"Could it be asthma?": the impact of a mass media campaign aimed at raising awareness about asthma in Australia

Asthma is a very common chronic illness in Australia; however,unrecognized and undertreated asthma is responsible for muchpreventable morbidity in the community. In 1988, a coalitionof private and public sector agencies was formed to conducta national mass communications program aimed at increasing awarenessabout asthma. This pilot campaign comprised a mailout to allprimary care physicians and a mass media campaign, entitled"Could it be asthma?". The impact of this media-based strategywas assessed using population surveys of 1300 adults beforeand after the campaign. Following the campaign, recall of recentasthma media messages increased from 24 to 49% (P < 0.001)and the proportion who recognized possible asthma symptoms intheir household increased from 3.4 to 5.5% following the campaign.Of those with symptoms, twice as many reported that they visiteda doctor to have their symptoms assessed after the campaign.Knowledge of asthma symptoms was significantly higher followingthe campaign (P < 0.001), after adjustment for age, sex andthe presence of asthma in the respondents family. The campaignappeared to have some success in raising awareness about asthma,and has been followed by the development of a National AsthmaCampaign in Australia focusing on reducing asthma morbidityand improving its management.     

Left-ventricular pressure gradients: a computer-model simulation

Both invasive left-ventricular pressure measurements and non-invasive colour M-mode echographic measurements have shown the existence of intraventricular pressure gradients (IVPGs) during early filling. The mechanisms responsible for these IVPG cannot be completely explained by the experiments. Therefore a one-dimensional numerical model is developed and validated. The model describes filling (both velocities and pressures) along a left ventricular (LV) base-apex axis. Blood-wall interaction in the left ventricle with moving boundaries is taken into account. The computational results for a canine heart indicate that the observed IVPGs during filling are the consequence of a complex interaction between, on the one hand, pressure waves travelling in the LV and, on the other hand, LV geometry, relaxation and compliance. The computational results indicate the pressure dependency of wavespeed (0.77-1.90 m-1 s) for different mean intraventricular pressures (0.88-5.00 mmHg) and IVPGs up to 2 mmHg, independent of the ratio of end systolic volume and equilibrium volume. Increasing relaxation rate not only decreases minimum basal pressure (2.8 instead of 3.6 mmHg) but also has a strong influence on the time delay between the minimum basal and apical pressures (14 ms instead of 49 ms). The results sustain the hypothesis that pressure-wave propagation determines IVPGs and that IVPGs are no proof of elastic recoil.     

Microangiopathy of the brain and retina with hearing loss in a 50 year old woman: extending the spectrum of Susac's syndrome

A 50 year old woman presented with a subacute onset of vertigo and diplopia followed by an encephalopathy with confusion, spasticity, ataxia, myoclonus, and multiple branch retinal arteriolar occlusions and unilateral sensorineural deafness. Brain biopsy confirmed multiple microinfarcts with no vasculitis. After the procedure she had a right iliofemoral deep vein thrombosis and was found to be heterozygous for the factor V Leiden mutation. She was treated with anticoagulants and made a marked recovery with no relapses 6 months after presentation. This case extends the age range at which Susac's syndrome can present, and raises the possibility that the condition may be associated with abnormalities of coagulation.     

The Effect of Estrogen Deficiency on Calcium Balance in Mature Rats

The role of estrogen in the regulation of calcium balance is still poorly understood. A calcium balance study was performed to examine the effects of estrogen status in relation to fecal calcium loss as a component of bone loss after oophorectomy (OOX) in the mature rat. The components of the classic calcium balance were compared with calcium balance estimates obtained from whole body bone density. Six month or older Sprague Dawley rats were allocated to either a sham-operated or OOX group and fed a 0.1% calcium diet. The bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) were measured at baseline, 6 weeks, and 9 weeks. A calcium balance was done for 6 days before and 6 weeks post OOX. The fall in BMD from baseline to 9 weeks in the OOX group was significantly greater than in the sham-operated group. The calcium balance was more negative at baseline than at 6 weeks in both groups of animals because they had not adapted to the low calcium diet. However, the increase in calcium balance was significantly less in the OOX animals than in the sham-operated animals. The greater the rise in calcium balance from the baseline to the 6 weeks balance the less the fall in the calcium content of the whole body (Spearman correlation: r = 0.604 P = 0.008). The fall in fecal calcium, but not urine calcium or calcium consumed, was negatively correlated with the change in whole body BMC (Spearman correlation: fecal calcium r =−0.763 P = 0.001). Thus, the primary effect of estrogen deficiency on calcium balance in the mature rat appears to be calcium flux in the bowel, rather than renal calcium handling. Received: 16 April 1997 / Accepted: 22 September 1998     

Lengthening of pediatric forearm deformities using the Ilizarov technique: functional and cosmetic results

Eight patients (average age, 10 years) had a unilateral forearm lengthening procedure using the technique developed by Ilizarov. The procedure was performed in 4 patients with radial agenesis, in 2 with multiple hereditary exostosis, in 1 with ulnar agenesis, and in 1 with multiple enchondromatosis. Patients underwent distraction osteogenesis through either a unifocal or bifocal corticotomy. Forearm length increased on average 6.0 cm (range, 3.6-8.1 cm) or 54% (range, 21% to 94%) with a lengthening index of 1.3 months per centimeter (range, 0.6-1.9 months per centimeter). The length of follow-up averaged 4.5 years and involved office examinations with task evaluation and a questionnaire addressing function and appearance. Limb length discrepancy at follow-up measured 3.7 cm (range, 0.0-8.0 cm). Lengthening of the forearm was found to improve upper extremity function; it allowed the patient to reach distant body parts and to perform select activities requiring near-equal arm length. Forearm lengthening also improved the appearance of the arm if adequate soft tissue was preserved. Full restoration of arm length was not a requirement for a successful outcome and patient satisfaction with the results of the procedure was high.