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Biomedical subjects

A P Hawkes

Publications and source records attributed to A P Hawkes.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Indoor use of concrete saws and other gas-powered equipment. Analysis of reported carbon monoxide poisoning cases in Colorado.

Poisoning due to "non-automobile" gas-powered engines accounts for the largest proportion of occupational carbon monoxide (CO) poisonings in Colorado workers. The present analysis was undertaken to characterize the problem and develop prevention strategies. Cases of occupational CO poisoning were identified from Colorado's population-based surveillance system for unintentional CO poisonings. For cases poisoned by "non-automobile" gas-powered engines, medical records were obtained. Results showed that almost all of the poisonings from these engines occurred indoors or in an enclosed space. Concrete saws were the most frequent source of poisoning. When compared with operators of other equipment, concrete saw operators had shorter durations of exposure to CO but generally experienced more severe symptoms and signs of poisoning. These results underscore the hazard associated with the indoor use of any gas-powered equipment; however, operators of concrete saws may receive a higher dose of CO.

Air Pollution, Indoor↗
PubMed1997

DNA fingerprinting with two probes decreases clustering of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

DNA fingerprinting of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is used to study the epidemiology of tuberculosis, but the specificity of the widely used IS6110 technique has not been validated. Isolates from Denver, Colorado from December 1988 through June 1994 were fingerprinted with the IS6110 technique. Available records were reviewed for patients whose isolates were within IS6110-defined clusters, and these isolates were fingerprinted with an independent technique (pTBN12). Of 189 isolates, 86 (46%) were in IS6110-defined clusters. Clustering was inversely related to the number of copies of IS6110, ranging from 12 of 12 (100%) to 37 of 48 (77%) and 37 of 129 (29%) for isolates having one, two to five, and more than five copies (p < 0.001). Of the 86 isolates clustered with the IS6110 technique, 35 (41%) had unique pTBN12 fingerprints. Discordant results with the two fingerprinting techniques were more common among isolates having five or fewer copies of IS6110. Epidemiologic links were identified among four of 35 (11%) patients whose isolates had discordant fingerprinting results, as compared with 40 of 51 (78%) of those whose isolates matched by both IS6110 and pTBN12. DNA fingerprinting with the IS6110 technique was not a specific marker of DNA clonality, particularly among isolates having fewer than five copies of IS6110. The use of a supplemental DNA fingerprinting technique decreased clustering and improved the correlation between the transmission links predicted by molecular techniques and epidemiologic investigation.

Cluster Analysis↗
PubMed1997

Assessing agreement between two job-exposure matrices.

OBJECTIVES: This study was undertaken to compare the operating characteristics of the Hoar et al job-exposure matrix and the job-exposure matrix of the National Occupational Hazard Survey (NOHS) of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in the United States. Both matrices were applied to occupations in the metal, paper and wood, and chemical, drug and paints industries, and the extent of agreement between the two was estimated. METHODS: The agents (exposure entities) selected for the comparison were common to both matrices; altogether 214 agents were included. For the comparison of occupations, the occupational codes of the Hoar et al matrix were converted to those of the NOHS-based matrix. For every occupational group analyzed, each of the 214 exposure entities was classified as to its "presence" or "absence", and a kappa statistic (kappa) was calculated. RESULTS: The kappa(i) ranged from 0.27 to -0.12. In general, most of the agreement between the 2 matrices occurred because they agreed as to the absence of exposure for the exposure entities. Variation in agreement was observed for both the individual exposure entities and for chemical families. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate poor to only fair agreement between the 2 job-exposure matrices, and they underscore the importance of understanding the rules for classifying exposures when any such matrix is used. Investigators also need to be aware of the methods and limitations of the occupational coding systems.

Environmental Monitoring↗