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Biomedical subjects

J Anson

Publications and source records attributed to J Anson.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Death rests a while: holy day and Sabbath effects on Jewish mortality in Israel.

The purpose of this study was to replicate and expand previous research examining the association between holy days and the timing of death. We analysed daily numbers of deaths of Jewish men and women aged 35 and above in Israel from 1983 to 1992, controlling for long term and seasonal trends. For all men, and for younger women (ages 35-74) there was a clear and significant dip-peak pattern in the number of deaths around the Sabbath (Saturday), but no consistent dip-peak pattern around other holy days. This pattern was found for all causes of death (particularly cerebro-vascular causes), was stronger for men than for women, and was not found among young Jewish children, or among the non-Jewish population.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Development of a high throughput scintillation proximity assay for hepatitis C virus NS3 protease that reduces the proportion of competitive inhibitors identified.

A screening assay has been developed for hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3 protease using the scintillation proximity assay (SPA) technology. The sequence of the peptide substrate used was taken from the site cleaved by the enzyme in the mature nonstructural protein of HCV. The peptide was biotinylated at the N-terminus and tritiated at the C-terminus so that a decrease in signal was detected as a result of enzyme activity. IC(50) values were calculated for the cleaved product, and it was shown that the value obtained was dependent on the substrate concentration used. The effect of substrate concentration on the inhibition of HCV NS3 protease was further highlighted in a mock screening assay, using colored natural product samples, in which the hit rate was altered by a change in substrate concentration. An increase in substrate concentration reduced the proportion of competitive inhibitors identified. This study highlighted the importance of optimizing the components used in SPA assays in order to obtain an assay format valid for high throughput screening.

Binding, Competitive↗
PubMed1999

An evaluation of a community-based vocational rehabilitation program for adults with psychiatric disabilities.

The purpose of this research is to examine the effectiveness of a project aimed at the vocational rehabilitation of individuals suffering from chronic psychiatric disabilities. Gastown Vocational Services (GVS) is a specialized vocational rehabilitation program, under the auspices of Greater Vancouver Mental Health Service Society. The project consisted of three distinct phases and utilized a gradual, step-by-step rehabilitative approach to achieve vocational success. The first phase of the GVS project included comprehensive vocational assessment and work-readiness skill training. Participants in this phase met in small groups for three hours, three times a week for a 12-week period. The second phase involved supported work-experience placements in the community. These placements were two to five months in duration. The final phase included assistance in seeking employment, job re-training, or educational programs. Assessment measures were taken before participants began the program, immediately after the 12-week job preparation program, and at six-month follow-up. Seventy-three individuals participated in the training program over a two-year period. Their progress was compared to 18 individuals comprising a Waiting List Control group. The results showed significant improvement in the Intervention group on measures of assertiveness, work behaviour, depression, income, and employment status. No changes were evident in the Waiting List Control group.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Surviving the holidays: gender differences in mortality in the context of three Moslem holidays.

"It was hypothesized that holy days may affect mortality patterns differentially by gender. The present study focused on Moslems in Israel.... After removing the long-term growth and the seasonal effects, women's mortality was found to be significantly greater in the month of Ramadan than in the month before, and in the two weeks before the feast of 'Id el-Adhha than in the two weeks after it. For men, mortality was higher in the two weeks after the feast of 'Id el-Fitr than in the two weeks before it."

Asia↗
PubMed1997

Screening cognitive impairment in alcohol abusers.

1. Studies have reported various neuropsychological abnormalities in people with excessive drinking patterns and associated problems with the assessment and treatment of this group. 2. The aim of this study was to assess the potential of a screening instrument to help detect the presence of cognitive impairment in excessive alcohol users undergoing detoxification. 3. The Memory Screening Test has potential as a screening instrument to assess clients' cognitive ability to benefit from psychoeducational material.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Fatigue, depression, and quality of life in HIV-positive men.

1. Fatigue is a real symptom of HIV infection, and up to two thirds of clients with HIV report symptoms of depression. 2. Depression and fatigue, besides being closely related in HIV cases, have an adverse effect on quality of life. 3. Treating depression and underlying causes of fatigue will improve the quality of life for patients with HIV, who now have an extended life span.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1995

Mapping a gene causing cerebral cavernous malformation to 7q11.2-q21.

Cerebral cavernous malformation is a common disease of the brain vasculature of unknown cause characterized by dilated thin-walled sinusoidal vessels (caverns); these lesions cause varying clinical presentations which include headache, seizure, and hemorrhagic stroke. This disorder is frequently familial, with autosomal dominant inheritance. Using a general linkage approach in two extended cavernous malformation kindreds, we have identified linkage of this trait to chromosome 7q11.2-q21. Multipoint linkage analysis yields a peak logarithm of odds (lod) score of 6.88 with zero recombination with locus D7S669 and localizes the gene to a 7-cM region in the interval between loci ELN and D7S802.

Brain↗
PubMed1994

trans activation by the full-length E2 proteins of human papillomavirus type 16 and bovine papillomavirus type 1 in vitro and in vivo: cooperation with activation domains of cellular transcription factors.

Papillomaviral E2 genes encode proteins that regulate viral transcription. While the full-length bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV-1) E2 peptide is a strong trans activator, the homologous full-length E2 product of human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) appeared to vary in function in previous studies. Here we show that when expressed from comparable constructs, the full-length E2 products of HPV-16 and BPV-1 trans activate a simple E2- and Sp1-dependent promoter up to approximately 100-fold in human keratinocytes and other epithelial cells as well as human and animal fibroblasts. Vaccinia virus-expressed, purified full-length HPV-16 and BPV-1 E2 proteins bound a consensus E2 site with high specific affinities (Kd = approximately 10(-9) M) and stimulated in vitro transcription up to six- to eightfold. In vivo and in vitro trans activation by either E2 protein required cooperation with another activator, such as Sp1, or other factors that interact with papillomavirus promoters, such as AP-1, Oct-1, nuclear factor 1/CTF, transcriptional enhancer factor 1, or USF. The glutamine-rich domain B of Sp1 or the mutually unrelated activation domains of other transcription factors were necessary and sufficient for cooperation with either E2 factor. We conclude that like BPV-1 E2, the HPV-16 E2 protein has the potential to function as a strong activator of viral gene expression in cooperation with cellular transcription factors.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1993

The shape of mortality curves: an analysis of counties in England and Wales, 1911.

"Previous analysis has shown that life tables may be distinguished by two orthogonal pieces of information, the level of mortality in the population and the relative shape of the mortality curve. We show that both the regions of England and Wales in 1911, and locality types (county boroughs, other urban, and rural) differ in the shape of their mortality curves. Using data for the administrative counties, we examine the underlying correlates of this differentiation, paying particular attention to the socio-economic structure of the counties as reflected in their wealth, opportunity levels, and degree of urbanisation." (SUMMARY IN FRE)

Demography↗
PubMed1993

Regional mortality differences in Britain, 1931-87: a two dimensional analysis.

In a recent analysis, Illsley, Le Grand & Mullings argued that, over the years 1931-87, regional inequalities in mortality in Britain effectively disappeared for most age groups. The present study reanalyses their data, breaking regional life tables down into their two major components, the level of survivorship, and the shape of the mortality curve. It is shown that whereas there has been a consistent decline in regional inequalities in the level of mortality, there has not been a comparable convergence in the shape of the mortality curves. These shape differences, implying premature adult mortality, are now the major source of variation among the regions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

[Mortality, ethnicity, and the standard of living in Israel].

"The present analysis looks at the mortality differences between two major population groups in Israel, the Arabs and the Jews. While the differences in standard of living (SOL) between these two groups may be expected to account for most of the mortality difference between them, we consider whether there is also a qualitative majority-minority group effect.... The results indicate that Arab life expectancy is higher than would be expected given the SOL. Unlike Jewish life expectancy, however, which is positively related to the SOL, Arab life expectancy is negatively related for males, and unrelated for females. An explanation is offered in terms of the effects of discrimination on the sense of coherence of those members of the minority group who are the most integrated into the majority society." (SUMMARY IN ENG AND RUS)

Acculturation↗
PubMed1991

Cell cycle analysis in bone marrow and kidney tissues of dietary restricted rats.

The effect of dietary restriction (DR) on the proportion of cells in various phases of the cell cycle as determined by flow cytometry was investigated in the bone marrow and kidney of young and old Fischer 344 rats. Control rats were fed a standard occurrence of numerous age-associated diseases, including cancer, renal diseases and by the control rats starting at 16 weeks of age until killed at 5 or 20 months old. The relative proportion of cells in the various phases of the cell cycle was independent of tissue type, treatment condition and age, consistently showing an order of G1- greater than S- greater than G2M-phase. In old rats DR did not affect cell cycling in bone marrow of either sex, however, it did cause an increase in the percentage of G1-phase cells in the kidney of male rats. Additionally, DR caused a mathematically significant change in the percentage of cells in all phases of the cell cycle in the bone marrow of young male rats but had no effect in young females. The percentage of S-phase cells in both tissues of both sexes decreased in old rats when compared to young rats regardless of treatment conditions, indicating a parallel decline in cell proliferating activity with aging. To summarize, DR produces a greater cell cycle effect in the young male than the old male rats. Proliferative capacity is enhanced when the young male rats are dietary restricted. This may aid in DNA repair mechanisms and/or immune system response.

Aging↗
PubMed1991

Demographic indices as social indicators.

"A social indicator is derived from readily available demographic data: population age structures, mortality rates, sex ratios, and children-women ratios (fertility). It is suggested that an indicator based on just two of these variables can be as reliable a measure of the physical quality of life in a population as a multivariable indicator based directly on socioeconomic data. Unlike multivariable indicators, which are expensive to collect, the demographic data are readily available. Their use as social indicators would thus offer a simple, cheap, and effective means of monitoring the standard of living in small, geographically defined populations and in evaluating the effects of policy interventions. The analysis is based on Israeli towns, with use of data from the census of 1983."

Asia↗
PubMed1991

Cervicocranial arterial dissection.

Dissection of the cervicocranial arteries is becoming more frequently recognized as a cause of neurological disorders. Typical clinical features seen with dissection include unilateral headache, oculosympathetic palsy, amaurosis fugax, and symptoms of focal brain ischemia. The diagnosis of carotid or intracranial dissection is usually best confirmed by angiography, although magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography have been shown to visualize intimal dissection. The prognosis in cases of spontaneous dissection is generally benign unless the initial manifestation involves infarction with substantial deficit. The best approach to treatment appears to be the administration of the anticoagulant, heparin, followed by warfarin or antiplatelet therapy. Surgical intervention is reserved for cases of progressive or recurrent ischemic complication that occurs despite the administration of adequate doses of anticoagulants.

Aortic Dissection↗