McMaster University

About: McMaster University is a education organization based out in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 41361 authors who have published 101269 publications receiving 4251422 citations.

Social preferences for health states: An empirical evaluation of three measurement techniques

Abstract: Health state preferences measured on the general public provide useful information in their own right as well as being necessary data for the application of many health status index models. But, how should the preferences be measured? This paper reports the results of an empirical investigation in which three measurement techniques are applied to several samples of the general public to measure the social preferences for ten different health states. The standard gamble technique by von Neumann-Morgenstern, a time trade-off technique by the author, and a category scaling method are analyzed with respect to their feasibility, reliability, validity and comparability.

Overweight and obesity in mothers and risk of preterm birth and low birth weight infants: systematic review and meta-analyses

Abstract: Objective To determine the relation between overweight and obesity in mothers and preterm birth and low birth weight in singleton pregnancies in developed and developing countries. Design Systematic review and meta-analyses. Data sources Medline and Embase from their inceptions, and reference lists of identified articles. Study selection Studies including a reference group of women with normal body mass index that assessed the effect of overweight and obesity on two primary outcomes: preterm birth (before 37 weeks) and low birth weight ( Data extraction Two assessors independently reviewed titles, abstracts, and full articles, extracted data using a piloted data collection form, and assessed quality. Data synthesis 84 studies (64 cohort and 20 case-control) were included, totalling 1 095 834 women. Although the overall risk of preterm birth was similar in overweight and obese women and women of normal weight, the risk of induced preterm birth was increased in overweight and obese women (relative risk 1.30, 95% confidence interval 1.23 to 1.37). Although overall the risk of having an infant of low birth weight was decreased in overweight and obese women (0.84, 0.75 to 0.95), the decrease was greater in developing countries than in developed countries (0.58, 0.47 to 0.71 v 0.90, 0.79 to 1.01). After accounting for publication bias, the apparent protective effect of overweight and obesity on low birth weight disappeared with the addition of imputed “missing” studies (0.95, 0.85 to 1.07), whereas the risk of preterm birth appeared significantly higher in overweight and obese women (1.24, 1.13 to 1.37). Conclusions Overweight and obese women have increased risks of preterm birth and induced preterm birth and, after accounting for publication bias, appeared to have increased risks of preterm birth overall. The beneficial effects of maternal overweight and obesity on low birth weight were greater in developing countries and disappeared after accounting for publication bias.

Suppression of tumor growth and metastasis in Mgat5-deficient mice.

Abstract: Golgi beta1,6N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase V (MGAT5) is required in the biosynthesis of beta1,6GlcNAc-branched N-linked glycans attached to cell surface and secreted glycoproteins. Amounts of MGAT5 glycan products are commonly increased in malignancies, and correlate with disease progression. To study the functions of these N-glycans in development and disease, we generated mice deficient in Mgat5 by targeted gene mutation. These Mgat5-/- mice lacked Mgat5 products and appeared normal, but differed in their responses to certain extrinsic conditions. Mammary tumor growth and metastases induced by the polyomavirus middle T oncogene was considerably less in Mgat5-/- mice than in transgenic littermates expressing Mgat5. Furthermore, Mgat5 glycan products stimulated membrane ruffling and phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase-protein kinase B activation, fueling a positive feedback loop that amplified oncogene signaling and tumor growth in vivo. Our results indicate that inhibitors of MGAT5 might be useful in the treatment of malignancies by targeting their dependency on focal adhesion signaling for growth and metastasis.

Bioactive paper provides a low-cost platform for diagnostics.

Abstract: Bioactive paper includes a range of potential paper-based materials that can perform analytical functions normally reserved for multi-well plates in the laboratory or for portable electronic devices. Pathogen detection is the most compelling application. Simple paper-based detection, not requiring hardware, has the potential to have impacts in society, ranging from the kitchen to disasters in the developing world. Bioactive-paper research is an emerging field with significant efforts in Canada, USA (Harvard), Finland and Australia. Following a brief introduction to the material and surface properties of paper, I review the literature. Some of the early work exploits the porosity of paper to generate paper-based microfluidics ("paperfluidics") devices. I exclude from this review printed electronic devices and plastics-supported devices.