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Biomedical subjects

W H Sutherland

Publications and source records attributed to W H Sutherland.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Selenium and risk factors for cardiovascular disease in New Zealand.

Blood selenium (Se) concentrations and glutathione peroxidase (GSHPX) activities were measured in 118 men (39 +/- SD 15 yr) and 112 women (42 +/- 16 yr) randomly selected from the total respondents (1192) to health survey in Milton, a low soil-selenium area in Otago. GSHPx activities were marginally lower for men (11.9 +/- 3.2 units/g Hb) than for women (12.9 +/- 3.8 units/g Hb). Blood, erythrocyte and plasma selenium concentrations were about the same for both sexes and means for all subjects (61 +/- 15; 73 +/- 19; 49 +/- 12 ng Se/ml) were almost identical with a control group of Otago blood donors. No differences in blood levels could be associated with smoking, use of oral contraceptives, arthritis and/or rheumatism, or anti-hypertensive drugs. No relationship was found for the men or women between any of the parameters of selenium status and any of the parameters of risk factors for cardiovascular disease measured in the health survey: age, Quetelet's index, total skinfolds, systolic and diastolic pressure, pulse rate, plasma lipids and lipoprotein lipid concentrations. Moreover no relationship was found for the subgroups (36% group) of men and of women with plasma selenium below 45 ng Se/ml. This study indicates that if selenium is important it does not operate through the risk factors of cardiovascular disease as presently understood.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Intermittent high intensity physical training and plasma lipoprotein lipid levels in men.

Levels of plasma lipoprotein lipids and anthropometric and physical fitness measurements were followed in 12 normal men over a 16 month period including training for two marathon runs separated by one year. As judged from pulse rate at submaximal work, the physical fitness of the men increased during training for the marathons and also over the whole study. High density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels which had been raised by training for the first marathon, were at similar levels at peak training prior to the second marathon. Estimated alcohol consumption was significantly higher prior to marathon II compared to the level prior to marathon I but this did not result in increased plasma high density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. The trend towards increased low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels early in the study continued until the levels were finally significantly higher than pretraining values. It is possible that plasma high density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in the men reached personal maximum levels after training for the first marathon and were unaffected by an apparent increase in aerobic fitness achieved after training for the second marathon. This study also indicated that the effects of long term training on plasma lipids and lipoproteins may differ from those observed following shorter periods of exercise.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

A clinical assessment of fluorescence polarisation changes in lymphocytes stimulated by phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) in malignant and benign diseases.

The modified double-zone SCM technique, developed in these laboratories as an in vitro test for cancer, is based on the differential response to PHA of lymphocytes harvested from two regions of a Ficoll-Triosil gradient. Lymphocyte responses are measured by changes in intracellular fluorescein fluorescence polarisation. We report its continued clinical evaluation in patients hospitalised with malignant and non-malignant diseases, including a blind trial of 78 patients with disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, breast and lung. Overall "false' negative and "false' positive rates from 336 blood samples were 1.8 and 3.3% respectively.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

A microcomputer system for prescription, calculation, verification and recording of radiotherapy treatments.

The design of a microcomputer system for the reduction of mistakes in radiotherapy is described. The system covers prescription entry, prescription and treatment calculations, and verification and recording of the treatment set-up. A telecobalt unit was interfaced to the system and in the first 12 months 400 patients have been prescribed and 5000 treatment fields verified. The prescription is entered by the medical officer using an interactive program and this prescription provides the reference for verifying the treatment set-up. The program allows amendments to the prescription to be made easily during the treatment course. The treatment parameters verified are field size, wedge and treatment time. The system uses bar-codes for patient and field identification. A reduction in the number of mistakes has been achieved and future developments are discussed.

Computers↗
PubMed1981

Decreased and continued physical activity and plasma lipoprotein lipids in previously trained men.

Twenty-three moderately active apparently normal men aged 20-55 participated in a 4-month stamina training programme ending in a marathon run. Fourteen men decreased their training levels and 5 men continued training at the same level in the subsequent 2 months. Fasting lipoprotein lipid concentrations, anthropometric data, performance on a bicycle ergometer, reported values for alcohol consumption, smoking and weekly distance run were recorded at each phase of the study. Both groups of men showed significantly increased levels of plasma triglycerides (TG) and very low density lipoprotein triglycerides (VLDL-TG) during the detraining and continued training period. At the same time, plasma total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDC-C) and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C) increased significantly only in men who decreased their level of training. However, final mean values for plasma lipids and lipoproteins did not significantly differ between the 2 groups of men. It is concluded that levels of plasma lipids and lipoproteins, excepting VLDL-C, do not return to pretraining values during 2 months of detraining.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Physical training and adipose tissue fatty acid composition in men.

Four months physical training significantly raised the mean proportions (%) of lauric (+0.64), myristic (+0.52), stearic (+2.06) and linoleic (+1.69) acids and lowered the mean proportions of palmitic (-1.46) and oleic (-3.46) acids in adipose tissue of 20 apparently normal men aged 20-55 yr. These changes were dependent on pretraining proportions of the fatty acids. In addition, the decreases in palmitic acid and oleic acid proportions were positively correlated (rho = 0.905, P less than 0.01, tau = 0.758, P less than 0.01). The pattern of significant correlations among adipose tissue fatty acids was altered as a result of training. We suggest that preferential mobilisation of fatty acids from adipose tissue is responsible for the change in adipose tissue fatty acid composition with increased physical training. The significant increase in adipose tissue linoleic acid proportions may be linked with the reduced risk of coronary heart disease which has been previously associated with increased physical activity.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1980

The treatment of hyperlipoproteinaemia with gemfibrozil compared with placebo and clofibrate.

In a single-blind study the lipid-lowering drug gemfibrozil was compared at fixed dosage of 1600 mg daily with placebo and other drugs (mainly clofibrate) over a nine month period in 33 patients with hyperlipidaemia. Two patients were withdrawn from the study because of gastrointestinal symptoms attributable to gemfibrozil. The drug significantly lowered plasma cholesterol and triglycerides compared to the placebo. The drug also significantly lowered plasma cholesterol and triglycerides compared to the placebo. The drug also significantly lowered very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) triglycerides and raised high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels but a previously significant inverse relationship between VLDL triglyceride and HDL cholesterol on placebo disappeared with gemfibrozil treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Physical activity and plasma lipoprotein lipid concentrations in men.

Twenty-three apparently normal untrained men aged 20--55 participated in a 4-month self-regulated training programme ending in a marathon run. Fasting plasma and lipoprotein lipid concentrations, adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase activity, anthropometric data, alcohol consumption, smoking habits, weekly mileage run and performance on a bicycle ergometer were recorded before and after the training period. Training induced an increase in high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentration which was not directly related to concomitant decreases in mean very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C) concentration or mean total skinfold thickness. The degree of the changes in VLDL lipids and HDL-C levels were related to pretraining values, and changes in HDL-C and VLDL triglycerides (VLDL-TG) were also associated. Initial total skinfold thickness correlated inversely with the change in VLDL-TG levels during training. The pretaining concentration of VLDL-C was related to the corresponding value for HDL-C after training. The magnitude of exercise-induced changes in VLDL-C and HDL-C levels are more related to pre-training levels than to changes in measured exercise parameters, indices of obesity or adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase activity. However, the level of adiposity of subjects at the beginning of the study influenced the response of VLDL-TG levels to increased physical activity. The data suggest that VLDL contributes to the increase in HDL-C levels with exercise but is not the major source of the increment.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Step-rotation therapy: a technique for linear accelerators.

Rotation therapy has been accepted as a standard method of treatment for many years, but is use has been confined almost entirely to telecobalt therapy. This has been due to the difficulty in maintaining a constant output, and therefore a constant dose per degree of gantry rotation, when using a linear accelerator. This paper presents a new form of step-rotation therapy avoids this difficulty and is suitable for use with any modern linac to which remote gantry drive has been added. Apart from the advantages of smaller penumbra and shorter treating time on linear accelerator, in this technique both computation and delivery of dose is done in steps, and therefore the computed dose distribution matches the actual expected distribution. A further advantage is the ability to change the weighting at each step, which gives more control over the final distribution. Other problems which have been inherent in telecobalt rotation therapy are also avoided, such as matching treatment time and arcing time, and correcting for the discrepancies resulting from mismatch.

Particle Accelerators↗
PubMed1980

Adiposity, lipids, alcohol consumption, smoking, and gender.

Indices of obesity, plasma lipids, and lipoprotein levels, plasma cholesteryl ester fatty acid composition, reported alcohol consumption and smoking habits were measured in 88 men and 87 women, ages over 15 years, randomly selected from the total respondents (1192) to a health survey. Most indices of obesity were related to plasma triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein levels in both sexes; to very low-density lipoprotein levels in men only; and to plasma cholesteryl ester fatty acid linoleic acid proportions in women only. The correlations with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were dependent on very low-density lipoprotein triglyceride levels in men but not in women. Indices of obesity were significantly higher in nonsmoking women and reported alcohol consumption correlated with Quetelet's index (body mass index) in men. Smoking habits, but not alcohol consumption, influenced correlations between indices of obesity and plasma triglycerides and very low-density lipoprotein triglyceride levels in men. The present results showed several sex-related differences in relationships with indices of obesity. Lower very low-density lipoprotein levels, higher skinfold measurements, higher cholesteryl ester fatty acid linoleic acid proportions and lower alcohol intake in women than in men may be responsible. The data suggested that in women, altered diet composition may be linked with obesity.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

High density lipoprotein levels in children of young men with ischaemic heart disease.

This study was designed to assess HDL levels in children of young men with IHD, compared with children of asymptomatic men. Like their fathers, sons of patients with heart disease, had significantly lower HDL cholesterols than controls. This difference was independent of fasting triglycerides, obesity, diet or physical activity, and was the only "coronary risk factor" in this young age group.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase activity, plasma and lipoprotein lipids and obesity in men and women.

Lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) activity, lipid concentration, lipoprotein lipid concentrations and cholesteryl ester linoleic acid proportion were determined in the plasma of 85 subjects randomly selected from a population during a health screen survey. Mean fractional LCAT rate was significantly higher in men than in women. Molar LCAT rate correlated with low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentration in men and with nearly all lipoprotein lipid concentrations in women. Most of these relationships were dependent on plasma unesterified cholesterol (UC) concentration. Fractional LCAT rate was correlated only with HDL cholesterol concentration in women and this relation was dependent on the influence of obesity. An inverse relationship between plasma cholesteryl ester (PCE) linoleic acid proportion and molar LCAT rate in women was also explained by influences of obesity on the data. Both fractional and molar LCAT rates were positively correlated with obesity (Quetelet's Index and subscapular skinfold thickness) in women but not in men. This study showed the influence of sex on nearly all correlations involving LCAT activity in combined groups of men and women.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Cancer-specific density changes in lymphocytes after stimulation with phytohaemagglutinin.

A fluorescence polarisation technique ("S.C.M. test") for detecting responses to phytohaemagglutinin revealed that the responsive lymphocytes from patients with malignant disease had an abnormal distribution after centrifugation through lymphocyte separation medium. In a small blind series the technique accurately distinguished patients with histologically proven malignancies from those with nonmalignant disease and normal people.

Adenocarcinoma↗