Biomedical subjects

Anthony Staines

Publications and source records attributed to Anthony Staines.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Family history of hematopoietic malignancies and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL): a pooled analysis of 10 211 cases and 11 905 controls from the International Lymphoma Epidemiology Consortium (InterLymph).

A role for genetic susceptibility in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is supported by the accumulating evidence of common genetic variations altering NHL risk. However, the pattern of NHL heritability remains poorly understood. We conducted a pooled analysis of 10 211 NHL cases and 11 905 controls from the International Lymphoma Epidemiology Consortium (InterLymph) to evaluate NHL risk among those with hematopoietic malignancies in first-degree relatives. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of NHL and its subtypes were estimated from unconditional logistic regression models with adjustment for confounders. NHL risk was elevated for individuals who reported first-degree relatives with NHL (OR = 1.5; 95% CI = 1.2-1.9), Hodgkin lymphoma (OR = 1.6; 95% CI = 1.1-2.3), and leukemia (OR = 1.4; 95% CI = 1.2-2.7). Risk was highest among individuals who reported a brother with NHL (OR = 2.8; 95% CI = 1.6-4.8) and was consistent for all NHL subtypes evaluated. If a first-degree relative had Hodgkin lymphoma, NHL risk was highest if the relative was a parent (OR = 1.7; 95% CI = 1.0-2.9). If a first-degree relative had leukemia, NHL risk was highest among women who reported a sister with leukemia (OR = 3.0; 95% CI = 1.6-5.6). The pattern of NHL heritability appeared to be uniform across NHL subtypes, but risk patterns differed by specific hematopoietic malignancies and the sex of the relative, revealing critical clues to disease etiology.

Case-Control Studies↗

PubMed2006

Hepatitis C and risk of lymphoma: results of the European multicenter case-control study EPILYMPH.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Increasing evidence points toward a role of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in the etiology of malignant lymphomas. However, previous epidemiologic studies were limited in size to establish an association between HCV infection and specific lymphoma subtypes. We performed a large, multicenter, case-control study to address this question. METHODS: The study comprised 5 European countries and included newly diagnosed cases of any lymphoid malignancy recruited between 1998 and 2004. Controls were matched to cases by 5-year age group, sex, and study center. In-person interviews were conducted to collect data on demographic, medical, and family history as well as environmental exposures. Serum samples of 1807 cases and 1788 controls (excluding human immunodeficiency virus-positive and organ-transplantation subjects) were screened for HCV infection using an enzyme immunoassay. Positive as well as randomly selected negative samples were subjected to HCV RNA detection and HCV genotyping. RESULTS: HCV infection was detected in 53 (2.9%) lymphoma cases and in 41 (2.3%) control subjects (odds ratio [OR], 1.42; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.93-2.15). Restricted to individuals who tested positive for HCV-RNA (indicating persistent infection and active viral replication), the OR was 1.82 (95% CI: 1.13-2.91). In subtype-specific analyses, HCV prevalence was associated with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (OR, 2.19; 95% CI: 1.23-3.91) but not with chronic lymphocytic leukemia or follicular, Hodgkin's, or T-cell lymphoma. The sample size was not sufficient to derive any conclusions for rare lymphoma entities such as splenic marginal zone lymphoma. CONCLUSIONS: These results support a model that chronic HCV replication contributes to lymphomagenesis and establish a specific role of HCV infection in the pathogenesis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Influence of familial cancer history on lymphoid neoplasms risk validated in the large European case-control study epilymph.

Lymphomas have a potentially important familial component; large studies using recent classification systems are lacking. Based on a multicentre case-control study in seven European countries, we recruited 2480 cases of lymphoid neoplasms (LN) and 2540 controls, matched by country, age and sex. Diagnoses were established according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) classification. We estimated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for cancer in first-degree relatives and for the kind of relative affected. The OR of LN for a family history of haematological cancer was 1.6 (OR=1.2-2.1). The OR was particularly high for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) (OR=2.9 [1.9-4.5]). A familial case of lymphoma increased the risk of Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) (OR=3.4 [1.5-7.8]). No increased risk was observed for diffuse large B-cell and follicular lymphomas. For CLL and HL, the risk was similar in parents, offspring and siblings. Our study suggests familial aggregation of CLL with a family history of haematological cancer and of HL with a family history of lymphoma. The transmission pattern suggests a dominant model of heredity.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: A European multicenter case-control study (Epilymph).

To study the role of tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking in the etiology of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), we conducted a multicenter case-control study in Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland and Czech Republic between 1998 and 2004, which included 1,742 cases of NHL and 2,465 controls matched on age, sex and recruitment area. Tobacco smoking was not associated with the risk of NHL overall or with risk of specific histological subtypes. Similarly, there was no association between alcohol drinking and the risk of NHL overall or across histological subtypes. However, a protective effect of alcohol drinking was observed among men (OR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.62-0.93) and in non-Mediterranean countries (OR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.61-0.86). There was no evidence of interaction between alcohol drinking and tobacco smoking in NHL etiology. The results of this large-scale European study did not support an association between tobacco and NHL and suggested a protective effect of alcohol on development of NHL for men and in non-Mediterranean countries.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Association between personal use of hair dyes and lymphoid neoplasms in Europe.

Hair dyes have been evaluated as possibly being mutagenic and carcinogenic in animals. Studies of the association between human cancer risk and use of hair dyes have yielded inconsistent results. The authors evaluated the risk of lymphoid malignancies associated with personal use of hair dyes. The analysis included 2,302 incident cases of lymphoid neoplasms and 2,417 hospital- or population-based controls from the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Spain (1998-2003). Use of hair dyes was reported by 74% of women and 7% of men. Lymphoma risk among dye users was significantly increased by 19% in comparison with never use (odds ratio (OR) = 1.19, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.00, 1.41) and by 26% among persons who used hair dyes 12 or more times per year (OR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.60; p for linear trend = 0.414). Lymphoma risk was significantly higher among persons who had started coloring their hair before 1980 (OR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.72) and persons who had used hair dyes only before 1980 (OR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.10, 2.40). Personal use of hair dyes is associated with a moderate increase in lymphoma risk, particularly among women and persons who used dyes before 1980. Specific compounds associated with this risk remain to be elucidated.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Statin use and risk of lymphoid neoplasms: results from the European Case-Control Study EPILYMPH.

BACKGROUND: Statins, drugs used to treat dyslipidemia, may have anticancer properties. We have evaluated lymphoma risk associated with regular statin use in an international case-control study. METHODS: This case-control study included 2,362 cases of incident B- and T-cell lymphoma from Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Spain and 2,206 hospital or population controls. Information on drug use, diagnosis at admission (for hospital controls), and putative risk factors for lymphoma was collected with personal interviews. Hospital controls admitted for diseases possibly entailing use of statins were excluded from the analysis. RESULTS: The odds ratio for regular statin use was 0.61 (95% confidence interval, 0.45-0.84); all major lymphoma subtypes showed similarly decreased risks. Decreased risks were observed in all centers. Duration of statin use was not associated with a greater reduction in the risk of lymphoma. Use of other lipid lowering drugs, such as fibrates, did not significantly modify the risk of lymphoma (odds ratio, 0.75; 95% confidence interval, 0.44-1.27). CONCLUSION: Statin use was associated with an important reduction in lymphoma risk, adding to the growing evidence of anticancer properties of this group of drugs. These results are reassuring for the increasing number of patients taking statins on a regular basis.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Hepatitis C infection among injecting drug users in general practice: a cluster randomised controlled trial of clinical guidelines' implementation.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C is a common infection among injecting drug users and has important implications for general practice. Although several clinical guidelines concerning the infection have been published, their effectiveness has yet to be tested. AIM: To assess the effectiveness of a general practice-based complex intervention to support the implementation of clinical guidelines for hepatitis C management among current or former drug users attending general practice. DESIGN OF STUDY: Cluster randomised controlled trial. SETTING: General practices in the Eastern Regional Health Authority area of Ireland. METHOD: Twenty-six practices were randomly allocated within strata to receive the intervention under study or to provide care as usual for a period of 6 months. There was screening for patients attending general practice for methadone maintenance treatment for hepatitis C and referral of anti-HCV antibody positive patients to a specialist hepatology department for assessment. RESULTS: At study completion, patients in the intervention group were significantly more likely to have been screened for hepatitis C than those in the control group, odds ratio adjusted for clustering 3.76 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.3 to 11.3) and this association remained significant after adjusting for other potentially confounding variables, using multiple logistic regression, with the odds ratio adjusted for clustering 4.53 (95% CI = 1.39 to 14.78). Although anti-HCV antibody positive patients in the intervention group were more likely to have been referred to a hepatology clinic, this was not statistically significant (P = 0.06). CONCLUSION: General practice has an important role in the care of people at risk of hepatitis C and when appropriately supported can effectively implement current best practice.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Unintentional injury in Ireland: a comparison of mortality and morbidity data.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between mortality and hospital admission data for the leading causes of unintentional injury in Ireland. METHODS: Mortality data were obtained from the Central Statistics Office for the years 1980-1996. Information on hospital admissions was obtained from the Hospital In-Patient Enquiry system for the years 1993-1997. RESULTS: Motor vehicle traffic accidents were the leading cause of unintentional injury death. Falls were the most common cause of unintentional injury hospital admission. Drowning and suffocation had high ratios of deaths to admissions, 2:1 and 1:3, respectively. The ratio of deaths to admissions was 1:39 for all unintentional injuries. CONCLUSION: Neither mortality data nor admissions data alone give an adequate guide to the impact of injuries, but together the two provide a reasonable basis on which to establish policy.

Accidents↗

PubMed2003

Nursing staff knowledge of the hepatitis B virus including attitudes and acceptance of hepatitis B vaccination: development of an effective program.

Data for this study in a large tertiary referral teaching hospital in Dublin, Ireland were collected by anonymous self administered questionnaires. A total of 137 questionnaires were distributed to nurses working in five wards with a response rate of 88% (120). Objectives included identifying levels of awareness of the infectivity of the hepatitis B virus, ascertaining levels of knowledge of hepatitis B vaccination, and identifying attitudes resulting in acceptance of hepatitis B vaccine. Ninety seven respondents (82%) knew hepatitis B was 100 times more infective than HIV. Ninety eight respondents (83%) had completed a full course of hepatitis B immunizations. Ninety six respondents (93%) reported a hepatitis B antibody level on completion of the immunizations, 13 (14%) knew their actual titer, and 49 of 63 respondents (78%) reported immunity. Factors influencing decisions to accept vaccination included information related to the benefits of the vaccine from an occupational health physician or nurse and the vaccine being provided free of charge. Nurses in this study had an understanding of the hepatitis B infection. The number of nurses choosing to be vaccinated and having an antibody level test performed postvaccination was high in this group. Most nurses in this study believed they were immune to hepatitis B even though a significant number did not know their hepatitis B antibody level.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

The prevalence of treatable left ventricular systolic dysfunction in patients who present with noncardiac vascular episodes: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine the prevalence of treatable left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction (LVSD) in patients who present with their first noncardiac vascular episode. BACKGROUND: Screening for LV dysfunction in patients who present with their first stroke (cerebrovascular accident), their first transient ischemic attack (TIA) or their first manifestation of peripheral vascular disease (PVD) may represent a golden opportunity to identify treatable LV dysfunction, and so their known high incidence of sudden cardiac death may be reduced. METHODS: Participating in this study were 522 (75%) of 700 consecutive patients (302 patients with stroke, TIA or PVD and 220 age- and gender-matched control subjects). Each underwent a full clinical assessment, 12-lead electrocardiography and two-dimensional echocardiography. Left ventricular dysfunction was defined as LV ejection fraction < or = 40%. RESULTS: Seventy-two (28%) patients with vascular disease and 11 (5.5%) control subjects were found to have LVSD. Twenty-six (28%) stroke patients, 22 (26%) patients with TIA and 24 (31%) patients with PVD had LVSD. Left ventricular systolic dysfunction was symptomatic in 44% of patients and in 35% of control subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Left ventricular systolic dysfunction is five times more common among patients with stroke, TIA and PVD than among age- and gender-matched control subjects. Asymptomatic LVSD is more common than symptomatic LVSD in these patients. These findings suggest that routine screening of all patients with noncardiac vascular episodes for LVSD should now be considered. Future studies should investigate whether identifying and treating LVSD in these patients would reduce their known high rate of cardiac death.

Aged↗

PubMed2002

Exercise-related changes in umbilical and uterine artery waveforms as assessed by Doppler ultrasound scans.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of strenuous symptom-limited exercise on umbilical and uterine blood flow. STUDY DESIGN: Twenty-two primiparous women between 30 and 34 weeks of gestation were recruited. At rest, umbilical and uterine artery waveforms were assessed by measuring the pulsatility index. This was followed by a symptom-limited incremental exercise test. Fetal umbilical and maternal uterine artery circulations were assessed after exercise. RESULTS: Strenuous maternal exercise was demonstrated by the significant change in physiologic parameters, which was associated with an immediate increase in fetal heart rate, a significant increase in the right uterine artery pulsatility index, and a reduction in the umbilical artery pulsatility index. CONCLUSION: The modest change in the uterine artery pulsatility index without an adverse change in the umbilical artery pulsatility index indicates that a single bout of maximum symptom-limited exercise does not have immediate adverse fetal or maternal cardiovascular effects.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Tracking the changes in unloaded bone: Morphology and gene expression.

Bone formation and growth are controlled by genetic, hormonal and biomechanical factors. In this study, an established rat disuse osteoporosis model, hindlimb-suspension (HLS), was used to relate morphological change and gene expression to altered mechanical load in the underloaded femora and the ostensibly normally loaded humeri of the suspended rats (39 days old at onset; 1, 3, 7 and 14 days suspension). Morphological change was measured by labelling new bone formation with fluorescent agents during the experimental period and subsequent histological analysis of bone sections post-sacrifice. Hindlimb suspension reduced both the total amount of bone present, assessed as cross-sectional area, and the bone formation rate at the mid-diaphysis of the unloaded femora while no significant effect was found in the loaded humeri. In addition, the femora of the suspended animals were found to have a markedly increased circularity as a result of unloading. A sensitive semi-quantitative method of gene expression analysis, involving the creation of SMART cDNA arrays, was successfully implemented. This technique amplified all populations of mRNA to levels where they could be assessed using standard molecular biology protocols. Gene expression patterns of two candidate genes, c-fos and osteocalcin were assessed in periosteal tissue. Altered gene expression patterns were identified and tracked over the suspension period. The altered levels of both candidate genes were found to be consistent with the changes observed in the histological analysis.

Animals↗