Catalase HPII from Escherichia coli exhibits enhanced resistance to denaturation.

Catalase HPII from Escherichia coli is a homotetramer of 753 residue subunits. The multimer displays a number of unusual structural features, including interwoven subunits and a covalent bond between Tyr415 and His392, that would contribute to its rigidity and stability. As the temperature of a solution of HPII in 50 mM potassium phosphate buffer (pH 7) is raised from 50 to 92 degrees C, the enzyme begins to lose activity at 78 degrees C and 50% inactivation has occurred at 83 degrees C. The inactivation is accompanied by absorbance changes at 280 and 407 nm and by changes in the CD spectrum consistent with small changes in secondary structure. The subunits in the dimer structure remain associated at 95 degrees C and show a significant level of dissociation only at 100 degrees C. The exceptional stability of the dimer association is consistent with the interwoven nature of the subunits and provides an explanation for the resistance to inactivation of the enzyme. For comparison, catalase-peroxidase HPI of E. coli and bovine liver catalase are 50% inactivated at 53 and 56 degrees C, respectively. In 5.6 M urea, HPII exhibits a coincidence of inactivation, CD spectral change, and dissociation of the dimer structure with a midpoint of 65 degrees C. The inactive mutant variants of HPII which fold poorly during synthesis and which lack the Tyr-His covalent bond undergo spectral changes in the 78 to 84 degrees C range, revealing that the extra covalent linkage is not important in the enhanced resistance to denaturation and that problems in the folding pathway do not affect the ultimate stability of the folded structure.

Home care for the elderly: needed and received: an analysis of the care needed and care received by the non-institutionalized elderly population in Curacao

Curacao, as well as other Caribbean islands, has a growing number of the elderly. In this study we analyzed the home care needed and received by the elderly. Such data are needed for planning health services. Data from the Curacao Health Study were used for this purpose: a face-to-face interview among a random sample of the population. Of the elderly (aged 65 years and over) 23 percent needed help with one or more activities of daily living (ADL), 6 percent needed help with three or more ADL. Those aged over 75 years especially needed help with these activities. 22 percent of the elderly received informal care, consisting mainly of household tasks, accompaniment or monitoring and emotional support. Daughters were the most important care givers, followed by sons. Elderly with multiple ADL - impairments more often received informal care and also more intensive care (more physical care, e.g. bathing). 24 percent of the study sample indicated that they had no one to take care of them in case of long-term illness. This occurred more often when elderly people live alone (50 percent). The ageing of the population will result in a higher need for informal care. However, social changes such as fewer children per couple, a growing number of elderly living alone and increased participation of women in the labour force, will result in fewer potential caregivers. Ways to stimulate informal care and organize cost-effective formal care should therefore be sought.(AU)

Lifestyle in Curacao: smoking, alcohol consumption, eating habits and exercise

The Curacao Health Study was carried out among a randomized sample (n = 2248, response rate = 85 percent) of the adult non-institutionalized population in order to assess aspects of lifestyle that may pose health risks. Factors examined were tobacco and alcohol use, eating habits and exercise behaviour. Outcome variables were cross-tabulated by gender, age and socioeconomic status. 17.1 percent of the participants were smokers and 20.5 percent regular drinkers, including 6.3 percent of the men who consumed alcohol excessively (4 or more glasses of alcohol a day). 75 percent of the participants did not excercise regularly, 37 percent did not eat vegetables daily, and half did not eat fruit daily. Other poor eating habits were the addition of extra sugar and salt to prepared food by 33 percent and 20 percent of the participants, respectively. On the whole, men had less healthy lifestyles than women, with the exception of execise behaviour. People of high socioeconomic status (SES) drank less alcohol, and exercised more often than those of low SES. Considering the high prevalence of diabetes mellitus and hypertension in the Caribbean, research of lifestyle factors in other Caribbean countries is required to facilitate the development of regional prevention and intervention programmes. (AU)

Lifestyle in Curacao: smoking, alcohol consumption, eating habits and exercise

The Curacao Health Study was carried out among a randomized sample (n = 2248, response rate = 85 percent) of the adult non-institutionalized population in order to assess aspects of lifestyle that may pose health risks. Factors examined were tobacco and alcohol use, eating habits and exercise behaviour. Outcome variables were cross-tabulated by gender, age and socioeconomic status. 17.1 percent of the participants were smokers and 20.5 percent regular drinkers, including 6.3 percent of the men who consumed alcohol excessively (4 or more glasses of alcohol a day). 75 percent of the participants did not excercise regularly, 37 percent did not eat vegetables daily, and half did not eat fruit daily. Other poor eating habits were the addition of extra sugar and salt to prepared food by 33 percent and 20 percent of the participants, respectively. On the whole, men had less healthy lifestyles than women, with the exception of execise behaviour. People of high socioeconomic status (SES) drank less alcohol, and exercised more often than those of low SES. Considering the high prevalence of diabetes mellitus and hypertension in the Caribbean, research of lifestyle factors in other Caribbean countries is required to facilitate the development of regional prevention and intervention programmes.

Knowledge, attitudes and behaviour on smoking and alcohol use in Curacao

The objectives of this paper are to describe the findings on knowledge and attitudes concerning substance use (tobacco and alcohol) among the participants of the Curacao Health Study and to relate these results to their behaviour. A random sample of the adult non-institutionalized population of Curacao (n=2248) were asked about their knowledge and attitudes on health lifestyle patterns and preventive behaviour. In this paper we specifically focus on smoking and use of alcohol. Men in Curacao use more alcohol and tobacco than women. The prevalence of self-reported smokers is markedly lower than, for instance, in the Dutch population and that of the U.S. and the difference between the sexes. In Curacao men generally also score lower on knowledge and attitudes regarding the use of tobacco and alcohol than women. Those actually exhibiting unhealthier lifestyles in this respect have lower scores than those having healthier lifestyles. The same relationship holds true for women, though less pronounced. Although knowledge, attitudes and behaviour are clearly associated with one another, the causal relationship between them is not unequivocal. Other factors may also play a role in influencing lifestyle changes. More research is needed to guide the further development and implementation of health promotion and intervention programmes in Curacao (AU)x

The impact of social support on mental health: results from the Curacao health study

The objective of this study was to describe the relationship between perceived social support and mental health in Curacao. A random sample (n=2248) of the non-institutionalized adult population of Curacao was surveyed through face-to-face interviews, containing items on health, social support and background variables. The prevalence of psychological distress was about 20 percent. The prevalence was higher in women, widowed persons, the chronically ill and persons from the low socio-economic classes. Perceived social support was relatively low in young persons, divorced and single persons, the chronically ill and low education groups. There was a strong inverse relationship between perceived social support and psychological distress: persons who feel they have low social support have more psychological distress. This relationship could be found in almost all subgroups, but is especially strong in young women. Prevention and intervention programmes should acknowledge the great impact of social support on mental health. In terms of prevention of psychological distress, people in stressful situations should be helped by reinforcing their social support (e.g. patient should be helped to improve their social support (e.g. halfway houses for (former) psychiatric patients) (AU)

Perinatal data on teenage pregnancies in Curacao

Over the past years many studies have been performed on perinatal data regarding teenage pregnancies. To update perinatal data on teenage pregnancies in Curacao, and to compare these with the data from earlier studies, a retrospective study was done using a new perinatal registration system. The study population comprised women who gave birth under the care of a midwife or who had been referred by a midwife to an obstetrician. Within this population perinatal data were compared between women aged <20 years at the first antenatal visit (teenage group) and those aged 20 years of age (controls). Statistical significance of differences in percentages were determined using Chi square tests. For the differences in mean values t-tests were performed. A p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. The duration of pregnancy was significantly more often in doubt in teenagers and they had significantly more spontaneous deliveries, in concurrence with the findings of most other studies. Teenagers did not develop more maternal pathology, but they are at risk for developing eclampsia, once pre-eclampsia occurs. In our study we found a significantly lower mean birthweight for the teenage group, a significantly higher incidence of preterm deliveries and significantly more neonatal pathology. Perinatal mortality was lower in teenage pregnancies, though not significantly so. Although the mean birthweight among the teenagers (3128 g) was lower than that of the controls, it was still very acceptable. The higher incidence of neonatal pathology is related to the higher incidence of preterm deliveries (AU)x

Body mass index distribution in the Curacao health study: differences in socio-economic factors - abstract

The objective of this paper was to determine the prevalence of underweight, normal weight and over weight based on the body mass index (BMI) for sex and age groups, as well as for socio-economic factors. This is important since obesity is a risk factor for prevalent diseases (diabetes mellitus, in Curacao. From a random sample of 3000 persons > 18 years of age in Curacao, weight and length were measured in 2248 (75 percent) individuals. Using the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics ((NCHS) cut-off values of BMI for over-weight (male = 27.8; female = 27.3) we found a markedly higher prevalence of overweight in both sexes when comparing the data to international findings, but more so in females. Fifty per cent of women > 25 years of age are overweight, peaking at 62.2 percent in the 45 to 64-year of age gruop. In females socio-economic status (SES) was inversely related to mean BMI, lowest SES groups having the highest mean BMI. Approximately one-third of the male population greater than and equal to 18 years of age were overweight. Further, it was found that length was proportionately related to SES for both sexes (AU)

The Curacao health study: cross-cultural use of a health survey; results from the pilot study - abstract

A health survey offers a unique opportunity to explore the health-related needs of a population by collecting complete, comprehensive and integrated information on health, health-related behaviour and sociodemographic factors. Preparatory to a large-scale health survey on Curacao, a pilot study was carried out. The instruments used include measures of health status, lifestyle, use of conventional and traditional medicine, health-related attitudes and knowledge, as well as personal characteristics and characteristics of social relations. For this pilot study, the questionnaire was translated into Dutch and Papiamento. For the main study, English and Spanish versions will also be available. The questionnaire has been tested in face-to-face interviews with 134 individuals aged 18-90 years, randomly selected from the Registry Office. The willingness of the population to participate in the survey was remarkably high. The interview protocol has been evaluated, and the psychometric properties of the instruments have been determined. The experiences with the interview protocol are generally positive, and the psychometric analyses show that most instruments yield valid and reliable information. The overall conclusion is that, when adapting the survey design to the specific conditions of a multilingual community with a large variation in socio-economic levels, a health survey in Curacao is feasible and that a useful and relevant instrument is available (AU)

Socio-economic health differences in Curacao: results from the pilot of the Curacao health study - abstract

The objective of the current study is to investigate whether the data collected in the pilot of the Curacao Health Study could be used to determine possible socio-economic health differences in Curacao. In order to do this, secondary analyses were performed on data from a sample of 134 persons. In males there appeared to be a difference between higher versus lower educated groups with respect to the total number of chronic complaints and perceived general health. In addition, males without access to a car reported a poorer general health compared to the group that does have access to a car. In females, these differences were not significant. However, females reported on the average more chronic diseases, more short-term complaints, worse physical functioning and a poorer general health compared to males. Because of the small sample size no definite statements on socio-economic health differences in Curacao can be made, although the type of data collected proved not only useful but necessary to conduct further investigation in this matter (AU)