Injuries related to consumer products in Canada--a systematic literature review.

Objectives: To conduct a systematic literature review of injury related to certain consumer products.

Methods: Forty-six empirical research reports along with 32 surveillance reports from the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (CHIRPP) were examined to determine the approximate number of injuries associated with a given product per year and any trends in frequency. Percentages of injuries that: (1) resulted in hospitalization, (2) appeared to result from the product itself and (3) were associated with risky or inappropriate use and/or non-use of a helmet were also extracted from the reports.

Cancer and the environment: Ten topics in environmental cancer epidemiology in Canada.

This Chronic Diseases in Canada supplement is a compilation of literature reviews by scientific experts. It was initiated as follow-up to the Green Plan, the federal government's environmental agenda in the 1990s. In recognizing that Canadians are concerned about the environment and its relationship to their health, this document attempts to address some of these concerns in relation to cancer by reviewing and summarizing the epidemiological literature for ten environmental exposures, and highlighting future research needs.

Cancer in the mothers and siblings of testicular cancer patients.

Some families seem to have an increased risk of several different cancers and a reduced risk of others. Either genetic predisposition or a shared environment may explain this familial clustering, and the type of cause can affect how family members should be advised. We used data from a case-control study to examine the risk of cancer in the mother, sisters and brothers of men with testicular cancer.

Histologic staging in malignant melanoma: cross-sectional area revisited.

Background And Objectives: Tumor thickness is considered the single most important predictor of survival in clinically localized malignant melanoma. A recent study found tumor volume a more sensitive predictor of survival than thickness. Volume measurement, however, is complicated, time consuming, and based on biologically imprecise mathematical models of tumor configuration.

Survival rates among Canadian children and teenagers with cancer diagnosed between 1985 and 1988.

Purpose: To describe the survival rates among Canadian children and teenagers with cancer diagnosed between 1985 and 1988 using population-based data, specifically for the more common forms of childhood cancer, and to assess the effect of age at diagnosis and sex as prognostic factors for selected childhood cancers.

Design: Retrospective survival study based on incident cases of cancer identified by the National Cancer Incidence Reporting System and follow-up ascertained by computer record linkage to the Canadian Mortality Database.

Subjects: A total of 4409 patients with cancer first diagnosed at 19 years of age or younger between 1985 and 1988, and followed up to Dec.

Comparative analysis of the expression patterns of metalloproteinases and their inhibitors in breast neoplasia, sporadic colorectal neoplasia, pulmonary carcinomas and malignant non-Hodgkin's lymphomas in humans.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their inhibitors (tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases, TIMPs) play essential roles in the remodelling of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Results of in vivo and in vitro studies suggest that the balance between MMPs and TIMPs is altered in neoplasia, contributing to the invasive and metastatic properties of malignant tumours. In this study we have analysed the expression of five MMP genes and TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 in 37 benign and malignant lesions of human breast using Northern blot analysis.

Physical activity, medical history, and risk of testicular cancer (Alberta and British Columbia, Canada).

In order to evaluate risk factors for germ cell cancers, we conducted a case-control study of 510 men with testicular cancer aged 15 to 79 years and 996 randomly selected age-matched controls in the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta, Canada. Subjects completed a mailed questionnaire providing data on education level, ethnic origin, medical history, smoking, occupation, and recreational and sports activity. The response rate among cases was 80.

The natural history of appendicitis in adults. A prospective study.

Objective: The authors relate prehospital delay and in-hospital delay to the incidence of perforation of appendicitis.

Summary Background Data: Quality assurance studies use perforation rate as an index of quality of care. This is based on the assumption commonly presented in retrospective reports that in-hospital delay to surgery influences the incidence of perforation.

The ultimate modification in the modified neck dissection.

Purpose: A study was undertaken to study the potential benefits for function and regional recurrence of preserving the sensory ventral branches of the cervical plexus in modified neck dissections.

Methods: Fifteen cases of squamous cell carcinoma or melanoma of the head and neck in which the sensory nerves were spared were matched to 15 cases in which the nerves were sacrificed. The subjects were examined for sensory loss, questioned regarding acute and chronic dysfunction, and followed for regional recurrence for a minimum of 2 years.

Midazolam coinduction does not delay discharge after very brief propofol anaesthesia.

Previous reports have demonstrated synergism of midazolam and propofol for induction of anaesthesia in humans. We tested the hypothesis that in the presence of alfentanil, the combination of midazolam with propofol for a very brief operative procedure would not affect the recovery phase. During pre-oxygenation, 64 outpatients scheduled for dilatation and curettage received placebo, or low-dose midazolam (0.

Expression pattern of metalloproteinases and their inhibitors changes with the progression of human sporadic colorectal neoplasia.

Several studies have implicated the extracellular matrix-degrading metalloproteinases (MMPs) as essential agents in tumor cell invasion and metastasis. In the present study, we have investigated the patterns of expression of a number of MMPs and their specific tissue inhibitors (TIMP-1 and TIMP-2) in human colonic tissue samples that represent various stages of progression from adenomas showing different degrees of dysplasia to adenocarcinomas. We assessed levels of mRNA by Northern blot analysis and the results were measured semiquantitatively by densitometry.

Cancer patients who refuse treatment.

The value of cancer treatment was assessed using a 'natural experiment' where patients who refused treatment served as no-treatment controls in a situation where withholding treatment to form a control group is unethical. Each cancer patient who refused treatment in Alberta, Canada between 1975 and 1988 was compared with five subjects who accepted treatment, matched on cancer site, age, number of cancers, and time period. Variables associated with treatment-refusal were included in Cox's proportional hazards model of survival, with death from cancer as the endpoint and deaths from other causes as censored observations.

Linea alba closure: determination of ideal distance between sutures.

An experiment was conducted to determine the optimal distance between sutures in closure of abdominal midline incisions. Human cadaveric fascia was harvested soon after death and stored at -70 degrees C until testing. Suture pullout tests were performed to determine the maximal force applied to the fascia before pullout.

Influence of level and depth on recurrence rate in thin melanomas.

A population-based study of the biology of the thin-level melanoma according to site, Breslow's thickness, and Clark's level was undertaken. Two hundred fifteen patients were studied with a mean follow-up of 41 months. Overall, 23 patients (10.

Arm function after axillary dissection for breast cancer: a pilot study to provide parameter estimates.

Sixty-three women participated in a study in Calgary, Alberta to assess the rate of arm recovery and factors affecting it up to one year after axillary node dissection for breast cancer. Outcomes included objective measures of swelling, mobility, and strength, and subjective assessments of pain (at rest and with movement) and stiffness. Approximately 42% of women had residual impairment of at least one type one year after surgery, the most common problems being pain (16%) and reduced grip strength (16%).

Risk factors for surgical wound infection among the elderly.

One hundred fifty-seven elderly patients with surgical wound infection were matched on wound classification and date of surgery to non-infected control patients. Factors examined for their association with wound infection included medical history, functional status, behaviour (e.g.

Relationship between the clinical aggressiveness of large cell immunoblastic lymphomas and expression of 92 kDa gelatinase (type IV collagenase) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) RNAs.

Aberrant expression of secreted proteinases and their specific inhibitors is believed to represent an important factor in the pathogenesis of invasion and metastases of malignant neoplasms. Our previous data indicated a link between elevated expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) and the clinical aggressiveness of malignant non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Further studies are presented on eighteen cases of high grade, large cell immunoblastic lymphoma in which expression at the RNA level of TIMP-1 and the metalloproteinase, 92 kDa gelatinase, were analyzed.

Frequency of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer in southern Alberta.

The frequency of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer was evaluated in a group of colorectal cancer patients under age 50 diagnosed in southern Alberta between 1973 and 1987. Families were identified as positive for this syndrome if three first-degree relatives in the kindred had colorectal cancer. Of the 390 patients with adenocarcinoma, 318 patients participated.

Prognostic significance of proliferative activity of diffuse large cell lymphomas.

Diffuse large cell and immunoblastic lymphomas are a heterogeneous group of tumors. They differ phenotypically and genotypically, and their clinical course varies in aggressiveness. This study evaluates the prognostic significance of proliferative activity and compares it with immunophenotype, genotype, and clinical data.

Surgical wound infection and cancer among the elderly: a case control study.

Surgical wound infection occurs in fewer than 5% of operations. Nevertheless, it represents the second most common type of hospital-acquired infection and results in increased morbidity and mortality. As with all nosocomial infections, the rate of surgical wound infection increases with age.

Perioperative cefazolin prophylaxis in hip fracture surgery.

Antibiotics given perioperatively are thought to decrease the occurrence of postoperative wound infection. The duration of treatment for hip fracture surgery is empirical. This randomized, double-blind, single-hospital clinical study was carried out to assess the effect of both antibiotic use and duration of use on wound infections in hip fracture surgery.

A biomechanical study of suture pullout in linea alba.

The relationship of suture bite size, suture diameter, and fascial thickness to strength of wound closure was studied in cadaveric linea alba. All soft tissue was removed from the fascia of 12 abdominal walls that were cut into 346 test sections. A single suture loop was placed in each section, simulating laparotomy closure with interrupted technique.

Immunotherapy of murine hepatic metastases with lymphokine-activated killer cells expanded in serum-free media and recombinant interleukin 2.

It has been shown that the systemic administration of lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells with recombinant interleukin 2 (RIL-2) is effective in reducing the number of established pulmonary and hepatic metastases in murine models. Similarly, this modality of therapy has been proven effective against certain selected human tumors as well. In view of the rising concern with transmission of virally related communicable diseases such as hepatitis and AIDS, we have undertaken the evaluation of a serum-free medium (AIM V) for the generation and expansion of murine LAK cells for use in in vivo tumor immunotherapy against murine hepatic metastases.