Oestrogens and Osteoporosis

The interrelationship between oestrogens, endogenous and exogenous, their effects on plasma calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase metabolism, and the pathogenesis of osteoporosis are reviewed. Aspects of research conducted by me at Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town are incorporated in the discussion. The current role of oestrogen therapy in the prevention of osteoporosis ,is presented. It is concluded that appropriate or specific , oestrogens are of value in the prevention of osteoporosis , but have little or no role to play once the process is fully developed. Finally, a plea is made for conservatism with , ovaries during gynaecological operations on young females

Cluster approach in industrial policy the example of automotive cluster in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Industrial policy in modern economies requires a co-ordinated effort between the actors in economic policy. Mere state intervention has the tendency to allocate scarce resources inefficiently. Industrial policy includes all government regulations, laws or activities that aim directly or indirectly at changing the structure of the economy or influence this change; the character can be a defensive or reactive. There are completely different judgements on industrial policy: the neo-liberal representatives judge any industrial policy as a negative intervention disturbing the market and generally reject it, advocates stress the positive results of temporary smoothening effects of structural change or promote the creation of emerging industries. The main objective of industrial policy in a modern economy is to improve the competitiveness of the companies. One relatively new instrument of industrial policy is the Cluster approach. Earlier economic literature and economic-policy approaches view competitiveness either from a microeconomic or macroeconomic point of view, neither perspective could explain successes or failures of national economies facing competition. In the cluster approach, competitive advantages result from the system of interrelationships within which a firm is embedded. While the traditional sectoral approach concentrates on horizontal linkages and competitive interdependencies, the cluster approach also includes vertical linkages between different firms and the existence of symbiotic interdependencies. A cluster is an instrument that can also be used to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). SMEs can work together to utilize the advantages of a large firm without having to finance large-scale infrastructure and idle capacity. A number of criteria must be met for a cluster to be successful. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, cluster promotion is building on the industrial core of the automotive supply industry and incorporates associated economic area that is also interesting for other industrial branches. The first positive results of this approach can be seen

Cholesterol, coronary heart disease and oestrogens

Present concepts of the interrelationship between oestrogens, endogenous and exogenous, and the development of atheromatosis and coronalY heart disease in the human female are reviewed. Aspects of research conducted by me at Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, are incorporated in the discussion. The current role of oestrogen replacement therapy in the prevention of coronary heart disease in postmenopausal females is presented. It is concluded that although this role at present is limited, there is hope for the development of new oestrogenic steroids with a more specific effect on cholesterol metabolism. Finally, a plea is made for conservatism with ovaries during gynaecological operations on young females

Psychosocial and socioeconomic burden of vasomotor symptoms in menopause: A comprehensive review

Many women experience vasomotor symptoms at or around the time of menopause. Hot flushes and night sweats are considered primary menopausal symptoms that may also be associated with sleep and mood disturbances, as well as decreased cognitive function. All of these symptoms may lead to social impairment and work-related difficulties that significantly decrease overall quality of life. Hot flushes have shown a great deal of variability in their frequency and severity in women. In some women, hot flushes persist for several months; in others, they may last for more than 10 years. Traditionally vasomotor symptoms were reported to begin 5 to 10 years prior to the cessation of the final menstrual cycle, corresponding with the initial decline in circulating gonadal hormones; however, night sweats in particular most often begin in perimenopause. The pathogenesis of hot flushes has not yet been fully elucidated, but the circuitry involving estrogen and neurotransmitters, norepinephrine and serotonin specifically, are hypothesized to play a major role in the altered homeostatic thermoregulatory mechanisms underlying these events. Menopause-associated vasomotor symptoms are associated with significant direct and indirect costs. Overall costs of traditional pharmacotherapy or complementary and alternative medicine modalities, including over-the-counter treatments and dietary supplements, for managing menopause-related vasomotor symptoms are substantial and include initial and follow-up physician visits and telephone calls. Additional costs include laboratory testing, management of adverse events, loss of productivity at work, and personal and miscellaneous costs. Pharmacoeconomic analyses, including those that consider risks identified by the Women's Health Initiative, generally support the cost-effectiveness of hormonal therapy for menopause-associated vasomotor symptoms, which have been the mainstay for the management of these symptoms for more than 50 years. However, because many women now want to avoid hormone therapy, there is a need for additional targeted therapies, validated by results from controlled clinical trials that are safe, efficacious, cost-effective, and well tolerated by symptomatic menopausal women

CF6-6D engine short-term performance deterioration

Studies conducted as part of the NASA-Lewis CF6 jet engine diagnostics program are summarized. An 82-engine sample of DC-10-10 aircraft engine checkout data that were gathered to define the extent and magnitude of CF6-6D short term performance deterioration were analyzed. These data are substantiated by the performance testing and analytical teardown of CF6-6D short term deterioration engine serial number (ESN) 451507

CF6-6D engine performance deterioration

Cruise cockpit recordings and test cell performance data in conjunction with hardware inspection data from airline overhaul shops were analyzed to define the extent and magnitude of performance deterioration of the General Electric CF6-6D model engine. These studies successfully isolated short-term deterioration from the longer term, and defined areas where a significant reduction in aircraft energy requirements for the 1980's can be realized. Unrestored losses which remain after engine refurbishment represent over 70% of the loss at engine shop visit. Sixty-three percent of the unrestored losses are cost-effective to restore which could reduce fuel consumed by CF6-6D engines in 1980 by 10.9 million gallons

Engine diagnostics program: CF6-50 engine performance deterioration

Cockpit cruise recordings and test cell data in conjunction with hardware inspection results from airline overhaul shops were analyzed to define the extent and magnitude of performance deterioration of the General Electric CF6-50 high bypass turbofan engine. The magnitude of short term deterioration was isolated from the long term, and the individual damage mechanisms that were the cause for the majority of the performance deterioration was identified. It was determined that the long term engine performance deterioration characteristics were different for the 3 aircraft types currently powered by the CF6-50 engine, but these differences were due to operational considerations (flight length and takeoff derate) and not to differences associated with the aircraft type. Unrestored losses, that is, performance deterioration which remains after engine refurbishment, represents over 70 percent of the total performance deterioration at engine shop visit. Superficial damage, such as, increased surface roughness, leading edge shape changes on airfoils, and increases in the average clearances between rotating and stationary components is the major contributor to these losses. Seventy one percent of the unrestored losses are cost effective to restore, and if implemented could reduce fuel consumed by CF6-50 engines by 26 million gallons in 1980

The incidence and significance of clinical foetal distress in labour

No Abstract

Dynamics of a thin liquid film with surface rigidity and spontaneous curvature

The effect of rigid surfaces on the dynamics of thin liquid films which are amenable to the lubrication approximation is considered. It is shown that the Helfrich energy of the layer gives rise to additional terms in the time-evolution equations of the liquid film. The dynamics is found to depend on the absolute value of the spontaneous curvature, irrespective of its sign. Due to the additional terms, a novel finite wavelength instability of flat rigid interfaces can be observed. Furthermore, the dependence of the shape of a droplet on the bending rigidity as well as on the spontaneous curvature is discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Foetal distress - is the paediatrician necessary?

No Abstrac