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Biomedical subjects

S Graham

Publications and source records attributed to S Graham.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

Lag time between stress events and risk of recurrent episodes of inflammatory bowel disease.

We followed a cohort of 124 subjects with a history of inflammatory bowel disease to ascertain risk estimates for clinically active disease associated with exposure to recent stress events. We calculated risk estimates for three lag models (-1, 0, + 1 month). The data indicated a strong association between stress exposures and new clinical episodes of disease (RR = 2.9, 95% Cl: 2.0-4.1), most apparent in the immediate period (lag = 0). Risk estimates were also elevated for extended episodes of disease in subjects under stress compared with unexposed subjects. These results underscore the importance of monitoring stress exposures in prevention and treatment of recurrent disease.

Acute Disease↗

Familial aggregation of bladder cancer stratified by smoking status.

To assess bladder cancer incidence in first-degree relatives of affected probands, bladder cancer patients and matched control probands provided general demographic and smoking information on their first-degree relatives. Bladder cancer incidence was established through information from the New York State Tumor Registry. The risk ratio for relatives of case probands versus relatives of control probands was 1.9; for relatives who smoked, the risk ratio was 2.1, while for nonsmoking relatives, the risk ratio was 1.8. Results from a proportional hazards regression analysis agreed with those above. These results indicate a familial component that is independent of smoking.

Adolescent↗

Human cytotoxic T cell responses to vaccinia virus vaccination.

Recombinant vaccinia viruses have been proposed as live virus vectors in man to generate both specific humoral and cellular immune responses. The generation of such responses following revaccination was followed in five normal volunteers. All five showed elevated (35- to 6500-fold) vaccinia virus-specific IgG by 14 days post-vaccination, following uncomplicated vaccination by dermal scarification. Four of the five had elevated total serum immunoglobulins with increased spontaneous and pokeweed mitogen-induced immunoglobulin production. Major histocompatibility complex class I-restricted vaccinia virus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) were not detected either directly, from peripheral blood mononuclear cells, or following secondary in vitro stimulation, even by limiting dilution analysis. These studies would suggest that vaccination with recombinant vaccinia viruses may provide an insufficient stimulus to the generation of CTLs in vivo.

Adult↗

Risks associated with source of fiber and fiber components in cancer of the colon and rectum.

In this case-control study, we examined the food sources of fiber and fiber solubility to determine whether particular components of dietary fiber were differentially associated with risk of colon and rectal cancer. In Western New York, cases with pathologically confirmed, single, primary cancers of the colon and rectum as well as age-, sex- and neighborhood-matched controls were interviewed from 1975-1986. The sample included 428 colon case-control pairs (223 females, 205 males) and 422 rectal case-control pairs (145 females, 277 males). Subjects were interviewed regarding usual quantity and frequency of consumption of foods. For the colon, risk decreased with intake of grain fiber for both females and males and with intake of fruit/vegetable fiber for males only. Insoluble grain fiber was more strongly associated with risk than soluble grain fiber. For the rectum, fruit/vegetable fiber was associated with decreased risk, whereas grain fiber was not. There was no difference in risk for soluble and insoluble fiber components for the rectum. Analysis of risk associated with fiber by food source and by components of the fiber may provide insight into possible mechanisms of a fiber effect on cancer of the colon and rectum.

Colonic Neoplasms↗

Effect of autolymphocyte therapy on survival and quality of life in patients with metastatic renal-cell carcinoma.

To assess the value of autolymphocyte therapy (ALT) in the treatment of metastatic renal-cell carcinoma, 90 patients were randomised to receive every month for six months oral cimetidine plus an infusion of autologous peripheral blood lymphocytes activated in vitro by a previously generated autologous lymphokine mixture, or cimetidine alone. The median follow-up was 15 months. Survival time for the autolymphocyte group was approximately 2.5 times that for the cimetidine group (p = 0.008). Patients who had greater than 500 pg interleukin-1 (IL-1) per ml autologous lymphokine mixture had a six-fold survival advantage over those with less than 500 pg/ml (p less than 0.00005). Men treated with ALT had a four-fold survival advantage (p = 0.001) over men who received cimetidine only. Infusion of the cultured autolymphocytes was accompanied by mild, self-limited fever in 11 of the 45 ALT patients, and by only one instance in which fever was accompanied by tachypnoea and hypotension.

Actuarial Analysis↗

Cellular requirements for lymphokine secretion by rainbow trout Salmo gairdneri leucocytes.

The ability of different populations of rainbow trout blood leucocytes to produce MAF following stimulation with Con A/PMA was assessed by the amount of NBT reduction in target macrophages. The effect of varying lymphocyte or macrophage number on MAF production in the presence of a constant number of macrophages or lymphocytes respectively, showed that in both cases MAF activity initially increased with increasing cell number and then plateaued. Macrophages alone did not produce MAF whereas some MAF activity was produced by macrophage-depleted lymphocytes, although significantly lower than in the presence of macrophages. Separation of leucocytes into sIg- and sIg+ cells by panning showed that only sIg- lymphocytes could produce MAF and that macrophages were necessary as accessory cells. These results support the contention that fish lymphocytes can be divided into sIg- T cells and sIg+ B cells.

Animals↗

Isolations of African horse sickness virus from vector insects made during the 1988 epizootic in Spain.

This paper describes the first isolations of African horse sickness virus (AHSV) from insects in Spain. Seven isolations of AHSV serotype 4 were made; four from Culicoides imicola a known vector of the virus elsewhere, two from mixed pools of Culicoides species not including C. imicola and one from blood engorged mosquitoes. Three further isolations of AHSV serotype 4 were also made from horses kept adjacent to the insect collecting sites. This work presents the first definitive identification of the vectors of AHSV in Spain during the 1987, 88 and 89 epizootics. Suggestions are also made concerning the significance of these findings with regard to the epidemiology of African horse sickness in Spain.

African Horse Sickness↗

Diet in the epidemiology of gastric cancer.

We examined the nutritional epidemiology of gastric cancer in 293 cases and neighborhood-, age-, and sex-matched controls in communities throughout the counties of Niagara, Monroe, and Erie in western New York. The interview was highly detailed, requiring two and one-half hours to complete; it attempted to provide an estimate of total calories ingested as well as of macro- and micronutrients and behaviors that could affect alimentary exposures, such as the use of refrigeration. We found that risk was enhanced by sodium, fat, and retinol. Substantial reductions in risk were associated with ingestion of carotene, especially raw vegetables (including celery, cucumbers, carrots, green peppers, tomatoes, and onions), as well as with increased use of low-temperature food storage. Both refrigeration and carotene could inhibit oxidation products that could act as carcinogens in the stomach.

Adult↗

Lifetime alcohol intake and risk of rectal cancer in western New York.

The lifetime intake of total alcohol, beer, wine, and hard liquor was measured for 277 males and 145 females with pathologically confirmed, first, single, primary cancers of the rectum in western New York from 1978 to 1986. Controls who were age, sex, and neighborhood matched were also interviewed. Intake of beer and total alcohol was positively associated with rectal cancer risk. Most of the excess risk was found for the heaviest drinkers. Odds ratios for fourth quartile intakes for males were 1.80 (95% CI, 1.12, 2.89) for total alcohol and 1.86 (1.13, 3.06) for beer. No association was found with wine or hard liquor intake. Females drank considerably less in this population; trends were similar although not of as great magnitude as those for males. Adjustment for dietary risk factors did not change risk estimates appreciably. A high lifetime intake of beer and total alcohol was associated with an increased risk of rectal cancer, and this was independent of either socioeconomic status or diet.

Adolescent↗

Patterns in food use and their associations with nutrient intakes.

This study used the frequency of food-use data collected previously in the Western New York Diet Study, a case-control study of diet and cancer at various sites, to develop measures of dietary patterns for subsequent use in epidemiologic research. Factor analysis was applied to frequency-of-use data of 110 foods for 1475 male and 780 female control subjects. Nine dietary-pattern factors were extracted for each gender. Correlational analyses examined relationships with intakes of nutrients of concern to cancer epidemiologists--energy, total fat, dietary fiber, and vitamins A and C. Findings indicate that the usual measure for assessing dietary risks, quantile of nutrient intake, reflects several dietary patterns differing in their composition of cancer risk factors. Furthermore, patterns may relate to such variables as age, ethnicity, and income, which are themselves related to cancer. This approach may provide a comprehensive measure of dietary exposure for epidemiologic research.

Diet↗

Breast cancer and dietary and plasma concentrations of carotenoids and vitamin A.

A case-control study of breast cancer was conducted in Buffalo. Participants completed a food frequency questionnaire and donated a fasting blood sample before definitive workup for breast masses. Dietary and plasma concentrations of carotenoids and retinol for 83 women found to have breast cancer were compared with those of 113 women found to be free of breast cancer (control subjects). There were no case-control differences in dietary estimates of vitamin A intake or in plasma alpha-carotene and lycopene. However, subjects with breast cancer had lower concentrations of plasma beta-carotene than did control subjects (P = 0.02). There was no overall association between plasma retinol and breast cancer but a positive relationship was observed between retinol and breast cancer in the subgroup with low beta-carotene values. These results suggest that low plasma beta-carotene is associated with increased risk of breast cancer. Other studies will need to determine whether low carotene concentrations are a subtle effect of the disease or might be causally related to breast cancer.

Adult↗

Nutritional epidemiology of cancer of the esophagus.

This study of 178 cases of cancer of the esophagus from three counties in western New York, as compared with sex- and age-matched neighborhood controls in 1975-1986, replicated some earlier findings, particularly with regard to the increased risks associated with use of cigarettes and alcohol. The concentration of alcohol in an alcoholic beverage apparently did not affect risk: Beer carried a substantial risk, whereas less-dilute forms of alcohol carried no risk. These findings also suggest that the risk of cancer of the esophagus increases with ingestion of foods containing retinol but not carotene. Although increased risks were found to be associated with increases in total calories and fat ingested, as well as calcium, they appeared to be confounded with the risk associated with retinol, as distinct from carotene. Inasmuch as a difference in risk associated with retinol and carotene has been shown in a few previous inquiries dealing with esophageal cancer and cancer at other sites, a need for further investigations distinguishing risks associated with the two compounds is apparent.

Beer↗

A case-control study of diet and rectal cancer in western New York.

In three counties in western New York, a case-control study of incident, pathologically confirmed, single, primary cancers of the rectum was conducted from 1978 to 1986. Cases were matched with neighborhood controls on age and sex; 277 case-control pairs of males and 145 case-control pairs of females were interviewed regarding usual quantity and frequency of consumption of foods. Risk of rectal cancer increased with increasing intake of kilocalories, fat, carbohydrate, and iron. Risk decreased with increasing intake of carotenoids, vitamin C, and dietary fiber from vegetables. Fiber from grains, calcium, retinol, and vitamin E were not associated with risk. Associations of intake with risk were generally stronger for males than for females except for vitamin C. The association for carotenoids, vitamin C, and vegetable fiber persisted after stratification on intake of either kilocalories or fat.

Aged↗

Vasoactive intestinal peptide as a laboratory supplement to clinical activity index in inflammatory bowel disease.

Circulating levels of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in plasma were measured in gauging activity in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). One hundred-fifteen adult IBD patients were studied cross-sectionally and prospectively, 48 with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 67 with Crohn's disease (CD). Sequential samples of plasma were assayed for VIP by specific radioimmunoassay. Sixty males and 55 females, ranging in age from 22 to 76 years were studied over six months. The results revealed a strong, positive association between VIP levels and clinical activity, both at baseline (r = 0.38, P less than 0.001) and follow-up (r = .41, P less than 0.001). The ability of the VIP immunoassay to gauge clinical activity was also evaluated where VIP concentrations above 30 pg/ml were defined as abnormal. At baseline, sensitivity (specificity) was found to be 81% (55%). The predictive value of a positive (negative) test was 57% (80%). These estimates did not differ at follow-up. Examination of paired plasma samples from intermittently active patients revealed nearly twofold increases (P less than 0.05) in VIP concentration during active periods of disease. The data suggest that plasma VIP levels may be a valuable laboratory parameter in gauging activity in inflammatory bowel disease.

Adult↗

The epidemiology of testicular cancer in upstate New York.

In a study of 250 cases of cancer of the testis and of neighborhood- and age-matched controls in upstate New York in 1977-1980, the authors found that risk was enhanced by possession of a number of traits associated with exposure of the testis to heat; occupational exposures to fertilizers, phenols, and fumes or smoke; and trauma to the testis. Risk was also increased for characteristics related to congenital and developmental aberrancies and testis-related abnormalities, e.g., low sperm count, fertility problems, atrophic testis, and cryptorchidism. Several of these risk factors were statistically significant in a multiple regression model that adjusted for all other significant traits, age, and education.

Adolescent↗

Toward a dietary prevention of cancer.

Clearly, there is a need for further elucidation of the role in carcinogenesis of dietary factors. On the epidemiologic level, studies of the last few years indicate the need to investigate further the potential role of fats as related to all the major sites of cancer, to distinguish the effects of various fractions of fiber as well as of fibers deriving from fruits, vegetables and grains, and to examine more closely carotenoids as opposed to retinoids to explore further the proposition that although carotenoids may reduce risk for a number of cancers, retinoids may play no part. Future studies must also reflect more carefully the human experience regarding diet. Because humans do not ingest foods singly, but rather as groups, patterns of intake of groups of foods and nutrients may provide insight into types of diet that affect risk. In nutritional science, there is an increasing appreciation of the complexity of interaction of nutrients both in absorption and in metabolism; future epidemiologic studies of biologic materials as well as of nutrient interactions may be beneficial. Interindividual differences in response to diet which may identify subgroups who are more or less susceptible to particular dietary factors should also be examined. Since dietary exposures affect virtually everyone, the public health implications of even small differences in risk are important. For example, a well substantiated relative risk of 1.2 for a nutrient associated with breast cancer is not trivial. Speculation as to the proportion of total cancer attributable to diet is so tenuous as to be almost frivolous.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Dietary Fats↗

Improving learning disabled students' skills at composing essays: self-instructional strategy training.

This study was conducted to determine if self-instructional strategy training would improve learning disabled students' writing. Students were taught a strategy designed to facilitate the generation, framing, and planning of argumentative essays. Training effects were investigated using a multiple-baseline across-subjects design, with multiple probes in baseline. Strategy instruction had a positive effect on students' writing performance and self-efficacy. Effects were maintained over time and transferred to a new setting and teacher. Evidence for generalization to a second genre, story writing, was also obtained. The students and their special education teacher recommended the use of the strategy with other students.

Child↗