移植肾失功的重要原因之一。 目的：观察分析多瘤病毒相关性肾病的临床特征及其病理学特点。 方法：121例患者移植肾活检行多瘤病毒大T抗原染色,发现9例阳性诊断为多瘤病毒相关性肾病,利用SV-40 大 T 抗原免疫组织化学染色,对确认为多瘤病毒相关性肾病患者进行临床、病理、免疫荧光、免疫组织化学观察。 结果与结论：多瘤病毒相关性肾病组肾活检时检测霉酚酸-AUC 0-12和他克莫司血药浓度均明显高于同期非多瘤病毒相关性肾病组(P < 0.05)。9例活检组织经SV-40 大T抗原染色,肾皮质和髓质均可见散在的肾小管多瘤病毒阳性。免疫荧光IgG,IgM,IgA,C3,C4,C1q和C4d全阴性,所有肾组织病理均可见肾间质大量聚集的CD3,CD4,CD8,CD68阳性细胞,1例合并排斥反应者,人白细胞DR抗原和白细胞介素2受体高表达;不合并排斥者人白细胞DR抗原和白细胞介素2受体表达多小于5%。9例多瘤病毒相关性肾病患者随访均超过半年,移植肾失功1例,3例好转,2例稳定,3例恶化。结果表明,多瘤病毒相关性肾病的诊断主要依赖于移植肾活检组织病理;利用SV-40 大T 抗原免疫组织化学染色可提高多瘤病毒相关性肾病的诊断率;移植肾组织C4d、白细胞介素2受体和人白细胞DR抗原检测对多瘤病毒感染相关性肾病的鉴别诊断具有极其重要的临床价值。     

Abstracts from other journals

The aim of the present study was to clinically evaluate fissure sealants on the occlusal fissures and buccal pits of permanent first and second molars after 20 and 15 years, respectively. The population consisted of 72 children, each of whom had had their four first molars sealed between 1977 and 1980. At the annual examinations, all caries-free, newly erupted second molars were sealed. When sealant was applied to the second molars, the first molars were checked and sealant was reapplied to those that had deficient sealants. At the follow-up, when the subjects were 26–27 years of age, 27 in the original group had moved from the community. Thus, the present result is based on 45 subjects. One hundred and fifty-three sealed first molars and 161 sealed second molars were available for inspection. At the follow-up examination of the first molars 20 years after sealant had been applied, 65% showed complete retention, 22% partial retention without caries, and 1306 caries or restoration in the occlusal fissures or buccal pits. At the 15-year follow-up of the second molars, the corresponding figures were 65%, 30% and 5%, respectively. Of the restored or carious molars, significantly more were found in the mandible than in the maxilla ( P  < 0.001). This longitudinal study showed that pit and fissure sealants, applied during childhood, have a long-lasting, caries-preventive effect.