Biomedical subjects

S Rutherford

Publications and source records attributed to S Rutherford.

22 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Novel DNA copy number losses in chromosome 12q12--q13 in adenoid cystic carcinoma.

In order to find common genetic abnormalities that may identify loci of genes involved in the development of adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), we investigated DNA copy number changes in 24 of these tumors by comparative genomic hybridization (CGH). Our results indicate that unlike many carcinomas, ACCs have relatively few changes in DNA copy number overall. Twenty tumors had DNA copy number changes, which were mostly restricted to a few chromosomal arms. A frequent novel finding was the loss of DNA copy number in chromosome 12q (eight tumors, 33%) with the minimal common overlapping region at 12q12--q13. Deletion in this region has not been reported to be frequent in other types of cancer analyzed by CGH. In addition, deletions in 6q23-qter and 13q21--q22 and gains of chromosome 19 were observed in 25% to 38% of ACCs. Deletion of 19q, previously reported in a small series of ACC, was not identified in the current group of carcinomas. The current CGH results for chromosomes 12 and 19 were confirmed by microsatellite allelotyping. These results indicate that DNA copy number losses in 12q may be important in the oncogenesis of ACC and suggest that the 12q12--q13 region may harbor a new tumor-suppressor gene.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Associations between outdoor air pollution and hospital admissions in Brisbane, Australia.

The authors investigated the effects of ambient air pollution on hospital admissions in Brisbane, Australia. The authors used the Air Pollution on Health: European Approach protocol to examine the effects of particles, ozone, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide on daily hospital admissions for asthma and respiratory, cardiovascular, and digestive disorders (control diagnosis) that occurred during the period 1987-1994. Ozone was consistently associated with admissions for asthma and respiratory disease-with little evidence of a threshold. In two-pollutant models, the ozone effect was relatively unaffected by the control for high levels of other pollutants. Particulate pollution (measured by nephelometry) was associated positively with admissions for respiratory disease and admissions for asthma in summer, whereas a negative association was observed for cardiovascular admissions. Although sulfur dioxide was associated significantly with admissions for respiratory and cardiovascular disese, a significant association was also found for the control diagnosis of digestive disorders. No significant associations were found for nitrogen dioxide over the study period, although significantly positive seasonal interactions were found for asthma and respiratory disease in autumn, winter, and spring. It was concluded that current levels of ambient air pollution in Brisbane make a significant contribution to the variation in daily hospital admissions for asthma and respiratory disease.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Associations between outdoor air pollution and daily mortality in Brisbane, Australia.

The results of several studies have indicated significant associations between daily mortality and air pollution, with little evidence of a threshold. In the current study, the authors examined daily mortality during the period 1987-1993 for the Brisbane region, which is the fastest-growing urban region in Australia (annual average concentration of particulate matter less than 10 microm in diameter = 27 microg/m3, maximum hourly sulfur dioxide level = 60 ppb, and maximum daily ozone hourly level = 118 ppb). The authors conducted a general estimating equation analysis, and they used autoregressive Poisson models for daily mortality to examine associations with air pollution variables. The authors used research methods developed in the Air Pollution on Health, European Approach (APHEA), project to control confounding effects of weather and temporal trends. The air pollutants examined included particulate pollution (measured by nephelometry [bsp data]), sulfur dioxide, ozone, and nitrogen dioxide. The results indicated that the associations between total daily mortality and particulate levels found in studies in the United States and other countries may be applicable in Brisbane, Australia. Ozone levels were also associated significantly with total daily mortality. There was little evidence of interaction between the ozone effects (mainly in summer) and particulates or with sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. The associations between pollutants (ozone, bsp) and daily mortality were significant only for individuals who were older than 65 y of age; positive associations were also found with cardiovascular disease categories, and the regression coefficients--when significant--were higher than those for total mortality. The results indicated a possible threshold for ozone levels, but a similar result for particulate levels was not apparent.

Age Factors↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A linkage and cross-sectional study of hypertension and obesity using a poly (A) Alu-repeat polymorphism at the glucagon receptor gene locus (17q25).

1. Previous glucagon receptor gene (GCGR) studies have shown a Gly40Ser mutation to be more prevalent in essential hypertension and to affect glucagon binding affinity to its receptor. An Alu-repeat poly(A) polymorphism colocalized to GCGR was used in the present study to test for association and linkage in hypertension as well as association in obesity development. 2. Using a cross-sectional approach, 85 hypertensives and 95 normotensives were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction primers flanking the Alu-repeat. Both hypertensive and normotensive populations were subdivided into lean and obese categories based on body mass index (BMI) to determine involvement of this variant in obesity. For the linkage study, 89 Australian Caucasian hypertension affected sibships (174 sibpairs) were genotyped and the results were analysed using GENEHUNTER, Mapmaker Sibs, ERPA and SPLINK (all freely available from http:@linkage.rockefeller.edu./soft/list.hmtl). 3. Cross-sectional results for both hypertension and obesity were analysed using Chi-squared and Monte Carlo analyses. Results did not show an association of this variant with either hypertension (chi(2) = 6.9, P = 0.14; Monte Carlo chi(2) = 7.0, P = 0.11; n = 5000) or obesity (chi(2) = 3.3, P = 0.35; Monte Carlo chi(2) = 3.26, P = 0.34; n = 5000). In addition, results from the linkage study using hypertensive sib-pairs did not indicate linkage of the poly(A) repeat with hypertension. Hence, results did not indicate a role for the Alu-repeat in either hypertension or obesity. However, as the heterozygosity of this poly(A) repeat is low (35%), a larger number of hypertensive sib-pairs may be required to draw definitive conclusions.

DNA↗