Phospholamban cardiomyopathy: a Canadian perspective on a unique population.

INTRODUCTION: Phospholamban cardiomyopathy is an inherited cardiomyopathy, characterised by a defect in regulation of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ pump, often presenting with malignant arrhythmias and progressive cardiac dysfunction occurring at a young age. METHODS: Phospholamban R14del mutation carriers and family members were identified from inherited arrhythmia clinics at 13 sites across Canada. Cardiac investigations, including electrocardiograms, Holter monitoring (premature ventricular complexes, PVCs), and imaging results were summarised. RESULTS: Fifty patients (10 families) were identified (median age 30 years, range 3-71, 46% female). Mutation carriers were more likely to be older, have low-voltage QRS, T­wave inversion, frequent PVCs, and cardiac dysfunction, compared to unaffected relatives. Increasing age, low-voltage QRS, T­wave inversion, late potentials, and frequent PVCs were predictors of cardiac dysfunction (p < 0.05 for all). Older carriers (age ≥45 years) were more likely to have disease manifestations than were their younger counterparts, with disease onset occurring at an older age in Canadian patients and their Dutch counterparts. DISCUSSION: Among Canadian patients with phospholamban cardiomyopathy, clinical manifestations resembled those of their Dutch counterparts, with increasing age a major predictor of disease manifestation. Older mutation carriers were more likely to have electrical and structural abnormalities, and may represent variable expressivity, age-dependent penetrance, or genetic heterogeneity among Canadian patients.

Demographic trends of sick leave absenteeism among civil service employees at a federal agency from 2004 to 2012.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the associations between demographic variables and sick leave use. METHODS: We analyzed sick leave use among civil servants at a federal agency (FA) from 2004 to 2012 by demographic and FA-specific variables. We used a mixed methods approach and type III analysis to build a descriptive model of sick leave proportions and demographic variables. RESULTS: Sick absenteeism usage varied significantly (variation of greater than one sick day per year) by sex, Emergency Operations Center response tier, length of service at the FA, age, and general schedule pay grade level. Our final descriptive model contained age, sex, response tier and an interaction term between age and sex. CONCLUSIONS: Future studies should examine these associations on smaller time scales, perhaps breaking the data down by month or day of the week.

Predicting temporal trends in total absenteeism rates for civil service employees of a federal public health agency.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluates the predictability in temporal absences trends due to all causes (total absenteeism) among employees at a federal agency. The objective is to determine how leave trends vary within the year, and determine whether trends are predictable. METHODS: Ten years of absenteeism data from an attendance system were analyzed for rates of total absence. RESULTS: Trends over a 10-year period followed predictable and regular patterns during a given year that correspond to major holiday periods. Temporal trends in leave among small, medium, and large facilities compared favorably with the agency as a whole. CONCLUSIONS: Temporal trends in total absenteeism rates for an organization can be determined using its attendance system. The ability to predict employee absenteeism rates can be extremely helpful for management in optimizing business performance and ensuring that an organization meets its mission.

Predicting temporal trends in sickness absence rates for civil service employees of a federal public health agency.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether trends of sickness in employees at a federal agency are predictable, and whether the variance was minimal enough to detect unusual levels of employee illness for further investigation. METHODS: Ten years of absenteeism data from an attendance system were analyzed for rates of sickness absence. Specifically, week of year and day of week were used to describe temporal trends. RESULTS: This study evaluates the predictability in temporal absence trends due to sickness among employees at a federal agency. Trends follow regular patterns during a given year that correspond to seasonal illnesses. Temporal trends in sick leave have been proven to be very predictable. CONCLUSION: The minimal variance allows the detection of sick leave anomalies that may be ascribable to specific causes, allowing the business or agency to follow-up and develop interventions.

Arsenic and selenium capture by fly ashes at low temperature.

Arsenic and selenium compounds may be emitted to the environment during coal conversion processes, although some compounds are retained in the fly ashes, in different proportions depending on the characteristics of the ashes and process conditions. The possibility of optimizing the conditions to achieve better trace element retention appears to be an attractive, economical option for reducing toxic emissions. This approach requires a good knowledge of fly ash characteristics and a thorough understanding of the capture mechanism involved in the retention. In this work the ability of two fly ashes, one produced in pulverized coal combustion and the other in fluidized bed combustion, to retain arsenic and selenium compounds from the gas phase in coal combustion and coal gasification atmospheres was investigated. To explore the possible simultaneous retention of mercury, the influence of the unburned coal particle content was also evaluated. Retention capacities between 2 and 22 mg g(-1) were obtained under different conditions. The unburned coal particle content in the fly ash samples does not significantly modify retention capacities.

Expectations and experiences of patients with cancer participating in phase I clinical trials.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To describe the expectations and experiences of patients entering phase I clinical trials. DESIGN: Descriptive, exploratory, prospective. SETTING: A large military medical teaching center. SAMPLE: Thirty-seven adult patients completed the entry and exit interviews. Subjects had a good performance status, were middle aged, and had common tumor types. METHODS: Interviews using structured entry and exit questionnaires. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: Expectations and experiences of patients in phase I clinical trials. FINDINGS: Patients expected slightly increased support from family members and received more support than expected. Patients' expectations for tumor response and increased communication with their physician were not met. Patients expected symptoms such as fatigue, nausea and vomiting, and weight loss to improve during therapy, yet their expectations were not met. CONCLUSIONS: One theme that emerged from the data was hope/optimism. An issue that needs further exploration is the extent to which patients accurately understand information in the consent form. Findings also support the importance of communication between the patient and family members and the healthcare team. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Oncology nurses can mediate the flow of information between physicians and patients. Oncology nurses can and should assess the patient's level of understanding of the clinical trial, the consent form, and potential side effects at the time of entry into the trial and intermittently during the course of therapy. Nurses must allow patients with cancer who are undergoing investigational therapy to maintain a level of hope, while realistically counseling them about their progress during phase I trial participation.

Copper binding and release by immobilized transferrin: a new approach to heavy metal removal and recovery.

Recently these laboratories have demonstrated that it is possible to use proteins as efficient, selective agents for heavy metal removal and recovery. In this study, transferrin was chemically bound to an insoluble support. The ability of immobilized transferrin to produce clean water was demonstrated. Copper loading was independent of feed concentration. The loaded copper could be readily eluted and concentrated into the gram per liter range. The mechanism of copper release was studied. It was shown that release was dependent on pH and the chelating ability of the stripping agent. Metal release occurred slowly at pH < 7. However, at low pH in the presence of a chelator, metal removal occurred much more efficiently. The binding constant of copper to immobilized transferrin was determined as a function of pH. This information was used to model metal binding and release to the protein/support matrix. (c) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Balloon-borne laser heterodyne radiometer for measurements of stratospheric trace species.

Remote measurements of a key stratospheric radical species, chlorine monoxide, have been made with a recently developed balloon-borne instrument: a laser heterodyne radiometer. The characteristics of this instrument, which facilitate its use for measurement of selected trace species in the stratosphere, are described here. The technique of solar occultation in the IR is used to provide the measurement data. This technique is briefly described to point out the high sensitivity and specificity which can be achieved when using a high spectral resolution instrument such as an IR heterodyne radiometer in this manner.

High-sensitivity infrared heterodyne radiometer using a tunable-diode-laser local oscillator.

A blackbody heterodyne radiometer using a widely tunable PbSnSe-diode laser as the local oscillator (LO) achieved signal-to-noise performance that was an order of magnitude better than previously reported and only a factor of 2.5 below that obtained with a CO(2)-laser LO. The diode laser system performance was within a factor of 6 of an ideal radiometer. High-resolution blackbody heterodyne absorption spectra of ethylene at 10.6 microm were obtained with a 0.4-sec post-detection integration time by tuning the diode LO in a closed-cycle cryogenic cooler.