Biomedical subjects

Joan Hamilton

Publications and source records attributed to Joan Hamilton.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

A welcome link for patients who are waiting.

In our present health-care system, wait-lists are unfortunately all too familiar. They create distress for both patients and health-care providers. Two nurses from the breast cancer site team of the Capital Health Queen Elizabeth II Cancer Care Program in Halifax, Nova Scotia, responded by developing a program that links breast cancer patients who have undergone surgery and are waiting for outpatient consultation with either a radiation or a medical oncology team. This "link" is by early intervention telephone contact with a nurse who cares for this patient population. Evaluation of the pilot program indicated high patient satisfaction. The authors outline the challenges in maintaining the program, even though it has had a positive impact on those awaiting health services.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed2004

Assessing the reliability and validity of the revised WCCNR stomatitis staging system for cancer therapy-induced stomatitis.

Before developing interventions for stomatitis, nurses require a simple, valid and reliable approach to staging severity. The eight-item WCCNR(R) was previously validated for chemotherapy-induced stomatitis. In this study, the validity and reliability of the WCCNR(R), a shorter three-item tool for staging stomatitis caused by chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or both, was assessed. Pairs of data collectors evaluated 207 patients from 10 Canadian cancer centres. The WCCNR(R) correlated well with the MacDibbs Mouth Assessment (r = 0.44, p = 0.0002 to r = 0.54, p < 0.0001), a standardized tool for staging radiotherapy-induced stomatitis. Agreement between data collectors at five sites was acceptable (kappa = 0.75); three additional sites were close to this target. Findings indicate that the WCCNR is a valid and reasonably reliable tool for staging stomatitis due to cancer therapy.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Dynamic changes in transcription factor complexes during erythroid differentiation revealed by quantitative proteomics.

During erythroid differentiation, beta-globin gene expression is regulated by the locus control region (LCR). The transcription factor NF-E2p18/MafK binds within this region and is essential for beta-globin expression in murine erythroleukemia (MEL) cells. Here we use the isotope-coded affinity tag (ICAT) technique of quantitative mass spectrometry to compare proteins interacting with NF-E2p18/MafK during differentiation. Our results define MafK as a 'dual-function' molecule that shifts from a repressive to an activating mode during erythroid differentiation. The exchange of MafK dimerization partner from Bach1 to NF-E2p45 is a key step in the switch from the repressed to the active state. This shift is associated with changes in the interaction of MafK with co-repressors and co-activators. Thus, our results suggest that in addition to its role as a cis-acting activator of beta-globin gene expression in differentiated erythroid cells, the LCR also promotes an active repression of beta-globin transcription in committed cells before terminal differentiation.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

A complex chromatin landscape revealed by patterns of nuclease sensitivity and histone modification within the mouse beta-globin locus.

In order to create an extended map of chromatin features within a mammalian multigene locus, we have determined the extent of nuclease sensitivity and the pattern of histone modifications associated with the mouse beta-globin genes in adult erythroid tissue. We show that the nuclease-sensitive domain encompasses the beta-globin genes along with several flanking olfactory receptor genes that are inactive in erythroid cells. We describe enhancer-blocking or boundary elements on either side of the locus that are bound in vivo by the transcription factor CTCF, but we found that they do not coincide with transitions in nuclease sensitivity flanking the locus or with patterns of histone modifications within it. In addition, histone hyperacetylation and dimethylation of histone H3 K4 are not uniform features of the nuclease-sensitive mouse beta-globin domain but rather define distinct subdomains within it. Our results reveal a complex chromatin landscape for the active beta-globin locus and illustrate the complexity of broad structural changes that accompany gene activation.

Animals↗