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Biomedical subjects

G S Wilkinson

Publications and source records attributed to G S Wilkinson.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Smoking, alcohol, dentition and diet in the epidemiology of oral cancer.

This matched case-control study was conducted in Western New York. The smoking, alcohol consumption, dental hygiene and diet of 290 cases were compared with those of 290 sex-, age-, and neighbourhood-matched controls. The results confirm earlier findings that cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption impart substantial risk of oral cancer. The results also confirm that poor oral hygiene increases the risk of oral cancer, although this effect is much smaller than those of cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption. The results suggest that, of macronutrients, intake of fat is more likely than those of protein or carbohydrate to be related to risk. Of micronutrients, calcium, sodium, riboflavin and retinol are associated with risk, while thiamin, niacin, and dietary fibre are associated with decreased risk. Although patterns of dietary effects are discernable, these effects are in general much weaker than are those of smoking and alcohol consumption.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Prevalence of physical and sexual assault in pregnant adolescents.

Few studies have addressed the prevalence of violence among pregnant adolescents. We interviewed 342 pregnant teenagers 17 years of age or younger for a history of assault; 9% reported physical assault, 8% sexual assault, and 8% both physical and sexual assault. Of those physically abused, 40% had been hit during pregnancy. The most common perpetrator of physical assault was a member of their family of origin as compared to a mate (46% versus 33%), although a boyfriend or spouse was the attacker in 80% of cases in which abuse had increased during pregnancy. The face or neck was the most common site of contact. A total of 14% reported being hit in the abdomen, one-third of them while pregnant. We conclude that a significant proportion of pregnant teenagers have experienced violence and therefore should be screened routinely for a history of abuse.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Violence and its relationship to substance use in adolescent pregnancy.

We surveyed 342 pregnant adolescents 17 years old and younger for a history of physical or sexual assault and substance use to investigate whether victims of childhood violence are at increased risk of smoking and using alcohol or drugs. A total of 95% of new patients who attended the university's teen pregnancy clinic between May 8, 1989, and December 8, 1990, were interviewed. Substance use was reported seven times more often in those with a history of combined physical and sexual assault, five times more frequently by those who had been sexually assaulted, and three times more often in those who had been physically assaulted than adolescents without a history of assault. Violence was associated with substance use in all ethnic groups although this relationship was modified by ethnicity. Among Hispanics, an association was observed between physical assault and tobacco use. Sexual and combined physical and sexual assault were strongly associated with use of alcohol among blacks. All categories of violence were associated with drug use among all ethnic groups. When use of each substance was analyzed by the adolescent's relationship to the perpetrator, drug use was most strongly associated with assault by a mate, whereas tobacco or alcohol use was more often associated with assault by a member of the victim's family of origin.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Drug abuse and other risk factors for physical abuse in pregnancy among white non-Hispanic, black, and Hispanic women.

We investigated prevalence and risk factors associated with physical abuse among a tricultural population of 501 pregnant women who attended a public prenatal clinic. Twenty percent (98/501) reported being physically abused; 29% (28/98) stated that abuse occurred during pregnancy. More white non-Hispanic women reported previous abuse than did black or Hispanic women. Battered women more frequently were divorced or separated, were of greater parity, smoked, used alcohol, or admitted to illicit drug use than did women who were not battered. An increased risk of previous physical abuse was observed among white non-Hispanic and black women who used alcohol (odds ratios = 3.0 and 6.0) or drugs (odds ratios = 2.1 and 3.7) but not among Hispanic women. Odds ratios of 4.7 for cocaine use among white non-Hispanic women, 4.7 for marijuana use among black women, and 5.8 for tobacco use among Hispanic women were observed. This is the first study to report the effects of race on the association between physical abuse of pregnant women and substance use.

Black or African American↗
PubMed1991

Length and sequence variation in evening bat D-loop mtDNA.

Length variation in D-loop mitochondrial DNA was observed after amplification with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 28% of 195 evening bats, Nycticeius humeralis, from seven colonies. Nucleotide sequences of PCR products show that this heteroplasmy is characterized by an 81-bp region which is tandemly repeated five to eight times. Southern blots using PCR products as probes on HaeIII genomic digests confirm the presence of heteroplasmy. Furthermore, densitometry of electrophoresed PCR products from 109 mother-offspring pairs indicate that heteroplasmy is stably transmitted from mother to offspring with one exception: a heteroplasmic offspring had a homoplastic mother and sib. Nucleotide sequences from this family reveal that a repeat duplication and deletion occurred. The observed mutation rate per generation, mu, for length polymorphism is comparable to an independent estimate, mu = 10(-2), based on hierarchical diversity statistics. With the exception of the repeat nearest the proline tRNA gene, sequence similarities between repeats within bats are consistent with a model of concerted evolution due to unidirectional replication slippage. Selection is inferred to act on the first repeat because in comparison to other repeats it has the least sequence divergence among bats, the fewest transversions, and the lowest minimum free energy associated with folding.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Leukemia among nuclear workers with protracted exposure to low-dose ionizing radiation.

We conducted an analysis of leukemia mortality and protracted exposure to low-dose ionizing radiation. We used data from seven published epidemiologic studies of nuclear workers that reported individual monitoring information for radiation exposure. We found 83 leukemia deaths among white males from a combined total of more than 1.4 million person-years. We calculated an overall relative risk for leukemia of 1.5, after adjustment for age and calendar time, for workers with cumulative occupational doses of 10 mSv (1 rem) or greater, compared with those with cumulative doses of less than 10 mSv. An adjusted relative risk of 1.8 was observed when individuals with 10-50 mSv (1-5 rem) were compared with those who had cumulative occupational doses of less than 10 mSv. The adjusted relative risk for those with doses greater than 50 mSv relative to those with doses less than 10 mSv was 1.2, although the data were especially sparse in this dose range. These combined data indicate a small elevated risk of leukemia for doses of ionizing radiation under 50 mSv.

Follow-Up Studies↗
PubMed1991

Mortality among workers exposed to external ionizing radiation at a nuclear facility in Ohio.

In a cohort mortality study of white men employed by the Mound Facility (1947 through 1979), observed deaths did not exceed those expected based on US death rates for the overall cohort or for the subcohort monitored for external ionizing radiation. Among the radiation-monitored subcohort, mortality for workers with cumulative radiation doses of at least 10 mSv was not significantly increased when compared with mortality for coworkers with cumulative doses of less than 10 mSv. A significant dose-response based on a Mantel-Haenszel test of trend was observed for all leukemias. However, when a death from chronic lymphatic leukemia, a type of leukemia generally not regarded as radiogenic, was removed from the analyses, the strength of the dose-response was reduced.

Cohort Studies↗
PubMed1977

Cancer information by telephone: a two-year evaluation.

A two year evaluation of a cancer information system accessible to the general public by telephone found a reported positive impact on behavior directly related to physical health for about 40 percent of a systematic sample of callers interviewed several weeks after their initial contact with the system. Another 20 percent of the same sample reported taking some positive action not directly related to health, or reported some other positive impact such as relief of anxiety as a result of hearing one of the system's 36 pre-recorded cancer lectures. Callers showed greater cancer knowledge, when interviewed, than a sample of non-callers, but no clear conclusion could be drawn because pre-call knowledge levels of callers were not ascertained. Data also were collected from callers at the time of their initial contact; caller characteristics patterns of calling, topics selected, and source of information about the system are reported. Results of experiments to increase public response are summarized.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗
PubMed1976

Measuring response to a cancer information telephone facility: Can-Dial.

In an attempt to meet the need for increasing public knowledge about cancer, a system providing free information by telephone has been developed. The system is comprised of 36 pre-recorded taped lectures containing information about various aspects of cancer. Interested individuals call a toll-free number, indicate a topic of interest, and listen to the pre-recorded lecture over the phone. An operator handles incoming calls and obtains information from callers used in evaluating the program. During the first year of operation, over 30,000 calls were processed. Topics most frequently requested included those concerning smoking, breast and cervical cancer, and general information. Female response exceeded male response in all age categories. Older people responded less frequently than younger. Urban utilization greatly exceeded suburban and rural utilization. Considerable fluctuation in response related to promotional activities was found. Printed advertisements elicited far greater response than radio and television. Promotional efforts in an experimental group of low-utilizing townships greatly increased utilization while no change was observed in a control group.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Epidemiologic studies of nuclear and radiation workers: an overview of what is known about health risks posed by the nuclear industry.

This review focuses on the results of well-designed studies that have been completed on populations of nuclear workers in the U.S. and the U.K. An attempt is made to introduce a quantitative component to this review, an approach previously described as metaanalysis. Such a method requires designation of eligibility criteria and adherence to these criteria in the selection of studies to review.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Can-Dial. An experiment in health education and cancer control.

A dial-access public information system providing information about cancer to the populace has been developed by Roswell Park Memorial Institute. The system is comprised of a tape library consisting of 36 pre-recorded tapes in English on a variety of cancer-related topics and Spanish translations of 28 of the tapes. Interested persons can select and listen to topics of their choice over the telephone. Telephones are manned by operators 16 hours a day, 7 days a week. Persons who call are asked to volunteer certain descriptive information such as name, address, telephone number, sex, age, occupation, and source of information about Can-Dial. These data are used in evaluating the program. Two types of evaluation are being conducted. The first entails a constant monitoring of the system based upon information collected by operators concerning each call. The second type consists of interviews with a sample of callers and a sample of noncallers for the purpose of comparing the characteristics of both groups and ascertaining the impact of Can-Dial on the behavior of its users. Preliminary assessments indicate that Can-Dial is being used by all socioeconomic status groups, by more urban than rural residents, and by the younger rather than older age groups. In its first 23 months of operation, the system handled more than 68,700 calls, at an average cost of $1.58 per call. A tentative conclusion is that Can-Dial is fulfilling a public need and may have a favorable impact in improving health behavior.

Communication↗