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Biomedical subjects

L Sweet

Publications and source records attributed to L Sweet.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Prevalence of asthma symptoms among adults aged 20-44 years in Canada.

BACKGROUND: Reported prevalence rates of asthma vary within and between countries around the world. These differences suggest environmental factors in addition to genetic factors in the cause of the disease and may provide clues for preventive strategies. We examined the variability of asthma-related symptoms and medication use among adults in 6 sites across Canada (Vancouver, Winnipeg, Hamilton, Montreal, Halifax and Prince Edward Island) and compared our findings with those from sites that had participated in a recent European survey. METHODS: We used the same sampling strategy and standardized questionnaire as those used in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS). The 6 Canadian sites were selected to represent different environments with respect to climate, air pollution and occupational exposure. Community-based samples of 3000 to 4000 people aged 20-44 years were randomly selected in each site. Subjects were asked to complete the questionnaire by mail between March 1993 and November 1994. Prevalence rates (and 95% confidence intervals [CIs]) of asthma symptoms, self-reported asthma attacks and use of asthma medication were compared across the Canadian sites and with sites that had participated in the ECRHS. RESULTS: The overall response rate of those selected to receive the questionnaire was 86.5% (range 74.5%-92.8%). The prevalence rates of most asthma symptoms varied significantly among the Canadian sites. For instance, 21.9% (Montreal) to 30.4% (Halifax) of the men and 24.0% (Vancouver) to 35.2% (Halifax) of the women reported wheezing in the year before the survey. Depending on the site, 4.4% to 6.3% of the men and 5.2% to 9.5% of the women reported an asthma attack in the last year, and 4.0% to 6.1% of the men and 4.9% to 9.7% of the women were currently using asthma medication. Prevalence rates of symptoms, asthma attacks and medication use did not change with age, but they were higher among women than among men. Compared with the results from the ECRHS sites, those from the Canadian sites were among the highest. INTERPRETATION: Significant variation in the prevalence of asthma symptoms, asthma attacks and use of asthma medication between Canadian sites and international sites suggests environmental influences. Different combinations of factors in different sites may be responsible for the high prevalence rates and should be the subject of further research to guide clinical management and public health intervention.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Emotional and personality changes following cingulotomy.

The effects of bilateral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) lesions on emotional and personality functioning were studied. Patients undergoing cingulotomy for chronic intractable pain were assessed on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), the Profile of Mood States (POMS), cognitive tests, and pain ratings, pre- and postsurgically. Patients with intractable pain, not treated with cingulotomy, served as controls. Cingulotomy patients experienced reductions in POMS-Tension, POMS-Anger, and MMPI Scale 7 (Psychasthenia) compared with baseline and the controls. POMS-Tension was significantly correlated with attention-intention performance. The results indicate that the ACC modulates emotional experience, related to self-perceived tension, and that there is relationship between the emotional and the attentional effects of cingulotomy.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Prince Edward Island Heart Health Dissemination Research Project: establishing a sustainable community mobilization initiative.

This paper provides an overview of the Prince Edward Island Heart Health Program (PEIHHP) Dissemination Research Project. Prince Edward Island (PEI) is a small province in the Atlantic region of Canada with a population of 137,980. The Island's economy is dependent on the fishery, agriculture, and tourism industries. Although unemployment rates are high (14.4%), Prince Edward Island has the lowest poverty rate in the country at 15.2%, high levels of social support (86%), and the second lowest rate of high chronic stress (Report on the Health of Canadians, 1996, 1999).

Cardiovascular Diseases↗
PubMed2000

Occupational asthma in adults in six Canadian communities.

We examined the prevalence, population attributable risk (PAR), and clinical characteristics of occupational asthma (OA) in a randomly selected population in six communities in Canada. Our study followed the European Community Respiratory Health Survey protocol. A randomly selected population of 18,701 (87% response rate) persons from the study communities, ranging in age from 20 to 44 yr, completed an initial questionnaire, of whom 2,974 (39% response rate) attended the laboratory and completed supplementary questionnaires. Of these latter individuals, 383 had asthma. Asthma was defined as physician-diagnosed asthma, and adult-onset asthma was defined as a first attack at age 15 yr or older. We used several methods for estimating OA as follows: (1) reporting of a high-risk job (occupation and industry) for OA at the time of asthma onset (Probable OA); (2) reporting of exposure to a substance that may cause OA (Possible OA) while not in a high-risk job at the time of asthma onset; and (3) combination of the PAR for high-risk jobs and exposures. The prevalence (95% confidence interval [CI]) of Probable OA and Possible OA combined was 36.1% (31.3 to 41.0%) among subjects with adult-onset asthma. The occupations most commonly reported in association with OA were nursing in the Probable OA group and clerical and food preparation in the Possible OA group. The clinical characteristics and exposures reported by both groups were similar. The PAR for adult-onset asthma in high-risk jobs and exposures was 18.2%. The assessment of occupation and industry alone, rather than of exposures, may underestimate the contribution of occupational exposures to asthma prevalence.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Comparative evaluation of procedures with a Baxter CS-3000 cell separator for collecting peripheral blood cells from children.

The safety and efficacy of apheresis using a newly developed procedure with a small volume separation container holder (SVSCH, Baxter) for the collection of PBSC from children with cancer were retrospectively compared with our historical experience with other procedures using different equipment and the CS-3000 plus cell separator. The procedures tested included the application of (a) specialized collection protocol 4 using the combination of an SVSCH and a small volume collection chamber (SVCC) (group A: 6 collections in 4 patients), (b) standard lymphocyte collection protocol 3 with GRANULO separation (G) and A-35 collection chambers (group B: 9 collections in 5 patients), and (c) modified collection procedure 1-120 with G and SVCC (group C: 7 collections in 3 patients). Although the retrospective nature of this study and the differences in the cohorts tested prevent a reliable analysis, the percent decrease in the peripheral platelet count after collection tended to be minimum in group A (11% +/- 5% versus 23% +/- 4% [B] or 17% +/- 4% [C]). Moreover, the largest number of CD34+ cells was collected in group A (8.7 +/- 9.4 x 10(5)/100 ml processed blood) compared with groups B (5.5 +/- 7.5 x 10(5)/100 ml processed blood) and C (4.0 +/- 2.8 x 10(5)/100 ml processed blood). These data suggest that a procedure incorporating SVSCH can be safely and effectively applied to small children and enables the selective collection of PBSC with less contamination by platelets, which is useful for subsequent cell processing.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Regional and rural-urban differences in obesity in Canada. Canadian Heart Health Surveys Research Group.

OBJECTIVE: To describe regional and rural-urban differences in weight and weight loss patterns in Canadian adults. DESIGN: Population-based, cross-sectional surveys. SETTING: Nine Canadian provinces (excluding Nova Scotia) from 1986 to 1992. PARTICIPANTS: A probability sample of 27,120 men and women aged 18 to 74 years was selected using the health insurance registration files in each province. Anthropometry was performed on 18,043 participants (67%). OUTCOME MEASURES: Region of Canada (Atlantic, central, western); rural or urban residence (rural if participant resided in a community whose population was < 10,000, urban if population > or = 10,000); body mass index (BMI, kg/m2); percentage of participants trying to lose weight; reasons for trying to lose weight; level of leisure-time physical activity. RESULTS: Overall, mean BMI values in rural men (26.1 kg/m2) and women (25.3 kg/m2) were not significantly different from urban counterparts (25.7 kg/m2 and 24.8 kg/m2, respectively). Similarly, obesity (BMI > or = 27 kg/m2) was as prevalent in rural men (37%) and women (30%) as in urban participants (34% and 28%, respectively). However, a difference was observed in western Canada where 41% of rural and 34% of urban men were obese (odds ratio [OR], adjusted for age and education = 1.29; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06, 1.57), as were 35% of rural and 25% of urban women (OR, adjusted for age and education = 1.47; 95% CI 1.17, 1.84). Among men in western Canada, the rural-urban differences were greatest in the 25-64 year age group, whereas in women the differences were present at all ages. Overall, in Canada, urban men (26%) are more likely than rural men (23%) to be trying to lose weight; the reverse was true for women (39% and 42%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Considerable regional and rural-urban differences are seen in the patterns of weight and weight loss in Canada. A fuller understanding of the underlying behavioural determinants of these differences is needed. On the basis of such an understanding, effective programs to promote healthy weights for individuals and communities in these areas might be developed.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Childbirth and the illness focus.

Childbirth is essentially women's business, a natural female act being performed since the beginning of mankind. However, as Western society has evolved, so too has the management of childbirth. It is the medical profession that has gained control of providing care for childbearing women, to the detriment of many women's experiences. The societal expectations on childbearing women, the iatrogenic effects of pregnancy being treated as an illness under the medical model, and the implications for the profession of midwifery will be discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

The membrane-associated 40 KD fatty acid binding protein (Berk's protein), a putative fatty acid transporter is present in human skeletal muscle.

Muscle tissue (1.1 +/- 0.1 grams) was obtained from seven healthy individuals (3 males, 4 females) using an open incision approach before and after ingestion of either 75 grams of dextrose (N=5) or water (N=2). Purified sarcolemmal membranes from the muscle were prepared using a sucrose step gradient. A polyclonal antibody raised against the purified (99%) rat hepatocyte 40 KD membrane fatty acid binding protein (mFABP-L) was used to probe for this putative transporter in the muscle membranes using Western blot. A single band at the 40 KD MW band was identified which reacted antigenically with the protein purified from rat livers. These response of Berk's protein 60-75 minutes after dextrose ingestion (or water) was erratic and no specific trend could be identified. Our data demonstrate that the 40 KD mFABP-L originally isolated from rat liver is also present in human skeletal muscle membrane. This protein may be involved in transport of fatty acids across the membrane of skeletal muscle, however its physiological role in human fatty acid metabolism remains to be established.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Decreased DNA repair in familial Alzheimer's disease.

Alterations in the capacity of a cell to repair DNA lesions play an important role in a number of human diseases. We and others have demonstrated defective DNA repair of alkylation damage in cells from patients with Alzheimer's disease. It has been hypothesized that this defect is related to the cause of Alzheimer's disease and results in the accumulation of lesions in the central nervous system neurons. One prediction of this hypothesis is that in dominantly inherited Alzheimer's disease, the repair defect will be present in half of the offspring of affected patients long before they develop symptoms of the disease. In order to test the hypothesis that decreased DNA repair is responsible for familial Alzheimer's disease and their at-risk offspring we have studied DNA repair in these individuals after exposure of lymphoblasts to alkylating agents. Our results indicate that cell lines from affected patients repair significantly less damage in 3 h than cell lines from healthy controls. A small number of at-risk individuals were also studied and some of these had lower levels of repair, although more cell lines from individuals in this group must be studied. These findings provide further support for defective DNA repair playing a role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

DNA repair deficiency for alkylation damage in cells from Alzheimer's disease patients.

We have shown that fibroblasts, lymphocytes and lymphoblasts from patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) are deficient in the repair of DNA damage induced by the alkylating agents methylmethane sulfonate (MMS) and N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG). Unscheduled DNA synthesis and alkaline elution studies of DNA repair using human skin fibroblasts obtained from patients coming to autopsy have shown that the cells from autopsy confirmed cases of AD have lower levels of DNA repair synthesis after exposure to varying concentrations of either MMS or MNNG. Lymphoblasts derived from individuals with dominantly inherited AD have also been used to study DNA repair. Alkaline elution analysis of DNA repair after exposure to 200 uM MMS or 6 uM MNNG indicates that there is significantly less repair in the lymphoblasts from AD patients. When healthy control cell lines repaired and cell lines from AD patients were exposed to MMS or MNNG respectively significantly less repair occurred in the AD cells. After studying five at risk individuals results indicate that cell lines from two of these people have low levels of DNA repair and three lines have normal repair. These findings support the hypothesis of a DNA repair deficiency in familial AD. Monocytes from healthy control subjects and putative AD patients were analyzed for mutant frequency and DNA repair capacity. Results of unscheduled DNA synthesis experiments using monocytes from 7 healthy controls and 9 presumed AD patients indicates that there is a decreased ability of AD cells to repair MMS and MNNG induced DNA damage.

Alkylating Agents↗