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Biomedical subjects

K M Phillips

Publications and source records attributed to K M Phillips.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

An economic evaluation of mandatory premarital testing for HIV.

This study provides a comprehensive assessment of mandatory premarital testing for HIV. We incorporate new evidence about the assumptions underlying an economic evaluation of premarital testing, use standard methods of program evaluation (cost-effectiveness analysis and cost-benefit analysis), and carefully evaluate how changes in the various assumptions affect the results. The cost-effectiveness results show that, under the most likely conditions, the cost per case of HIV infection prevented by mandatory premarital testing would be between $70,000 and $127,000. In the cost-benefit analysis, the benefit-cost ratio in the most likely scenarios ranges between 3.1 and 28.2.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗
PubMed1985

Lung function in the elderly.

Data are presented on the FEV1 and forced vital capacity (FVC) of elderly people living at home. These were derived from a survey of 418 persons over the age of 70 years and thus provide standards for the assessment of elderly persons. There was a decline in FEV1 and FVC cross sectionally with age and a continued adverse effect of smoking. A history of cough and phlegm was strongly related to impairment of lung function.

Aged↗
PubMed1985

A weighed dietary survey of women in South Wales.

Dietary intakes of 101 women living in a small South Wales town were measured by four day weighed inventory. Variation of nutrient intake with Body Mass Index (Quetelet Index) and age was also studied. Mean total energy was 1760 kcal (7.4 MJ); of this 42.9 per cent came from carbohydrate, 41.2 per cent from fat, 13.9 per cent from protein and 2.0 per cent from alcohol. Only cereal and total fibre intakes showed a gradual increase with age. Quetelet Index also increased with age; however there was a small negative correlation between carbohydrate intake and Quetelet Index. The results are compared with data from Cambridgeshire.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Contribution of isolated general practitioner maternity units.

A postal survey of isolated general practitioner maternity units in England and Wales showed that just under 4% of deliveries take place in them. Eight per cent of general practitioners are on the staffs, and in 87% of units midwives are integrated with the community midwifery service. Sixty two per cent of units have visiting consultant cover. Fifty seven per cent of patients are booked and delivered in the unit, 28% are booked and deliberately delivered elsewhere, 5% are transferred in the antenatal period, and 10% transferred as emergencies. The perinatal mortality rate for cases booked and delivered in the units is 1.1 per 1000. The number of emergency transfers was appreciably less for those units that were prepared to do their own operations. Thirty five per cent of these units are liable to be cut off in bad weather, and they will continue to fulfil an essential role in the midwifery services.

Delivery, Obstetric↗
PubMed1984

Anthropometric norms in the elderly.

Anthropometric indices are presented for representative samples of elderly people in South Wales, based on over 1500 subjects seen during community surveys. Body mass index declined with age after 70 years in both men and women. Estimates of fat and muscle volume based on upper arm measurements also showed a decline with age, which was particularly steep for triceps skinfold thickness in women. These indices are in general similar to results that have been reported from other surveys within the UK; they suggest that Welsh old people have less fat and muscle than elderly Americans.

Aged↗
PubMed1984

Diet, smoking, social class, and body mass index in the Caerphilly Heart Disease Study.

Associations between smoking habit, social class, body mass index, and diet were examined in 493 men aged 45 to 59 yr, selected from the general population and who had completed a 7-day weighed dietary record. Smokers were lighter than nonsmokers and had a lower body mass index. There was no difference in energy intake, but in general, smokers had lower intakes of vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. Exsmokers had similar intakes to nonsmokers. Manual workers tended to be shorter, had a higher body mass index, higher intakes of energy and carbohydrates, and lower intakes of vitamins and minerals than nonmanual workers. Social class had a greater effect than smoking habit on intakes of energy and carbohydrates, whereas smoking habit had the greater effect on intakes of minerals and vitamins. Body mass index was associated negatively with sucrose intake and positively with protein intake, smoking habit, and social class being less important determinants.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1984

Relation between pica and blood lead in areas of differing lead exposure.

Surveys were conducted in four areas in Wales with differing degrees of environmental lead. In two areas the source of the lead was traffic and in one it was spoil from lead mining in the past. The fourth area, which served as a control, was a village remote from heavy traffic, industry, and lead mining. Various environmental samples were taken, and children aged 1-3 years and their mothers were studied. Blood lead concentrations were raised in the lead mining area, and within the areas defined by traffic flow the blood lead concentrations of the mothers showed a gradient. Pica in the children, assessed by a questionnaire, showed no relation with blood lead, but the amount of lead removed from the children's hands with 'wet wipes' was an important contributor to blood lead concentrations.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Vegetable consumption and blood lead concentrations.

Women resident in an area heavily contaminated by spoil from old lead mining have blood lead concentrations that are about 50% higher (p less than 0.001) than those of women living in a "control" area some distance away. Blood lead concentrations were related to the consumption of home grown produce. Those with the highest consumptions had blood lead concentrations that were 28% higher (p less than 0.001) than those of women who consumed no locally grown vegetables. Nevertheless, in the total population in the area this effect seemed likely to account for only about 5% of the population mean blood lead concentration. The data suggested that an increase in soil lead of 1000 micrograms/g is associated with an increase in blood lead of about 0.20 microM/1 (4.2 micrograms/dl).

Adult↗
PubMed1984

A weighed dietary survey of men in Caerphilly, South Wales.

Four hundred and ninety-three men aged 45-59 years, selected from the general population of Caerphilly, South Wales completed a 7-day weighed dietary record. Calculation of nutrient intakes revealed that the mean energy intake was 2412 kcal, (10.1 MJ), 37 per cent of which came from fat, 43 per cent from carbohydrate, 14 per cent from protein and 5 per cent from alcohol. The polyunsaturated : saturated fat ratio was 0.28, polyunsaturated fat contributing 5 per cent of the total energy intake. Seasonal variation in nutrient intakes was minimal, being statistically significant only for dietary fibre and beta-carotene, both being lower in summer. Nutrient intakes were compared with data from Cambridgeshire and Edinburgh.

Diet↗
PubMed1983

The effect of fatty fish on plasma lipid and lipoprotein concentrations.

The effect of fatty fish consumption on plasma lipid and lipoprotein concentrations was studied in 118 healthy men in a cross-over controlled trial. Subjects ate 100 g or more of fatty fish at least twice a week for 3 months, and little or no fatty fish for another 3 months. The mean plasma triglyceride concentration decreased significantly by 6.7% on the fish diet; there were no significant changes in plasma total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. A realistic intake of fatty fish has a detectable effect on blood lipids.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Hardness of domestic water and blood lead levels.

The effect on the blood lead levels of residents in an area in which a soft plumbo-solvent water was hardened is examined. Water lead levels fell after hardening was introduced whereas there was a small rise in water lead levels in a control area monitored over the same time. The blood lead levels of residents fell after hardening and the fall was slightly greater than would have been predicted on the basis of the change in water lead levels. This suggests that lead is less well absorbed from hard water than from soft water. Following hardening there was a significant fall in mean blood lead level of subjects living in houses which had initially had negligible amounts of lead in the water. This suggests that hard water may interfere with the absorption of lead from sources other than water.

Humans↗
PubMed1982

Effects of time and administration of ethanol on open field behavior in hamsters.

Sixteen male hamsters, maintained on a 12-hour light-dark cycle, were observed in an open field at six predetermined times in their activity cycle. The experimental group (N = 6) was injected intraperitoneally with 1.5 g/kg ethanol (10% w/v) immediately prior to observations. Control animals were either injected intraperitoneally with a physiological saline solution (N = 5) or were without treatment (N = 5). Open field measures were the number of squares entered during a five-minute period (locomotion) and latency (in seconds) to reach the wall from the center. It was found that ethanol affected the animals differently during light and dark phases. Locomotion measures indicated an increase in activity during dark phases and a decrease during light phases, relative to the baseline. An increase in latency was found during the light phase for experimental animals relative to baseline measures. A group X time of administration interaction for locomotion was also found. These findings suggest that factors such as time of administration may influence the effects of ethanol and that keeping time of administration constant is important when investigating drug effects.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Serum antibody to poliovirus in patients in a mental deficiency hospital, with particular reference to Down's syndrome.

Neutralization tests for poliovirus antibodies were carried out on 74 patients in an adult mental deficiency hospital: 37 patients with Down's syndrome and 37 non-Down's mental defectives. The distribution of antibody titres to poliovirus types 1, 2 and 3 did not differ significantly between the two groups. Most patients had antibody to at least one poliovirus type but less than a third had antibodies at a titre of 1/8 or greater to all three types. The low level of poliovirus immunity in this population may be of epidemiological importance.

Adolescent↗