bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Relationship between the serum alanine aminotransferase level at the end of interferon treatment and histologic changes in wild‐type and precore mutant hepatitis B virus infections
Authors: Bayraktar Y. , Koseoglu T. , Temizer A. , Kayhan B. , Thiel D. H. Van , Uzunalimoglu B. 
Published: December 2007

Summary Unravelling the role of interferon (IFN) in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B is complicated by many factors. Several mutant forms of hepatitis B virus (HBV) have recently been discovered; the most common of these is the precore mutant, characterized by hepatitis Be antigen (HBeAg) negativity and hepatitis Be antibody (HBeAb) positivity in an individual with an active HBV infection. The aim of this study was to compare the response rate to IFN therapy in patients with wild‐type HBV infection and in individuals infected with the precore mutant. A second aim was to evaluate the role of an increased serum ferritin in terms of the IFN response rate in these two different types of HBV infection.Therapy ministered at a dose of 5 MU subcutaneously three times weekly for 6 months to 41 individuals with a chronic wild‐type hepatitis B infection and 16 individuals with a precore mutant chronic HBV infection. An IFN response was defined as normalization of the serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level and an HBeAg to HBeAb seroconversion (in wild‐type hepatitis infection), and a normalization of the serum ALT in individuals infected with a precore mutant infection.Ntrywo groups were matched for age, gender, serum ALT, serum iron, total iron binding capacity (TIBC), serum ferritin and liver histology. Forty‐six per cent of the subjects with wild‐type disease responded to IFN therapy. By contrast, only four of the 16 cases (25%) of the precore mutant cases responded (P < 0.05). Ferritin levels correlated well with the type of IFN response; as the serum ferritin level increased, the response rate to IFN declined. Hapatic infection caused by a precore HBV mutant is more resistant to IFN therapy than wild‐type infection. The serum ferritin level appears to influence the type of IFN response achieved. Individuals with a serum ferritin level greater than 300 ng ml‐1 failed to respond to IFN in 93% of the cases studied.
Response to interferon‐α of Egyptian patients infected with hepatitis C virus genotype 4
Authors: El‐Zayadi A. , Simmonds P. , Dabbous H. , Prescott L. , Selim O. , Andy A. 
Published: December 2007

Summary. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 4 is the principal HCV genotype found in Egypt and the Middle East. Little is known concerning its propensity to cause disease and the frequency with which infected individuals respond to interferon‐α (IFN‐α). We have investigated the response to treatment in a cohort of 100 chronic hepatitis C patients infected with genotype 4. All patients had biopsy‐proven chronic active liver disease. Each was treated with 3 million units (MU) IFN‐α, thrice weekly. Response was monitored, in 92 patients who completed treatment, by alanine aminotransferase (ALT) measurements and by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for HCV. ALT levels remained abnormal in 64 patients during treatment (69.6%). Of the 28 patients who showed a biochemical response during treatment (30.4%), 18 maintained this over the 6‐month post‐treatment period. Amongst the sustained biochemical responders, HCV RNA was cleared from serum in only four of the 18 (22.2%) in this period. Histological improvement was observed in 26/51 (50.9%) of the patients who had a second biopsy.Hence, patients infected with HCV genotype 4 show a poor response to IFN‐α therapy compared with genotypes 2 and 3, but a similar response to IFN‐α compared with those infected with type 1b HCV. These findings have major implications for treatment strategies in the Middle East, including Egypt, where HCV genotype 4 is widely distributed.
Oxidative burst response of neutrophils primed with PreS1 antigen of hepatitis B virus in patients with chronic hepatitis B and convalescents
Authors: Sulowska Z. , Pietruszynski R. , Dworniak D. , Tchórzewski H. , Sidorkiewicz M. 
Published: December 2007

SUMMARY. The pathogenesis of liver damage in the course of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection depends on the host's specific and non‐specific immune response to various viral antigens. The role of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) in the natural immune reaction and during secondary microbial infections is well documented. Increased free radical production is associated with many pathological conditions such as shock, ischaemia or chronic inflammatory diseases. We studied the oxidative metabolism of neutrophils in patients with chronic HBV and after recovery (convalescents). The effect of the PreS1 fragment of HBV antigen on some neutrophil functions in vitro was also examined.There were significant differences in the values of spontaneous and stimulated oxidative burst of neutrophils, measured using luminol‐chemiluminescence, in patients with HBV when compared with the convalescents. PreS1 antigen did not by itself induce the respiratory burst in human neutrophils but it potentiated their response to a second stimulus. Hence we observed a priming of neutrophils, for an enhanced respiratory burst, by PreS1 antigen.
Considerations and conclusions
Authors: Krichevsky Micah I. , Krasse Bo 
Published: December 2007

Diagnostic microbiological methods play an ever greater role in epidemiological studies and clinical trials related to dental caries and periodontal diseases. Further, such methods can serve the clinician as valuable adjuncts to case history and clinical examination for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. A variety of diagnostic methods are becoming available and show promise in the hands of individual investigators and clinicians.The further development of diagnostic microbiological methods will require collaborative studies with careful consideration of basic ecological and epidemiological principles as well as modern technology.
Detection of tet(M) and tet(Q) using the polymerase chain reaction in bacteria isolated from patients with periodontal disease
Authors: Olsvik B. , Olsen I. , Tenover F. C. 
Published: December 2007

Olsvik B, Olsen I, Tenover FC. Detection of tet(M) and tet(O) using the polymerase chain reaction in bacteria isolated from patients with periodontal disease.The polymerase chain reaction was used to examine 114 tetracycline‐resistant anaerobic and facultative anaerobic bacterial isolates from patients with periodontal disease for the tet(M) and tet(O) genes. A 740‐base‐pair fragment of the tet(M) gene was amplified from 84 of 114 isolates, and a 519‐base‐pair fragment of the tet(O) gene was amplified from 13 streptococcal isolates. Six of 7 tetracycline‐resistant isolates of Veillonella spp. and tetracycline‐resistant isolates of En‐bacterium spp. (n=3), Eubacterium saburreum (n=1), Streptococcus intermedius (n=5) and Gemella morbillorum (n=2) all harbored the tet(M) gene. The tet(M) and tet(O) negative as well as selected positive isolates were tested for the tet(K) and tet(L) genes using DNA probes. All isolates of Staphylococcus spp. (n=11) hybridized with the tet(K) probe. None of the isolates tested hybridized with the probe for tet(L). This is the first report of the tet(M) gene in the facultative bacterium G. morbillorum and in E. saburreum.
Management Of Disaster Victims And Rehabilitation Of Uprooted Communities
Authors: Klinteberg Robert af 
Published: December 2007

SUMMARYThe natural disasters which have so far dominated world attention are the least important in terms of number of victims. By far the most important problems, affecting tens of millions of people in non‐industrialized countries, are the creeping and recurrent disasters, generally made and/or aggravated by man. Subsequent deprivations frequently lead to the process of uprooting.While a well organized and economically strong community can suffer severe set‐backs from a disaster it will not be permanently disrupted. On the other hand, an uprooted community is by definition seriously disrupted by upheaval or crushing of its social system, leading to disorganization, disheartedness and dependence.This affects, to varying degrees, communities which have fled across ethnic or political borders and found themselves in a minority situation; as well as communities whose mode of life has been made obsolete or impossible by abrupt or slow ecological etc changes destroying their economy.The phenomenon of uprooting poses particular problems demanding particular attention. It is especially important to stop and reverse the process. This calls for adequate preparedness, and for relief and rehabilitation without delays and frustrations which will aggravate the uprooting. The planning should normally aim for balanced integration, and always avoid over‐ and under‐aid. Also, in order to make the victimized communities self‐reliant, it is crucial to assist them in the reconstruction of their social systems.Finally, the planning necessary for disaster preparedness coincides closely with what is needed for planning of development activities.
A multi‐hospital system for disaster situations*
Authors: Eldar Reuben 
Published: December 2007

SUMMARYFrom a review of the literature, it can be concluded that it is always advantageous and usually necessary to distribute the casualties of a disaster to several hosp‐hospitals rather than allowing 1 hospital, the nearest to the scene, to bear the whole load.The potential of these hospitals would be enhanced if their preparedness and planning included anticipation of their functioning as part of a framework of the entire capacity of the medical services of an entire small country, or a region of a larger one. For the smooth functioning of this framework, central co‐ordination and control of the distribution of the load, the movements within it, the strengthening of its various component parts is necessary and services other than medical (transport, communications, etc.) are essential.The establishment of a multihospital system for disaster situations for a whole region is suggested. This would integrate all medical facilities and services of the region, as well as promoting additional services, first horizontally integrated and later vertically, and would have a central governing body with full authority to prepare the system for the calamity and to execute the implementation of the plan when disaster occurs.This body may find it useful to base some of its decision in the planning as well as the implementing stage, on an assumed population of casualties that is characteristic for the region and on implications that may be drawn from the population.
The value of hazard zone mapping: Water Authority ‘Section 24(5) surveys' in England and Wales
Authors: Parker Dennis 
Published: December 2007

SUMMARYSuccessful problem‐solving is usually based upon a sound knowledge of the problem. Where the problem is a hazard, the impossibility of a ‘solution’ in terms of complete prevention is well known but proper problem assessment is still required. Detailed hazard zone mapping can be a valuable aid to planning to reduce hazards and to avoid disasters. A map is a powerful visual medium for conveying information where awareness of disaster proneness amongst public officials and others is limited. However, a map is also a comparatively limited medium for analysing risks and is most useful to planners if combined with detailed supporting documentation.Maps and related documents are particularly useful if they provide a complete assessment of risk, are periodically updated, are integrated with the planning process and are systematically compiled and presented at an appropriate scale. Map scale often presents problems. The larger the scale, the less limited the map will be in recording useful detail but updating becomes more costly and therefore less likely. The Water Authorities Section 24(5) surveys are remarkably detailed and are valuable planning and research materials. They demonstrate the widespread nature of flooding problems and the need for decades of flood alleviation and drainage expenditure in England and Wales. Further standardisation of content and presentation could enhance the value of the survey reports but their value depends ultimately upon regular and systematic updating.
Refugee health care: Similar but different?
Authors: Dick Bruce , Simmonds Stephanie 
Published: December 2007

The present review sets out to identify differences between refugees and other more stable communities living in less developed countries: demographic, mortality, morbidity, nutritional and selected epidemiological data are discussed. Although generalizations are difficult because of the variability of refugees and their differing circumstances, the health problems and diseases do not appear to differ qualitatively, although they may be quantitatively more severe.The areas of particular concern lie not so much with the problems but with approaches to their solutions: the need to respond rapidly and appropriately to emergencies, the importance of attending to the priorities of nutrition, shelter, sanitation and water; and the necessity of providing services which are sufficiently flexible and sensitive to the changing needs of the refugees as they move from the acute emergency to the long‐term settlements.The review highlights certain areas where insufficient information is currently available, notably mental illness and the long‐term issues of health and development, and outlines the implications of the conclusions for policy makers, with particular reference to training and research.
Lessons in logistics from Somalia
Authors: Kemball‐Cook David , Stephenson Robin 
Published: December 2007

By February 1981 the refugee relief operation in Somalia was close to breakdown. The Governor of Somalia and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) contracted the agency CARE to manage the logistics of the operation. By August 1981 over 99 % of food received at Mogadishu was reaching the camps. Here we describe this apparent success, and attempt to diagnose the contributing factors. Chief among these are dynamic leadership, ‘systems’ management, adaptability of personnel, the use of professional Indian food monitors in the camps, and the support given by the Government. The chief qualification on the success of the operation has been the continued dependency on expatriate expertise.General conclusions are offered relating to the management of logistics in relief operations. The most important conclusion is that there is a prime need for logistics to be centralized in a single organization at the start of major emergencies. We point to the current inadequacy in an international relief system which fails to ensure this, and suggest that a new or existing part of the United Nations family be given a ‘brief for in‐country logistics’ to become a UN Emergency Logistics Office.
Spontaneous resettlement after drought: An Ethiopian example*
Authors: Turton David , Turton Pat 
Published: December 2007

Based upon two recent periods of fieldwork among a spontaneously resettled population of cattle herders in southwestern Ethiopia, this paper is an attempt to illustrate, by a particular case, the general proposition that external aid, if it is not to be counter‐productive, must meet people's needs as they themselves define them.The people in question, the Mursi, have experienced, since 1970, their worst period of drought and hunger in living memory. They have responded to this experience with resilience and inventiveness and largely without external assistance. The paper concentrates on a recent, drought induced, migration of Mursi to higher land, outside their traditional territory, and shows how the migrants are adapting to a new way of life which brings them into direct conflict with some of their most cherished cultural traditions.
Vulnerable groups*
Authors: Pankhurst Alula 
Published: December 2007

As a rule, refugees arrive in their host country with a bare minimum of possessions; in this respect every refugee can be classified as vulnerable. However, a certain category is especially at risk, namely those persons who would be considered vulnerable in a “normal society.” These people are doubly in need of assistance, firstly, inasmuch as they are refugees and secondly, insofar as they are vulnerable.If these refugees can be helped to overcome (or at least reduce) their handicaps, they can begin to become self‐reliant and form an active, productive parts of their community, rather than remaining an extra burden to an already vulnerable part of the society in their country of asylum.Whilst their able‐bodied companions work in the fields or the towns, part of this category can be trained and usefully employed in sectors of work that do not require great mobility or physical fitness (such as handicrafts, trade, teaching and services).,
Cholera in Sudan: An account of an epidemic in a refugee camp in eastern Sudan, May–June 1985
Authors: Mulholland Kim 
Published: December 2007

In 1985 cholera has been a serious problem in the horn of Africa, particularly affecting the many famine victims and refugees in that region. In this paper the history of cholera in Africa is briefly summarized, as is the background to the current refugee situation in eastern Sudan. A cholera epidemic involving 1,175 cases in two adjacent refugee camps in eastern Sudan is described. In this epidemic there were thirteen inpatient deaths and thirty‐eight known home deaths from cholera. The management of the epidemic is described in detail. Overall an average of 8 1. of intravenous fluid was used per case, a higher figure than was anticipated, probably because of the unexpected degree of vomiting and the shortage of trained nursing staff.The relationship between cholera and malnutrition is explored and hypochlorhydria is suggested as the main reason for the increased susceptibility to cholera among malnourished populations. It was observed that severely malnourished adults and children appeared to nave less severe diarrhoea with their cholera, presumably because of reduced mucosal surface area and poor enterocyte function. Finally possible means of aborting cholera epidemics are discussed.
FLOOD POLICY REVERSAL IN AUSTRALIA
Authors: Handmer John W. 
Published: December 2007

In 1977 the Government of New South Wales introduced a flood prone lands policy which attempted to break with the past emphasis on structural works. Cornerstones of the policy were the preparation of floodplain maps, and use of the 1:100 (100 year or 1%) flood to delineate floodplains and 1:20 flood for floodway definition. The fiscal and regulatory elements of the policy were to be applied more or less uniformly within the two zones. At first there was little effective opposition to the program, but this changed when large areas of Sydney, which had not been inundated since development, were mapped. Local government concern over issues of legal liability led to decisions which in turn prompted opposition to the policy from residents' action groups and property development interests. A perceived drop in property values provided the main motivation for action by residents. This pressure for change, which intensified just before the 1984 state election, saw the policy overturned.The new policy gives local government greater responsibility for floodplain management. State authorities have withdrawn from floodplain mapping, although technical advice will continue to be provided, and there are no longer any uniform floodplain or floodway definitions. Policy implementation is to be guided by a Manual which attempts to define flood hazard in terms of both physical and social criteria.
The African food crisis of 1982–1986*
Authors: Borton John , Clay Edward 
Published: December 2007

The crisis cannot be attributed to any one cause, but rather it was the product of a number of interacting factors whose precise combination varied between countries. Drought, internal political and economic factors and an unfavourable external economic environment were significant contributory factors. Civil war and externally financed insurgency were primarily responsible for propelling a food crisis into a famine in four out of the six worst affected countries. Within the literature, there is a tendency for writers to emphasize the relative contribution of factors within their own disciplines.So far the literature on the responses, both within country and internationally, is comprised of eye witness accounts by journalists and evaluations by aid agencies of their performance. The international response by governments and the public was massive and unprecedented, but the response by governments, indigenous NGO's and the public within affected countries is often overlooked by the journalistic literature. Generalizations about “the African food crisis” have obscured the considerable diversity amongst countries. This is well illustrated by the experiences of Ethiopia, Kenya and Botswana.This diversity indicates the biased perspectives that arise from focussing on the extreme famines, as in Ethiopia. Research priorities should include studies of systems that coped during the crisis, historical analysis of the crisis, the way early warning information is processed within bureaucratic institutions, environmental degradation and fully integrated analysis of food production and consumption systems.
Selective feeding programmes in Ethiopia and East Sudan–1985/1986
Authors: Young Helen 
Published: December 2007

A survey of thirty‐four feeding programmes in Ethiopia and East Sudan was undertaken. Wie differences were found between the two countries and also within Ethiopia. Irrelugar general ration distribution was commonplace in Ethiopia, thus placing an extra strain on selective feeding programmes. The principal admission criteria to Selected Feeding Programmes (SFPs) were weight for height categories. The cut‐off stages of the emergency. Useful compasirions between programmes were hampered by such differences, as well as by the different methods of reporting data.The types of food usd in programmes depended on availability and included high energyu drinks, poridges, take‐home pre‐mixes and sometimes indigenous foods. A large number of foods e.g. cornedbedef, chicken paté, noodles, da4tes etc. Some added interesting variety and added nutritional value to the diet, while others caused more problems than they solved due to their low acceptability, inappropriate packaging, limited accompanying information and complex an costly preparation. The imlementation of food dination policies by donors and consignees regarding appropriate foodstuffs and their recommended use was considered to be the major solution to this problem.