Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A Coulter

Publications and source records attributed to A Coulter.

101 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Lifestyles and social class: implications for primary care.

Data from the Oxford healthy life survey were used to explore social class variations in beliefs about the determinants of health, willingness to contemplate behaviour change and experience of lifestyle advice in primary care.While the association between lifestyle factors and health was well-recognized by all social groups, those in social classes 1 and 2 were more likely than others to stress the importance of smoking, diet and exercise, while those in social classes 4 and 5 were more likely than middle class people to emphasize the effect of socioeconomic influences on health such as unemployment, income, pollution and housing. Members of all social classes attributed considerable importance to psychosocial influences on health. In all social classes a substantial proportion of overweight people expressed a desire to reduce their weight, smokers to modify their smoking habits and sedentary people to increase the amount of exercise they took. However, there was less interest in dietary change or reduction of alcohol consumption. One third of the smokers and of those who were overweight had received advice from health professionals about behaviour modification, but less than 10% of those in the other risk groups reported receiving advice. There was a high demand for advice on health; 44% of all respondents said they would be interested in receiving advice on a healthier lifestyle.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1987

Survey of population coverage in cervical cancer screening in the Oxford region.

A postal survey of a random sample of 3307 women aged 18-64 years living in the Oxford region (the Oxford healthy life survey) revealed age and social class differences in the proportion of women reporting an up-to-date cervical smear test. Although 86% of women in the 25-34 years age group reported a test in -the previous five years, the proportion dropped to 53% among the 55-64 year olds. Women in social classes 4 and 5 were significantly less likely to report a recent smear test (P<0.01) than women in higher social classes. An audit of the general practice notes of 176 of the respondents suggested that these self-reported results are likely to be reasonably accurate.A reduction in the number of deaths from cervical cancer will largely depend on the efforts of primary health care teams to screen women who are at relatively high risk of developing the disease, namely older women and those of lower social class.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

The ability of women to recall their oral contraceptive histories.

Self-reported contraceptive histories were obtained at interview from 99 women and compared with prospectively collected data from the Oxford-Family Planning Association cohort study. The effect of different memory aids was evaluated and an assessment was made of the completeness and accuracy of contraceptive histories recorded in general practice notes. Accuracy of recall of total duration of use was sufficiently good to establish the presence or otherwise of a duration-response relationship and could be improved by the use of a contraceptive calendar. Recall of specific brands used was less accurate. In studies where accurate information on use of particular preparations is required, the use of a photo album is recommended, supplemented by data obtained from general practice records to improve the accuracy of dates. General practice records on their own are not sufficiently complete to be used as a sole source of exposure data in studies in which it is important to obtain a complete oral contraceptive history.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Increasing use of private practice by patients in Oxford requiring common elective surgical operations.

A random sample of 6000 people from eight general practices in and around Oxford was studied to ascertain their surgical histories and method of care received. The proportion of operations that were performed privately had increased with time and had a steep gradient according to social class. Different procedures had different likelihoods of being performed privately, but the age and sex of the patient had a non-significant association with private surgery. Adjustment for possible confounding variables using logistic analysis indicated that in the 1980s elective surgery is five times more likely to be performed privately than it was at the institution of the National Health Service.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Socioeconomic variations in the use of common surgical operations.

The surgical experience of a sample of people aged 40-64 randomly selected from general practice lists was elicited by means of a postal questionnaire and the results examined in relation to two indicators of socioeconomic status. Eighty per cent of the sample had had one or more surgical operations and women had a higher mean number of operations than men. Those in the more advantaged groups had a higher mean number of operations than those in the less advantaged groups. This difference was, however, mainly accounted for by operations carried out in childhood before the establishment of the National Health Service and by private sector surgery.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Simplified preparation of rabbit Fab fragments.

Papain attached to solid-phase CH-Sepharose 4B was used to digest rabbit IgG. Protein A-Sepharose CL-4B was used to remove undigested IgG and Fc fragments. Pure Fab fragments free of IgG, Fc fragments and papain were readily obtained by this procedure with a yield of about 75%. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the Fab in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulphate gave a single band under both reducing and non-reducing conditions. The molecular weight of the Fab determined by sedimentation equilibrium was 49,200. Unlike the IgG, the Fab obtained did not form precipitin lines when used in immunoelectrophoresis.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Lack of willpower or lack of wherewithal? "Internal" and "external" barriers to changing diet and exercise in a three year follow-up of participants in a health check.

The aims of this paper were to assess whether anticipated barriers to change in diet and exercise which were cited before a health check intervention were related to subsequent behaviour changes. In 1989 a health and lifestyle questionnaire was posted to 17,965 people aged 35-64 who were registered with five general practices in Bedfordshire. Taking account of non-contacts, a response rate of 80.3% was achieved and 11,090 people described their exercise and dietary habits. Those expressing an interest in changing each behaviour were asked to identify reasons why change might be difficult. Two types of barriers--"internal" and "external"--were identified. A total of 2205 respondents were invited to attend a health check in Year One and a recheck three years later and 1660 attended. In this subgroup improvement in exercise and diet was examined in relation to the participants' baseline characteristics, including the type of barriers selected. Internal barriers to change (e.g. lack of willpower, too lazy, too busy) were chosen most frequently. In a logistic regression including a range of baseline variables those who selected only internal barriers were less likely to take more exercise (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.41, 0.86) than those who cited only external (e.g. no transport, can't afford sports facilities) or mixed barriers to changing. There was a similar but not statistically significant trend for changing diet (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.48, 1.28). Those who are aware of external limitations may be better placed to circumvent them. Further research is needed to explore this relationship between type of barrier and behaviour change.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Patients' experiences with hospital care in five countries.

Analysis of patient surveys carried out in Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States in 1998-2000 revealed high rates of problems during inpatient hospital stays. Problems with information and education, coordination of care, respect for patients' preferences, emotional support, physical comfort, involvement of family and friends, and continuity and transition were prevalent in all five countries. These dimensions of patients' experience appear to be salient and relevant in each of the five countries, but attempts to develop international rankings based on this type of evidence will have to overcome a number of methodological problems.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Studies on the venom of Oxyuranus microlepidotus.

The Australian Small-scaled Snake, Oxyuranus microlepidotus , recently rediscovered, is the world's most venomous snake, with a murine LD50 of 0.01 mg/kg. Recently developed immunological techniques, combined with a whole animal model, have enabled us to measure accurately the mass of venom actually injected by a striking snake. The venom of this species contains at least six identified protein fractions, and one or more of these possesses potent neurotoxic action. An initial assessment of the molecular weights of each of these is reported. This study describes field biting experiments applicable to potential human snake-bite, and presents data concerning the injected venom:LD50 ratio which is an index of potential human lethality. This snake delivers an average mass of 17.3 mg in a strike, and the injected mass:LD50 ratio is 1730, the highest recorded for any snake. Comparative results for five other Elapidae whose venom contains potent neurotoxins are also presented. An average mass of 0.6 mg of venom is split on the skin surface during a strike, and 40% of this can be recovered within three hours after a simulated bite. As with other Elapidae studied to date, an adequate mass of venom remains on the skin for an accurate species diagnosis to be made in the case of human snake-bite.

Animals↗