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Biomedical subjects

A L Wilson

Publications and source records attributed to A L Wilson.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Characterization of histamine type 1 receptors on natural suppressor lymphoid cells.

Using the radioligand H1 antagonist [3H]pyrilamine, we have characterized the histamine type 1 receptor on cloned murine natural suppressor cells (NS). A single, specific binding site for [3H]pyrilamine exists on these cells. The binding was saturable and reversible by various specific H1 receptor antagonists. The rank order of potency for displacement of [3H]pyrilamine binding from the H1 receptor by H1 receptor antagonists was promethazine = pyrobutamine greater than pyrilamine greater than diphenhydramine greater than chlorpheniramine. The histamine type-2 agonists, impromidine and dimaprit, and antagonists, cimetidine and ranitidine, as well as selected non-histamine agonists, did not displace [3H]pyrilamine from its binding sites on the natural suppressor cells. The data indicate that the theoretical KD was 1.1 +/- 0.3 X 10(-7) M while the measured KD of binding for [3H]pyrilamine was 6.0 +/- 0.8 X 10(-8) M; the maximum binding was 4.13 nM and the number of binding sites/cell was 2.14 +/- 0.29 X 10(6) (N = 3).

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Mothers and their children look at baby pictures: the NICU experience in retrospect.

Photographs of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) patients are frequently given to parents to promote bonding, but little attention has been paid to how families respond years later to viewing these special baby pictures. This study examines how 71 mothers of 3 to 7-year-old developmentally normal (DQ greater than or equal to 80) children who weighed less than 1,500 g at birth describe this experience. Compared to a group of mothers whose children were full term at birth, the NICU mothers described personally feeling and perceiving their children as more fearful (p less than .05), inquisitive (p less than .0001), worried (p less than .01), thoughtful (p less than .0001), and tearful (p less than .05). The responses of NICU mothers were significantly more highly correlated with their perceptions of their children's responses than were the mother-child correlations observed in a comparison group. The NICU children were reported by their mothers to ask about the NICU equipment, pain, being alone, their physical scars, and if their being "bad" caused their need for intensive neonatal care. Recommendations are provided on how pediatric care providers can assist NICU parents anticipate questions and respond to their children's concerns as they view these potentially distressing photographs.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

PHARMIS: a national pharmacy workload and productivity reporting system.

PHARMIS represents the first easily usable database for review of pharmacy workload and productivity. While many large institutions have been successful in developing and using their own programs for reviewing this type of information, PHARMIS represents a desirable alternative for those hospitals that lack the ability to develop their own system. While the current version of PHARMIS lacks the flexibility to address separation and categorization of activities within the pharmacy, it represents the current state of the art. As an experience base develops and changes and trends in indicator values become explainable, PHARMIS will become a valuable tool for all hospital pharmacy managers. It is an excellent starting point for the collection and review of management information. When used in tandem with a sound quality assurance program and DRG-based review of resource utilization, PHARMIS will allow the pharmacy manager and his or her institution to review and develop excellent, cost-effective pharmacy services. The imprimatur of ASHP and the potential for a national reporting program should make PHARMIS a part of every pharmacy manager's analysis of department activities.

Efficiency↗
PubMed1986

What changes can health promotion achieve and how long do these changes last? The trade-offs between expediency and durability.

This article examines the logic and evidence by which health education together with related organizational, economic, and environmental supports or interventions can result in more than superficial or transitory adjustments of behavior conductive to health. Most signs point to continuing development of the health promotion movement, as indicated by its grass roots origins, the long-range convergence of changes in health-related behaviors (e.g., smoking, diet, exercise, alcohol consumption, safety practices), public and private sector investment, and the growing interest of hospitals and medical practitioners in health promotion. To assess the durability of behavior changes accomplished through health promotion activities, the apparent discrepancy between improvements observed on the social level and high relapse rates reported in most experimental studies on individuals is analyzed, leading to the conclusion that the experimental studies have overstated the problem of relapse. There is a trade-off between expedient interventions that achieve short-term behavior changes and more difficult, slower-acting educational and lifestyle interventions that assure a greater congruence between the behavior and the values, beliefs, and circumstances of the individual.

Behavior↗
PubMed1986

State reporting of live births of newborns weighing less than 500 grams: impact on neonatal mortality rates.

The National Center for Health Statistics reports that in 1983 65% of all infant deaths in the United States occurred in the neonatal period. Of these reported neonatal deaths, 17% were of infants weighing less than 500 g at birth. There was, however, variation in state-reported incidence of live births of newborns in this weight cohort (0.2 to 2.2 per 1,000 live births). The states with the lowest neonatal mortality rate have the lowest incidence of birth weights less than 500 g (rho = .77). If it is assumed that mortality for this weight category is nearly 100%, there is marked variation (5% to 32%) in the contribution of this weight cohort to a state's total neonatal mortality rate. Contributing to this variation may be definitions of live birth used by states. The World Health Organization defines a live birth as the product of conception showing signs of life "irrespective of the duration of pregnancy" and this definition is used by 33 states. Only one state (Ohio) includes the gestational criteria of "at least 20 weeks" in its definition of live birth. There is evidence to suggest that definitions are not uniformly used within individual states. For example, in 1983, 20 states did not report any live births with weights less than 500 g among their "other" populations of nonwhite, nonblack residents. Half of these states, however, use the World Health Organization definition of live birth. Despite the exclusionary wording in Ohio's definition of liver birth, 16% of newborns who died in that state had birth weights less than 500 g.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Female↗
PubMed1985

Parental response to perinatal death. Mother-father differences.

Depression and social interaction of mothers and fathers following a perinatal loss were studied using the questionnaire responses of 58 married couples. In the first six weeks following their loss, differences observed in responses of mothers and fathers are most apparent. During this time, mothers have more depressive symptoms, more often would like others to open a conversation with them about the baby, and are more likely to find their spouse helpful. At a mean of 25 months after the death, mothers' and fathers' differences with respect to depression become less apparent. However, fathers with more depressive symptomatology have increasing needs for social interaction and do not perceive that their marriage has grown stronger. Maternal depression has no correlation with perceptions of marital strength. Family counseling should reflect the possible variations in timing of the grief reaction and potential capabilities of parents to be supportive of one another.

Attitude to Death↗
PubMed1985

Perinatal coaching: program development.

Perinatal Coaching is a training/educational program introduced to new parents in the first days following the birth of their baby. This program provides support while teaching new parents skills to communicate and interact with their newborn following birth. The article gives an overview of the content of the Perinatal Coaching Program, a review of the newborn's capabilities and their relationship to perinatal coaching, important features of some ongoing programs, early identification and selection of parents, and speculation for future development.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

What physicians know about the prognosis of preterm newborns.

A questionnaire assessing physicians' understanding of the prognosis of preterm newborns was sent to every pediatrician, obstetrician, family practitioner, and general practitioner in South Dakota. Fifty-three percent of the total sample completed and returned the questionnaire that covered the mortality, general care, and physical, developmental, and psychosocial morbidity of the preterm newborn. The average physician answered 75% of all items with responses consistent with our interpretation of the medical literature. The physicians did better on items concerning mortality and physical morbidity than on those items related to psychosocial or developmental morbidity. Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that a physician's years of experience was the most significant predictive variable and was negatively related to his or her overall score.

Humans↗
PubMed1982

A cephalometric study of fetal alcohol syndrome.

Analysis of cephalometric radiographs of 12 children with fetal alcohol syndrome corroborated the clinical observation of midfacial deficiency described in patients with this disorder. Contrary to previous reports, however, our data show that this abnormality is not caused by true maxillary hypoplasia but by retrusion of the maxilla. We postulate that this abnormal position is secondary to restricted forward growth of the face, resulting from abnormal brain growth and subsequent shortening of the anterior cranial base.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

The death of a newborn twin: an analysis of parental bereavement.

The emotional responses of eight families who lost a singleton newborn were compared with those of eight families who lost a twin. The mean gestational age of the babies in both groups was 31 weeks. At a mean time of 15 months following their loss, parents were sent a questionnaire which requested that they report their responses during the first six weeks following their baby's death and their present response to this experience. Embedded in the questionnaire was a 20-item depression symptom inventory. Analysis of variance indicated that although mothers experienced significantly more depressive symptoms than fathers (F = 59.48, P = .001) and that all symptoms had diminished greatly over time (F = 6.02, P = .032), there was no significant difference between the parents who had lost a twin and those who had lost a singleton. However, family, friends, and hospital staff frequently ignored or downplayed the death of the twin assuming that the grief of the parents would be minimal because of the surviving twin. Results of this study indicate that the presence of a living twin in no way lessens the grieving process and that a conscious effort needs to be made to allow parents to express openly their feelings of loss when a twin dies.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

The role of a self-help group in working with parents of a stillborn baby.

A stillborn baby represents a unique loss because parents must mourn fantasies of an anticipated newborn rather than memories of a shared experience. A self-help group can facilitate parents' mourning process following a stillbirth. With family-to-family contact and group discussions, the reality of the stillbirth is validated, the empty feelings of the loss the parents are experiencing are acknowledged, and the guilt the couples are feeling is eased. Reports from parents indicate that restoration of hope for the future and improved marital communication are the most beneficial aspects of their participation in the group. The phases of mourning described by Bowlby and Parkes have been observed in the group studied here as over time the parents resolved their loss and reoriented their lives.

Female↗
PubMed1981

What it means to "spoil" a baby: parents' perception.

Discussion concerning spoiling a baby frequently takes place in pediatric-care settings and may occur without a clear understanding of how parents define the word "spoil" when baby care is discussed. This study presents data from 531 parents asked to respond to a questionnaire on spoiling babies. The majority of mothers and fathers believe a baby can be spoiled, but considerable variation exists in perceptions of how this takes place, what a spoiled baby is like, and the present and future effects of spoiling. The younger and less educated parents have more rigid and negative views about the effects of spoiling babies.

Adolescent↗