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Biomedical subjects

T Campbell

Publications and source records attributed to T Campbell.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Enhancing partner support to improve smoking cessation.

BACKGROUND: While many cessation programs are available to assist smokers in quitting, research suggests that partner involvement may encourage long-term abstinence. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this review was to determine if an intervention to enhance partner support helps smoking cessation when added as an adjunct to a smoking cessation program. SEARCH STRATEGY: The search was performed in: Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group specialized register (Apr 2004), Cochrane controlled trials register (Apr 2004), CDC and Prevention-Tobacco Information and Prevention Database (Jul 2000), MEDLINE (1966-Apr 2004), Cancer Lit (1966-Apr 2004), EMBASE (1974-Apr 2004), CINAHL (1966-Jul 2000), PsycInfo (1861-Apr 2004), ERIC, PsycLit, & Dissertation Abstracts (1861-Dec 1999), SSCI (1972-Apr 2004) and HealthStar (1975-Jul 2000). The search terms used were smoking (prevention, control, therapy), smoking cessation, and support (family, marriage, spouse, partner, sexual partner, buddy, friend, co-habitees, and co-worker). The search was also limited to English language. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomized controlled trials of smoking cessation interventions that compared an intervention that included a partner support component with an otherwise identical intervention and reported follow-up of 6 months or greater. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two reviewers independently identified the included studies and extracted data using a structured form. A third reviewer was consulted to aid in the resolution of discrepancies. Abstinence and biochemical assessment were the primary outcome measures and were analyzed at two post-treatment intervals: 6-9 months and >12 months. The scores of PIQ (partner interaction questionnaire) were also analyzed to assess partner support. A fixed-effects model was used to assess the summary effect of the studies. MAIN RESULTS: A total of 40 articles were identified for this review. Only eight articles (nine studies) met the inclusion criteria. The definition of partner varied among the studies. All studies included data on self reported smoking cessation rates, but there was limited biochemical validation of abstinence rates. The odds ratio for self-reported abstinence at 6-9 months was 1.08 (CI 95%, 0.81 -1.44); and at 12 months post-treatment was 1.0 (CI 95%, 0.75 - 1.34). Of the six studies that measured partner support at follow-up, only two studies reported significant increase in partner support in the intervention groups. REVIEWERS' CONCLUSIONS: In this review of the randomized controlled trials of interventions designed to enhance partner support for smokers in cessation programs, we failed to detect an increase in quit rates. Limited data from several of the trials suggest that these interventions did not increase partner support either. No conclusions can be made about the impact of partner support on smoking cessation. More systematic intervention to affect partnership significantly should be delivered if partner support were part of an existing cessation program.

Humans↗

Prevalence, disclosure and interpretations of sexual activities in a sample of Canadian college-aged blood donors.

This study assessed the prevalence, level of disclosure, and interpretations of sexual activities in a sample of 123 college-aged blood donors in Montreal, Quebec. Within six months of their donation, participants completed an anonymous questionnaire designed to assess sexual definitions, levels of disclosure to sexual partners, as well as prevalence of various blood safety behavioural risks. Responses indicated that (1) there was a lack of consensus regarding what constitutes 'sex', (2) levels of sexual disclosure varied widely, and (3) participants engaged in numerous blood safety behavioural risk activities. These results are discussed with respect to their implications for how people think about sex, particularly in the blood donation context. Suggestions to improve specific blood donor screening questions are also presented.

Adolescent↗

Enhancing partner support to improve smoking cessation.

BACKGROUND: While many cessation programs are available to assist smokers in quitting, research suggests that partner involvement may encourage long-term abstinence. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this review was to determine if an intervention to enhance partner support helps smoking cessation when added as an adjunct to a smoking cessation program. SEARCH STRATEGY: The search was performed in: Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group specialized register (Aug 2001), Cochrane controlled trials register (Apr 2000), CDC and Prevention-Tobacco Information and Prevention Database (Jul 2000), MEDLINE (1966-Jul 2000), Cancer Lit (1966-Jul 2000), EMBASE (1974-Apr 2000), CINAHL (1966-Jul 2000), PsycInfo (1861-Oct 2000), ERIC, PsycLit, & Dissertation Abstracts (1861-Dec 1999), SSCI (1972-Jul 2000) and HealthStar (1975-Jul 2000). The search terms used were smoking (prevention, control, therapy), smoking cessation, and support (family, marriage, spouse, partner, sexual partner, buddy, friend, co-habitees, and co-worker). The search was also limited to English language. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomized controlled trials of smoking cessation interventions that compared an intervention that included a partner support component with an otherwise identical intervention and reported follow-up of 6 months or greater. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two reviewers independently extracted data using a structured form. A third reviewer was consulted to aid in the resolution of discrepancies. Abstinence and biochemical assessment were the primary outcome measures and were analyzed at two post-treatment intervals: 6-9 months and >12 months. The scores of PIQ (partner interaction questionnaire) were also analyzed to assess partner support. A fixed-effects model was used to assess the summary effect of the studies. MAIN RESULTS: A total of 31 articles were identified for this review. Only eight articles (nine studies) met the inclusion criteria. The definition of partner varied among the studies. All studies included data on self reported smoking cessation rates, but there was limited biochemical validation of abstinence rates. The odds ratio for self-reported abstinence at 6-9 months was 1.08 (CI 95%, 0.81 -1.44); and at 12 months post-treatment was 1.0 (CI 95%, 0.75 - 1.34). Of the six studies that measured partner support at follow-up, only two studies reported significant increase in partner support in the intervention groups. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that interventions designed to enhance partner support for smokers in cessation programs did not increase quit rates. Limited data from several of the RCTs suggest that these interventions did not increase partner support either. No conclusions can be made about the impact of partner support on smoking cessation. More systematic intervention to affect partnership significantly should be delivered if partner support were part of an existing cessation program.

Humans↗

Sporadic--but not variant--Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is associated with polymorphisms upstream of PRNP exon 1.

Human prion diseases have inherited, sporadic, and acquired etiologies. The appearance of the novel acquired prion disease, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), and the demonstration that it is caused by the same prion strain as that causing bovine spongiform encephalopathy, has led to fears of a major human epidemic. The etiology of classical (sporadic) CJD, which has a worldwide incidence, remains obscure. A common human prion-protein-gene (PRNP) polymorphism (encoding either methionine or valine at codon 129) is a strong susceptibility factor for sporadic and acquired prion disease. However, a quantitative-trait-locus study of prion incubation periods in mice has demonstrated an important factor that is close to Prnp but is independent of its coding sequence or that of the nearby prion-like doppel gene (Prnd). We have analyzed the PRNP locus for such tightly linked susceptibility factors. Fifty-six polymorphic sites have been identified within 25 kb of the PRNP open reading frame, including sites within the PRNP promoter and the PRNP 3' untranslated region. These have been characterized in 61 Centre d'Etude du Polymorphisme Humain (CEPH) families, demonstrating extensive linkage disequilibrium around PRNP and the existence of 11 major European PRNP haplotypes. Haplotype frequencies estimated in healthy U.K. control individuals were very similar to those deduced in the CEPH families. A common haplotype was overrepresented in patients with sporadic CJD (sCJD). Through use of a log-linear modeling approach to simultaneously model Hardy-Weinberg and linkage disequilibria, a significant independent association was found between sCJD and a polymorphism upstream of PRNP exon 1 (P=.005), in addition to the strong susceptibility conferred by codon 129 (P=2x10(-8)). However, although our sample size was necessarily small, no association was found between these polymorphisms and vCJD or iatrogenic CJD, in keeping with their having distinct disease mechanisms. In addition, there was no evidence of a PRNP founder effect in the first reported geographical cluster of vCJD.

3' Untranslated Regions↗

Clinical staging of prostate cancer: reproducibility and clarification of issues.

The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system for prostate cancer adopted in 1992 is based on tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) designations. It has been widely accepted for use in local and advanced disease. The purpose of this study was to assess reproducibility of staging among observers and to help clarify staging issues. Twelve prostate cancer cases were sent to 20 physicians with special expertise in prostate cancer including eight urologists, eight radiation oncologists, and four medical oncologists. Physicians were asked to assign a stage based on the 1992 AJCC clinical staging. The most frequently reported stage assigned to each case was taken to be the consensus. Agreement was the percentage of physicians who reported that particular stage. Seventy-five percent of the physicians responded. The overall agreement for assignment of T stage was 63.9%. Differences were found by specialty for inclusion of available information in designating a T stage. The overall agreement for N stage was 73.8%. The most common designation was Nx regardless of availability of a computed tomography scan. The overall agreement for M stage was 76.6%. Without a bone scan the most common designation was Mx regardless of Gleason grade or prostate-specific antigen (PSA). A frequent comment was that PSA was more indicative of disease extent than current clinical staging. The reproducibility of the 1992 clinical AJCC staging is poor even among experts in the field. This problem arises primarily from disagreement regarding which studies are included in assigning a stage. Some of these difficulties are addressed in the 1997 revision. However, the clinical staging does not address the true biological significance of disease in many instances.

Humans↗

The effects of restraint stress on the neuropathogenesis of Theiler's virus infection: I. Acute disease.

Restraint stress was found to have a profound effect on the acute phase of Theiler's virus infection. Increased mortality rates were observed in restrained CBA mice infected with the BeAn strain of Theiler's virus. In addition, restrained mice developed higher CNS viral titers than infected/nonrestrained mice. Thymic atrophy was observed in both infected and uninfected restrained mice. Decreased microgliosis, perivascular cuffing, and astrocytosis were observed in restrained mice compared to nonrestrained infected mice at 7 days postinfection. Restraint-stressed mice also developed decreased numbers of lymphocytes and increased numbers of neutrophils in the blood. The mechanism proposed for these alterations involves stress-induced corticosterone, which causes immunosuppression, decreased trafficking of inflammatory cells in the CNS, and, consequently, increased viral replication.

Acute Disease↗

Cortisol modulates HSP90 mRNA expression in primary cultures of trout hepatocytes.

The objective of the present study was to understand the role of cortisol in the cellular stress response process in fish. Specifically, our studies addressed whether cortisol exposure modified heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) mRNA expression in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) hepatocytes maintained in primary culture. We also subjected these hepatocytes to heat shock (HS) in order to examine the role of cortisol on HS-induced HSP90 mRNA expression. A cDNA fragment of 500 bp was cloned from trout liver by reverse transcriptase- polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with primers designed from the conserved regions of chinook salmon and zebrafish HSP90 cDNAs. The PCR product showed very high homology to chinook salmon (98%), zebrafish (84%) and human (77%) HSP90. Heat shock (+6 degrees C) induced transient elevation in HSP90 mRNA in trout hepatocytes, peaking within 10-h post-HS, and remained elevated over a 24-h period. Cortisol did not modify the unstimulated expression of HSP90 mRNA, whereas the HS-induced HSP90 mRNA expression was attenuated in trout hepatocytes. Our results suggest that elevated plasma cortisol levels modulate the cellular stress response by affecting the transcription of HSP90 in fish.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Intrathecal treatment of neoplastic meningitis due to breast cancer with a slow-release formulation of cytarabine.

DepoCyte is a slow-release formulation of cytarabine designed for intrathecal administration. The goal of this multi-centre cohort study was to determine the safety and efficacy of DepoCyte for the intrathecal treatment of neoplastic meningitis due to breast cancer. DepoCyte 50 mg was injected once every 2 weeks for one month of induction therapy; responding patients were treated with an additional 3 months of consolidation therapy. All patients had metastatic breast cancer and a positive CSF cytology or neurologic findings characteristic of neoplastic meningitis. The median number of DepoCyte doses was 3, and 85% of patients completed the planned 1 month induction. Median follow up is currently 19 months. The primary endpoint was response, defined as conversion of the CSF cytology from positive to negative at all sites known to be positive, and the absence of neurologic progression at the time the cytologic conversion was documented. The response rate among the 43 evaluable patients was 28% (CI 95%: 14-41%); the intent-to-treat response rate was 21% (CI 95%: 12-34%). Median time to neurologic progression was 49 days (range 1-515(+)); median survival was 88 days (range 1-515(+)), and 1 year survival is projected to be 19%. The major adverse events were headache and arachnoiditis. When drug-related, these were largely of low grade, transient and reversible. Headache occurred on 11% of cycles; 90% were grade 1 or 2. Arachnoiditis occurred on 19% of cycles; 88% were grade 1 or 2. DepoCyte demonstrated activity in neoplastic meningitis due to breast cancer that is comparable to results reported with conventional intrathecal agents. However, this activity was achieved with one fourth as many intrathecal injections as typically required in conventional therapy. The every 2 week dose schedule is a major advantage for both patients and physicians.

Adult↗

The management of constipation in people with advanced cancer.

Constipation represents a significant problem for people with advanced cancer. It ranks in the top three most uncomfortable symptoms experienced, causing pain and anorexia that ultimately result in misery. The negative impact upon the quality of life of the patient and their carers is significant. The key to the provision of effective care lies in the informed application of the nursing process, underpinned by a sound knowledge base in relation to the management of constipation. Theoretical knowledge enables appropriate preventative interventions to be planned in collaboration with other members of the multidisciplinary team. When preventative measures are not applied or are unsuccessful, informed assessment and care planning enables appropriate interventions to be applied in order to resolve constipation. This article will discuss the causes and management of constipation. The discussion focuses on assessment, setting goals with the patient and their carers, planning appropriate nursing interventions to support medical interventions and evaluating clinical outcomes.

Cathartics↗

Evaluation of a bioadhesive device for the management of aphthous ulcers.

BACKGROUND: Aphthous ulcers are common and painful. Current treatments are palliative and focused on pain reduction. This article reports on the clinical trials of a novel, bioadhesive treatment modality. METHODS: Formulations of 2-octyl cyanoacrylate, or 2-OCA, tissue adhesive were tested in two blinded, sham-controlled studies. A total of 200 patients with a single, painful aphthous ulcer were entered. In the first study, the investigators applied the tissue adhesive to the aphthous ulcers; in the second trial, the subjects themselves applied the tissue adhesive to their ulcers. The authors evaluated the safety, pain reduction and healing times associated with the bioadhesive. RESULTS: The bioadhesives were found to be safe with no significant adverse events. The short- and long-term pain reduction achieved with an investigator-applied adhesive was significant compared with that achieved with a sham device (P = .024 and P = .036, respectively). The investigator-applied adhesive also demonstrated a significant reduction in healing time over the sham device (P = .021). In the definitive trial, in which the subjects themselves applied the tissue adhesive, pain reduction with a predicate device approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and with the bioadhesive was significantly better than with a sham application (P < .05). The active devices were not statistically different from each other (P = .37). No difference in healing time was evident between devices and the sham. CONCLUSIONS: The formulations of 2-OCA tissue adhesives tested were safe and demonstrated statistically significant pain reduction when applied by either the investigators or the subjects. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Our clinical trials indicate that these novel tissue adhesives could be used as nonprescription, over-the-counter devices to provide significant pain relief for patients suffering from aphthous ulcers.

Administration, Topical↗

Self-assessed health-related quality of life in men who have completed radiotherapy for prostate cancer: instrument validation and its relation to patient-assessed bother of symptoms.

The purpose of this study was to develop a psychometrically reliable and valid questionnaire to assess the disease-specific dimensions of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in the urinary function (UF), bowel function (BF), and sexual function (SF) domains of prostate cancer (PCa) patients treated with radiation therapy. Patients were given a six-page questionnaire using Likert-type questions assessing three HRQOL dimensions during their follow-up visits after completing radiotherapy. Scales created from an earlier study were utilized and tested for reliability and validity. In addition, we assessed the relationship between these dimensions and the degree to which a decreased HRQOL increases the degree to which patients feel bothered about their symptoms. There are two scales within each dimension: BF, Urgency and Daily Living; UF, Urgency and Weakness of Stream; SF, Interest/Satisfaction and Impotence. Internal-consistency reliability coefficients (Cronbach's alpha) for the proposed scales range from 0.48 to 0.92, and all item-scale correlations and divergence correlations validate the use of the scales, ranging from 0.49 to 0.89. The validity of these scales is also confirmed by the rising median scores with rising reported levels of patient-perceived "bother." The different dimensions have differing quantitative influences on patients. We have developed a prostate-specific HRQOL instrument that is an adequate and suitable tool for measuring HRQOL along three distinct dimensions for patients who have completed radiotherapy for PCa. Psychometric standards for reliability and validity were met for the proposed scales. Moreover, positive correlations were found between these dimensions and how bothered patients were by their symptoms, suggesting important relationships that should be followed in PCa patients after radiotherapy. Certain scales have strong influences on patient-perceived "bothersomeness" of symptoms, such as loss of control of BF, urgency of BF, urgency of urination, and level of interest/satisfaction in sex. Compared to our earlier study on patients being treated with radiotherapy for PCa, this study produced very similar results. With some modification, the same questionnaire could be used for both groups of patients. Int. J. Cancer (Radiat. Oncol. Invest.) 90, 163-172 (2000).

Adult↗

Alzheimer's disease due to an intronic presenilin-1 (PSEN1 intron 4) mutation: A clinicopathological study.

We describe 21 affected individuals from a kindred with early-onset autosomal dominant familial Alzheimer's disease caused by an intronic presenilin-1 mutation (in intron 4). Mean age at onset of symptoms was 37.4 years [95% confidence interval (CI): 36.6-38.2 years], mean age at death was 44.7 years (95% CI: 43.1-46.3 years) and mean duration of illness was 7.3 years (95% CI: 5.9-8.7 years). Myoclonus and seizures were prominent features of this pedigree. In the four cases for whom neuropsychometric data were available, verbal memory impairment preceded visual memory deficits; naming was relatively preserved until late in the disease. One of these four cases underwent serial volumetric MRI scans demonstrating in vivo brain tissue loss of 3.9% (38.9 ml, annualized rate of atrophy: 1. 7%) over 22 months of follow-up. The four individuals who had necropsies demonstrated the neuropathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. Apolipoprotein E (APOE) status was assessed in five individuals: the case with the youngest age at onset at 33 years of age was found to be homozygous epsilon4/epsilon4, > 1 SD below the mean age of onset for those of known APOE genotype (36.4 +/- 2.3 years, mean +/- SD), and > 2 SDs below the mean age of onset for the pedigree as a whole (37.4 +/- 1.7 years, mean +/- SD). APOE genotype may therefore modulate age at onset in this pedigree.

Adult↗

The management of nausea and vomiting in advanced cancer.

Nausea and vomiting represent a significant problem in patients with advanced cancer, which not only affects their quality of life but also the lives of informal carers. The application of nursing assessment tools, underpinned by a thorough knowledge regarding the physiology and aetiology of nausea and vomiting in this group of patients enables nurses to plan and provide effective interventions, in collaboration with other members of the multidisciplinary team. This article describes the physiological basis of nausea and vomiting. Epidemiological data informs the subsequent discussion, which focuses on assessment in terms of identifying the problem and its cause(s), setting goals with the patient and his/her carers, planning appropriate nursing intervention to support medical interventions and evaluating clinical outcomes. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for nausea and vomiting are discussed.

Antiemetics↗

Analysis of linked human epsilon and gamma transgenes: effect of locus control region hypersensitive sites 2 and 3 or a distal YY1 mutation on stage-specific expression patterns.

Stage-specific expression of the human beta-like globin genes is controlled by interactions between regulatory elements near the individual genes and additional elements located upstream in the Locus Control Region (LCR). Elucidation of the mechanisms that govern these interactions could suggest strategies to reactivate fetal (gamma) or embryonic (epsilon) genes in individuals with severe hemoglobinopathies. This study extends an earlier analysis of a transgenic construct, HS3epsilon gamma, testing: (A) the effect of substitution of HS2 for HS3 on stage-specific expression of the epsilon and gamma genes and, (B) the role of an evolutionarily conserved YY1 binding site in transcriptional regulation of the gamma gene. The data show that both HS3epsilon gamma and HS2epsilon gamma can individually support embryonic expression of epsilon and fetal expression of Agamma. Thus, the cis regulators of distinct expression patterns for epsilon and gamma are likely to reside near the genes, rather than in specific hypersensitive sites of the LCR. Alterations in Agamma expression patterns observed in transgenic lines carrying a construct with a mutation in a conserved YY1 binding site at -1086 indicate that this site might function to facilitate active transcription of the gamma gene in fetal life.

Animals↗