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Biomedical subjects

A McNeill

Publications and source records attributed to A McNeill.

51 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Synthesis of Hexahydrocyclopentimidazol-2-(1H)-one derivatives displaying selective DP-receptor agonist properties.

The rationale for investigating conformationally restricted analogues of BW245C as DP-receptor ligands and the syntheses of three such racemic bicyclic imidazolidinone analogues are described. Compounds 7 (BW587C), 8 (BW480C85), and 9 (BW572C85) were found to be potent inhibitors of human platelet aggregation and selective DP-receptor agonists in washed platelet and jugular vein isolated tissue assays.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

What mothers say about why poor children fall behind on immunizations. A summary of focus groups in North Carolina.

OBJECTIVES: To develop a more thorough understanding of the factors that impede poor parents' utilization of health care services for their children and to refine interventions to improve immunization rates. METHODS: We conducted focus group sessions with mothers whose children received care at the health departments in five North Carolina counties. Mothers were uninsured or were receiving Medicaid. A total of 50 women participated; group size varied from three to seven mothers. RESULTS: Socially disadvantaged mothers faced barriers at multiple points in the process of obtaining preventive care for their children. Organizational barriers, such as a lack of flexibility in scheduling and long waiting times, were exacerbated by personal barriers, such as a lack of reliable transportation, chaotic home environments, and employment conflicts. Lack of knowledge regarding the timing of childhood immunizations and misperceptions about the safety of immunizations were also important obstacles. Mothers made several suggestions, such as changes in scheduling, greater assistance with transportation, improved waiting facilities, and increased health education. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that even with improved financing of well-child care, many important barriers to adequate immunization will remain. Many of the changes that mothers in our focus groups advocated are not related to insurance coverage and would be simple and inexpensive to implement. To help with these changes, we developed a checklist for use by health departments to determine which organizational barriers exist at their facility and suggest strategies to overcome the problems. Organizational, personal, and attitudinal barriers pose serious problems for socioeconomically disadvantaged families. To improve vaccination rates for children, new personnel and programs are probably less important than careful strategies to maximize existing resources.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Evaluation of a mass media campaign on smoking and pregnancy.

Two surveys were conducted among pregnant women throughout England, before (n = 625) and after (n = 607) a mass media campaign on smoking and pregnancy targeted at women aged 15-24 years, in the social grade C2DE. The majority of the post-campaign sample recalled having seen at least one of the campaign's series of press advertisements. There was a significant increase among this sample in those considering smoking to be very dangerous to the unborn child, in those understanding the term passive smoking and in those considering passive smoking to be very dangerous. During the campaign there was a 14% increase in the number of calls to a cessation helpline from pregnant women. Over the campaign there were no significant changes in smoking prevalence and consumption among pregnant women or partners or in the numbers of partners offering suggestions to pregnant women about their smoking behaviour.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

The prevention of tobacco-related disease.

The key components of a strategy to prevent tobacco-related disease are outlined. These measures aim to increase the cessation of tobacco use and reduce its uptake. Components are wide-ranging, including a taxation policy, a ban on advertising and promotion, a comprehensive health promotion programme including advice from primary health care professionals and the development of campaigning skills, particularly by the medical profession. The prevention of tobacco-related disease has moved into the domain of campaigners and lobbyists at political, economic and international levels. The key target is countering the activities, especially the unethical trade practices, of the wealthy and powerful tobacco industry.

Advertising↗
PubMed1991

Smoking.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Advertising↗
PubMed1991

Effect of buspirone on cigarette withdrawal symptoms and short-term abstinence rates in a smokers clinic.

This paper reports on a double blind trial of the effect of buspirone, 15 mg per day, on cigarette withdrawal symptoms and ability of smokers to maintain abstinence during treatment. A total of 61 smokers were randomly assigned to active or placebo conditions. They were maintained on their drug for 2 weeks prior to attempting abstinence and then for a further 4 weeks of abstinence. Subjects attended weekly group sessions of a psychological treatment programme. There was no evidence that the side effects in the active drug group were worse than those in the placebo group. Although there was no significant difference between active and placebo conditions on withdrawal symptoms, smokers in the active drug condition were more than twice as likely to maintain abstinence for the duration of the study than those in the placebo condition (47% versus 16%, chi square = 5.3, P less than 0.025). The results provide preliminary evidence for short-term efficacy of buspirone as an aid to smoking cessation at a low dose. They also provide evidence of a dissociation between withdrawal symptoms and successful abstinence.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Development of a radioimmunoassay for neurone specific enolase (NSE) and its application in the study of patients receiving intra hepatic arterial streptozotocin and floxuridine.

A radioimmunoassay has been developed for neurone specific enolase (NSE) and used to measure serum NSE levels in patients with neuroendocrine and non-neuroendocrine tumours following intra hepatic arterial chemotherapy. Ten patients were studied, 7 receiving streptozotocin and floxuridine for neuroendocrine tumours and three receiving cisplatinum for non-neuroendocrine neoplasms. All ten patients had liver metastases. In patients with tumours of neuroendocrine origin, a significant increase in serum NSE was recorded within 24 h of therapy. Slight increases in serum NSE levels were also recorded in three patients with non neuroendocrine tumours. These increases may reflect lysis of neuroendocrine cells within the tumour. Raised levels in non-neuroendocrine tumour patients may reveal damage done to healthy neuronal and neuroendocrine cells during treatment. NSE may be a useful marker of the extent of cell death following chemotherapy.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Do attitudes predict uptake of smoking in teenagers? Case not proven.

A recent paper by Charlton and Blair (Soc. Sci. Med. 29, 813-818, 1989) reported a large prospective study on smoking in 12 and 13 year-old schoolchildren. The main new findings were that attitudes, particularly among girls, were important predictors of the uptake of smoking in never-smokers. The present paper presents a critique of this study and argues that the findings may not reflect true predictive relationships. Data are presented from OPCS-conducted national surveys which indicate that a substantial minority of children who initially classify themselves as never-smokers admit to having tried a cigarette when prompted. These undisclosed triers differ from confirmed never-smokers on relevant predictor variables, and are significantly more likely to agree that they will try a cigarette again before leaving school (12% vs 4%, P less than 0.005). A similar group would be expected in Charlton and Blair's study and might wholly or partially account for the apparent predictive relationships found. This is first because such undisclosed triers might be more accurate in their self-reports when questioned a second time, but also because this group would contribute disproportionately to those trying smoking in the follow-up period. Other issues raised concern the homogeneity of the attitude variables employed, and the difficulty of attributing any specific importance to particular attitude items.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Bilateral inferior petrosal sinus sampling as a routine procedure in ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome.

Bilateral inferior petrosal sinus sampling was successfully performed in 12 of 13 consecutive patients with ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome. Ten of the patients subsequently had transsphenoidal pituitary microsurgery. Eight patients in whom the inferior petrosal sinus to peripheral vein ACTH level ratio was 1.5 or greater were found to have a pituitary adenoma. One of the remaining two patients who had ratios less than 1.5 had pituitary hyperplasia while the other had no identified abnormality. In five of the patients with pituitary tumour a ratio above 1.5 was present on only one side. Bilateral petrosal sampling is therefore always necessary. Tumour localization within the pituitary was only poorly predicted by either petrosal sinus sampling (four of eight) or computed tomography scanning (three of eight). If petrosal sinus sampling is used early in the differential diagnosis of ACTH-dependent hypercortisolism, then the use of other differential diagnostic tests may not always be necessary.

Adenoma↗
PubMed1985

Effects of hypoxic hypoxia on cerebral phosphate metabolites and pH in the anesthetized infant rabbit.

The effects of hypoxic hypoxia on high-energy phosphate metabolites and intracellular pH (pHi) in the brain of the anesthetized infant rabbit were studied in vivo using 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Five 10- to 16-day-old rabbits were anesthetized with 1.5% halothane. Ventilation was controlled to maintain normocarbia. Inspired O2 fraction was adjusted to produce three states of arterial oxygenation: hyperoxia (PaO2 greater than 250 mm Hg), normoxia (PaO2 approximately 100 mm Hg), and hypoxia (PaO2 25-30 mm Hg). During hypoxia, blood pressure was kept within 20% of control values with a venous infusion of epinephrine. During hyperoxia, the phosphocreatine-to-ATP ratio was 0.86, a value that is 2-2.5 times less than that reported for adults. During normoxia, ATP decreased by 20% and Pi increased by 90% from hyperoxia values. During 60 min of hypoxia, the concentrations of high-energy phosphate metabolites did not change, but intracellular and arterial blood pH (pHa) decreased significantly. When hyperoxia was reestablished, pHi returned to normal and pHa remained low. These results suggest that during periods of hypoxemia, the normotensive infant rabbit maintains intracellular concentrations of cerebral high-energy phosphates better than has been reported for adult animals.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1972

Platelet adhesiveness, coagulation, and fibrinolytic activity in obesity.

In a study of 41 fasting subjects it was confirmed that fibrinolytic activity was reduced in obese persons: an increase in fibrinogen was also associated with obesity. There was no correlation between obesity and the platelet count, platelet adhesiveness to glass, the level of serum fibrin degradation products, or the whole blood clotting time in plastic tubes.

Blood Cell Count↗