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Biomedical subjects

M Farrell

Publications and source records attributed to M Farrell.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Screening for hepatitis B and vaccination of injecting drug users in NHS drug treatment services.

Hepatitis B vaccines are now available for people at high risk of infection. Injecting drug users are at particular risk. A UK national survey of statutory drug treatment facilities was conducted to assess what screening and vaccination procedures were offered to drug takers. Of the respondents 64% did not screen for hepatitis B and 71% did not offer vaccination to hepatitis B negative individuals. However, 63% respondents said they would advise vaccination for injecting drug users who continued to share. Fifty-eight per cent thought that the partners of hepatitis B positive clients should be screened and 50% thought that vaccination of partners was advisable. A policy of screening and vaccination for hepatitis B is recommended.

Hepatitis B↗
PubMed1990

Thailand and AIDS.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗
PubMed1990

Clinical features of patients attending a gender-identity clinic.

Of 106 patients attending a gender-identity clinic, 73% satisfied DSM-III criteria for transsexualism. These DSM-III positives had a significantly younger age of onset and were less likely to experience sexual arousal with cross-dressing than those who did not satisfy DSM-III criteria. They were also significantly more likely to fulfil a definition of 'core transsexualism'. 'Core transsexualism' may represent a subgroup within DSM-III criteria for transsexualism and its defining features in this study were an early age of onset, low sexual activity, lack of sexual arousal with cross-dressing and homosexual orientation. Of the whole sample, 23% were referred for gender reassignment surgery, of whom 100% were DSM-III positive and 60% were 'core transsexuals'.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Management of the pregnant opiate user.

Increasing numbers of women are seeking help for drug misuse. In addition to problems associated with drug dependence, there are also problems concerning child care, pregnancy and women's health. In this paper we discuss the management of the pregnant opiate user, effects of opiate use in utero and postpartum and ways in which non-drug services can assist in the early identification and treatment of these women.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Discrimination on the grounds of diagnosis.

The study used the methodology of randomly allocating case vignettes to a sample of British consultant psychiatrists to assess the influence of a past diagnosis of alcohol dependence on present treatment attitudes. The case vignettes either did or did not include the previous diagnosis of alcohol dependence and the sex of the 'case' was also randomized. Psychiatrists receiving the vignette with the diagnosis of alcohol dependence were more likely to rate the patient as difficult, annoying, less in need of admission, uncomplaint, having a poor prognosis and more likely to be discharged from follow-up. There was minimal sex difference. Psychiatrist with a special interest in addictions regarded people with a past diagnosis of alcohol dependence as less difficult to manage than their non-specialist colleagues. The implications for education and treatment are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Replication of an RK2 miniplasmid derivative in vitro by a DNA/membrane complex extracted from Escherichia coli: involvement of the dnaA but not dnaK host proteins and association of these and plasmid-encoded proteins with the inner membrane.

A DNA/membrane complex extracted from a miniplasmid derivative of the broad host range plasmid RK2 cultured in Escherichia coli capable of synthesizing new plasmid supercoiled DNA in vitro was treated with antibodies that were made against or reacted with the dnaA and dnaK host-encoded proteins, respectively. Anti-dnaA protein antibody inhibited total plasmid DNA synthesis significantly and the synthesis of supercoil plasmid DNA almost completely. In contrast, anti-dnaK protein antibody and nonimmune serum had little or no effect on total plasmid DNA synthesis. Both proteins were found to be present in the inner but not outer membrane fraction of E. coli. A variety of miniplasmid-encoded proteins which had previously been found in the DNA/membrane complex have also been localized to the inner but not outer membrane fraction. These include an essential initiation protein of 32 kDa (and an overlapping protein of 43 kDa coded for by the same gene), as well as a 30-kDa protein that may be linked to incompatibility functions. Various extraction methods were used to distinguish between the associated and the integral nature of the plasmid-encoded proteins. The results demonstrated that the essential replication proteins (32 and 43 kDa) as well as the 30-kDa protein was tightly bound to the inner membrane. Computer analysis of the amino acid sequence of the 32 (and 43)-kDa protein revealed a hydrophobic region that is only half that normally required to span the membrane. Other interactions are discussed with respect to attaching this protein to the membrane.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗
PubMed1989

A controlled study of type A behavior and psychophysiologic responses to stress in anorexia nervosa.

Adolescents and young adults meeting DSM-III criteria for anorexia nervosa (n = 13) and atypical eating disorders (n = 7) were compared with weight-recovered anorectics (n = 6) and normal weight controls (n = 11) using a type-A structured interview and a computerized stress procedure. Heart rate, blood pressure, and electrocardiographic changes were monitored. Anorexia nervosa subjects demonstrated significantly more type-A characteristics than controls. The emaciated and weight-recovered anorectics had elevated hostility scores on the type-A interview, which has been shown in recent studies of type-A behavior to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. This pilot study is the first to demonstrate a significant relationship between anorexia and the type-A behavioral pattern. Also the anorectic subjects showed significantly more cardiovascular reactivity than controls as measured by failure of stressed anorectic subjects to lower their systolic blood pressure to baseline levels as controls did. These results support the importance of monitoring stress reactions and personality traits as well as traditional biological measures.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Parents of critically ill children have their needs too! A literature review.

Children are very special people in the lives of their parents. Much of the life of the parents is concerned with meeting the needs of the children, giving them nurturance, love, protection and support. A child's parents will be the dominant factor in providing that environment in which the child develops and comes to understand his/her self, role in the family unit and relationship with the world at large. This process of understanding and development is a process that continues throughout the life of the child. Given that parents can exercise particular influence upon the child, the way in which parents interpret and relate any experience or situation which affects the child may influence the child's adaptation and understanding to this situation. It would, therefore, be reasonable to suggest that if the parents are able to relate the positive aspects of any given situation to a child (particularly the positive aspects of adverse situations) then the child's adaptation to and understanding of this situation may be facilitated. This unique influence and understanding implicit in the parental role has important implications for health care workers, for in their care of hospitalised children the involvement and co-operation of the parents is essential if adverse reactions to hospitalisation are to be minimised. However the parents will only be able to assist the health care team to meet the needs of the child if their own needs are also acknowledged and satisfied. With this in mind this review of the literature will focus upon the needs of parents whose children have been admitted into a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Humans↗
PubMed1989

Dying and bereavement. The role of the critical care nurse.

The critical care units of today are environments totally dedicated to implementing life saving and life supporting measures. The development of the critical care unit is such that now many critical care units offer specific specialised disease/surgical management e.g. the cardiothoracic unit, transplant centres. As the ability of the critical care units to offer extensive life supportive measures continually improves, the fact is that there is still an increased potential for death to occur in the critical care unit, more than in other acute areas. While the prime function of the critical care staff will always be to support and sustain the life of their patients for whom they care, they also have a responsibility to offer a caring and compassionate level of care to the dying critically ill patient and to ensure that they support the dying patients' relatives in every way that they can. The prospect of death (for the patient), and the actual loss of the patient (for the relatives/medical and nursing staff) can present a number of difficulties for all those involved. These difficulties, which will be identified in the course of the article, may if unresolved predispose to a poor and traumatic bereavement process for the relatives, while the critical care staff may experience possible feelings of frustration, helplessness and low morale. (Caughill, 1976). It is therefore the aim of this article to examine the role of the critical care nurse in caring for the dying patient in the intensive care areas.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Bereavement↗