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Biomedical subjects

Ann Smith

Publications and source records attributed to Ann Smith.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2007

Tools for health: the efficacy of a tailored intervention targeted for construction laborers.

OBJECTIVES: Novel approaches to worksite health promotion are needed for high-risk workers who change job sites frequently, and thus may have limited access to worksite health promotion efforts. The objective of this study was to test a behavioral intervention among construction laborers. METHODS: Using a randomized-controlled design, we tested the efficacy of a tailored telephone-delivered and mailed intervention to promote smoking cessation and increased fruit and vegetable consumption (n = 582). RESULTS: At baseline, 40% of control group participants and 45% of intervention group participants reported using any tobacco in the last seven days. At final, 8% of baseline cigarette smokers in the control group had quit, compared to 19% in the intervention group (p = 0.03). In both groups, the mean consumption of fruits and vegetables at baseline was over five servings per day. At final, the intervention group had increased consumption by approximately one and one-half servings, compared to a slight decrease in consumption in the control group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: A tailored intervention can be efficacious in promoting tobacco use cessation and increased fruit and vegetable consumption among construction laborers, a high-risk, mobile workforce.

Counseling↗
PubMed2006

Surveillance recommendations based on an exploratory analysis of respiratory syncytial virus reports derived from the European Influenza Surveillance System.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an important pathogen that can cause severe illness in infants and young children. In this study, we assessed whether data on RSV collected by the European Influenza Surveillance Scheme (EISS) could be used to build an RSV surveillance system in Europe. METHODS: Influenza and RSV data for the 2002-2003 winter season were analysed for England, France, the Netherlands and Scotland. Data from sentinel physician networks and other sources, mainly hospitals, were collected. Respiratory specimens were tested for influenza and RSV mainly by virus culture and polymerase chain reaction amplification. RESULTS: Data on RSV were entered timely into the EISS database. RSV contributed noticeably to influenza-like illness: in England sentinel RSV detections were common in all age groups, but particularly in young children with 20 (40.8%) of the total number of sentinel swabs testing positive for RSV. Scotland and France also reported the highest percentages of RSV detections in the 0-4 year age group, respectively 10.3% (N = 29) and 12.2% (N = 426). In the Netherlands, RSV was detected in one person aged over 65 years. CONCLUSION: We recommend that respiratory specimens collected in influenza surveillance are also tested systematically for RSV and emphasize the use of both community derived data and data from hospitals for RSV surveillance. RSV data from the EISS have been entered in a timely manner and we consider that the EISS model can be used to develop an RSV surveillance system equivalent to the influenza surveillance in Europe.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Which hemostatic markers add to the predictive value of conventional risk factors for coronary heart disease and ischemic stroke? The Caerphilly Study.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined whether hemostatic markers contribute to risk of coronary disease and ischemic stroke independently of conventional risk factors. This study examines 11 hemostatic markers that reflect different aspects of the coagulation process to determine which have prognostic value after accounting for conventional risk factors. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 2398 men aged 49 to 65 years were examined in 1984 to 1988, and the majority gave a fasting blood sample for assay of lipids and hemostatic markers. Men were followed up for a median of 13 years, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) events were recorded. There were 486 CVD events in total, 353 with prospective coronary disease and 133 with prospective ischemic stroke. On univariable analysis, fibrinogen, low activated protein C ratio, D-dimer, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) were associated significantly with risk of CVD. On multivariable analyses with conventional risk factors forced into the proportional hazards model, fibrinogen, D-dimer, and PAI-1 were significantly associated with risk of CVD, whereas factor VIIc showed an inverse association (P=0.001). In a model that contained the conventional risk factors, the hazard ratio for subsequent CVD in the top third of the distribution of predicted risk relative to the bottom third was 2.7 for subjects without preexisting CVD. This ratio increased to 3.7 for the model that also contained the 4 hemostatic factors. CONCLUSIONS: Fibrinogen, D-dimer, PAI-1 activity, and factor VIIc each has potential to increase the prediction of coronary disease/ischemic stroke in middle-aged men, in addition to conventional risk factors.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

The heme-binding lipoprotein (HbpA) of Haemophilus influenzae: role in heme utilization.

Haemophilus influenzae has an absolute growth requirement for heme and a heme binding lipoprotein (HbpA) has been implicated in the utilization of this essential nutrient. HbpA was identified by examining clones from an H. influenzae genomic library that caused Escherichia coli harboring the clone to bind heme. However, HbpA has not been shown to mediate heme acquisition in H. influenzae. We constructed an insertional mutation of hbpA in a nontypeable H. influenzae strain and demonstrated a role for the gene in utilization of multiple heme sources. This is the first report confirming a role for HbpA in utilization of heme.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed2005

Mechanisms of haem and non-haem iron absorption: lessons from inherited disorders of iron metabolism.

Our current state of knowledge of the mechanism and regulation of intestinal iron absorption has been critically dependent on the analysis of inherited disorders of iron homeostasis in both humans and other animal species. Mutations in DMT1 and Ireg1 have revealed that these molecules are major mediators of iron transport across the brush border and basolateral membranes of the enterocyte, respectively. Similarly, the iron oxidase hephaestin has been shown to play an important role in basolateral iron efflux. The analysis of a range of human iron loading disorders has provided very strong evidence that the products of the HFE, TfR2, hepcidin and hemojuvelin genes comprise integral components of the machinery that regulates iron absorption and iron traffic around the body. Engineered mouse strains have already proved very effective in helping to dissect pathways of iron homeostasis, and in the future they will continue to provide important insights into the absorption of both inorganic and haem iron by the gut.

Absorption↗
PubMed2005

Potential errors and their prevention in operating room teamwork as experienced by Finnish, British and American nurses.

This study describes how the potential sources of errors and error prevention in operating room (OR) teams are experienced by Finnish, American and British nurses. The data were collected by interviews and analysed using a qualitative content analysis. Results consisted of categories demanding teamwork practice, shared responsibility in teams and organized teamwork. The demanding practice category included fear of errors, turnover in teams, overtime work and emotional distress as potential factors leading to errors in OR teamwork. Shared responsibility emphasized how the familiar teams, safety control and formal documentation of errors prevented errors. At the organizational level, the prevention of errors required scheduling of work, good management, competency and a reasonable physical environment. In order to improve safety in OR teams, recognition should be given to the balance of error-making and learning from them. More effective ways in reporting incidents should be adopted and overall reporting systems should be developed in Finnish OR teams.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Identification of a haem-utilization protein (Hup) in Haemophilus influenzae.

Haemophilus influenzae has an absolute growth requirement for a porphyrin source. This growth requirement can be satisfied in vitro by haem, haemoglobin or the haemoglobin-haptoglobin, haem-haemopexin and haem-albumin complexes. A family of proteins, termed the Hgp proteins, which are essential for utilization of the haemoglobin-haptoglobin complex, has previously been identified. A strain lacking the Hgp proteins also has a residual ability to utilize haemoglobin, indicating that additional moieties contribute to haemoglobin utilization. Using a haemoglobin affinity method an approximately 105 kDa protein was isolated. Mutation of the identified gene in an Hgp null background reduced the ability of the mutant strain to utilize haemoglobin in vitro. The mutation also resulted in a reduced ability to utilize haem, haem-haemopexin, haem-albumin and haemoglobin-haptoglobin, thus identifying a general haem-utilization protein (Hup) in Haemophilus influenzae.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2004

The source of heme for vascular heme oxygenase I: heme uptake in rat aorta.

During the last decade, heme oxygenase (HO) and carbon monoxide (CO) have garnered substantial research interest in terms of cell and organ regulation, especially as they bear on the central nervous system, organ transplantation, and the cardiovascular system. While the enzymatic mechanism, substrates, and products of HO are well known, it is not clear whether the cardiovascular system derives its supply of the heme substrate through de novo synthesis or uptake from the extracellular milieu. The objective of the present study was to test the latter possibility in rat aorta and to determine the influence of plasma proteins that bind heme in vivo, viz. hemopexin and albumin. Aortic tissue was exposed to [14C]heme in vitro, and the concentration and time dependence of heme uptake was assessed. The presence of hemopexin or albumin in the incubation medium dramatically decreased heme uptake by the aorta. Heme uptake by aortic tissue was not altered after induction of HO-1, which would be expected to increase tissue heme demand. In summary, the rat, isolated aorta was capable of obtaining heme from its external milieu, but this was obtunded in the presence of the plasma proteins hemopexin or albumin. For normal physiological situations, heme uptake may not be a usual source of substrate for vascular HO and hemoenzymes such as nitric oxide synthase, soluble guanylyl cyclase, and cyclooxygenase.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Minimising waste in the food and drink sector: using the business club approach to facilitate training and organisational development.

The aim of the East Anglian Waste Minimisation in the Food And Drink Industry Project was to develop waste minimisation capability in food and drink sector companies by providing a structured training programme and consultancy support to participating members of a business club. The business club forum provided the structure within which interactive training and development sessions were delivered. Expertise and assistance in implementing waste minimisation and waste management programmes was given to member companies at their sites. The project resulted in pound 1,800,000 per annum of identified savings with pound 1,100,000 of verified savings already achieved. Training and development contributed fundamentally to these project outcomes and achievements. The structured training package used three different approaches or methods. Teaching and workshop sessions were used to present interactive training on waste minimisation practice. These were supplemented by interactive 'report-back' sessions where the 'project champions' presented progress reports to the club on waste minimisation at their sites. An overview of the business club approach is described, together with an account of the successes and challenges of applying a structured training and development programme and the barriers to waste minimisation that were overcome. Training effectiveness was measured according to reaction, learning, application and impact.

Beverages↗
PubMed2002

Structure-function relationships in heme-proteins.

Biological systems rely on heme-proteins to carry out a number of basic functions essential for their survival. Hemes, or iron-porphyrin complexes, are the versatile and ubiquitous active centers of these proteins. In the past decade, discovery of new heme-proteins, together with functional and structural research, provided a wealth of information on these diverse and biologically important molecules. Structure determination work has shown that nature has used a variety of different scaffolds and architectures to bind heme and modulate functions such as redox properties. Structural data have also provided insights into the heme-linked protein conformational changes required in many regulatory heme-proteins. Remarkable efforts have been made towards the understanding of factors governing redox potentials. Site-directed mutagenesis studies and theoretical calculations on heme environments investigated the roles of hydrophobic and electrostatic residues, and analyzed the effect of heme solvent accessibility. This review focuses on the structure-function relationships underlying the association of heme in signaling and iron metabolism proteins. In addition, an account is given about molecular features affecting heme's redox properties; this briefly revisits previous conclusions in the light of some more recent reports.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Membrane phospholipid reorganization differentially regulates metallothionein and heme oxygenase by heme-hemopexin.

Heme-hemopexin coordinately regulates genes encoding protective proteins including metallothionein-I (MT-I) and heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1). Hexamethylene-bisacetamide (HMBA), which induces differentiation and activates protein kinase C (PKC), synergistically augments the induction of both MT-I and MT-II mRNAs in response to heme-hemopexin, but attenuates the induction of HO-1. HMBA also augments the increase in MT mRNA in response to cobalt protoporphyrin-hemopexin, a hemopexin (HPX) receptor ligand that activates signaling cascades without tetrapyrrole uptake. Unlike the PKC-activating phorbol esters that induce MT-I and HO-1, HMBA has minimal effects on MT-I or HO-1. HMBA is an amphipathic molecule, and is shown here to interact physically with lipids in model membranes using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The data are consistent with a stabilization of the lipid bilayer and an HMBA-induced segregation of lipids into separate domains each relatively enriched in one of the lipids. HMBA also perturbs membrane-protein interactions, and causes a loss of PKC and G-protein subunits from plasma membranes in vitro. Taken together, these observations reveal an additional level of complexity in the regulation of protective proteins induced by HPX, and which may take place in vivo in response to natural compounds that reorganize membrane phospholipids. A model is proposed whereby a reorganization of lipids by HMBA alters signaling pathways and fusion events considered to be the etiology of the differential response of the MT-1 (and MT-II) and the HO-1 genes to HMBA and heme-HPX.

Acetamides↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Learning about teamwork in operating room clinical placement.

The aim of nursing students' operating room (OR) clinical practice is to gain experience of the perioperative nursing process and to develop skills related to the practice within OR teams in a variety of situations. However, it has previously been problematic to get enough practical experience within OR teams because of the general urgency, e.g. rapid turnover and flow of emergency cases, and preceptors' multiple responsibilities related to their simultaneous need to work as team members. This study describes how Finnish, British and American nursing students (n = 30) experienced learning about teamwork during their OR placement period. The critical incident technique was used for data collection, and data were analysed using a descriptive phenomenological method. Three types of teamwork emerged based on the students' perceptions: functional manifestation of OR teamwork, gaining OR team membership and technical orientation of OR teamwork. The findings are discussed in relation to OR practice, education and research on ways to improve teamwork while maintaining a satisfactory OR learning context and stimulating interest in perioperative nursing.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗