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Biomedical subjects

C Evans

Publications and source records attributed to C Evans.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Cultural factors in the eating disorders: a study of body shape preferences of Arab students.

A replication of an American study of body shape preference was conducted in a group of 218 Arab students attending the American University in Cairo, Egypt. Arab female students felt their ideal shape to be significantly thinner than their current shape, while male students did not. Hence the appraisal of body shape shows gender differences in Egypt consistent with the American study. The Arab women reported a current shape similar to American women but had a smaller discrepancy between ratings of their ideal and current body shape. There was no difference for either Arab women or men between the shape thought most attractive to the opposite sex and that which the other gender actually reported as most attractive. The study shows a clear preference for thinness in the Arabic culture, inferences are made to its role in predisposing to eating disorders.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Is group psychotherapy feasible for oncology outpatients attenders selected on the basis of psychological morbidity?

Of 120 consecutive attenders at an oncology outpatients department, 108 were screened for psychological symptoms using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (Zigmond & Snaith, 1983). Thirty-nine patients had significant scores indicating moderate anxiety and/or depression. We felt that this warranted an offer of group psychotherapy in the belief that sharing issues and exploring personal concerns may alleviate some of the experienced psychological distress. Only 10 patients consented to and were able to attend this group, with which five patients persisted. Thus in this group of patients with advanced cancer group psychotherapy was applicable only to a limited number of selected patients. The nature of this study and the size of the population markedly limited our ability to comment on the usefulness of group psychotherapy. Many patients, particularly the most severely psychologically distressed, continued to require other forms of support, particularly domiciliary individual therapy.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Is pregnancy a time of changing drinking and smoking patterns for fathers as well as mothers? An initial investigation.

This paper describes changing smoking and drinking patterns before and during pregnancy in 313 expectant couples. Fathers were more likely to drink and smoke more heavily than mothers throughout. Before pregnancy in only 42% of couples were both partners safe drinkers and non-smokers. This increased to 50% during pregnancy. Most mothers reduced alcohol consumption during pregnancy and although about half of the fathers also changed their drinking patterns, only about a fifth decreased their consumption. Levels of paternal and maternal drinking in pregnancy were positively associated with pre-pregnancy levels. Rates and levels of both maternal and paternal smoking declined in pregnancy. There was a positive association between partners of both the prevalence and level of drinking and smoking between partners. There was some indication that mothers were more likely to reduce smoking and drinking if their partner joined them in doing so. Risk drinking in couples was more common in those who were older and of higher social status, but smoking was more common among the younger couples of lower social status.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Eating behaviour and attitudes to weight and shape in British women from three ethnic groups.

Attitudes towards eating, weight and shape were examined in 479 Caucasian, Afro-Caribbean and Asian British women. The Asian women were found to have significantly more disordered eating attitudes than the Caucasian women, but no difference was found between the three groups in their concern with their body weight and shape. However, while in the Caucasian group disordered eating attitudes were significantly positively correlated with feelings of anxiety and depression, this was not true in the other two groups. Although the concerns of British Afro-Caribbean and Asian women are similar to those of the Caucasian women, there may be ethnic differences in the relationship between feelings about eating, weight and shape and mood.

Anorexia Nervosa↗
PubMed1989

Evaluation of a community treatment program for young adult schizophrenics.

To evaluate a program of intensive case management for young adult chronic schizophrenics released from a large urban state mental health facility, several interrupted time series analyses were conducted over an 18-month period on 64 patients. Findings indicate that the intensive, active, and reactive role of case managers contributes significantly to the effectiveness of an aftercare, community-based treatment program.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Purification of a glycosaminoglycan-stimulatory lymphokine from supernatants of in vitro-activated human mononuclear cells.

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), like collagens, are the major component of the connective tissue matrix. Fibroblasts are responsible for the production and maintenance of this matrix. Glycosaminoglycan-stimulatory factor (GAG-SF) from T lymphocytes is a lymphokine that selectively increases GAG synthesis in normal human dermal fibroblasts. Supernatants of mononuclear cells activated with a mitogen, concanavalin A, were used to purify GAG-SF to an apparent homogeneity. The GAG-SF proved to be a glycoprotein with a molecular weight of 67,000 and pI of 5.6. It was not mitogenic to fibroblasts and did not regulate collagen synthesis in confluent fibroblast cultures. The purified factor was distinct from interleukin-1 (IL-1), but it could synergize with IL-1, which was present in unpurified supernatants, in modulating the activation of fibroblasts. The purification and characterization of this lymphokine are important because it is a product of activated lymphocytes and thus may be involved in the immunopathogenesis of several human diseases characterized by the presence of lymphoid infiltrates in the target organ such as autoimmune diseases of the connective tissue, the stromal reactions in human tumors, and the fibrosis associated with chronic rejection of transplanted organs.

Cell-Free System↗
PubMed1989

Duplex Doppler ultrasound in the diagnosis of acute renal allograft rejection.

As renal transplantation becomes more commonplace and successful, there is an increasing demand for non-invasive methods of studying possible complications. One hundred and fifty-four duplex Doppler sonography scans were performed in 38 patients within 52 days of receiving a renal allograft. Renal vascular impedance was estimated in the intrarenal arteries by calculating the resistive index ([peak systolic frequency shift--lowest diastolic frequency shift]/peak systolic frequency shift). A resistive index of greater than 0.80 was very suggestive of rejection (positive predictive value 82%); with a value of less than 0.70 rejection was unlikely (negative predictive value, 98%).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Family composition and social class in bulimia. A catchment area study of a clinical and a comparison group.

Many theories of the etiology of eating disorders focus on the role of the family. However, these theories are based on clinical experience and uncontrolled clinical case series. We report a study comparing 50 bulimic women with 40 non-eating-disordered women all from the same clinical catchment area. This study revealed no significant differences in social class, family size, birth position, or sibling sex ratio between the two groups. However, the parents of bulimic women were found to have been significantly older than those of the control group at the time of birth of their daughter. These findings are discussed with reference to previous family studies of eating disorders.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Anniversary reactions and due date responses following abortion.

Of 83 women who responded to surveys exploring postabortion coping, 30 women reported anniversary reactions associated with the abortion or due date. Women in the anniversary reaction group more often reported ambivalence about the decision to abort (p less than 0.007). This group also acknowledged fewer suicidal thoughts and attempts, but expressed more concern about verbally abusing their children (p less than 0.04). Strong trends toward dependency and somatoform disorders were present among anniversary group members (p less than 0.06). The authors recommend that physicians be alert to the possibility of hidden anniversary reactions of both physical and emotional nature during patient evaluation.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMed1988

Improved recovery and reduced postoperative stay after therapeutic suggestions during general anaesthesia.

The clinical value of therapeutic suggestions during general anaesthesia was assessed in a double-blind randomised placebo-controlled study. 39 unselected patients were allocated to suggestion (n = 19) or control (n = 20) groups who were played either recorded therapeutic suggestions or a blank tape, respectively, during hysterectomy. The patients in the suggestion group spent significantly less time in hospital after surgery, suffered from a significantly shorter period of pyrexia, and were generally rated by nurses as having made a better than expected recovery. Patients in the suggestion group, unlike those in the control group, guessed accurately that they had been played an instruction tape.

Adult↗