Does the Neighborhood Area of Residence Influence Non-Attendance in an Urban Mammography Screening Program? A Multilevel Study in a Swedish City

MethodsWe analyze all women invited to mammography screening in 2005–09, residing in the city of Malmö, Sweden. Information regarding mammography screening attendance was linked to data on area of residence, demographic and socioeconomic characteristics available from Statistics Sweden. The influence of individual and neighborhood factors was assessed by multilevel logistic regression analysis with 29,901 women nested within 212 neighborhoods.ResultsThe prevalence of non-attendance among women was 18.3%. After adjusting for individual characteristics, the prevalence in the 212 neighborhoods was 3.6%. Neighborhood of residence had little influence on non-attendance. The multilevel analysis indicates that 8.4% of the total individual differences in the propensity of non-attendance were at the neighborhood level. However, when adjusting for specific individual characteristics this general contextual effect decreased to 1.8%. This minor effect was explained by the sociodemographic characteristic of the neighborhoods. The discriminatory accuracy of classifying women according to their non-attendance was 0.747 when considering only individual level variables, and 0.760 after including neighborhood level as a random effect.ConclusionOur results suggest that neighborhoods of residence in Malmö, Sweden (as defined by small-area market statistics (SAMS) areas) do not condition women’s participation in population based mammography screening. Thus, interventions should be directed to the whole city and target women with a higher risk of non-attendance.     

Two different β-lactamase genes are present in Streptomycees cacaoi

Two beta-lactamase genes called blaL and blaU have been cloned independently in Liège and in Ume?, from Streptomyces cacaoi. Genes blaL and blaU were found to differ largely in their nucleotide sequences, although the encoded proteins both belonged to the class A of beta-lactamases (active-site serine penicillinases). DNA-hybridization and polymerase chain reaction assays have now demonstrated that both blaL and blaU genes were present in the S. cacaoi strains used in Liège and in Ume?.     

Polymorphisms at 13 expressed human sequences containing CAG/CTG repeats and analysis in autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia (ADCA) patients

Genetic anticipation – increasing severity and a decrease in the age of onset with successive generations of a pedigree – is clearly present in autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia (ADCA). Anticipation is correlated with expansion of the CAG/CTG repeat sequence to sizes above those in the normal range through the generations of a pedigree. Genetic heterogeneity has been demonstrated for ADCA, with four cloned genes (SCA1, SCA2, SCA3/MJD, and SCA6) and three mapped loci (SCA4, SCA5 and SCA7). Another related dominant ataxia, dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA), presents anticipation with CAG/CTG repeat expansions. We had previously analysed ADCA patients who had not shown repeat expansions in cloned genes for CAG/CTG repeat expansions by the repeat expansion detection method (RED) and had detected expansions of between 48 and 88 units in 17 unrelated familial cases. We present here an analysis of 13 genes and expressed sequence tags (ESTs) containing 10 or more CAG/ CTG repeat sequences selected from public databases in the 17 unrelated ADCA patients. Of the 13 selected genes and ESTs, 9 were found to be polymorphic with heterozygosities ranging between 0.09 and 0.80 and 2 to 17 alleles. In ADCA patients none of the loci showed expansions above the normal range of the CAG/CTG repeat sequences, excluding them as the mutation causing ADCA. Received: 28 May 1997 / Accepted: 30 June 1997     

Ethylene and IAA interactions in the inhibition of photoperiodic flower induction of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pharbitis nil</Emphasis>

It has been shown that both IAA and ethylene application inhibit flower induction in the short-day plant Pharbitis nil. However application of IAA has elevated ethylene production in this plant, as well. Strong enhancement of ethylene production is also correlated with the night-break effect, which completely inhibits flowering. In order to determine what the role of IAA and ethylene is in the photoperiodic flower induction in Pharbitis nil, we measured changes in their levels during inductive and non-inductive photoperiods, and the effects of ethylene biosynthesis and action inhibitors on inhibition of flowering by IAA. Our results have shown that the inhibitory effect of IAA on Pharbitis nil flowering is not physiological but is connected with its effect on ethylene biosynthesis.     

The application of fluorescence spectroscopy to organic matter characterisation in drinking water treatment

Key to effective disinfection byproduct (DBP) management is source water control and management, and more specifically, organic matter (OM) control and management. However, the content and character of OM in source waters is spatially and temporally variable, and the prediction of its composition is challenging. Water treatment companies require adequate analytical techniques for OM characterisation to maintain the operation of the water supply and treatment systems adjusted to constantly changing environmental conditions. There is a requirement, therefore, for an improved understanding of OM composition and character in source water, how that composition and character varies with flow conditions, and how this impacts on drinking water treatment. This paper demonstrates that fluorescence spectroscopy offers a potential alternative to other analytical methods of OM characterisation. The advantages of fluorescence include rapid, sensitive and selective characterisation of OM, no sample pre-treatment, small sample volume, and the potential for on-line monitoring incorporation. Fluorescence can provide useful information on OM reactivity and treatability together with an indication of the OM sources (allochthonous or autochthonous). The paper discusses a body of literature which has identified relationships between fluorescence spectra and OM physico-chemical properties (i.e. degree of hydrophobicity, microbial content), has applied fluorescence spectroscopy to characterise the changes in OM upon disinfection, and has related the fluorescence properties to DBP formation. Further work is required in the robust management of data arising from fluorescence spectroscopy analysis and, in particular, Excitation Emission Matrices. Consideration must be given as to how the data might best be employed to greatest effect on a routine basis at WTW.     

Cu(II) ion interaction with teicoplanin-vancomycin’s analog

Teicoplanin, a member of the “last chance” antibiotic family has a similar structure and the same mechanism of action as parent drug vancomycin, which is proved to be an effective binder of Cu(II) ions. However, the potentiometric and spectroscopic studies (UV-visible, CD, NMR) have shown that the modification of the N-terminal structure of the peptide backbone in teicoplanin affects considerably the binding ability towards Cu(II) ions. While vancomycin forms almost instantly the stable 3 N complex species involving the N-terminal and two amide nitrogen donors, in case of teicoplanin only two nitrogen donors derived from the N-terminal amino group and adjacent peptide bond are coordinated to Cu(II) ion within the whole pH range studied. The major factor influencing the binding mode is most likely the structure of the N-terminus of the peptide unit in the antibiotic ligand.