Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

J F Fielding

Publications and source records attributed to J F Fielding.

167 records · Page 10Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Hepatitis A in urban Ireland.

AIMS: To determine the prevalence of immunity to hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection in urban Ireland and to categorize the region into low, intermediate or high HAV endemicity, and to analyse the significance of certain commonly associated risk factors. METHODS: Two hundred and thirty three volunteers were recruited from 6 general practices in Dublin, Ireland. There were 44 volunteers in the 10 to 19 yr age group, 40 in the 20 to 29, 42 in the 30 to 39, 43 in the 40 to 49 and 64 in the over 50 age groups. Each participant completed a detailed questionnaire and was tested for anti-HAV total antibody (primarily IgG) using a competitive ELISA assay. Urban Ireland was classified into the appropriate area of HAV endemicity according to the prevalence of immunity by age group. Risk factor differences were analysed for significance using the chi square test and Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: One hundred and fifty seven (67 per cent) volunteers were immune, of whom 20 (45 per cent) were in the 10 to 19 yr age group, 17 (43 per cent) in the 20 to 29, 30 (71 per cent) in the 30 to 39, 34 (79 per cent) in the 40 to 49 and 59 (92 per cent) in the over 50 age groups. Fifty-five per cent of the individuals studied below the age of 20 yr were non-immune. The immune rates over the age of 30 were significantly greater (p < 0.01) than those in the 10 to 29 age groups. Socioeconomic pattern in the total and 10 to 19 yr age group was a significant (p < 0.0002, p < 0.004 respectively) risk factor for infection. CONCLUSION: This study concludes that urban Ireland is an area of low HAV endemicity with age and socioeconomic status as the significant influences on seropositivity. This survey provides an insight into the changing epidemiology of HAV infection in Ireland and serves as a guide for immunisation of at risk population groups.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Who best assesses Crohn's disease?

UNLABELLED: Knowledge of the presence and the degree of inflammation in Crohn's disease would be useful in multicentre therapeutic trials. Objectives; The purpose of the present study was two fold, a) to determine the relationship between clinical assessment of activity by two clinicians with four previously published indices, the Crohn's disease activity index (CDAI), the Van Hees activity index (AI), the simple index of Harvey and Bradsaw (SI) and the Fielding index and b) for the first time, to study the internal correlation between these four indices. METHODS: A hundred and ninety-four assessments were performed on 56 patients with Crohn's disease. Following each clinical assessment, the aforementioned indices were calculated. RESULTS: Both clinicians gave the same rating of activity in 81% (157) of assessments. A good relationship was observed between the median indical values and the clinical gradings for all four indices. The best relationship was demonstrated with the AI with no overlap in 50% values with increasing grades of disease activity. All four indices demonstrated a good correlation with each other (p < 0.01). The best correlation was observed between more objective indices the AI and the Fielding index (r = 0.79) for first assessments only. Conclusion. The Van Hees AI is a reliable measure of inflammatory activity in Crohn's disease and would be useful in multicentre therapeutic trials.

Adult↗