Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

G Cox

Publications and source records attributed to G Cox.

126 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

Treatment results at a multi-specialty clinic for the impaired elderly and their families.

Geriatric and Family Services at the University of Washington provides a comprehensive evaluation and treatment program for the impaired elderly, and also offers support, counseling and practical advice for their families. Although most of the 76 patients in this first-year study had cognitive impairment, about one-fourth of them showed unequivocal motor, cognitive and/or affective improvement with treatment for previously undetected illnesses. The rating of "unequivocal improvement" required objective data, as well as corroboration by the patient and family. These therapeutic gains and the increased public interest led to expansion of the program.

Aged↗
PubMed1979

Effect of ergot alkaloids on serum prolactin in non-psychotic organic brain syndrome of the elderly.

A compound of ergot alkaloids (Hydergine-Sandoz) or placebo was given to sixty elderly nursing home patients with non-psychotic organic brain syndrome. Subsequent to 12 weeks of treatment, the mean serum prolactin of the drug was significantly lower than that of the placebo group. No correlation was found between changes in prolactin and changes in behavior using Sandoz Assessment of Clinical Status Rating Form-Geriatric [SCAG]. It may be that a higher dose of Hydergine with an accompanying greater drop in prolactin would be required to observe this effect.

Aged↗
PubMed1979

A precursor of cytoplasmic actin in cultured Drosophila cells.

In continuous lines of cultured Drosophila cells two forms of cytoplasmic actin, designated II and III, are detected after a 25- to 120-min pulse label with [35S]methionine. However, only one of these, actin II, accumulates in the cell. With the use of a pulse-chase protocol and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, it has been found that actin III is synthesized as a precursor of the more stable cytoplasmic actin II. The half-life of actin III was estimated to be approximately 50 min.

Actins↗
PubMed1978

Social work and malpractice: a converging course.

Malpractice actions have not been applied to social workers, to date. Emerging legal sanction for an recognition of social workers as mental health professionals, however, carries a concomitant risk of malpractice suits against social workers in a number of treatment practice areas.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Young injectors: a comparative analysis of risk behaviour.

This study compares the injecting and sexual risk-behaviour of young injectors, with injectors over the age of 25. All respondents presented for the first time at the Merchants' Quay Health Promotion Unit between May 1st 1997 and February 28th 1998. Analysis revealed that the young injectors were significantly more likely to report recently borrowing and lending used injecting equipment, and injecting paraphernalia. Regarding sexual risk behaviour, younger respondents were proportionately more likely to report being sexually active, having multiple sexual partners, and having a regular partner who is an injecting drug user. However, they were significantly more likely than older clients to report condom use. The suggestion is that the harm minimisation message, which reached its zenith in the early 1990s, has now been somewhat de-emphasised in both policy and practice. Consequently, it is not reaching the young injectors who have recently initiated intravenous drug use. Additional strategies are needed this group of drug users, in order to promote positive behaviour changes.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Memory for a geometrical configuration in the cognitively impaired elderly.

The objective of this study was to analyze the mnemonic reconstruction of a complex spatial configuration in a group of 10 men and women, 70-88 years, with a diagnosis of organic brain syndrome and 10 controls matched for age, sex and educational background. A Piagetian model of a geometrical configuration with contingent and non-contingent properties was used to establish a heirarchical order of memorial organization for spatial structures. Subjects were evaluated one hour and one week after learning in reconstruction tasks. Although individuals with dementia performed more poorly than the age-matched controls, the hierarchy of chosen characteristics reflected a schematic progression in the organization of spatial memory in both groups.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Lung volume reduction for emphysema and the Canadian Lung Volume Reduction Surgery (CLVR) Project.

OBJECTIVE: To review the literature on the surgical treatment of emphysema and to present preliminary results from a pilot study of lung volume reduction (LVR) surgery. DESIGN: Case series of consecutive patients referred for LVR surgery. Outcomes were quality of life, pulmonary function and exercise capacity. SETTING: Two university-affiliated hospitals in Ontario. POPULATION STUDIED: Patients between the ages of 40 and 75 years with emphysema who had severe airflow limitation, hyperinflation of the lungs and impaired quality of life. INTERVENTION: Bilateral reductions with multiple wedge resections of the lung using a linear stapling device with bovine pericardial buttressing were completed via a median sternotomy. MAIN RESULTS: Of 50 patients referred, 24 underwent LVR surgery. Mean age of the cohort was 63 years. Operative 30-day or in hospital mortality was 8%. Two other patients (8%) died from respiratory failure after LVR within the first year. Postoperative complications included prolonged air leaks (six of 24), tracheobronchitis (five of 24), mechanical ventilation (four of 24) and pneumonia (three of 24). Mean length of stay was 18 days (median 12 days). At one year, there was a sustained decrease in total lung capacity from 133% to 123% predicted. There were improvements in forced expiratory volume in 1 s, from 22% of predicted preoperatively to 32% postoperatively, and in 6 min walk performance, from 345 to 381 m. Improvements were also noted in the quality of life assessments. CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary results suggest that LVR surgery is feasible and may improve the patient's quality of life, pulmonary function and exercise capacity. A randomized clinical trial comparing LVR plus the best medical management with the best medical management alone is currently underway to determine the effectiveness of LVR.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Nicotine replacement combined with a novel compound (ProBAN) for smoking cessation: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Smoking cessation rates with available pharmacological therapies remain suboptimal. Anecdotal observations with a combination of sublingual pralidoxime and ipratropium (ProBAN) suggested that these agents in combination with nicotine gum improved quit rates. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether ProBAN together with nicotine replacement improves quit rates compared with nicotine replacement alone. DESIGN: A 12-week, prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo controlled pilot study. SETTING: University-affiliated outpatient clinic. POPULATION STUDIED: Healthy adult smokers were recruited via advertisements. Of 107 subjects seen at the screening visit, 27 were excluded because of comorbid illness or concomitant medication use. INTERVENTIONS: Of 80 eligible subjects, 40 were randomly assigned to receive treatment with ProBAN sub- lingual tablets and nicotine gum (treatment group), and 40 to receive placebo tablets and nicotine gum (control group) for 12 weeks. The primary outcome was complete continuous abstinence of smoking from one through 12 weeks after the quit date. MAIN RESULTS: There were no adverse effects in the treatment group. At one week after the quit date, 35% of ProBAN-treated subjects had quit compared with 18% of control subjects (odds ratio [OR] 2.5, 95% CI 0.9 to 7.2). Corresponding quit rates at four weeks were 28% and 15% (OR 2.1, 95% CI 0.7 to 6.5), at eight weeks were 25% and 13% (OR 2.3, 95% CI 0.7 to 7.6), and at 12 weeks were 23% and 13% (OR 2.0, 95% CI 0.6 to 6.7), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study indicated that ProBAN combined with nicotine replacement doubled the continuous sustained quit rate compared with nicotine replacement alone, with no adverse effects. Although not statistically significant due to the size of the study, this result suggests that it may be an effective therapy for smoking cessation, and larger studies are warranted.

Administration, Sublingual↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Matrix metalloproteinases and cancer.

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a framework of proteins and proteoglycans, secreted by and surrounding stromal fibroblasts. The ECM gives structural integrity to tissues. Remodelling of the ECM is essential for both tumour invasion and angiogenesis. There is abundant evidence to suggest that ECM degrading enzymes, including matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), are involved in these processes. MMPs are novel targets for therapeutic intervention with the potential to inhibit tumour growth and invasion either on their own or in conjunction with cytotoxic treatments. This review outlines our current understanding of the regulation of MMP expression, the association of MMPs with tumour growth, invasion and angiogenesis and the clinical evolution of MMP inhibitors.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The role of neutrophils in inflammation.

It has long been noted that inflammation underlies asthma. It is now recognized that there is marked heterogeneity in the stimuli that can cause or aggravate this inflammation, the cells that are involved in the response and the consequences in terms of both pathology and symptoms. The prime role of eosinophilic inflammation in the pathogenesis of asthma is acknowledged in this paper, but the potential role of neutrophilic inflammation to underlie symptoms and physiological changes that are characteristic of asthma is highlighted. A minority group of patients appear to have asthma from clinical signs, but their airway secretions do not contain eosinophils. Their response to treatment is unlike that of patients with typical eosinophilic airway inflammation in that they do not respond to steroid therapy. Published data from in vitro and animal work provide a conceptual framework to explain these observations. The refinement of the technique of examining sputum cellular content to assess airway inflammation provides an opportunity to identify and study this subgroup of patients.

Adult↗