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Biomedical subjects

J G Baker

Publications and source records attributed to J G Baker.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Reasons for condom utilization among high-risk adolescent girls.

Two hundred forty-eight adolescent girls responded to a list of 30 statements describing reasons for using and not using condoms. For 24 of the statements, most adolescents (> 70%) gave the same response regarding why they did or did not use condoms. Therefore, only the six remaining statements were used in further analyses. The relationship between the six statements and psychosexual history, condom use, and sexually transmitted disease (STD) history was examined. Those adolescent girls who had been sexually active longer were more likely to report lack of enjoyment as a reason that they did not use condoms (P < .03), and those adolescents who had been sexually active less time were more likely to report personal (P < .005) and partner (P < .0006) enjoyment of sex with condoms as a reason for using condoms. Longer relationships before intercourse were associated with having condoms available (P < .01) and partner insistence on their use (P < .02). Partner insistence on condom use was related to fewer episodes of sexually transmitted diseases (P = .03). These findings indicate the importance of relationship and partner variables in adolescent girls' perceptions of condom use.

Adolescent↗

AIDS and competing health concerns of blacks, Hispanics, and whites.

Blacks, Hispanics, and whites were interviewed in a door-to-door survey assessing personal concern about AIDS relative to other health threats and willingness to attend in-home AIDS education programs. The survey consisted of three parts: (1) an open-ended inquiry regarding which health problems individuals wanted to learn more about, (2) ratings of concern about AIDS and nine other common health threats, and (3) assessment of willingness to participate in future neighborhood-based AIDS education programs. Usable data were obtained from 453 respondents. Sixty-seven health threats were mentioned in response to the open-ended inquiry; AIDS was mentioned by 50.7%, followed by cancer (19.9%). AIDS was mentioned more frequently by blacks (63.9%) than by Hispanics (42.5%) or whites (45.7%), X2(3) = 32.07, p less than .002. Participants also reported higher levels of concern about AIDS than any other health problem with the exception of cancer. Concern about AIDS was greater among blacks (M = 2.68) than among Hispanics (M = 2.33) or whites (M = 2.36), F(2,351) = 5.06, p less than .01. Differences as a function of ethnicity, gender, and/or age were observed with respect to concern about heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, drug abuse, colds and flu, and herpes. In general, blacks and Hispanics expressed more interest in participating in AIDS education programs than did whites. Concern about AIDS and other health threats was not consistently related to either disease prevalence or severity.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Frontal sinus osteoma with complicating intracranial aerocele.

An elderly man, who presented initially with clinical features of dementia, was found to have an intracranial tension aerocele due to an underlying osteoma of the frontal sinus. Plain skull roentgenograms and computerized tomography did not reveal the osteoma, although a communication between the frontal sinus and the aerocele was present. Surgical aspiration of the aerocele and excision of the osteoma produced an excellent clinical result.

Aged↗

Episodic effects on picture identification: implications for theories of concept learning and theories of memory.

The effects of differences in study processing on free recall of picture names and on generalization in picture identification were investigated. Experience with degraded pictures produced poorer subsequent free recall of picture names than did naming intact pictures. For the test of picture identification, pictures that were identical to a studied picture, pictures that shared a name with a studied picture (same name), and new test pictures were presented, and the amount of clarification required to identify a picture was measured. Experience with degraded pictures produced better subsequent identification of identical test pictures but poorer later identification of same-name test pictures than did naming intact pictures. The importance of these episodic effects for theories of concept learning and theories of memory is discussed. It is argued that distinctions between memory systems (e.g., episodic-semantic) must be couched in terms of a theory of concept learning and that the data are inconsistent with a simple distinction.

Adult↗

On learning ... more or less: a knowledge x process x context view of learning disabilities.

The authors review the last decade of their research on learning disabilities and conclude that knowledge x process x context is the most useful way to think about children's cognitive difficulties. According to this framework, learning disabilities is seen as a result of the interplay between a poorly elaborated knowledge base (especially in language-related domains), the biologically determined efficiencies of various microlevel processes such as encoding, and the physical and social meaning attached to performance (i.e, the context). It is suggested that this framework helps explain instances of asymmetry wherein children with learning disabilities deploy a cognitive process more or less efficiently, depending on the material and task demands. It also raises several interesting questions about the presumed "specificity" of the impairment underlying learning disablement and the possibility that these children may not differ qualitatively from nonimpaired peers, only quantitatively.

Adolescent↗

First report of subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis of the foot caused by Phoma minutella.

Phoma minutella, a dematiaceous hyphomycete, was isolated to the exclusion of all other fungi from a subcutaneous inflammatory process on the foot of a farmer undergoing corticosteroid therapy for myasthenia gravis. Isolation was achieved on several nutrient media. Examination of stained smears and sections revealed dematiaceous fungal elements consistent with the mold. This is the first reported association of P. minutella with a human infection and only the second reported case involving a Phoma sp. as the etiologic agent of a subcutaneous infection.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗

Candida lusitaniae: a new opportunistic pathogen of the urinary tract.

A 78-year-old man with mild diabetes presented with dysuria and frequency of urination of 15 months' duration subsequent to urinary catheterization for cataract surgery. Multiple urine specimens revealed the presence of considerable quantities of yeast that were later identified as Candida lusitaniae. The patient responded well to irrigation of the bladder with amphotericin B.

Aged↗

Pathogenicity of Candida paratropicalis.

A new Candida species, Candida paratropicalis, was recently described. Four cases of infections due to C paratropicalis are reviewed in detail and an additional five cases are reviewed to establish the clinical relevance of this species of yeast. Candida paratropicalis was isolated from blood and several other body sites. Although the isolates tested were sensitive in vitro to amphotericin B and fluocytosine, significant morbidity and mortality were associated with the infections.

Aged↗

Diagnostic characters of an atypical Candida.

The morphological and physiological characters of an atypical Candida isolated from diverse clinical specimens are described. The colony and microscopic morphologies of the atypical Candida most closely resemble those of Candida tropicalis or of reported sucrose-negative variants of C. tropicalis. However, the atypical isolates differ from C. tropicalis by their inability to ferment sucrose or melezitose and from the sucrose-negative variants by their inability to assimilate inulin and their varied utilization of other carbon substrates.

Candida↗

Use of rapid auxanographic procedures for recognition of an atypical Candida.

An atypical Candida which can cause diagnostic problems in clinical laboratories has recently been characterized. Assimilation patterns of 29 clinical isolates of an atypical Candida were obtained by the API 30C (Analytab Products, Plainview, N.Y.)., Uni-Yeast-Tek (Flow Laboratories, Inc., Rockville, Md.), and dye pour-plate auxanographic methods. The low frequency of assimilation of cellobiose, sucrose, and melezitose noted in all of these procedures permitted the early recognition of the atypical character of the isolates.

Candida↗

Rapid identification of Prototheca species by the API 20C system.

The conventional auxanographic method of testing for the assimilation of carbohydrates and alcohols by the various species of Prototheca requires at least 2 weeks of incubation at 25 to 30 degrees C before definitive results are obtained. Even though Prototheca spp., in culture as well as in fixed tissues, can be identified more rapidly by fluorescent-antibody techniques in which species-specific reagents are used, such diagnostic facilities and reagents are not available in most diagnostic laboratories. The API 20C clinical yeast identification system, a commercially available ready-to-use micromethod, was found to permit the definitive identification of P. stagnora, P. wickerhamii, and P. zopfii within 4 days.

Carbohydrate Metabolism↗

Reliability of a brief outpatient functional outcome assessment measure.

The stability of the musculoskeletal form of the Medical Rehabilitation Follow Along (MRFA) instrument was examined in 47 patients receiving outpatient rehabilitation services. The MRFA instrument was designed to provide information on quality of daily living, including physical function, pain, satisfaction, and emotional/psychological well-being. The instrument consists of thirty questions and can be administered as an interview or a written questionnaire. The MRFA instrument was developed using Rasch analysis procedures and is an extension of previous research involving the Functional Assessment Screening Questionnaire. Forty-seven patients completed the musculoskeletal form of the MRFA on two occasions separated by an interval of 1 to 7 days. The stability of responses was examined using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and kappa. ICC values for the sections of the MRFA instrument examining quality of daily living and physical functioning ranged from 0.74 to 0.97. ICC values for items assessing pain and feelings of well-being were more variable, ranging from 0.36 to 0.93. The kappa values displayed a similar pattern. The overall stability of the MRFA instrument was found to be adequate for gathering screening information in outpatient settings. Additional research is necessary to confirm the findings of this investigation and extend the results to a larger outpatient population.

Activities of Daily Living↗