The Conditions of Malaria Transmission in Kuala Penyu District, Sabah and the Residual Effects of Sumithion, Ddt and Malathion

During 1976 - 1977, the Sabah Malaria Control Programme carried out an extended field trial com­paring the residual effects of Summithiona, DDT and Malathionb against the primary vector of Sabah, An. balabacensis balabacensis Baisas in Kuala Penyu district. In the courseof this work and continuiting into 1978, a study was made of the conditions of increased malaria transmission in 3 areas four month after residual applications of Sumithion, DDT and Malathion. Since the findings relate to the south­western part of Sabah which suffers annual anticipated seasonal outbreaks of malaria they are of parti­cular epidemiological interes

Sterling in crisis: 1964-1967

We provide the first econometric study of foreign exchange market intervention for the UK during the sterling crises from 1964-1967. We use daily data on spot and forward dollar/sterling exchange rates and reserve movements which allows a more precise description of the loss of credibility during four currency crises. Reserve losses are consistent with exchange rate crises. External assistance given to sterling throughout this period shored up the reserves and allowed the sterling peg to be maintained.

Recurrence formulas for Macdonald polynomials of type A

We consider products of two Macdonald polynomials of type A, indexed by dominant weights which are respectively a multiple of the first fundamental weight and a weight having zero component on the k-th fundamental weight. We give the explicit decomposition of any Macdonald polynomial of type A in terms of this basis.Comment: 18 pages, LaTeX, revised version, to appear in Journal of Algebraic Combinatoric

Microfluidic device for drug delivery

A microfluidic device is provided for delivering a drug to an individual. The microfluidic device includes a body that defines a reservoir for receiving the drug therein. A valve interconnects the reservoir to an output needle that is insertable into the skin of an individual. A pressure source urges the drug from the reservoir toward the needle. The valve is movable between a closed position preventing the flow of the drug from the reservoir to the output needle and an open position allowing for the flow of the drug from the reservoir to the output needle in response to a predetermined condition in the physiological fluids of the individual

‘Real-life’ reduction in cholesterol with statins, 1993 to 2002

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT: * Statins reduce cholesterol concentrations and cardiovascular events in randomized clinical trials. * Much less is known about their impact in the setting of normal care. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS: * This is the first study to assess the effectiveness of lipid-lowering treatment in the general population. * We have also estimated the resultant impact on major vascular events. * We have examined the actual and potential impact of lipid-lowering treatment. AIMS: To evaluate the impact of lipid-lowering treatment on cholesterol concentrations in the setting of normal care. METHODS: This was a retrospective review of all cholesterol measurements made in Tayside, Scotland, between 1993 and 2002, linked to dispensed prescribing data for lipid-lowering drugs. It was conducted in the setting of normal care and included all patients who underwent cholesterol measurement. The main outcome measure was cholesterol concentration. RESULTS: A total of 401,489 cholesterol measurements were made on 128,240 patients over the study period. Measurements were categorized as treated and untreated according to whether patients were exposed to lipid-lowering treatment at the time the total cholesterol concentration was measured. Those categorized as untreated fell by 0.86 mmol l(-1) (13.9%) and those categorized as treated by 1.45 mmol l(-1) (23.5%). The difference between baseline and follow-up cholesterol concentrations in intention-to-treat patients was 1.53 mmol l(-1) (24%) in 2002. In the same year, mean cholesterol concentration was 4.71 mmol l(-1) (a fall of 1.65 mmol l(-1) or 25.9%) in patients judged to be taking their lipid-lowering medication, compared with 5.20 mmol l(-1) (a fall of 1.16 mmol l(-1) or 18.2%) in those judged not to be taking treatment. Cholesterol fell by 0.38 mmol l(-1) (6.3%) in a cohort of never treated patients (n = 33,679) between 1993 and 2002. CONCLUSIONS: The impact of lipid-lowering drugs on population cholesterol concentrations in the setting of normal care was significant and comparable with the cholesterol reductions seen in the setting of major statin trials, despite a significant proportion of the population receiving low dose treatment. In those subjects judged to be taking their medication, the benefits achieved were substantial. The impact of nondrug factors is indicated by the fall in population cholesterol seen in the absence of lipid-lowering treatment

A review of cricket fielding requirements

Cricket is played in three formats at elite level: Test, One Day and Twenty20. Fielding is an important component of cricket, as all players are obliged to field. However, there is a paucity of literature on fielding compared with that on batting and bowling. We review the available literature in terms of technical, mental, physiological and physical factors important to fielding, to identify knowledge gaps and better understand the performance requirements of fielding in cricket

Nuclear expression of Lyn, a Src family kinase member, is associated with poor prognosis in renal cancer patients

Background: 8000 cases of renal cancer are diagnosed each year in the UK, with a five-year survival rate of 50 %. Treatment options are limited; a potential therapeutic target is the Src family kinases (SFKs). SFKs have roles in multiple oncogenic processes and promote metastases in solid tumours. The aim of this study was to investigate SFKs as potential therapeutic targets for clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Methods: SFKs expression was assessed in a tissue microarray consisting of 192 ccRCC patients with full clinical follow-up. SFK inhibitors, dasatinib and saracatinib, were assessed in early ccRCC cell lines, 786-O and 769-P and a metastatic ccRCC cell line, ACHN (± Src) for effects on protein expression, apoptosis, proliferation and wound healing. Results: High nuclear expression of Lyn and the downstream marker of activation, paxillin, were associated with decreased patient survival. Conversely, high cytoplasmic expression of other SFK members and downstream marker of activation, focal adhesion kinase (FAK) were associated with increased patient survival. Treatment of non-metastatic 786-O and 769-P cells with dasatinib, dose dependently reduced SFK activation, shown via SFK (Y419) and FAK (Y861) phosphorylation, with no effect in metastatic ACHN cells. Dasatinib also increased apoptosis, while decreasing proliferation and migration in 786-O and 769-P cell lines, both in the presence and absence of Src protein. Conclusions: Our data suggests that nuclear Lyn is a potential therapeutic target for ccRCC and dasatinib affects cellular functions associated with cancer progression via a Src kinase independent mechanism

Validity of smartphone heart rate variability pre- and post-resistance exercise

The aim was to examine the validity of heart rate variability (HRV) measurements from photoplethysmography (PPG) via a smartphone application pre- and post-resistance exercise (RE) and to examine the intraday and interday reliability of the smartphone PPG method. Thirty-one adults underwent two simultaneous ultrashort-term electrocardiograph (ECG) and PPG measurements followed by 1-repetition maximum testing for back squats, bench presses, and bent-over rows. The participants then performed RE, where simultaneous ultrashort-term ECG and PPG measurements were taken: two pre- and one post-exercise. The natural logarithm of the root mean square of successive normal-to-normal (R-R) differences (LnRMSSD) values were compared with paired-sampl