Biomedical subjects

C Moyes

Publications and source records attributed to C Moyes.

22 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1994

Risk factors for asthma symptoms in Kawerau children.

AIMS: To study risk factors for asthma prevalence in Kawerau children aged 8-13 years. METHODS: Questionnaires on asthma symptoms and risk factors were completed in 1992 by parents of 708 Kawerau schoolchildren aged 8-13 years, a response rate of 82.0%; for a subgroup of children, stored serum samples from a 1984 survey were also analysed. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of current wheeze (21.3%) was similar to that observed in other New Zealand surveys. The prevalence of current wheeze was elevated in males (odds ratio (OR) = 1.7, 95% CI 1.2-2.5), in those who had been passively exposed to cigarette smoke from the primary caregiver (OR = 1.4, 95% CI 1.0-2.1), in those who had had pets in the home at age 0-5 years (OR = 1.9, 95% CI 1.2-2.9) and in those with one or more birth parents with asthma (OR = 2.1, 95% CI 1.4-3.1); current wheeze was less common in those with older children living in the same household (for 2 or more older children in the same household, OR = 0.5, 95% CI 0.2-1.0). In a small nested case-control study it was found that current wheeze was more common in those with high levels of IgE (OR = 6.4, 95% CI 1.3-36.4) or low levels of selenium (OR = 3.1, 95% CI 0.9-11.8) in stored serum collected 8 years previously. There was no difference in the proportions with current wheeze, or with diagnosed asthma between Maori and European children, but Maori children were more likely to have current frequent nocturnal wheeze (OR = 2.2, 95% CI 1.0-5.1), current severe wheeze (OR = 1.8, 95% CI 0.8-3.7) or to have been admitted to hospital with asthma (OR = 2.4, 95% CI 1.2-4.8). Passive exposure to tobacco smoke was more common among Maori children, but this only partially accounted for the greater asthma severity in Maori children, and the lower prescribing of prophylactic medications in this group may also have contributed. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple factors were associated with asthma symptoms in children in this age-group, including a family history of asthma, male gender, environmental tobacco smoke, environmental allergen exposure, atopy, and low selenium status. Further studies are required to assess the relative contributions of these factors to the prevalence of asthma in New Zealand.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1988

Hepatitis B virus: the importance of age at infection.

Recent studies have demonstrated the importance of age at infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV). Age affects whether the infection is self-limited or results in the chronic carrier state, the severity of the acute infection, and the incidence of various sequelae of the chronic carrier state. In particular, although the acute infection is more severe in adults, infections in infants and preschool children carry much greater risks of chronic carriage which increases the risk of primary hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhosis later in life. This has two important implications for areas where HBV is endemic. First, more impact can be gained by vaccinating infants and preschool children than by vaccinating healthy adults. Second, if funds are limited, greater impact will be gained by immunising a larger number of children with low doses of vaccine so that they are protected during the early years of life when the risk of chronic carriage is highest, rather than using the standard dose in a smaller number of children even though protection may be longer lasting with standard doses. These two considerations provide the basis for an efficient strategy for control in communities or countries where HBV is endemic or hyperendemic.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1988

Immunogenicity of a recombinant yeast-derived hepatitis B vaccine (Engerix B) in children.

Eighty-one children seronegative for markers of hepatitis B virus infection aged 0-10 years received 10 micrograms of a yeast-based hepatitis B vaccine (Engerix B) at 0, 1, and 6 months. Eighty subjects responded with a geometric mean titre of 7640 IU/L one month after the third dose. All seroconverters produced high level of antibodies regardless of age, race, or sex. It is concluded that Engerix B used in the dose and schedule described is highly immunogenic.

Antigens↗

PubMed1987

Immunogenicity of low doses of hepatitis B vaccine in children: a study in 650 New Zealand children.

Six hundred and fifty New Zealand children from 2-12 years of age were vaccinated three times with 2 mcg intramuscular (IM) doses of Merck Sharp and Dohme plasma-derived hepatitis B vaccine (H-B-Vax), at 0, 1, and 6 months, and tested 2-3 months later for antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs) by radioimmunoassay (RIA). Overall, 96.5% of the children seroconverted for anti-HBs by RIA, having levels greater than 2.1 RIA S/N units, with 91.2% having values greater than 10 S/N units. Anti-HBs levels were also determined by enzyme immunoassay (EIA), by which method a significantly better response was demonstrated in 2-4-year-olds than in older children. This study demonstrated that a satisfactory anti-HBs response was obtained using one-fifth of the recommended doses of hepatitis B vaccine.

Child↗