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Biomedical subjects

M McCarthy

Publications and source records attributed to M McCarthy.

At least 343 records · Page 19Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Accidents in the home among children under 5: ethnic differences or social disadvantage?

Accidents in the home to children under 5 in a multiracial population with a high level of social disadvantage were studied by interviewing at home the parents of 402 children attending the accident department of a west London hospital during one year. The parents' country of birth, whether they were employed, and their housing conditions were recorded using the definitions of the 1981 census. Four ethnic groups (British (183 children), Asian (127), Caribbean (61), and other (31)) were identified. Though attendance rates based on the populations of electoral wards at the census and standardised for distance from the hospital showed no significant differences among the ethnic groups, there was a strong gradient by social class and strong associations with unemployment of the mother (although not of the father), overcrowding, and tenure of housing. Social disadvantage seems to be more important than ethnicity as a determinant of accidents to children in the home.

Accidents, Home↗
PubMed1988

Chemotherapy for the primary treatment of osteosarcoma: population effectiveness over 20 years.

Examination of the survival rate of 5-year cohorts with primary osteosarcoma registered by the Thames Cancer Registry between 1963 and 1982 and followed up to the end of 1984 showed a borderline significant improvement in survival (test for trend p = 0.05) for patients aged under 25 years at registration, but not for patients 25-64 years. A Cox's proportional hazards model was used to identify effects of sex, period of treatment, whether the patient received chemotherapy, and experience of the hospital. For patients aged under 25 years, a significant (p = 0.02) trend of improved survival was seen among the most recent cohort, and the greater the treatment experience of the hospital, possibly the better the results (p = 0.11), although selective referral cannot be excluded as a reason for this finding. Chemotherapy was not independently associated with survival. Period of treatment, chemotherapy, and experience of hospital were not associated with improved survival for patients aged 25-64. Recent clinical trials for primary osteosarcoma have contributed to an apparent improved survival through selection of patients with good prognosis. Claims for the efficacy of new regimens should be assessed in clinical practice by population monitoring through the analysis of cancer registers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Patient's assessment of out of hours care in general practice.

A sample of 177 patients drawn from 13 north London practices were interviewed shortly after they had sought help from their practice outside normal surgery hours. Patients were asked to describe the process and outcome of their out of hours call, to comment on specific aspects of the consultation, and to access their overall satisfaction with the encounter. Parents seeking consultations for children were least satisfied with the consultation; those aged over 60 responded most positively. Visits from general practitioners were more acceptable than visits from deputising doctors for patients aged under 60, but for patients aged over 60 visits from general practitioners and deputising doctors were equally acceptable. Monitoring of patients' views of out of hours consultations is feasible, and the findings of this study suggest that practices should regularly review the organisation of their out of hours care and discuss strategies for minimising conflict in out of hours calls--particularly those concerning children.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Measuring severity of injuries to children from home accidents.

The severity of injuries from home accidents was assessed in 402 children under the age of 5 treated in the accident department of an inner London hospital. Our child injury severity scale comprises three grades of severity for six types of injury. There was moderate agreement between the observer and an assessor in categorising the cases. Burns and scalds and poisoning caused more severe injuries than other accidents. A strong correlation was found between the parent's social class and the severity of the accident, but there was no correlation with ethnic group as indicated by the parents' country of birth. The development of a reliable scale of severity is important if programmes of prevention of accidents to children in the home are to be evaluated successfully.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed1988

Pontine hemorrhagic infarction in nontraumatic fat embolism.

A 46-year-old man developed hemorrhagic pontine infarction secondary to fat embolization 6 days after surgery to repair a perforated duodenal ulcer. This case report emphasizes the clinical risk factors for fat embolization in the nontraumatic setting.

Embolism, Fat↗
PubMed1988

Renal failure services.

Treatment of end stage renal disease (ESRD) by dialysis or renal transplantation has been available for 20 years. This article considers four issues in the management of ESRD services in the UK. First, there remains inadequate evidence on which treatment is best for which patient. Second, the recent increase in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis may not be a cost-effective choice. Third, both dialysis and transplant centres appear to have substantial opportunities to improve efficiency. Last, the present level of treatment in the UK appears to be meeting needs: other health problems may now have higher priority for health care resources.

Hemodialysis Units, Hospital↗
PubMed1988

Dysgonic Fermenter-type 2: an emerging zoonosis. Report of two cases and review.

We report Dysgonic Fermenter-type 2 septicaemia presenting in two previously healthy individuals, and review 52 cases of infection with Dysgonic Fermenter-type 2 reported in the English language literature. This zoonosis is usually acquired through contact with dogs and cats. Infection often presents with little warning to patient or physician and carries a high mortality. The immunosuppressed patient, those without a spleen, alcoholics and those with chronic disease appear to be most susceptible, although the healthy individual is also prone to infection. The infection is probably underdiagnosed due to difficulties in isolating Dysgonic Fermenter-type 2 by conventional blood culture techniques. Clinical and microbiological awareness is of prime importance in the early diagnosis of this potentially lethal infection.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Survey of specialised hospital services for adults with epilepsy in the North East Thames Region of the United Kingdom.

A Government (Department of Health and Social Security) (DHSS) Working Group has recently publish a report concerning the services for epilepsy in the UK, in which a number of recommendations for improvements were made, including the setting up of epilepsy clinics. In view of the lack of information concerning the specialised services currently available on a regional basis, we have undertaken a survey of hospital services for adults in the North East Thames Region. In this paper, we report the findings, noting the developments which have already taken place, the deficiencies that have been identified, and possible improvements in line with the Working Group's report.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

How do child accidents happen?

This study describes how 402 child home accidents happened. It is based on home interviews of parents of children under five who attended a hospital accident and emergency department in a multi-racial area of west London. From the parents' account, the majority of these common domestic accidents--falls, poisoning, cuts, burns and scalds--happened when parental supervision was reduced, rather than because of household hazards. The implications for prevention are to give better emotional and financial support to parents rather than adopting traditional health education interventions to alter the environment.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed1986

Primary care.

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Family Practice↗
PubMed1986

Comparison of 7S nerve growth factor and nerve growth factor I from mouse submandibular glands.

7S nerve growth factor (7S NGF) and nerve growth factor I (NGFI) are NGF-containing protein complexes isolated from mouse submandibular glands by different protocols, and reports suggest that the molecules differ chemically. In this study, we compared the molecular properties and subunit compositions of the two proteins. Purified 7S NGF and NGFI electrophoresed to identical positions on polyacrylamide gels in nondissociating buffers, with electrophoretic mobilities indistinguishable from that of unpurified NGF in salivary gland extracts. Ultraviolet absorption curves were identical, and sedimentation coefficients were similar (7.3 +/- 0.25 S for 7S NGF; 7.2 +/- 0.2 S for NGFI) as determined by sedimentation velocity analysis. By sedimentation equilibrium analysis, molecular weights of 135 000-140 000 were obtained for both complexes at protein concentrations in the centrifuge cell greater than 85 micrograms/mL; when protein concentrations within the centrifuge cell ranged from approximately 30 to 100 micrograms/mL at equilibrium, both complexes dissociated. Molecular weight values determined by gel filtration on Bio-Gel P300 and Sephadex G200 resins were similar for both proteins, and the values determined on Sephadex agreed with those obtained by ultracentrifugation. The subunit compositions of the complexes were also similar as determined by nonequilibrium isoelectric focusing, NGFI being composed of proteins that migrated to positions identical with those of the alpha, beta, and gamma subunits of 7S NGF. Furthermore, the stoichiometry of the subunits was similar in the two complexes as determined by radioimmunoassays to each of the subunits and by densitometric analysis of electrophoretic gels. Both methods showed that the complexes contain approximately 2 mol of the alpha and gamma subunits per mole of beta-NGF.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1986

Community care.

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Community Mental Health Services↗