Biomedical subjects

Niaman Nazir

Publications and source records attributed to Niaman Nazir.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Epidural analgesia and severe perineal laceration in a community-based obstetric practice.

BACKGROUND: This study assessed whether epidural analgesia was an independent risk factor for severe perineal laceration. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study analyzed 2,759 patients at St. Francis Regional Medical Center who had vertex, spontaneous or induced, singleton, live, vaginal deliveries of neonates of at least 36 weeks' gestation. Patients with diabetes or severe cardiac disease were excluded. Outcomes measured were third- or fourth-degree perineal lacerations. RESULTS: Overall rate of severe perineal laceration was 6.38% (n = 176). Epidural analgesia was given to 634 (22.98%) women. Among women who had epidural analgesia, 10.25% (65 of 634) had severe perineal lacerations compared with 5.22% (111 of 2,125) of the women who did not have epidural analgesia. After controlling for major variables in a logistic regression analysis, epidural analgesia remained a significant predictor of severe perineal injury (odds ratio [OR] = 1.528, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.092-2.137). When instrument use was included in the model, epidural analgesia was no longer a statistically significant, independent predictor of severe perineal injury. (OR = 1.287, 95% CI = 0.907-1.826). Instrument use was found to be a strong predictor of severe laceration (OR = 3.245, 95% CI = 2.162-4.869). A logistic regression model examining predictors of instrument use found that epidural analgesia does significantly predict instrument use (OR = 3.01, 95% CI = 2.225-4.075). CONCLUSION: Epidural analgesia is associated with an increase in severe perineal trauma as a result of an associated threefold increased risk of instrument use. Instrument use in vaginal delivery more than triples the risk of severe perineal laceration.

Analgesia, Epidural↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Healthcare providers' treatment of college smokers.

About 28% of college students smoke tobacco, and many will continue smoking into adulthood. Although little is known about how to help college students quit smoking, 1 promising strategy is healthcare providers' advice. To estimate their life-time receipt of brief advice and to identify characteristics that predict who may receive that advice, 348 college students completed a survey about their smoking and related practices. Seventy-seven percent of the smokers (73% of the students) were asked about smoking. Of those smokers, 57% were advised to quit, 22% were given advice about quitting, 5% were helped with setting a quit date, and 4% were offered follow-up. Occasional smokers were less likely than daily smokers to be advised to quit. Although 36.2% of the smokers did not report their smoking accurately, smokers who were accurate were more likely to be advised to quit and to be given advice about quitting.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Characteristics of social smoking among college students.

Social smoking is a newly identified phenomenon in the young adult population that is poorly understood. We investigated differences in social smoking (smoking most commonly while partying or socializing) and other smoking within a convenience sample of college smokers (n = 351) from a large midwestern university. Results revealed that 70% of 351 current (past 30-day) smokers reported social smoking. No significant difference was found in motivation to quit between smoking groups. However, a significant difference was found between groups in confidence to quit, the number of days smoked, and the number of cigarettes smoked on those days. More social smokers than expected did not perceive themselves as smokers. Logistic regression analysis revealed that lower physical and psychological dependence and higher social support scores predicted social smoking.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Baseline characteristics and recruitment strategies in a randomized clinical trial of African-American light smokers.

PURPOSE: This study describes the design, recruitment, and baseline data of the first smoking-cessation clinical trial for African-American light smokers, Kick It at Swope II (KIS-II). DESIGN: KIS-II was a randomized trial testing the efficacy of nicotine gum (vs. placebo gum) in combination with counseling (motivational interviewing or health education). SETTING: This study was conducted at an urban community-based clinic serving predominantly lower-income African-Americans. SUBJECTS: African-Americans who smoked 1 to 10 cigarettes per day were eligible. Of 1933 individuals screened, 1012 (52%) were eligible and 755 (75%) were enrolled in the study. MEASURES: Baseline assessment included smoking history and psychometric measures. ANALYSIS: The majority of participants were women (67%) with a mean age of 45.1 years (SD = 10.7). Participants smoked on average 7.6 cigarettes (SD = 3.21) per day, had a mean exhaled carbon monoxide level of 13.9 ppm (SD = 8.9) and a mean serum cotinine level of 244.2 ng/mL (SD = 154.4), and reported high levels of motivation and confidence to quit smoking. CONCLUSION: African-American light smokers were motivated to stop smoking and to enroll in a smoking-cessation program. Characteristics of our sample suggest African-American light smokers are an appropriate group for inclusion in smoking-cessation interventions.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Quantification of the scientific research in the United States about popular herbal remedies referenced on PubMed.

Herbal supplements are among the most popular complementary and alternative therapies used in the US, yet many healthcare providers report having inadequate knowledge about herbs. It also has been reported that many healthcare providers want to have a better understanding of herbs so that they may recommend or discourage their use. In this report, we attempt to determine whether a significant body of research has been indexed in PubMed on the most widely used herbs in the US. These data also prove useful in determining whether the scientific community in the US is focusing investigations on herbs that are widely used domestically. In addition, many clinicians in the US use data from clinical trials performed in the US to inform their practice, so we wanted to determine whether significant clinical data on these herbs were available.

Abstracting and Indexing↗