PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Susan Ackerman

Publications and source records attributed to Susan Ackerman.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Efficacy of the North American guidelines for children's agricultural tasks in reducing childhood agricultural injuries.

OBJECTIVES: We assessed whether active dissemination of the North American Guidelines for Children's Agricultural Tasks (NAGCAT) reduced childhood agricultural injuries. METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial, lay educators visited intervention farms to review NAGCAT. New York State farms with resident or working children were randomized. Control farms were visited only to collect baseline data. Data on childhood injuries, tasks, and hours worked were obtained quarterly for 21 months. Injury rates per farm were compared between the treatment and control groups, along with time span to occurrence of an injury and to violation of NAGCAT age guidelines. RESULTS: Intervention farms were less likely than control farms to violate NAGCAT age guidelines in the areas of all-terrain-vehicle use and tractor and haying operations. Cox proportional hazards regression models showed a significant protective effect of the intervention on preventable injuries after adjustment for important covariates. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that dissemination of NAGCAT reduced rates of work-related childhood agricultural injuries. A comprehensive public health approach is needed to reduce non-work-related childhood injuries.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Spanish-speaking dairy workers in New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont: results from a survey of farm owners.

A New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (NYCAMH) study surveyed 294 dairy farms in New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. The study utilized a quarterly telephone survey to assess the proportion of Spanish-speaking workers on these farms, and also to contrast the hazard level of work tasks and prevalence of lost work time between Spanish- and English-speaking workers. The total workforce followed in the study was comprised of 14.4 percent Spanish-speaking workers, with larger farms having a higher proportion than smaller farms (19.9% versus 4.6%, respectively). Of the 294 farms, 22.5 percent had at least one Spanish-speaking worker, which differed, greatly between larger and smaller farms (51.5% versus 7.3%). Spanish workers were significantly younger, worked significantly longer hours and had significantly fewer years of employment than their English-speaking counterparts. Work hour differences were more pronounced on the larger farms. Lost work time, due to on-farm injuries, did not differ between the Hispanic workers and the non-Hispanic workers. After correcting for both age and length of farm employment, Spanish-speaking workers were far less likely to perform managerial functions than their English-speaking counterparts (OR = . 22 p < .01).

Adult↗
PubMed2005

DCC-dependent phospholipase C signaling in netrin-1-induced neurite elongation.

Netrins, a family of secreted molecules, play important roles in axon pathfinding during nervous system development. Although phosphatidylinositol signaling has been implicated in this event, how netrin-1 regulates phosphatidylinositol signaling remains poorly understood. Here we provide evidence that netrin-1 stimulates phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate hydrolysis in cortical neurons. This event appears to be mediated by DCC (deleted in colorectal cancer), but not neogenin or Unc5h2. Netrin-1 induces phospholipase Cgamma (PLCgamma) tyrosine phosphorylation. Inhibition of PLC activity attenuates netrin-1-induced cortical neurite outgrowth. These results suggest that netrin-1 regulates phosphatidylinositol turnover and demonstrate a crucial role of PLC signaling in netrin-1-induced neurite elongation.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Computed tomographic colonography (virtual colonoscopy): a multicenter comparison with standard colonoscopy for detection of colorectal neoplasia.

CONTEXT: Conventional colonoscopy is the best available method for detection of colorectal cancer; however, it is invasive and not without risk. Computed tomographic colonography (CTC), also known as virtual colonoscopy, has been reported to be reasonably accurate in the diagnosis of colorectal neoplasia in studies performed at expert centers. OBJECTIVE: To assess the accuracy of CTC in a large number of participants across multiple centers. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A nonrandomized, evaluator-blinded, noninferiority study design of 615 participants aged 50 years or older who were referred for routine, clinically indicated colonoscopy in 9 major hospital centers between April 17, 2000, and October 3, 2001. The CTC was performed by using multislice scanners immediately before standard colonoscopy; findings at colonoscopy were reported before and after segmental unblinding to the CTC results. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The sensitivity and specificity of CTC and conventional colonoscopy in detecting participants with lesions sized at least 6 mm. Secondary outcomes included detection of all lesions, detection of advanced lesions, possible technical confounders, participant preferences, and evidence for increasing accuracy with experience. RESULTS: A total of 827 lesions were detected in 308 of 600 participants who underwent both procedures; 104 participants had lesions sized at least 6 mm. The sensitivity of CTC for detecting participants with 1 or more lesions sized at least 6 mm was 39.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 29.6%-48.4%) and for lesions sized at least 10 mm, it was 55.0% (95% CI, 39.9%-70.0%). These results were significantly lower than those for conventional colonoscopy, with sensitivities of 99.0% (95% CI, 97.1%->99.9%) and 100%, respectively. A total of 496 participants were without any lesion sized at least 6 mm. The specificity of CTC and conventional colonoscopy for detecting participants without any lesion sized at least 6 mm was 90.5% (95% CI, 87.9%-93.1%) and 100%, respectively, and without lesions sized at least 10 mm, 96.0% (95% CI, 94.3%-97.6%) and 100%, respectively. Computed tomographic colonography missed 2 of 8 cancers. The accuracy of CTC varied considerably between centers and did not improve as the study progressed. Participants expressed no clear preference for either technique. CONCLUSIONS: Computed tomographic colonography by these methods is not yet ready for widespread clinical application. Techniques and training need to be improved.

Colonography, Computed Tomographic↗