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Biomedical subjects

E Ross

Publications and source records attributed to E Ross.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Adherence to colorectal cancer screening in an HMO population.

This study aimed to determine factors that influence fecal occult blood test performance in colorectal cancer screening. A random sample was selected of men and women ages 50 to 74 years of age who had been mailed a fecal occult blood testing kit in a screening program in fall 1986. One year after initial test mailing, sample group members (n = 504) were surveyed by telephone. Four months later, the survey sample received a second fecal occult blood test mailing. Multivariable analysis for subjects with validated past fecal occult blood test status (n = 322) revealed the past testing was positively associated with physician encouragement of screening, age, the belief that cancer is curable, perceived test efficacy, and strong intention to do testing. It also was discovered that persons who felt that they had little control over their health were more likely to have done past testing. Preliminary analysis of prospective adherence showed that the strongest statistically significant independent predictor was past test performance. Prospective adherence among past nontesters (n = 121) was associated with expressed commitment to do fecal occult blood testing and reported presence of colorectal cancer risk factors. Analysis of adherence among past testers (n = 201) revealed that belief in colorectal cancer curability and age were significant predictors. The findings reported here indicate that factors influencing adherence among past nontesters differ from those for past testers. Overall, these results suggest that to increase participation in colorectal cancer screening, physicians and other health professionals should (a) deliver educational messages that increase awareness of risk factors for colorectal cancer and curability of the disease, and (b) elicit from potential screenees a commitment to engage in recommended preventive behaviors. It may also be well to consider "tailoring" messages for past nontesters and past testers, respectively, by emphasizing colorectal cancer risk factors and highlighting curability.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1990

Factors influencing patients' informational needs at time of hospital discharge.

The relationship between patients' perceived informational needs and selected sociodemographic and illness-related variables were examined in a sample of 301 adult medical and surgical patients preparing for discharge from an acute care setting. Marital status, living arrangements and chronicity of illness had no influence on the importance of informational needs as measured by the Patient Learning Need Scale (PLNS). More informational needs were identified by females than males, and those with malignant as opposed to benign disease. Length of time spent in the hospital, number of discharge medications, and patient perception of the influence of the illness on life were positively correlated with informational needs at the time of discharge.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

The Patient Learning Needs Scale: reliability and validity.

The article describes the development and initial psychometric evaluation of an instrument to measure patients' perceptions of learning needs at time of discharge from hospital to home. Evaluation of the Patient Learning Needs Scale was based on responses of 301 adults hospitalized with a medical or surgical illness. Factor analysis isolated seven subscales: medications, activities of living, feelings related to condition, community and follow-up, treatment and complications, enhancing quality of life and skin care. These seven factors accounted for 56.1% of the variance. Cronbach's alpha for the 50-item scale was 0.95.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

The nutritional value of dehydrated, blue-green algae (Spirulina platensis) for poultry.

Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the nutritional value of the blue-green algae, Spirulina platensis, grown on a synthetic media. In Experiment 1, day-old, White Leghorn cockerel chicks (120) were fed isonitrogenous diets containing 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20% of dried spirulina. At 3 wk of age, the growth of the chicks fed 10 and 20% of spirulina was depressed (P less than .05), although feed efficiency was not affected. In Experiment 2, 250 1-day-old, Hubbard by Hubbard, male broiler chicks were fed experimental diets containing 0, 1.5, 3.0, 6.0, or 12.0% of spirulina for 41 days. Although the growth of the chicks fed the spirulina diets was not different from that of the chicks receiving the control diet, the birds receiving the 12% spirulina diet grew slower (P less than .05) than the chicks fed all of the other spirulina diets. In Experiment 3, 600 1-wk-old, Japanese qual were used to study the effects of 0, 1.5, 3.0, 6.0, and 12.0% of spirulina on growth, egg production, egg quality, fertility, hatchability, and the growth of the F1 generation of dams fed Spirulina. There were no significant differences due to the spirulina content in any of the parameters studied-except for yolk color, which increased with each succeeding level of spirulina, and for fertility, which was higher for all spirulina treatments versus the control.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed1990

Outer gloves in orthopaedic procedures. Cloth compared with latex.

A randomized prospective study was undertaken to determine the rate of punctures of the inner glove when techniques of double-gloving were employed for orthopaedic operations. Group I consisted of twenty-five procedures in which double latex gloves were used, and Group II comprised another twenty-five in which latex inner gloves and cloth outer gloves were worn. As the outer glove was expected to act as a barrier against puncture of the inner glove, only inner gloves were tested. All glove exchanges done intraoperatively for presumed tears of the inner glove were noted, as were punctures of the skin. The type and length of the procedure were also documented. Group I (double latex gloves) had a significantly higher rate of total inner-glove perforations per procedure (p less than 0.0001) than Group II (cloth and latex gloves). Furthermore, unrecognized perforations were significantly higher in Group I than in Group II (p less than 0.01). In Group I, the number of punctures increased with the duration of the operation; a puncture was found in all procedures in which the operation lasted longer than three hours (p less than 0.01). In Group II, only two tears of the inner glove occurred. Both were unrecognized and were independent of the duration of the operation.

Gloves, Surgical↗
PubMed1988

Generalized status myoclonicus in acute anoxic and toxic-metabolic encephalopathies.

Nineteen cases of generalized status myoclonicus (GSM) associated with acute anoxic and/or toxic-metabolic encephalopathy were studied. Generalized status myoclonicus was associated with coma in the overwhelming majority of patients (95%), although one patient had only clouding of consciousness. Generalized status myoclonicus occurred in 13 patients after cardiorespiratory arrest and in six patients after toxic-metabolic encephalopathy. Thirteen patients died, four survived in a chronic vegetative state, and two recovered without any permanent neurologic sequelae. Generalized status myoclonicus was preceded by generalized tonic-clonic seizures or generalized tonic-clonic status epilepticus in six patients (32%). The implications of these findings are discussed and a hypothesis that generalized status myoclonicus is a fragment of generalized tonic-clonic status epilepticus is proposed. Generalized status myoclonicus is a grave prognostic indicator that is often not compatible with useful recovery in spite of all therapeutic efforts. The final outcome is related to the underlying disease process. In our study, complete neurologic recovery was observed in two patients (11%).

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Ferrioxamine as a magnetic resonance contrast agent. Preclinical studies and phase I and II human clinical trials.

The preclinical and clinical trial experience with ferrioxamine (S-FDF; Salutar, Inc.) as a contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is summarized. The results in 44 patients or subjects show that the drug is safe and well tolerated when given intravenously. In certain conditions, early results show that the use of this contrast agent provides more information than can be obtained with MRI alone.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Improved exercise tolerance with long-term parenteral nutrition in cystic fibrosis.

Two cystic fibrosis (CF) patients with severe pulmonary disease and malnutrition were followed during a course of long-term home total parenteral nutrition (TPN), which included iv fat emulsion. They gained 7 and 12 kg in body weight, respectively, and their ability to participate in daily activities increased. Progressive exercise testing before and during TPN showed a marked increase in maximal work load: 100% and 30%, respectively. At any given work load, oxygen uptake was increased while the respiratory quotient remained lower after the course of TPN. We believe that the lower respiratory quotient and greater oxygen consumption during exercise were due to a reduction in anaerobic metabolism after TPN.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Interface of panic and depression: clinical and sleep EEG correlates.

Four groups of subjects were compared with respect to their clinical and demographic status and electroencephalographic (EEG) characteristics, namely: primary major depressive disorder (PRI MDD); panic disorder (Panic); "Mixed" group comprising patients meeting full syndromal criteria for MDD and panic occurring concomitantly; and normal controls. The "Mixed" (MDD + Panic) patients were characterized by earlier age of onset of psychiatric illness, longer duration of current episode, greater intensity of symptoms, higher impairment of functioning, increased miscellaneous psychopathology, and greater objective stress and anger. With respect to sleep EEG variables, PRI MDD patients were clearly different from the other three groups. The sleep profile of the "Mixed" group occupies an intermediate position between the "pure" Panic and MDD groups. Classification of the "Mixed" patients based on the discriminant function coefficients of the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia and sleep analysis of the "pure" groups (PRI MDD and Panic) reveals that some patients are classified as true PRI MDD while others are classified as falling somewhere along the PRI-MDD/Panic spectrum. The separation of the PRI MDD from Panic and Normals, however, is clear, suggesting that sleep can be successfully used as a physiological marker in the separation of these conditions.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Avitaminosis K and the lack of heart lesions in poultry.

Poultry susceptibility to avitaminosis K-induced granulomatous endocardial lesions was studied in broiler and layer chicks. They were fed either a practical corn-soybean meal diet with and without added vitamin K (vit K), or a 61% raw sugar-isolated soybean protein diet (RS-IS) with no added vit K for 10 weeks. Heart lesions were not found in birds fed any of the experimental diets. Mortality, body weight gain, and prothrombin time did not differ significantly between birds fed the practical diet regardless of vit K supplementation. In contrast, the RS-IS diet significantly increased mortality, prothrombin time, and markedly decreased growth. Furthermore, more than a third of the birds fed the high sugar diet had subcutaneous edema, which resembled exudative diathesis. Compared with swine, poultry are apparently less susceptible to granulomatous endocardial lesions induced by a vit K deficiency.

Animals↗