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Biomedical subjects

J S Werry

Publications and source records attributed to J S Werry.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1978

Behavioural effects of methylphenidate in 6-hydroxydopamine-treated neonatal rats.

Neonatal rats treated at 7 days of age with 6-hydroxydopamine show normal levels of activity during maturation, but less hyperactivity than normals do when additionally treated with methylphenidate hydrochloride between 14 and 22 days of age. Comparison of these results with those of other workers suggests that several experimental variables must be controlled precisely if reproducible results analogous to the disturbed behaviour of children with minimal brain dysfunction (MBD) are to be obtained.

Aging↗
PubMed1978

Psychiatric care in a general practice.

The morbidity and patient management in a small general practice in a suburb of Auckland was analysed over a period of three months, comparing medical and psychiatric cases. Psychiatric patients tend to be more often frmale, older (though not in the geriatric age group), make slightly greater demands on practice time and have somewhat more chronic illnesses, but these differences from medical patients are small and psychiatric patients do not form a major problem in practice in the community. The findings, while showing a slightly higher frequency of psychiatric patients, are otherwise comparable with those from other New Zealand studies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

Some studies in an institution for the mentally retarded.

Patient characteristics and psychotropic drug use in a hospital for the mentally retarded were studied. The majority of patients appeared permanent, 80 percent having been there five years. Ages ranged from 2 to 71 years. Most were mildly or moderately retarded. Fifty-five percent had been originally domiciled within two hours driving time of the hospital. Visiting was proportional to time in hospital, degree of retardation and distance of domicile from hospital. Forty percent of patients were on some kind of psychotropic medication for behavioural control, the majority of these receiving two or more antipsychotic drugs in moderate dosage (phenothiazines or butyrophenones). Despite their long acting nature, drugs were given several times a day. Average time on present medication was about one year. A subgroup of patients was taken off medication and observed by staff. Almost all deteriorated behaviourally but the study was not double blind so these findings must be treated with caution.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

Self poisoning in Auckland.

The records of all deliberate self poisoners seen at Auckland Hospital in a 15 month period in 1971-72 were examined. There were 550 patients of whom 35 presented twice and six three times. Five persons died. A subgroup of 100 was interviewed personally and compared with 100 orthopaedic outpatients matched for age and sex. Self poisoners are more likely to be aged 15-24, of female sex, have seen a psychiatrist, self poisoned previously, come from disturbed family and marital backgrounds and show other signs of moderate maladjustment. Drugs taken are usually prescription drugs obtained legitimately with psychiatric ones particularly hypnotics and anxiolytics, predominating. The act is usually impulsive and not designed to result in death. Most patients require only outpatient treatment. It is suggested that the term attempted suicide is a misnomer in most cases and the less misleading self poisoning replace it.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

The reliability and diagnostic validity of the physical and neurological examination for soft signs (PANESS).

Twenty-one children, mean age of 8 years, were each examined on separate occasions by two pediatric residents, blind to diagnosis, using the neurological examination (PANESS) included in the group of instruments recommended by the National Institute of Mental Health for psychotropic drug studies in children. Half the children were hyperactive/aggressive, one quarter were normal, and one quarter had histories or signs strongly presumptive of brain damage. Many of the signs, though reliable, did not occur in the majority of children. Examiners did achieve a high level of agreement about global neurological status. It was concluded that the neurological examination probably contains a substantial number of non-contributory items and should be regarded as experimental rather than definitive.

Brain Damage, Chronic↗
PubMed1976

Medication for hyperkinetic children.

The hyperkinetic syndrome is a symptom complex of hyperactivity, short attention span, distractibility, impulsivity, learning difficulties, other behaviour problems and 'equivocal' neurological signs. However, none of these terms has ever been objectively defined and at present diagnosis is largely a matter of clinical judgement. In the management of the disorder, drugs do have a place but the decision to use medication is a complex procedure diagnostically and therapeutically calling for the highest in clinical skill and medical supervision. The most useful medication at present is the stimulant group of drugs, particularly dextroamphetamine and methylphenidate. Antipsychotic drugs are sometimes useful but carry the risk of depressing higher CNS functions such as attention and cognition. Other drugs which have been shown to be of value include tricyclic antidepressants (although their effect is less predictable and less striking than that of the stimulants) and pemoline.

Anti-Anxiety Agents↗
PubMed1976

Conners Teacher Questionnaire--norms and validity.

A random sample of Auckland elementary school children (N=418) were rated by their teachers on Conners Teacher Questionnaire, one of the measures recommended by the National Institute of Mental Health for use in drug studies with children. Norms were found to be comparable with a New York sample on two of the four factors but children from a Midwestern university town differed substantially from the New Zealand and New York groups so that further standardisation work is necessary. A replica of Conners factor structure was also attempted and the results compared additionally with a similar U.S. study. It was concluded that despite some definite differences, the original factor structure appeared sufficiently stable across studies not to change the present scoring system except to add the Sociability Factor. The tendencies for boys to be rated higher on acting out type behaviors and girls on neurotic symptoms is consistent with clinical experience and previous studies.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1975

Sexual activity and contraception use in young adults.

241 (57 male and 184 female), well-educated, largely urban, young persons, voluntarily attended a lecture on sex; after the lecture they completed an anonymous questionnaire on their background, and attitudes to sex. A majority believed that premarital sexual activity was acceptable if there was some affectional tie between the couple. Most of the men were sexually active, while only a third of the women were so. However, a quarter of the sexually inexperienced men and women were engaging in forms of sexual stimulation which would seem to carry a high possibility of ending in intercourse. Knowledge of contraception, while high, tended to over-estimate the efficacy of the safe period and vaginal methods. Half the sexually active group had used contraception at sexual initiation but only a third had used reliable methods. Subsequent contraceptive practice however, was high (90 percent), with the pill being the most frequently used method. Twenty percent of the sexually active women had already been pregnant: of these only a quarter had carried their pregnancies to term. The limitations of the study are discussed and some suggestions for preventing pregnancy in the unmarried drawn.

Adolescent↗