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Biomedical subjects

Karen Jones

Publications and source records attributed to Karen Jones.

28 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

Changes in nocturia from medical treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia: secondary analysis of the Department of Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study Trial.

PURPOSE: We evaluate the efficacy of medical therapy on nocturia in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a secondary analysis of data from the VA Cooperative Study Program Trial in which 1,229 men with BPH 45 to 80 years old were randomly assigned to receive terazosin, finasteride, combination or placebo. RESULTS: The 1,078 men who completed 12 months of the trial are included in this study. Of those men 1,040 (96.5%) had at least 1 episode of nocturia at baseline and 38 (3.5%) had less than 1 episode (baseline nocturia is an average of 2 measures). Of those 1,040 men 788 (75.8%) had 2 or more nocturia episodes. Overall, nocturia decreased from a baseline mean of 2.5 to 1.8, 2.1, 2.0 and 2.1 episodes in the terazosin, finasteride, combination and placebo groups, respectively. Of men with 2 or more episodes of nocturia 50% reduction in nocturia was seen in 39%, 25%, 32% and 22% in the terazosin, finasteride, combination and placebo groups, respectively. Changes in nocturia were correlated with changes in reported bother from nocturia (Pearson correlation 0.48), BPH impact index (0.32) and overall satisfaction with urinary symptoms (0.33). CONCLUSIONS: Terazosin and combination therapy reduced nocturia in men with BPH, yet the net advantage of terazosin over placebo was a net reduction of 0.3 nocturia episode. For a person to reach a 50% or greater reduction in nocturia, the advantage of terazosin over placebo was 17 percentage points. Changes in nocturia had a moderate impact on symptom specific quality of life measures.

Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists↗
PubMed2002

Unintentional injury in preschool boys with and without early onset of disruptive behavior.

OBJECTIVE: To determine subsequent risk of unintentional injury among preschool boys diagnosed with ODD, boys with comorbid ODD and ADHD, and boys matched demographically to the clinical sample; to test predictive validity of a measure of injury proneness; and to examine factors that might predict injury beyond clinic status. METHODS: Seventy-nine consecutive clinic-referred preschool-age boys and 76 demographically matched boys without disruptive behavior participated in a 2-year prospective longitudinal design. Time 1 assessment included clinical diagnosis, parent-reported injury proneness, attachment, and verbal abilities. Injury history was measured 1 and 2 years later. RESULTS: Clinic-referred children had more injuries than the comparison group. Children with comorbid ODD and ADHD had approximately the same injury rate as those with ODD but not ADHD. Parent-reported injury proneness was unrelated to subsequent injuries. Neither attachment nor verbal ability predicted injury significantly beyond clinic status. CONCLUSIONS: Children with early disruptive behavior are at increased risk of unintentional injury and therefore should be considered prime candidates for injury prevention campaigns.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2002

Public health in hospitals: the missing link in health improvement.

Traditionally, public health professionals have scorned hospitals as the antithesis of community health. Secondary care remains notably distant from public health practice and policy. Yet hospitals consume over 50 per cent of the health budget and over a quarter of the population have contact with hospital services every year. There is an important public health agenda in hospitals for promoting health and an environment that encourages community partnership and a healthy place to work and be. Public health skills have a key role in ensuring high-quality, safe and evidence-based health care. Epidemiological support for hospitals can promote a much-needed culture of monitoring and evaluation of health services. A public health approach to planning of secondary care services can encourage a more objective and strategic assessment of health needs and how these are best met. We argue that public health hospitals should not be an oxymoron, but an essential component of public health strategy. Different approaches to putting public health into hospitals are discussed.

Community Health Planning↗
PubMed2002

Symptom factors in early-onset psychotic disorders.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the factor structure of symptom ratings in early-onset psychotic illnesses. METHOD: Subjects were drawn from a 2-year prospective study of early onset psychotic disorders. Principal components analysis with orthogonal (varimax) rotation was used to create factors from baseline ratings on the Schedule for Positive Symptoms, the Schedule for Negative Symptoms, and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale for Children. RESULTS: Youths with schizophrenia (n = 27), bipolar disorder (n = 22), and psychosis not otherwise specified (n = 20) were included. Four symptom factors were identified: negative symptoms, positive symptoms, behavioral problems, and dysphoria. Negative symptoms were predictive of the diagnosis of schizophrenia and treatment with antipsychotic medications. Neither behavior problems nor dysphoria were predictive of diagnosis. In subjects who completed follow-up assessments at year 1 (n = 49) and year 2 (n = 39), negative symptoms and behavioral problems predicted poorer functioning. CONCLUSIONS: The four factors are clinically relevant, with both treatment planning and prognostic implications. Negative symptoms best differentiated schizophrenia from the other disorders. Behavior problems and dysphoria were nonspecific problems that occurred in all three disorders, which likely leads to misdiagnosis in community settings.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Facial appearance and attachment in infants with orofacial clefts: a replication.

OBJECTIVE: The current study sought to replicate an unexpected finding reported by: relatively unattractive infants at age 3 months were more likely than attractive infants to show secure maternal attachment at age 12 months, a finding unaffected by the diagnosis of cleft lip and palate (CLP), cleft palate only (CPO), or the absence of a cleft condition. DESIGN: We evaluated the effects of diagnosis (CLP, CPO, or no diagnosis) and age (3, 12, and 24 months) on facial attractiveness ratings derived from a modified Q-sort method. SETTING: Craniofacial clinic in an urban children's hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Infants with CLP and CPO and typically developing infants without clefts (n = 126) and their mothers. Ratings were made by 13 adults unfamiliar with cleft conditions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Facial attractiveness ratings. RESULTS: Infants with CLP were rated as the least attractive at all time points. At ages 12 and 24 months, infants in the CPO group were rated as less attractive than typical infants but more attractive than infants in the CLP group. Typical infants and those with CLP-but not CPO-received higher attractiveness ratings with age. As hypothesized, less attractive infants, regardless of diagnosis, were more likely to show secure attachment than were more attractive infants. CONCLUSIONS: We tentatively conclude that the perceived vulnerability of young infants, as indexed by atypical or unattractive facial characteristics, engenders extraordinary protectiveness and responsiveness in some mothers, leading to a higher probability of secure attachment. A test of this hypothesis with a new sample of infants is recommended.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Isolation of patients in single rooms or cohorts to reduce spread of MRSA in intensive-care units: prospective two-centre study.

BACKGROUND: Hospital-acquired infection due to meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is common within intensive-care units. Single room or cohort isolation of infected or colonised patients is used to reduce spread, but its benefit over and above other contact precautions is not known. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of moving versus not moving infected or colonised patients in intensive-care units to prevent transmission of MRSA. METHODS: We undertook a prospective 1-year study in the intensive-care units of two teaching hospitals. Admission and weekly screens were used to ascertain the incidence of MRSA colonisation. In the middle 6 months, MRSA-positive patients were not moved to a single room or cohort nursed unless they were carrying other multiresistant or notifiable pathogens. Standard precautions were practised throughout. Hand hygiene was encouraged and compliance audited. FINDINGS: Patients' characteristics and MRSA acquisition rates were similar in the periods when patients were moved and not moved. The crude (unadjusted) Cox proportional-hazards model showed no evidence of increased transmission during the non-move phase (0.73 [95% CI 0.49-1.10], p=0.94 one-sided). There were no changes in transmission of any particular strain of MRSA nor in handwashing frequency between management phases. INTERPRETATION: Moving MRSA-positive patients into single rooms or cohorted bays does not reduce crossinfection. Because transfer and isolation of critically ill patients in single rooms carries potential risks, our findings suggest that re-evaluation of isolation policies is required in intensive-care units where MRSA is endemic, and that more effective means of preventing spread of MRSA in such settings need to be found.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Parenting stress and children with heart disease.

INTRODUCTION: Whereas the stress precipitated by the diagnosis of an infant's congenital abnormality is well recognized, this study examined parenting stress reported by parents of children older than 2 years with heart disease. METHOD: Abidin's Parenting Stress Index was administered to parents of children ages 2 to 12 years with known heart disease during a cardiology outpatient clinic visit. RESULTS: Parents of children with heart disease were more likely than the normative population to report excessive parenting stress, especially related to characteristics of the child that make them difficult to parent. Approximately 1 in 5 parents expressed clinically significant levels of stress. These parents expressed difficulty with setting limits or discipline of the child with heart disease. Parenting stress was not related to the severity of the child's heart disease, family socioeconomic status, or time since most recent surgery. Older age of the child was associated with higher parenting stress scores. DISCUSSION: Clinicians must assess parenting stress at each health care visit to provide appropriate support and anticipatory guidance to families of children with heart disease.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Enrolling uninsured children in SCHIP. Lessons learned from community health centers.

In 1997 Congress established the State Child Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to address the problem of the nation's low-income uninsured children. To help children become eligible for SCHIP and to tap into the potential revenue stream for previously uninsured children, community health centers have taken differing approaches. This study examines the lessons learned from enrolling children at 14 health centers in six states. The lessons can be valuable for primary care centers and other safety-net providers.

Child↗