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Biomedical subjects

C Collins

Publications and source records attributed to C Collins.

At least 271 records · Page 15Linked to original sources

Job satisfaction of CNMs. Luxury or necessity?

Employees with high job satisfaction demonstrate a low job turnover rate. Identifying specific factors related to CNM job satisfaction and restructuring job designs accordingly may reduce CNM job turnover. This approach may also aid in recruiting nurses into the profession and CNMs into open positions. General theories of job satisfaction and the results of research in industry and general nursing are discussed. The results of a preliminary study of CNM job satisfaction indicate that CNMs are mostly satisfied with their jobs. In addition, CNMs in different types of practice show differences in the rank order of job satisfaction factors. Recommendations are made for future research.

Adult↗

Substance abuse prevention: moving from science to policy.

Substance abuse exacts tremendous social and economic costs in the United States, making a response to this problem a priority for policy makers at all levels of government. Although little argument exists about whether government should play a role in substance abuse control, considerable debate has been generated about exactly what that role should be. Currently, the United States spends about twice as much on supply reduction as demand reduction strategies. Supply reduction strategies, such as law enforcement and interdiction, are often harsh and based on little or no scientific evidence that demonstrates efficacy. As a demand reduction strategy, drug treatment has been demonstrated to be cost-effective. Substance abuse prevention, however, has failed to establish a critical body of research with which to make its case. This paper suggests several direct ways in which prevention science can influence public policy and thus move prevention science to more effective substance abuse prevention policy.

Adolescent↗

Growth hormone receptor and serum binding protein: purification, cloning and expression.

A putative growth hormone receptor from rabbit liver and the growth hormone binding protein from rabbit serum have the same amino-terminal amino-acid sequence, indicating that the binding protein corresponds to the extracellular hormone-binding domain of the liver receptor. The complete amino-acid sequences derived from complementary DNA clones encoding the putative human and rabbit growth hormone receptors are not similar to other known proteins, demonstrating a new class of transmembrane receptors.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Promoting positive well-being in employed mothers: a pilot study.

In this quasi-experimental pilot study, women who were returning to work within 6 months after the birth of a first baby were assigned to participate in a control group (n = 13) or a six-session small group intervention (n = 18). The content of the group intervention was developed based on a stress and coping framework (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). The experimental and control groups were surveyed at 2 months after their return to employment and on their baby's first birthday on measures of well-being in marriage, work, and parenting. Repeated measures analysis of covariance was used to examine differences over time between the experimental and control group with length of maternity leave and number of hours worked as covariates. Participants in the intervention reported increasing levels of marital satisfaction over time, whereas the control group experienced a decline in marital satisfaction over time (p = .04). Implications for practice and research are presented.

Adult↗

Whole blood deproteinization for drug screening using automatic pipettors.

Automating the initial screening of postmortem blood and other tissues for drugs of abuse requires a pipetting procedure that is compatible with immunoassay screening tests. The deproteinization procedure uses a zinc sulfate-5-sulfosalicylic acid reagent to precipitate blood proteins. This procedure for deproteinization of whole blood and tissue homogenates is compatible with coated tube radioimmunoassays (RIA) and can therefore be used in automating the initial screening step.

Automation↗

Racial residential segregation: a fundamental cause of racial disparities in health.

Racial residential segregation is a fundamental cause of racial disparities in health. The physical separation of the races by enforced residence in certain areas is an institutional mechanism of racism that was designed to protect whites from social interaction with blacks. Despite the absence of supportive legal statutes, the degree of residential segregation remains extremely high for most African Americans in the United States. The authors review evidence that suggests that segregation is a primary cause of racial differences in socioeconomic status (SES) by determining access to education and employment opportunities. SES in turn remains a fundamental cause of racial differences in health. Segregation also creates conditions inimical to health in the social and physical environment. The authors conclude that effective efforts to eliminate racial disparities in health must seriously confront segregation and its pervasive consequences.

Black or African American↗

Longitudinal studies as intervention.

The results of this descriptive study support the premise that through the research process researchers actively influenced the experiences of many of the family caregivers in the study. Caregivers seem to have been stimulated to evaluate and change their appraisals of their care-giving situation and, at times, their use of external resources and patient management strategies. We speculate that the predominant way subjects were influenced was through the opportunity to examine their experience relative to that of other caregivers as they completed the study instruments. Although it is possible that the effect was related to the specific behavior of the data collectors, we are reasonably confident that the structured interviewer training methods minimized this effect. Direct comments about interviewers were rare in responses to open-ended questions, and requests for information or help from interviewers were relatively infrequent, lending further support to the idea that interviewer effects were not a major influence on subjects. Although Rubin and Mitchell (1978) aptly described the unintended effect of study participation on their respondents, which was akin to counseling, little attention has been paid to this phenomenon in recent years. What family caregivers experienced as participants in our study, but failed to experience in their social network or formal contacts with the health care system, was an opportunity to: (a) examine their experience as a caregiver in depth, (b) anticipate what the future might hold for them, and (c) compare their personal experience to the experience of other families providing care to elderly members.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Yoga: intuition, preventive medicine, and treatment.

Mind-body fitness programs use a combination of muscular activity and mindful focus on awareness of the self, breath, and energy to promote health. The ancient discipline of yoga includes physical postures and breathing and meditation techniques. Scientific evidence exists about the physiologic effects of yoga. Mind-body fitness programs may offer therapeutic effects different from those offered by traditional body fitness programs.

Complementary Therapies↗

Preliminary evaluation of prostate cancer metastatic risk biomarkers.

Prostate cancer patients at high risk of metastasis need to be identified as early as possible since metastasis is invariably fatal. Treatment could be tailored to risk. Recent array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) studies of primary and metastatic prostate tumors identified 39 BAC clones capable of detecting genomic signatures of metastasis. We termed these loci the genomic evaluators of metastatic CaP (GEMCaP). Risk assessments were made on a set of men who were managed with radical prostatectomy. We compared the utility of GEMCaP loci and the Kattan nomogram, a common risk assessment tool, in relation to biochemical outcome. This preliminary evaluation experiment suggests we can use aCGH to detect genomic signatures of metastasis in primary tumors with an accuracy of 78%. The classification accuracy for the Kattan nomogram was 75%. Therefore, validation of GEMCaP is warranted in a larger, appropriately designed cohort.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗

Nurse-aid management of oral and maxillofacial emergencies.

Oral and maxillofacial emergencies can be very alarming and distressing to patients. This article introduces nurse aiders to the oral and maxillofacial specialty and explains the management of some oral and maxillofacial emergencies.

Adult↗

The poorly coping COPD patient: a psychotherapeutic perspective.

An etiology of maladaptive coping in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is proposed and a model for psychotherapeutic intervention with poorly coping COPD patients is presented. Failure in mourning, manifested by a lack of shift in patient's expectations and goals leads to: 1) difficulty in accepting illness related feelings of loss; 2) chronic anxiety; 3) attribution of responsibility for feelings and behavior to external factors; and 4) poor compliance with medical regime. Recommendations for establishing a therapeutic alliance with the poorly coping patient are discussed. Psychotherapeutic intervention aims at: 1) facilitating acceptance of losses and restructuring of life goals; 2) interrupting the cycle of alienation and social withdrawal; and 3) increasing patient's control over affective arousal and respiratory functioning. Utilization of supportive individual psychotherapy, family or marital therapy, and specific behavioral techniques is discussed. Family or marital therapy is seen as the treatment of choice. The psychotherapeutic model proposed is useful in promoting more adaptive coping in the COPD patient.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Influence of advertisement on women's attitudes toward mammography screening.

This project represents an effort to incorporate a feminist perspective into research on mammography screening. The purpose of this study was to assess women's attitudes toward four advertisements designed to encourage mammography screening. The goal was to create awareness about women's attitudes toward mammography advertisements in order to encourage the development of more effective and responsive motivational materials. The results indicated that each ad communicated different messages about the seriousness of breast cancer and the efficacy of mammography in detecting early breast cancer. Each ad also affected women differently regarding their feelings of control over breast cancer, their perceived loss of sex appeal resulting from a breast cancer diagnosis, and their general fear of breast cancer.

Adult↗

The value of sentinel node mapping for staging melanoma.

One of the most important prognostic features of malignant melanoma is the involvement of regional lymph nodes. Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is increasingly used to stage melanoma in order to avoid lymph node dissection in patients who clinically have no lymph node involvement. We present a prospective study of 27 patients who underwent SLNB from November 1999. Lymphoscintigraphy was done on the day of surgery, and SLNB guided by blue dye and/or gamma probe performed. A sentinel node was identified in all 27 patients, mean age 46 years. The mean Breslow thickness was 1.63mm. Excision of 1-3 sentinel nodes (mean 1.5) was performed. In 3/27 patients metastatic disease was detected in the sentinel node, 2 patients had therapeutic lymph node dissections, and one had chemotherapy. There were no major complications. SLNB is a valuable technique for staging melanoma, however impact on overall survival requires longer follow up.

Adolescent↗

Failure to master early developmental tasks as a predictor of adaptation to cancer in the young adult.

The ability of young adults to adapt to living with a cancer diagnosis and to negotiate the healthcare system is influenced by their level of maturity. If adolescent developmental tasks have been unresolved or pathologically resolved, they are likely to be reenacted during the various stages of the malignancy. Retrospective review of case histories that illustrate the diverse ranges of adaptation to life-threatening illness indicates that success or failure in achieving ego autonomy and continuity in adolescence significantly influences the young adult's capacity to cope with the malignancy. Psychosocial assessment of the young adult patient and spouse, with attention to childhood, adolescent, and family history, will assist the oncology nurse in predicting the individual's capacity for adapting to the illness and complying with treatment. This developmental information will allow clinicians to modify interventions to compensate for earlier stage deficits.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Evaluation of the BAX system for detection of Listeria monocytogenes in foods: collaborative study.

A multilaboratory study was conducted to compare the automated BAX system and the standard cultural methods for detection of Listeria monocytogenes in foods. Six food types (frankfurters, soft cheese, smoked salmon, raw, ground beef, fresh radishes, and frozen peas) were analyzed by each method. For each food type, 3 inoculation levels were tested: high (average of 2 CFU/g), low (average of 0.2 CFU/g) and uninoculated controls. A total of 25 laboratories representing government and industry participated. Of the 2335 samples analyzed, 1109 were positive by the BAX system and 1115 were positive by the standard method. A Chi square analysis of each of the 6 food types, at the 3 inoculation levels tested, was performed. For all foods, except radishes, the BAX system performed as well as or better than the standard reference methods based on the Chi square results.

Chi-Square Distribution↗