Showing papers by "Saskatchewan Health published in 1996"

Reduction of Healthcare Resource Utilisation and Costs Following the Use of Risperidone for Patients with Schizophrenia Previously Treated with Standard Antipsychotic Therapy

Abstract: The objective of this study was to assess the change in healthcare resource utilisation and costs related to the initiation of risperidone therapy in patients with chronic schizophrenia. The study design used a retrospective cohort and linked data from 5 databases (patient, prescription drug, hospital, physician and mental health services) within the province of Saskatchewan. Study participants included all those patients who were registered in the Saskatchewan Health Linkable Data Files and received at least 1 prescription for risperidone between 1 July 1993 and 31 December 1993. In order to receive risperidone in Saskatchewan, patients needed to have failed or become intolerant to previous antipsychotic therapy. Utilisation information from the databases was collected for equivalent periods, in this case an average of 10 months, before and after initiation of risperidone. Results were as follows: hospital admissions decreased by 60.3%, length of hospital stay decreased by 58.2%, and physician visits decreased by 22.3%, after initiation of risperidone. There was also a slight reduction in visits to mental health services. The cost of antipsychotic medication increased during risperidone treatment; however, when all costs were added up, there was an estimated annual cost saving of $Can7925/patient/year after initiation of risperidone. Such results need to be interpreted in the light of possible mitigating effects operative in longitudinal studies of schizophrenia.

Conformational alteration of Oct-1 upon DNA binding dictates selectivity in differential interactions with related transcriptional coactivators.

Abstract: VP16 (termed VP16-H here) of herpes simplex virus (HSV) belongs to a family of related regulatory proteins which includes VP16-B of bovine herpesvirus (BHV). We show that VP16-B, while also being a powerful transactivator of transcription dependent on Oct-1 binding sites in its target promoters, has virtually no activity on a defined VP16-H-responsive, octamer-containing target promoter. While Oct-1 binds equally well to the VP16-B-responsive and -nonresponsive sites, VP16-B interacts with Oct-1 only when Oct-1 is bound to the BHV octamer site and not when it is bound to the HSV site. We show from the analysis of chimeric proteins that the ability of VP16-B to discriminate between the Oct-1 forms depends on features of its N-terminal region. We also show from an analysis of chimeric DNA motifs that sequences that lie 3' to the POU domain-contacting region of the HSV octamer site play a role in making it unresponsive to VP16-B. Finally, we show by high-resolution hydroxyl radical footprint analysis that the conformation of Oct-l is different on the two sites. These results augment our previous report on an allosteric effect of DNA signals on the conformation of bound proteins and indicate that different conformations of the same DNA binding protein can be recognized selectively by related members of interacting regulatory proteins. The possible implications of our observations for selective gene regulation by Oct-1, a ubiquitous transcription factor, and other multimember transcription families are discussed.

Normal Values for Pentachlorophenol in Urine Samples Collected from a General Population

Abstract: Aliquots of urine samples collected over a 24-h period from normal individuals were analyzed for pentachlorophenol (PCP). Urine samples were taken from subjects living in various regions (both rural and urban) throughout the province of Saskatchewan. Urinary PCP concentrations were determined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and stable isotope dilution. The normal PCP concentrations were found to range from 0.05 to 3.6 ng/mliters. Because the aliquots analyzed were taken from 24-h sample collections, the normal range of PCP excreted on a daily basis was determined. A total of 69 samples taken from 26 males and 43 females who ranged in age from 6 to 87 years were analyzed. The average amount of excreted PCP was determined to be 4.3 nmol/day.

Pentachlorophenol levels in human urine.

Abstract: Pentachlorophenol is perhaps one of the most persistent and widespread pollutants in existence today. The ubiquitous nature of this molecule and its toxicological properties have aroused the interest of numerous researchers in diverse areas of environmental chemistry, occupational health and safety, and environmental and occupational medicine. Unfortunately, due to the unavailability of data indicative of {open_quotes}normal{close_quotes} or background levels of PCP exposure in the general population, researchers have encountered difficulty assessing long-term toxicological effects. It is desirable to be able to determine the minimum level of long-term exposure which will result in an adverse effect to human health. There have been a limited number of studies examining PCP levels in the urine of non-occupationally exposed individuals. In continuation of previous work carried out at our laboratory, we have analyzed a series of urine samples which were collected in the middle of winter as opposed to early in the fall. This work will provide further information regarding background levels of PCP and also determine whether or not there is potentially seasonal variation. 6 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab.

A comparison of the Genie and western blot assays in confirmatory testing for HIV-1 antibody.

Abstract: The Genie HIV-1/2 kit (Sanofi Diagnostics Pasteur, Montreal, Quebec), a synthetic-peptide solid-phase enzyme immunoassay, was evaluated as a confirmatory assay for HIV-1 antibodies in comparison with Western blot (BioRad, Hercules, CA, USA) on 50 stored HIV-1 antibody-positive sera and the 137 sera yielding repeated positive results in the conventional EIA screen out of 13405 fresh patient sera from Saskatchewan in 1993. The stored HIV-1-positive sera were uniformly positive in the Genie test. Of the 137 EIA screen-positive sera, 33 were uniformly positive and 64 were uniformly negative in Genie and Western blot; 36 were Genie-negative and indeterminate by Western blot; and four were Genie indeterminate, of which one was negative and three were indeterminate by Western blot. All HIV-1 Western blot-indeterminate and Genie-interdeterminate sera were negative in radio-immunoprecipitation assay (RIPA) and Western blot for HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibodies performed by a reference laboratory. Genie gave an accurate definitive result for 97% of EIA positive sera compared with 71% for Western blot. There was excellent correlation between Genie, Western blot and RIPA results. However, the Genie assay was faster, less costly and yielded fewer indeterminate results than Western blot in confirmatory testing for HIV-1 antibodies.

Enhancing prevention in the practice of health professionals.

Abstract: The National Enhancing Prevention Steering Committee is a partnership of eleven national health professional associations and Health Canada. Their joint mission reflects the view that "to ensure the health of Canadians and to ensure an effective health care system, all health professionals have a key role in assisting individuals and communities to increase control over and improve their health." This paper describes the development of the National Strategy for Enhancing Prevention in the Practice of Health Professionals and the learning from that five-year process.