Biomedical subjects

Wenli Fan

Publications and source records attributed to Wenli Fan.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Predictive ability of sequential surveys in determining donor loss from increasingly stringent variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease deferral policies.

BACKGROUND: Predonation screening questions about travel increase the safety of the blood supply from diseases such as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) and malaria. This study examines the ability of sequential surveys to predict actual travel deferrals and the operational validity of travel questions. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: To assess donor travel histories before implementing key deferral policies, two donor surveys were carried out at Canadian Blood Services collection sites in February 1999 (8026 donors) and March 2001 (13,623 donors). In-person interviews were carried out with 1530 donors to assess the operational validity of the short travel question. Time-series analysis was used to determine whether there was a change in deferrals when deferral policies were implemented. Predicted donor loss estimates based on survey results were compared with actual deferrals. RESULTS: Deferrals increased significantly (p < 0.05) when vCJD deferral policies were implemented in October 1999 and September 2001, but not in October 2000. Survey data accurately predicted deferrals 6 months after implementation from the initial policy (2.51% predicted vs. 2.51% actual), but there were fewer deferrals than predicted for the second (2.89% predicted vs. 2.26% actual, p < 0.01) and third deferral policies (3.10% predicted vs. 1.89% actual, p < 0.01). There was 96 percent agreement between donor responses to a short screening question and a detailed travel history. CONCLUSION: The initial survey accurately predicted the actual donor deferral rate, but the deferral rate was less than predicted for subsequent, more stringent donor deferral policies. Donors answered a short travel question suitable for donor screening similarly to a very detailed travel history.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Face-to-face interviewing in predonation screening: lack of effect on detected human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C virus infections.

BACKGROUND: Predonation screening has become more elaborate over the years, while human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)- and hepatitis C virus (HCV)-positive donations have declined. The impact of face-to-face interviewing and of the format of the Donor Health Assessment Questionnaire (DHAQ) have not been evaluated. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Canadian Blood Services DHAQ records between 1990 and 2004 were examined, and changes in them were tracked. The proportion of first-time donors permanently deferred for HIV or HCV risk, and the HIV and HCV rates per 100,000 donations, were calculated annually. Time-series analysis was used to determine whether major predonation screening changes had any effect on the HIV or HCV rates or permanent deferrals. RESULTS: In 1992, receiving money or drugs for sex was added to the DHAQ; otherwise, the content of high-risk questions changed little between 1990 and 2004. In 1997, the method of administration of the DHAQ changed from donor-completed to face-to-face interviewing for high-risk questions. Permanent deferrals for HIV or HCV risk factors and HIV and HCV rates in first-time donors decreased over this period. The HIV rates were close to 0 before 1997, whereas HCV rates decreased steadily through 2004. There was no interruption in rates in 1997 when the method of administration changed. CONCLUSION: Face-to-face interviewing for high-risk questions had no effect on HIV or HCV rates in first-time donations over 15 years of observation (during the latter 8 of which face-to-face interviewing was in place), and it did not increase permanent deferrals for HIV or HCV risk factors.

Blood Donors↗

PubMed2005

Predictors for erectile dysfunction among diabetics.

This study aims to examine the predictors related to erectile dysfunction (ED) among Chinese diabetics. From 1995 to 1999, 327 men with diabetes mellitus (DM) were enrolled into this study. They completed face to face interview, professional psychogenic assessment, measurements of penile hemodynamic parameters and measurements of hormone levels. Complications of diabetes were obtained from hospital medical records. One hundred and twenty nine diabetics were diagnosed as ED. The associations between individual predictor and ED were accessed using both univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. We found that the risk of ED was significantly associated with age (adjusted odd ratios (OR) = 1.16, 95% confident intervals (CI): 1.10-1.38), duration of DM (adjusted OR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.28-1.87), lower physical activity (adjusted OR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.15-3.03), retinopathy (adjusted OR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.01-1.89), neuropathy (adjusted OR = 2.07, 95% CI: 1.54-3.06) and depression (adjusted OR = 1.46, 95% CI 1.32-2.56). The study shows that diabetics with ED suffer more serious complications than those patients with non-ED. ED may act as a sentinel event for underlying complications among male diabetics.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Dietary patterns and risk of prostate cancer in Ontario, Canada.

Dietary patterns reflect combinations of dietary exposures, and here we examine these in relation to prostate cancer risk. In a case-control study, 80 incident primary prostate cancer cases and 334 urology clinic controls were enrolled from 1997 through 1999 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Food-frequency questionnaires were completed prior to diagnosis and assessed intake in the 1-year period 2-3 years prior to enrollment. Among controls, dietary intake was used in principal components analyses to identify patterns that were then evaluated with all subjects in relation to prostate cancer risk using unconditional logistic regression, controlling for age. Four dietary patterns were identified: Healthy Living, Traditional Western, Processed and Beverages. Increased prostate cancer risk is apparent in relation to the Processed pattern, composed of processed meats, red meats, organ meats, refined grains, white bread, onions and tomatoes, vegetable oil and juice, soft drinks and bottled water. The OR for the highest tertile compared to baseline is 2.75 (95% CI 1.40-5.39), with a dose-response pattern (trend test p < 0.0035). Our results suggest that a dietary pattern including refined grain products, processed meats and red and organ meats contributes to increased prostate cancer risk. Since dietary information was collected before subjects knew their diagnosis, recall bias was avoided.

Aged↗

PubMed2005

[Effects of rhizosphere CO2 concentration on potato growth].

With the method of areoponics, this paper established a rhizosphere gas environment research system to study the effects of different rhizosphere CO2 concentration on the growth of potato (Solanum tuberosum) plants. The results showed that in treatments 380 and 380 approximately 920 micromol CO2 x mol(-1), the plant height, stem diameter, leaf area, root length, and individuals of stolon and mini-tuber had a similar variation trend with time, and presented two distinct phases. The plants grew vigorously, and their tuber yield increased markedly, compared with treatment 3,600 micromol CO2 x mol(-1), which indicated that 380 approximately 920 micromol CO2 x mol(-1) was the appropriate CO2 concentration in the root zone to promote potato growth, while overmuch rhizosphere CO2 would markedly inhibit the growth and development of potato plants. Treatment 3,600 micromol CO2 x mol(-1) and sand culture had the similar stem diameter, leaf area, and individuals of stolon and mini-tuber. The plants grew short and weak, and tuber yield was lower.

Carbon Dioxide↗

PubMed2004

Breast tissue organochlorine levels and metabolic genotypes in relation to breast cancer risk Canada.

Genes that metabolize the rate of clearance of environmental carcinogens may be candidate genes for cancer susceptibility. There is some data to suggest that exposure to environmental pesticides and other organochlorine pollutants is a risk factor to breast cancer. It is therefore reasonable to ask if variants in the genes responsible for the metabolic activation of organochlorines are associated with different tissue burdens of organochlorines and if these variants modify the risk of breast cancer in the population. We conducted a case-control study of women who underwent an excision biopsy for suspected breast cancer in a Toronto hospital from 1995 to 1997. Patients are residents of the Greater Toronto Area and are primarily Caucasian of European descent. Cases were women with invasive breast cancer (n = 70) and controls (n = 69) were women diagnosed with benign disease, frequency matched by age to cases. Levels of organochlorines were measured in benign breast tissue and seven polymorphisms in five candidate genes were genotyped. In general, women who carried inactive alleles of the GSTM1 had higher levels of breast organochlorines, and were at modestly increased risk of breast cancer (odds ratio = 2.2; 95% CI = 1.1-4.4). However, multiple comparisons were made and generally our data do not support the hypothesis that organochlorines increase the risk of breast cancer among subgroups of women with specific metabolic genotypes.

Adult↗