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PubMed2001

Cancer preventive effect of Morinda citrifolia (Noni).

Morinda citrifolia (Noni) has been extensively used in folk medicine by Polynesians for over 2,000 years. It has been reported to have broad therapeutic effects, including anticancer activity, in both clinical practice and laboratory animal models. The mechanism for these effects remains unknown. The hypothesis that Morinda citrifolia possesses a cancer preventive effect at the initiation stage of carcinogenesis was studied. Our preliminary data indicated that 10% Tahitian Noni Liquid Dietary Supplement or Tahitian Noni Juice (TNJ), made from Morinda citrifolia fruit by Morinda Inc, in drinking water for one week was able to prevent DMBA-DNA adduct formation. The levels of DMBA-DNA adducts were reduced by 30% in the heart, 41% in the lung, 42% in the liver, and 80% in the kidney of female SD rats. Even more dramatic results were obtained in male C57 BL-6 mice: 10% TNJ was able to reduce DMBA-DNA adduct formation by 60% in the heart, 50% in the lung, 70% in the liver, and 90% in the kidney. In order to explore the mechanism of this preventive effect, the antioxidant activity of TNJ was examined in vitro by lipid hydroperoxide (LPO) and tetrazolium nitroblue (TNB) assays. In the LPO assay, LPO oxidizes leucomethylene blue to methylene blue in the presence of hemoglobin. The resultant blue color was quantified at 660 nm spectrophotometrically. In the TNB assay, superoxide anion radicals (SAR) reduce TNB into formazan blue that was also measured by absorption at 602 nm. TNJ showed a dose-dependent inhibition of both LPO and SAR in our system. The antioxidant activity of TNJ was compared to the effects of vitamin C, grape seed powder (GSP), and pycnogenol (PYC) at the daily dose per serving level recommended by U.S.RDAs or manufacturers. The results suggest that prevention of carcinogen-DNA adduct formation and the antioxidant activity of TNJ may contribute to the cancer preventive effect of Morinda citrifolia.

9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene↗
PubMed2006

Late colonization of Easter Island.

Easter Island (Rapa Nui) provides a model of human-induced environmental degradation. A reliable chronology is central to understanding the cultural, ecological, and demographic processes involved. Radiocarbon dates for the earliest stratigraphic layers at Anakena, Easter Island, and analysis of previous radiocarbon dates imply that the island was colonized late, about 1200 A.D. Substantial ecological impacts and major cultural investments in monumental architecture and statuary thus began soon after initial settlement.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Evidence for ethnic tropism of Helicobacter pylori.

Helicobacter pylori infection in humans is linked to gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers, and gastric cancer. Peptic ulcer disease, as distinct from chronic asymptomatic infection, is strongly associated with expression of bacterial virulence markers, including a major antigen, CagA, and the vacuolating cytotoxin VacA. We have previously described significant differences in colonization rates, independent of socioeconomic status, among ethnic groups in New Zealand. To evaluate relative risks for peptic ulcer disease, we examined the frequency of two virulence markers in H. pylori strains infecting these ethnic groups. Although these markers occurred significantly more frequently in strains isolated from Polynesians than in strains from Europeans, this frequency was not reflected in the incidence of peptic ulcer disease in the two groups. DNA fingerprinting of the urease gene showed that Polynesians are more frequently infected by a group of strains which are genetically distinct from those affecting European New Zealanders. Our data suggest that separate bacterial lineages may have evolved in parallel with race-specific specialization.

Antigens, Bacterial↗
PubMed1986

Asthma education by community child health nurses.

A randomised controlled study of an educational programme for children with asthma and their families was carried out by community child health nurses. Three hundred and sixty eight children aged 2 to 14 years were enrolled in the study after admission to hospital for asthma. The intervention group was visited monthly by a nurse for six months. The subjects were assessed six months later by a postal, self administered questionnaire. European children in the intervention group were taking significantly more drugs for the treatment of asthma six months after the index admission to hospital than those in the control group (mean (SD) intake 2.7 (1.1) v 2.1 (1.0), respectively). In particular, they were using more theophylline (56.6% v 37.0%) and inhaled steroids (34.9% v 21.0%). There was no difference between the groups for parental reports of improvement, of missed schooling, and in severe attacks of asthma of not responding to the usual treatment at home. European children in the intervention group used the hospital services for severe attacks of asthma more than controls (34.2% v 10.5%). There were more re-admissions in the European intervention group in the subsequent six months after the index admission than in the control group (mean (SD) 0.51 (0.97) v 0.29 (0.65). Re-admission continued to be higher in the 12 months after the nurse had stopped visiting (0.81 (1.65) v 0.25 (0.65]. There was no difference in the duration of hospital stay between the intervention and control groups. For Polynesian children there was no difference between the groups for any outcome measures.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Ethnic difference in the prevalence of systemic lupus erythematosus.

A retrospective study of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was carried out in Auckland, New Zealand, for the years 1975 to 1980 inclusive. One hundred and fifty-one patients were found of which 106 fulfilled the American Rheumatism Association criteria. There were 15 deaths. Age-adjusted prevalence rates per 100 000 were estimated for all cases at the end of 1980 as follows: white 14.6, Polynesian 50.63, and other 19.11. There was a preponderance of females in each ethnic group, average 87% of all cases. Age-adjustment mortality rates per million patient years were: white 2.5 and Polynesians 13.0. Survival curves for both ethnic groups were similar. The prevalence rate in New Zealand Polynesian is significantly higher than in white counterparts which confirms the observation that the disease is commoner in the pigmented races.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Prevalence of temporomandibular dysfunction in a group of scuba divers.

BACKGROUND: Temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD) has been reported to be a common problem in divers, with a prevalence of up to 68%. No evidence for this is available. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of TMD in divers. METHOD: Sixty three subjects were asked to retrospectively complete a questionnaire on symptoms of TMD after diving in warm and cold water areas and in daily life. RESULTS: The prevalence of TMD was greater in female divers. The prevalence of TMD while diving was about 26%, comparable to that experienced in daily life. CONCLUSION: Improvements in mouthpiece design and lighter demand valves mean that TMD is now probably exacerbated by diving rather than caused by it.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Migration and gout: the Tokelau Island migrant study.

The prevalence and 14 year incidence of clinical gout and its precursors were investigated in the Polynesian population of Tokelauans living in the Pacific basin, non-migrant Tokelauans living in their isolated atoll homeland being compared with migrant Tokelauans living in urban New Zealand. The age standardised prevalence of gout in Tokelauan men in New Zealand was higher than that in non-migrant Tokelauan men, being 21.0 and 19.5/1000 subjects at the beginning of the study and 51.0 and 14.6/1000 at the end of study, respectively. Migrant men in New Zealand aged under 55 had higher mean serum uric acid concentrations than non-migrant men of the same age. The prevalence of gout was low in women in both environments. The age standardised relative risk of developing gout between 1968 and 1982 was 9.0 times higher in the migrant men than in the non-migrant men. Age, serum uric acid concentration, serum cholesterol concentration, and self reported alcohol consumption at entry to the study were the best set of predictors of gout in men. Preventive strategies to change body mass, diet, and patterns of alcohol use need to be developed in this population.

Adolescent↗