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Exercise during pregnancy appears to cause the heart muscle to become stiffer and also changes the rate at which the heart fills with blood after contraction. However, pregnancy alone does not cause these changes. more...

As Earth’s climate rapidly changes, species range shifts are considered key to species persistence. However, some range-shifting species will alter community structure and ecosystem processes. By adapting existing invasion risk assessment frameworks, we can identify characteristics shared with high-impact introductions and thus predict potential impacts. There are fundamental differences between introduced and range-shifting species, primarily shared evolutionary histories between range shifters and their new community. Nevertheless, impacts can occur via analogous mechanisms, such as wide dispersal, community disturbance and low biotic resistance. As ranges shift in response to climate change, we have an opportunity to develop plans to facilitate advantageous movements and limit those that are problematic. more...

Western Greece and Albania have had a broadly similar geological history and the hydrocarbon potentials of both areas may therefore be comparable. In this paper, we briefly review the stratigraphic and structural evolution of Albania and compare it with that of NW Greece in terms of source rocks, reservoirs, seals, structures and maturation history. more...

Dyspepsia patterns during the course of duodenal ulcer (DU) were examined in terms of the number of consecutive months that patients experienced dyspepsia either intermittently or continuously, or were dyspepsia-free. The patients (n= 224) were community-based. After ulcer healing, they were evaluated every 3 months for 7 years. Antiulcer agents were prescribed at the physicians' discretion. We analyzed the data on a patient-month basis using a 2-state Markov chain model. The fitted mean number of consecutive months with dyspepsia and the number of months dyspepsia-free were, respectively, 1.7 and 14 in patients on antiulcer agents, and 1.5 and 9 in patients not taking them. On average, patients experienced dyspepsia during 15 of months studied if they were on antiulcer agents, and during 20 of months if not. Regardless of antiulcer therapy, dyspepsia periods were lengthened by age, especially >60 years; male sex; widowhood/divorce/separation; increasing acetaminophen use; and increasing length of time since initial onset of ulcerlike dyspepsia. Dyspepsia-free periods were lengthened by age >70 years, and shortened by widowhood/divorce/separation and increasing cigarette consumption. These results suggest that dyspepsia occurs for 20 of the time in DU patients on about a yearly basis. The least dyspepsia may be expected in patients neither widowed, divorced, nor separated, in whom length of time since the initial onset of ulcerlike dyspepsia does not exceed 7 years, and who neither smoke nor use analgesics regularly. more...

A double-blind trial using 51 outpatients was aimed at comparing the effectiveness of colloidal bismuth subcitrate (C.B.S.) in table and liquid form in the healing of duodenal ulcer. Criteria of entry included endoscopiclly proven duodenal ulcer, duration of symptoms greater than 4 weeks, and the absence of other major systemic disease. Patients were given either C.B.S. tablets (1 four times daily) or C.B.S. liquid (5ml four times daily) for 4 weeks ulcer symptoms and their relief were recorded by patients, along with data on cigarette, alcohol, and drug intake, Endoscopy was performed after 4 weeks to assess healing. By 4 weeks, 18 of 26 patients taking tablets (69) and 19 out of 25 patients taking liquid (76), had healed (p = 0.82). Symptomatic improvement was similar with both tablets and liquid. Smoking and analgesic ingestion did not influence healing rate. We conclude that C.B.S. tablets and liquid are equally effective in healing duodenal ulcer. more...

Gastric and duodenal ulcer (GUDu) mortality in Western countries has varied overtime by age and sex. Temporal variation raises the question of Whether these ulcers have an environmental etiology. Using death certificate data, we investigated peptic ulcer mortality time trends from 1971 to 1987 in Sydney, Austria, and whether ulcer mortality and overall mortality in Sydney were similiar with regard and overall mortality in Sydney were similiar with regard to time trends and associations with demographic and environmental factors. In men in all age groups and in women age < 65, GU and DU mortality decresed. In women age ≥ 70, GU mortality remained constant and DU mortality increased. Average age at ulcer death increased: from 1971 to 1987, ulcer deaths at age ≥ 70 rose from 52 to 80 of all ulcer deaths. In men who died at age 30–54, GU and DU mortality decreased relative to overall mortality. In women who died at age ≥ 55, DU mortality increased relative to overall mortality. Compared with overall mortality, the ulcer mortality rate was affected more adversely by lower social class and lack of the marriage tie, and smokeing rates tended to correlate more strongly with GU mortality. The greater-than-expected decrease in GU and DU mortality in Younger men and the increase in DU mortality in elderly women suggest important changes in as yet unidentified environmental risk factors for ulcer mortality within the young adult male and elderly female general populations. more...

The concept that stress and personality are associated with ulcer is widely held by lay persons and to some extent by the medical community. By means of epidemiological techniques and more precise terminology, the role of psychosomatic factors in ulcer disease has been more clearly defined. Regarding acute stress, the number of events experienced and the change and distress they are purported to produce has been found to be similar in ulcer patients and their controls matched on age, sex, and social class. However, chronic difficulties, i.e., events or circumstances that have persisted for 6 months, are twice as common in duodenal ulcer patients as in controls. Events, either acute or chronic, are more strongly associated with duodenal ulcer if they contain a component involving personal threat or goal frustration. Associations that have been found between acute or chronic stress and duodenal ulcer have been relatively weak, with odds ratios of 2 to 3. For some patients, it is possible that depression and social incongruity may have played some role in initiating ulcer disease. Personality studies have shown that ulcer patients are more neurotic than controls, but the difference is small and there is no evidence to indicate an ulcer personality. As regards both stress and personality, gastric ulcer patients do not differ from duodenal ulcer patients. more...

Two murine monoclonal antibodies (URO-4 and URO-4a)—which detect different epitopes of a proximal tabular cell glycoprotein antigen the adenosine-deaminase-binding protein (ABP)—have been formatted into sandwich enzyme immunoassay for detection of ABP in the urine. Serial urine samples from 34 renal transplant patients during the first six months posttransplant were analyzed to determine the correlation of this test with clinical rejection and cyclosporin (CsA) nephrotoxicity. more...

The termrefractoryis applied to those ulcers that fail to heal despite 3 months of active treatment, recur within 1 year despite maintenance therapy with H2-receptor antagonists, or, in the untreated state, persist without remission. Approximately 20–30% of ulcers fulfill 1 of these 3 criteria. more...

3.5-k Hz profiles from low channel levees on the Scotian Rise show transparent Holocene acoustic facies overlying stratified glacial facies, dated by Carbon-14 in cores. Corresponding acoustic facies in seismic records are correlated with glaciations by “counting back” from the present sea floor using sedimentation rates from Carbon-14 dating and biostratigraphy from wells as a guide. The regional thickness and character of the seismic units correlate with the duration and intensity of glacial periods inferred from the global isotopic record. Changes in glacial supply to the continental margin are interpreted using this chronology, which shows stage 12 as the first widespread erosional glacial event. more...

Thin Quaternary sediments overlie Neogene bedrock on the shelf off Antibes, southeastern France. Sparker seismic profiles show shelf break progradation at 110 m water depth, immediately below the most recent postglacial transgression. An older progradational event at the same depth correlates with the top of an acoustically, well-stratified sequence on the slope dated at 29.6 ka. Cores show the post-glacial transgressive surface overlain by shelly sands (dated at 12.7 ka at 85m) and several meters of mud. At the present, the seabed consists of an ephemeral cover of fine sand. The data set on sea-level rise complements data recently obtained on land on the Holocene transgression. more...

Gastric motor dysfunction and concomitant gastric stasis have been implicated in the pathogenesis of nonulcer dyspepsia, but a cause-and-effect relationship is not established. Essential dyspepsiarefers to a subgroup of nonulcer dyspepsia patients who have no evidence of irritable bowel syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux, or pancreaticobiliary disease. In 32 patients with essential dyspepsia, and 32 randomly selected dyspepsia-free community controls of similar age and sex, we measured gastric emptying of solids using Tc99m-Sulphur Colloid in a fried egg sandwich. Subjects with neuromuscular or other diseases that may alter gastric emptying were excluded. Symptoms were assessed by a standard questionnaire. Data processing was carried out “blinded” to the subjects' clinical status. Female patients took significantly longer to empty half the initial stomach activity (mean 90 min) than female controls (mean, 73 min; p = 0.02). The rate of emptying at 25 min was also significantly less in female patients than in controls. Female and male controls, and male patients, had similar emptying times. Delayed emptying was not associated with the occurrence of postprandial pain, belching, or nausea; there was a trend for the half-time rate of emptying to be greater in patients with abdominal distention. While gastric emptying of solids is slightly delayed in females with essential dyspepsia as a group, this may not explain their symptoms. more...

Abstract: The island of Aegma includes some of the oldest volcanic rocks in the south Hellenic Arc previous radiometric dates range from 3.87 to 4.4 Ma. The volcanic sequence is divided into nine units on the basis of field relations, petrography and geochemistry, and the characteristic paleomagnetic polarity of each unit has been determined. Two new radiometric dates (2.1 and 3.9 Ma) show that the volcanism spans the Pliocene. A detailed chronology is proposed using the paleomagnetic data which places the most voluminous volcanism in the mid Pliocene. more...

The treatment of chronic peptic ulcer involves the treatment of acute exacerbations and the complications, and the prevention of ulcer recurrence. Several drugs accelerate the initial healing of ulcer and include the H2-receptor antagonists (cimetidine and ranitidine), colloidal bismuth, sucralfate, pirenzepine, carbenoxolone sodium, prostaglandins, high dose antacids and trimipramine. The long term management of ulcer involves the use of drugs and, in selected patients, surgery. Drugs used in this context include H2-receptor antagonists, pirenzepine, sucralfate and probably prostaglandins when further trial evidence is available. Regimens of long term drug treatment include intermittent treatment and maintenance treatment. The former consists of no active treatment after the ulcer is healed and the treatment of each acute exacerbation when it occurs, this treatment involving any one of the several drug routines mentioned above. If exacerbations are frequent (i.e. more than 2 to 3 years), maintenance therapy with H2-receptor antagonists, pirenzepine or sucralfate is advised. If the ulcer recurs despite long term treatment, it may be healed again using the healing dose of the above agents, and maintenance therapy recommenced if the remission induced by maintenance therapy was several years. If the remission was short, surgery should be advised. more...

A subgroup of patients with nonulcer dyspepsia (NUD) have no definite cause for their dyspepsia, termed essential dyspepsia.The aim of the present study was to determine if environmental factors are associated with essential dyspepsia. The patterns of ingestion of analgesic drugs (aspirin, acetaminophen, dextropropoxyphene), nonaspirin, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, alcohol, coffee, tea, and smoking in 113 essential dyspepsia patients were compared with 113 randomly selected community controls matched for age, sex, and social grade. Associations were studied in two six-month periods, before diagnosis in all patients and before the onset of NUD in those patients with a short history of dyspepsia. It was found that acetaminophen ingestion was associated with essential dyspepsia, and this association was present both before the onset of the dyspepsia (OR 3.1, 95% CI 1.3– 7.1) and before diagnosis (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.2– 2.6). None of the other environmental factors were associated with essential dyspepsia. more...

SB 200646A is the first selective 5-HT2C/5-HT2B receptor antagonist and has previously been observed to have anxiolytic-like properties in the rat social interaction test. In the present study the effects of the compound in two conflict models of anxiety, the rat Geller-Seifter and marmoset conflict test, were examined. In the rat Geller-Seifter test, suppressed responding was increased by all doses of SB 200646A between 5 and 40 mg/kg PO when given 1 h pretest. Unsuppressed responding was slightly increased only at 10 mg/kg PO. Suppressed responding was also increased by the benzodiazepine anxiolytic, chlordiazepoxide, at 1, 2.5 and 5 mg/kg PO 1 h pretest. Unsuppressed responding was modestly increased by chlordiazepoxide only at 5 mg/kg PO. In the marmoset conflict test marmosets were trained to lever press for a palatable food reward. Lever pressing was subsequently suppressed by air puffs. In this procedure suppressed responding was increased by both the benzodiazepine anxiolytic diazepam at 2 and 5 mg/kg PO and SB 200646A after 10 and 20 mg/kg PO. Both treatments caused small increases in unsuppressed responding at 2 and 20 mg/kg PO respectively. Taken together with the previous effects of SB 200646A in the rat social interaction test, this is compelling evidence that 5-HT2C/2B receptor antagonists may possess anxiolytic properties. more...

The novel 5-HT3 antagonist, BRL 46470A (endo-N-(8-methyl-8-azabicyclo [3.2.1]oct-3-yl)2,3-dihydro-3,3 dimethyl-indole-1-carboxamide, hydrochloride), has been investigated in a series of in vitro and in vivo tests, including the effect of the drug in models of anxiolysis. In classical tests for 5-HT3 receptor antagonism, BRL 46470A was shown to antagonise 5-HT3 mediated responses in the guinea-pig ileum [pA2 8.3±0.5, slope 0.98±0.20, mean±SEM (5)], the rabbit isolated heart (pA2 10.1±0.1, slope 1.2±0.2,n=5) and the rat Bezold-Jarisch model (ID50 0.7 µg/kg IV±0.1,n=8), with a long duration of action (>3 h). BRL 46470A selectively displaced [3H]-BRL 43694 from 5-HT3 binding sites in rat brain membranes (Ki 0.32 nM±0.04,n=4) without displacing (at concentrations greater than 1 µM) a wide variety of ligands binding to other neurotransmitter receptors, opioid receptors and to neurotransmitter gated ion channel complexes. In vivo, BRL 46470A showed anxiolytic-like activity in two animal models predictive of antianxiety effects-elevated X-maze and social interaction in rats. In both models, BRL 46470A showed significant activity over a wide dose-range following both oral (0.0001–0.1 mg/kg PO) and systemic administration. The unique level of potency of BRL 46470A was apparent in the rat social interaction test and was shown to be 100 fold more potent than the 5-HT3 receptor antagonist ondansetron, with no evidence of a bell-shaped dose response curve over 4 orders of magnitude. BRL 46470A (0.0001 and 0.01 mg/kg SC) also reduced the anxiogenic effects of m-CPP (1-(3-chlorophenyl) piperazine) in the rat elevated X-maze. BRL 46470A is therefore a chemically novel potent and selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonist with anxiolytic potential and a long duration of action in animal studies. more...

It has been claimed that gastric and duodenal ulcer (GU and DU) symptoms decrease in frequency with time, indicating 'burn out' of ulcer. The present study was undertaken to investigate further this phenomenon in GU. The prevalence of symptom experience during 1 year was examined in 447 medically treated patients with GU diagnosed 2-20 or more years previously. When ulcer history length was measured from either first symptom onset or first ulcer diagnosis, reporting of symptoms did not become less frequent as history length increased. This remained true after adjustment for GU location, sex, age, smoking, and analgesic and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug ingestion. It is concluded that GU symptoms do not decrease in frequency with time. more...

The central importance of language in teaching across the curriculum and in theory and research more generally means that the design of courses in language awareness' for student teachers has great consequence both for them and their future pupils. Recently in Britain, several sets of proposals have been put forward that support the idea of greater reliance on structural linguistic theory as the basis for such coursework, and for school curricula. The merits and demerits of such an approach are analyzed in comparison with a semiotic approach concentrating on signs rather than structural-linguistic elements. The conclusion is that semiotics may, indeed, provide a better basis for coursework in language awareness on the grounds of its conformation to criteria of economy and of mutual intelligibility between teachers and pupils. In any case, the issues are significant enough to warrant further discussion before linguistically-oriented programmes are developed. more...

A study was made of the effect of age, sex, ulcer size, bed rest, carbenoxolone sodium and anticholinergic drug therapy, and advice to cease smoking on the healing rate of chronic gastric ulcer determined radiologically over 21 days in a factorially designed experiment in 54 patients admitted to hospital. It was found that carbenoxolone sodium, anticholinergic drug therapy, bed rest in hospital, and advice to cease smoking did not accelerate ulcer healing. Age and ulcer size had a slight effect on ulcer healing, the larger ulcers and those in older patients healing more slowly. The results can be explained by the hypothesis that chronic ulcers heal at a maximal rate after hospital admission and other factors that alone may have a beneficial effect in outpatients exert no effect in hospitalized patients. more...

It is assumed that the initial training period in general medicine has been completed and the trainees have entered, or are about to enter, a 2 to 3-year period of specialized gastroenterology training. more...

It is known that administration of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) causes decreased serum testosterone concentrations in the rat. Previous studies in this laboratory have shown that in rats TCDD exposure results in decreased 17 α-hydroxylase and C17−20lyase activities. The decreases in these activities paralleled decreases in testicular microsomal heme and cytochrome P450 contents. As reported herein, neither testicular mitochondrial cytochrome P450 content nor the activity of cholesterol side-chain cleavage was altered in rats exposed to TCDD. Since the production of testosterone in the testis is dependent on LH, it is important to determine the early effects of TCDD on serum LH concentrations in the rat. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were given a single, oral dose of TCDD (50 μg/kg). Serum LH concentrations were determined by RIA on Days 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 following TCDD treatment. Rat serum LH concentrations were decreased to 60% of controls as early as Day 1 and continued to be depressed on Days 2 and 3 at 53% and 59% of control values, respectively. Rat serum LH returned to control values by Day 5 in spite of continued depression of serum testosterone concentrations. The early depression in serum LH levels caused by TCDD may be related to the subsequent androgenic deficiency in the rat. Treatment of rats with hCG was found to be able to prevent the depression of the activities of testicular microsomal 17 α-hydroxylase and C17−20lyase and serum testosterone concentrations caused by TCDD. These data indicate that TCDD decreases serum testosterone by decreasing P45017 αand C17−20but not P450sccactivities and that hCG treatment prevents the TCDD-induced decrease. more...

The basal lactic acid concentration is higher in the gastric juice of Australian patients than in a similar Japanese population. A gastric juice lactic acidosis is associated with advanced gastric carcinoma in both groups. The extent of the gastric juice lactic acidosis in gastric carcinoma appears to be related to the size of the carcinoma. There was no correlation between lactic acid concentration and acid output, suggesting that atrophic gastritis is not a major determinant of the lactic acid concentration. more...

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether any specific causes of death were more frequent than expected in an Australian group of 305 gastric ulcer patients (131 men, 174 women) who had died in New South Wales between 1 January 1974 and 31 December 1983. The distribution of causes of death among the ulcer population deaths was compared with that among the New South Wales population deaths, after adjusting for sex, 5-year age group, and time period of death (1974-1978, 1979-1983). Causes of death were ascertained from death certificates. Deaths due to peptic ulcer, liver cirrhosis, and diffuse pulmonary disease were more frequent than expected (p < 0.05). The associations found with these other diseases accord with those found in previous surveys on causes of death in gastric ulcer patients and in studies of living gastric ulcer populations. Overall, the combined evidence suggests that liver cirrhosis and diffuse pulmonary disease are associated with gastric ulcer. more...

The mortality, causes of death, and the factors that are influencing deaths from bleeding acute and chronic peptic ulcers were evaluated retrospectively. During a 2-year period (1986-87) 272 patients were endoscoped for acute gastrointestinal hemorrhage and were found to have bled from a peptic ulcer (chronic gastric ulcers, 90; chronic duodenal ulcers, 114; acute gastroduodenal ulcers, 66; stomal ulcers, 2). The overall mortality was 9.6% (n = 26) (gastric ulcers, 6.7%; duodenal ulcers, 11.4%; acute ulcers, 10.6%). Statistically significant factors adversely affecting prognosis for gastric ulcer were re-bleeding, need for operation and serious intercurrent illness; for duodenal ulcer were units of transfused blood, re-bleeding, signs of recent hemorrhage at endoscopy, need for operation, and serious intercurrent illness; and for acute ulcer were increasing age, shock, units of transfused blood, re-bleeding, and serious intercurrent illness. Multivariate analysis was only attempted for duodenal ulcers because of sample sizes; it suggested that active bleeding or visible vessel at endoscopy, re-bleeding, and serious intercurrent illness were independent factors for mortality. From this study it is apparent that the major determinants of a fatal outcome in bleeding peptic ulcer diseases were serious intercurrent illness and rebleeding. As it must be anticipated that patients with these particular problems are at high risk of a poor outcome, it follows that it is important they have access to skilled treatment as provided by a specialist team in an intensive care ward. It also follows that every effort should be made to keep ulcers in remission to free the ulcer patient of potentially lethal complications. more...

Der Golf von Patras hat geringen Tidenhub, das Meer wird bestimmt von lokal entstehenden Wellen durch ein ausgeprägt bimodales Windsystem. Die Deltas des Acheloos und Evinos liegen an der Nordküste; die Südküste wird vor allen Dingen von Erosionskliffs im Neogen und Quartär gebildet. Die Flüsse liefern 1800 X 103 m3 Sand pro Jahr, die Klifferosion nur 1 X 103 m3. Der Springtidehub beträgt nur 45 cm; das Zehnjahresereignis extremen Hochwassers beträgt 120 cm über mittlerem Meeresspiegel an niederen Küsten bedingt durch Windstau und 30-50 cm bedingt durch den Luftdruck (Sturm Surge). Repräsentative Profile des Küstenstreifens werden vorgelegt. Vor den meisten Erosionskliffs liegt ein sandiger oder steinreicher Strand. Die höchstenergetischen Ablagerungsküstenstrecken haben steinige Strandwälle oder Sandstrände mit einer Berme, einem sandigen höheren Strand und bewachsenen Dünen. Steinige, bogenförmig zugespitzte Vorsprünge treten im östlichen Golf von Patras auf, wo bimodale Winde parallel zur Küste wehen. An mehr geschützten Stränden besteht eine Berme von abgestorbenem Pflanzenmaterial, die begrentzt wird von einem sandigen Strandwall, der durch Vegetation stabilisiert ist und extreme Sturmhochfluten mit einem 5-Jahre-Recurrenzintervall anzeigt. Hinter dem Strandwall liegt eine Überspülungsfläche. Breite Prodelta-Schelfflächen zehren die Wellenenergie auf, und breite, flache Tidewattflächen sind im westlichen Evinos-Delta entwickelt. more...