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Biomedical subjects

D Christie

Publications and source records attributed to D Christie.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1980

Australian lung cancer mortality.

In Australia, an increasing spread of anti-cigarette smoking education has occurred during the past two decades, matched by the cigarette-promoting activities of commercial interests. Analysis of mortality statistics over the period shows that the rate of increase in deaths from lung cancer among men is definitely slowing, but that no such change can be discerned among women. Cohort analysis reveals that, still, each successive generation has a higher death rate from lung cancer at every age than the previous generation.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Australian cancer mortality from 1950 to 1977: analysis of the national mortality statistics.

Australian cancer mortality from 1950 to 1977 has been analysed for trend. While mortality rates from "all causes" in both sexes are declining, there has been little decline in mortality rates from all malignant neoplasms in women, and an actual increase in male rates. Most notable are the increasing death rates from cancer of the lung, and declining death rates from cancer of the cervix.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Improved survival from stroke. An effect of antihypertensive therapy?

A major improvement in the case/fatality ratio of patients who were admitted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital with a first stroke was observed between 1974, and 1978. Reference to a current population-based stroke-incidence study enabled the most likely cause, changing selection criteria, to be discounted and there have been no improvements in acute hospital care to which this improvement may be attributed. The hypothesis is advanced that the marked improvement in survival after a first stroke, particularly in older patients, observed between the hospital series may be related to the high and increasing prevalence of treatment for hypertension in the community.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Quality of life after stroke: a three-year follow-up.

Forty-five people who had suffered a stroke three years previously were interviewed, as were their close relatives and friends. Changes in their lives which they attributed to stroke were explored, and information was gathered about health and social care resources they had used or needed. It was evident that stroke had devastated many peoples' lives: they ceased work prematurely, their interpersonal relations had deteriorated and over 70% viewed their future with uncertainty or gloom. Physical disability in itself was less important than peoples' response to their disability; inappropriate and dysfunctional responses were present in over half. In spite of adequate medical care, 40% of subjects would have been assisted by social work assessment, counseling and direction to appropriate community services.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1979

Radiologic heart volume and subsequent mortality.

In the London Civil Service Health Survey, both p.a. and lateral 100 mm chest films were taken on 12,630 men aged 40 and above. Radiologic heart volume was calculated on a 10 per cent sample and to the sample were added the films of all other subjects from the cohort who had died within 5 years of the survey, or more than 5 years afterwards. Radiologic heart volume could be calculated on 1,390 subjects of whom 233 had died within 5 years, and 47 after 5 years had elapsed. For deaths within the first 5 years there was a stepwise increase in mortality with increasing quintile of heart volume. Radiologic heart volume predicts death from cardiovascular disease both within 5 years of estimation and for deaths occurring more than 5 years after examination.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Screening for hypertension: some practical problems.

In 1967/68, a screening examination was carried out on 18,277 male London civil servants, of whom 488 were referred to their general practitioners with high blood pressure. After this referral, 23 per cent did not attend their doctor and among those who did, a relatively high frequency of anxiety was noted. In one third of the patients, the general practitioners were already aware of the presence of hypertension, but were not treating it. This reluctance to treat asymptomatic people continued with the management of referred and confirmed newly diagnosed hypertensive patients. The problems associated with mass screening examinations can be overcome by careful, expensive and time-consuming preparations. Where the purpose is to find and treat newly diagnosed hypertensive patients then screening by general practitioners is likely to be a more cost-effective approach.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Oral vancomycin for antibiotic-associated pseudomembranous colitis.

Nine patients with antibiotic-associated pseudomembranous colitis were treated with oral vancomycin. All had severe diarrhoea, tissue-culture evidence of a clostridial toxin in stool, and typical lesions on sigmoidoscopic examination, despite discontinuation of all antimicrobials for periods of 10 days to 8 weeks. Oral vancomycin was given in doses of 2 g daily. All patients showed a good clinical response with gradual resolution of diarrhoea over 7 days and a rapid decrease in concentrations of the toxin in stools. Follow-up sigmoidoscopies in seven patients showed major improvement or complete clearing of lesions after 7-10 days of vancomycin treatment. The mean concentration of vancomycin in twenty-five stools obtained during treatment was 3100 microgram/g, levels in serum being very low. These results suggest a role for oral vancomycin treatment of antibiotic-associated pseudomembranous colitis which persists for extended periods despite discontinuation of the incriminated antimicrobial.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1978

The Aboriginal population of Victoria.

The basis of epidemiological studies and of health services planning is accurate enumeration of the population at risk. With regard to the Aboriginal population of Victoria there was reason to believe that official census statistics were inaccurate. Interviews were carried out with representatives of Aboriginal organizations, State and federal government departments concerned with Aboriginal affairs and other interested individuals. The best estimate of the Aboriginal population of Victoria arrived at by this method was almost double the census figure. Underestimation was most marked in rural areas.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

'The analgesic abuse syndrome': an epidemiological perspective.

Mild analgesics are freely available, widely used, and generally safe. Nevertheless a proportion of the population takes excessive quantities, of whom some develop chronic renal failure in consequence. A syndrome of analgesic abuse has been proposed, definable by characteristics other than analgesic intake. To examine this concept, a population study of analgesic consumption was carried out; the distribution was clearly unimodal and no association could be found between the quantity of analgesics taken and social class, marital status, working or not working, tea or coffee consumption or the number of cigarettes smoked. The principal determinants appeared to be sex, with females reporting a higher intake, and the presence of painful conditions. It was concluded that analgesics abuse cannot be defined other than by the number of analgesics consumed, and that the concept of an analgesic abuse 'syndrome' is not helpful in the design of preventive programmes.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Physical correlates of radiologic heart volume.

Radiologic heart volume was calculated on a 10 per cent random sample of subjects examined in the London Civil Service Health Survey. Data were available for 1188 men over the age of 40, and the importance of correcting radiologic heart volume for body size, age and heart rate was demonstrated. After these variables were taken into account, the most important association found was with blood pressure. Radiologic heart volume has potential value in cardiovascular screening programmes.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Screening for breast cancer: the role of mammography.

The early diagnosis of breast cancer by screening is a relatively new development in medical practice and its enthusiastic acceptance needs to be tempered by an appraisal of the costs, the risks and the potential benefits. No case can be made at present for screening well women under the age of 50 years, when such screening includes mammography. With the exception of women who have already had cancer in one breast, it is likely that those women under 50 with the associated "risk factors" are better managed by careful attention to breast self-examination and more frequent physical examinations. Provided that the radiation dose is less than one rad per examination, the benefits to women over 50 outweigh the risks of radiation-induced breast cancer. Against this must be placed the very large cost to the community of screening programmes and the relatively low additional benefits gained by incorporation of mammography into the screening process.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Community health in the University of Melbourne.

After changes to the curriculum of the University of Melbourne Medical School, a Department of Community Health has been established. Undergraduate teaching will be carried out in the first, third, fourth and sixth years of the course. Although an introduction to primary care will occur in first year, the teaching emphasis in the preclinical years will be in the behavioural sciences, epidemiology and social medicine. Primary care as a clinical subject will be taught in fourth year with electives available in the sixth year.

Australia↗
PubMed1977

Changing patterns and mortality of acute myocardial infarction in a coronary care unit.

Three groups of patients who had been admitted to a coronary care unit with infarction at different periods since 1963 were reviewed to assess whether the outcome in such patients had improved over 12 years. There was a significant reduction in mortality among consecutive patients with mild or severe infarction between 1969-70 and 1974-5. Classifying the patients in all three groups according to their risk factors showed that for each risk factor mortality had decreased since 1963. The incidence of arrhythmias and conduction defects decreased between 1969-70 and 1974-5, and mortality among patients with each arrhythmia also fell. The reduction in mortality may reflect a changing pattern in the natural history of the disease as well as a benefit of improved treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

The Queenscliff study: a community screening programme for hypertension.

The Victorian community of the Borough of Queenscliffe (Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale) was screened for high blood pressure in May, 1975, and a high response rate was achieved. The prevalence of hypertension was lower than that reported from Albury in 1971, Brunswick in 1972 or Busselton in 1969, but the difference from the latter is likely to be due to a higher treatment rate in Queenscliff. The difference from the Albury (and, to a lesser extent, the Brunswick) data is substantial and cannot be explained in this way. While geographic variability in high blood pressure cannot be excluded, it is possible that different screening circumstances were a major factor.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Analgesic nephropathy: a major or minor problem?

Habitual analgesic takers run approximately three times the risk of developing chronic renal disease as nontakers or occasional takers. Over 200 deaths may occur each year in Australia from analgesic-induced renal disease, but this must be balanced against the benefit to society of simple, effective pain relief. This can be placed in perspective by contrast with the cost to society of cigarette smoking.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Analgesics and the kidney: a community-based study.

The adult population of a small Victorian town was interviewed for current analgesic consumption and the replies were validated by urine testing. One thousand four hundred and fifty-six subjects were ranked by stated analgesic consumption, and the 50 highest consumers matched for age and sex with non-consumers. Early morning urine specimens were collected and no significant difference in osmolality or white cell excretion rates was found between the two groups. It was concluded that the absolute risk of renal impairment on chronic analgesic consumers is low, and that patients on therapeutic regimens, including analgesics, may be reassured that any risk is minimal.

Adult↗