Chronic Disease Coverage in Canadian Aboriginal Newspapers

Purpose: To determine the volume and focus of articles on four chronic diseases in newspapers targeting First Nations, Me ́tis, and Inuit in Canada. Methods: From a sampling frame of 31 Aboriginal newspapers published in English from 1996–2000, 14 newspapers were randomly selected allowing for national and regional representation. Newspaper archives were searched at the National Library of Canada and articles selected if the disease terms cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or HIV/AIDS appeared in the headline, or in the first or last paragraph of the article. Articles were coded for inclusion of mobilizing information (local, distant, unrestricted, not specified, none) and content focus (scientific, human interest, com- mercial, other). Cancer articles were categorized by tumor site specificity. Data were analyzed by frequency, cross tabulations, and chi-square analysis. Results: Of 400 chronic disease articles, there were significantly more articles on HIV/AIDS (167 or 41.8%) and diabetes (135 or 33.8%) and few articles on cancer (56 or 14%) and cardiovascular disease (30 articles or 7.5%) (p \u3c 0.001). Slightly more than one third (36.5%) of the articles contained mobilizing information to en- able readers to take further health action. Mobilizing information was virtually absent from cardiovascular (7/30 or 23%) and diabetes (29/135 or 21.5%) articles. Site specific cancer coverage differed significantly from chance (p\u3c0.001) with 41% of the articles on breast cancer and no articles on lung or colorectal cancers. Interpretation: Given the burden of tobacco-related cardiovascular disease and cancer in Canadian Aboriginal people, the lack of coverage and limited mobilizing information in ethnic newspapers are a missed opportunity for health promotion

Beliefs about Causes of Colon Cancer by English-as-a-Second-Language Chinese Immigrant Women to Canada

Abstract Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death for Canadians

Confocal laser endomicroscopy is a new imaging modality for recognition of intramucosal bacteria in inflammatory bowel disease in vivo

Interaction of bacteria with the immune system within the intestinal mucosa plays a key role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The aim of the current study was to develop a fluorescein-aided confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) method to visualise intramucosal enteric bacteria in vivo and to determine the involved mucosal area in the colon and ileum in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD)

Comparison of breast and bowel cancer screening uptake patterns in a common cohort of South Asian women in England

Background: Inequalities in uptake of cancer screening by ethnic minority populations are well documented in a number of international studies. However, most studies to date have explored screening uptake for a single cancer only. This paper compares breast and bowel cancer screening uptake for a cohort of South Asian women invited to undertake both, and similarly investigates these women's breast cancer screening behaviour over a period of fifteen years. Methods: Screening data for rounds 1, 2 and 5 (1989-2004) of the NHS breast cancer screening programme and for round 1 of the NHS bowel screening pilot (2000-2002) were obtained for women aged 50-69 resident in the English bowel screening pilot site, Coventry and Warwickshire, who had been invited to undertake breast and bowel cancer screening in the period 2000-2002. Breast and bowel cancer screening uptake levels were calculated and compared using the chi-squared test. Results: 72,566 women were invited to breast and bowel cancer screening after exclusions. Of these, 3,539 were South Asian and 69,027 non-Asian; 18,730 had been invited to mammography over the previous fifteen years (rounds 1 to 5). South Asian women were significantly less likely to undertake both breast and bowel cancer screening; 29.9% (n = 1,057) compared to 59.4% (n = 40,969) for non-Asians (p < 0.001). Women in both groups who consistently chose to undertake breast cancer screening in rounds 1, 2 and 5 were more likely to complete round 1 bowel cancer screening. However, the likelihood of completion of bowel cancer screening was still significantly lower for South Asians; 49.5% vs. 82.3% for non-Asians, p < 0.001. South Asian women who undertook breast cancer screening in only one round were no more likely to complete bowel cancer screening than those who decided against breast cancer screening in all three rounds. In contrast, similar women in the non-Asian population had an increased likelihood of completing the new bowel cancer screening test. The likelihood of continued uptake of mammography after undertaking screening in round 1 differed between South Asian religio-linguistic groups. Noticeably, women in the Muslim population were less likely to continue to participate in mammography than those in other South Asian groups. Conclusions: Culturally appropriate targeted interventions are required to reduce observed disparities in cancer screening uptakes

Self-Dual Bending Theory for Vesicles

We present a self-dual bending theory that may enable a better understanding of highly nonlinear global behavior observed in biological vesicles. Adopting this topological approach for spherical vesicles of revolution allows us to describe them as frustrated sine-Gordon kinks. Finally, to illustrate an application of our results, we consider a spherical vesicle globally distorted by two polar latex beads.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, LaTeX2e+IOPar

Confocal endomicroscopy identifies loss of local barrier function in the duodenum of patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis

Background: Increased cell shedding with gap formation and local barrier dysfunction can be identified endomicroscopically in the terminal ileum of patients with inflammatory bowel disease. We aim to evaluate whether these changes are also present in the duodenum of patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Methods: Fifteen patients with Crohn's disease (CD), 10 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), and 10 controls underwent fluorescein-aided confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE). CLE was performed on macroscopically normal antral and duodenal (D1, D2, D3, D4) mucosa. Representative CLE images were prospectively analyzed. Images were scored for the number of epithelial gaps, cell shedding, and the degree of fluorescein leakage into the intestinal lumen. Results: Both CD and UC patients had significantly more epithelial gaps, epithelial cell shedding, and leakage of fluorescein into the duodenal lumen than controls. The degree of cell shedding and epithelial gap formation was similar in CD and UC patients. In all cases, macroscopic endoscopic appearances of the duodenum were normal, and conventional histological analysis showed a mild nonspecific duodenitis in 7 of 15 patients with CD. Patients with UC had a histologically normal duodenum. Gap formation, cell shedding, and fluorescein leakage was similar in CD with active compared with inactive disease, except for D2 shedding. Conclusions: CLE can detect epithelial damage and barrier loss in the duodenum of CD and UC patients that is not apparent on conventional endoscopy or histology. Copyright © 2014 Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America, Inc

Novel prokaryotic expression of thioredoxin-fused insulinoma associated protein tyrosine phosphatase 2 (IA-2), its characterization and immunodiagnostic application

Background The insulinoma associated protein tyrosine phosphatase 2 (IA-2) is one of the immunodominant autoantigens involved in the autoimmune attack to the beta-cell in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. In this work we have developed a complete and original process for the production and recovery of the properly folded intracellular domain of IA-2 fused to thioredoxin (TrxIA-2ic) in Escherichia coli GI698 and GI724 strains. We have also carried out the biochemical and immunochemical characterization of TrxIA-2icand design variants of non-radiometric immunoassays for the efficient detection of IA-2 autoantibodies (IA-2A). Results The main findings can be summarized in the following statements: i) TrxIA-2ic expression after 3 h of induction on GI724 strain yielded ≈ 10 mg of highly pure TrxIA-2ic/L of culture medium by a single step purification by affinity chromatography, ii) the molecular weight of TrxIA-2ic (55,358 Da) could be estimated by SDS-PAGE, size exclusion chromatography and mass spectrometry, iii) TrxIA-2ic was properly identified by western blot and mass spectrometric analysis of proteolytic digestions (63.25 % total coverage), iv) excellent immunochemical behavior of properly folded full TrxIA-2ic was legitimized by inhibition or displacement of [35S]IA-2 binding from IA-2A present in Argentinian Type 1 Diabetic patients, v) great stability over time was found under proper storage conditions and vi) low cost and environmentally harmless ELISA methods for IA-2A assessment were developed, with colorimetric or chemiluminescent detection. Conclusions E. coli GI724 strain emerged as a handy source of recombinant IA-2ic, achieving high levels of expression as a thioredoxin fusion protein, adequately validated and applicable to the development of innovative and cost-effective immunoassays for IA-2A detection in most laboratories.Fil: Guerra, Luciano Lucas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni; ArgentinaFil: Faccinetti, Natalia Ines. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni; ArgentinaFil: Trabucchi, Aldana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni; ArgentinaFil: Rovitto, Bruno David. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni; ArgentinaFil: Sabljic, Adriana Victoria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni; ArgentinaFil: Poskus, Edgardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni; ArgentinaFil: Iacono, Ruben Francisco. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni; ArgentinaFil: Valdez, Silvina Noemi. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni; Argentin