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Biomedical subjects

M O'Shea

Publications and source records attributed to M O'Shea.

96 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Asking about child sexual abuse: methodological implications of a two stage survey.

In a two stage retrospective survey on child sexual abuse (CSA), a majority of CSA incidents were reported at both postal and interview stages of the survey. Incidents that involved genital contact were most likely to be reported at both stages. A significant number of women reported abuse by a close family member in the postal questionnaire but not at interview. In contrast, incidents mentioned only at interview were more likely to be carried out by a stranger. At interview, many women who replied negatively to a general screening question on CSA went on to report abuse in response to detailed descriptive questions. This was especially true for noncontact experiences. Increasingly restrictive definitions of CSA lowered the prevalence rate for CSA under the age of 16 years from 34.4% to 19.7%. The implication of these findings for the design of future studies is discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Feasibility of improved blood glucose control in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

An attempt was made to improve the control of blood glucose in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Ten patients were studied over a period exceeding 8 mo in the outpatient department. Each patient was taught to monitor his or her own blood glucose concentration and was enrolled in an exercise program. In addition, they were taught to calibrate insulin, food, and exercise in terms of the response of the blood glucose. After 3 mo of study, there was a significant decrease in hemoglobin A1c (Hb A1c) values from a mean concentration of 10.3 to 7.6%. Hb A1c values correlated well with mean blood glucose levels (r = 0.86). Dietary analysis revealed that the patients selected a diet consisting of 25% protein, 44% fat, and 31% carbohydrate, but there was a wide range in caloric distribution. There was no correlation between blood glucose control as measured by Hb A1c and caloric distribution. Systolic blood pressures decreased greater than 10 mm Hg. Serum alkaline phosphatase also decreased in each patient as control of blood glucose improved. Three of the patients with abnormalities of nerve conduction measurement at the beginning of the study had a complete return to normal at 8 mo. An outpatient program such as this may be cost effective through the avoidance of diabetes-related hospitalizations and may provide a mechanism whereby larger studies can be designed to define further the relationship of glycemia to the sequelae of diabetes.

Blood Glucose↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Antioxidant enzyme defence responses of human MCF-7 and SW480 cancer cells to conjugated linoleic acid.

The relationship between antioxidant-enzyme defence responses and cellular growth suppression in human MCF-7 (breast) and SW480 (colon) cancer cells, exposed to CLA in culture was studied. MCF-7 and SW480 cells (1 x 10(6)/flask) were cultured in appropriate medium for 4, 8 and 12 days with varying levels of CLA (0-30 ppm). A dose-dependent decrease in cell numbers and increase in lipid peroxidation, as determined by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) was observed in both cell lines following incubation with CLA. Exposure of both cell lines to 20 ppm CLA for 2-6 days produced a reduction (83-91%) in 3H-leucine incorporation into protein while 3H-uridine and 3H-thymidine incorporation into RNA and DNA were reduced by 49-91% and 86-98%, respectively, compared with untreated control cells. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were induced in both cell lines exposed to CLA (20 ppm) over a period of 12 days, although to a greater extent in MCF-7 cells than in SW480 cells. The data indicate that CLA-induced cytotoxicity against MCF-7 and SW480 cancer cell lines is related to the extent of lipid peroxidation of CLA treated cells and affirm that the CLA- induced antioxidant enzymes failed to protect these cells from cytotoxic lipid peroxidation products.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Milk fat conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) inhibits growth of human mammary MCF-7 cancer cells.

The relationship between growth and the antioxidant enzyme defence system in human MCF-7 (breast) cancer cells treated with bovine milk fat enriched with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) was studied. Milk enriched in CLA was obtained from cows on pasture supplemented with full fat rapeseeds and full fat soyabeans (1). Cell number decreased up to 90% (p < 0.05) and lipid peroxidation increased 15-fold (p < 0.05) following incubation of MCF-7 cells for 8 days with increasing levels of milk fat yielding CLA concentrations between 16.9 and 22.6 ppm. Growth suppression and prooxidant effects of milk fat CLA were independent of the variable composition of the milk fat samples, suggesting that CLA was the active ingredient in milk fat responsible for the cytotoxic effect. Mixtures containing isomers of CLA (c9, t11-, t10, c12-, c11, t13- and minor amounts of other isomers) and linoleic acid (LA) at similar concentrations to the milk fat samples were as effective at inhibiting growth and stimulating peroxidation of MCF-7 cells as the milk fatty acids. Incubation of the cells with the c9, t11 CLA isomer (20 ppm) or the mixture of CLA isomers (20 ppm) for 8 days resulted in a 60% decrease (p < 0.05) in viability compared with untreated controls and was significantly (p < 0.05) more effective than incubation with the t10, c12 CLA isomer (20 ppm), which caused only a 15% decrease in cell numbers under similar conditions. A 25% increase (p < 0.05) in cell proliferation occurred when LA (20 ppm) alone was incubated with MCF-7 cells for 8 days. 14C-CLA was preferentially incorporated into the phospholipid fraction of the MCF-7 cell lipids in a dose-dependent manner and CLA accumulated in cell membranes more efficiently when the cells were incubated in the presence of milk fat than the c9, t11 synthetic CLA isomer. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities were induced in MCF-7 cells exposed to milk fat (containing 16.9-22.6 ppm CLA) over 8 days. The data indicate that milk fat triglyceride-bound CLA, consisting primarily of the c9, t11 isomer, was cytotoxic towards MCF-7 cells.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Clinical nurses as teachers of nursing students.

A questionnaire survey of 304 nurses working in clinical areas of 16 hospitals was conducted to investigate the nurses' attitudes to teaching university nursing students during clinical placements. The survey also identified the information and support that clinicians needed to assist them in their teaching role. The study found that most participants saw teaching students as a part of their role; they felt adequately prepared to teach and gained satisfaction from it. Clinicians needed information about students' level of nursing education and what universities expected their students to gain from clinical placements. They expected university clinical teachers to be accessible and to be involved with teaching their students clinical aspects of practice. Less than half the RNs thought that students on clinical placements were adequately taught by their universities' clinical teachers.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗