Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

J Jones

Publications and source records attributed to J Jones.

At least 289 records · Page 16Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

A longitudinal study of the quality of life of older people with intellectual disability after leaving hospital.

A study was made of the quality of life of 29 older people with intellectual disability who left hospital to live in ordinary three- or four-bedroom houses. A short version of the Questionnaire on Quality of Life was used to measure quality of life before moving and at three points in the first 53 months after changing residence. Results showed that there were improvements in quality-of-life subscales in the first 41 months with an eventual levelling out after 53 months. Social and leisure activity have been identified as particular important in the quality of life of older people. Therefore, items from the scale that measure participation in community leisure activities, contact with people without intellectual disability during these activities and engagement in leisure activities within the home were selected for detailed analysis. These data also showed increased activity and contacts in the first 41 months with a levelling out after 53 months.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1998

Research methods in clinical investigation: a case study analysis of medication levels and self-harm.

This paper uses a case study to illustrate an application of the scientist-practitioner model to clinical practice. Through consultation with a clinical psychologist, a simple method of obtaining an objective overview of the therapeutic use of medication was developed. Focusing on a woman in a Regional Secure Unit, data were gathered from incident forms of self-harm and the corresponding drug charts. Using basic statistical techniques (such as frequencies and measures of central tendency) to summarize these data, useful clinical information was obtained. Actual data from the case study are presented, as an example of a research process that can be applied to understanding the role of extraneous variables when pursuing a course of chemical treatment. Analyses of drug effects suggest that additional variables such as environmental, interpersonal and engagement factors needed to be considered. The paper advocates the ease of applicability of research methods to clinical investigation.

Anticonvulsants↗
PubMed1998

Clinical use of FFP: results of a retrospective process and outcome audit.

An audit has been carried out on the usage of 216 units of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) issued to 41 patients. This involved the systems of FFP issue, the appropriateness of prescription as well as the recorded benefits. Sixty-six per cent of the initial requests for FFP appeared to satisfy criteria for appropriate use. Review of the case notes resulted in some changes to earlier decisions and a slight increase to 73% of those accepted as valid. Only 94% of the FFP issued could be proved to have been given to identified patients and only 88% of case notes showed the reason for treatment. Pre- and post-treatment coagulation results were available for all patients. In 15% of cases, pretreatment results were not significantly abnormal, and consequently no post-treatment improvement found. Coagulation improvement was documented in 78% of cases, and clinical statements on patient progress noted in 40%. In 80% of cases, the patient received other blood products carrying a potential virus risk. Six of the remaining eight patients were treated to stabilize oral anticoagulation. For these patients, virus-inactivated prothrombin concentrates could have been used, resulting in almost the same reduction in virus transmission risk for the group of 41 patients as could be obtained by using virus-inactivated FFP.

Blood Coagulation Disorders↗
PubMed1998

Assessment of the reproducibility of clinical coding in routinely collected hospital activity data: a study in two hospitals.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to assess the reproducibility of clinical coding in two National Health Service hospitals within North West Thames region. METHODS: A retrospective audit was carried out, of clinical coding in hospital episode statistics, involving comparison of the codes assigned by local staff with those assigned by members of an external team unaware of the locally assigned codes. Where local and external coders disagreed, the records were reviewed for a third time by a further independent coder. The subjects were a random sample of 1607 non-maternity, non-psychiatric admissions occurring between 1991 and 1993, stratified for year and type of disease (asthma, diabetes, appendicitis, fractured femur and 'general'--a random selection of any diagnoses). The main outcome measures were the levels of exact agreement between local and external teams over codes for main diagnosis and procedure, and the level of approximate agreement (over the first three characters of the ICD-9 code for diagnosis and the letter and first two digits of the OPCS-4 code for procedure). For disagreements, the outcome measure was the level of agreement between the 'third' coder and the local and external coders. RESULTS: For the main diagnosis in the 'general' group at hospital A, internal and external coders agreed exactly in 43 per cent of the admissions examined and agreed 'approximately' in 55 per cent (kappa = 0.54). For hospital B the corresponding figures were 60 per cent and 72 per cent (kappa = 0.72). Approximate agreement was higher for the specific diseases considered, particularly for asthma (A: 86 per cent; B: 91 per cent) and fractured femur (A: 84 per cent; B: 89 per cent). For the main procedure at hospital A, there was exact agreement for 58 per cent and approximate agreement for 70 per cent (kappa = 0.66). For hospital B, the corresponding figures were 76 per cent and 83 per cent (kappa = 0.80). In cases of disagreement over the first three digits of the ICD-9 code for main diagnosis, the third coder disagreed with both local and external coders in 53 per cent at hospital A and 38 per cent at hospital B. Agreement was slightly better for discharges in 1992-1993 than in 1991-1992. CONCLUSIONS: The full clinical codes in NHS hospital episode statistics (HES) data should be treated with caution. The first three characters of ICD-9 codes for diagnoses and the OPCS-4 codes for procedures were more reliable. For some specific conditions such as asthma and fractured femur, reliability of the first three characters is much higher (for example, 86 per cent and 91 per cent for asthma in the two hospitals), but for the full codes can be worse. Secondary diagnoses or comorbidities may be significantly undercoded. A higher level of agreement in 1992-1993 than in 1991-1992 suggests that coding may be improving.

Abstracting and Indexing↗
PubMed1998

The effect of thoracic paravertebral blockade on intercostal somatosensory evoked potentials.

UNLABELLED: The paravertebral nerve blocks used in upper abdominal or thoracic surgery provide excellent pain relief and can inhibit some aspects of the neuroendocrine stress response to surgical trauma, which suggests that a very high-quality afferent block can be effected. To confirm this, we evaluated intercostal somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) in 10 patients undergoing paravertebral nerve blocks as a treatment for chronic pain. SSEPs were recorded before and after ipsilateral thoracic paravertebral deposition of 1.5 mg/kg bupivacaine 0.5%. Sensory loss to temperature was demonstrated in all patients at the level of injection and had a mean superior spread of 1.4 (range 0-4) dermatomes and a mean inferior spread of 2.8 (range 0-7) dermatomes. SSEPs were abolished (the normal waveform was rendered unrecognizable with unmeasurable latencies and a mean amplitude of zero) in all patients at the level of injection. In addition, a two-dermatome SSEP abolition was found in four patients and a three-dermatome abolition was found in two patients. SSEPs were modified, but not significantly, at all other test points. We conclude that cortical responses to thoracic dermatomal stimulation can be abolished at the block level and adjacent dermatomes by thoracic paravertebral nerve blockade. Equivalent results have not been demonstrated with more central forms of afferent blockade, which suggests that thoracic paravertebral nerve blocks may be uniquely effective. IMPLICATIONS: To improve outcomes after major surgery, as much nociceptive information as possible should be prevented from entering the central nervous and neuroendocrine systems. We have shown that local anesthetics alongside the vertebral column can abolish the usual brain recordings that follow intercostal nerve stimulation, which suggests that paravertebral nerve blocks may be uniquely effective.

Chronic Disease↗
PubMed1998

Is juvenile obsessive-compulsive disorder a developmental subtype of the disorder? A review of the pediatric literature.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the clinical correlates of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in children and adolescents. METHOD: A systematic review of the extant literature on juvenile OCD was conducted examining age at onset, gender distribution, symptom phenomenology, psychiatric comorbidity, neurological and perinatal history, family psychiatric history, cognitive and neuropsychological profiles, and treatment and outcome in juvenile OCD subjects. RESULTS: Juvenile OCD was associated with a unique peak of age at onset indicating a bimodal incidence of the disorder, male preponderance, a distinct pattern of comorbidity with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and other developmental disorders as well as frequent associated neuropsychological deficits, an increased familial loading for OCD, and frequent absence of insight. CONCLUSION: These findings show that juvenile OCD is associated with a unique set of correlates that appear to differ from findings reported in studies of adult OCD subjects. Although in need of confirmation, these findings suggest that juvenile OCD may be a developmental subtype of the disorder. Since juvenile OCD is likely to continue into adulthood, these findings stress the importance of considering age at onset in clinical and research studies of adults with OCD.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Informativeness of child and parent reports on substance use disorders in a sample of ADHD probands, control probands, and their siblings.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate parent-child agreement on psychoactive substance use disorder (PSUD) reporting among children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and to test whether agreement level could be predicted from measures of parent and child psychopathology and substance use severity. METHOD: The authors examined 348 pairs of child and parent assessments in a sample of 108 ADHD and 68 normal control probands and their 172 siblings aged 12 and older. RESULTS: PSUD rates were higher when the child was the reporter than when the parent was. Agreement between parent and child reports was strongest for cigarette smoking, alcohol dependence, and any PSUD. Although parental reports were frequently endorsed by the child's report, the reverse was rarely true. Predictors of parental awareness of the child's PSUD included impaired social functioning, younger age of the child, presence of multiple substance use disorders in the child, and comorbid bipolar disorder. CONCLUSIONS: PSUD rates vary by informant and are higher when the child is the reporter. Because severity of PSUD and multiple substance use were the strongest predictors of parental awareness, more efforts are needed to identify the more covert and milder cases of PSUD that may not reach clinical attention.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗
PubMed1998

Nursing practice models: implications for information system design.

Nursing practice models (NPMs) describe the structural and contextual features of nursing practice environments. They offer direction in the design of information systems. Eleven factors describing NPMs emerged from a modified Delphi process: continuity of care, participation in management, collaboration, leadership, learning environment, nurse's role, staffing, communication, specialization, orientation of temporary staff, and group commitment. These factors provide nurse administrators with specific features of the clinical practice environment that IS applications should support.

Health Facility Environment↗
PubMed1998

Antenatal corticosteroid therapy and risk of osteoporosis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the risk of maternal osteoporosis associated with antenatal corticosteroid administration for neonatal respiratory distress syndrome prophylaxis. DESIGN: Prospective longitudinal study. SETTING: Maternity unit of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London. POPULATION: Fourteen pregnant women who received dexamethasone therapy for fetal lung maturation in anticipation of delivery before 34 completed weeks of gestation. METHODS: Blood samples were collected before dexamethasone administration, 24 hours and 48 hours after the course of dexamethasone, and within 24 hours of delivery. Serum levels of carboxy terminal pro-peptide of type I pro-collagen (PICP) were measured to monitor the rate of bone formation, and serum levels of cross-linked carboxy terminal telopeptide (ICTP) were measured as a marker of bone resorption. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Changes in the markers of bone turnover following dexamethasone administration. RESULTS: Serum PICP levels dropped 24 hours after dexamethasone therapy (P = 0.001), but partially recovered by 48 hours (P = 0.014) to reach higher than pre-therapy levels at delivery (P = 0.044). Although there were no corresponding changes in the serum levels of ICTP after 24 and 48 hours of therapy, levels increased from pretherapy to delivery (P = 0.006). CONCLUSION: Antenatal corticosteroid therapy leads to a transient suppression of, followed by an increase in, bone formation without any significant alteration in the pattern of bone resorption expected during pregnancy.

Biomarkers↗
PubMed1998

A placebo-controlled dose-ranging study of lansoprazole in the management of reflux esophagitis.

OBJECTIVE: We compared the efficacy of three different doses of the proton pump inhibitor lansoprazole in the management of reflux esophagitis. METHODS: Two hundred ninety-two patients with endoscopically confirmed reflux esophagitis were enrolled in a double-blind, multicenter study and were randomized to lansoprazole 15, 30, or 60 mg or placebo administered once daily for 8 wk. RESULTS: Healing rates after 4 wk of lansoprazole 15, 30, and 60 mg/d were 67.6%, 81.3%, and 80.6%, respectively. These were all significantly superior (p < 0.001) to placebo, which produced endoscopic healing in only 32.8% of the patients after 4 wk. The 4-wk healing rates with lansoprazole 30 or 60 mg were significantly higher than that with lansoprazole 15 mg (p < 0.05), confirming a dose-response effect. Cumulative healing rates after 8 wk of treatment were 52.5% with placebo and 90.0%, 95.4%, and 94.4% with lansoprazole 15, 30, and 60 mg, respectively (p < 0.001 for all doses of lansoprazole vs placebo). Lansoprazole was also significantly superior to placebo in relieving symptoms in patients with reflux esophagitis. Lansoprazole was well tolerated, and no serious treatment-related adverse events were encountered. Up to 3 months after discontinuation of treatment, all lansoprazole-treated groups had more patients free of endoscopic evidence of esophagitis than the group treated with placebo. CONCLUSIONS: Lansoprazole was safe and effective for the treatment of reflux esophagitis in this trial. This study indicates that the optimum daily dose of lansoprazole for reflux esophagitis is 30 mg.

2-Pyridinylmethylsulfinylbenzimidazoles↗
PubMed1998

Effects of meals on objective and subjective measures of daytime sleepiness.

Effects of recent food ingestion on daytime sleepiness were assessed in 16 subjects (8 men and 8 women) who were each studied on two occasions, 28 days apart. On each occasion, subjects ate a high-fat low-carbohydrate (CHO) (fat/CHO energy ratio 54:41) meal and an isoenergetic low-fat high-CHO meal (fat/CHO energy ratio 7:88) 4 h apart in a counterbalanced order. Sleepiness was measured at 2-hr intervals by using the Multiple Sleep Latency Test and the Akerstedt electroencephalograph sleepiness test. To control for circadian factors, one group (4 men, 4 women) ate the meals 2 h later than did the other group of subjects. There were no differences in sleepiness according to the composition of the meal. Sleepiness in the Multiple Sleep Latency Test was significantly greater 1.5 h after the meals were eaten than before (F 11.37; df 1,15; P = 0.004). Sleepiness was also enhanced in the Akerstedt sleepiness test 3 h 20 min after the meals. The results suggest that the meals induced an enhancement in sleepiness that was not solely due to circadian rhythms.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Effectiveness and tolerability of tomoxetine in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

OBJECTIVE: The authors assessed the experimental noradrenergic compound tomoxetine as an alternative treatment for adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHOD: They conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study of tomoxetine in 22 adults with well-characterized ADHD. RESULTS: Treatment with tomoxetine at an average oral dose of 76 mg/day was well tolerated. Drug-specific improvement in ADHD symptom was highly significant overall and sufficiently robust to be detectable in a parallel-groups comparison restricted to the first 3 weeks of the protocol. Eleven of 21 patients showed improvement after receiving tomoxetine, compared with only two of 21 patients who improved after receiving placebo. Significant tomoxetine-associated improvement was noted on neuropsychological measures of inhibitory capacity from Stroop tests. CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary study showed that tomoxetine was effective in treating adult ADHD and was well tolerated. These promising results provide support for further studies of tomoxetine over an extended period of treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Phase I study of docetaxel dose escalation in combination with fixed weekly gemcitabine in patients with advanced malignancies.

PURPOSE: To determine the maximum-tolerated dose of monthly docetaxel combined with fixed-dose weekly gemcitabine and describe the dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) of the combination. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with refractory solid tumors were treated with gemcitabine days 1, 8, and 15 every 4 weeks at a fixed dose of 800 mg/m2. Two docetaxel administration schedules were studied, with the drug administered either day 1 or day 15 at doses of 45, 60, 75, and 100 mg/m2 per cycle. RESULTS: Forty patients received 132 cycles of chemotherapy. On the day-1 schedule, the maximum-tolerated docetaxel dose was the highest planned dose of 100 mg/m2 with two DLT episodes among 12 patients treated with 34 cycles at this dose level. On the day-15 schedule, delivery of the planned docetaxel doses was not feasible because of thrombocytopenia and hepatic dysfunction. Hematologic toxicities included grade 4 neutropenia in 16 patients, with three episodes of febrile neutropenia; grades 3 to 4 thrombocytopenia in nine patients; and anemia that required RBC transfusions in 10 patients. For patients treated at the highest docetaxel dose level, myelosuppression was not dose limiting and only one of 34 cycles was complicated by febrile neutropenia. The most common nonhematologic toxicities were asthenia, flu-like symptoms, and fluid retention. Antineoplastic activity was noteworthy, with partial responses in nine of 21 patients with pretreated non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC; 43%; 95% confidence interval, 22 to 66), in four of seven patients with breast cancer, and in one patient with esophageal adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSION: Gemcitabine 800 mg/m2 days 1,8, and 15 can be safely combined with docetaxel 100 mg/m2 day 1 of a 28-day cycle. The observed antitumor activity warrants phase II evaluation.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Growth, insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), and IGF-binding proteins 1 and 3 in children with severe liver disease before and after liver transplantation: a longitudinal and cross-sectional study.

We aimed to study the growth and growth factors of children with liver disease before and after liver transplantation (LT). Three observation intervals: 1) before LT (preLT), 2) after LT on daily prednisone treatment (dP), and 3) on alternate day prednisone (adP). A longitudinal study (LS) involved 17 infants (9 male) aged 0.73-2.38 y at LT; mean (+/- SD) height (Ht) SD score (SDS) at LT was -2.02 (+/- 1.25). In a cross-sectional study, there were 123 children (73 male) aged 0.16-14.88 y (mean 3.72 y). IGF-I and IGF binding proteins (BP) 1 and 3 were measured at the same intervals. The results were, for LS, preLT height velocity (HV) SDS (X +/- SD -0.8+/-1.4) lower (p < 0.01) than adP-HV SDS (3.1+/-1.8) but not different from dP-HV SDS (-1.0+/-1.9). For the cross-sectional study, dP-Ht SDS (X+/-SD -1.94+/-1.31) lower (p < 0.001) than preLT-Ht SDS (-1.03+/-1.06) and adP-Ht SDS (-0.98+/-1.20). Parental target SDS was not different from adP-Ht SDS. (Similar observations were made in the LS.) The dP- sitting height (SH) and subischial leg length (SLL) SDS were significantly lower than both preLT- and adP-SH SDS and SLL SDS (p = 0.02 and 0.002, respectively). There was a significant improvement of head circumference SDS and arm circumference SDS from preLT to adP. The dP and adP IGF-I and IGF-BP3 levels were greater than preLT levels (p < 0.001); no differences were found between preLT, dP, and adP IGF-BP1 levels. We conclude that growth in children with liver disease does not improve after LT on dP, but catch-up growth is shown on adP, appearing to depend mainly on the clinical course and corticosteroid regimen. IGF-I and IGF-BP3 increment on dP (and sustained on adP) is possibly due to liver regeneration, in contrast with inhibition of body growth on dP, possibly due to central and peripheral effects of corticosteroid.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Further evidence of an association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: findings from a high-risk sample of siblings.

Investigated the role of maternal smoking during pregnancy in the etiology of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Siblings of ADHD (N = 174) and non-ADHD (N = 129) probands were studied. Information on maternal smoking was obtained from mothers in a standardized manner blind to the sibling's ADHD and high-risk status (i.e., whether a sibling of an ADHD or non-ADHD proband). Fifteen (47%) of the high-risk siblings with ADHD had a history of maternal smoking during pregnancy compared with 33 (24%) of the siblings without ADHD (p = 0.009). This positive association remained significant after adjusting for socioeconomic status, parental IQ, and parental ADHD status. Lower IQ scores were found among those high-risk siblings whose mothers smoked during pregnancy compared with those whose mothers did not smoke. These findings extend our previous findings of an association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and ADHD. Moreover, they highlight the importance of programs aimed at smoking prevention in nonsmoking women and smoking cessation in smoking women of child-bearing age.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Compression, ulcer recurrence and compliance.

Patient non-compliance may be perceived by health-care practitioners as hindering implementation of best practice and contributing to the poor outcome of leg ulcer treatments. Patients, however, may believe that the leg ulcer will not heal and that nothing they do will alter that. They may feel that the treatment will necessitate changes in life-style that will outweigh the benefits to be gained by compliance1.

Aftercare↗
PubMed1998

The effects of recombinant human IGF-I administration on concentrations of acid labile subunit, IGF binding protein-3, IGF-I, IGF-II and proteolysis of IGF binding protein-3 in adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

The long term therapeutic potential of recombinant human (rh) IGF-I administration in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) may be determined by changes in the IGF binding proteins (IGFBPs) and thus the bioavailability of IGF-I. We have therefore studied the effects of a single subcutaneous dose of rhIGF-I (40 micrograms/kg at 1800 h), when compared with an untreated control night, in 17 subjects with IDDM, on serum concentrations of IGF-I, IGF-II, IGFBP-3, acid labile subunit (ALS), and IGFBP-3 proteolysis. Mean (+/- S.E.M.) IGF-I levels increased from 242 +/- 30 ng/ml to 399 +/- 26 ng/ml (P = 0.01) after rhIGF-I whereas IGF-II levels declined from 600 +/- 45 ng/ml to 533 +/- 30 ng/ml. There was a small overnight reduction in baseline ALS levels from 48 +/- 2.8 to 44.5 +/- 3.2 micrograms/ml (P = 0.04) after rhIGF-I administration. An early fall in IGFBP-3 concentrations on the control night was not seen after rhIGF-I and overall mean levels were increased (5.2 +/- 0.2 micrograms/ml vs 4.9 +/- 0.2 micrograms/ml, P = 0.04, on the control night). On the baseline night, IGFBP-3 levels correlated with the sum of IGF-I and IGF-II (r = 0.73, P = 0.02) and with levels of the ALS (r = 0.7, P = 0.002). However after rhIGF-I, the sum of IGF-I and IGF-II no longer correlated with IGFBP-3, whereas the relationship with ALS was maintained. Immunoblot studies in six subjects indicated that 60%-70% of the IGFBP-3 was detected as a low molecular weight fragment at 1900 h on both study nights, but the amount of fragment declined to approximately 50% at 0100 h and 45% at 0700 h. In conclusion, despite a slight but significant fall in ALS, IGFBP-3 levels rise after rhIGF-I administration in IDDM. This cannot be explained by alterations in IGFBP-3 proteolysis, and may relate to the relative stability of ALS/IGFBP-3 when complexed principally with IGF-I rather than IGF-II.

Adolescent↗