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Biomedical subjects

G Rose

Publications and source records attributed to G Rose.

At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources

Social class and coronary heart disease.

Over the past 40 years in England and Wales the rise in mortality from coronary heart disease has continued unabated among working-class men, whereas among professional men the rate has changed little for the past 20 years. As a result it is now 26 per cent higher in social class V compared with social class I. The difference in women is larger (+ 152%), and it has been present for at least 40 years. The social class gradient for men was confirmed in a survey of 17530 London civil servants aged between 40 and 64 (the Whitehall Study). When men in the lowest employment grade were compared with those in the top (administrative) grade, the age-adjusted prevalence rate was 53 per cent higher for angina, 77 per cent higher for ischaemic-type electrocardiographic abnormalities, and 75 per cent higher for the prevalence of electrocardiographic abnormality among men with angina. At follow-up, the seven-and-a-half year coronary mortality was 3.6 times higher in the lowest than in the top grade. This social class difference was partly explained by known coronary risk factors: men in the lower grades smoked more and exercised less, they were shorter and more overweight, and they had higher blood pressures and lower levels of glucose tolerance. Most of the difference, however, remains unexplained. It seems that there are major risk factors yet to be identified, and that these may throw light on how it is possible for members of a highly-placed social group to have a relatively low risk of coronary heart disease.

Adult↗

Coronary-heart-disease risk and impaired glucose tolerance. The Whitehall study.

In the Whitehall Study of 18,403 male civil servants aged 40--64 years, 7 1/2 year coronary-heart-disease (CHD) mortality has been examined in relation to blood-sugar concentration 2 h after a 50 g oral glucose load. CHD mortality was approximately doubled for subjects with inpaired glucose tolerance (IGT), defined as a blood-sugar above the 95th centile (greater than or equal to 96 mg/dl). There was no trend of CHD mortality with blood-sugar below the 95th centile. Within the IGT group, age, systolic blood-pressure, and ECG abnormality (Whitehall criteria) were significantly predictive of subsequent CHD mortality. These findings are relevant to discussions on the criteria for diabetes which include the definition of an IGT category with increased risk of large-vessel disease, but without the high risk of small-vessel disease as occurs in diabetes mellitus.

Adult↗

Heart disease prevention project: a randomised controlled trial in industry.

Twenty-four factories or other occupational groups, employing 18 210 men aged 40 to 59, were formed into matched pairs. One of each pair was allocated randomly to receive a five to six year programme of medical examinations and intervention to reduce the levels of the main coronary risk factors. Men at factories in the intervention group were given advice on dietary reduction of plasma cholesterol concentrations, stopping or reducing cigarette smoking, regular exercies for the sedentary and reduced energy intake for the overweight, and hypertension was treated. The programme was delivered mainly through existing occupational medical services, helped by a small central staff. Personal consultations were largely confined to men with a high risk of developing coronary heart disease. Changes in risk factors were assessed by regular standardised examinations of random samples of men. The spread of information by general propaganda proved easy, but a change in habits seemed to require personal contact. Small but significant reductions occurred, mainly in the high-risk group, but these were not sustained when pressure was relaxed.

Adult↗

Plasma lipids and mortality: a source of error.

Cause-specific mortality-rates were calculated in 17 718 men aged 40-64 years who participated in the Whitehall Study. Over a 7 1/2 year follow-up, total mortality showed a J-shaped relation to the plasma cholesterol concentration measured at entry to study. This shape resulted from a strong positive relation of plasma cholesterol with deaths from coronary heart-disease (CHD) combined with an opposite (inverse) relation between plasma cholesterol and deaths from other causes. Cancer mortality was 66% higher in the group with the lowest plasma cholesterol than in the group with the highest plasma cholesterol. Further analysis showed that this inverse association between plasma cholesterol and non-CHD deaths was confined to the first 2 years of follow-up; beyond this time total mortality and cholesterol level were evenly and positively correlated. Analysis of data from the Framingham study revealed the same phenomenon, which is presumed to result from the metabolic consequences of cancer which was present but unsuspected at the time of examination.

Adult↗

Lung function and symptoms of cigarette smokers related to tar yield and number of cigarettes smoked.

In a survey of over 18 000 male civil-servants, tar yield and number of cigarettes smoked daily were related to lung function and respiratory symptoms. Both phlegm production and airflow obstruction among smokers increased with daily cigarette consumption. Tar yield influenced phlegm production but not the degree of airflow obstruction. However, those smoking more than twenty cigarettes per day lost most of the advantage of smoking low-tar cigarettes since their phlegm production was the same as that of high-tar cigarette smokers. Ex-smokers had better lung function than current smokers with comparable total cigarette consumption; the difference between ex-smokers and current smokers was not related to the length of time that ex-smokers had abstained from smoking. Despite a reduction in phlegm production a change to low-tar cigarettes, may only be associated with an improvement in lung function if dialy cigarette consumption is also reduced. After stopping smoking there may be an initial improvement in lung function but ex-smokers never fully restore their lung function, no matter how long they have abstained from smoking. Although lower tar yield may reduce phlegm production and the risk of cancer, the development of airways obstruction may not be related to the tar content of cigarettes. Rather, the gaseous phase of tobacco smoke may contain the irritant agents leading to airways obstruction.

Adult↗

[Steroid transforming enzymes in microorganisms. XIII. Relationship between steroid structure and induction of 4-ene-3-oxosteroid: (acceptor)-1-ene-oxidoreductase in Nocardia opaca].

The induction of the 4-ene-3-oxosteroid: (acceptor)-1-ene-oxidoreductase in Nocardia opaca has been shown to be dependent on both hydrophilic and hydrophobic structural features of the steroid molecule, i.g. the nature of the oxygen function in positions 11 and 20 and the presence of the methyl group in position 10 influence the induction of the enzyme drastically. In this connection the metabolism of the steroid inductors being degradated during the induction process has been considered.

Enzyme Induction↗

Palmitoyl coenzyme A synthetase activation by uncomplexed ATP.

Uncomplexed ATP, ADP, alpha, beta-methylene ATP and adenosinetetraphosphate were shown to activate long chain fatty acyl-coenzyme A synthetase. The presence of uncomplexed nucleotides was shown: (1) to induce the palmitoyl-AMP-dependent palmitoyl-coenzyme A formation, (2) to activate the MgATP-dependent overall reaction and (3) to stabilize the synthetase against ageing denaturation. In all three cases the observed nucleotide activation was shown to be eliminated upon metal chelation.

Adenine Nucleotides↗

Proliferative and migratory activity of glial cells in the partially deafferented hippocampus.

The proliferative response of the glial cell population of the adult rat hippocampus deafferented by unilateral lesion of the entorhinal cortex was studied using 3H-thymidine autoradiography. Two experimental paradigms were used, involving: (1) intraventricular 3H-thymidine injection at a number of post-lesion intervals with sacrifice six hours later and (2) intraventricular injection at 30 hours post-lesion with sacrifice at 6, 96, or 192 hours later. The first increase in the number of labeled glial cells was obtained at 20 hours post-lesion and was confined to areas of degenerating axons. By 30 hours a large and uniformly dense proliferative response was observed throughout the ipsilateral, and medial aspects of the contralateral, hippocampus encompassing both deafferented and intact regions. Cell division continued through 50 and 65 hours post-lesion particularly in directly deafferented regions, but diminished to control levels by 80 hours. Although oligodendroglia and astrocyte-like cells were sometimes found to have incorporated the label the most common proliferative element within the hippocampus corresponded to previous light microscopic descriptions of "microglial" cells. The experiments using thymidine injection given at the peak proliferative period followed by survival periods of varying lengths indicated that a progressive redistribution of labeled nuclei occurred resulting in an accumulation of labeled cells in the zones of deafferentation. Multiple division of cells within these areas as well as the migration of nuclei from non-deafferented regions was found to contribute to this effect. The possible involvement of glial proliferation with other morphological effects of deafferentation, including the sprouting response of intact afferents, is discussed.

Animals↗

A microdrive for use with glass or metal microelectrodes in recording from freely-moving rats.

A new subminiature microdrive assembly is described for electrophysiological recording from behaving rats. This very small, lightweight system allows excellent precision in electrode placement and can maintain stable recordings over extended periods. Since the electrode is nonrotating, tissue damage is minimized. Either metal or glass microelectrodes may be used with the system, offering the possibility of iontophoresis for cell marking or neuropharmacological manipulations.

Animals↗

[Steroid-transforming enzymes from microorganisms. XII. Induction characteristics of the 4-en-3-oxosteroid: (acceptor)-1-en-oxidoreductase in Nocardia opaca].

17 alpha-Methyltestosterone and the corresponding 1(2)-dehydrocompound (Dianabol) are efficient inducers of the 4-en-3-oxosteroid: (acceptor)-1-en-oxidoreductase from Nocardia opaca. After a lag period of 4 hours the enzyme activity increases rapidly. During the induction the steroids are completely metabolized causing a drastical drop of specific enzyme activity. Using a fixed induction time the optimal steroid concentration and the temperature characteristic were found out. The influence of the concentration of the steroid water suspension on the induction effect is discussed to be dependent on the velocity of the dissolving of the steroid particles. Chloramphenicol and streptomycin are powerful inhibitors of the induction process.

Chloramphenicol↗