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Biomedical subjects

M Goodwin

Publications and source records attributed to M Goodwin.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Assessment of the Albuscreen microalbuminuria kit in diabetic outpatients.

Diabetic patients who have albumin excretion rates of greater than 30 micrograms/min (30 mg/L at normal urine volumes) are at increased risk of the development of diabetic nephropathy. The Albuscreen microalbuminuria kit detects albuminuria at concentrations of 30 mg/L and above by an agglutination-inhibition reaction. One hundred and ninety-five random urine samples from diabetic outpatients were assessed by Albuscreen and Albustix testing for albuminuria and the results were correlated with those of a sensitive radioimmunoassay technique. Albuscreen testing was simple, easy to use and had a sensitivity of 96%, with a specificity of 88%. Albustix testing at a detection level of 50 mg/L revealed a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 68% (43 samples, false-positive "trace" readings), while, at 30 mg/L, the sensitivity and specificity were 90% and 71%, respectively. Therefore, Albuscreen testing is well suited as a screening test for the presence of microalbuminuria in a diabetic outpatient setting. However, the role of Albustix in screening for microalbuminuria is less well defined, especially at the 30 mg/L level of detection, and requires further investigation.

Albuminuria↗
PubMed1987

Anomalous thyrotropin values.

We studied problems associated with use of an "ultrasensitive" thyrotropin (TSH, thyroid-stimulating hormone) assay for diagnosis of hyperthyroidism. Of 955 TSH assays performed in our laboratory during four months, 135 gave TSH values less than 0.1 milli-int. unit/L. We noted low TSH values at all concentrations of free thyroxin (FT4) in plasma. Nine of 13 patients with a normal or low FT4 and no obvious endocrine explanation for a low TSH were elderly and ill. This raises questions about the pituitary function in such patients. Twenty-seven patients who had high FT4 and non-suppressed TSH were clinically euthyroid, 20 of them being on treatment with thyroxin or amiodarone. Low TSH values in a hospital environment do not always indicate hyperthyroidism, although a normal value for TSH probably indicates euthyroidism.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1986

Wheelchair use by ambulatory nursing home residents.

In a survey of wheelchair use in two nursing homes, the authors found a substantial number of cognitively intact nursing home residents who walked, but who also used a wheelchair. Using chart review and interviews with the residents, it was found that multiple physical factors, including pain, strength, endurance, vision and balance, and multiple social and environmental factors, including the fear of falling, were related to the resident's decision to use a wheelchair as an alternative means of mobility. A physical examination focused on aspects of mobility was completed on each resident and was intended to characterize the physical limitations in groups studied. In the nursing home environment, use of the wheelchair is viewed by the residents as a self-initiated choice which the residents believed significantly enhanced their sense of well-being. Finally, there was minimal recognition of mobility as a problem on the part of the medical and nursing staff. The study raises a number of important issues concerning walking versus wheelchair use in the nursing home.

Aged↗
PubMed1979

Sex pheromone in the dog.

Methyl p-hydroxybenzoate has been identified in the vaginal secretions of female dogs in estrus. When small amounts of this compound were applied to the vulvas of anestrous or spayed females, males placed with these females became sexually aroused and attempted to mount them.

Animals↗
PubMed1974

Identification of a ventral scent marking pheromone in the male Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus).

Sebum from the ventral scent marking gland of the male Mongolian gerbil was fractionated and tested for its ability to elicit behavioral response in a conditioning task and in a stimulus preference situation. The active fraction was identified as phenylacetic acid; both it and a synthetic sample elicited the same behavioral response. Phenylacetic acid appears to be a major pheromone of the male Mongolian gerbil.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pain prevalence and pain treatments for residents in Oregon nursing homes.

The Client Care Monitoring Unit of Oregon's Senior and Disabled Services Division developed and conducted a study with survey-generated information to describe the prevalence of pain and the effectiveness of pain interventions for residents of Oregon nursing home facilities. Forty-four percent of sampled residents who were identified as having pain management needs were found to have problematic treatment regimens. Reports of surveyors' experiences during information collection and review of the Medicare/Medicaid recertification reports of the sampled facilities revealed that lack of assessment, and reevaluation of the effectiveness of treatment for pain were the chief contributing factors that led to these findings.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Changes in the conditions for child survival in Mexico and strategies for the future].

Conditions of infant and child survival in Mexico have improved considerably over the last 60 years. Infant mortality rates were reduced from more than 250 deaths per 1,000 infants born alive in 1929-1931, to a rate of less than 50 in the period 1982-1987, a figure which still places Mexico among the countries with a high infant mortality rate. Though improvements in the living conditions of the population have undoubtedly played a part in the reduction of infant and child mortality, the early introduction of sanitation campaigns and, more recently of immunization, antibiotics and other modern health techniques have probably been more important. Health services have been extended throughout the country. However, significant portions of the population, especially in the rural areas, but also in the growing urban marginal ones, are to a large extent underserved. As a result, great inequalities in the health status of the population and in their access to health services remain. The problem of providing services to the whole population has become aggravated by the economic and financial crisis which has plagued Mexico since 1982. Reduced revenues for exports and the high cost of servicing the external and the internal debt have significantly decreased government revenues. As a result, public resources directed to health-related services diminished by 50 per cent in real terms between 1982 and 1987. This trend has to be reversed through enforced measures directed to the mobilization of untapped external and internal resources. But improving the conditions of child survival in Mexico requires more than financial resources. It is necessary to integrate and coordinate the fragmented services offered by the government, to give a much higher priority to preventive measures, and to research and to the adequate training of professionals and paraprofessionals in order to re-orient the health system for serving the real needs of the more underprivileged groups of the population (understanding and respecting their cultural beliefs and practices). In this way, Mexico can reverse the trend toward greater inequality which pervades the present system.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMedDate not supplied

PAIS dependency system: a validation.

A timing study was conducted at a 500 bed metropolitan teaching hospital over a five month period (1988-89) in order to test the validity of the Patient Assessment and Information System (PAIS) which had been introduced eight months prior. Hospital inpatients in 16 medical and surgical wards were each studied for a 24 hour period. Direct and indirect nursing care activities and ward-related indirect activities were recorded by nurses as they engaged in them. The validity of the 16 hours PAIS model was confirmed with time values extended to 24 hours.

Australia↗