Epidemiological Studies Flashcards
Davidson and Kakadu Plums
Fruits with 100x the ascordic acid/vitamin C compared to an orange. Helps boost nutrition and reduce chance of scurvy disease.
Modern application: used in skin care to restore elasticity and membrane, used in medicine to boost vitamin C.
Grey Mangroves
Crushed and mixed with water and applied to stingray wounds to suppress the poison and heal it.
Smokebush
Increases healing rate of cuts on skin.
Modern application: Used to treat HIV virus due to holding the conocurovone molecule.
Smokebush History
WA government gave ANCL rights ti collect the plant to test on cancer in 1960’s. Wasn’t used again till 1980’s when it proved that it of 4 plants could repel HIV/AIDS. Rights were given to AMRAD in Victoria to develop the anti-viral drug in the 1990’s.
Plant Breeders Rights act 1994
Aboriginal permission to oppose production/sale of plants they founded. Limited evidence though to Aboriginals are restricted to their rights.
Government attempts to address Aboriginal protections
Native title act 1993
Copyright Act 1965
Indigenous and Intellectual Property
Epidemiology case study
Pina Indian population in Arizona - Testing Type 2 Diabetes.
From 1987-2000 with 1728 participants aged 15-59.
Tests conducted with ‘epidemiological tools’ and questionnaires.
Results recorded for occupational/leisure activity time and duration. Participants recorded exercise manually which was then averaged out. - Activities weighted from low-high intensity.
Current treatment/management for Melanoma
Target Drug Therapy: blocks BRAF protein signals to prevent growth.
Immunotherapy: Injects cytokines to fight melanoma. Or T-helper cells are extracted and reinserted as activated to cause immune system reaction.
Future direction for Melanoma Treatment
Current methods are in-discriminatory, damaging both good and bad cells. Future direction can be proton-therapy, using laser surgery to kill melanoma automatically and preventing harm and infection to healthy cells.
4W’s in Epidemiology
Who has it
Where is it from
What group is the disease in
When is the disease found
Types of Epidemiology Studies
Descriptive: Tests to find how the disease distributes.
Analytical: Tests to find the cause of the disease.
Intervention: Tests control/treatment methods.
Errors in Epidemiological Studies
Random: Unpredictable variation.
Systematic: Information/Selection Bias.
Confounding: Unrecognised factors that WILL have an effect on the results.
