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Biomedical subjects

P Griffiths

Publications and source records attributed to P Griffiths.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Should opiate addicts be involved in controlling their own detoxification? A comparison of fixed versus negotiable schedules.

This study compares the responses of opiate addicts at a London drug treatment centre to two outpatient methadone-based detoxification programmes. These involved either a fixed (non-negotiable) dose reduction schedule or a flexible, negotiable withdrawal schedule. In the negotiable condition, subjects were less likely to complete the detoxification programme and the mean reduction in dose achieved by the subjects in the negotiable condition was less than that in the fixed group. There was no difference between groups in programme retention at 6 weeks though subjects who remained in treatment in the negotiable group tended to extend their detoxification period beyond this point. The overall response of subjects in both groups was unsatisfactory. Only 13% of the subjects initially allocated to detoxification or 28% of those who actually started detoxification completed treatment; urine screening showed that heroin abuse was a continuing problem during treatment. The implications of these results for detoxification and drug treatment services are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Word-finding ability and design fluency in developmental dyslexia.

Certain oral as well as visual language disorders now appear characteristic of the developmental dyslexia syndrome. Recent research has revealed word-finding difficulties in dyslexic children but has left unanswered questions about specificity and causality. Verbal and non-verbal fluency in dyslexics and non-dyslexic CA- and RA-matched controls were measured by means of cued lexical retrieval and stick design tasks. Evidence for dyslexia-related difficulties was found only at the word form level of access. At the semantic level, dyslexics' word finding was superior. Non-verbal (design) fluency was normal. Such findings implicate long-term linguistic memory processes in dyslexia and are consistent with neurocognitive models that emphasize diffuse left hemisphere dysfunction.

Attention↗
PubMed1991

Chasing the dragon.

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Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed1990

Crack and cocaine use in south London drug addicts: 1987-1989.

There has been great concern in recent years about the abuse of cocaine, particularly in its smokable form 'crack'. This paper presents data drawn from 441 patients seen by a South London Community Drug Team between 1987 and 1989. Only four (1%) cited cocaine abuse as the main drug problem. Heroin was the most common main drug. Detailed information was available on 355 of these subjects. During the study period 63 patients reported using cocaine and the proportion of subjects using cocaine increased from 13% to 29%. Within the sub-group of cocaine users, there was a marked increase in the use of smokable forms of cocaine from 15% in 1987 to 75% in 1989. In view of the increased dependence risk associated with smoking cocaine, this is seen as an ominous development.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Elevated viral antibody titres in spontaneous abortion.

To assess the possible role of virus infections in spontaneous abortion we undertook a prospective study of three groups of patients: women who had a spontaneous abortion; women seen in the antenatal booking clinic; and those undergoing therapeutic termination of pregnancy. Venous blood was taken for antibody detection, cervical swabs for virus isolation, and in the cases of spontaneous and therapeutic abortion products of conception were sent for virus culture. The infectious agents studied were influenza A and B, adenovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, measles, psittacosis, Varicella zoster, and mumps virus. Statistical analysis revealed that women in the spontaneous abortion group has a higher incidence of antibodies against respiratory syncytial virus (P less than 0.01), and mumps virus (P less than 0.01). Among women seropositive for each virus, higher titres were found only for respiratory syncytial virus (P less than 0.05) in cases rather than controls. These results could be explained if viruses such as respiratory syncytial virus caused abortion or if women having a spontaneous abortion mount exaggerated immune responses to fetal and viral infections, and the former altered immune response is associated with spontaneous abortion.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗
PubMed1990

Antibody response after hepatitis B immunisation in a group of health care workers.

Hepatitis B immunisation has been offered to staff of Hampstead Health Authority since 1982 and is now offered to all staff with clinical contact. Three doses of 20 micrograms of vaccine are given at zero, one, and six months and the antibody response is measured three months later. Results were analysed to seek for associations with the antibody response. At the time of analysis, 2739 people had started vaccination and 1067 had completed the course and had a measurement of antibody response. Vaccine injections were initially into the buttock and later into the arm; measurement of antibody levels was initially by radioimmunoassay (RIA) and later by enzyme immunoassay (EIA). A positive antibody response was defined as a positive/negative ratio of greater than 10 for RIA or a level of greater than 10 mIU/ml for EIA. Associations between antibody response and other variables were tested by chi 2 and a multiple logistic regression analysis was undertaken to examine the effects of variables in combination. The overall antibody response rate was 95%. Men and women did not respond differently but there were significantly more positive responses with the EIA testing method and a tendency for more positive responses with arm injections. The responders were significantly younger than the non-responders and had significantly lower values of body mass index (wt/ht2).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Clonidine versus long- and short-term methadone-aided withdrawal from opiates. An uncontrolled comparison.

Twelve heroin addicts and one methadone addicts began withdrawal from street opiates, under clonidine cover, in a general psychiatric ward. Ten (80%) of them completed it within 6 days. Clonidine doses used were lower than in similar studies and all patients were alert and mobile throughout withdrawal. Two other groups of opiate addicts, of similar age and sex, were withdrawn on standard methadone regimens. Clonidine and methadone withdrawal had similar acceptability and attrition rates. Self-reports of subjective discomfort were higher in the clonidine group without affecting compliance with treatment. Withdrawal under clonidine cover deserves further study, in view of the need for postwithdrawal treatment to prevent relapse to opiate use.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Low inspired gas temperature and respiratory complications in very low birth weight infants.

We analyzed 3705 measurements of inspired gas temperature in the first 96 hours of life, with concurrent measurements of ventilator variables and arterial oxygen tension, to determine any relationship to respiratory sequelae in 149 infants assisted by artificial ventilation. All management was with one type of ventilator (model IV100B, Sechrist Industries Inc., Anaheim, Calif.) and one type of humidifier (model MR 500, Fisher and Paykel, Auckland, New Zealand), and infants were placed under radiant heaters. Outcome for infants weighing greater than or equal to 1500 gm at birth was no different at low (less than or equal to 36.5 degrees C) versus high (greater than 36.5 degrees C) values of mean inspired gas temperature during the first 96 hours. However, infants weighing less than 1500 gm at birth had less respiratory morbidity at the higher temperatures; there was a reduction in the incidence of pneumothorax from 43% at low to 13% at high temperatures (p = 0.006) and a reduction in the severity of chronic lung disease, measured as mean Fio2 at 29 days in survivors, from 37.2% at low to 27.5% at high temperatures (p = 0.001). Clinical evaluation of the humidifier, as it was used in this study, suggested that temperature settings less than 36.5 degrees C were associated with inspired gas humidity between 28 and 36 mg H2O/L. For any humidifier, there may be a critical threshold for inspired gas humidity below which the risk of respiratory complications in very low birth weight babies is increased. This hypothesis requires rigorous scrutiny by controlled trial. In future studies, direct measurements of inspired gas humidity are needed to make a precise estimate of the optimal level.

Blood Gas Analysis↗
PubMed1989

Opiate withdrawal symptoms in response to 10-day and 21-day methadone withdrawal programmes.

This study investigates and compares the responses of 132 opiate addicts to a 10-day or a 21-day in-patient oral methadone withdrawal regime. For both groups, symptom severity (on the Opiate Withdrawal Scale) steadily increased through the methadone withdrawal phase, and peaked near the point of completion of the prescribed drug, declining slowly thereafter. Patients on the 10-day programme reported significantly higher peak withdrawal scores than those on the 21-day programme. Although the proportions who completed detoxification were similar, there was a significantly higher drop-out rate immediately after detoxification for the 10-day group. The possible benefits and handicaps of the two withdrawal schedules are considered and recommendations are proposed for further refinement of the present widely adopted approach.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Antenatal screening for hepatitis B is medically and economically effective in the prevention of vertical transmission: three years experience in a London hospital.

We describe our experience over a three-year period in the detection of antenatal patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriage, and the successful prevention of vertical transmission in the infants of HBsAg-positive women. Nine of the 26 infants born to HBsAg-positive mothers were considered to be at high risk of infection. Eight of these nine remained HBsAg-negative after passive or passive/active immunization. The majority of infants tested had anti-HBs antibody titres above 10 i.u./l from the first month. In comparison with the cost of caring for patients with chronic hepatitis B infection and decompensated cirrhosis, non-selective testing of pregnant women for HBsAg is found to be cost effective.

Carrier State↗
PubMed1989

Screening for HIV.

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AIDS Serodiagnosis↗
PubMed1988

Vitamin D metabolism in polar vertebrates.

1. Studies of serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25-OHD) in the Antarctic have been undertaken in husky dog, seal and penguin and compared to man. 2. Husky dogs showed a reversal of the expected seasonal variation of serum 25-OHD with maxima in June when the hours of bright sunshine and amount of u.v. -B radiation were lowest. 3. Values for random serum 25-OHD values in seals showed large interspecies differences, the values for Weddell seals being significantly greater than for Crabeater seals (P less than 0.01). 4. Penguin sera showed low concentrations of serum 25-OHD with no evidence of a response to prolonged exposure to sunlight.

Adult↗