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Biomedical subjects

B J Mason

Publications and source records attributed to B J Mason.

54 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1975

Energy intake, disability, disease and skinfold thickness in a long-stay hospital.

Body build was assessed by measuring supinator and triceps skinfold thickness of 66 elderly patients in a long-stay hospital. Nursing staff made seven day records of the food intakes for the subjects. These were used to estimate calorie intakes. There was no relationship between energy intake and skinfold thickness. Reduced skinfold thicknesses were more common in subjects with rheumatoid arthritis or a previous fractured neck of femur than in those with cerebro-vascular disease or any other disorder. The findings suggest that the body build of long-stay patients is usually determined by their energy intake prior to admission. The feeding patterns of patients, once they are admitted, have little effect on body build.

Aged↗
PubMed1969

Influence of calcium and magnesium on manganese absorption.

Mutual effects between Mn, Ca, and Mg were studied during steady-state absorption experiments with excised barley roots. Calcium appeared to enhance the rate of Mn absorption; whereas, Mg had a highly depressive effect. The combination of both Ca and Mg was even more inhibitory to Mn absorption than Mg alone. Manganese had no effect on the usual negligible Ca absorption by this tissue, but effectively inhibited the absorption of Mg. Although divalent cation absorption from the Ca-Mg-Mn system was essentially nil, K absorption was greatly stimulated in the presence of these cations. These mutual effects and others reported in the literature are explained by the hypothesis that selectivity in ion absorption results from cation-induced conformational changes in the structure of the carrier molecule.

Calcium↗
PubMed1968

Manganese absorption by excised barley roots.

Short-term absorption studies with 5-day-old excised barley roots revealed that the basic aspects of Mn absorption were similar to those of other metabolically absorbed cations. Following an initial non-metabolic equilibration with the root, Mn was absorbed for several hours at a slower steady-state rate comparable to that of other inorganic cations. Complete or nearly complete inhibition of the steady-state phase by low temperature, dinitrophenol, and azide provides strong evidence that Mn transport into this tissue was metabolically mediated. Within limits, the rate of transport was strongly dependent upon the concentrations of Mn and the hydrogen ions in the ambient solution. Absorption increased rapidly with increasing concentrations of Mn up to 1 meq per liter. Above this concentration, the rate leveled off, apparently due to a saturation of the transport mechanism. Within the physiological pH range in which Mn is soluble (below pH 7), absorption increased greatly with decreasing hydrogen-ion concentration.

Journal Article↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prediction of response of chronic depression to imipramine.

We had previously reported that imipramine was superior to placebo for the treatment of chronic depression. As a part of that study, we subsequently investigated clinical and demographic variables which might be associated with favorable or poor outcome for treatment with imipramine or placebo. Results are reported herein. Eight-six patients were entered and 53 completed an 8-week protocol. Outcome was assessed based on a 6-week, double-blind treatment phase, which followed a 2-week, single-blind placebo phase. Outcome was not found to significantly relate to demographic variables, severity or course of depression, diagnostic subtype, symptom profile, or DST results. Some modest associations were found between 'neurotic' personality traits and poor outcome. Results are discussed and compared with prior studies of prediction of tricyclic antidepressant response in both acute and chronic depressions.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Assessment of sulfonylurea adherence and metabolic control.

This study was designed to compare sulfonylurea adherence assessment by providers, patients' self-report, pill counts, and a medication event monitoring system (MEMS-3) device, and correlate the estimates of metabolic control by provider, patient, and laboratory. Forty-seven outpatient veterans with fair to poor metabolic control of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus were enrolled and received monthly refills of sulfonylurea in vials with a cap containing an electronic medication monitoring microprocessor. Pill counts and fasting plasma glucoses were measured monthly, and glycohemoglobin and a 24-hour diet recall were obtained at 0 and 60 days. Investigators then asked providers and patients to assess adherence and metabolic control. Forty-seven percent were nonadherent to medication using MEMS-3, 29% using pill counts, 29% using provider assessment, and 31% using self-report. Thirty-one percent of providers and 53% of patients assessed metabolic control differently than laboratory values. Assessment of medication adherence by provider, patient, and pill counts did not explain metabolic control as closely as assessment by MEMS-3.

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pharmacists' interventions using an electronic medication-event monitoring device's adherence data versus pill counts.

OBJECTIVE: To compare adherence data from an electronic medication-event monitoring device (MEMS, Aprex) with pill counts in assisting pharmacists in making recommendations regarding diabetes therapy. DESIGN: Two-month, double-blind, randomized, controlled trial. SETTING: Veterans Affairs Medical Center ambulatory care clinics. PATIENTS: Forty-seven patients with poor to fair metabolic control of diabetes mellitus were enrolled. Patients were excluded if they were receiving insulin, had a concurrent infection, required child-resistant caps or medication remainder devices, or could not return for followup visits. Twenty patients were randomized to the MEMS and 27 to the control group (pill counts). Fasting plasma glucose concentrations were measured monthly and glycohemoglobin concentrations were measured at baseline and 60 days. Thirty-two patients were evaluable: 15 using MEMS and 17 using pill counts. INTERVENTION: Investigators made pharmacologic or educational recommendations to the patient's healthcare provider based on both laboratory data and MEMS readings in the treatment group or laboratory data and pill counts in the control group. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Quantities and types of recommendations regarding diabetes therapy made by pharmacists using adherence data from the two methods were tabulated. RESULTS: In the MEMS group, 47 percent of the recommendations related to patient education compared with 12 percent in the control group (p = 0.028). MEMS data would have changed four recommendations in the control group to involve patient education. CONCLUSIONS: MEMS data resulted in different numbers and types of recommendations than pill counts. Pharmacists then could make specific recommendations regarding patient education before resorting to pharmacologic manipulations.

Aged↗