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Biomedical subjects

J Barnes

Publications and source records attributed to J Barnes.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Solar disinfection of water reduces diarrhoeal disease: an update.

349 Maasai children younger than 6 years old were randomised by alternate household to drink water either left in plastic bottles exposed to sunlight on the roof of the house or kept indoors (control). The trial was run in Maasai by Maasai community elders. Children drinking solar disinfected water had a significantly lower risk of severe diarrhoeal disease over 8705 two weekly follow up visits; two week period prevalence was 48.8% compared with 58.1% in controls, corresponding to an attributable fraction of 16.0%. While this reduction is modest, it was sustained over a year in free living children. It confirms solar disinfection as effective in vivo as a free, low technology, point of consumption method of improving water quality. The continuing use of solar disinfection by the community underlines the value of community participation in research.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1999

Early life family disadvantages and major depression in adulthood.

BACKGROUND: There is evidence that exposure to social and family disadvantages in childhood are a risk factor for adult depression. AIMS: To explore the effects of multiple adversity in early childhood on adult depression, and the relative effects of the different adversities. METHOD: This study utilises data from the Newcastle Thousand Family Study. Information on childhood disadvantages was collected when the participants were 5 years old, and information on mental health was gathered when they were 33 years old. Mental health data were scrutinised blind to the evidence of early disadvantage, and best-estimate diagnoses of major depressive disorder were made according to DSM-III-R criteria. RESULTS: Multiple family disadvantages in childhood substantially increase the risk of suffering a major depressive disorder in adulthood. Such disadvantages include family or marital relationship instability, a combination of poor mothering and poor physical care, and a combination of dependence on social welfare and overcrowding. For females major depression was linked in particular to the quality of parenting in early life. CONCLUSIONS: Social and family (especially multiple family) disadvantages during childhood predispose individuals to an increased risk of major depression in adulthood.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

An investigation into the perception of dominance from schematic faces: a study using the World-Wide Web.

The World-Wide Web (WWW) is considered to be a viable tool for scientific research, and several investigators have already made use of it in their studies. Although the WWW allows researchers to access a vast subject pool, questions of reliability and validity need to be addressed before it is incorporated into mainstream research. By replicating, on the Internet, an existing study (Keating, Mazur, & Segall, 1977) on the perception of schematic faces, we were able to conclude that experimental work carried out in this manner is not necessarily biased by the medium. One difference from previous work was the effect of a smiling versus a nonsmiling face on the perception of dominance, given an identical brow position for the two faces. This was replicated on a different occasion with different subjects, which may represent a shift in attitudes to this facial configuration since the original study was conducted. Young North American males were overrepresented in our sample, but comparison with other surveys indicates that the population sampled by the Internet is becoming more representative.

Facial Expression↗
PubMed1998

The functional anatomy of imagining and perceiving colour.

We report two functional magnetic resonance imaging experiments which reveal similarities and differences between perceptual and imaginal networks within the single visual submodality of colour. The first experiment contrasted viewing of a coloured and grey-scale Mondrian display, while the second contrasted a relative colour judgement with a spatial task and required the generation of mental images. Our results show that colour perception activates the posterior fusiform gyrus bilaterally (area V4), plus right-sided anterior fusiform and lingual gyri, striate cortex (area V1), and the left and right insula. Colour imagery activated right anterior fusiform gyrus, left insula, right hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus, but not V4 or V1. The findings reconcile neurological case studies suggesting a double dissociation between deficits in colour imagery and perception and point to anterior fusiform, parahippocampal gyri and hippocampus as the location for stored representations of coloured objects.

Brain Mapping↗
PubMed1998

Adverse effects profile of the herbal antidepressant St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum L.).

UNLABELLED: This paper provides a systematic review of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) associated with the use of extracts of the herb St. John's wort (Hypericum perfbratum L.) for the treatment of mild to moderate depression. METHODS: Searches of four computerized literature databases were performed for records of (ADRs). Manufacturers of hypericum products, the international drug monitoring centre of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the national drug safety monitoring bodies of Germany and the United Kingdom were also contacted for information. RESULTS: Information on (ADRs) originates from case reports, clinical trials, post-marketing surveillance and drug monitoring studies. Collectively, the data suggest that hypericum is well tolerated, with an incidence of adverse reactions similar to that of placebo. The most common adverse effects are gastrointestinal symptoms, dizziness/confusion and tiredness/sedation. A potential serious adverse effect is photosensitivity, but this appears to occur extremely rarely. CONCLUSIONS: Hypericum has an encouraging safety profile. However, as most of the current data originate from short-term investigations, more long-term studies are desirable.

Antidepressive Agents↗
PubMed1998

Different standards for reporting ADRs to herbal remedies and conventional OTC medicines: face-to-face interviews with 515 users of herbal remedies.

AIMS: To determine whether adverse drug reactions (ADRs) to herbal remedies would be reported differently from similar ADRs to conventional over-the-counter (OTC) medicines by herbal-remedy users. METHODS: Face-to-face interviews (using a structured questionnaire) with 515 users of herbal remedies were conducted in six pharmacy stores and six healthfood stores in the UK. The questionnaire focused on the likely course of action taken by herbal-remedy users after experiencing an ADR associated with a conventional OTC medicine and a herbal remedy. RESULTS: Following a 'serious' suspected ADR, 156 respondents (30.3%) would consult their GP irrespective of whether the ADR was associated with the use of a herbal remedy or a conventional OTC medicine, whereas 221 respondents (42.9%) would not consult their GP for a serious ADR associated with either type of preparation. One hundred and thirty-four respondents (26.0%) would consult their GP for a serious ADR to a conventional OTC medicine, but not for a similar ADR to a herbal remedy, whereas four respondents (0.8%) would consult their GP for a serious ADR to a herbal remedy, but not for a similar ADR to a conventional OTC medicine. Similar differences were found in attitudes towards reporting 'minor' suspected ADRs. CONCLUSIONS: Consumers of herbal remedies would act differently with regard to reporting an ADR (serious or minor) to their GP depending on whether it was associated with a herbal remedy or a conventional OTC medicine. This has implications for herbal pharmacovigilance, particularly given the increasing use of OTC herbal remedies. The finding that a high proportion of respondents would not consult their GP or pharmacist following ADRs to conventional OTC medicines is also of concern.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Communication about parental illness with children who have learning disabilities and behavioural problems: three case studies.

Parental illness can have a profound impact on family relationships and children's behaviour. The amount and nature of communication between parents and children about the illness can play an important role, both positively and negatively, in mediating the outcomes. When children have a disability, families can be reluctant to communicate with them about family difficulties. They are often concerned about the impact that parental unavailability may have on their child's life. This paper reports on three families in which the mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and one child in the family had a disability. The extent and specific characteristics of their communication about the maternal illness with their children, behavioural changes in the children, explanations of communication strategies and attributions of behavioural changes are described. Family coping strategies are examined with reference to Lazarus's process model of stress and coping and the use of either problem-focused or emotion-focused strategies. Implications for possible clinical interventions are proposed. In particular it is suggested that families be offered consultation about: what children might understand; ways in which to communicate effectively; and strategies for coping with the long-term implications of serious parental illness.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Effect of minocycline on osteoporosis.

The effect of oral minocycline on osteopenia in ovariectomized (OVX) old rats was examined in this study. Rats were divided into 4 groups: sham-operated, OVX followed by treatment with vehicle, minocycline, or 17 beta-estradiol. The treatment was initiated one day after OVX and proceeded for 8 wks. OVX reduced bone mineral density (BMD) in the whole femur and in the femoral regions that are enriched in trabecular bone. Treatment with minocycline or estrogen prevented a decrease in BMD. Femoral trabecular bone area, trabecular number, and trabecular thickness were reduced, and trabecular separation was increased by OVX. Treatment with minocycline or estrogen abolished the detrimental effects induced by OVX. OVX also reduced indices that reflect the interconnectivity of trabecular bone, and the loss of trabecular connectivity was prevented by treatment with minocycline or estrogen. Based on the levels of urinary pyridinoline, we showed that the effect of estrogen, but not minocycline, was primarily through its inhibitory effect on bone resorption. Analysis of bone turnover activity suggests that OVX increased parameters associated with bone resorption (eroded surface) and formation (osteoid surface, mineralizing surface, mineral apposition rate, and bone formation rate). Treatment with minocycline reduced bone resorption modestly and stimulated bone formation substantially. In contrast, treatment with estrogen drastically reduced parameters associated with both bone resorption and formation. We have concluded that oral minocycline can effectively prevent the decrease in BMD and trabecular bone through its dual effects on bone resorption and formation.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1998

An evaluation of current risk assessment scales for decubitus ulcer in general inpatients and wheelchair users.

OBJECTIVES: To study the components of two risk assessment scales for decubitus ulcer risk, Waterlow and Braden, and of the Chailey score for the same purpose. DESIGN: Experimental study of patients at risk of developing decubitus ulcers. SETTING: The West Midlands and Yorkshire. SUBJECTS: One hundred and fifty wheelchair users from the West Midlands and 9022 patients from a District General Hospital in York, the latter consisting of all admissions to the hospital in a four-month period. INTERVENTIONS: Braden, Chailey scores (wheelchair users) and Waterlow scores (all subjects) measured. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Development of a pressure sore, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: Waterlow outperformed Braden for classification of wheelchair patients with respect to decubitus ulcer. The Chailey score performed randomly in this group. The sensitivity and specificity as seen in ROC curves was different for Waterlow scores for wheelchair users and general patients, the latter being much better classified. Only three items out of 11 in the Waterlow score appeared to have any classification ability in the wheelchair group. CONCLUSIONS: Risk indicators used for general patients are probably poorly suited for wheelchair users. There is a need for large-scale predictive studies of wheelchair users and other groups to allow regression analysis of the subscales of risk indicators. From the provisional data of this study it appears that splitting patients by gender and into full- and part-time wheelchair users classifies almost as well the much more complicated risk assessment tools currently available.

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed1998

Effect of locally infused IGF-I on femoral gene expression and bone turnover activity in old rats.

Previously, we showed that the age-dependent deficit in bone formation activity can be attributed in part to a decline in local expression of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and altered mitogenic response of old osteoprogenitor cells to IGF-I. To establish the cellular basis for using IGF-I as a possible therapeutic agent for osteoporosis, we examined the effect of locally infused (50 ng/day for 14 days) on the expression of osteoblast-related genes in femurs of old rats. Northern and dot blot analyses showed that the expression of procollagen (I), osteopontin, alkaline phosphatase, and osteocalcin was increased 0.4- to 1.5-fold in IGF-I-treated femurs as compared with control femurs. Histomorphometric analyses were carried out in parallel experiments to assess the changes in bone remodeling activity. Trabecular bone volume, trabecular number, and trabecular thickness were increased 56%, 29%, and 23%, respectively, whereas trabecular separation was reduced 26% by IGF-I treatment. IGF-I treatment increased significantly the osteoid volume, osteoid surface, osteoblast number, and osteoblast surface. Mineralizing surface and mineral apposition rate, kinetic indices of bone formation, were also stimulated by IGF-I treatment. The bone formation rate was stimulated 81% in IGF-I-treated femurs as compared with control femurs. In contrast, eroded surface and osteoclast surface, parameters associated with bone resorption, were not affected by IGF-I treatment. These findings suggest that local administration of IGF-I into femurs of old rats can stimulate the expression of matrix proteins and improve trabecular bone status by stimulating bone formation without any appreciable effect on bone resorption.

Aging↗
PubMed1997

Homeopathy for postoperative ileus? A meta-analysis.

Homeopathic remedies are advocated for the treatment of postoperative ileus, yet data from clinical trials are inconclusive. We therefore performed meta-analyses of existing clinical trials to determine whether homeopathic treatment has any greater effect than placebo administration on the restoration of intestinal peristalsis in patients after abdominal or gynecologic surgery. We conducted systematic literature searches to identify relevant clinical trials. Meta-analyses were conducted using RevMan software. Separate meta-analyses were conducted for any homeopathic treatment versus placebo; homeopathic remedies of < 12C potency versus placebo; homeopathic remedies of > or = 12C potency versus placebo. A "sensitivity analysis" was performed to test the effect of excluding studies of low methodologic quality. Our endpoint was time to first flatus. Meta-analyses indicated a statistically significant (p < 0.05) weighted mean difference (WMD) in favor of homeopathy (compared with placebo) on the time to first flatus. Meta-analyses of the three studies that compared homeopathic remedies > or = 12C versus placebo showed no significant difference (p > 0.05). Meta-analyses of studies comparing homeopathic remedies < 12C with placebo indicated a statistically significant (p < 0.05) WMD in favor of homeopathy on the time to first flatus. Excluding methodologically weak trials did not substantially change any of the results. There is evidence that homeopathic treatment can reduce the duration of ileus after abdominal or gynecologic surgery. However, several caveats preclude a definitive judgment. These results should form the basis of a randomized controlled trial to resolve the issue.

Homeopathy↗
PubMed1997

Predominant localization of the LIS family of gene products to Cajal-Retzius cells and ventricular neuroepithelium in the developing human cortex.

Mutations that perturb neuronal migration provide important biological clues that can lead to an understanding of the role of specific cells and molecules in the formation of the cortex. The human neuronal migration disorder, Miller-Dieker Lissencephaly, results from a hemideletion of LIS-1, which encodes a subunit of a brain platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase. The cellular localization of the LIS-1 gene product in human fetal brain and its normal role in neuronal migration have yet to be determined. LIS-1 belongs to a family of genes that have identical coding sequences (LIS-1 [chromosome 17] and LIS-2 [chromosome 2]). In the brain, LIS-1 is the more abundant gene as determined by Northern blot analysis. Using antibodies raised against 2 epitopes of the LIS-1/LIS-2 protein sequence, we have localized the LIS family of gene products in the developing human brain to the Cajal-Retzius cells, some subplate neurons, thalamic neurons, the ventricular neuroepithelium, and at later gestational ages, to the ependyma. Therefore, LIS-1 bears some resemblance to reelin, the gene product involved in the cortical mouse mutant reeler, in that Cajal-Retzius cells demonstrate immunolocalization. However, unlike reelin, LIS proteins are expressed not only in the Cajal Retzius cells, but also in the ventricular neuroepithelium, suggesting a potential role for this structure in neuronal migration.

1-Alkyl-2-acetylglycerophosphocholine Esterase↗
PubMed1997

Managing patient records and documenting service delivery: the results of a 'best practice' remote area nursing program.

This paper describes a 'best practice' demonstration program for monitoring nursing services in remote locations. A four-phase project involving paper- and computer-based patient information systems was implemented at nursing clinics on islands off the coast of Queensland. Patient demographics, diagnoses and details of health service provision were recorded. Results showed a marked improvement in the detail of patient records over the program period. Monitoring of services also provided useful planning and policy information for company management, while a systematic approach to maintaining patient records addressed several medico-legal issues.

Benchmarking↗