The addition of lipid hydroperoxides greatly accelerates the rate of oxidative catabolism of all-trans-retinoic acid (RA) in human cell microsomes; hydroperoxy metabolites of the arachidonate cascade are particularly active in the microsomal system. We have measured the plasma content of lipid peroxides in cancer patients during the course of therapy with RA, seeking to assess whether a correla...

BACKGROUND To investigate how a relatively socio-economically deprived community's needs have changed over time, assess which recommendations from an earlier assessment were implemented and sustained, and consider whether serial Rapid Participatory Appraisal is an effective health research tool that can promote community development and has utility in assessing longitudinal change. METHODS Ra...

Biodiversity assessment remains one of the most difficult challenges encountered by ecologists and conservation biologists. This task is becoming even more urgent with the current increase of habitat loss. Many methods-from rapid biodiversity assessments (RBA) to all-taxa biodiversity inventories (ATBI)-have been developed for decades to estimate local species richness. However, these methods a...

A central issue in the use of rapid evaluation and assessment methods (REAM) is achieving a balance between speed and trustworthiness. In this article, the authors review the key differences and common features of this family of methods and present a case example that illustrates how evaluators can use rapid evaluation techniques in their own work. In doing so, the authors hope to (a) introduce...

Objective: As with other chronic physical illness, rates of depressive disorder are high in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of the current study was to identify distinct trajectories of psychological distress over 10-years in a cohort of RA patients recruited very early in the course of the disease. Methods: Psychological distress as measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale tota...

OBJECTIVES RA is associated with early ischaemic heart disease. This appears to be driven largely by the presence of chronic inflammation. Studies suggest that treatment with disease-modifying drugs such as MTX may reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events in RA. Anti-TNF therapies significantly reduce inflammation in RA. However, the extent to which these agents also reduce cardiovascular ...