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T J Mason

Publications and source records attributed to T J Mason.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Occupation and lung cancer risk among New Jersey white males.

The association of occupation with lung cancer risk was examined in a case-control study conducted in six areas of New Jersey. The study included 763 white males with incident histologically confirmed primary cancer of the trachea, bronchus, and lung and 900 general population white male controls selected from driver's license and death certificate files. Altogether, 27 employment categories had a smoking-adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 1.3 or greater; five of these with significantly high OR contributed to an occupational population attributable risk of 13%. Masons and tilesetters; janitors and cleaners; printing workers; and trucking service, warehousing, and storage workers had significantly high risks overall and for longer durations of employment. Shipbuilding workers had significantly high risk overall and for short duration of employment. Although the excess risk for all shipbuilding workers was primarily among those with reported exposure to asbestos, the risk was also high among welders, burners, sheet metal workers, and boilermakers with no reported asbestos exposure.

Asbestos↗
PubMed1987

Bladder cancer, drinking water source, and tap water consumption: a case-control study.

Data from a population-based case-control interview study of incident bladder cancer in 10 areas of the United States were used to estimate relative risks among white men (2,116 cases, 3,892 controls) and women (689 cases, 1,366 controls) according to beverage intake level and type of water source. Individual year-by-year profiles of water source and treatment were developed by linking lifetime residential information with historical water utility data from an ancillary survey. Risk of bladder cancer increased with intake level of beverages made with tap water. The odds ratio (OR) for the highest vs. lowest quintile of tap water consumption was 1.43 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.23, 1.67; chi 2 for trend = 26.3, P less than .001]. The risk gradient with intake was restricted to persons with at least a 40-year exposure to chlorinated surface water and was not found among long-term users of nonchlorinated ground water. The ORs for the highest vs. lowest quintiles of tap water intake were 1.7 and 2.0, respectively, among subjects with 40-59 and greater than or equal to 60 years' exposure. Duration of exposure to chlorinated surface water was associated with bladder cancer risk among women and nonsmokers of both sexes. Among non-smoking respondents with tap water consumption above the population median, the OR increased with exposure duration to a level of 3.1 (CI = 1.3, 7.3; chi 2 for trend = 6.3, P = .01) for greater than or equal to 60 years of residence at places served by chlorinated surface water (vs. non-chlorinated ground water users). These results extend findings of earlier epidemiologic studies and are consistent with environmental chemistry and toxicologic data demonstrating the presence of genotoxic by-products of chlorine disinfection in treated surface waters.

Chlorine↗
PubMed1986

The delineation of peptides able to mimic assembled epitopes.

Present methods allow a detailed study of the immune system's recognition of sequential epitopes. The results so far suggest that peptides homologous with these epitopes may not fulfil the early promise of synthetic vaccines. A procedure is described which now allows the study and evaluation of assembled epitopes. Using a monoclonal antibody which had been shown both to strongly neutralize foot-and-mouth disease virus, and to bind to a discontinuous epitope, peptides mimicking this epitope were determined a priori. An iterative procedure based on the progressive identification of amino acids in a random mixture of antibody-binding octapeptides was used. Strongly binding peptides consisted of the two elements W-Q-M (Trp-Gln-Met) and H-S (His-Ser) separated by a spacer. It was also shown that element W-Q-M was best composed of D-isomers, and the element H-S of L-isomers. Comparison of the sequence of these peptides with that of the immunologically important coat protein of the virus leads to the prediction that the epitope recognized by this monoclonal antibody consists of the residues occurring at positions 29-30, 54-55 and 88. Application of this general approach will answer questions about the nature of discontinuous epitopes and the stereochemical requirements for antigen-antibody interactions, as well as defining useful peptide immunogens.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1986

A priori delineation of a peptide which mimics a discontinuous antigenic determinant.

A technique was developed for identifying peptides with high affinity for a given antibody. By testing a monoclonal antibody directed against a discontinuous antigenic determinant on foot-and-mouth disease virus, peptides mimicking the determinant were identified even though the tertiary structure of the proteins comprising the virus capsid is unknown. The allowable variations in spacing and stereochemistry of the peptides shown to mimic this epitope suggest protein folding in which amino acid residues from three regions, distant from one another in the primary sequence, are brought into close proximity at this epitope. The technique has potential for identification of peptides which will bind with high affinity to receptors other than antibody molecules.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1986

The antibody response to myoglobin--I. Systematic synthesis of myoglobin peptides reveals location and substructure of species-dependent continuous antigenic determinants.

Sets of peptides representing all the possible hepta-, octa-, nona- and decapeptides of sperm whale myoglobin were synthesized. An ELISA method was used to detect the ability of antibodies, present in antisera raised against native sperm whale myoglobin, to bind to these peptides. Antisera made in two species were compared. It was found that the peptides recognized by the antibodies were a function of the species in which the antiserum was prepared and of the individual outbred member of that species. Peptides corresponding to surface epitopes of the native antigen were identified by reacting the antisera with native antigen prior to ELISA testing on peptides. More detailed analysis of one epitope revealed that, for some sera, a leucine residue which is facing inwards in the crystal structure is critical for the binding of antibody to the peptide. This suggests that binding between native antigen and antibody can require a restructuring of the native antigen.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Carotenoid intake, vegetables, and the risk of lung cancer among white men in New Jersey.

A population-based incident case-control study of lung cancer in white males was conducted during 1980-1981 in six high-risk areas in New Jersey. Interviews were completed for 763 cases and 900 controls. To assess whether dietary intake of carotenoids, preformed retinol, or total vitamin A influences the risk of lung cancer, the authors asked the respondents about the usual frequency of consumption, approximately four years earlier, of 44 food items which provide 83% of the vitamin A in the US diet and about the use of vitamin supplements. The men in the lowest quartile of carotenoid intake had a relative risk of 1.3 compared with those in the highest quartile after adjusting for smoking. No increase in risk was associated with low consumption of retinol or total vitamin A. Intake of vegetables, dark green vegetables, and dark yellow-orange vegetables showed stronger associations than did the carotenoid index; the smoking-adjusted risks of those in the lowest quartiles of consumption of these food groups reached relative risks of 1.4-1.5 compared with the risks of those in the highest quartiles. The protective effect of vegetables was limited to current and recent cigarette smokers; the smoking-adjusted relative risks for low consumers reached 1.7, 1.8, and 2.2 compared with the risks for high consumers for vegetables, dark green vegetables, and dark yellow-orange vegetables, respectively. The reduction in risk with vegetable intake was most apparent for squamous cell carcinomas, but it extended to adenocarcinomas and most other cell types when only current and recent smokers were analyzed. This protection among current and recent smokers is consistent with the model that vegetable intake prevents a late-stage event of carcinogenesis. Consumption of dark yellow-orange vegetables was consistently more predictive of reduced risk than consumption of any other food group or the total carotenoid index, possibly because of the high content of beta-carotene relative to other carotenoids in this particular food group.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Screening for bladder cancer at the Du Pont Chambers Works: initial findings.

The following data have been abstracted on all persons ever screened for bladder cancer and on all persons known to have developed bladder cancer among the Chambers Works employees, regardless of whether they had been screened: complete work histories, including dates of employment by job title and location for the duration of employment by Du Pont; medical histories, including the dates and results of every urinary cytological reading and urinary blood test, and the dates and type of every physical examination; and vital status information, including data from death certificates. For each bladder cancer case, detailed clinical histories were abstracted to provide information concerning signs or symptoms of bladder cancer, procedures performed, findings, and recommendations. Pathological information includes type, grade, stage, evidence of multicentricity, metastatic sites, and second primary sites of malignancy. Data are being edited and subjected to preliminary analysis.

2-Naphthylamine↗
PubMed1986

Motor exhaust-related occupations and bladder cancer.

The relationship between employment in occupations with potential exposure to motor exhaust and bladder cancer risk was examined based on interviews conducted with 1909 white male bladder cancer patients and 3569 population controls during the National Bladder Cancer Study, a population-based, case-control study conducted in ten areas of the United States. Our findings indicated that males usually employed as truck drivers or deliverymen have a statistically significant, 50% increase in risk of bladder cancer. Overall, a statistically significant trend in risk with increasing duration of truck driving was observed. This trend was particularly consistent for drivers first employed at least 50 years prior to diagnosis. Of these, truck drivers employed 25 years or more experienced a 120% increase in risk. Elevations in risk were also suggested for taxicab and bus drivers. These findings, coupled with experimental evidence of the mutagenicity and possible carcinogenicity of motor exhaust emission particulates, suggest a role for motor exhaust exposure in human bladder carcinogenesis.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

The relation of passive smoking to lung cancer.

To evaluate the role of passive smoking in the development of lung cancer among nonsmokers, data were pooled from three large incident case-control interview studies. Ninety-nine lung cancer cases and 736 controls never used any form of tobacco. Overall the adjusted odds ratio for lung cancer among nonsmokers ever living with a smoker was 0.8 (95% confidence interval, 0.5-1.3) rising to 1.2 among those exposed for 40 or more years. Persons living with a spouse who smoked cigarettes were at increased risk (adjusted odds ratio, 1.5; 95% confidence interval, 0.8-2.8). When adjusted for age and gender, there was a significant trend in risk with increasing amounts smoked per week by the spouse (P = 0.05) and with cumulative pack-years of exposure (P = 0.03). This effect was limited to females, especially older women whose husbands were heavy smokers. The elevated risk associated with spouse smoking was restricted to squamous and small cell carcinomas (odds ratio, 2.9; 95% confidence interval, 0.9-9.3), which provides additional evidence linking passive smoking to lung cancer.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1984

Geographic patterns of ethnic groups in the United States.

The geographic distributions of 11 major ethnic groups within the United States, based on 1960 census data, are illustrated by computer-generated state economic area maps. The Scandinavian, German, and Russian ethnic groups were similarly concentrated primarily in the North Central region, while the Irish, Polish, Other East European, and South European groups were clustered predominantly in the Northeast. Other ethnic groups had patterns which were different from either of the above. These maps correspond to the atlases of mortality from cancer and other diseases.

Demography↗
PubMed1984

Case-control study of bladder cancer in New Jersey. I. Occupational exposures in white males.

The occupational bladder cancer risk for New Jersey white males was estimated with the use of both industry-job title-based and exposure-based analyses of data from 658 incident cases and 1,258 general population controls. The overall bladder cancer risk attributable to occupational exposures was estimated as 20-22%. A wide variety of employment categories and exposures contributed to this risk. Odds ratios were significantly high for employment as garage and gas station workers and food counter workers and/or cooks and for exposure to leather, rubber, paint, printing ink, and other organic compounds. Odds ratios for textile mill workers, chemical workers, and metal workers for the a priori high-risk employment category and odds ratios for those exposed to dyes, chlorinated compounds, and rubber showed significant differences between younger and older subjects. Bladder cancer risk associated with occupational exposures was not limited to persons with initial exposures before 25 years of age. However, there was significantly decreasing risk for bladder cancer with increasing age at first exposure for chemical workers and metal workers and for the a priori high-risk materials and metals. Drivers and/or deliverymen and miscellaneous laborers had significantly increasing bladder cancer risk with increasing duration of employment.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Dietary carotene and vitamin A and risk of lung cancer among white men in New Jersey.

A population-based incident case-control study of lung cancer in white males was conducted during 1980-81 in six high-risk areas of New Jersey. Interviews were completed with 763 cases and 900 controls or with their next of kin. In order to assess whether dietary intake of carotene, preformed retinol, or total vitamin A modified the risk of lung cancer, subjects were asked about their usual frequency of consumption, several years earlier, of 44 food items, which provides 83% of the vitamin A in the American diet, and about their use of vitamin supplements. The men in the lowest quartile of carotene intake had 1.3 the risk (P-value for trend = .05) of those in the highest quartile after adjustment was made for smoking duration and intensity and education. No association was seen for retinol (P-value for trend = .11) or total vitamin A (P-value for trend = .30). The inverse association between carotene intake and lung cancer was most compelling for squamous cell carcinoma, with the smoking-and education-adjusted risk of those in the lowest quartile reaching 1.4 (P-value for trend = .03) the risk of those men in the highest quartile. Risk of lung adenocarcinoma was not related to carotene intake. The reduction in risk of squamous cell lung cancer with increasing carotene intake was noted in pipe and cigar smokers and cigarette smokers of different intensities. Among nonsmokers adenocarcinoma predominated. The inverse association between carotene and risk of squamous cell lung cancer was not especially strong or graded in response; but it was consistent and could be noted in each stratum when the subjects were divided by education, age, or mode of interview (direct vs. next of kin). The results of the other 4 case-control and 3 cohort studies that have looked at diet and risk of lung cancer are not consistent, and the question whether dietary carotene or total vitamin A reduces the risk of lung cancer is not yet resolved.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Geographic distribution of motor neuron disease and correlation with possible etiologic factors.

Average annual age-adjusted motor neuron disease (MND) mortality rates were mapped for the first time at the county level in the continental United States. Although the great majority of the rates did not differ significantly from the US average, the highest mortality rates were generally found west of the Mississippi and the lowest rates east of the Mississippi. MND mortality was associated with rural farming and socioeconomic status but not with urbanization, physician-population ratios, lead or mercury exposure, or mortality rates of five kinds of cancer.

Female↗
PubMed1983

Geographic distribution of anencephaly in the United States.

The distribution of anencephaly mortality rates was calculated by county for the continental United States. The average annual anencephaly mortality rate for all races and both sexes, based on 1968-1978 data for the population under 5 years of age, was 5.1 per 100,000 per year. The average annual anencephaly death risk for 1970-1975 was 25.4 per 100,000 live births per year. The distribution of anencephaly mortality was confirmed by comparing maps of mortality data and annual death risk for the period 1970-1975.

Anencephaly↗
PubMed1982

Genetic composition and virulence of influenza virus: differences in facets of virulence in ferrets between two pairs of recombinants with RNA segments of the same parental origin.

Facets of virulence for ferrets of 16 recombinant clones of two parent viruses A/Finland/4/74 (H3N2) and A/Okuda/57 (H2N2) were determined and viewed in relation to their genetic composition. Of the five pairs of recombinant clones with RNA segments of the same parental origin, differences in facets of virulence were detected between members of two of the pairs. One pair differed in ability to produce fever, and another pair in ability to infect the lower respiratory tract. Subsequent analyses indicated slight differences in two genes of the first pair of viruses. Of all the recombinant clones examined the three that derived their surface antigens from the attenuated parent (A/Okuda) were less virulent than the 13 which possessed the surface antigens of the virulent parent (A/Finland). The virulence of the latter clones tended to decrease as the number of RNA segments that were derived from A/Okuda increased.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Use of hair dyes and risk of bladder cancer.

The relation between use of hair dyes and risk of bladder cancer was assessed using data from a case-control study of bladder cancer. Incident cases (2982) and general population controls (5782) were interviewed. The overall estimate of relative risk of bladder cancer for users of hair dyes was 1.0 (95%) confidence interval, 0.9 to 1.2) compared to nonusers. No consistent pattern of association was detected between bladder cancer risk and various indices of timing or intensity of exposure to hair dyes. Various explanations of the lack of association are discussed.

Female↗