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Biomedical subjects

J F Forbes

Publications and source records attributed to J F Forbes.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Risks of preterm delivery and small-for-gestational age infants following abortion: a population study.

We examined hospital discharge records in 1980-81 for singleton third trimester deliveries in Scotland. We compared 3000 women who had previously experienced induced termination of pregnancy, and 4000 who had experienced spontaneous abortion with primigravidae and with women in their second pregnancy, their first having resulted in a livebirth. Two aspects of low birthweight were examined: delivery before the 37th completed week of gestation, and low birthweight for gestational age. Our comparisons were further controlled for maternal height, age, sex of infant, marital status and social class. Women with previous spontaneous abortions experienced significantly increased risk of preterm delivery but not of low birthweight for gestational age. Women with a history of induced abortion also experienced increased risk of preterm delivery, but for women aged 18-24 years, risk of low birthweight for gestational age was significantly reduced compared with primigravidae.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMed1984

Unemployment and mortality in post-war Scotland.

One of the more controversial topics in the literature examining the influence of unemployment on health is the hypothesised relation between unemployment and mortality. This paper presents a time series analysis of unemployment and mortality in post-war Scotland. Using a variety of model specifications and several measures of the age and duration structure of male unemployment, we find little evidence of a consistent association between unemployment and male mortality from all causes in different age cohorts. Unemployment, however, appeared to be more closely associated with variations in mortality rates and ischaemic heart disease, but the direction of effect was sensitive to the choice of maximum lag length between unemployment and mortality. There was also little evidence that per-capita real incomes or health expenditure exerted a significant influence on mortality. Our general findings and the methodological limitations of macro-studies of the relationship between unemployment and mortality highlight the importance of investigating the health consequences of unemployment using well controlled longitudinal studies of individuals.

Coronary Disease↗
PubMed1983

A comparative analysis of birthweight for gestational age standards.

The possible consequences of the use of various birthweight-for-gestational age standards in a local population were investigated. Birthweight-for-gestational age standards based on the analysis of 55 387 births occurring to women resident in the area of the Greater Glasgow Health Board (GGHB) between 1975 and 1979 were estimated. The Glasgow based standard was then compared with a number of growth standards reported for other populations, including the widely adopted standards of Thomson et al. (1968). The relative performance of each standard when applied to the Glasgow population was assessed by calculating the sensitivity, specificity and predictive value of the various standards vis-à-vis the distribution of light-for-dates infants defined according to the Glasgow standard. The results suggest that both the accurate assessment of fetal growth at birth and the evaluation of screening procedures for antenatal detection of growth retardation require growth standards reflecting the pattern of fetal growth and development in the population at risk.

Birth Weight↗
PubMed1982

Multimodality treatment of cancer.

Different and effective modalities are available for various cancers. However, early consideration is necessary to allow optimal integration. Failure to do this may compromise the cure potential for some tumours. The differing biology of tumours and the efficacy of various modalities dictates specific approaches for each. The principles of multimodality therapy can be considered together with the biological factors affecting the success and failure of each therapy tupe and this allows a multimodality approach to be based on careful planning. For many tumours, where effective systemic therapy exists, there are good reasons for commencing with a multimodality approach at the onset with adjuvant chemotherapy. Practical considerations dictate that surgeons must play a key role in the care of cancer patients. This in turn requires that they maintain a sound knowledge of multimodality therapy for the cancers that they treat.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed1982

Perinatal mortality in Scotland: 1970-9.

An examination of the recent decline in perinatal mortality in Scotland during the 1970s showed that despite substantial changes in fertility and the demographic pattern of births, differences in the age, parity, and social class composition of the obstetric population in this decade accounted for just 7% of the overall improvement in perinatal mortality between 1970 and 1979. The general pattern of relative risks associated with maternal age, parity, and social class remained largely unchanged. Marginal changes in the birthweight distribution, however, were sufficient to account for 13% of the reduction in perinatal mortality. The low birthweight infant, especially those weighing under 1500 g, assumed increasing importance as a factor in perinatal mortality owing to a progressive worsening in the relative risk of perinatal mortality associated with low birth weight. Although regional differences in perinatal mortality persisted over this period, there occurred some lessening of the traditional inequality between western and eastern parts of the country. Finally, registered causes of perinatal mortality are reviewed. In the absence of other explanations the results of this analysis, collectively, suggest that much of the recent decline in perinatal mortality was perhaps due to changes in obstetric practice and in the clinical management of neonatal morbidity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Clinical trials symposium. Highlights in development of randomized clinical trials.

The randomized clinical trial is accepted as the most reliable method of determining the relative merits of different therapies. At best it is a scientific experiment in the clinical setting, and demands all the rigors of experimental methods to produce valid data from which inference may be drawn. Randomization ensures the highest probability that the only difference between treated patient groups is the treatment given, and it is the component of clinical trials that produces the greatest ethical problems. It has three essential features. First, it eliminates investigator bias; second, it tends to balance known and unknown prognostic parameters in treatment groups; and, third, it forms the basis for the validity of statistical tests of significance.

Antineoplastic Agents↗