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Biomedical subjects

R J Ancill

Publications and source records attributed to R J Ancill.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Depression and anxiety in pain clinic patients. Rapid assessment by microcomputer.

Computer administered depression and anxiety rating scales were used in a pilot study to screen patients attending a regional pain relief unit. Patients found the procedure acceptable and helpful. There was a poor correlation between the computer assessments and doctors' ratings, with in general a much greater degree of morbid depression and anxiety revealed by the computer. Computer administered rating scales may be useful as a screening tool in pain clinic patients to identify those at risk of significant psychiatric morbidity.

Anxiety↗
PubMed1984

Management of mixed affective symptoms in primary care: a critical experiment.

The treatment of mixed anxiety/depression in general practice remains a problem. Non-psychiatrists find diagnosis difficult to make in these patients. A double-blind study was set up to explore this area and to investigate the efficacy of a tetracyclic antidepressant (mianserin) in the treatment of anxiety with or without mild and moderate depressive symptoms. The comparative drug used was diazepam. Benzodiazepines are used to treat patients with this presentation, often inappropriately. Forty-seven patients were treated for up to 8 weeks, 24 received diazepam 5-10 mg daily and 23 mianserin 30-60 mg daily. Symptoms of anxiety and depression were measured using computer-delivered rating scales. Mianserin was shown to be more effective than diazepam in treating symptoms of both depression and anxiety, with significantly more patients in the mianserin group reaching resolution of symptoms in the time period studied. Resolution occurred sooner with the antidepressant than with diazepam.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Can a computer take a psychiatric history?

A program on an inexpensive microcomputer was designed to elicit personal histories from patients in a general psychiatric ward. Their answers were compared with the information recorded by the responsible psychiatric team. Where answers disagreed with the clinicians' records, the patient was interviewed to investigate the discrepancy. In the computer-elicited case-histories 90% of items were correct; a further 3% of items were considered correct by the patient. Most patients' computer histories revealed several items unknown to the clinicians and of importance in the management of the patient. Most patients (88%) found that the computer interrogation was as easy as a clinical interview. Computer assessment is proposed as a useful technique for the routine assessment of patients to augment the clinician's findings and to allow him to concentrate on the most relevant areas.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

A comparative trial of amoxycillin 3g bd and conventional amoxycillin therapy in the treatment of urinary tract infection in a general practice population.

An open, randomised, General Practice study was carried out to determine the comparative efficacy and tolerability of two doses of amoxycillin 3 g and amoxycillin 250 mg tds for five days in the treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infection. Two hundred and seven patients entered the study, of these 98 were shown to have negative bacteriology. Using pre- and post-treatment MSU culture and symptomatology as measures of efficacy it was found that the two treatment groups were not significantly different on both measures. Both treatments were well tolerated with only a low level of gastrointestinal side effects reported.

Amoxicillin↗
PubMed1981

Direct assessment of depression by microcomputer. A feasibility study.

A self-rating depression questionnaire based on the Hamilton Depression Questionnaire was given directly by a microcomputer to 43 controls and 125 depressed patients. Scores obtained from the two groups differed very significantly; choosing an appropriate cut-off point, the computer-delivered questionnaire accurately detected the presence of depression. The severity of depression in the patients, as indicated by their scores, correlated significantly with assessments of severity by qualified clinicians. Patients commented favourably on the procedure, and the medical and nursing staff found it instructive and helpful. The use of this technique appears practicable and further evaluation is in progress.

Computers↗
PubMed1975

Leukocyte migration test in Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and ankylosing spondylitis using Crohn's colon homogenate, mitochondrial, and microsomal fractions.

Leukocytes from 33 patients with Crohn's disease, 20 patients with ulcerative colitis, and 20 patients with ankylosing spondylitis were tested for evidence of abnormal migration in the presence of preparations of colon from a patient with Crohn's disease. None of the patients was on treatment with immunosuppressive drugs. The test was also performed with leucocytes from 12 health subjects. Significant alteration was seen in the Crohn's disease group, particularly when the antigen used was mitochondrial or microsomal fraction of colon mucosa, whereas the patients in the ulcerative colitis group showed reactivity only with the whole colon homogenate and not with the subcellular fractions. The ankylosing spondylitis group showed no statistical difference from the normal controls with any of the antigens.

Adolescent↗