Objectives: Despite the well-defined genetics of FMF, limited information is available regarding the regulation of inflammation by cytokines.Design and methods: The levels of systemic cytokines and other markers of inflammation in FMF patients and control were measured by ELISA and Cytometric Bead Array (CBA).Results: In FMF attack the levels of IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, TGF-beta, CRP, and sIL-2R were significantly different from the norm and FMF remission.Conclusions: Inflammation in FNIF involves Treg and Th17 lineages. (c) 2008 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The vision from the strategy to attract young people to horticulture is a strong cohort of bright young people, finding fulfilling careers in the Australian horticulture industry, studying applicable courses at all levels, meeting employer needs and contributing to the ongoing growth and vitality of the industry. If there is one key message from this research, it is that the horticultural industry does not effectively and positively sell itself generally to the broader community, and more specifically to parents, guidance officers/career counsellors and students. A whole-of-horticulture promotional/public relations campaign is clearly needed to achieve this purpose. An industry development body is needed to be a catalyst for change. It needs to be entrepreneurial and visionary. While collaborating closely with industry, it needs to be outside parochial boundaries and relationships.

L A Aaltonen A Abaci O Abdel-Rahman E Aboagye J Abraham R Abraham G J Adema A J Adeniran S Agarwal S K Agarwal R R Aggarwal I U Agoulnik J A Aguirre-Ghiso N Ahmed Z Ahmed B-C Ahn S Akhavanfard S Akker E T Alarid C Alexander E H Allott A Altmann C V Alvarez F Andre M Andrioli A Androutsellis-Theotokis T Angell M Anlauf L Anthony E S Antonarakis A Antonelli A C Antoniou L Antony H Arakawa J E Ardill S Aretz W Arlt T Arnason J Arnold Y J Arnoldussen C Arsov C Arteaga S L Asa O Ashur-Fabian G Assié R Auchus C J Auernhammer S Aylwin J Ayuk

From 1984 to 1986 I had the privilege of being chief medical officer (surgery) and consultant surgeon in the Solomon Islands. The country lies in the western Pacific, south east of Papua New Guinea, and has a population of about 250 000. I was its only surgeon, based at Central Hospital, Honiara, on Guadalcanal, one of the many islands. Professionally I had to do things you won't find in any textbook, coping with what was available. This is probably the best example. I had finished a long day in theatre and was looking forward to a beer on the verandah. Before leaving the hospital I looked into the office to check for post from home. Sure enough there were letters from my mum and sister but underneath was a telegram. It read: > Fifty five year old lady. Acute extradural haemorrhage. Ipsilateral pupil up. Unconscious flexor pain responses. Boggey haematoma over left middle meningeal area. Any chance you can come plus equipment to evacuate clot. Helena Goldie Hospital would refund fares. > > Dr Bob Eason Helena Goldie is in Munda, Western Province, about 400 miles from Honiara. I phoned Solair. “Any chance of a plane to Munda?” “No way mate, no landing lights,” said the Australian pilot. What now? I had the brilliant idea of …

OBJECTIVE--To assess the feasibility of monitoring health outcomes in a routine hospital setting and the value of feedback of outcomes data to clinicians by using the SF 36 health survey questionnaire. DESIGN--Administration of the questionnaire at baseline and three months, with analysis and interpretation of health status data after adjustments for sociodemographic variables and in conjunction with clinical data. Exploration of usefulness of outcomes data to clinicians through feedback discussion sessions and by an evaluation questionnaire. SETTING--One gastroenterology outpatient department in Aberdeen Royal Hospitals Trust, Scotland. PATIENTS--All (573) patients attending the department during one month (April 1993). MAIN MEASURES--Ability to obtain patient based outcomes data and requisite clinical information and feed it back to the clinicians in a useful and accessible form. RESULTS--Questionnaires were completed by 542 (95%) patients at baseline and 450 (87%) patients at follow up. Baseline health status data and health outcomes data for the eight different aspects of health were analysed for individual patients, key groups of patients, and the total recruited patient population. Significant differences were shown between patients and the general population and between different groups of patients, and in health status over time. After adjustment for differences in sociodemography and main diagnosis patients with particularly poor scores were identified and discussed. Clinicians judged that this type of assessment could be useful for individual patients if the results were available at the time of consultation or for a well defined group of patients if used as part of a clinical trial. CONCLUSIONS--Monitoring routine outcomes is feasible and instruments to achieve this, such as the SF 36 questionnaire, have potential value in an outpatient setting. IMPLICATIONS--If data on outcomes are to provide a basis for clinical and managerial decision making, information systems will be required to collect, analyse, interpret, and feed it back regularly and in good time.

ABSTRACTUsing an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blotting techniques, cats from the north west of England and North Wales were tested for antibodies toBorrelia burgdorferi.Seropositivity toB burgdorferiin these cats was similar (4.8 per cent) to that found in dogs and horses in the UK from non‐endemic areas. Cross‐reactive antibodies toLeptospira interrogansserovars did not affect the catB burgdorferiELISA data. Clinical signs of Lyme disease were generally absent; lameness was rarely reported. As in other species, it must be considered that high levels of serum anti‐borrelia antibodies are not diagnostic for clinical Lyme disease.

OBJECTIVE:To assess the reliability of the SF 36 health survey questionnaire in two patient populations.DESIGN:Postal questionnaire followed up, if necessary, by two reminders at two week intervals. Retest questionnaires were administered postally at two weeks in the first study and at one week in the second study.SETTING:Outpatient clinics and four training general practices in Grampian region in the north east of Scotland (study 1); a gastroenterology outpatient clinic in Aberdeen Royal Hospitals Trust (study 2).PATIENTS:1787 patients presenting with one of four conditions: low back pain, menorrhagia, suspected peptic ulcer, and varicose veins and identified between March and June 1991 (study 1) and 573 patients attending a gastroenterology clinic in April 1993.MAIN MEASURES:Assessment of internal consistency reliability with Cronbach's alpha coefficient and of test-retest reliability with the Pearson correlation coefficient and confidence interval analysis.RESULTS:In study 1, 1317 of 1746 (75.4%) correctly identified patients entered the study and in study 2, 549 of 573 (95.8%). Both methods of assessing reliability produced similar results for most of the SF 36 scales. The most conservative estimates of reliability gave 95% confidence intervals for an individual patient's score difference ranging from -19 to 19 for the scales measuring physical functioning and general health perceptions, to -65.7 to 65.7 for the scale measuring role limitations attributable to emotional problems. In a controlled clinical trial with sample sizes of 65 patients in each group, statistically significant differences of 20 points can be detected on all eight SF 36 scales.CONCLUSIONS:All eight scales of the SF 36 questionnaire show high reliability when used to monitor health in groups of patients, and at least four scales possess adequate reliability for use in managing individual patients. Further studies are required to test the feasibility of implementing the SF 36 and other outcome measures in routine clinical practice within the health service.

S of the Society of Nuclear Medicine in Canada and Prairie Provinces Chapter, SNM Conjoint Meeting: PDF Only

Journal Article Evaluation of six antihistamines in vitro and in patients with urticaria Get access A. COUTTS, A. COUTTS Wellcome Laboratories for Skin Pharmacology, Institute of Dermatology, Homerton Grove, London E9 6BX Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar M.W. GREAVES M.W. GREAVES Wellcome Laboratories for Skin Pharmacology, Institute of Dermatology, Homerton Grove, London E9 6BX Professor M. W. Greaves. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, Volume 7, Issue 5, 1 September 1982, Pages 529–536, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2230.1982.tb02471.x Published: 01 September 1982 Article history Accepted: 23 July 1981 Published: 01 September 1982

Three patients were studied in whom brief contact of the skin with water at any temperature evoked intense itching without visible changes in the skin. The patients were otherwise apparently healthy, and this chronic and disabling disorder tended to attract a "psychogenic" label. Pharmacological studies showed that the condition was associated with local release of acetyl choline in the skin, mast-cell degranulation, and raised blood histamine concentrations. It responded well to antihistamines in two of the three patients. Aquagenic pruritus is probably common, but it is generally unrecognised and may be misdiagnosed. Antihistamines may induce a good therapeutic response.

Three patients are described who developed angio-oedema and urticaria after a hot bath challenge and physical exercise. In one patient this was accompanied by a fall in peak expiratory flow rate. Blood levels of smooth muscle biological activity, measured using a bio-assay, increased in all patients after experimental challenge. The association of angio-oedema with cholinergic urticaria is emphasized and possible mechanisms discussed.

Journal Article Pharmacological studies of anthralin erythema Get access KLAUS MISCH, KLAUS MISCH Institute of Dermatology, Homerton Grove, London Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar MICHAEL DAVIES, MICHAEL DAVIES Plymouth General Hospital, Greenbank, Plymouth, Devon Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar MALCOLM GREAVES, MALCOLM GREAVES Institute of Dermatology, Homerton Grove, London Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar ANGELA COUTTS ANGELA COUTTS Institute of Dermatology, Homerton Grove, London Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar British Journal of Dermatology, Volume 105, Issue s20, 1 August 1981, Pages 82–86, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2133.1981.tb01017.x Published: 01 August 1981

The antagonistic activity of oxatomide, and its effects on evoked histamine release and histamine‐N‐methyl transferase activity in skin, have been studied. Oxatomide antagonizes HI activity in a dose‐dependent but non‐competitive manner. It also shows seme atropine‐like activity. Oxatomide did not cause detectable inhibition of antigen‐stimulated histamine release from skin slices of sensitized guinea‐pigs although the possibility that oxatomide may cause weak inhibition could not be excluded. In the presence of low concentrations of histamine, oxatomide suppressed human skin histamine‐N‐methyl transferase, but in the presence of higher substrate concentrations it enhanced activity of this enzyme. These observations; which were limited by the poor solubility of oxatomide in aqueous media, should encourage further in vivo studies of oxatomide's histamine‐suppressing properties in the human subject.