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Biomedical subjects

J E James

Publications and source records attributed to J E James.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Self-report reliability and symptomatology of habitual caffeine consumption.

1. A large body of research on the demography of caffeine use and its potential health consequences has been undermined by the absence of empirical data on the reliability of retrospective self-reports of caffeine consumption. 2. The principal aim of the present study was to use standard bioanalytic method to assess the reliability of subjects' self-reported caffeine use. Saliva samples were obtained from 142 first-and second-year medical students and assayed for caffeine and paraxanthine. 3. Self-reported caffeine use was found to be significantly correlated with salivary caffeine (r = 0.31, P less than 0.001) and paraxanthine (r = 0.42, P less than 0.001), thereby providing qualified support for use of questionnaires to estimate patterns of caffeine consumption. 4. A secondary aim of the study was to extend previous research concerning the symptomatology of caffeine use by examining the association between caffeine exposure and a variety of measures of somatic and psychological health. Caffeine consumption was reliably associated with the self-reported occurrence of somatic symptoms, but not psychological well-being.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Relative efficacy of intensive and spaced behavioral treatment of stuttering.

Twenty adult and adolescent stutterers were randomly assigned to two treatment formats consisting of either 16 two-hour sessions of fluency training administered within a concentrated period of four consecutive days (intensive treatment), or two two-hour sessions per week for eight weeks (spaced treatment). Frequency of stuttering and rate of speaking were repeatedly assessed from speech samples obtained in six different clinic and extra-clinic speech settings. The efficiency of treatment, subject compliance, and communication "attitudes" were also measured. Fluency training produced significant reductions in stuttering frequency, and significant improvements in speaking rate and communication attitudes for both treatment formats. Both formats were found equivalent on all measures. In addition, generalization of treatment effects was observed in all settings. However, maintenance of generalization effects was uneven across settings, suggesting the possible need for differential levels of training for different speaking situations.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Lumbar zygapophyseal joint meniscoids: evidence of their role in chronic intersegmental hypomobility.

Meniscoid bodies of the zygapophyseal joints are considered by some to be a cause of the Acute-Locked Back Syndrome. These meniscoid bodies have been identified anatomically and histologically, but not yet in a formal clinical investigation. The authors provide a brief review of the zygapophyseal meniscoid-related literature, present new documentation of histological variations and offer some possible consequences of the presence of mechanically pathological meniscoids. It is herein proposed that an important sequela to the pathophysiology of these structures is that of chronic intersegmental hypomobility. We invite the scientific community to pursue further investigations of these meniscoids. Magnetic resonance imaging is one method suggested to investigate the meniscoid in vivo.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Biochemical validation of self-reported caffeine consumption during caffeine fading.

Increasing concern about caffeine as a drug with potential for abuse has resulted in the development of procedures for effecting reductions in caffeine consumption among heavy users. However, the reliability of reported findings may be questioned, since previous studies have relied on subject self-report as the principal measure of caffeine use. The present study employed bioanalytic methods for assessing the reliability of self-reported caffeine intake during a caffeine-fading regime. Twelve subjects, each with a history of heavy caffeine use, provided baseline, treatment, and follow-up blood samples which were assayed for caffeine and its major metabolites. General support was provided for the reliability of self-report as a measure of caffeine consumption. The general efficacy of caffeine fading was also supported, although there were indications that maintenance effects may have been over-estimated in previous studies.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Desensitization treatment of agoraphobia.

Clinical literature on desensitization treatment of agoraphobia is reviewed. The popular belief that in vivo desensitization is generally superior to imaginal exposure is critically examined. Studies which do not support this belief are reviewed, and the implications for clinical practice are considered.

Agoraphobia↗
PubMed1985

Caffeine and human reproduction.

The widespread use of caffeine justifies its being thoroughly investigated for signs of any adverse effects it might have in relation to human reproduction. The present review surveys a range of potential adverse influences of caffeine, including its pharmacological effects on the fetus and neonate, its teratogenicity, its possible effect on intrauterine growth, and its possible involvement in reproductive loss. While evidence of adverse effects does exist, the quality of the research conducted to date does not permit any firm conclusions. In general, the relevant research has been characterized by significant methodological inadequacies, including: extensive reliance on retrospective questionnaire and/or interview data; inadequate control and quantification of the independent variable of caffeine use; lack of control over potentially confounding factors (especially alcohol and nicotine use); and the absence of adequate control groups.

Caffeine↗
PubMed1984

Embryo transfer in swine.

Embryo transfer is used to propagate genetically superior swine while minimizing disease risks. Embryos are harvested through a ventral midline incision in the anesthetized sow 4-6 days after estrus, using a glass tube or Foley catheter. Embryos are transferred to similarly prepared sows by injection directly into the uterus through a tomcat catheter or glass pipette. Embryos typically are transferred within a few hours of collection but may be stored in culture medium at 37 C for up to 30 hours.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Embryo transfer for conserving valuable genetic material from swine herds with pseudorabies.

Embryo transfer was used to conserve genetic material from 2 swine herds seropositive for pseudorabies virus (PRV). Embryos (n = 805) were recovered from 38 PRV-seropositive Duroc sows in Iowa and, after 4 to 10 hours' culture and shipment to Illinois, were transferred to 34 recipients from a herd seronegative for PRV. All recipients remained seronegative for PRV, and 22 of the recipients farrowed 208 pigs (189 alive) that also were seronegative for PRV. There was no evidence of PRV in the embryo recovery medium or in the uterine and oviductal cells recovered with the embryos. Transfer of morulae resulted in higher (P less than 0.02) farrowing rates than did transfer of 4- to 8-cell embryos, but litter size was not affected.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

The relative efficacy of imaginal and in vivo desensitization in the treatment of agoraphobia.

Claims have often been made that in vivo procedures are generally superior to imaginal approaches in the clinical management of anxiety and avoidance behavior. Such claims seem unwarranted in that the relevant clinical research appears only to have involved either flooding or rapid exposure techniques. The aim of the present study was specifically to examine the relative efficacy of imaginal and in vivo desensitization in the clinical management of debilitating phobia. Six agoraphobic women participated in the study which employed a multiple-baseline single-subject methodology. Severity of phobia was repeatedly assessed on measures of avoidance behavior and subjective distress, and subjects self-monitored pulse rate. Significant reductions in phobic behavior were observed during both imaginal and in vivo desensitization, but neither treatment was found to be more effective than the other. Moreover, the same pattern of results was observed for both treatment and generalization settings. As such, the results do not support previous suggestions that in vivo exposure is necessarily superior to imaginal desensitization in the treatment of agoraphobia. Encouraging follow-up results provided some confirmation of previous findings indicating the effectiveness of self-management procedures in the long-term control of agoraphobia.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Parameters of the influence of self-initiated time-out from speaking on stuttering.

The influence of two parameters of self-initiated time-out from speaking were investigated with 33 adolescent and adult stutterers. Subjects were assigned at random to one of three conditions which compared experimenter-administered time-out of fixed duration, experimenter-administered time-out of duration determined by the subject, and self-initiated time-out of fixed duration. When given the opportunity to determine time-out duration, subjects chose a relatively brief period. In addition, when given responsibility for self-initiating time-out contingent on stuttering, subjects were significantly less reliable than was the experimenter in administering the procedure. Nevertheless, significant improvements in fluency were observed during all three time-out conditions, and the improvements were comparable across the three conditions.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed1981

Punishment of stuttering: contingency and stimulus parameters.

The influence of two major parameters of time out from speaking were investigated with 36 adolescent and adult stutterers. Subjects were assigned to four matched groups in an attempt to examine whether time out has to be contingent to be effective and whether simply signaling stuttering (no time out) produces response reduction. The major finding was that reliable reductions in stuttering frequency were produced only when tone presentations were contingent and signaled time out from speaking. Overall results are discussed in terms of their implications for the various major models used to account for the effects of response-contingent procedures on stuttering. Assigning a label of distraction, attention, or punishment is less important than identifying the parameters responsible for observed effects.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Behavioral self-control of stuttering using time-out from speaking.

Research has shown that stuttering may be attenuated by a variety of response-contingent consequences. To date, however, few attempts have been made to develop comprehensive clinical procedures based on the operant manipulation of stuttering. The present research examined the efficacy of self-initiated response-contingent time-out from speaking in two experiments involving a single subject. Multiple baseline designs were used in which the subject's speech was monitored in a variety of laboratory and community settings. In Experiment 1, the time-out procedure produced reliable reductions in disfluency across all observational settings. Experiment 2 combined a response-cost contingency with time-out in an attempt to increase the reliability with which the subject timed himself out, and to increase further the effectiveness of the procedure. Increases in reliability were produced, and the associated improvements in fluency were maintained at 6- and 12-months' follow-up.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Personality changes in drinkers.

A questionnaire survey of members of Mensa, all of whom have high IQs, found that perceptions of personality traits differed between social drinkers and alcoholics.

Adult↗