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Biomedical subjects

M Humphrey

Publications and source records attributed to M Humphrey.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

The changing role of Asian labour migration in the Middle East.

"The paper explores the changing role and origins of foreign labour in two labour importing states, Kuwait and Jordan.... Because Asian labour is cheaper, politically quiescent and more readily reexportable than Arab labour migrants it has become an increasingly important element of these labour forces.... The paper argues that the strategy of dependent development based on the state's import of large amounts of capital, labour and technology has emphasised specific national identities over a regional pan-Arab one." (SUMMARY IN FRE AND SPA)

Asia↗
PubMed1989

Damaged identity and the search for kinship in adult adoptees.

A postal questionnaire was sent to 100 members of an organization for helping adopted individuals to trace their origins. Replies were received from 42 women and 34 men, some of whom were interviewed in person or more often by telephone. The voyage of self-discovery was evidently more crucial for women, whose need for a stronger sense of identity had been enhanced by marriage and motherhood. Relatively more men than women had sought help for personal problems in adulthood, although paradoxically more women reported an unhappy experience of adoption and a damaged sense of identity. Predictably, mother-child reunions had often proved disappointing and occasionally distressing for both parties. In contrast, the discovery of lost siblings had usually brought more reward. This aspect of the search for biological relatives deserves more emphasis, in case adoptees (especially when reared as only children and/or when psychologically disturbed) might have more to gain from meeting a sibling than from meeting a parent.

Adoption↗
PubMed1987

Summary of labour and obstetric audit by microcomputer.

A microcomputer is used directly by the clinician, immediately after delivering a baby, to produce a summary letter to the referring physician and for the case notes. The programme is easy to use, and accepted by a wide range of medical users. In addition to producing a summary, the information is added to the obstetric data base, which may be interrogated by a computer novice. The system is now used to produce yearly obstetric audits of the Queen Victoria Medical Centre.

Australia↗
PubMed1986

A fresh look at genealogical bewilderment.

The concept of genealogical bewilderment is re-examined in the light of empirical evidence gathered over the past 20 years. It is concluded that, where the quality of surrogate family relationships is sufficient to meet the child's emotional needs, then there is no reason why ancestral knowledge should be a prerequisite of mental health. It would appear that individuals with a spontaneous urge or sometimes even a compulsion to search for their biological relatives are not uncommonly suffering from emotional deprivation. However, this is not to deny the reality of healthy genetic curiosity in children cut off from their roots.

Adoption↗
PubMed1985

Number and distribution of putative cholinergic neurons in the cat retina.

The number and distribution of putative cholinergic amacrine cells in cat retina was demonstrated by immunocytochemical localization of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), the synthesizing enzyme for acetylcholine. In whole mount preparations of the cat retina ChAT-immunoreactive neurons were found in the inner nuclear layer (presumably amacrine cells) and in the ganglion cell layer (presumably displaced amacrine cells). The density of ChAT-labelled neurons increased from about 280 cells/mm2 in peripheral retina, to about 2750 cells/mm2 in the central area. There were always more ChAT-positive cells in the ganglion cell layer (50-70%) than in the amacrine cell layer. Two narrow dendritic strata were labelled in the inner plexiform layer.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1985

Cognitive methods of preparing women for hysterectomy: does a booklet help?

Thirty women about to undergo hysterectomy were sequentially assigned to three equal groups. The first two groups were taught methods of cognitive control over anxiety, either through a detailed booklet (group 1) or orally (group 2). The third group served as attention-placebo controls. The two experimental groups reported less pain and distress than the control group, who spent longer in hospital and were more prone to post-operative vomiting. The booklet proved neither more nor less beneficial than oral teaching on the criteria adopted, and is therefore seen as more cost effective.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1984

Adolescent fantasy and self-fulfillment: the problem of female passivity.

A detailed analysis is reported of essays written by teenagers from two independent schools (120 of each sex) in response to the opening sentence: "Today is my eightieth birthday and I look back to the day I left school." Predictably the girls were orientated toward marriage and family life, and were somewhat less career-minded than the boys. They were also less politically aware, and saw hobbies as a luxury for their retirement and not as an integral part of life. Essentially they differed from the boys in being ready to live through others rather than on their own terms. These findings are interpreted in the light of Freud's distinction between passivity and the pursuit of a passive aim, which may call for well directed activity.

Achievement↗
PubMed1984

Changes in self-concept following severe head injury.

Twenty five severely head injured patients from two specialist neurological rehabilitation centres were interviewed on average seven months post-injury. Changes in self-concept were investigated through the completion of scales of anxiety and depression, an attitude questionnaire relating to physical disability and semantic differential ratings of Present Self, Past (pre-morbid) Self, Future Self, a Typical Person and a Typical Head Injured Person. Psychological distress in terms of anxiety and depressions was common. Patients viewed themselves as having changed substantially as a result of their head injury on a wide range of constructs, yet confidently anticipated a return to Past (pre-morbid) Self within a year, even though Past Self was rated more positively overall than a Typical Person. While differing dramatically from Past Self, Present Self was rated more positively in some respects than the concept of a Typical Head Injured Person, which was perceived as markedly different from that of a Typical Person. Whilst unrealistic expectations may initially serve to protect the profoundly disabled individual and even motivate him towards recovery, in the long run they are more likely to hamper rehabilitation and adjustment. Effective intervention calls for awareness of the patient's own perspective as well as the relatives' reactions to the overt disabilities.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

The role of the regional lymph node in breast cancer: a comparison between nodal and systemic reactivity.

Confusion remains concerning the role of the regional lymph node in the containment of cancer. Numerous investigators using a variety of assays have reported often conflicting results concerning the immunocompetency of lymphocytes residing in regional nodes. Forty-two axillary lymph nodes from ten stage I and stage II breast cancer patients were studied in lymphocyte blast assays using mitogens and breast cancer antigen (BCA). Three general response patterns to BCA were identified which were related primarily to tumor size. In the patients with the smallest primary tumor (0.5 cm), lymphocytes in the nodes reacted to a much greater extent than peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). In two of three patients with intermediate-size tumor (1.0 to 1.5 cm), a mixed pattern of responses was seen with both stimulation suppression occurring within the nodes of the same patient. In the four patients with the largest tumors (2.0 to 3.0 cm), 15 of 19 nodes had a lower stimulation index (SI) than the corresponding PBL. From the results of this study it appears that regional lymph nodes are dynamic immunologic structures which regress in responsiveness as tumor burden increases.

Antigens, Neoplasm↗
PubMed1983

Coping with the loss of a leg.

This study sets out to examine the physical and psychological effects of amputation on marriage and family life; assess the extent to which the needs of the younger amputee are being met from current rehabilitation resources, and to ascertain how the non-disabled regard amputation and its consequences. Interviews were conducted with a group of 19 amputees and a group of 40 non-disabled individuals within the same age range and the results are reported.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Presenile stroke: long-term outcome for patients and their families.

Postal questionnaires were completed by the spouses of 170 surviving stroke patients who had attended a medical rehabilitation centre up to eight years earlier. Problems of self-care were reported as persisting in two thirds and restricted mobility in almost half of the patients. Outcome here was influenced by presence or absence rather than by side of hemiplegia. However, return to work was significantly more common with left hemiplegia. Memory defects were said to be displayed by one patient in three, communication loss and marked personality change by one in four. A third of both patients and spouses had received treatment for tension or depression, which points to a need for improved after-care facilities.

Adult↗