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Biomedical subjects

A K Macpherson

Publications and source records attributed to A K Macpherson.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Economic disparity in bicycle helmet use by children six years after the introduction of legislation.

BACKGROUND: Studies evaluating the effectiveness of bicycle helmet legislation often focus on short term outcomes. The long term effect of helmet legislation on bicycle helmet use is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To examine bicycle helmet use by children six years after the introduction of the law, and the influence of area level family income on helmet use. METHODS: The East York (Toronto) health district (population 107,822) was divided into income areas (designated as low, mid, and high) based on census tract data from Statistics Canada. Child cyclists were observed at 111 preselected sites (schools, parks, residential streets, and major intersections) from April to October in the years 1995-1997, 1999, and 2001. The frequency of helmet use was determined by year, income area, location, and sex. Stratified analysis was used to quantify the relation between income area and helmet use, after controlling for sex and bicycling location. RESULTS: Bicycle helmet use in the study population increased from a pre-legislation level of 45% in 1995 to 68% in 1997, then decreased to 46% by 2001. Helmet use increased in all three income areas from 1995 to 1997, and remained above pre-legislation rates in high income areas (85% in 2001). In 2001, six years post-legislation, the proportion of helmeted cyclists in mid and low income areas had returned to pre-legislation levels (50% and 33%, respectively). After adjusting for sex and location, children riding in high income areas were significantly more likely to ride helmeted than children in low income areas across all years (relative risk = 3.4 (95% confidence interval, 2.7 to 4.3)). CONCLUSION: Over the long term, the effectiveness of bicycle helmet legislation varies by income area. Alternative, concurrent, or ongoing strategies may be necessary to sustain bicycle helmet use among children in mid and low income areas following legislation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Injury risk from popular childhood physical activities: results from an Australian primary school cohort.

BACKGROUND: Children engage in various physical activities that pose different injury risks. However, the lack of adequate data on exposure has meant that these risks have not been quantified or compared in young children aged 5-12 years. OBJECTIVES: To measure exposure to popular activities among Australian primary school children and to quantify the associated injury risks. METHOD: The Childhood Injury Prevention Study prospectively followed up a cohort of randomly selected Australian primary and preschool children aged 5-12 years. Time (min) engaged in various physical activities was measured using a parent-completed 7-day diary. All injuries over 12 months were reported to the study. All data on exposure and injuries were coded using the International classification of external causes of injury. Injury rates per 1000 h of exposure were calculated for the most popular activities. RESULTS: Complete diaries and data on injuries were available for 744 children. Over 12 months, 314 injuries relating to physical activity outside of school were reported. The highest injury risks per exposure time occurred for tackle-style football (2.18/1000 h), wheeled activities (1.72/1000 h) and tennis (1.19/1000 h). Overall, boys were injured more often than girls; however, the differences were non-significant or reversed for some activities including soccer, trampolining and team ball sports. CONCLUSION: Although the overall injury rate was low in this prospective cohort, the safety of some popular childhood activities can be improved so that the benefits may be enjoyed with fewer negative consequences.

Athletic Injuries↗
PubMed2004

Simulating physiology and methods for therapeutic evaluation with emphasis on hypertension.

Improvements in therapy are aimed at better diagnosis and more effective treatment. The use of computer simulation has the potential to improve therapy in both ways. Computational methods have been used extensively in diagnosis, for interpreting MRI results, CAT scans and the development of treatments in the study of biochemical structure. The present review examines how simulation may be used to play a more fundamental role in therapeutic treatment often referred to as In Silico Biology. Simulation of cells, organs and systems, such as pulmonary and cardiovascular, can be used in clinical practice to improve diagnosis. Initially these developments will probably have to be refined before being used in general practice. However, when these simulations are linked with artificial intelligence techniques containing experimental databases then very powerful tools will result. The use of simulation in the design and development of new drugs can both be cost and time effective. Again, artificial intelligence techniques are likely to play an important role in evaluating patient risk factors and unwanted side effects.

Antihypertensive Agents↗
PubMed2001

A rapid procedure for initial drug evaluation.

The overall aim of this work is to develop computer simulations to aid in the selection of proposed medicines and identify those most likely to succeed. One important feature is a systems approach to simulate both the target area with which the drug is designed to interact as well as the surrounding areas where feedback mechanisms may alter the expected effect. The simulation must be rapid if it is to be used to evaluate large numbers of potential drugs. Thus the procedure simplifies many of the known complex phenomena to provide a general framework and feedback mechanisms. An example of the use of the simulation to study a drug used to treat hypertension is given. A possible use of the technique is shown using the example of the effect of varying the drug dosage on the contraction of the arteriole muscle.

Amlodipine↗
PubMed2001

Mandatory helmet legislation and children's exposure to cycling.

BACKGROUND: Mandatory helmet legislation for cyclists is the subject of much debate. Opponents of helmet legislation suggest that making riders wear helmets will reduce ridership, thus having a negative overall impact on health. Mandatory bicycle helmet legislation for children was introduced in Ontario, Canada in October 1995. The objective of our study was to examine trends in children's cycling rates before and after helmet legislation in one health district. SETTING: Child cyclists were observed at 111 preselected sites (schools, parks, residential streets, and major intersections) in the late spring and summer of 1993-97 and in 1999, in a defined urban community. PARTICIPANTS: Trained observers counted the number of child cyclists. The number of children observed in each area was divided by the number of observation hours, resulting in the calculation of cyclists per hour. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: A general linear model, using Tukey's method, compared the mean number of cyclists per hour for each year, and for each type of site. RESULTS: Although the number of child cyclists per hour was significantly different in different years, these differences could not be attributed to legislation. In 1996, the year after legislation came into effect, average cycling levels were higher (6.84 cyclists per hour) than in 1995, the year before legislation (4.33 cyclists per hour). CONCLUSION: Contrary to the findings in Australia, the introduction of helmet legislation did not have a significant negative impact on child cycling in this community.

Bicycling↗
PubMed1999

Forecasting patient services: a 21st century vision of an academic health centre.

This article provides an overview of the development and implementation of the McGill University Health Centre model for forecasting patient services in the year 2004, and advice on how to apply the model. Critical success factors and case examples are highlighted. The insights provided will be of value to hospitals and other institutions that recognize the necessity of engaging in long-range planning and forecasting.

Academic Medical Centers↗