Sir, Since the initial reports of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in the late 1980s, increasing numbers of such isolates have been identified in centres in both Europe and the U S A . , 2 In 1998, Fujita et al. were the first authors in Japan to describe the isolation of a vancomycin-resistant strain of Enterococcus faecium from a patient with a urinary tract infection. To date, 10 strai...

The concepts in this course will center on the physiology of membranes and of excitable cells. Please approach this field of study with the point of view that the cell membrane is a highly dynamic, structured, complex organelle, subject to the same physical laws as is any other structure. Cell membranes are probably responsible for more tasks than any other organelle. Such tasks include mainten...

The absorption, metabolism, and excretion of darapladib, a novel inhibitor of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2, was investigated in healthy male subjects using [C]-radiolabeled material in a bespoke study design. Disposition of darapladib was compared following single i.v. and both single and repeated oral administrations. The anticipated presence of low circulating concentrations of dru...

Possible protective effects of the agonist [D-Trp6]LH-RH (analog of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone in which Gly-6 is replaced by D-tryptophan) and antagonist N-Ac-[D-Phe(pCI)1,2,D-Trp3,D-Arg6,D-Ala10]LH-RH against testicular damage caused by x-radiation were investigated in rats. Three months after being subjected to x-irradiation of the testes with 415 or 622 rads, control rats showed m...

Home blood pressure (BP) monitoring has been shown to be more effective than clinic BP monitoring for diagnosing and treating hypertension. However, reimbursement of home BP monitoring is uncommon in the United States because of a lack of evidence that it is cost beneficial for insurers. We develop a decision-analytic model, which we use to conduct a cost-benefit analysis from the perspective o...

The objectives of this study were to estimate the direct cost of infertility management, including diagnosis and treatment, in Canada during 1995, and the relative cost per live birth by treatment category. The analysis was based on the following estimates: the prevalence of infertility in Canada in 1995; the volume and distribution of infertility services; and the effectiveness and cost of spe...

A higher incidence of bilateral primary aldosteronism in women is reported. Treatment usually involves mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists. However, the impact sex on renal outcomes unknown. We compared between sexes after antagonist initiation by analyzing data obtained from 415 female and 313 male patients with who were treated spironolactone or eplerenone JPAS (Japan Primary Aldosteronism...

OBJECTIVE To describe the sociodemographic and geographic risk factors for incident Chlamydia trachomatis genital infection. DESIGN Cross sectional retrospective study of cases diagnosed in local genitourinary clinics. SETTING Coventry, West Midlands, from 1992 to 1996. SUBJECTS 582 female and 620 male Coventry residents aged 15-64 years diagnosed with one or more episodes of genital Chla...