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Molecular biologists have recently developed the technology required to determine the genetic information of complete organisms. They are now faced with a number of interesting computational problems as they attempt to process data. We are interested in developing a software environment to support molecular biologists. As their computational problems are frequently complex and computation-intensive, we believe that such an environment must both support rapid prototyping of new algorithms and allow high performance execution on a variety of multiprocessor configurations. We believe that this can be achieved using a bilingual approach, in which the upper levels of programs are coded in a concurrent logic programming language and the lower levels in C. The concurrent language provides ease of parallel programming and portability over a range of parallel computers; C provides efficient implementation of low-level algorithms. To explore the suitability of this approach, we have investigated its use in attacking a prototypical computational problem, the problem of aligning a set of sequences of genetic material. This report introduces the algorithm used to generate alignments, outlines the techniques used to develop the bilingual program, and describes initial experiments in parallel execution of this program. 7 refs., 2 tabs.

Phosphonoacetate was found to be an effective inhibitor of the replication and cytopathic effects (CPE) associated with Anatid herpesvirus (AHV) infections in avian cells. In low multiplicity of infection (MOI) (10−3 or less) infected Pekin duck and chicken fibroblast cultures, the dosage required for a 50% plaque reduction was approximately 20 μg/mL. The amount of the inhibitor needed for complete prevention of CPE was found to be MOI dependent with up to 190 μg/mL required at a MOI of 1.1. Delayed addition of phosphonoacetate to AHV-infected cultures resulted in differing CPE. When added before 25 h postinfection, the CPE were largely prevented. Added between 25 and 40 h postinfection, the CPE consisted of nonproductive, nonperforate focal areas containing viable and nonviable cells. The focal areas did not appreciably increase in size or number in the continued presence of phosphonoacetate, were chromophilic, and tended to be replaced by morphologically normal cells, provided the presence of phosphonoacetate was continued. Maintaining phosphonoacetate in the presence of infected cultures for periods of 7 days or longer resulted in curing and a complete loss of infectious virus in the medium and in cell lysates.

OBJECTIVE: Residents of rural communities have decreased access to cancer screening and treatments compared to urban residents, though use of resources and patient outcomes have not been assessed with a comprehensive population-based analysis. The objectives of this study were to investigate whether breast cancer screening and treatments were utilized less frequently in rural BC and whether this translated into differences in outcomes. METHODS: All patients diagnosed with breast cancer in British Columbia (BC) during 2002 were identified from the Cancer Registry and linked to the Screening Mammography database. Patient demographics, pathology, stage, treatments, mammography use and death data were abstracted. Patients were categorized as residing in large, small and rural local health authorities (LHAs) using Canadian census information. Use of resources and outcomes were compared across these LHA size categories. We hypothesized that mastectomy rates (instead of breast-conserving surgery) would be higher in rural areas, since breast conservation is standardly accompanied by adjuvant radiotherapy, which has limited availability in rural BC. In contrast we hypothesized that cancer screening and systemic therapy use would be similar, as they are more widely dispersed across BC. Exploratory analyses were performed to assess whether disparities in screening and treatment utilization translated into differences in survival. RESULTS: 2,869 breast cancer patients were included in our study. Patients from rural communities presented with more advanced disease (p=0.01). On multivariable analysis, patients from rural, compared to urban, LHAs were less likely to be screening mammography attendees (OR=0.62; p

Perhaps the most effective anti-inflammatory compounds in cutaneous medicine are the adrenal cortical hormones (Jailer, et al.) (1). Ten years of experience have constantly expanded the clinical usefulness of these drugs. Paralleling this, many serious side effects have been recognized. Fortunately, with topical application, such effects as peptic ulcer, negative nitrogen balance, osteoporosis, psychosis and moon facies have not yet been reported. Sodium retention and edema (Fitzpatrick, et al. (2); Livingood, et al.) (3) was noted, however, following the topical application of fludrocortisone acetate. Although the anti-inflammatory potency of 9-alpha-fluorohydrocorti-sone (fludrocortisone acetate) was 12 times that of hydrocortisone, the heightened possibility of sodium retention has limited it to topical use to small areas and for limited periods.

On February 13, 1925 a rebellion broke out in the Kurdish districts of southeastern Turkey. Thousands of Kurds, under the leadership of a Naqshbandi dervish and tribal leader known as Sheikh Sait, took arms against the recently established Ankara government of Mustafa Kemal (Atatiirk). The outbreak soon enveloped almost the entire area occupied by Kurds in Turkey.' This article attempts to elucidate the causes of the rebellion and its consequences with special emphasis on its role in further consolidating Turkish nationalism, Mustafa Kemal's bases of power, and the development of the new Republic

Background The primary objective of this research was to assess the relationship between FPs’ knowledge of palliative radiotherapy (RT) and referral for palliative RT. Methods 1001 surveys were sent to FPs who work in urban, suburban, and rural practices. Respondents were tested on their knowledge of palliative radiotherapy effectiveness and asked to report their self-assessed knowledge. Results The response rate was 33%. FPs mean score testing their knowledge of palliative radiotherapy effectiveness was 68% (SD = 26%). The majority of FPs correctly identified that painful bone metastases (91%), airway obstruction (77%), painful local disease (85%), brain metastases (76%) and spinal cord compression (79%) can be effectively treated with RT, though few were aware that hemoptysis (42%) and hematuria (31%) can be effectively treated. There was a linear relationship between increasing involvement in palliative care and both self-assessed (p Conclusions Self-assessed and tested knowledge of palliative RT is positively associated with referral for palliative RT. Since palliative RT is underutilized, further research is needed to assess whether family physician educational interventions improve palliative RT referrals. The current study suggests that studies could target family physicians already in practice, with educational interventions focusing on hemostatic and other less commonly known indications for palliative RT.