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Biomedical subjects

N Edwards

Publications and source records attributed to N Edwards.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Exploring seniors' views on the use of assistive devices in fall prevention.

Falls are a common barrier to independent living among elderly persons. In recent years, growing awareness of the incidence of falls has led to the development of many community-based fall prevention programs for older adults. However, the potential impact of these programs is diminished by the lack of research on factors that may influence older persons' decisions to adopt or reject fall prevention behaviors. This exploratory descriptive study employed a focus group approach to elicit qualitative data on seniors' views on the use of assistive devices in fall prevention. Four focus group interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 30 community-living older adults from Italian- and British-Canadian backgrounds in Ottawa, Canada. The interviews documented personal experiences with and the meaning of falls, aging, and assistive device use for older adults. The findings have important implications for the public health nursing practice in the realms of individual counseling, social marketing, and policy change to prevent falls among elderly persons. The study also provides direction for future research on this topic.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed1998

Smoking in pregnancy and postpartum: relationship to mothers' choices concerning infant nutrition.

The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between maternal smoking status and infant nutrition. Women delivering in 5 hospitals in the Ottawa-Carleton region of Ontario were screened for eligibility over a 6-month period in 1993. Follow-up data were collected by telephone at 3 months postpartum using a validated questionnaire. Mothers were retrospectively asked about their infant-feeding choices and their smoking behaviours. Logistic regression analyses were used to determine the significance of demographic factors and maternal smoking behaviours in relationship to 3 feeding practices: bottlefeeding at birth, discontinued breastfeeding by 12 weeks, and introduction of solids by 12 weeks. A total of 796 women participated in the longitudinal study (90% follow-up rate). Less-educated; younger; single, separated or divorced; and foreign-born mothers were more likely to bottlefeed at birth. Less-educated women more often discontinued breastfeeding before 12 weeks. Mothers who had smoked during part or all of their pregnancy and were smoking at the time of the interview were significantly more likely than non-smokers to bottlefeed at birth or to discontinue breastfeeding by 12 weeks. Current smokers were also more likely than non-smokers to have introduced solid food by 12 weeks. Maternal smoking was a significant predictor of infant nutrition, with other sociodemographic factors taken into account. Smoking status should be included in clinical screening tools for infant nutrition. The relationship between other dimensions of maternal smoking (e.g., timing of quitting attempts, degree of partner support, partner's smoking behaviours) and infant-feeding practices warrants investigation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Home care case management. Perspectives from the home front.

Focus groups were held with home care case managers in two cities in Canada which provided information on the role of the case manager, factors that influence decision making, recent changes that have taken place in case management, and the different and positive aspects of home care case management. Factors which influence decision making were grouped into organizational, client, family, other professionals, and case management factors. The differences in case managers' preparation and functions in the two sites are discussed. The difficult aspects of case management included making tough decisions related to client resources, and client, work life, and management issues. The positive aspects included the personal interaction with clients, the opportunity to follow through on services to clients, the diversity of case management work, and the opportunity for relatively independent professional practice.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1996

Hypercapnic blood pressure response is greater during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle.

We investigated the cardiovascular responses to acute hypercapnia during the menstrual cycle. Eleven female subjects with regular menstrual cycles performed hypercapnic rebreathing tests during the follicular and luteal phases of their menstrual cycles. Ventilatory and cardiovascular variables were recorded breath by breath. Serum progesterone and estradiol were measured on each occasion. Serum progesterone was higher during the luteal [50.4 +/- 9.6 (SE) nmol/l] than during the follicular phase (2.1 +/- 0.7 nmol/l; P < 0.001), but serum estradiol did not differ (follicular phase, 324 +/- 101 pmol/l; luteal phase, 162 +/- 71 pmol/l; P = 0.61). The systolic blood pressure responses during hypercapnia were 2.0 +/- 0.3 and 4.0 +/- 0.5 mmHg/Torr (1 Torr = 1 mmHg rise in end-tidal PCO2) during the follicular and luteal phases, respectively, of the menstrual cycle (P < 0.01). The diastolic blood pressure responses were 1.1 +/- 0.2 and 2.1 +/- 0.3 mmHg/Torr during the follicular and luteal phases, respectively (P < 0.002). Heart rate responses did not differ during the luteal (1.7 +/- 0.3 beats.min-1.Torr-1) and follicular phases (1.4 +/- 0.3 beats.min-1.Torr-1; P = 0.59). These data demonstrate a greater pressor response during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle that may be related to higher serum progesterone concentrations.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Age-related development of human anti-pig xenoantibody.

Human cytotoxic natural xenoantibodies are believed to be of the immunoglobulin M class in nature. However, a thorough understanding of the development of these natural antixenodonor xenoantibodies remains incomplete. In this study, serum samples were obtained from newborn, infant, and adult human beings. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine the binding of human natural immunoglobulin M xenoantibodies to pig aortic endothelial cells and pig lymphocytes. A complement-mediated cytotoxicity assay was used to measure the cytotoxicity of newborn, infant, and adult serum to cultured pig aortic endothelial cells and pig lymphocytes. Adult human serum contained both natural immunoglobulin M and immunoglobulin G xenoantibodies to pig endothelial cells and lymphocytes, whereas newborn infant serum contained only immunoglobulin G xenoantibodies. Only adult human serum was cytotoxic to pig endothelial cells and lymphocytes. Human immunoglobulin M xenoantibodies became detectable by age 1 month. By age 2 months these natural anti-pig xenoantibodies reached serum levels equivalent to those in the human adult and resulted in similar cytotoxicity to that of adult human serum. These findings indicate that (1) natural anti-pig immunoglobulin M xenoantibodies are absent from newborn infant human serum, (2) newborn human serum is not cytotoxic to pig endothelial cells and lymphocytes despite the presence of immunoglobulin G xenoantibodies that bind to pig endothelial cells and lymphocytes, and (3) natural anti-pig immunoglobulin M xenoantibodies begin to develop as early as age 1 month and by age 2 months attain a circulating level comparable to that found in the adult.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

The use of a visual aid to check anaesthetic machines. Is performance improved?

We asked 20 anaesthetists and seven operating department assistants to check three anaesthetic machines 'doctored' to contain errors of varying seriousness, and recorded their performances. Two weeks later we asked the same group to repeat the test. On the second occasion they followed a visual aid and filled in a questionnaire about the test. Participants showed a significant improvement in the rate of fault detection when using the aid (p < 0.05). The visual aid was most useful at increasing the detection rate of machine leaks. Of the participants, 60% considered that the visual aid was helpful and 74% thought that such an aid should be available in our theatre complex. Sixty-six percent of those questioned felt that a formal check list would be of use.

Anesthesiology↗
PubMed1994

Difficult intubation following thoracic trauma.

A previously fit 20-year-old man presented with a large haemothorax following a stab wound to the left chest. Pre-operative airway assessment indicated that tracheal intubation would be routine. On induction of anaesthesia, visualisation of the larynx proved impossible because of soft tissue swelling. Successful intubation was eventually achieved with the aid of a gum elastic bougie. At operation, the patient's common carotid artery was found to have been perforated close to its origin on the aorta. The patient made an uneventful recovery.

Adult↗