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Biomedical subjects

D G Bal

Publications and source records attributed to D G Bal.

32 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Human cancer and the food chain: an alternative etiologic perspective.

Oncogenic viruses are among the known or presumed initiating agents of human cancer. Although evidence suggests that DNA and RNA oncoviruses may be acquired through multiple routes, our attention focuses chiefly on the ingestion pathway. We have two reasons for this. One is the possibility that viral as well as nonviral oncogenic amino acid sequences might be acquired at the top of the food chain. The other is that the food chain-infection hypothesis may reconcile several biological, ecological, and epidemiological phenomena. Transfection experiments suggest that the concept of infection may have to be broadened to embrace the cellular precursors of oncogenic viruses. Accumulating circumstantial evidence from viral oncology and molecular biology provides a basis for the belief that oncogenic viruses and their cellular precursors might be transmitted from animals to humans through the ingestion pathway. The possibility that such transmission may give rise to some human cancers must now be considered. The ingestion and genomic integration of food-associated DNA sequences may directly account for the increased risk of human cancer associated with an elevated intake of animal fat and protein. This paper addresses the role of infective oncogenic agents as the initiators, rather than the promoters, of cancer.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Perspectives on the etiology of Alzheimer's disease.

There is a lack of consensus among investigators concerning the etiology of Alzheimer's disease. Clues are not lacking, however, and we have assessed them in a broad biologic context. This inquiry has led us to regard Alzheimer's disease as a multifactorial disorder in which a putative infective agent is an essential element. Despite seeming competition among current hypotheses, there is overall unity. The concept that Down's syndrome is a congenital form of Alzheimer's disease and that both conditions are the result of a ubiquitous infective pathogen that affects genetically susceptible individuals offers the broadest unification. In both conditions slow infection develops against the background of aging. Indirect evidence involving immunologic and other biologic phenomena supports the postulated infectious origin. Overlapping pathologic and clinical features of Alzheimer's disease and the known transmissible encephalopathies suggest a similar pathogenesis.

Aluminum↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cancer statistics 2001: quo vadis or whither goest thou?

In his first Guest Editorial for CA as newly elected President of the American Cancer Society, Dr. Dileep Bal moves beyond the encouraging trends reported in the annual cancer statistics article to target areas for future efforts and improvement. Noting that resources and the public health activities of local, regional, and national medical communities should focus on cancer prevention, screening and early detection/treatment, technology transfer, and research, Dr. Bal emphasizes the feasibility of the 2015 goals set by the ACS: A 25% reduction in cancer incidence and a 50% reduction in mortality from cancer.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Hypertension--unexpected research results and program redirection.

The California Department of Health Services (DHS) has conducted two statewide surveys to evaluate the effectiveness of a coordinated hypertension control program. Unfortunately, the expected reduction in the prevalence of elevated blood pressure did not occur. Public knowledge about hypertension did increase, but among hypertensive persons awareness, treatment, and control did not improve. The responses to several survey questions were examined to determine why there was no improvement in the rate of control of elevated blood pressure. Obviously, many persons with hypertension have not complied with medical advice at various points in the hypertension control system. Consequently, the DHS is redirecting its Hypertension Control Program. Less emphasis is being placed on the coordination of blood pressure control resources, including public education, while more emphasis is being placed on increasing compliance with treatment recommendations, focusing on patient tracking as described by the National High Blood Pressure Education Program and long-term adherence to therapy as discussed in the 1984 Report of the Joint National Committee on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

California's "5 a day--for better health!" campaign: an innovative population-based effort to effect large-scale dietary change.

The annual toll of diet-related diseases in the United States is similar to that taken by tobacco, but less progress has been achieved in reaching the Public Health Service's Healthy People 2000 objectives for improving food consumption than for reducing tobacco use. In 1988, the California Department of Health Services embarked upon an innovative multi-year social marketing program to increase fruit and vegetable consumption. The 5 a Day--for Better Health! Campaign had several distinctive features, including its simple, positive, behavior-specific message to eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day as part of a low-fat, high fiber diet; its use of mass media; its partnership between the state health department and the produce and supermarket industries; and its extensive use of point-of-purchase messages. Over its nearly three years of operation in California, the 5 a Day Campaign appears to have raised public awareness that fruits and vegetables help reduce cancer risk, increased fruit and vegetable consumption in major population segments, and created an ongoing partnership between public health and agribusiness that has allowed extension of the campaign to other population segments, namely children and Latino adults. In 1991 the campaign was adopted as a national initiative by the National Cancer Institute and the Produce for Better Health Foundation. By 1994, over 700 industry organizations and 48 states, territories, and the District of Columbia were licensed to participate. Preventive medicine practitioners and others involved in health promotion may build upon the 5 a Day Campaign experience in developing and implementing efforts to reach the nation's dietary goals.

California↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cigarette smoking behavior and beliefs of Hispanics in California.

We examined the association between ethnicity and cigarette smoking beliefs and behavior in a 1990 random-digit dialing telephone survey of 3,164 Hispanic and 17,975 non-Hispanic white adults in California. Ethnic self-identification and native language were associated with the prevalence of current smoking in women but not in men. However, both male and female Hispanics smoked fewer cigarettes per day than their non-Hispanic counterparts. Hispanics who reported smoking in the past 12 months were more likely than non-Hispanics to have reached the action stage of cessation and to report an attempt to quit smoking. Spanish-speaking Hispanics were most likely to believe in the harmful effects of smoking, but also most likely to believe that smoking was not addictive, that they were not addicted to cigarettes, and that smoking is something everyone should try once. Cessation and prevention programs that target Hispanic populations must be especially sensitive to values and gender-specific acculturation processes that create a discrepancy between the desire to adopt the lifestyles of the dominant society and the recognition of the concomitant health-related risks.

California↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Do anti-smoking media campaigns help smokers quit?

As part of an evaluation of the 1990-91 anti-tobacco media campaign carried out by the California Department of Health Services, a study was conducted among 417 regular smokers who had quit during the period of the media campaign. In brief telephone interviews, all respondents identified up to three events or experiences that had influenced them to quit. In response to uncued questions, 6.7 percent of those interviewed indicated that they had been influenced to quit by an advertisement they had seen or heard on radio, television, or billboards. In response to direct questions about the media campaign, 34.3 percent of the respondents indicated that the media campaign's advertisement had played a part in their decision to quit. Applying the 6.7 percentage to the number of Californians who quit smoking in 1990-91, it can be estimated that for 33,000 former smokers, the anti-tobacco media advertisements were an important stimulus in their quit decision. Multiplying the 34.3 percent by the number of former California smokers who quit in 1990-91, the estimate of former smokers for whom the media campaign's advertisements played at least some part in their decision to quit rises to 173,000 persons. While causal attributions from such investigations should be made with caution, the evidence suggests that the 1990-91 campaign did influence substantial number of smokers in California to quit.

Adult↗