bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Quality assurance in laboratory haematology
Authors: Lewis S. M. 
Published: June 2019

SynopsisQuality assurance in laboratory haematology includes (a) constant checking of test reliability by internal quality control, (b) external quality assessment by an independent agency to check performance of a number of laboratories at intervals in order to obtain a retrospective indication of their ability and (c) proficiency control by supervision of the pre-test and post-test phases of laboratory work, from specimen collection to delivery of the report to the clinician.The procedures which comprise quality control are described; these include use of control preparations with control charts, CUSUM analysis, constancy of daily means of the blood count indices of ‘absolute values’, duplicate testing, clinical correlation and the important role of the blood film to check the instrument-derived blood count measurements.A description of the functions of an external quality assessment scheme is based on the UK National Scheme (UK NEQAS). The blood count and other tests of general haematology have been used as models to describe the procedures for qualitative and quantitative tests, low results are analysed and performance is assessed. The tribulations and triumphs of NEQAS are described and it is concluded that NEQAS has a vital role in ensuring good laboratory practice in general, and the reliability of the individual laboratories who participate in the scheme. NEQAS, in turn, must ensure its own ability to provide stable materials which are suitable for each test in the programme, and to analyse data correctly. There is also need to take account of the continued expansion of laboratory services as new techniques are introduced and to develop appropriate EQA procedures and materials in order to incorporate these in a comprehensive scheme.
Shetland and oil – the local perspective
Authors: Thomason Edward 
Published: June 2019

During these two days this conference will review the environmental management and monitoring at Sullom Voe Oil Terminal since 1974. To understand the part played by Shetland, its people, and the successive Island Councils we have to look further back. Many individuals, many organisations of varying motivations, of differing gifts have been contributors; have set the pattern.Who were they all? As a good citizen I will place the Government first – not necessarily in importance. These days a County Convener must be cautious in his utterances! In the early 1970s politically safe oil held many attractions. The recent BBC2 programme so graphically evokes the period. There was also the massive potential income so near to the homeland.
Sublethal biological effects and chemical contaminant monitoring of Sullom Voe (Shetland) using mussels (Mytilus edulis)
Authors: Widdows John , Donkin Peter , Evans Sheila V. , Page David S. , Salkeld Peter N. 
Published: June 2019

SynopsisMussels (Mytilus edulis), collected from up to nine sites, were used to monitor the degree of chemical contamination (by petroleum hydrocarbons and organotins) and the associated sublethal biological effects (scope for growth) in the vicinity of the North Sea oil terminal at Sullom Voe from 1982 to 1989. Gluss Voe represented a ‘clean reference’ site at which mussels showed a very low level of contamination and a consistently high ‘scope for growth’ (>20 J g−1 h−1). Spatial and temporal changes in the concentration of polyaromatic hydrocarbons in the mussel tissues reflected the major sources of oil inputs and the number and size of oil spillages around the tanker loading jetties. Hydrocarbon concentrations in mussels at the oil tanker jetties were typically 10-fold higher than mussels at Gluss Voe. The concentrations of tributyltin in the tissues were greatest in the area near the tanker jetties and showed a steady decline between 1986 and 1989 which correlated with a decline in tanker activity (r = +0.98).The results demonstrated a significant correlation between the net quantity of oil spilled during the month prior to sampling and the accumulated aromatic hydrocarbons in the mussel tissues (r = +0.89). In addition, there was a significant negative relationship between scope for growth and the log concentration of aromatic hydrocarbons in the mussel tissues (r = −0.83). Toxicological interpretation of tissue residue data indicated that the decline in SFG was caused by accumulated PAHs rather than TBT. Although mussels showed a significant reduction in scope for growth in Sullom Voe they were still able to grow, reproduce and maintain their populations. When these results are placed in a wider geographical context and compared with other UK sites, it is apparent that the ‘clean reference’ site in the Shetland has the lowest recorded levels of organic contaminants, and that other sites in the vicinity of the Sullom Voe Oil Terminal are less contaminated and impacted than many estuaries on the UK mainland.
Shetland beached bird surveys: national and European context
Authors: Heubeck M. 
Published: June 2019

SynopsisA Shetland-wide beached bird survey was established in March 1979 and monthly surveys have continued since. This paper presents results from March 1979 to December 1992 during which time a total of 34 320 corpses of seabird and seaduck were found, of which 34023 (99.1%) were specifically identified. Corpses of guillemot (8911), fulmar (8707), kittiwake (4421), herring gull (2264), shag (1843) and great black-backed gull (1785) comprised 82.1% of the identified total, the remainder being made up of 31 other species. The relationship between the numbers of each species found, and their numbers and occurrence in Shetland waters is discussed. A total of 2781 corpses were judged to have been oiled before their deaths, of which 2732 (98.2%) were specifically identified. The six species most frequently found oiled were guillemot (1170 corpses), fulmar (543), kittiwake (184), razorbill (131), puffin (111) and shag (99).Variations in both the percentage of corpses found that were oiled, and the number of oiled corpses found per kilometre of beach surveyed, are examined and discussed. Comparison is made with results from beached bird surveys elsewhere in the British Isles and in other countries bordering the North Sea. In some species, notably the pelagic auks, there was considerable annual variation in the numbers of unoiled corpses found while in other species the number of unoiled corpses found changed more gradually over the 14 years. Reference is made to similar changes observed in other beached bird surveys and possible reasons for these changes are discussed.
The use of Puccinellia maritima in salt marsh monitoring
Authors: Dalby D. H. 
Published: June 2019

SynopsisThis programme was intended to assess the environmental health of the Sullom Voe salt marshes and, if any deterioration proved to have occurred, to suggest whether activities at the oil terminal could have been responsible.The main study has been in the growth of the important halophytic grass Puccinellia maritima as measured by tiller/stolon elongation. This has been used as a measure of salt marsh vitality.The salt marshes within Sullom Voe have suffered statistically significant declines in plant vigour in the detailed study areas over the period 1976 to 1987 (accompanied by local erosion and deterioration of the marsh edges), in contrast to comparable sites outside Sullom Voe, which have shown no overall decline. All sites however have shown conspicuous and loosely synchronised variations in tiller/stolon length, which may be explained in part by changes in sea level.Although some local damage to sites can be attributed to oil-related activities, no cause can be identified for the wider deterioration within Sullom Voe because of the absence of data on factors which might be inhibiting grass growth. This problem in identifying causes is a serious weakness in monitoring programmes which use plant performance to assay changes.
Clinical evidence on the role of oestrogens in the development of the breasts
Authors: Laron Z. , Kauli R. , Pertzelan A. 
Published: June 2019

SynopsisGirls start their puberty including breast development around age 8. Though the best correlation found is that with oestradiol, most girls still have at the onset of breast development oestrogen levels in the normal range for adult males. Therefore, it seems that oestrogen receptor sensitivity plays an important role in breast development. An important insight into the hormonal interplay in breast development was obtained when comparing the effect of exogenous oestrogens in forty-five girls with four different aetiologies of oestrogen deficiency: gonadal dysgenesis (GD). 17-alpha hydroxylase deficiency (17-OHase def), isolated gonadotrophin deficiency (IGnD) and multiple pituitary hormone deficiencies (MPHD). None of the girls had any breast development in the absence of oestrogens. Treatment with oestrogen was given in an identical manner to all. In GD, in whom the hypothalamic-pituitary functions were normal, treatment led to full development of breasts in a relatively short period. In IGnD and MPHD, breast development was incomplete even after years of oestrogen treatment. The conspicuous difference of the hormonal status between GD and IGnD and MPHD is that the latter two groups lack gonadotrophins, while in GD and 17-OHase def. these hormones are pathologically elevated. Thus the gonadotrophins seem to play an important role in mammary gland development. In the girl with 17-OHase def., it was also found that cortisol is necessary for normal breast development. A girl with hyperprolactinaemia due to a microadenoma had delayed puberty including slow breast development. Upon bromocriptine treatment the prolactin fell, the oestrogens rose and puberty including breast development occurred. Patients with Laron-type dwarfism (isolated IGF-I deficiency) have been found to have normal breast development.
Oestrogens in the initiation and promotion of breast cancer
Authors: Bulbrook R. D. , Leake R. E. , George W. D. 
Published: June 2019

SynopsisA wide variety of methods has been used to investigate the role of the oestrogens in the aetiology and clinical course of breast cancer. They include measurements of urinary metabolites and the concentrations of oestrogens in blood, saliva, nipple aspirates, cyst fluids, lymph and breast tissues. The function of the oestrogen-binding proteins has also been examined. There is no clear evidence that an excessive oestrogenic stimulus is a determinant of risk of breast cancer and it may be sensible to question this widely-held belief. Variation in the oestrogenic stimulus within the normal range might be responsible for the observed differences in tumour doubling times and for clonal selection. Case/control studies which do not include some measure of tumour growth rates are not an efficient way of investigating these possibilities. Endogenous androgen concentrations show such a strong correlation with the natural history of the disease that it would seem unwise to investigate the role of the oestrogens without taking the androgens into account. Geographical variation in the incidence of breast cancer is probably not due to racial differences in endocrine function.
The clinical usefulness of oestrogen-receptor and other markers of hormone dependence
Authors: Clark Gary M. , McGuire William L. 
Published: June 2019

SynopsisThere is an increasing trend to administer adjuvant therapy to patients with all stages of primary breast cancer. However, since only about half of these patients will eventually relapse, it would be useful to have a set of factors that could predict which patients are at high risk for recurrence and which patients are probably cured by local therapy alone.Using tumour specimens from our San Antonio Tumour Bank, we have confirmed the prognostic significance of axillary nodal status for predicting disease-free and overall survival. Among patients with node-positive disease, both oestrogen-receptors (ER) and progesterone-receptors (PgR) are predictive of patient outcome, but PgR is the more powerful factor. Using multivariate techniques, we have found that amplification and/or expression of the HER-2/neu oncogene provides additional prognostic information for node-positive patients.Among patients with node-negative disease, ER and tumour size comprise a powerful set of prognostic factors. But ploidy status and S-phase fraction, as measured by flow cytometry, provide additional independent information for predicting disease-free and overall survival. Using these factors, sub-groups of node-negative patients with low risk of recurrence who will probably not benefit from adjuvant systemic therapy might be identified.
Oestrogens and other biochemical and cytological components in nipple aspirates of breast fluid: relationship to risk factors for breast disease
Authors: Petrakis Nicholas L. 
Published: June 2019

SynopsisThe breast of the nonpregnant woman secretes, retains or reabsorbs a variety of endogenous and exogenous biochemical substances of potential physiological and clinical significance. Among these substances are steroid hormones, prolactin, growth hormones, and peptide growth factors. Because the concentrations of these hormones secreted into the breast ducts are often significantly higher than the concentrations in serum, the breast epithelium is commonly exposed to very high concentrations of steroid and other hormones which may play a role in the aetiology and pathogenesis of breast disease.This paper presents a brief review of published data on the cytological and biochemical constituents of breast fluid obtained by nipple aspiration and data on factors affecting oestradiol and oestrone concentrations in breast fluid. Concentrations of oestradiol and oestrone in nipple aspirate fluid are much higher than in serum, not correlated with serum levels, much lower in women who recently have given birth or breast-fed their infants, not related to day in menstrual cycle, and higher in women with biopsied benign breast disease compared with nulliparous women without breast disease.Further studies of the interrelationships of hormones, other biochemical constituents and the cytopathology of breast fluid may provide new insights into the pathophysiology and aetiology of breast diseases.
Oestrogen uptake and metabolism in vivo
Authors: James V. H. T. , Reed M. J. , Adams E. F. , Ghilchick M. , Lai L. C. , Coldham N. G. , Newton C. J. , Purohit A. , Owen A. M. , Singh A. , Islam S. 
Published: June 2019

SynopsisUptake of oestrogens into breast tissue and their subsequent metabolism can be studied by infusing radio-labelled steroids into volunteer patients. Such studies show that oestradiol is preferentially accumulated in breast tumours, oestradiol concentrations exceeding those of oestrone. This contrasts with plasma, in which oestrone concentrations in postmenopausal women are greater than those of the oestradiol. This observation suggests that tissue factors can modulate local oestrogen metabolism, and thus local steroid concentrations.We have studied the local production of oestrogens from androgen, and also the interconversion of the major oestrogens, oestrone and oestradiol. Using isotopic techniques, it is possible to calculate the proportion of endogenous oestrogen produced from androgen, as opposed to uptake from the circulation. These studies suggest that a very variable proportion of tissue oestrogen derives from endogenous synthesis. After administration of aromatase inhibitors, aromatase activity is substantially inhibited, both in vivo and in vitro.Relative oestrogen concentrations are determined in part by the activity of oestradiol dehydrogenase. In breast tissue, dehydrogenase activity is present and this is modified by various factors, including androgens. In addition, we have demonstrated that normal, benign and malignant breast tissues produce factors which can modulate both growth and dehydrogenase activity of cancer cells in vitro.We conclude that breast tissue is a site of synthesis of oestrogens, and that a number of factors can affect their local concentration. Tumour cells produce growth factors which can influence steroid metabolism, and may thus be able to enhance favourably their own endocrine environment.
Clinical experience in the use of the antioestrogen tamoxifen in the treatment of breast cancer
Authors: Stewart Helen J. 
Published: June 2019

SynopsisThe use of tamoxifen in the treatment of both metastatic and primary breast cancer is reviewed. In metastatic disease, tamoxifen slows progression in at least one-third of patients and is now the preferred first systemic therapy. Results from the larger trials of adjuvant tamoxifen are reviewed in relation to total dose and receptor status. It is suggested that variations in total dose may account for the variable results reported. Although benefit is not confined to those with tumours which are oestrogen-receptor (ER)-positive, the greatest chance of increasing disease-free survival would seem to be in those with high ER levels. Duration of tamoxifen and its effect within defined ER categories, with and without chemotherapy, are areas requiring further study by direct comparison.
Use of LH-RH agonists in the treatment of breast disease
Authors: Nicholson R. I. , Walker K. J. 
Published: June 2019

SynopsisThe effects of LH-RH agonists in advanced breast cancer patients are reviewed and compared to the efficacy of surgical ablation of the ovaries and X-ray induced menopause in the treatment of this disease. In both pre- and postmenopausal women, LH-RH agonists produce pituitary gland desensitisation and a fall in concentrations of LH and FSH. In premenopausal patients plasma progesterone and oestradiol levels fall to the castrate or postmenopausal range within three to four weeks. Tumour remissions have been observed in approximately 30% of premenopausal women (50% ER-positive) and approximately 10% of postmenopausal patients. The mechanism of action of LH-RH agonists is discussed and their current application to combined endocrine therapy, early breast cancer and mastalgia briefly outlined.
Aromatase inhibitors in human breast cancer
Authors: Coombes R. C. , Stein R. C. , Dowsett M. 
Published: June 2019

SynopsisThe results of a phase I/II study in advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women of the aromatase inhibitors 4-hydroxyandrostenedione (40HA), miconazole and CGS16949A are described. 40HA, a steroidal compound which is an irreversible inhibitor of aromatase, has been administered to 131 patients by weekly (500 mg) or fortnightly (250 mg) i.m. injections, and daily (500 mg) by mouth. The overall response rate (complete regression (CR) and partial regression (PR)) was 33%; all three dose schedules had similar clinical efficacy. Oestradiol levels were suppressed to a mean of 37–45% of pretreatment values with oral and with weekly i.m. 40HA; suppression was marginally suboptimal with 250 mg i.m. fortnightly. 40HA was well tolerated, especially when administered by fortnightly injections; this dose schedule is to be preferred to weekly injections.Significant oestradiol suppression and clinical responses did not occur with the imidazole antifungal, miconazole, which was administered to twenty-two patients at doses of 500–1000 mg daily. The non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor, CGS16949A, induced comparable oestradiol suppression to 40HA at doses of 0.6–4 mg daily; 0.6 mg daily appears to be suboptimal. Five of thirty-one patients treated had objective responses, and disease stabilised for at least six months in nine patients. Some suppression of aldosterone occurred with doses of 2 and 4 mg daily, but clinical toxicity of the compound was minor.
Conservation of Scottish estuaries
Authors: Raffaelli Dave 
Published: June 2019

SynopsisThis paper reviews the physical and biological characteristics of Scottish estuaries. A case is made for the conservation of a range of habitats, including sand dunes, saltmarshes and intertidal flats, although it is recognised that the large-scale protection of estuarine intertidal areas may depend more on their perceived importance as feeding areas for shorebirds and fish, rather than their very real intrinsic value. Contamination by metals and hydrocarbons, organic enrichment by sewage, agricultural run-off, land-claim and sea-level rise are identified as major threats posed to Scottish estuaries. Land-claim and sea level rise both lead to large-scale and permanent loss of intertidal area and they are considered the most pressing conservation problems.
Towards a strategy for the conservation of marine fish in Scotland
Authors: Poxton M. G. 
Published: June 2019

SynopsisThis paper reviews the status of marine fish populations in Scottish waters and considers current and potential threats. The inshore environments considered (shallow sandy bays, deeper and muddier areas, sea lochs, estuaries and firths) can be characterised by fish communities of 20-50 species, with some 20 species being present at any one locality. All of them functioned as nursery areas for commercial species and as habitats for smaller non-commercial residents. As few as 3-5 species were dominant, in terms of both numbers and biomass, in each habitat. More species occurred on the open shelf (over 200 ?) with up to 90 being taken regularly, but only 10 species accounted for 90% of both total biomass (in each of three North Sea areas) and commercial landings in Scotland by U.K. vessels. Mackerel (32.3%), herring (20.4%) and haddock (14.7%) dominated the landings. Both coastal fish communities and shelf stocks of commercial species have historically suffered from over-exploitation, a situation that has continued to date despite changes in management leading to their supposed protection. Other threats are identified, as is the need for conservation, while some legislative and research recommendations are made.
Ecology of Benthic Foraminifera
Authors: Gupta Barun K. Sen 
Published: June 2019

Benthic foraminifera live in a wide variety of marine habitats, from marshes to abyssal plains. Both epifaunal and infaunal adaptations are present. The distribution of species is controlled by a complex of abiotic and biotic variables of the environment, usually resulting in a depth-zonation of assemblages on continental margins.The composition of the substrate may have a direct or indirect influence on the constitution of the assemblage. Laboratory studies and field observations demonstrate the effects of temperature and salinity variations, particularly on nearshore species. Many calcareous species have algal or chloroplast symbionts; their distribution is partly controlled by light tolerance.Benthic foraminifera are omnivorous and feed mainly by the pseudopodia. Large supply of nutrients, as in areas of upwelling or water mixing, may give rise to large blooms of opportunistic species.Marine marshes of diverse geographic locations support some common species. Deep bathyal or abyssal species are widespread, but dominance patterns are apparently associated with identifiable water masses, although causal relations are unclear.
Efficient and effective cow feeding
Authors: Wright I.A. , Russel A.J.F. 
Published: June 2019

The financial success of beef cow enterprises depends to a large extent on efficient control of cow feeding. The fact that the single suckled beef cow has to be maintained for a whole year to produce one calf means that the cost of feeding the cow represents the biggest single variable cost. Thus winter feeding must be controlled to ensure the correct balance between feed inputs and cow and calf performance, and summer grazing management must be designed to ensure high animal performance, high output per hectare and efficient grassland utilization.Eighty percent of foetal growth occurs during the last 3 months of pregnancy and so any effect of energy restriction on calf birth weight should be most evident at that time. Russel et al (1979) showed that relatively severe levels of undernutrition were required to reduce calf birth weight by 10-15% and that subsequent calf viability and growth rate were unimpaired.