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Biomedical subjects

B Field

Publications and source records attributed to B Field.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

A group therapy approach to facilitate integration of risk information for women at risk for breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To describe and illustrate elements of a group counselling approach designed to enhance the communication of risk information on breast cancer (BC) to women with a family history of this disease. Breast cancer is a leading cause of female cancer death. The most important risk factor for BC is a positive family history in at least 1 first-degree relative, and approximately one-third of women with BC have a family history of the disease. Recent evidence suggests that there is a significant psychological impact associated with having a family history of BC, and this may influence the psychological adjustment and response to being counselled for personal risk. New counselling approaches are required. METHOD: This paper describes a group therapy approach that incorporates principles of supportive-expressive therapy designed to address the emotional impact of being at risk for BC and to promote accuracy of perceived risk. The key elements of the intervention are described along with clinical illustrations from groups that are part of an ongoing study to develop and standardize the group therapy. CONCLUSION: Qualitative data from the groups suggest that this model of therapy is both feasible and effective.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1995

Provision of sex education and early sexual experience: the relation examined.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the relation between receipt of sex education and experience of first intercourse. SUBJECTS AND DESIGN: The national survey of sexual attitudes and lifestyles is based on a sample of 18,876 respondents aged 16-59, randomly selected from the Post Office's small-user postcode address file. Data were collected between May 1990 and November 1991 by personal interviews combining a self administered questionnaire with a face to face interview. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Age at first intercourse, use of contraception at first intercourse, actual and preferred source of sex education (including school based lessons). RESULTS: Median age at first intercourse fell by four years for women and three years for men over the past four decades, to 17 for both men and women aged 16-19 at the time of interview. Of those respondents for whom school was the main source of information about sexual matters, men were less likely, and women no more likely, to have had intercourse before the age of 16 than were those citing other main sources, such as friends and the media. Both men and women were more likely to have used some method of contraception. In multivariate analysis, these effects remained after controlling for the effect of current age, educational attainment, and religious affiliation. CONCLUSIONS: These data provide no evidence to support the concern that provision of school sex education might hasten the onset of sexual experience. These findings have important implications for the provision of sexual health education and highlight the need to carry out prospective and randomised studies of the impact of sex education.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Antiinflammatory activity of a Ghanaian antiarthritic herbal preparation: III.

alpha-Amyrin palmitate, present in a Ghanaian antiarthritic herbal preparation of Alstonia boonei, Elaies guineensis and Rauvolfia vomitoria, was synthesised and tested on complete Freund's adjuvant-induced arthritic rats. Administered orally at 56 mg/kg body weight (BW) daily for 8 days from days 11 to 18 post adjuvant (acute) or at 66 mg/kg BW every 48 h for 5 days from days 32 to 40 (chronic), the drug returned the increases in serum hyaluronate and blood granulocytes towards non-arthritic levels and corrected the moderate anaemia of adjuvant arthritis. Histological examinations of the proximal interphalangeal foot joints showed reduced synovial proliferation and invasion of joints and reduced leucocyte infiltration of bone marrow and periarticular tissue in treated rats. The results suggest that alpha-amyrin palmitate contributes to the previously shown antiarthritic effect of the herbal preparation.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1994

Effect of alpha-amyrin palmitate on adjuvant arthritis.

alpha-amyrin palmitate was synthesized and tested on adult male Wistar rats made arthritic by subplantar injection of complete Freund's adjuvant. When administered orally at 66 mg/kg BW every 48 h for 5 days from days 32 to 40 post-adjuvant and assessed on day 50, alpha-amyrin palmitate returned the increases in serum hyaluronate and blood granulocytes toward non-arthritic levels and corrected the moderate anaemia of adjuvant arthritis. Histological examinations of the second and third proximal foot interphalangeal joints showed reduced synovial proliferation and invasion of joints and reduced leucocyte infiltration of bone marrow in alpha-amyrin palmitate-treated rats. In addition, the drug prevented or reduced bone (subchondral or cortical) and cartilage (articular) destruction in arthritic rats. The results suggest that alpha-amyrin palmitate is antiarthritic in the adjuvant model of arthritis in rats.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Oral and pharyngeal cancer, diet, smoking, alcohol, and serum vitamin A and beta-carotene levels: a case-control study in men.

A case-control study was conducted in Melbourne, Australia. Forty-one men with histologically confirmed squamous cell oral or pharyngeal cancer were compared with 398 male community controls. A statistically significant increase in risk was found for alcohol (ethanol) consumption and for smoking, and there was a synergistic effect for these two exposures. Statistically significant protection was noted with increasing intake of dietary vitamin C, dietary beta-carotene, fruit, vegetables, and dietary fiber. The mean serum levels of beta-carotene and vitamin A were statistically significantly lower when the cases were compared with another set of 88 male controls of a similar age who were hospitalized for minor surgical operations. This study confirms a causal effect of smoking and alcohol and a protective role for a high dietary intake of fruit, vegetables, cereals, and, particularly, beta-carotene- and vitamin C-containing foods.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1992

Diet, alcohol, smoking, serum beta-carotene, and vitamin A in male nonmelanocytic skin cancer patients and controls.

A case-control study was conducted in Melbourne, Australia of 88 consecutive males admitted for the surgical removal of a nonmelanocytic skin cancer (histologically confirmed basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma) and of 88 male control patients admitted for small elective surgical procedures. In both cases and controls, previous diet, alcohol consumption, and smoking habit were investigated and serum beta-carotene and vitamin A levels were measured. A statistically significant inverse relationship was found between the risk of skin cancer and a high intake of fish (p = 0.05); vegetables in general (p < 0.001); beans, lentils, or peas (p < 0.001), carrots, silverbeet (Swiss chard), or pumpkin (p < 0.001); cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, brussel sprouts, or broccoli) (p < 0.001); and beta-carotene- and vitamin C-containing foods (p = 0.004). Cases had a lower mean serum level of beta-carotene (p < 0.001) and vitamin A (p = 0.02) than controls. The incidence of skin cancer in the study was inversely related to the level of serum beta-carotene (p < 0.0001). The correlation coefficient between dietary beta-carotene/vitamin C and serum beta-carotene was 0.22 (p = 0.04). Smoking and alcohol consumption showed no statistically significant association with the risk of nonmelanocytic skin cancer. The results were similar for both cell types. A high intake of vegetables including cruciferous vegetables, beta-carotene- and vitamin C-containing foods, and fish appears to be protective for nonmelanocytic skin cancer, and this deserves further study, as does the possible etiologic relevance of the low serum levels of beta-carotene and vitamin A.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Survival in patients with large-bowel cancer. A population-based investigation from the Melbourne Colorectal Cancer Study.

Five-year survival data were obtained in 97 percent or 1105 of 1140 new patients with histologically confirmed colorectal adenocarcinoma during a 12-month period in 1981 and 1982, as part of a large comprehensive population-based study of colorectal cancer incidence, etiology, and survival, The Melbourne Colorectal Cancer Study. Fifteen percent of patients were Dukes' A stage, 32 percent were Dukes' B, 25 percent were Dukes' C, and 29 percent were Dukes' D. At five years after diagnosis, the observed survival rate was 36 percent and the adjusted rate was 42 percent. Dukes' staging was a highly discriminating factor in survival (P less than 0.001). Survival rates were better in women than in men and better for patients with colon cancer than for patients with rectal cancer. Survival by Dukes' staging was not affected by colon subsite or by the tumor being the first and single tumor, metachronous tumor, or synchronous tumor. The survival of younger patients was better for Dukes' stages A, B, and C, and worse for Dukes' D. Survival was worse in the presence of bowel perforation in Dukes' C and D stages. Within Dukes' D (incurable cases), survival was best in the absence of hepatic metastases, slightly worse when only hepatic metastases were present, and poorest in the presence of both hepatic and extrahepatic metastases. Statistical modeling of survival determinants other than staging indicated that cell differentiation had the largest effect (survival decreasing with poor cell differentiation), followed by site (survival worse for rectal cancer than colon cancer), then age (survival better for younger patients), while bowel perforation had the smallest effect on survival.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1990

Two cases of cri-du-chat syndrome with mild phenotypic effect but with different size of 5p deletion.

The clinical and cytogenetic findings of two cases of cri-du-chat syndrome are described. Both cases were females with only slight growth delay, moderate mental disability and minimal phenotypic effects. The mild phenotype was difficult to correlate with the karyotype, which on GTG and RBG banding showed that each had a regular de novo 5p deletion. The deletion in Case 1 was terminal - 46,XX,del(5) (pter----p15.2:) and in Case 2 it was interstitial - 46,XX,del(5) (pter----p15.2::p13.3----qter). The deletion in Case 2 was considerably larger than in Case 1.

Child↗
PubMed1989

Trisomy 18 at age 21 years.

Here we report on a woman with non-mosaic trisomy 18, who is now 21 years old. She has the characteristic face of older trisomy 18 survivors, marked kyphoscoliosis, spastic quadriplegia with contractures, and profound mental retardation. She has pyorrhea with loss of three canine teeth. At 20.5 years, she had her first menstrual cycle with development of secondary sexual characteristics.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed1989

Serum levels of beta-carotene, vitamin A, and zinc in male lung cancer cases and controls.

The mean serum levels of beta-carotene and vitamin A in a multivariate analysis of data from 64 histologically confirmed male lung cancer cases were statistically significantly lower than those from 63 randomly selected male hospital controls, who were admitted for small surgical operations (p values for both beta-carotene and vitamin A less than 0.001). The mean serum levels of zinc were not statistically significantly different between cases and controls (p = 0.10). The levels of beta-carotene, vitamin A, or zinc were not statistically significantly influenced by either the extent of the cancer (p = 0.45) or the cancer cell type (p = 0.06). The possible biological significance of these findings is discussed briefly.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1989

Dietary and alcohol intake, smoking pattern, occupational risk, and family history in lung cancer patients: results of a case-control study in males.

In a case-control study of 71 consecutive new male cases of lung cancer and 71 male hospital control patients, previous dietary and alcohol intake, smoking pattern, occupation, dust exposure, and family history of lung cancer were investigated. The cases and controls were similar in age, country of origin, area of residence, and marital status. Using a frequency-based assessment of previous dietary intake, broad food groups were similar for cases and controls. Cases had a significantly lower intake of fish than controls did (odds ratio = 0.5, confidence interval = 0.2-1.0, p = 0.05). A protective effect for fish consumption in lung cancer has not been previously reported. The dietary intake of foods containing retinol and beta-carotene and the intake of alcohol were not significantly different between cases and controls. For cases, smoking duration was longer and the time since cessation for exsmokers was shorter, cigarette pack years were longer, and the number of cigarettes smoked per day was greater. The factors of occupation, dust exposure, and family history of cancer (including lung cancer) were similarly distributed between cases and controls.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1988

The role of chronic constipation, diarrhea, and laxative use in the etiology of large-bowel cancer. Data from the Melbourne Colorectal Cancer Study.

Life-long bowel habits of 685 colorectal cancer cases and 723 age/sex frequency matched community controls were investigated as one part of a large, comprehensive, population-based study of colorectal cancer incidence, etiology, and survival, The Melbourne Colorectal Cancer Study. Self-reported chronic constipation was statistically significantly more common in cases than in controls (P = .05). Three or more bowel actions per day were reported by more cases than controls but the total number of respondents in this subset consisted of only ten cases and two controls. Otherwise, the frequency and consistency of bowel motions was similarly distributed among cases and controls. Constipation disappeared as a significant risk when simultaneously adjusted for previously determined dietary risk factors, indicating that it is the diet and not the constipation that is associated with the risk of large-bowel cancer. Additionally, a highly statistically significant association (P = .02) was found with the risk of colorectal cancer in those who reported constipation and also had a high fat intake, a finding consistent with current hypotheses of colorectal carcinogenesis. It is concluded that chronic constipation, diarrhea, and the frequency and consistency of bowel motions, as well as laxative use, are unlikely to be etiologic factors in the development of colorectal cancer. Self-reported chronic constipation is a marginally significant indicator of excess risk of large-bowel cancer and may be used as one of the indices in the screening of individuals for this cancer.

Cathartics↗
PubMed1988

The development of action lines in an Australian maternal serum alphafetoprotein screening service for neural tube defects.

A retrospective study covering the period from January 1, 1980 up to June 30, 1982 was conducted, producing the first definitive normal range for maternal serum alphafetoprotein from the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney. The normal range established is based on and applicable to the pregnant women tested at this NSW laboratory. Maternal serum alphafetoprotein levels had been determined by radioimmunoassay for 3,182 pregnancies between 13 and 20 weeks' gestation. Five anencephalics and 2 open spina bifidas were noted in the study. Only one of these abnormalities (spina bifida) was associated with maternal serum alphafetoprotein levels within the normal range, the remainder all having elevated levels. Low false positive and false negative rates of 1.16% and 0.03% respectively were obtained in this study.

Female↗
PubMed1988

Reproductive behaviour and consistent patterns of abnormality in offspring of Vietnam veterans.

In view of the persistent claim of Australian Vietnam veterans that their health and that of their children were adversely affected, aspects of reproductive behaviour and the distribution of disease and disability in family units were investigated in a sample of Tasmanian veterans and another group chosen for comparison of selected characteristics. One third of veterans reported serious health problems and their reproductive behaviour differed with more marital breakdowns, increased use of reproductive alternatives, and more complications of pregnancy. Patterns of malformation and disease among veterans' children involved predominantly the central nervous, skeletal, and cardiovascular systems. A similar pattern was detected on review of the three other major investigations on veterans' offspring in the USA and Australia. Although plausible mechanisms remain unknown, the evidence from all available studies supports a causal contribution to defects in veterans' children from a paternally mediated genetic effect.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗