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Biomedical subjects

A Carmichael

Publications and source records attributed to A Carmichael.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Survey of student nurses' smoking habits in a London teaching hospital.

As a preliminary to a 3-year intervention project to reduce smoking levels and prevent smoking commencement among student nurses, a survey of smoking habits among all 368 student nurses at The Royal Free Hospital was conducted in the Autumn of 1988. Absence rates of smokers and those who had never smoked were also studied. The response rate was high (95%) and the survey showed a high percentage (43%) of smokers among the student nurses. There was a higher proportion of smokers among those who did not respond to the first mailing of the questionnaire. The absence rate among smokers was almost twice that of the nonsmokers (P less than 0.005) and the number of days absent was related to the number of cigarettes smoked (P less than 0.05). Sixty-two per cent of nurses who smoked before they started their training (n = 125) said they had increased their smoking since commencing training and 39 (11%) nurses started smoking after starting nurse training. 'Stress', greater opportunity to smoke and peer influence were given as reasons for increased smoking and smoking commencement during nurse training.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed1990

Growth patterns, health and illness in preschool children from a multi-ethnic, poor socio-economic status municipality of Melbourne.

There are little longitudinal data available for sample populations of Australian children. Previous findings from the Brunswick Family Study, unlike earlier overseas studies, have shown that adverse family and social factors were not associated with growth abnormalities. Follow-up of 224 children from the cohort at 4 years of age has confirmed absence of significant growth disturbances, no mortality between 1 and 4 years, and serious morbidity due to organic illness in only 4% of the sample. However, 22% of the 4 year olds were found to have behaviour disturbances. These findings from a multi-ethnic, poorer socio-economic status population sample illustrate the importance of behaviour disturbances as one aspect of the new morbidity in Australian paediatrics and indicate that the once prevalent growth failure and organic morbidity consequent to family and social disadvantage have all but disappeared.

Child Behavior Disorders↗
PubMed1986

Community outreach: an expanding role for hospitals.

Pressures for paediatric institutions to expand their traditional roles have come from changes in morbidity patterns, training requirements and community needs. Planning for new models of health care delivery has led to the development of the Community Outreach Program (COP), a hospital-based model which utilizes existing community resources to provide early intervention services, training in community paediatrics and integration of hospital and community-based health care. A process evaluation of the COP was performed after 18 months operation. Eighty-eight children were seen in a 7 week period, 20% with complex problems requiring further assessment and community consultation. Staff at the community agencies serviced considered the COP to be a major contributor to health care in their areas. Medical trainees developed new assessment techniques and management strategies for children with problems not previously encountered. It appears that the COP is a useful model for the delivery of health care, in particular to disadvantaged communities.

Australia↗
PubMed1985

Photochemical generation of superoxide radical and the cytotoxicity of phthalocyanines.

The effect of the central metal atom on the photodynamic activity of phthalocyanine dyes has been estimated by cytotoxicity to cultured Chinese hamster cells. Chloroaluminium phthalocyanine,, followed by the Zn- derivate, were found to be the only active dyes. In parallel it was found that visible light (615 +/- 10 nm) excitation of phthalocyanines dissolved in dimethylsulphoxide in the presence of oxygen generates superoxide radical anion. O2- radicals were spin--trapped with 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-1-oxide (DMPO) and identified by electron spin resonance. The quantum yields for O2- generation range from 10(-5) (Zn-phthalocyanine) to 4.2 X 10(-4) (Ga-phthalocyanine). The efficiency of generating O2- was apparently uncorrelated with the phototoxicity of the same dyes. Furthermore, the biological photodamage could not be inhibited by the addition of superoxide dismutase. It is concluded that O2- is involved very little, if at all, in the phthalocyanine-induced photo-killing of mammalian cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Depression in mothers in a multi-ethnic urban industrial municipality in Melbourne. Aetiological factors and effects on infants and preschool children.

In a cohort of 99 families with a newborn infant in a multi-ethnic poor socio-economic municipality 35 mothers were depressed during the first year. While the clinical manifestations of depression in Australian-born and immigrant mothers were similar, there were differences in some aetiological factors. Immigrant mothers who had recently arrived in Australia, were unable to speak English and did not have a supporting social network had a significantly higher rate of depression. Depressed Australian-born mothers often had unhappy, unstable and insecure childhoods, having been reared in families with marital disruption, violence, alcoholism and desertion. Some also had previous depressive episodes. A strong supporting social network, especially by the father, and also by the extended family and friends, was significant in preventing depression. Behavioural problems in infants and preschool children were more common in families with depressed mothers.

Australia↗
PubMed1984

OH radical formation by photolysis of aqueous porphyrin solutions. A spin trapping and e.s.r. study.

Radical production during the photolysis of deaerated aqueous alkaline solutions (pH 11) of some water-soluble porphyrins was investigated. Metal-free and metallo complexes of tetrakis (4-N-methylpyridyl)porphyrin (TMPyP) and tetra (4-sulphonatophenyl)porphyrin (TPPS4) were studied. Evidence for the formation of OH radicals during photolysis at 615, 545, 435, 408 and 335 nm of Fe(III) TPPS4 is presented. Fe(III) TMPyP, Mn(III) TPPS4 and Mn(III) TMPyP also gave OH radicals but only during photolysis at 335 nm. The method of spin trapping with 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-1-oxide (DMPO) and 4-pyridyl-1-oxide-N-tert-butylnitrone (POBN) combined with e.s.r. was used for the detection of OH, H and hydrated electrons. With the spin trap DMPO, photolysis generated DMPO-OH adducts under certain conditions but no DMPO-H adducts could be observed. With POBN, no POBN-H adducts were found. The formation of OH was confirmed by studying competition reactions for OH between the spin traps and OH scavengers (formate, isopropanol) and the concomitant formation of the CO-2 adduct and the (CH3)2COH adduct with both DMPO and POBN. The photochemical generation of OH radicals was pH dependent; at pH 7.5 no OH radicals could be detected. Photolysis (615-335 nm) of dicyanocomplexes of the Fe(III) porphyrins did not produce OH radicals. When corresponding Cu(II), Ni(II), Zn(II) and metal-free porphyrins were photolysed at 615 and 335 nm, no OH radicals could be spin trapped. These results tend to associate the well-known phenomenon of photoreduction of Fe(III) and Mn(III) porphyrins with the formation of OH radicals. This process is described mainly as the photoreduction of the metal ion by the ligand-bound hydroxyl ion via an intramolecular process.

Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy↗
PubMed1983

Infant health and family functioning in a poor socio-economic status multi-ethnic municipality.

In a longitudinal epidemiological study of 272 infants in a poor socio-economic, multi-ethnic municipality, the physical growth of infants was found to be within a normal range. Two percent of infants had major, and 2% minor developmental delays due mainly to congenital defects or psychosocial disturbance or neglect in the home. Although there was a high prevalence of episodic, continuing and recurrent illness, this caused little serious morbidity. The most significant finding was that approximately one third of mothers perceived their infants to have moderate or severe behavioural disturbances which were significantly associated with their own psychological ill-health. The findings from this urban population contrasted with previous studies. Serious infective illnesses, associated with poor physical and psychosocial environments, were no longer major health problems. These organic diseases in infants were largely replaced by behavioural and developmental disturbances, also associated with psychosocial problems in families.

Australia↗
PubMed1983

Patterns of illness in an infant population in a poor socio-economic status multi-ethnic municipality.

The prevalence and patterns of illness and behavioural disturbances in a birth cohort of 273 infants followed longitudinally are reported. Four percent of infants showed serious morbidity, due to congenital abnormality, chronic illness or gross psychosocial disturbance in the family. Episodic and continuing or recurrent illness was common, but caused little serious morbidity and did not impair growth. Behavioural disturbances manifested by feeding, crying and sleeping difficulties were also common, 22% of all infants being moderately affected and 13% severely affected. Mothers were more concerned by these disturbances than by organic illness. The findings of illness in infants in this study were similar to those of a recent New Zealand study but differ from older overseas studies in which serious infective illness with high mortality was much more common. It is probable that these differences are largely explained by improvement in living conditions.

Australia↗
PubMed1983

Nutrition in the first year of life in a multi-ethnic poor socio-economic municipality in Melbourne.

In a longitudinal epidemiological study of 304 consecutively born infants in a poor socio-economic multi-ethnic municipality (Brunswick) nutrition was suboptimal in approximately 50%. This was mainly due to a high failure rate in establishing effective lactation in the 82% of mothers who commenced breast feeding, but also to the early and frequent feeding of solids, usually refined carbohydrates, and minimal use of fresh fruit and vegetables. The low rate of breast feeding to 6 months in Brunswick (16% compared with the State of Victoria average of 27%) was associated with demographic changes due to immigration. Of the 304 mothers, 62% were born overseas, most had limited schooling, no working skills, and 50% were unable to speak English. Successful breast feeding was positively correlated with better education and working skills while early introduction of solids and canned food was negatively correlated. Professional advice and influence in infant feeding was very limited as most mothers decided their feeding methods on their own preferences or their experience with other children, or on advice from their own mothers or relatives. These findings indicate that it will be a slow and complex task to change attitudes and teach poorly educated mothers, especially immigrants with limited English, the importance of optimum nutrition.

Australia↗
PubMed1983

The needs of the abused child in the community.

The development of community awareness of child abuse has followed medical awareness and is specifically concerned with prevention and early intervention. Contact between community services and 304 infants from a birth cohort in a poor socio-economic status, multi-ethnic urban municipality was documented to investigate how these services could provide effective community approaches to the problem. While perinatal and medical services provided fragmented care, the Maternal and Child Health Service was the only agency to contact all families, including those of the 21 abused or "at risk" infants. It is suggested that such local universal services should form the basis of a community approach to the needs of the abused or "at risk" child.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Use of health care services for an infant population in a poor socio-economic status, multi-ethnic municipality in Melbourne.

Use of preventive and curative health services for a birth cohort of infants is described and related to morbidity patterns and family characteristics. The maternal and child health service provided continuing contact and effective preventive care for the majority of families. However, a small group of families, predominantly recent immigrants with poorer education and inability to speak English, did not use these services effectively. By contrast, medical care for most families was carried out by a number of different doctors in general practices or hospitals. Continuity of care was lacking, with only 30% of families having continued contact with either one practitioner or group practice, and 15% not using any medical services for their infants.

Australia↗
PubMed1982

An appraisal of the analytical significance of tooth-lead measurements as possible indices of environmental exposure of children to lead.

The analysis for lead of whole-crowns from deciduous incisors has been used as an index of the cumulative exposure to lead of children during the prenatal period and until the time of shedding the tooth. The lead was determined by solvent extraction followed by atomic absorption, and strict analytical quality control was employed. The concentrations of lead in pairs of central and lateral incisors from children revealed unexpectedly large differences for some individuals.

Child↗
PubMed1977

13q- syndrome. Family study.

A patient is described who had a deletion involving the long arm of chromosome number 13. The mother and 4 of 7 living sibs showed a balanced translocation from the long arm of a number 13 chromosome to the long arm of a number 3 chromosome. We stress the importance of investigating the families of children with chromosomal defects.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗