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M Coates

Publications and source records attributed to M Coates.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

An assessment of the quality of life in older patients with skin disease.

BACKGROUND: There are few data regarding quality of life in older people with skin disease, particularly concerning those with skin cancer. Access to U.K. secondary care dermatological services is increasingly focusing on skin cancer, which may have a negative effect on waiting times for patients with rashes. OBJECTIVES: To assess the quality of life in patients aged 65 years and over and to determine how this relates to type and extent of skin disease. METHODS: One hundred consecutive new dermatology patient referrals aged 65 years and above had quality of life assessed by the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Illness Perception Questionnaire. Patients were examined for type and extent of skin disease. RESULTS: There were 49 men (mean age 75.1 years) and 51 women (mean age 75.0 years). Fifty-five per cent of patients had been referred with one or more lesions (76% premalignant or malignant) and 45% had rashes. There was no significant difference between the quality of life scores of men vs. women regarding all three of the questionnaires. However, patients with rashes scored significantly higher (i.e. poorer quality of life) on all but one of the questionnaire parts compared with patients with lesions. Patients with more extensive disease had significantly higher DLQI scores. CONCLUSIONS: Older people suffering from rashes had significantly poorer quality of life than patients with lesions, even those with skin cancer. The quality of life is negatively associated with extent of skin disease. Access to specialist dermatological care should take into account the suffering caused by extensive skin diseases. DLQI and a general quality of life questionnaire such as the HADS are quick to deliver and to score, particularly in the setting of a busy outpatient department. They provide an excellent screening tool for psychological problems in older people with skin disease.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Performance of constructed evaporation ponds for disposal of smelter waste water: a case study at Portland Aluminum, Victoria, Australia.

The construction of evaporative ponds and wetlands for the disposal of waste water high in ionic concentrations is a waste disposal strategy currently considered by many industries. However, the design, construction and management of these ponds and wetlands are not straightforward as complex chemical interactions result in both spatial and temporal changes in water quality. The effects of evaporation and drainage on the water quality in two constructed ponds, an adjacent man-made wetland and local groundwater at Portland Aluminium were investigated. The minimum volume of water entering the ponds during the study period was 0.96 +/- 0.16 ML per month. The predicted theoretical evaporative capacity of the two ponds was calculated to be 0.30 +/- 0.07 ML per month. More water enters the ponds than it is theoretically possible to evaporate under the ambient weather conditions at Portland, yet the ponds do not overflow, suggesting percolation through the pond lining. No spatial differences in solute concentrations (fluoride, sulphate, bicarbonate, carbonate, sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium ions) were found within the waters of either pond, although temporal differences were apparent. The results support the conclusion that the ponds are not impermeable, and that much of the waste water entering the ponds is being lost through seepage. The impacts on local groundwater chemistry of this seepage are addressed. Significant correlations exist between solute presence within and between the ponds. wetland and groundwater. Fluoride and sulphate concentrations were significantly higher in pond waters throughout the duration of the experiment. Pond sediments revealed a high degree of spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the concentration of all monitored ions resulting from the chemical heterogeneity of the material making up the pond linings. Adsorption isotherms for fluoride indicate that the adsorption capacity of the pond linings remains high for this ion. Implications for the management of waste water by this strategy are discussed.

Aluminum↗
PubMed2000

Nice snake, shame about the legs.

Snakes are one of the most extraordinary groups of terrestrial vertebrates, with numerous specializations distinguishing them from other squamates (lizards and their allies). Their musculoskeletal system allows creeping, burrowing, swimming and even gliding, and their predatory habits are aided by chemo- and thermoreceptors, an extraordinary degree of cranial kinesis and, sometimes, powerful venoms. Recent discoveries of indisputable early fossil snakes with posterior legs are generating intense debate about the evolutionary origin of these reptiles. New cladistic analyses dispute the precise significance and phylogenetic placement of these fossils. These conflicting hypotheses imply radically different scenarios of snake origins and relationships with wide biological implications.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Second primary neoplasms following non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in New South Wales, Australia.

The incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) has been increasing rapidly over the last three decades. The reasons for this trend are not known although increasing exposure to sunlight has been postulated. We used data from the New South Wales Central Cancer Registry to analyse second primary neoplasms following NHL diagnosed between 1972 and 1995, to identify possible common causal agents. A total of 12,452 patients contributed 54,308 person-years of follow-up during which time there were 705 second primary neoplasms compared to 592.99 expected (standardized incidence ratio (SIR = 1.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.10-1.28). There were excesses of melanomas of skin (SIR = 2.38, 95% CI 1.92-2.91), lip cancer (SIR = 2.74, 95% CI 1.59-4.38), tongue cancer (SIR = 2.53, 95% CI 1.09-4.99) and bladder cancer (SIR = 1.64, 95% CI 1.19-2.21). There was also over a threefold excess in soft tissue sarcomas (SIR = 3.61, 95% CI 1.80-6.45) and in thyroid cancer (SIR = 3.42, 95% CI 1.56-6.49). The SIR for myeloid leukaemia was 0.78 (95% CI 0.28-1.69). The increases in melanoma of the skin and cancer of the lip and tongue among patients with NHL strongly suggest sunlight exposure as a shared causal agent. The increase in soft tissue sarcomas might be due to shared effects of exposure to chemicals such as phenoxy acid herbicides. The increases in bladder and thyroid cancers are likely to be explained by effects of treatment for NHL. We did not find a chemotherapy related increased risk of myeloid leukaemia among NHL patients.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Nurses' knowledge of palliative care in the Australian Capital Territory.

Australia has a growing number of specialist palliative care services. As they expanded in the Australian Capital Territory, a working party was established to discuss issues associated with palliative care. One activity authorized by this committee was a survey of nurses' knowledge of palliative care. The Palliative Care Quiz for Nurses (Ross et al, 1996) was adapted with permission for this survey: 455 registered and enrolled nurses were surveyed; 247 (54%) participants returned completed questionnaires. The overall mean score for the Palliative Care Quiz was 12.4 of a possible 20; the mean scores were 13.2 for registered nurses and 10.6 for enrolled nurses. Nurses with some oncology or palliative care experience scored significantly higher than others. Nurses with more work experience as measured by working years also attained significantly higher scores. Analysis and examination of correct items suggest that nurses have acquired basic knowledge through experience. However, as other studies have suggested, there is also a lack of knowledge of complex symptoms found in palliative care patients.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1999

Cancer mortality in migrants from the British Isles and continental Europe to New South Wales, Australia, 1975-1995.

Routinely collected data for New South Wales were used to analyse cancer mortality in migrants from the British Isles, southern Europe and eastern Europe according to duration of residence in Australia. A case-control approach compared deaths from cancer at one site with deaths from all other cancers, adjusting for age, sex and calendar period. Compared with the Australia-born, migrants had a significantly lower risk of dying from cancers of the mouth/pharynx and prostate (migrants from each region), colon/rectum (from the British Isles and southern Europe) and lung (female southern European migrants), evident from the time of migration and maintained for 30 years after migration. Whereas a deficit of deaths from colorectal cancer remained in migrants from southern Europe, a clear gradient of increasing risk with duration of stay in Australia was apparent. A similar trend was seen with respect to kidney cancer in southern European migrants. Persistent excess risks of death from stomach cancer were seen in all migrant groups, from lung cancer in British migrants and from liver cancer in southern and eastern European migrants. Although the risk of death from breast cancer increased significantly with duration in Australia in southern European migrants, the increase was not monotonic, as the relative risk in the first 10 years after migration was almost the same as that after more than 30 years. The pattern of risk for cancers of the prostate and mouth/pharynx suggests some protective role for inheritance or maintained cultural factors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Risk of cancer in people with AIDS.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether the incidence of cancers other than the AIDS-defining cancers is increased in people with AIDS, and to determine if cancer incidence increases with time, a surrogate marker of declining immune function. DESIGN: Register-based retrospective cohort study in New South Wales, Australia. Age-, sex-, and period-adjusted standardized incidence ratios (SIR) were calculated for individual cancers occurring in 1980-1993 in people with AIDS registered before 1996. RESULTS: During the study period, 3616 people were registered with AIDS; 716 cases of AIDS-defining cancer and 62 cases of non-AIDS-defining cancer were identified. People with AIDS had a significantly increased incidence of Hodgkin's disease [SIR 18.3; 95% confidence interval (CI) 8.39-34.8], multiple myeloma (SIR 12.1; 95% CI 2.50-35.4), leukaemia (SIR 5.76; 95% CI 1.57-14.7), lip cancer (SIR 5.94; 95% CI 1.92-13.8) and lung cancer (SIR 3.80; 95% CI 1.39-8.29). The incidence of Hodgkin's disease increased significantly around the time of AIDS diagnosis (P = 0.008 for trend with time), suggesting an association with immunodeficiency. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides strong support for the hypothesis that Hodgkin's disease is an AIDS-associated condition. There was an increased incidence of several other forms of cancer, some of which are known to occur at increased rates in transplant recipients who have received immunosuppressive therapy. Improved survival in people with HIV infection may lead to increases in the number that develop these forms of cancer.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1999

Cancer mortality in East and Southeast Asian migrants to New South Wales, Australia, 1975-1995.

Routinely collected data for New South Wales were used to analyse cancer mortality in migrants born in East or Southeast Asia according to duration of residence in Australia. A case-control approach compared deaths from cancer at particular sites with deaths from all other cancers, adjusting for age, sex and calendar period. Compared with the Australian-born, these Asian migrants had a 30-fold higher risk of dying from nasopharyngeal cancer in the first 2 decades of residence, falling to ninefold after 30 years, and for deaths from liver cancer, a 12-fold risk in the first 2 decades, falling to threefold after 30 years. The initial lower risk from colorectal, breast or prostate cancers later converged towards the Australian-born level, the change being apparent in the third decade after migration. The relative risk of dying from lung cancer among these Asian migrants was above unity for each category of duration of stay for women, but at or below unity for men, with no trend in risk over time. An environmental or lifestyle influence for nasopharyngeal and liver cancers is suggested as well as for cancers of colon/rectum, breast and prostate.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Breast cancer five-year survival in New South Wales women, 1972 to 1991.

This study of breast cancer survival is based on analysis of five-year relative survival of 38,362 cases of invasive breast cancer in New South Wales (NSW) women, incident between 1972 and 1991, with follow-up to 1992, using data from the population-based NSW Central Cancer Registry. Survival was ascertained by matching the registry file of breast cancers against NSW death certificates from 1972 to 1992, mainly by automated probabilistic linkage. Absolute survival of cases was compared with expected survival of age- and period-matched NSW women. Proportional hazard regression analysis was used for examination of the effects on excess mortality of age, period of diagnosis and degree of spread at diagnosis. Relative survival at five years increased from 70 per cent in 1972-1976 to 77 per cent in 1987-1991. Survival improved during the 1970s and in the late 1980s. Regression analysis suggested that part of the improved survival in the late 1980s was due to lesser degree of spread at diagnosis, whereas the improved survival during the 1970s may have been due to treatment. Survival was better for those aged 40-49 years (RR = 0.86) and worse for those aged > or = 70 years (RR = 1.22) compared with the referent group (60-69 years). Excess mortality was much less for those with invasive localised disease than those with regional spread (RR = 3.1) or metastatic cancer (RR = 15.5) at diagnosis. For the most recent period (1987-1991), relative five-year survival was 90, 70 and 18 per cent, respectively, for the three degree-of-spread categories.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Second primary cancers after cancers of the colon and rectum in New South Wales, Australia, 1972-1991.

Data from the New South Wales Central Cancer Registry for the period 1972-1991 were examined to determine the risk of second primary cancers after an initial invasive cancer of the colon (ICD-9 153) or rectum (ICD-9 154). The expected numbers of cancers were obtained by assuming that subjects experienced the same cancer incidence as prevailed in the corresponding general population and by applying sex-, age-, and calendar-specific rates to the appropriate person-years at risk. The relative risk (RR) of a second primary cancer was taken to be the ratio of observed:expected numbers of second cancers. After colon cancer, there was an excess of cancers of the small intestine in both sexes (RRs of 4.5 and 4.4); prostate (RR = 1.4) and kidney (RR = 1.8) in men; and breast (RR = 1.3), body of uterus (RR = 1.9), ovary (RR = 2.8), and thyroid (RR = 2.7) in women. Lung cancer occurred less frequently in men than expected (RR = 0.7). After rectal cancer, men had increased risks of cancers of the colon (RR = 1.5) and prostate (RR = 1.3) and a reduced risk of pancreatic cancer (RR = 0.3). A reciprocal relationship of increased risk was seen between cancers of the proximal (but not the distal) colon and rectum. Shared luminal risk factors for proximal colon cancer and rectal cancer and three syndromes of hereditary predisposition to colon cancer seem to be the major contributors to second primary cancers in patients with an initial colon cancer. Sources of bias have been considered.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1996

Second primary cancers following cancers of the kidney and prostate in New South Wales (Australia), 1972-91.

Data from the New South Wales (NSW) (Australia) Central Cancer Registry for the period 1972-91 were examined to determine the risk of second primary cancers following an initial invasive cancer of the renal parenchyma (ICD-9 code 189.0), renal pelvis (code 189.1), or prostate (code 185). Eligible cases were restricted to those who had survived for at least two months after diagnosis of the first primary cancer. Expected numbers of cancers were obtained by assuming that subjects experienced the same cancer incidence as prevailed in the corresponding general population and applying gender-, age-, and calendar-specific rates to the appropriate person-years at risk. The relative risk (RR) of a second primary cancer was taken to be the ratio of observed to expected numbers of second cancers. Following prostatic cancer, there was an overall deficit of cancers at all sites combined (RR = 0.79, 95 percent confidence interval [CI] = 0.75-0.84), and no site had a significantly raised RR. Taking this into consideration, there appeared to be a reciprocal relationship of increased risk of prostatic cancer (RR = 1.7, CI = 1.2-2.3) following an initial cancer of the renal parenchyma and of renal parenchymal cancer (RR = 1.2, CI = 0.8-1.7) after cancer of the prostate. An increased risk of bladder cancer occurred following renal parenchymal (RR = 3.4, CI = 1.1-8.0, for women only) as well as after renal pelvic cancer (men: RR = 8.7, CI = 5.4-13; women: RR = 39, CI = 26-56). A tobacco-related pattern of excess risk was seen after renal pelvic cancer but not after cancer of the renal parenchyma. These data illustrate that an excess of second primary cancers may reflect shared etiologic factors or increased medical surveillance.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Cervical cancer in New South Wales women: five-year survival, 1972 to 1991.

We analysed five-year relative survival of 6992 cases of cervical cancer incident between 1972 and 1991 in New South Wales (NSW) women, using data from the population-based state Cancer Registry. Follow-up was to 1992. Survival was determined by record linkage to death certificates. Relative survival was derived from absolute survival of cases with expected survival of age- and period-matched NSW women. Proportional hazard regression analysis was used for multivariate analysis. Relative survival at five years improved from 64 per cent in 1972-1976 to 72 per cent in 1987-1991, although the only significant increase occurred between 1972-1976 and 1977-1981 (64 to 70 per cent). Survival was better for the age groups 0-39 years (RR 0.51) and 40-49 years (RR 0.63) and worse for the elderly (> or = 65 years) (RR 1.47) than for the referent group (50-64 years). Excess mortality was much less for those with localised disease (referent group), than for those with regional spread (RR 3.47) or metastatic cancer (RR 10.5) at diagnosis. For the most recent period (1987-1991), relative five-year survival for localised disease was 82 per cent, for regional spread at diagnosis it was 49 per cent, and for metastatic cancer 21 per cent. When adjusted for confounding, excess mortality was significantly higher for adenocarcinoma (RR 1.16) than for squamous cell carcinoma. Five-year relative survival for cervical cancer in NSW women for the most recent period is similar to that in South Australia, and both compare favourably with international statistics. The lack of improvement of five-year survival for cervical cancer over 15 years since 1977-1981 reinforces the importance of prevention through regular screening by cytology.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1996

Socioeconomic differentials in cancer incidence and mortality in urban New South Wales, 1987-1991.

Cancer incidence and mortality in urban residents of New South Wales (NSW), 1987 to 1991, were analyzed according to socioeconomic status (SES) for males (m) and females (f). Incidence rates displaying a negative gradient with SES at P < 0.01 included: cancers of the mouth and pharynx (m), oesophagus (m), stomach (m,f), liver (m), pancreas (m), larynx (m), lung (m,f), cervix, kidney (m,f) and all cancers combined (m). Negative mortality gradients at P < 0.01 were observed for mouth and pharynx (m), stomach (m,f), rectum (m), liver (m), larynx (m), lung (m,f) and cervix, and all cancers (m,f). Those sites for which incidence showed a positive gradient with SES included: colon (m,f), melanoma (m,f), breast (f), prostate and testis. For cancer mortality for specific sites no significant (P < 0.01) positive gradients were observed, although for melanoma (m,f) a positive gradient at P < 0.05 was found. Mortality for all cancers considered together in both sexes was significantly higher in the low SES group compared to the high SES group. This is partly because the more-fatal cancers are more common in the lower SES groups. Diet, tobacco use, reproductive factors, occupational and sun exposures are likely to be associated with the patterns observed but are not investigated in this study. Variations in health care between SES groups may also be partly responsible for some of the differences.

Female↗
PubMed1996

Influence of the gut microflora and of biliary constituents on morphological changes in the small intestine in obstructive jaundice.

Increased amounts of intestinal endotoxin are absorbed in obstructive jaundice. The precise mechanism is not known but the increased absorption may arise from alterations in the luminal contents, in the intestinal flora, in the gut wall or in interactions between all three. To examine the effects of the intestinal flora we have compared the morphological changes in the small intestine in obstructive jaundice in germ free and conventional rats while the effects of bile constituents have been examined by addition of bile constituents to the diet of bile duct ligated rats. Changes in the intestine were examined, histologically, by enzyme histochemistry, and by transmission and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed no differences in response between germ free and conventional rats. Feeding of diets containing bile salts exacerbated the lesion. Feeding of diets containing cholesterol, however, reduced the degree of intestinal changes produced by cholestasis and completely antagonised the increase in damage caused by feeding of bile salts.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Incidence of cancer among New South Wales adolescents: which classification scheme describes adolescent cancers better?

This report has the dual purpose of describing patterns of cancer incidence among adolescents in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, and comparing adult and childhood cancer classification schemes. All cases of cancer incident between 1972 and 1991 in NSW residents aged 10-19 years were obtained from the population-based NSW Central Cancer Registry and coded according to Birch and Marsden (1987) in addition to routine coding by the Ninth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases. The average incidence rate for all cancers combined was 158 and 140 per million in males and females respectively. The Birch and Marsden category of "carcinomas and other epithelial neoplasms" comprised 22% of all cancers in male adolescents and 37% in females. Melanoma alone accounted for 16% of all cancers in males and 26% in females. Rates of leukaemias and central nervous system tumours were similar in the age groups 10-14 years and 15-19 years. By contrast, lymphomas, bone tumours (males only), soft tissue (males only), "germ-cell, trophoblastic and other gonadal tumours" and "carcinomas and other epithelial neoplasms" were more common in the older age group. The Birch and Marsden classification with its emphasis on morphology provided a clearer picture of some types of cancer which occurred frequently among teenagers. Cancers common in adults did occur in older adolescents but were less well described by the childhood scheme. Cancers of colon and lung were often of unusual histological type compared to adult tumours. It would appear appropriate to use the childhood classification scheme to describe cancer incidence in adolescent age groups, perhaps with minor modification.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Second cancers occurring after cancers of the mouth and pharynx: data from three population-based registries in Australia, Scotland and Slovenia.

Data over at least 20 years from three large population-based registries in Europe and Australasia have been used to assess the risk of second primary tumours occurring after a cancer of the mouth or pharynx. These patients have previously been shown in clinical series to be at a particularly high risk of subsequent tumours, while data from cancer registries have shown conflicting results on the magnitude of the risk. In this study, patients were found to have between a 2-fold (Scotland and New South Wales) and 4-fold (Slovenia) increase in risk of a subsequent tumour over that in the population, although the actual risk in each centre was similar (between 2.8 and 3.1 per 100 person years). The risk remained for 10 years after diagnosis of the original tumour and was primarily in the upper aerodigestive tract. The most elevated risks (approximately 10-fold) were for tumours in the oral cavity and oesophagus. These data provide higher estimates of risk than previously reported from European cancer registries for second primary tumours and emphasize the need for close follow-up of patients who may represent an appropriate population in which to assess possible new chemopreventive agents.

Digestive System Neoplasms↗