Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

European Madness And Mad Cow Disease, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes some of the psychological factors that might attenuate unadaptive anxieties about the threat of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, mad cow disease.

Trends. Biopolitics And Anthrax: A United States Fiasco?, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses the biopolitical issues involved with the mass inoculation of United States military forces against anthrax.

Chronic Arsenic Exposure And Risk Of Infant Mortality In Two Areas Of Chile, Claudia Hopenhayn-Rich, Steven R. Browning, Irva Hertz-Picciotto, Catterina Ferreccio, Cecilia Peralta, Herman Gibb

Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Chronic arsenic exposure has been associated with a range of neurologic, vascular, dermatologic, and carcinogenic effects. However, limited research has been directed at the association of arsenic exposure and human reproductive health outcomes. The principal aim of this study was to investigate the trends in infant mortality between two geographic locations in Chile: Antofagasta, which has a well-documented history of arsenic exposure from naturally contaminated water, and Valparaíso, a comparable low-exposure city. The arsenic concentration in Antofagasta's public drinking water supply rose substantially in 1958 with the introduction of a new water source, and remained elevated until 1970. We used …

Chemopreventive Effect Of Oltipraz On Afb1-Induced Hepatocarcinogenesis In Tree Shrew Model, Yuan Li, Jian Jia Su, Liu L. Qin, Chun Yang, Dan Luo, Ke C. Ban, T. W. Kensler, B. D. Roebuck

Dartmouth Scholarship

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the major cancers in the world with a mortality of more than 250 000 cases yearly. More than 137 000 cases of HCC were diagnosed each year in China, which acount approximately for more than 40 percent of the total number in the world. HCC has become the second major cause of death for cancer in China since 1990, and its annual mortality is expected to be 21.2 cases per 100 000 population in the year 2000. Even though progresses have been achieved for HCC diagnosis and treat ment, its 5-year mortality is still …

Chemotherapy In Neuroendocrine/Merkel Cell Carcinoma Of The Skin: Case Series And Review Of 204 Cases, Patricia Tai, Edward Yu, Eric Winquist, Alex Hammond, Larry Stitt, Jan Tonita, Jim Gilchrist

Edward Yu

Purpose: To study the use of chemotherapy for Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) of the skin. Patients and methods: Twenty-five cases of MCC were treated at the London Regional Cancer Center between 1987 and 1997. Thirteen cases treated with chemotherapy were reviewed with 191 cases from the literature. Results: At presentation, 24 patients had localized skin lesions (stage I) and one had locoregional involvement (stage II). Among the nine cases with recurrent nodal disease, six had chemotherapy as a component of salvage treatment. They were all free of disease at a median of 19 months (range, 12 to 37 months). In …

Radiation Treatment For Cervical Esophagus: Patterns Of Practice Study In Canada, 1996, Patricia Tai, Jake Van Dyk, Edward Yu, Jerry Battista, Matthew Schmid, Larry Stitt, Jon Tonita, Terry Coad

Edward Yu

PURPOSE: To assess the patterns of practice among Canadian radiation oncologists who treat esophageal cancers, using a trans-Canada survey, completed at the end of 1996. METHODS AND MATERIALS: One of 3 case presentations of different stages of cervical esophageal cancer was randomly assigned and sent to participating radiation oncologists by mail. Respondents were asked to fill in questionnaires regarding treatment techniques and to outline target volumes for the boost phase of radiotherapy. Radiation oncologists from 26 of 27 (96%) of all Canadian centers participated. RESULTS: High-energy X-rays (>/= 10 MV) were employed by 68% of the respondents in part …

Trends. Controlling Aids Through Control, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses the concept of political control and public health in the context of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

How Much Asthma Is Occupationally Related?, David M. Mannino

David M. Mannino

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease that is increasing in both prevalence and mortality in developed countries around the world. Occupational exposures to sensitizers and irritants are causes of both asthma cases and asthma exacerbations in adults. The determination of how many cases of asthma may be caused or worsened by occupational exposures is highly dependent on how asthma is defined, what constitutes work-relatedness, and what specific methodology is employed. Surveillance-based methods generally have found the lowest proportion of work-related asthma, ranging from 1-8% of cases. Other types of studies, using exposed-unexposed methodology or interviews of incident asthma cases, have …

Integronlike Structures In Campylobacter Spp. Of Human And Animal Origin, Brigid Lucey, D. Crowley, P. Moloney, B. Cryan, M. Daly, F. O'Halloran, E. J. Threlfall, S. Fanning

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

Resistance to antimicrobial agents used to treat severe Campylobacter spp. gastroenteritis is increasing worldwide. We assessed the antimicrobial resistance patterns of Campylobacter spp. isolates of human and animal origin. More than half (n = 32) were resistant to sulphonamide, a feature known to be associated with the presence of integrons. Analysis of these integrons will further our understanding of Campylobacter spp. epidemiology.

Increasing Obesity In Brazil: Predicting A New Peak Of Cardiovascular Diseases, Paulo A. Lotufo

Paulo A Lotufo

No abstract provided.

Male Pattern Baldness And Coronary Heart Disease: The Physicians' Health Study, Paulo A. Lotufo

Paulo A Lotufo

Is baldness a risk factor for heart attack? Aim: To examine the association between male pattern baldness and the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) events. Desing, setting and participants:Retrospective cohort study among 22,071 US male physicians aged 40 to 84 years enrolled in the Physicians' Health Study. Of these, 19,112 were free of CHD at baseline and completed a questionnaire at the 11-year follow-up concerning their pattern of hair loss at age 45 years. Response options included no hair loss, frontal baldness only, or frontal baldness with mild, moderate, or severe vertex baldness. Main outcome measures: Coronary heart disease …

Moratoria Para A Crise Hipertensiva [Portuguese], Paulo A. Lotufo

Paulo A Lotufo

No abstract provided.

Genetic Variation In Pneumocystis Carinii Isolates From Different Geographic Regions: Implications For Transmission, Charles B. Beard, Jane L. Carter, Scott P. Keely, Laurence Huang, Norman J. Pieniazek, Iaci N. S. Moura, Jacquelin M. Roberts, Allen W. Hightower, Michelle S. Bens, Amanda R. Freeman, Sherline Lee, James R. Stringer, Jeffrey S. Duchin, Carlos Del Rio, David Rimland, Robert P. Baughman, Deborah A. Levy, Vance J. Dietz, Paul Simon, Thomas R. Navin

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

To study transmission patterns of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) in persons with AIDS, we evaluated P. carinii isolates from patients in five U.S. cities for variation at two independent genetic loci, the mitochondrial large subunit rRNA and dihydropteroate synthase. Fourteen unique multilocus genotypes were observed in 191 isolates that were examined at both loci. Mixed infections, accounting for 17.8% of cases, were associated with primary PCP. Genotype frequency distribution patterns varied by patients' place of diagnosis but not by place of birth. Genetic variation at the two loci suggests three probable characteristics of transmission: that most cases of PCP do …

Surveillance For Waterborne-Disease Outbreaks--United States, 1997-1998., Rachel S. Barwick, Deborah A. Levy, Gunther F. Craun, Michael J. Beach, Rebecca L. Calderon

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

PROBLEM/CONDITION: Since 1971, CDC and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have maintained a collaborative surveillance system for collecting and periodically reporting data relating to occurrences and causes of waterborne-disease outbreaks (WBDOs).

REPORTING PERIOD COVERED: This summary includes data from January 1997 through December 1998 and a previously unreported outbreak in 1996.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SYSTEM: The surveillance system includes data regarding outbreaks associated with drinking water and recreational water. State, territorial, and local public health departments are primarily responsible for detecting and investigating WBDOs and voluntarily reporting them to CDC on a standard form.

RESULTS: During 1997-1998, a total …

Chronic Disease: The Epidemic Of The Twentieth Century, Dora Anne Mills

Maine Policy Review

One hundred years ago, the leading causes of death were infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, influenza and pneumonia. Of equal concern were water-borne diseases such as cholera and typhoid. Yet today, as a result of public health measures to clean up drinking water and provide immunizations, and by improvements in medical care, such diseases have been eradicated. As Dora Anne Mills points out, as we begin a new century, we have much to celebrate but still more to consider. Today, we face an epidemic unlike any found in 1900. One hundred years ago only one-in-six people died of a chronic …

Sulfa Or Sulfone Prophylaxis And Geographic Region Predict Mutations In The Pneumocystis Carinii Dihydropteroate Synthase Gene, Laurence Huang, Charles B. Beard, Jennifer Creasman, Deborah A. Levy, Jeffrey S. Duchin, Sherline Lee, Norman Pieniazek, Jane L. Carter, Carlos Del Rio, David Rimland, Thomas R. Navin

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

To determine factors associated with mutations in the Pneumocystis carinii dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS) gene, a prospective study of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients with confirmed P. carinii pneumonia was conducted in Atlanta, Seattle, and San Francisco. Clinical information was obtained from patient interview and chart abstraction. DHPS genotype was determined from DNA sequencing. Overall, 76 (68.5%) of 111 patients had a mutant DHPS genotype, including 22 (81.5%) of 27 patients from San Francisco. In multivariate analysis, sulfa or sulfone prophylaxis and study site were independent predictors of a mutant genotype. Fourteen (53.8%) of 26 patients who were newly diagnosed with …

An International Comparison Of Cancer Survival: Metropolitan Toronto, Ontario, And Honolulu, Hawaii, Kevin M. Gorey

Social Work Publications

OBJECTIVES: Comparisons of cancer survival in Canadian and US metropolitan areas have shown consistent Canadian advantages. This study tests a health insurance hypothesis by comparing cancer survival in Toronto, Ontario, and Honolulu, Hawaii.

METHODS: Ontario and Hawaii registries provided a total of 9190 and 2895 cancer cases (breast and prostate, 1986-1990, followed until 1996). Socioeconomic data for each person's residence at the time of diagnosis were taken from population censuses.

RESULTS: Socioeconomic status and cancer survival were directly associated in the US cohort, but not in the Canadian cohort. Compared with similar patients in Honolulu, residents of low-income areas in …

Alcohol Consumption And Risk Of Coronary Heart Disease By Diabetes Status, Paulo A. Lotufo

Paulo A Lotufo

Background—An inverse association between moderate alcohol consumption and coronary heart disease (CHD) has been observed in several epidemiological studies. To assess whether a similar association exists among diabetics, we examined the relation between light to moderate alcohol consumption and CHD in men with and without diabetes mellitus in a prospective cohort study. Methods and Results—A total of 87 938 US physicians (2790 with diagnosed diabetes mellitus) who were invited to participate in the Physicians’ Health Study and were free of myocardial infarction, stroke, cancer, or liver disease at baseline were followed for an average of 5.5 years for death with …