Studies on the immunochemistry and serology of Taenia saginata infection in cattle

The work reported in this thesis fell into three main sections. The first was a study of the immunochemistry of a saline extract of T. saginata proglottids (SE) with particular reference to the antigens involved in the serological response of cattle to infection with T. saginata. It was hoped that this information would facilitate the production of relatively pure and specific T. saginata antigens for use in serodiagnostic tests for this infection.The second section was concerned with an investigation of the potential of certain serological techniques, not previously used with T. saginata infections in cattle, for use in serological investigations of experimental and field infections. In the third and final section these serological techniques were used to measure the serum antibody levels in cattle both experimentally and naturally infected with T. saginata. Where possible, partially purified saline extracts of T. saginata were used as antigens in these techniques.The immunochemistry of SE was studied by gel filtration on Sephadex G200, Sepharose 6B and Sepharose 4B, by ion exchange chromatography and by immunoadsorption techniques. It was found that SE consisted of two main groups of antigenic molecules. The first group were of a molecular weight equivalent to that of the macroglobulin component of bovine serum and contained most of the haemagglutinin activity. The second group were of a molecular weight equivalent to that of the globulin component of bovine serum and contained mainly gel precipitin activity. The immunoadsorption studies on this extract showed the method to be potentially valuable for the purification of these helminth antigens but much work still remains to be done on this relatively new approach.The micro immuno- precipitation (MGP) and the indirect haemagglutination (IDH) techniques had already been used in bovine cysticercosis research prior to the commencement of this work and only minor modifications have been made to these procedures. However, the haemagglutination inhibition (HI), enzyme -linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the soluble antigen fluorescent antibody (SAFA) techniques have each been adapted to the study of the T. saginata system in cattle for the first time. A comparison of SAFA and ELISA showed that ELISA was the preferable of the two techniques for experimental work. The technique also has potential as a versatile and sensitive tool for studies on naturally infected cattle. The HI technique proved effective in detecting haemagglutinin activity in fractions of SE produced by column chromatography.Studies on cattle experimentally infected with T. saginata showed that the ELISA technique compared favourably with the IDH and MGP techniques. ELISA could in fact be used to detect an antibody response to both haemagglutinin and gel precipitin antigens. In contrast the IDH technique mainly detected an antibody response to haemagglutinins and the MGP technique an antibody response to gel precipitin antigens.A limited study on cattle naturally infected with T. saginata showed, however, that ELISA is not presently a reliable test for T. saginata infection in the field. In particular, further work requires to be done on the antigens used in serological techniques, although there was an indication that some, but not all, cross reacting antigens could be removed by gel filtration and immunoadsorption

At home in Prague: representations of home in the Czechoslovakian interwar

The First Republic of Czechoslovakia existed from October 1918 to March 1939. Formed from territories previously part of the Austro-Hungarian or Habsburg Empire, the nation of Czechoslovakia was a unique democratic state in a Central European region of less stable entities, establishing a modern and future oriented nation. This thesis is an examination of the representations of the concept and idea of home across several different spheres of ideation, examining in turn: the space of nation building, nationalism and nationhood, showing the uses of home in the creation of and the running of the state; architectural theorisation and modernist building projects that sought to refashion living styles and housing, and social and socialist planning manifestos are compared to the initial energy and enthusiasm of avant garde explorations of everyday life; the concept of home and home life, coupled with the housewife’s life within them are examined in the stances of the populist periodicals of the era which were directed towards a female audience. The final section of the thesis examines, in the penultimate chapter, the concept of home by in-depth readings of literature and personal writings, feuilleton, diaries, letters and poetry. The final chapter presents the testimonies of residents of Prague during the interwar, using life histories and questionnaire responses, to present a completed picture of the multi-level meanings of home

Structured abstracts: do they improve citation retrieval from dental journals?

ObjectivesTo assess whether structured abstracts improved the sensitivity, precision and yield of retrieving clinical trials, using electronic searches, for example, MEDLINE, from dental journals.DesignRetrospective, observational study.SampleClinical trials, published in six dental journals. Three that adopted structured abstracts (BDJ, CPJ, JO) and three that remained unchanged (JDR, EJO, AJODO) between January 1995 and December 1998 (extended to December 2002 for the JO).InterventionAdoption of a structured abstract format.ControlContinued use of a non-structured abstract format.MethodA combination of handsearching and the Cochrane Collaboration Oral Health Group's Trials Register and/or CENTRAL were used to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled clinical trials (CCTs) over the selected time period. MEDLINE was used to identify clinical trials in the selected journals over the same time period.ResultsThere was no significant difference in the sensitivity or yield of clinical trial retrieval in journals with either abstract format over time. However, there was a significant increase in precision in journals that did not change their format (OR=4.96 (95% CI 1.18, 20.86) but not those that did. There was no significant difference in the sensitivity or yield of clinical trial retrieval either before or after the change in format or precision of retrieval before the change. However, in the later period, the precision of retrieval was significantly better in journals with unstructured abstracts compared to those with structured abstracts (OR=0.17 (95% CI 0.04, 0.7).ConclusionThe use of a structured abstract format does not improve the sensitivity, precision or yield of retrieval of clinical trials from MEDLINE

Multidisciplinary Management of Maxillary Regional Odontodysplasia

This case report describes the multidisciplinary clinical management of a male patient, diagnosed at the age of 7, with Regional Odontodysplasia of the right maxilla. Following fixed orthodontic treatment to align his teeth, extraction of malformed teeth and subsequent bone grafting, the patient was successfully rehabilitated with implant-supported bridgework of a hybrid design to replace the teeth in the right maxillary quadrant. Clinical steps, as well as the complexities of this particular case, will be described. CPD/Clinical Relevance: This case highlights the need for a multidisciplinary team approach to provide comprehensive care for patients with complex dental anomalies. </jats:p