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Biomedical subjects

F Sitas

Publications and source records attributed to F Sitas.

48 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Changing pattern of gastric cancer in Oxfordshire.

This study compares the incidence rates of histologically confirmed gastric carcinoma in Oxfordshire in two five year periods (1960-64, 1984-88). Data were available for 215 patients in the first period, and 200 in the second. The overall incidence fell from 18/100,000 to 15/100,000 but when analysed for site, the incidence of antral tumours fell from 10 to 4.5/100,000. In contrast, there was an increase from 2.8 to 5.2/100,000 of tumours of the cardia. These changes were more pronounced in men. There was a marked association between smoking and tumours of the cardia (relative risk 4.5). Helicobacter pylori was associated with 37.5% of tumours in the 1960s series compared with 25% in the later series. The changing patterns of incidence of gastric carcinoma may, in part, be related to changes in smoking habits and perhaps a change in incidence of H pylori infection.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1992

The level of mortality in South Africa in 1985--what does it tell us about health?

South African mortality data are inadequate for health planning. Estimates of mortality levels in blacks for 1985, derived using indirect demographic techniques, have provided an opportunity to analyse South African mortality in a health context. The infant mortality rate (IMR) for the population as a whole was 64/1,000 live births in 1985, which is high when compared with those of other countries. The IMR varied between population groups and was highest in blacks (males 73, females 68) and lowest in whites (males 11, females 7). Adult mortality rates, measured in terms of the chance of a 15-year-old dying before reaching the age of 60, ranged from 42.8% for black males and 29.4% for black females, to 21.8% and 11.5% for white males and females respectively. Life expectancy at birth of black males and females was 55 and 61 years respectively, while for white males and females it was 68 and 76 years respectively. Infectious diseases are a leading cause of death in blacks under 5 years of age, while trauma, poverty-related diseases and chronic diseases related to lifestyle all contribute to the high levels of adult mortality in this group. Prevention and health promotion strategies focusing on these as well as HIV/AIDS must be incorporated in a primary health care strategy to reduce premature mortality. Most importantly, it is crucial to improve the registration system that is vital to facilitate ongoing evaluation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Association between infection with Helicobacter pylori and risk of gastric cancer: evidence from a prospective investigation.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between gastric cancer and prior infection with Helicobacter pylori. DESIGN: Case-control comparison of prevalence of IgG antibodies to H pylori in blood samples collected prospectively, before diagnosis of gastric cancer in the cases. Presence of H pylori antibody (greater than 10 micrograms IgG/ml) determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). SUBJECTS: 29 men with a subsequent diagnosis of gastric cancer and 116 aged matched controls selected from over 22,000 middle aged men participating in two ongoing cohort studies (the British United Provident Association study and the Caerphilly collaborative heart disease study), who had provided blood samples during 1975-1982. RESULTS: 20 of the 29 cases (69%) and 54 of the 116 controls (47%) were positive for H pylori specific antibody. The median specific IgG concentration was significantly higher in the cases than controls (90 micrograms/ml v 3.6 micrograms/ml, p less than 0.01). The estimated odds ratio for the risk of gastric cancer in those with a history of infection with H pylori was 2.77 (95% confidence interval 1.04 to 7.97, 2p = 0.039). CONCLUSIONS: H pylori infection may be an important cause of gastric cancer; between 35% and 55% of all cases may be associated with such an infection.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Helicobacter pylori infection rates in relation to age and social class in a population of Welsh men.

The seroprevalence of IgG antibodies to Helicobacter pylori was determined using a standard enzyme linked immunosorbent assay in a population of 749 randomly selected men, aged 30-75 years, from Caerphilly, South Wales. The overall prevalence of H pylori was 56.9%, increasing sharply in middle age from 29.8% in those aged 30-34 to over 59% in those aged 45 or older (p less than 0.0001). Age standardised seroprevalence rates were lowest in combined social class categories I and II (49.2%), intermediate in categories IIIN and M (57.5%), and highest in categories IV and V (62.2%) (p = 0.01). In those aged 30-34 years, the prevalence rate for those in combined social class categories IV and V was 57.9% - double the rate for social class categories IIIM and N (28.3%) and five times the prevalence rate in those in social class categories I and II (11.1%). These differences in the infection patterns of H pylori by social class are consistent with patterns of peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Geographic association of Helicobacter pylori antibody prevalence and gastric cancer mortality in rural China.

To examine the geographic association between Helicobacter pylori infection and gastric cancer, we have assessed the prevalence of IgG antibodies to H. pylori in plasma samples taken in 1983 from 1882 men, aged 35-64 years, in 46 rural counties of the People's Republic of China. The gastric cancer mortality rates in these countries in 1973-75 varied from 3 per 1,000 (cumulative rate, 0-64 years) to 69 per 1,000, while the proportions of the population positive for H. pylori antibodies (based on an average of about 41 men per county) varied from 28% to 96%. After correction for the limited number of blood samples per county, the estimated correlation between H. pylori antibody prevalence and gastric cancer mortality was 40% (p = 0.02). No other type of cancer showed a significant association with H. pylori.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Respiratory disease mortality patterns among South African iron moulders.

To assess the influence of foundry exposure on malignant and non-malignant respiratory disease, the proportional mortality ratio (PMR) was used to compare the cause of death distributions of the 578 dead members of the Iron Moulders Society of South Africa, recipients of the union's death benefit fund between 1961 and 1983. Comparisons were made with the age and period specific white male deaths. For the 419 members where job information was available, the influence of occupation (journeyman, production moulder) was assessed using different techniques--the relative proportional mortality ratio (RPMR), the mortality odds ratio (MOR), and the proportional cancer mortality ratio (PCMR) for comparison. Excess PMRs were found for cancer of the trachea, bronchus, and lung (1.71, p = 0.03; Poisson one sided test) for those over 65 and for non-malignant respiratory disease (1.58, p = 0.01) and for injuries and poisonings (2.61, p less than 0.0001) in those under 65. Reduced PMRs were found for all cancers (0.75, p = 0.03) and all circulatory disease (0.91, p = 0.12) in those under 65. When comparing job types, raised risks were obtained for journeymen using all methods (RPMR, MOR, PCMR) but the small cell sizes rendered the results non-significant. The raised PMRs due to respiratory disease are unlikely to be due to smoking because of a poor association with other causes of death related to smoking. A more likely explanation is that these excess rates for malignant and non-malignant respiratory disease are due to exposure to the foundry environment. Of additional concern are the high PMRs due to injuries and poisonings, which could be related to the high accident rates in the iron and steel industry.

Cohort Studies↗
PubMed1988

Occupational health services in South African manufacturing industries: a pilot survey.

A pilot survey of the distribution and content of occupational health services in South African manufacturing industries was carried out in the Germiston area of the Witwatersrand using the records of the Workmens' Compensation Commissioner as a sampling frame. All establishments with 50 or more workers and a stratified random sample of smaller ones (495 in all) were contacted. The overall response rate was 56% and was positively related to work force size, the larger establishments showing higher response rates. The offering of health services, defined minimally as at least a part-time nurse or doctor employed on the premises, was reported in 11% of work places employing 52% of the work force and was also positively related to work force size. Seventeen percent of establishments had ever monitored environmental conditions, and all classes of industry in the study area fell short of government recommendations. The advantages of the study approach used here, based on a countrywide sampling frame and a mail questionnaire, include 1) the relatively modest cost; 2) the creation of an information framework to which can be added additional information obtained from other sources e.g., factory visits; and 3) the use of a database for sampling that is countrywide, regularly updated, and versatile, with the potential for extending the observations with a similar (geographic) or different focus, for instance, by industrial class or work force size.

Employment↗
PubMed1987

Respiratory questionnaires in occupational studies: their use in multilingual workforces on the Witwatersrand.

The mother tongue of the majority of black workers in the industrial workforces of the Witwatersrand is either Zulu or S Sotho/Tswana, and these are also the main languages spoken in the area. However a substantial minority cite one of several other languages as their mother tongue. In consequence, in occupational surveys using a respiratory questionnaire, the accepted practice has been to use multilingual interviewers who administer the questionnaire in whichever of the two main languages the interviewee requests, but work from an English language version. To test the reproducibility of the information so gathered, a standardized questionnaire was administered to 56 subjects on two occasions approximately three weeks apart by each of two interviewers, one of whose mother tongue was Zulu and the other S Sotho. Reproducibility was little affected by whether the interviewer used her mother tongue or not, pointing to the multilingual competence of both interviewers. Reproducibility was, however, less in subjects not interviewed in their mother tongue compared to those who were. In general, reproducibility was also less for symptom than for history questions, though the phlegm question performed comparably to that reported for more homogeneous language/ethnic groups. Thus, even if internally valid, respiratory symptom information obtained by this method may have limited generalizability. However respiratory history information appears more reliable and may prove of value in the investigation of the natural history of chronic lung disease in this and similar communities.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Some observations on a cholera outbreak at the Umvoti Mission Reserve, Natal.

Between November 1981 and January 1982 154 consecutive patients with cholera El Tor Inaba were hospitalized at Stanger Hospital, Natal. These cases were traced to 130 households in the Umvoti Mission Reserve, which were ranked according to socioeconomic condition, permanence of housing materials, ablution facilities and purity of water source. Significant associations were found between cholera incidence and both socio-economic conditions and water source; the latter two were also strongly associated. In a number of instances the outbreak did not follow the downstream flow of the rivers. Increased mobility and social gathering over the holiday season appears to have played a role in transmission. The atypical pattern of spread may also have resulted from non-water-borne, person-to-person transmission.

Cholera↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Helicobacter pylori antibodies in areas of Italy at varying gastric cancer risk.

In a survey of 930 adults aged 35-74 years randomly sampled from the general population of four areas of Italy, two at low and two at high risk for gastric cancer, plasma levels of Helicobacter pylori IgG antibodies were assayed in order to investigate associations with the geographical distribution of gastric cancer and other dietary and life-style factors, as assessed by personal interview. H. pylori positivity (antibody titer above or equal to 10 micrograms/ml), 45% overall, increased with age and was inversely associated with social class but showed little geographical variation or association with dietary variables and blood nutrients. H. pylori positivity was also associated with increased blood levels of pepsinogens, particularly pepsinogen II. The authors discuss these findings in relation to those from a previous case-control study of gastric cancer in the same areas.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Serum anti-Helicobacter pylori IgG antibodies and pepsinogens A and C as serological markers of chronic atrophic gastritis.

This study was designed to test the sensitivity and specificity of serum anti-Helicobacter pylori IgG antibodies and the ratio of serum pepsinogen A to pepsinogen C (PGA:PGC) in detecting chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) and intestinal metaplasia. Parallel gastric biopsies and a serum sample were collected from a series of 87 patients aged 20-69 years attending a routine upper endoscopy clinic. The seroprevalence (> 10 micrograms IgG/ml) of anti-H. pylori antibodies was 42.7%, and of a low PGA:PGC ratio (< 1.5) was 17.7%. A positive H. pylori IgG antibody level was more sensitive than the level of PGA:PGC in diagnosing CAG (71.4% and 25.0%, respectively), moderate CAG (86.7% and 26.7%, respectively), and intestinal metaplasia (90.9% and 50.0%, respectively). Anti-H. pylori IgG antibody levels were less specific than PGA:PGC levels in diagnosing CAG (90.9% and 93.9%, respectively), moderate CAG (78.3% and 89.1%, respectively), and intestinal metaplasia (72.6% and 92.2%, respectively). A combination of anti-H. pylori antibodies and a low PGA:PGC ratio for the detection of CAG resulted in a specificity of 100%, but the sensitivity was 21.4%.

Adult↗