Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

F Ashworth

Publications and source records attributed to F Ashworth.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Hormone replacement therapy in women with spinal cord injury - a survey with literature review.

STUDY DESIGN: Postal questionnaire survey. OBJECTIVE: To examine the current use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in a sample of menopausal women with spinal cord injury (SCI). SETTING: National Spinal Injuries Centre (NSIC), Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Aylesbury, UK. METHOD: A postal questionnaire was sent to 94 women from the NSIC patient database who met the study inclusion criteria (wheelchair dependent, aged 49 years and above, last seen or heard from within the last 3 years). RESULTS: A total of 59 valid questionnaires were analysed. At the time of the survey, 50 women were menopausal and 11 of them were using HRT, six for menopausal symptoms and five for osteoporosis prevention. Another 11 had used HRT, eight for menopausal symptoms and three for osteoporosis prevention, but had discontinued it. The main reasons for stopping HRT were side effects. Of the 28 women who had never been on HRT, 20 had either enquired about it, or had been offered HRT, but decided against it. Of the nine women who were still premenopausal at the time of the survey, four would consider using HRT. CONCLUSIONS: Results show that 44% of the menopausal women in our sample have used HRT at some point and 22% still do, mostly for treatment of menopausal symptoms and for osteoporosis prevention. In view of the latest literature findings in able-bodied women, use of HRT for osteoporosis prevention in women with SCI may have to be reconsidered.

Female↗
PubMed2000

Assessment of latex allergy in a healthcare population: are the available tests valid?

BACKGROUND: Latex allergy can cause serious, preventable work-related health problems in healthcare workers who are a high risk group for this form of allergy. Type I hypersensitivity can produce life-threatening systemic effects, and involves an allergen-specific immunoglobulin (IgE) response to proteins found in latex. The estimated prevalence of latex 'allergy' in healthcare workers varies widely (2.8% - 18%), and studies do not always distinguish between those who are positive in an assay for latex-specific IgE and those with clinical allergy. OBJECTIVE: To assess the performance of four in-vitro methods and three skin testing methods for detecting latex-specific IgE in a group of UK healthcare workers. Test results were compared with reported clinical symptoms defined by questionnaire. METHODS: Skin prick testing was carried out on volunteers using three reagents: (a) stallergenes commercial latex extract (Cedex, France); (b) an in-house latex glove extract; and (c) a fresh glove piece. Specific IgE levels were determined using Pharmacia AutocapTM (Uppsala, Sweden), Pharmacia UnicapTM (Uppsala, Sweden), DPC Immulite(R) (Los Angeles, USA) and Hycor HytecTM (Irvine, California, USA) methods. Each volunteer completed a questionnaire detailing latex exposure and allergic history. RESULTS: In vitro methods for detecting specific IgE to natural rubber latex were positive in 3.6%, to 43.6% of the same population. Skin prick tests positivity varied between 2. 9% and 14.3% with different extracts. From the subjects tested 9.1% reported symptoms which could be consistent with type I allergy, although none had been given a pre-existing diagnosis of latex allergy, and 43.6% of volunteers reported symptoms consistent with type IV hypersensitivity or irritant dermatitis. Contingency tables and chi-squared analysis revealed no correlation between most methods. No correlation was shown between symptoms consistent with type I allergy and any in vitro or skin testing method for latex-specific IgE. CONCLUSIONS: A wide variation between testing procedures was found, and no method could be correlated with reported symptoms of type I allergy. At least one in vitro specific IgE assay produced a high percentage of positive results at variance with the clinical symptoms in volunteers. A clinical history is essential in establishing type I hypersensitivity to latex and test results should not be used in isolation. The incidence of clinical sensitization may be seriously over-estimated if only laboratory parameters are used.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy feeding in patients with cystic fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is a common management problem in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Various approaches to supplemental nutrition by both parenteral and enteral routes have been used. AIM: To analyse the efficacy and acceptability of supplemental overnight feeding using a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) in patients with CF. PATIENTS: 53 patients with CF (43 adults; age >17 years) with severe pulmonary disease. METHODS: The technical success and complications of PEG insertion were documented together with changes in nutritional and pulmonary status of the cohort. RESULTS: PEG tubes were successfully inserted in all patients, with immediate complications (respiratory depression) in two (4%) and late complications in 13 (25%). Feeding was well tolerated by 50/51 (98%) of the cohort during a mean (SEM) follow up of 14.5 (2.1) months. The adult cohort had a significant increase in weight and body mass index at six months which was maintained at 12 months. Serum albumin concentration remained stable at six months but had fallen by 12 months, although the differences were not statistically significant. These results were reflected in the paediatric cohort. Pulmonary function in those followed up for one year had apparently stabilised, but the number of admissions to hospital over the year before and the year after PEG did not change. Half of the cohort were accepted for heart-lung/lung transplantation, the improvement in nutritional status being a prerequisite for this. CONCLUSION: Supplemental PEG tube feeding is well tolerated and results in a significant improvement in nutritional status and an apparent stabilisation of pulmonary function in severely malnourished CF patients with advanced pulmonary disease

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

Parallel studies of HLA antigens in patients with rheumatic heart disease and scleritis: comparisons with three control populations.

Parallel studies were carried out on HLA antigens in patients with rheumatic heart disease and scleritis. Comparison with one control population showed a significant excess of BW15 in both disease samples, while a comparison with two other control populations, showed the excess not to be significant. Possible reasons for this discrepancy are discussed, together with the effect on statistical significance of a small percentage of false antigen assignments in one of the samples. A small systematic serological false assignment of an antigen can, by itself, produce a significant result more easily if the frequency of the antigen being detected is low than if it is high. It is suggested that this effect may contribute to the discrepant significant results obtained by different workers in some HLA and disease studies.

Eye Diseases↗