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Biomedical subjects

J Painter

Publications and source records attributed to J Painter.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Graphic displays: the effects of orientation on the tangible perception of histograms and pie charts.

Two studies designed to investigate the ability of blind subjects to interpret tangible graphic displays of data at varying degrees of orientation are reported. In the first experiment visually handicapped children were required to interpret histograms and pie charts presented at two different orientations. Horizontally oriented histograms were found to have a significant advantage over vertically oriented histograms, but there was no effect of orientation on pie charts. In the second study horizontally and vertically oriented histograms were again compared using a subject sample comprised only of congenitally or very early blind children. The results confirmed the superiority of horizontally presented histograms over the more common vertical display.

Blindness↗
PubMed1999

Depth of insertion at flexible sigmoidoscopy: implications for colorectal cancer screening and instrument design.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: The depth of insertion at flexible sigmoidoscopy is variable, depending upon bowel preparation, patient tolerance and distal colonic anatomy. Many endoscopists routinely aim to insert the 60 cm flexible sigmoidoscope to the splenic flexure; however internal endoscopic markers are unreliable, making the true anatomical extent of the examination difficult to assess. The aim of this study was to assess the depth of insertion at flexible sigmoidoscopy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two separate studies were done. In the first (study 1), magnetic endoscopic imaging was used to determine the final depth of insertion at non-sedated, screening flexible sigmoidoscopy. In the second (study 2), "real-time" imaging was utilized to determine sigmoid looping and the anatomical location of the endoscope tip after 60 cm of instrument had been inserted during total or limited colonoscopy. A total of 117 consecutive average-risk patients, aged 55-65 years participated in study 1, and 136 patients underwent either limited, (33) or attempted total colonoscopy (103) in study 2. RESULTS: In study 1 the median insertion distance was 52 cm, range 20-58. In 61 % of patients the imaging system showed that the descending colon had not been visualized by the end of the procedure. Failure to reach the sigmoid/descending junction occurred in 29 (24%) patients. Reasons for failure included poor tolerance of the procedure due to pain (23 patients) inadequate preparation (3 patients) and, excessive looping (3 patients). In study 2, after 60 cm of instrument had been inserted, the splenic flexure or beyond was reached in 29% and the descending colon in 9%, whilst in 62 % the endoscope tip had not passed beyond the sigmoid/descending colon junction. A sigmoid loop formed in 70% of patients, and unusual loops such as the alpha, reverse alpha and reverse sigmoid spiral loop occurred more frequently in women compared to men (P = 0.0249). In those 104 patients where the splenic flexure was reached the mean maximum length of instrument inserted prior to reaching the flexure was 75.4 cm, (SD = 21.9). CONCLUSIONS: Examination of the entire sigmoid was not achieved in approximately one-quarter of patients undergoing screening flexible sigmoidoscopy, mainly because of discomfort. The descending colon is intubated in a minority of cases (using standard instruments), even after 60 cm has been inserted. Alternative instruments with different shaft characteristics (floppy, narrow calibre, 80-100 cm in length) may be necessary to ensure deeper routine intubation in nonsedated patients.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Mutations of the cystic fibrosis gene in patients with chronic pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND: The pancreatic lesions of cystic fibrosis develop in utero and closely resemble those of chronic pancreatitis. Therefore, we hypothesized that mutations of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene may be more common than expected among patients with chronic pancreatitis. METHODS: We studied 134 consecutive patients with chronic pancreatitis (alcohol-related disease in 71, hyperparathyroidism in 2, hypertriglyceridemia in 1, and idiopathic disease in 60). We examined DNA for 22 mutations of the CFTR gene that together account for 95 percent of all mutations in patients with cystic fibrosis in the northwest of England. We also determined the length of the noncoding sequence of thymidines in intron 8, since the shorter the sequence, the lower the proportion of normal CFTR messenger RNA. RESULTS: The 94 male and 40 female patients ranged in age from 16 to 86 years. None had a mutation on both copies of the CFTR gene. Eighteen patients (13.4 percent), including 12 without alcoholism, had a CFTR mutation on one chromosome, as compared with a frequency of 5.3 percent among 600 local unrelated partners of persons with a family history of cystic fibrosis (P<0.001). A total of 10.4 percent of the patients had the 5T allele in intron 8 (14 of 134), which is twice the expected frequency (P=0.008). Four patients were heterozygous for both a CFTR mutation and the 5T allele. Patients with a CFTR mutation were younger than those with no mutations (P=0.03). None had the combination of sinopulmonary disease, high sweat electrolyte concentrations, and low nasal potential-difference values that are diagnostic of cystic fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS: Mutations of the CFTR gene and the 5T genotype are associated with chronic pancreatitis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Role of acid and salivary epidermal growth factor in gastric mucosal adaptation to naproxen in man.

BACKGROUND: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) frequently damage the gastrointestinal tract, but with continued administration this usually resolves by a process of adaptation. There is evidence that the acute injury can be reduced by acid suppression, and animal models have shown that salivary epidermal growth factor (EGF) is an important factor in gastric mucosal adaptation. We therefore wanted to assess the effect of acid suppression and salivary EGF output during naproxen-induced acute gastric injury and subsequent adaptation. METHODS: Healthy subjects were given a 14-day course of naproxen with different regimens of ranitidine and placebo. Before and on three occasions during treatment subjects provided a salivary sample for EGF and underwent gastroscopy to assess gastric damage. RESULTS: Similar gastric damage occurred after 24 h in all groups and resolved in most subjects. Base-line salivary EGF output was similar in all groups but increased in the placebo/ranitidine group on day 3 and in the ranitidine group on day 9. CONCLUSIONS: Acid suppression with ranitidine did not prevent acute gastric injury. Adaptation may be associated with an increase in salivary EGF output.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1995

The relationship between hassles, uplifts and irritable bowel syndrome: a preliminary study.

In a preliminary study, 30 sufferers of irritable bowel syndrome filled in daily symptom sheets and the combined Hassles and Uplifts questionnaire for five weeks. Initially, analyses were carried out for each symptom separately. Results showed that ratings on the hassles and symptoms questionnaires completed in the same week were more highly associated than ratings for hassles and symptoms in different weeks. No one symptom in any week was significantly associated with the following week's hassles. Similarly, hassles in any one week were not associated with the following week's symptoms. However, total symptoms were found to be significantly associated with hassles in the following weeks, whereas the association between hassles and total symptoms in the following weeks was not significant. The study suggests that there is a cumulative effect of symptoms such that an increase in the severity of the combined effect of symptoms is associated with an increase in severity of stress in the next week. Increased hassles do not appear to exacerbate symptoms. There was no evidence of an association between uplifts and IB symptoms.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Intrinsic and extrinsic predictors of work satisfaction in ambulatory care and hospital settings.

This study assessed the ability of selected intrinsic and extrinsic variables to predict allied health practitioners' work satisfaction in ambulatory care and hospital settings. A total of 413 occupational and physical therapists in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina provided data via a mailed survey. Multiple regression analyses examined the predictive power of selected intrinsic and extrinsic variables upon therapists' work satisfaction in the ambulatory care and hospital setting. The regression model for therapists in ambulatory care settings was a better predictor of work satisfaction than the model for therapists in the hospital setting. Results indicated that respondents' intrinsic orientation toward their work, and their perception of the general working conditions in the organization were two of the strongest predictors of their work satisfaction in the ambulatory care and hospital setting. The findings provide information that can be useful in developing recruitment and retention strategies in both work settings.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Spatial processing of images and hemisphere function.

Forty subjects performed both of the following tasks. In the imagery task, simple dot patterns were presented for five seconds in free vision, followed by a three second fixation field. Subsequently, a circle was briefly presented in either the right or the left visual field and subjects were required to indicate whether or not the circle surrounded a point previously occupied by a dot. The perceptual task was similar except that the dot patterns remained on the screen while the circle was presented. Reaction times and error data indicated a left visual field advantage on the imagery task only, suggesting a right hemisphere superiority for extraction of spatial information from images.

Adult↗