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B Barnett

Publications and source records attributed to B Barnett.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Variability in use of cut-off scores and formats on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale: implications for clinical and research practice.

OBJECTIVES: i) To highlight the increasing use in the literature of unvalidated cut-off scores on the Edinburgh Depression Scale (EDS/EPDS), as well as different wording and formatting in the scale; ii) to investigate and discuss the possible impact of using an unvalidated cut-off score; iii) to highlight possible reasons for these 'errors'; and iv) to make recommendations to clinicians and researchers who use the EDS/EPDS. METHOD: A convenience sample of studies that have used unvalidated cut-off scores, or different formatting, are cited as evidence that these types of 'errors' are occurring fairly frequently. Examination of previous data from one of the authors is undertaken to determine the effect of using an unvalidated cut-off score. SUMMARY: Many studies report rates of high scorers on the EDS/EPDS using different cut-off scores to the validated ones. The effect of doing this on the overall rate can be substantial. The effect of using different formatting is not known, though excluding items from the EDS/EPDS must also make a substantial difference. RECOMMENDATIONS: We recommend that i) the validated score of 13 or more is used when reporting on probable major depression in postnatal English-speaking women, and 15 or more when reporting on antenatal English-speaking women; ii) that the wording used is "13 or more" (or equivalent), and not other terms that may cause confusion (e.g., '>12'; 'more than 12'; '13' etc), iii) if a different cut-off score to the validated one is used, a clear explanation is given as to why this has been done; and iv) that the scale should be worded and formatted as originally described by its authors.

Biomedical Research↗
PubMed2006

Health professional's knowledge and awareness of perinatal depression: results of a national survey.

INTRODUCTION: Postnatal depression affects 14% of women, occurring also antenatally, with potential long-term consequences, making it an important disorder to detect and manage early. In this study we sought to examine knowledge and awareness of perinatal depression in health professionals involved in perinatal care throughout Australia prior to the implementation of a comprehensive screening program, aimed at improving detection and access to appropriate management. METHODS: A random sample of General Practitioners (GPs) and Maternal Child Health Nurses (MCHNs) and Midwives, in regions throughout Australia to be subsequently targeted by a screening and education program, were invited to participate. Responses to a hypothetical vignette and a knowledge questionnaire, as well as details of experience were completed. FINDINGS: Questionnaires were completed by 246 GPs, 338 MCHNs and 569 midwives, with overall response rates; GP's 23%; MCHN's 55% and midwives 57%. Although knowledge level was similar among professional groups, MCHNs had higher levels of awareness of perinatal depression. Both GPs and MCHNs were more likely than midwives to recognize the need for providing help to women with emotional distress. Depression was more likely to be considered postnatally than antenatally in all groups, with GPs most likely to provide this diagnosis. GPs had a significant propensity to recommend antidepressants, and midwives to select non-specific medications. CONCLUSIONS: Health professionals responding to this survey had a high awareness and similar knowledge base. Further education on antenatal depression and the safety risks and alternatives to medication is important for all groups, but particularly important for midwives and GPs. The latter is especially relevant given the preference for women with perinatal depression not to use pharmacological interventions to treat their emotional distress.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2005

Acceptability of routine antenatal psychosocial assessments to women from English and non-English speaking backgrounds.

The acceptability of routine psychosocial assessments to women and staff at an antenatal clinic of a public hospital in Sydney, Australia, was investigated. 104 English-speaking women had a telephone interview within a few days of the psychosocial assessment, and 65 of these women also participated in a telephone interview 5-8 weeks after the birth. 14 midwives who had administered the questions were also interviewed. These three sets of interviews indicated that the majority of women and staff considered the psychosocial questions to be appropriate and helpful. Prior to introducing a shorter version of the psychosocial assessment for all women, consultations took place with health professionals and community women from Arabic-speaking (n = 30) and Vietnamese-speaking (n = 39) backgrounds to determine the expected suitability of such questions to women from these ethnic backgrounds. The only consistent concern was that the term 'husband' should replace 'partner' when interviewing Arabic-speaking women. Telephone interviews were then conducted with a sample of Arabic-speaking (n = 48) and Vietnamese-speaking (n = 50) women within a few days after they had been to the clinic. As with the English-speaking women, most considered the questions to be appropriate and acceptable.

Cultural Diversity↗
PubMed2004

Routine psychosocial assessment of women in the antenatal period: frequency of risk factors and implications for clinical services.

Routine psychosocial assessment was introduced at an Australian public hospital's antenatal clinic in 2001. After modification, this assessment consists of 12 questions together with the Edinburgh Depression Scale (EDS). Data are reported for responses to these questions from over 2,000 English-speaking women presenting to the clinic in a 12-month period. These 12 questions and the EDS were categorised into seven risk domains, with 12% of the women (n = 260) having three or more of these risk domains. Referral information to one of our two clinical services shows that 6.7% of women assessed in the antenatal clinic become clients having face-face counselling, and a further 7.2% have just telephone contact with this specialist perinatal mental health service. This information should prove useful for services considering implementing routine psychosocial assessments (or "screening") in the antenatal period.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Bone sialoprotein promotes tumor cell migration in both in vitro and in vivo models.

The present study was conducted to determine the effects of bone sialoprotein (BSP) in promoting vascular invasion of tumor cells in metastasis. We used a Matrigel system and the MDA-231 human breast cancer cells transfected with human BSP cDNA (MDA-231/BSP). Quantative analysis indicated an average of 1.7-fold increase in cell numbers that migrated through the endothelial cells in MDA-231/BSP cells compared with empty vector-transfected MDA-231 cells (MDA-231/EV). In an in vivo assay, the MDA-231 cells were incubated with or without BSP antibodies and were then inoculated onto the upper chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of chicken embryos, in which the only route for the tumor cells to reach the lower CAM was to migrate through the embryonic vasculature. PCR amplification using human Alu primers and genomic DNA from harvested lower CAM showed an average reduction of 67% in the samples treated with BSP antibodies. These preliminary data suggest that, in metastasis, BSP may enhance the penetrating ability of tumor cells through endothelial cells and basement membrane into blood vessels. BSP antibodies can specifically hinder this effect in an in vivo system.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Validation of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale for men, and comparison of item endorsement with their partners.

BACKGROUND: The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) has been validated and used extensively in screening for depression in new mothers, both in English speaking and non-English speaking communities. While some studies have reported the use of the EPDS with fathers, none have validated it for this group, and thus the appropriate cut-off score for screening for depression or anxiety caseness for this population is not known. METHODS: Couples were recruited antenatally and interviewed at six weeks postpartum. EPDS scores and distress caseness (depression or anxiety disorders) for 208 fathers and 230 mothers were determined using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule. RESULTS: Analyses of the EPDS for fathers using distress caseness (depression or anxiety disorders) as the criterion shows that a cut-off of 5/6 has optimum receiver operating characteristics. Furthermore acceptable reliability (split-half and internal consistency) and validity (concurrent) coefficients were obtained. For mothers the optimum cut-off screening value to detect distress caseness was 7/8. Item analysis revealed that fathers endorsed seven of the ten items at lower rates to mothers, with the most significant being that referring to crying. CONCLUSIONS: The EPDS is a reliable and valid measure of mood in fathers. Screening for depression or anxiety disorders in fathers requires a two point lower cut-off than screening for depression or anxiety in mothers, and we recommend this cut-off to be 5/6.

Culture↗
PubMed2001

Postnatal depression, anxiety and unsettled infant behaviour.

OBJECTIVE: This study compares maternal mood, marital satisfaction and infant temperament in 128 mothers admitted to the residential care unit of a parentcraft hospital and 58 mothers in a demographically matched group. METHOD: Mothers were recruited from the residential care unit of a parentcraft hospital (Tresillian Family Care Centres) and a comparison group from a private obstetric practice in the same demographic area. Both groups completed self-report questionnaires on depression, anxiety and marital adjustment, while mothers in the residential care group also received a structured diagnostic interview for depression (CIDI). RESULTS: Sixty-two per cent of mothers in the residential care group met diagnostic criteria for a major depressive episode occurring since childbirth and a further 13% met DSM-IV research criteria for minor depression. The residential care group also scored significantly higher on both state and trait anxiety and rated their infants as significantly more temperamentally difficult than did the comparison group. CONCLUSIONS: This study replicates a previous Australian finding of a high incidence of maternal mood disorders in mothers admitted to parentcraft hospitals. Acknowledgement of the close association between maternal mood state and unsettled infant behaviour facilitates an integrated multidisciplinary approach offering appropriate management for both mothers and infants. Residential care units may be ideally suited to provide such early intervention strategies in a non-stigmatizing environment, but provision of adequate staff support, mental health consultation, education and skills in managing mental health problems in these settings is important.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

A sign of the times.

Pressure placed on employers to enhance the bottom line comes from a multitude of changes in the marketplace and has resulted in employers seeking to limit their liabilities and expenses for retiree medical care. To address retiree medical issues, employers have adapted a number of strategies that are presented in this article. These include eliminating or modifying benefits, using a defined contribution approach, capping subsidies and enrolling retirees in Medicare HMOs.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Paternal and maternal depressed mood during the transition to parenthood.

BACKGROUND: The course of postnatal depression was examined in first-time mothers and fathers with emphasis on the role of personality and parental relationships as risk factors. METHOD: 157 couples were assessed at four points: antenatally and at 6, 12 and 52 weeks postnatally. Various measures of mood and personality were administered at each of these assessment points. RESULTS: Examination of the factors associated with depressed mood suggested that a woman's relationship with her own mother was important in the early postpartum stage, and also her level of interpersonal sensitivity and neuroticism. For the father, his relationship with either his mother or father and his level of neuroticism were associated with his mood level early on. By the end of the first year couple morbidity increased, with rates of distress being at their highest for both parents, and factors associated with depressed mood being linked to partner relationship variables, at least for mothers. At most time points, antenatal mood and partner relationship were significant predictor variables for the postnatal mood of both mothers and fathers. LIMITATIONS: The sample had a relatively high level of education and this should be taken into account when considering the generalisation of findings to less educated populations. At the time of conducting this study, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) had only been validated for use in the first few months postpartum, and thus we used another scale to measure the mother's mood at the other assessment points (the Beck Depression Inventory). Current research would suggest that the EPDS is valid both antenatally and at other times in the first year postpartum. CONCLUSION: Whilst there was some consistency for mothers and fathers in the variables that predict their postpartum adjustment, these being antenatal mood and partner relationship, there is also evidence that adjustment to parenthood was related to different variables at different times. Early adjustment was related to the couple's relationship with their own parents, as well as their own personality. Later adjustment was related to the couple's functioning and relationship.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

The next generation of MMP inhibitors. Design and synthesis.

Since their inception during the eighties, MMP inhibitors (MMPIs) have gone through several cycles of metamorphosis. The design of early MMPIs was based on the cleavage site of peptide substrates. The second generation contained a substituted succinate scaffold (e.g., marimastat) coupled to a modified amino acid residue. The lower molecular weight analogs with multiple substitution possibilities produced a series of MMP inhibitors with varying degrees of selectivity for various MMPs. The introduction of sulfonamides in the midnineties added a new dimension to this field. The simplicity of synthesis coupled with high potency (e.g., CGS-27023A, AG-3340) produced a number of clinical candidates. This review highlights some of the key features that contributed to the discovery of this novel series of MMP inhibitors.

Caprolactam↗
PubMed1998

Evaluation of the genotoxicity of aniline.HCl in Drosophila melanogaster.

The induction of X-chromosome malsegregation, sex-linked recessive lethals and II-III autosomal translocations by aniline.HCl was investigated in Drosophila melanogaster. Nondisjunction was tested in 2 and 4 d old virgin females fed on aniline.HCl solutions (3, 5, 10 and 15%) using a system where exceptional females (XXY) and only 1/4 of the expected regular progeny are viable. After mating, the females were subcultured daily. Similarly treated 7-day-old wild-type males were used to run classical II-III translocation and recessive lethal tests; for the latter, the solutions were also injected intraabdominally. In all cases, five broods were obtained. A direct correlation was observed between concentration and toxicity. Furthermore, males were more sensitive than females, and the latter's sensitivity was higher at 4-day-old than at 2-day-old. This could be attributed to a decrease with age in the efficiency of a detoxifying mechanism, or to the generation of a toxic metabolite in older flies. Significant increases in nondisjunction were observed with 5, 10 and 15% solutions suggesting the existence of a threshold. No dose effect was detected within the range of the effective concentrations used. The increases were observed in the first subculture (representing mostly stage 14 oocyte, i.e., cells in metaphase I) and in the third subculture, representing cells in which the spindle has not yet formed, thereby pointing to a direct effect of the chemical on the chromosomes and not on the spindle. It is proposed that the second sensitivity peak detected might be the outcome of the transient loss of a protective configuration provided by the karyosome, due to its expansion in stages 9 and 10 of the developing oocytes. No sex-linked lethals or translocations were induced.

Aniline Compounds↗
PubMed1998

Postnatal depression and social supports in Vietnamese, Arabic and Anglo-Celtic mothers.

The significance of a western woman's social supports to postnatal depression is well documented. We examine which deficits in components of their social support network are associated with postnatal depression in women from a non-English-speaking background. The social support network and postnatal mood of 105 Anglo-Celtic, 113 Vietnamese and 98 Arabic women were assessed at 6 weeks postpartum. The role of social supports in determining scores on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was analysed using multiple regressions. For Anglo-Celtic women, low postnatal mood was associated with perceived need for more emotional support from partners and mothers. For Vietnamese women, low postnatal mood was associated with poor quality of relationship with the partner and a perceived need for more practical help from him. For Arabic women, low postnatal mood was associated with perceived need for more emotional support from partners. We conclude that cultural factors mediate the relation between social supports and postnatal depression more likely to become clinically depressed (Lovestone and Kumar 1993) and infants may have adverse cognitive, behavioural and emotional outcomes, which can be linked to the postnatal depression (Murray and Cooper 1996).

Adult↗