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Biomedical subjects

V E Archer

Publications and source records attributed to V E Archer.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Errors and biases in the diagnosis of cancer of the lung and their influence on risk estimates.

When diagnosed as primary lung cancer, metastases from the abdomen, plus false negative cases have little effect on epidemiology studies of male smokers, but may result in a severe dilution of the lung cancers among women and nonsmokers. We have attempted to quantitate this handicap for epidemiological studies using two approaches. The relative frequency of diagnosed primary lung and abdominal cancer among males, women, and nonsmokers differs substantially and is used here to calculate magnitude. The second approach postulates that the ratio of nonsmokers among persons with squamous cell lung cancer and primary adenocarcinoma of the lung would be constant by sex if there were no distortion by abdominal metastases. These two approaches indicate that the much higher ratio of metastatic disease diagnosed as primary lung cancer among nonsmoking women (factor of 15 to 20), makes it more difficult to identify an environmental carcinogen among women or nonsmokers than among male smokers in case-control studies.

Diagnostic Errors↗
PubMed2000

Radon progeny exposure and lung cancer risk among non-smoking uranium miners.

Studies of miners provide the basis for public health efforts to reduce residential radon progeny exposure. Because the preponderance of households do not have members who smoke indoors, studies of non-smoking miners contribute essential data for risk assessments for residential radon progeny exposure. We studied a cohort of 2,209 never-smokers who were underground uranium miners employed in the western U.S. from 1956 to the early 1990's and who participated in a screening program for lung cancer conducted by Saccomanno and colleagues. After determining the vital status and cause of death in the cohort, we conducted a nested case-control study of 55 lung cancer deaths in males and 3 age-matched controls for each case. The relative risk of lung cancer was 29.2 (95% CI 5.1, 167.2) for miners with greater than 1,450 WLM compared with those exposed to less than 80 WLM. Temporal factors affected risk, including average dose rate, which was inversely associated with lung cancer risk, and the length of time since last exposure, which was directly associated with decreased risk. As in studies of non-smokers and smokers combined, the exposure response relationship in never-smokers was consistent with a decreased slope at higher WLM, which resulted, in part, from an inverse dose rate effect.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Chronic diffuse interstitial fibrosis of the lung in uranium miners.

Many uranium miners have been disabled by and died of pulmonary fibrosis that was not recognized as an occupational disease. A review of animal studies, complications from whole body irradiation, pulmonary function, and mortality studies of uranium miners led us to suspect radiation-induced chronic diffuse interstitial fibrosis in miners who had inhaled excessive radon progeny. A selected group of uranium miners (22) with severe respiratory disease (but no rounded nodules in chest films) were studied. Lung tissue from five disclosed severe diffuse interstitial fibrosis, with "honeycomb lung" in all. Some also had small anthrasilicotic nodules and birefringent crystals. Although quartz crystals probably contributed, we concluded that the predominant injurious agent in these cases was alpha particles from radon progeny. This disease, after a long latent period, usually results in pulmonary hypertension, shortness of breath, and death by cardiopulmonary failure.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Cysteine-rich LIM domains of LIM-homeodomain and LIM-only proteins contain zinc but not iron.

The structure of LIM domains has major implications for transcription because proteins such as Is1-1 contain two LIM domains associated with a homeodomain, and RBTN1/Ttg-1 and RBTN2/Ttg-2 contain two LIM domains but no homeodomain. Conserved cysteine and histidine residues in the LIM domains suggest a metal-binding role. RBTN and Is1-1 LIM proteins have been made in Escherichia coli and insect cell expression systems and their metal content has been determined using atomic absorption spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. LIM proteins expressed in soluble form contain zinc atoms, whereas bacterial inclusion bodies invariably also have Fe-S clusters. The latter are identified as linear [Fe3S4]+ clusters and appear to result from incorrect metal coordination by E. coli. These studies show that RBTN1, RBTN2, and Is1-1 are metalloproteins that contain zinc but not iron and, therefore, that the LIM domain represents a zinc-binding domain.

Cysteine↗
PubMed1989

Latitudinal variation of digestive tract cancers in the US and China.

Latitude influences the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables (which are associated with cancer protection) and the use of food preservation methods (which are associated with increased cancer). Such dietary differences might be reflected in the frequency of death from cancer of the digestive tract. Female mortality rates for states and provinces of the US and China, both of which cover a wide latitude range, were chosen to investigate latitude- and time-related changes. Mortality for cancer of the stomach, liver, and rectum did increase with latitude in both nations, which is consistent with the hypothesis. Exceptions were cancer of the colon and esophagus; these cancers had a variable association with latitude and did not decline markedly in the US by 1970-1979 as did mortality rates from cancer of the other digestive tract sites. Increased refrigeration and improved transportation, both of which result in increased consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, and decreased use of older food preservation methods may be responsible for the US decline in mortality rates from stomach, liver, and rectal cancers.

China↗
PubMed1989

Psychological defenses and control of AIDS.

The well known psychological defenses of avoidance, repression, and denial against the knowledge that one has, or might have, a fatal disease used by a high percentage of individuals, must be considered in control programs for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Current programs of education, voluntary testing, and counseling do not consider this defense mechanism and may therefore provide inadequate control. Compulsory HIV testing programs and development of an "HIV Parole" system may be needed if the current HIV epidemic worsens.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗