ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Liver cancer, a significant health problem in Chinese, can be controlled through HBV blood testing, vaccination, and community education about HBV. The PRECEDE framework has been very helpful in identifying factors associated with health practices. OBJECTIVES: The objective was to identify factors associated with HBV testing in Chinese Canadians, using the PRECEDE framework. METHODS: Five hundred and thirty-three randomly selected Chinese Canadian adults were interviewed about HBV blood testing practices. Factors were grouped as predisposing, reinforcing and enabling. RESULTS: Fifty-five percent had received HBV blood testing. Several predisposing factors, all reinforcing factors and one enabling factor were associated with HBV testing in bivariate analysis. A physician's recommendation for testing was the strongest factor associated with testing in multiple logistic regression analysis (OR=4.4, p<0.0001). INTERPRETATION: Many Chinese Canadian adults in Vancouver have not been tested for HBV. Continuing educational efforts are needed and the PRECEDE framework can inform the development of health education interventions.
Subject(s)
Adult , Asian People/ethnology , British Columbia/epidemiology , China/ethnology , Disease Susceptibility , Emigration and Immigration , Female , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Health Surveys , Hepatitis B/ethnology , Hepatitis B Vaccines , Hepatitis B virus/isolation & purification , Humans , Liver Neoplasms/ethnology , Male , Middle Aged , Surveys and Questionnaires , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to perform preimplantation gender diagnosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One (or two) lymphocyte and blastomere (n=50/group) were collected and prepared under the following conditions: (1) water only (H(2)O); (2) freeze-thaw liquid nitrogen, then boiling; (3) potassium hydroxide/dithiotheriol, heated to 65 degree centigrade, followed by acid neutralization (KOH). Cells were analyzed by PCR using nested primers amplification with amelogenin gene.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The amplification rate and allele dropout (ADO) rate for male lymphocytes by the three methods were 83%, 94%, 95% and 24%, 12%, 4%, respectively. Using two cells per reaction did not increase the amplification rate for the KOH method.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The KOH method for DNA preparation is superior to the other methods evaluated. Dual blastomere biopsy and independent blastomere analysis may improve preimplantation diagnostic reliability.</p>