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Biomedical subjects

R Clements

Publications and source records attributed to R Clements.

43 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Components of variance for vibratory and thermal threshold testing in normal and diabetic subjects.

Quantitative sensory testing (QST) is commonly used in the assessment of diabetic neuropathy. However, little data are available on the reliability of tactile and thermal testing devices. Reproducibility of QST measures between centers has not been previously reported. This study was designed to validate QST testing procedures and determine if these devices are suitable for large scale multicenter clinical trials. Finger and toe vibratory (Vf, Vt) and thermal (Tf, Tt) thresholds were determined for ten normal individuals by a two-alternative forced-choice procedure using the Optacon Tactile Tester (OTT) and Thermal Sensitivity Tester (TST). Threshold measurements were reproducible between technologists and had a day-to-day coefficient of variation of Vf 20%, Vt 23%, Tf 41%, and Tt 95%. Thresholds were determined for 140 normal individuals at six centers. Mean threshold values between centers were not significantly different. Center-to-center coefficients of variation (CV) were Vf 44%, Vt 45%, Tf 47%, and Tt 87%. There was no significant difference in threshold measures with regard to sex, side studied, presence of calluses, or skin temperature. Vf thresholds significantly correlated with age (p < 0.01). There was no correlation between either vibratory or thermal thresholds in normal individuals, and nerve conduction velocities (NCV). Thermal and vibratory thresholds were determined for 98 diabetic patients. Diabetic subjects without clinical evidence of neuropathy were not significantly different from normal individuals, but diabetic patients with neuropathy had increased thresholds compared to normals (p < 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Nurses' attitudes toward death and caring for dying patients.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To examine possible relationships among the demographic variables of nurses and their attitudes toward death and caring for dying patients. DESIGN: Descriptive. SETTING: A private hospital and Visiting Nurses Association office in an ethnically diverse metropolitan area in the Midwest. SAMPLE: 403 nurses, predominantly female (90%) and Caucasian (70%), with a mean age of 41.8 years. METHODS: Participants completed the Frommelt Attitude Toward Care of the Dying Scale, the Death Attitude Profile-Revised (DAP-R), and a demographic questionnaire. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: Attitudes toward death and caring for dying people. FINDINGS: DAP-R scores were related to sex, religious affiliation, and current contact with terminally ill patients. Frommelt scale scores (e.g., showing acceptance of death) were positively related to current contact with dying patients, negatively correlated with two DAP-R subscales (Fear of Death and Death Avoidance), and positively correlated with two other DAP-R subscales (Approach Acceptance and Neutral Acceptance). CONCLUSIONS: Nurses' attitudes toward death and their current contact with terminally ill patients were predictive of their attitudes toward caring for terminally ill patients. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Professionals who are responsible for designing educational programs focused on nurses' attitudes toward caring for terminally ill patients may want to include an assessment of death attitudes and interventions aimed at decreasing negative attitudes and increasing positive attitudes toward death in such programs.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of efficacy and safety of human insulin (Novo) in the treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus: a double-blind, multicenter clinical trial.

The safety and efficacy of human insulin (Novo) were evaluated in a double-blind, parallel, multicenter trial in which 47 insulin-dependent diabetic patients were randomly divided into two equal groups and treated with either purified pork or human insulin (Actrapid and Monotard, Novo) for 12 wk. Mean levels of fasting plasma glucose, glycohemoglobin, and daily insulin dosages showed no statistical differences between the two groups, and there was no significant difference in the incidence of hypoglycemic reactions. The results from this clinical trial indicate that human insulin, prepared by enzymatic transpeptidation of pork insulin, appears to be as safe and efficacious as purified pork insulin in the treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Imaging the prostate.

There have been major advances in prostate imaging techniques in recent years. Most prostatic imaging is centred on the earlier diagnosis and more accurate staging of cancer but transrectal ultrasonography is also valuable in the assessment of prostatitis, haemospermia, male infertility and prostatic volume measurement before the treatment of outflow tract obstruction caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Biopsy↗