Biomedical subjects

L Siracusa

Publications and source records attributed to L Siracusa.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1993

The environmental connection.

Both the World Health Organization and the Canadian Health for All concept recognize that healthy environments are fundamental to human health. Usually, the responsibility for environmental protection is assigned to public health inspectors. But there is more to a healthy environment than protection. Creating a healthy environment means "altering or adapting our social, economic and physical surroundings in ways that not only preserve but also enhance our health." Clearly, health promotion is an integral part of the concept. As experts in community health promotion, public health nurses (PHNs) could--and should--complement the work of health inspectors.

Canada↗

PubMed1982

Interspecific chimeras in mammals: a new experimental system.

The first viable interspecific chimeras in mammals have been made by mixing embryonic cells from two species of mouse, Mus musculus and Mus caroli. These chimeras resemble intraspecific chimeras in M. musculus in their patterns of mosaicism. They provide an interesting experimental system for studying interactions between cells of the two species. Three separate but related areas of investigation utilizing these chimeras are described. 1) In situ DNA-DNA hybridization using a cloned repetitive DNa sequence from M. musculus has enabled M. caroli and M. musculus cells to be distinguished in bone marrow spreads from chimeras. Further refinement of this technique should allow use of this in situ marker system for detailed analysis of cell distribution in chimeras. Such a ubiquitous marker system is not yet available in M. musculus. 2) Breeding interspecific chimeras has increased production of interspecific hybrids, which are very useful for studies of genetic interactions between the two species. 3) Mus caroli embryonic cells can survive in the M. musculus uterus in a chimera, although M. caroli embryos alone die around d 11 to 16 of pregnancy in M. musculus. Investigation of this phenomenon has implicated immune effector mechanisms in death of M. caroli embryos and has revealed the importance of trophoblast genotype for survival of foreign cells in the uterine environment.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The mercury emergency and Hamilton school children: a follow-up analysis.

In September 1993, children broke into a laboratory in an abandoned scrap metal recycling plant in Hamilton and removed mercury and other materials from the site. They began distribution of the mercury to their peers but this activity was halted once an emergency response was established. This paper focuses on the identification and assessment of children exposed to mercury and the use of Epi Info 6 in the analysis. Approximately 6,000 children were screened and 269 children identified as being exposed or at risk of exposure. We found that distribution of mercury within the school system was swift. Children exhibited a number of risky behaviours with mercury. There were no significant gender differences in these behaviours. The majority of children involved were 10 to 13 years of age. No child exhibited health effects from exposure.

Adolescent↗