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Biomedical subjects

P Cole

Publications and source records attributed to P Cole.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Declining mortality rates for cancer of the rectum in the United States: 1940-1985.

BACKGROUND AND METHODS: Age-standardized and age-specific mortality rates for cancer of the rectum and cancer of the colon were calculated according to race and gender for 1940-1985; age-standardized rates were calculated according to geographic region for 1950-1980. RESULTS: Mortality rates for cancer of the rectum decreased among white and black people of each gender, in most age categories and all regions of the country. Concurrent with this decline, mortality rates for cancer of the colon increased among all race-gender groups except white females, among whom it decreased. CONCLUSIONS: The decline in mortality rates for cancer of the rectum has been largely unappreciated. When deaths occurring from 1940 to 1985 from cancer of the rectum are combined with those from cancer of the colon, mortality rates are increased. However, this combination of sites obscures the divergent trends, which suggest that these cancers have causes that are at least somewhat different.

Black or African American↗
PubMed1992

Nasal and oral airflow resistors. Site, function, and assessment.

Major respiratory resistors situated at the nasal and oral portals are described, and the part they play in disrupting laminar flow of inspiratory air and facilitating the mucosal contact and mixing essential for effective cleansing, warming, and humidification is discussed. The resistors also determine the distribution of oronasal airflow. The contribution of structural and mucovascular elements to nasal airflow resistance is examined and the place of history, rhinoscopy, and rhinomanometry in clinical assessment of nasal patency and its variation in health and with age, race, and disease, is discussed.

Airway Resistance↗
PubMed1992

A follow-up study of agricultural chemical production workers.

This retrospective follow-up study evaluated the mortality experience of 4,323 men employed at a plant in Alabama (AL) that manufactures agricultural and other chemicals. On average, there were 18 years of follow-up per subject during the study period of 1951 to 1987. The observed numbers of deaths among cohort members were compared with the numbers expected on the basis of United States (US) and AL general population mortality rates. The all causes standardized mortality ratio (SMR), computed using US rates as the referent, was 97 (233 observed/240 expected deaths) for whites and 68 (47/69) for blacks. White subjects had more than expected deaths from buccal cavity and pharynx (BCP) cancer [SMR = 388; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 125-905] and from esophageal cancer (SMR = 417; 112-1,067). Their lung cancer mortality rate was 50% higher than the rate of US white men and 14% higher than the rate of AL white men. Each of these three cancers has strong nonoccupational determinants, the roles of which were not assessed and which may have been responsible in whole or in part for the observed increases. The excesses of lung and esophageal cancer were concentrated among short-term employees, an observation which also argues against a causal link with occupational factors. Black men experienced no increased mortality from BCP, esophageal or lung cancer, but results for blacks were imprecise. For white and black subjects combined, there were 3 observed versus 0.62 expected deaths due to soft tissue sarcoma (p = 0.05). The job histories of subjects with this type of cancer did not suggest any shared occupational exposure.

Black or African American↗
PubMed1992

A case-control study of lung cancer at a dye and resin manufacturing plant.

This case-control study evaluated the relationship between lung cancer and occupational factors among employees at a dye and resin manufacturing plant. The study included 51 lung cancer cases and 102 controls who were members of a cohort of workers investigated in a previous retrospective follow-up study. Information on area of employment and on potential exposure to certain chemicals was obtained from plant personnel and medical records and from interviews with long-term employees. Information on potential confounders, including cigarette smoking, was obtained by interviewing study subjects or their next-of-kin. The odds ratio (OR) for heavy smokers compared with light or nonsmokers was 5.9 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.4-15). An elevated OR for lung cancer was observed for subjects who worked in the anthraquinone dye and epichlorohydrin manufacturing area of the plant (OR = 2.4; 95% CI = 1.1-5.2) and for employees who were seen at the plant infirmary for acute exposure to chlorine (OR, adjusted for smoking = 27; 95% CI = 3.5-205). Pipefitters employed at the plant for five or more years also had an elevated OR (3.3; 95% CI = 0.8-14).

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Possible association of the extended MHC haplotype B44-SC30-DR4 with autism.

We previously reported that the complement C4B null allele appears to be associated with infantile autism. Since the C4B null allele is known to be part of the extended or ancestral haplotype [B44-SC30-DR4], we investigated the incidence of [B44-SC30-DR4] in 21 autistic children and their parents. This extended haplotype was increased by almost six-fold in the autistic subjects as compared with healthy controls. Moreover, the total number of extended haplotypes expressed on chromosomes of autistic subjects was significantly increased as compared with those expressed on chromosomes of healthy subjects. We conclude that a gene related to, or included in, the extended major histocompatibility complex may be associated with autism.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Oral folic acid supplementation for cervical dysplasia: a clinical intervention trial.

OBJECTIVE: We attempted to evaluate the effect of oral folic acid supplementation on the course of cervical dysplasia. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 235 subjects with grade 1 or 2 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia were randomly assigned to receive either 10 mg of folic acid or a placebo daily for 6 months. Clinical status, human papillomavirus type 16 infection, and blood folate levels were monitored at 2-month intervals. Outcome data were subjected to chi 2 analysis. RESULTS: The prevalence of human papillomavirus type 16 infection initially was 16% among subjects in the upper tertile of red blood cell folate versus 37% in the lower tertile (trend p = 0.035). After 6 months no significant differences were observed between supplemented and unsupplemented subjects regarding dysplasia status, biopsy results, or prevalence of human papillomavirus type 16 infection. CONCLUSION: Folate deficiency may be involved as a cocarcinogen during the initiation of cervical dysplasia, but folic acid supplements do not alter the course of established disease.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1992

Interaction of Haemophilus influenzae with mucus, cilia, and respiratory epithelium.

One nontypeable laboratory strain and five nontypeable clinical isolates of Haemophilus influenzae from sputum were investigated. Bacteria replicated from 10(4) to 10(8) cfu/ml over 24 h in an organ culture of human respiratory mucosa with only the intact mucosal surface exposed. By transmission electron microscopy, bacteria were not seen in association with normal respiratory epithelium, even after incubation for 24 h. H. influenzae infection caused patchy and occasionally confluent damage to epithelium, and the bacteria associated only with structurally damaged cells. Scanning electron microscopy revealed increased mucus, and slowed ciliary beat frequency was measured by photometry. Fimbriation of H. influenzae increased buccal cell adherence but did not facilitate association with normal or damaged respiratory epithelium or increase epithelial damage, indicating that adhesins other than fimbriae are present. Interactions with mucus, cilia, and epithelium are likely to be important in the pathogenesis of H. influenzae respiratory infections.

Cilia↗
PubMed1992

Dietary trace elements and esophageal cancer mortality in Shanxi, China.

To explore the relation between esophageal cancer and dietary trace elements in humans, we estimated the average daily intake of zinc, copper, iron, selenium, molybdenum, silicon, cadmium, and nickel in 21 Chinese communes, where the annual mortality rate from esophageal cancer among the population 30 years of age and over ranged from 0 to 495/100,000 person-years. We also estimated the relative level of calcium consumption. Zinc and copper intake were inversely related to esophageal cancer mortality, and calcium intake levels was positively related to esophageal cancer mortality. The predicted esophageal cancer mortality among a vegetarian population with a high level of dietary calcium and a low level of dietary zinc was 5.3 times as high as that in a vegetarian population with a low level of dietary calcium and a high level of dietary zinc. The influence of a high level of dietary calcium in a vegetarian population may be explained by a reduction in the absorption of dietary zinc.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Evaluation of three nutritional assessment methods in a group of women.

We conducted a reproducibility study of four 24-hour dietary recalls (N = 224) and four biochemical assessments of nutritional status (N = 265) in a group of women in Alabama. For 24-hour recalls, the variance component ratios were all greater than 1, and the intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.16 to 0.27 for macronutrients, and from 0.09 to 0.37 for vitamins and minerals. The intraclass correlation coefficients for biochemical assessments ranged between 0.39 and 0.74 with corresponding variance component ratios of 1 or below for most nutrients. The correlation coefficients between the food frequency questionnaire on the usual dietary intake during the year preceding the beginning of study and the mean values of four 24-hour dietary recalls administered at the initial visit and again after 2, 4, and 6 months ranged from 0.3 to 0.4 for most nutrients. We found plasma beta-carotene levels to be moderately correlated with dietary vitamin A (r = 0.20) and beta-carotene (r = 0.22).

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Bombesin stimulates human nasal mucous and serous cell secretion in vivo.

Bombesin, gastrin-related peptide (GRP), and related peptides sharing the common carboxyterminal sequence stimulate lactoferrin (serous cell marker) and glycoconjugate (mucous cell and goblet cell marker) release from human nasal mucosal explants in vitro. In vivo, GRP released from trigeminal sensory nerves may act upon GRP-bombesin binding sites on respiratory epithelial cells and submucosal glands. To determine whether GRP-bombesin can stimulate nasal secretion in vivo, bombesin was administered to eight normal subjects by unilateral, topical administration. Secretions from both nostrils were collected for measurement of total protein, lysozyme, hexose-containing glycoconjugates, and albumin (marker of vascular permeability). Baseline secretions contained 72.0 +/- 17.3 micrograms/ml of total protein, 14 +/- 2 micrograms/ml of lysozyme, 113 +/- 44 micrograms/ml of hexose-containing glycoconjugates, and 7.8 +/- 3.4 micrograms/ml of albumin. Hexose-containing glycoconjugate secretion was significantly increased after 1 nmol (385 +/- 63 micrograms/ml, P less than 0.001 by analysis of variance), 10, 100, and 1,000 nmol of bombesin, but the secretion was not dose dependent. Significant lysozyme (24 +/- 3 micrograms/ml, P less than 0.05) and total protein (155 +/- 23 micrograms/ml, P less than 0.01) secretion occurred after 1,000 nmol. No statistically significant changes in albumin secretion occurred at any dose. Saline had no significant effects on secretion. Therefore, bombesin stimulated secretion from submucosal glands and possibly epithelial cells in the human nose without affecting vascular permeability.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Release of mucus glycoconjugates by Pseudomonas aeruginosa rhamnolipid into feline trachea in vivo and human bronchus in vitro.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonizes the lower respiratory tracts of patients with severe bronchiectasis, including cystic fibrosis, a condition associated with increased airway mucus output. We have shown that an extract containing chloroform-soluble extracellular products of P. aeruginosa releases glycoconjugates into the cat trachea in vivo. This activity was not related to pyocyanin, a major component of the extract, but was associated with the rhamnolipids. Purified monorhamnolipid (100 micrograms/ml) released radiolabeled and periodic acid-Schiff (PAS)-reactive glycoconjugates (delta 3H = +490 +/- 70%, delta 35S = +170 +/- 40%, delta PAS = +8.6 +/- 1.7 micrograms/min; n = 6, P less than 0.02 for each). Dirhamnolipid (200 micrograms/ml) was also effective (delta 3H = +640 +/- 70%, delta 35S = +130 +/- 20%, delta PAS = +9.3 +/- 1.5 micrograms/min; n = 6, P less than 0.02 for each). Monorhamnolipid (100 micrograms/ml) also released 35S-labeled and PAS-reactive glycoconjugates from human bronchial tissue in vitro (delta 35S = +189 +/- 47%, delta PAS = +26.3 +/- 8.5 micrograms/min; n = 7, P less than 0.001 versus control tissues in which no stimulus was given). The cat tracheal glycoconjugates released by the rhamnolipids differed from those released by pilocarpine 50 microM, in having a higher 3H:35S ratio (P less than 0.001). After gel chromatography on a Sepharose CL-4B column, the void volume fractions of the glycoconjugates also had different profiles in a cesium chloride density gradient. Those released by rhamnolipid banded at 1.62 g/ml, while those released by pilocarpine banded mainly at 1.50 g/ml, with some of the higher density material also present.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Nasal airway dilation and obstructed breathing in sleep.

Nasal respiratory airflow resistances of awake snorers averaged 0.188 +/- 0.165 Pa/cm3/s (N = 306) and were not elevated beyond the normal range (less than 0.25 Pa/cm3/s). Resistances were decreased substantially from a mean of 0.164 +/- 0.128 to 0.065 +/- 0.037 Pa/cm3/s (N = 72) by a nasal vestibular dilator (Nozovent). Effects of the dilator on breathing disorders in sleep were determined by polysomnographic recordings that included frequency, duration and intensity of snoring, apneas, hypopneas, and oxygen saturation in 10 heavy snorers while asleep with and without the dilator in situ over periods of several hours. No significant changes were detected in these parameters in any stage of sleep.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

The effect of unilateral and bilateral nasal obstruction on snoring and sleep apnea.

The purpose of this study was to compare apnea and snoring in patients with different patterns of nasal resistance: normal, high unilateral, and high bilateral. The authors examined 683 unselected patients referred for evaluation of snoring and possible sleep apnea. All patients had determination of nasal resistance (performed during wakefulness in the seated posture) and nocturnal polysomnography including quantitative measurement of snoring. Analysis of variance showed no significant difference in apnea and snoring indices among the three nasal resistance groups (normal, high unilateral, and high bilateral). Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the frequency of patients with different severity of apnea and snoring among the three groups. It is concluded that 1. unilateral and bilateral elevation of nasal resistance may lead to equally severe snoring or apnea; 2. there is no direct relationship between awake seated nasal resistance measurement and sleep disordered breathing; and 3. measurements of supine nasal resistance during sleep may be required to elucidate the relationship between sleep-disordered breathing and nasal obstruction.

Airway Resistance↗
PubMed1991

Identification of risk factors for diethylstilbestrol-associated clear cell adenocarcinoma of the vagina: similarities to endometrial cancer.

This epidemiologic case-control study describes risk factors for clear cell adenocarcinoma of the vagina among 106 cases and 447 controls with in utero exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES). Controlling for age, socioeconomic status, and time during gestation of initial DES exposure, the authors found a significantly increased risk of this cancer in women who were taller or more obese then their contemporaries at age 14-15 years. The relative risk of this cancer for women in the highest tertile for height compared with those in the lowest tertile was 2.5 (95% confidence interval 1.23-4.90). The relative risk from a similar comparison of body mass was 2.8 (95% confidence interval 1.20-6.53). Trend tests indicated that both factors had significant dose-response relations with risk of vaginal clear cell adenocarcinoma. These findings are particularly interesting since height and body mass are risk factors for endometrial cancer. DES-positive cases interviewed more than 10 years after diagnosis were also significantly thinner than cases interviewed less than 7 years after diagnosis (p = 0.01), providing the first evidence that adolescent adiposity level is associated with survival times for women with this disease.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1991

Effects of subsequent pregnancy on left ventricular function in peripartum cardiomyopathy.

Pregnancy has been discouraged in patients with peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) to avoid the risk of precipitating recurrent or progressive left ventricular dysfunction. We assessed left ventricular size and contractile function using echocardiography in four PPCM patients prior to pregnancy, during the third trimester, and a mean of 6 weeks postpartum. Left ventricular mean diameters at end diastole and at end systole prior to pregnancy (5.2 +/- 0.3 and 3.0 +/- 0.2 cm, respectively) did not change during pregnancy (5.2 +/- 0.3 and 3.1 +/- 0.2 cm). Similarly, left ventricular fractional shortening did not alter significantly during pregnancy or postpartum. Furthermore, no patient developed any symptoms or signs of left ventricular failure. All patients had normal babies, including one who had twins. We conclude that PPCM patients whose left ventricular function returns to normal may undertake further pregnancy with a normal fetal outcome and a low risk of recurrent left ventricular dysfunction.

Adult↗