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Biomedical subjects

A Stewart

Publications and source records attributed to A Stewart.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Costs of antifungal prophylaxis after bone marrow transplantation. A model comparing oral fluconazole, liposomal amphotericin and oral polyenes as prophylaxis against oropharyngeal infections.

We used a costs model to compare alternative modes of prophylaxis against oropharyngeal fungal infections in patients with leukaemia or myeloma who had undergone bone marrow transplantation (BMT). We compared 2 innovative pharmaceutical options (oral fluconazole and intravenous liposomal amphotericin) with existing standard practice (oral polyenes). Costs were measured over a 12-week treatment period, and were compared with the 2 effectiveness measures: (i) the avoidance of colonisation or infection; and (ii) the patients' ability to continue with prophylaxis in an uninfected state. The costs and effectiveness of BMT itself were not considered in this evaluation. The costs per successfully treated patient over a 12-week period were 28,956 pounds (1 pound = $US1.60, June 1995) for oral fluconazole, 53,225 pounds for liposomal amphotericin and 32,768 pounds for oral polyenes. Sensitivity analysis showed that the costs of liposomal amphotericin always exceeded those of the oral comparators, reflecting its high acquisition, preparation and administration costs.

Amphotericin B↗
PubMed1995

Associations of scores on the White-Campbell Psychological Birth Order Inventory and the Kern Lifestyle Scale.

This study investigated the relations among psychological birth order, actual birth order, and lifestyle. The study also further examined the convergent validity of the White-Campbell Psychological Birth Order Inventory. This inventory and Kern's Lifestyle Scale were administered to 126 individuals in a southeastern urban university. The several analyses of variance and canonical correlation analysis (1) supported a stronger relationship between psychological birth order and lifestyle than between actual birth order and lifestyle, (2) identified differential relationships between particular birth-order positions and lifestyle scales that were predicted and in accord with Adlerian theory, and (3) further supported the validity of the inventory. The results reaffirmed the lifestyle pattern and birth-order characterizations of Adlerian theory.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Vital fluorochromes as tracers for fungal growth studies.

Eight fluorescent dyes were tested for staining the spores or mycelia of six fungi and for their translocation into new growth when the preloaded spores or mycelia were incubated on agar coated coverslips. The dyes studied were Cellufluor, Nile red, fluorescein diacetate (FDA), carboxyfluorescein diacetate (CFDA), chloromethylfluorescein diacetate (CMFDA), aminochloromethyl coumarin (CMAC), and the carbocyamines DiIC18(3) and DiOC18(3). The fungi on which the dyes were tested included Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici, Idriella bolleyi, Pythium oligandrum, Sclerotium cepivorum and Trichoderma harzianum. Most of the fluorochromes gave good initial staining of mycelia or spores; however, FDA fluorescence faded rapidly during excitation, making it impractical for use. Also, the spores and mycelia of B. cinerea and T. harzianum sometimes gave weak fluorescence with Nile red, and the spores and mycelia of I. bolleyi gave unusually weak fluorescence with Cellufluor. There were other variations of staining among the different dye/fungus combinations, but each fungus showed strong fluorescence at least one dye. Cellufluor, CMFDA, CMAC and, to a lesser extent, CFDA and Nile red, were efficiently translocated into new growth from preloaded spores or mycelia, whereas FDA, DiIC18(3) and DiOC18(3) were not. The extent of translocation ranged from 0.1 to 1.2 mm in germ tubes arising from spores, and from 0.9 to 9.2 mm in mycelia extending from dye-loaded agar blocks. The findings suggest that fluorescent dyes could be used as markers or tracers in studies of fungal growth and differentiation.

Fluorescent Dyes↗
PubMed1994

Damage awards and jurors' responsibility ascriptions in medical versus automobile negligence cases.

Many critics of the tort system have accused juries of assessing larger awards against defendants perceived to have the ability to pay. Juries are said to be particularly prone to go after the 'deep pockets' of doctors in medical malpractice cases as compared to defendants found negligent in automobile accidents. This hypothesis was put to a test in an experiment that manipulated cause of the injury (medical malpractice versus negligent driving) and degree of possible contributing responsibility by the plaintiff (mandatory versus elective surgery and plaintiff as another driver or as a passenger). Responsibility ascriptions to the plaintiff differed across conditions, but jurors did not differentially award pain and suffering damages across conditions.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1994

Case report 834: Chronic sclerosing osteomyelitis of the mandible with long bone periostitis.

We present the case of a patient with primary chronic osteomyelitis of the mandible, the radiological appearance of which is compatible with a diagnosis of chronic sclerosing osteomyelitis. The accompanying femoral and tibial periosteal reactive new bone formation and the benign clinical course suggest that this presentation may represent a form of chronic multifocal osteomyelitis.

Child↗
PubMed1994

Broadband ultrasound attenuation and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry in patients with hip fractures: which technique discriminates fracture risk.

There is considerable interest in predicting risk of hip fracture in order to allow targeting of preventive care. This study aimed to determine which of two methods best discriminates a hip fracture population from controls. Fifty women with fractured neck of femur, and 50 control subjects were scanned using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) of the spine and hip and broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA) of the os calcis. Significant differences between the two populations could be found for both DXA and BUA, with BUA showing the largest percentage difference (27%). The mean z-scores showed that BUA had the lowest, with the exception of DXA trochanter. However, no significant difference between BUA and DXA trochanter Z-scores was found. A receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis showed that BUA has a superior sensitivity and specificity compared with DXA measurements, with DXA of the hip being better than the spine. This retrospective study shows that BUA is a better discriminator of hip fracture than DXA lumbar spine or DXA hip, which may have important implications for predicting those at risk of future hip fracture.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMed1994

X-ray diffraction measurements of the extensibility of actin and myosin filaments in contracting muscle.

We have used a small angle scattering system assembled on the high flux multipole wiggler beam line at CHESS (Cornell) to make very accurate spacing measurements of certain meridional and layer-line reflections from contracting muscles. During isometric contraction, the actin 27.3 A reflection increases in spacing from its resting value by approximately 0.3%, and other actin reflections, including the 59 and 51 A off-meridional reflections, show corresponding changes in spacing. When tension is augmented or diminished by applying moderate speed length changes to a contracting muscle, changes in spacing in the range of 0.19-0.24% (when scaled to full isometric tension) can be seen. The larger difference between the resting and isometric spacings suggests either nonlinearity at low tension levels or the presence of a component related to activation itself. Myosin filaments also show similar increases in axial period during slow stretch, in addition to the well known larger change associated with activation. An actin spacing change of 0.25-0.3% can also be measured during a 2 ms time frame immediately after a quick release, showing that the elastic behavior is rapid. These observations of filament extensions totaling 2-3 nm per half-sarcomere may necessitate some significant revision of the interpretation of a number of mechanical experiments in muscle, in which it has usually been assumed that virtually all of the elasticity resides in the cross-bridges.

Actins↗
PubMed1994

Chronic low back pain: toward an integrated psychosocial assessment model.

This study reports on the integration of 6 dimensions of chronic low back pain to provide a multidimensional profile of the patient. These dimensions were pain intensity, functional disability, attitudes toward pain, pain coping strategies, depression, and illness behavior. Cluster analysis of the data obtained from 100 patients with chronic low back pain revealed the presence of 3 distinct patient groups: patients who were in control, patients who were depressed and disabled, and patients who were active copers with high denial. The validity of these clusters was supported by significance testing on several external variables.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1994

Effect of added citrate or malate on calcium absorption from calcium-fortified orange juice.

OBJECTIVE: Calcium absorption was determined from calcium-fortified diluted orange juice, which contained additional citrate or malate, in 16 normal subjects. METHODS: Each load of fortified orange juice with additional citrate (OJ+C) contained 300 mg Ca, 5.7 mEq malate, and 33.6 mEq citrate (10.4 mEq of which were added). Each load of orange juice with additional malate (OJ+M) had 300 mg Ca, 23.2 mEq citrate and 16.1 mEq malate (10.4 mEq of which were added). For each subject, fractional (intestinal) calcium absorption was measured by taking the ratio of fractional forearm radioactivity following an oral administration of OJ+C or OJ+M (labeled with 47Ca) and the fractional forearm radioactivity obtained after intravenous administration of trace 47Ca chloride on a separate occasion. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in fractional calcium absorption from the two calcium-fortified orange juice preparations (40.1 +/- 8.3% for OJ+C and 40.6 +/- 8.6% for OJ+M, p = 0.81). CONCLUSION: Calcium-fortified orange juice with additional citrate provides equivalent bioavailable calcium as the juice with additional malate.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1994

Obsessive-compulsive disorder: prediction of outcome from behavioural psychotherapy.

Prediction of outcome after behavioural psychotherapy was determined in 178 outpatients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. For women (n = 103), factors significantly associated with good outcome included paid employment at time of assessment, having a co-therapist and low initial ratings on global phobia, work and home activity impairment and the compulsion checklist. In men, the only factor to approach statistical significance as a predictor of outcome was solitary abode, associated with "less improved" status.

Adolescent↗