ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To determine trends in the numbers of drive-by shootings, individuals shot at, innocent bystanders shot at, and homicides by drive-by shootings in the city of Los Angeles from 1989 to 1993. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of police records was performed for all gang-related drive-by shootings that occurred in the city of Los Angeles between 1989 and 1993. RESULTS: From 1989 to 1993, there were 6,327 drive-by shootings, 9,053 people shot at, and 590 homicides. There was an increase in drive-by shootings, people shot at, and homicides between 1989 and 1991, followed by a decrease between 1991 and 1993. The case fatality ratio of individuals killed to individuals shot at increased from 1989 to 1993 (p = 0.0011). Forty-seven percent of the people shot at, and 23% of the homicide victims, were innocent bystanders. CONCLUSION: Drive-by shootings are a major public health problem in Los Angeles. While the rate of drive-by shootings decreased in 1992 and 1993, the proportion of fatal cases increased. To prevent drive-by shootings, the root causes of violent street gang formation must be addressed.
Subject(s)
Violence/statistics & numerical data , Wounds, Gunshot , Automobile Driving , Firearms , Humans , Incidence , Linear Models , Los Angeles/epidemiology , Retrospective Studies , Survival Rate , Wounds, Gunshot/epidemiology , Wounds, Gunshot/etiologyABSTRACT
Escherichia coli-derived (Serine 17) human interferon-beta (HuIFN-beta SER) was formulated with SDS and placed at multiple isothermal temperatures (-70 degrees C to 37 degrees C). Three stability-indicating test methods (bioassay, SDS-PAGE, RP-HPLC) were used to evaluate the long-term stability of this preparation. No change was observed when stored for nearly a year at either -70 degrees C or 4 degrees C. At the elevated temperatures, proteolytic cleavage, noncovalent oligomer formation, and loss of antiviral activity were observed. The absence of a carrier protein makes this stable IFN-beta frozen reference preparation useful as a standard in both biological assays and protein chemical methods of analysis.
Subject(s)
Interferon Type I , Interferon-beta , Recombinant Proteins , Biological Assay , Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid , Drug Stability , Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel , Humans , Interferon beta-1a , Interferon beta-1bABSTRACT
Escherichia coli-derived Tumour Necrosis Factor (TNF) was formulated in the absence of a protein-carrier, both as a solution and as a lyophilized preparation. By means of three stability-indicating test methods (bioassay, SDS-PAGE, IEF), the long-term stability of these TNF preparations was evaluated. Both preparations showed no change upon storage for 9 months at -70 degrees C and -20 degrees C. Depending upon the test method, different rates of change were detected at elevated temperature. The analysis presented will assist in the design of future TNF reference standards.
Subject(s)
Recombinant Proteins/standards , Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/standards , Amino Acid Sequence , Animals , Cell Survival/drug effects , Chromosome Deletion , Drug Stability , Genes , Mice , Mutation , Quality Control , Recombinant Proteins/pharmacology , Solutions , Temperature , Time Factors , Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/genetics , Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/pharmacologyABSTRACT
A hybrid bioartificial liver has been developed on the principle of hemodialysis against a suspension of functioning hepatocytes. The new chimeric device of synthetics and living parts was used successfully to treat a patient in hepatic failure due to an inoperable bile duct carcinoma that involved the bifurcation of the common duct.
