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Biomedical subjects

R Power

Publications and source records attributed to R Power.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Growth variation in common marmoset monkeys (Callithrix jacchus) fed a purified diet: relation to care-giving and weaning behaviors.

Significant relations were observed between select infant-care and weaning behaviors and growth in body weight in common marmoset monkeys (Callithrix jacchus). The patterns of these relations suggest that earlier occurrence of developmental milestones, such as cessation of transport (being off carriers) and weaning to solid food, were associated with slower growth during the subsequent period. In contrast, more frequent nursing bouts during the period in which weaning was initiated were associated with higher growth rates. In the case of being off carriers, these effects did not carry over to older ages, suggesting that any deficits in growth were temporary. In the case of earlier, more frequent consumption of solid food, there was some suggestion that there were longer-term effects, followed by catch-up growth. The knee-to-heel length of subjects was not related to the measured behaviors. There was no relation between early weaning to solid food and leanness at day 75, suggesting that, although this behavior was affecting overall weight, it did not affect relative gains of fat versus lean mass. There were, however, significant correlations between cessation of transport or frequency of nursing bouts during the weaning period and leanness, with earlier cessation of transport and less frequent nursing associated with leaner infants, after weaning. Our results differed from those of a previous study that found a relation between linear growth and abuse in this species, with abuse defined as physical injury by other members of the group. We found no differences in growth between abused and nonabused infants. However, abused infants had lower birth weight.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

"Just using old works": injecting risk behaviour in prison.

A minority of injecting drug users engage in high risk injecting behaviours when in prison. In the United Kingdom between a quarter and a third of injectors who enter prison inject when in prison, and of these about three-quarters share needles and syringes. In the present study, 44 drug injectors who had been released from prison for no longer than 6 months were recruited and interviewed in three geographical areas in England. Interviewees were asked to recount their experiences of drug use during their most recent period of imprisonment. The majority of interviewees were male (38/44), had a mean age of 28 years, with a mean age of 16 years at first drug use, were primarily opiate users (39) and had multiple imprisonments. All respondents reported drug use when imprisoned and drug injecting was reported by 16 interviewees. Most injected at irregular intervals and at a reduced level, compared with injecting when in the community. Nine reported using needles and syringes that others had previously used. When considering other injecting equipment, more sharing occurred than was actually reported. Much re-use of equipment was viewed simply as "using old works". The sharing of "cookers" and "filters", and drug sharing by "backloading" and "frontloading" were common. The concept of "sharing" tended to be understood by respondents as related to the use of tools of injection (needles and syringes rather than other equipment); the use of tools in the act of injection (rather than for mixing drugs); proximity (multiple use of needles and syringes in the presence of others); temporality (shorter time elapse between consecutive use of needles and syringes previously used by another) and source (hired rather than borrowed or bought). We conclude that syringe sharing is an integral part of drug use and drug injecting in prison. Many of those interviewed displayed a restricted understanding of what denotes syringe sharing. Our data reinforce the need for interventions and initiatives to be developed within prisons to deal with the considerable risk posed by continued injecting drug use.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1996

Behavioral adjustment of children with surgically palliated complex congenital heart disease.

Examined the behavioral adjustment at school age of 26 children with surgically treated complex congenital heart disease compared to that of 26 children who had been diagnosed as having an innocent murmur. The children with complex heart disease were rated by their parents as more withdrawn, having more social problems, and engaging in fewer activities, and by their teachers as more withdrawn. The families of the children with complex heart disease reported experiencing more stress. Two variables, family strain and exercise tolerance, were strong predictors of teacher-rated school adjustment in the children with complex heart disease, with family strain accounting for 33% of the variance, and exercise tolerance 24%. The impact of the child's chronic condition on the family thus seems to be a critical factor in the school adjustment of these children, more so even than the physical limitations imposed on the child by the chronic condition.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1996

Consumer satisfaction in two small rural communities: a quick methodology to empower rural communities to assess their own healthcare needs.

This study was designed to develop a quick methodology to assess the healthcare needs of a rural community and to determine what factors make these communities 'happy' or 'unhappy' with respect to medical service provision. Two rural shires of approximately 4000 people each were chosen from different health regions of Western Australia. The methodology consisted of interviews with healthcare providers and key community informants as well as a community questionnaire. The interviewing process showed that key community informants offered no new information in addition to that already provided by the healthcare providers. Furthermore, all key points would have been covered by interviewing approximately 60% of all healthcare providers in each community. Hand delivery of the community questionnaire yielded the highest response rate. The level of community satisfaction with general practitioner (GP) and hospital services determines whether a community is medically 'happy' or 'unhappy'.

Consumer Behavior↗
PubMed1996

Lifestyle and health habits of fourth year medical students at the University of Western Australia.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the lifestyle and health habits of two classes of fourth year medical students at the University of Western Australia. DESIGN: Anonymous completion of the Fantastic Lifestyle Assessment Inventory (FLAI) by 173 medical students in 1987 and 1992. RESULTS: Seventy-seven per cent of students had good health habits, but 23% did not. The most common areas of negative health habits were; lack of exercise, frequent consumption of junk food and skipping breakfast. Twenty per cent of students were almost always impatient, 13% always anxious, and 30% reported more than three stressful events in the first year. CONCLUSION: Medical students are taught and examined about healthy lifestyle and health promotion. Those who personally ignore what they know may also be predisposed to ignore health promotion opportunities with their patients. The FLAI can be a useful instrument in raising students' consciousness about these two issues.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Rapid assessment of the drug-injecting situation at Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam.

This paper describes a rapid assessment of the drug-injecting situation in Viet Nam. The study, which was carried out over a five-week period during October and November 1993, focused on the cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. A multi-indicator inductive methodology was adopted that mixed qualitative and quantitative measures. As only limited background epidemiologic and official statistics were available, the study involved the generation of original data, through, for example, the construction of "cognitive maps" describing broad patterns of drug use, semi-structured interviews (for the collection of baseline data), focus groups, in-depth interviews and ethnographic observations. The study revealed that the injection of "blackwater" opium proliferated, often in combination with a range of pharmaceutical preparations. High-risk injecting practices were common at both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, drug scenes and congregation sites being more public and visible at Ho Chi Minh City. The implications for policy and practice are discussed, emphasis being placed on the need for outreach and peer intervention.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

The drug-use situation in the Czech Republic.

This article reports on a rapid assessment conducted in the Czech Republic during the second half of 1995. The main aim of the assessment was to describe patterns of illicit drug use, particularly in the capital, Prague. A Rapid Assessment Board was established to oversee the study, and both secondary and original data were collected from a range of sources. Illicit drug use was found to have increased throughout the country in the preceding five years, with amphetamines being the most popular substance. Polydrug use is common. There has been an increase in the use of the so-called "dance drugs", especially lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), among younger people, and heroin, especially in the main urban areas. Injecting is on the increase, too. There is an urgent need to expand both fixed-site and community-based services.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

General practitioner obstetric practice in rural and remote Western Australia.

The objective of this study was to examine the practice of obstetrics by general practitioners in rural and remote areas of Western Australia (WA). A questionnaire was mailed to all rural and remote GPs in June, 1994. The response rate was 67%. Questionnaires asked GPs to self-report how many deliveries they had performed in the previous year and how many of those deliveries were by Caesarean section or assisted by forceps or ventouse. Comparisons were made with perinatal statistics for the entire State of WA. GPs reported an average of 28 deliveries per year. The Caesarean section rate of 8% was lower than the rate of 21% for all WA in 1993. Ventouse was used more often than forceps to assist the delivery of a baby. Intervention rates for ventouse, forceps and Caesarean section were lower in rural and remote areas of WA than the State as a whole; there was also less use of epidural analgesia. More than half of these GPs currently practising obstetrics hold the Dip RACOG or DRCOG. Medical indemnity is an increasing issue for many GPs. For 6 of the 7 country health regions, close to 80% of women deliver within the health region in which they reside.

Delivery, Obstetric↗
PubMed1994

Assessing HIV prevention among injecting drug users in European Community countries: a review.

By September 30th 1991, 19,579 cases of AIDS among injecting drug users had been reported in Europe. HIV seroprevalence rates among drug injectors vary from less than 5% in some cities, to over 50% in others. Since the estimated number of drug injectors in Europe is between 750,000 and 1,000,000, HIV is a considerable threat to drug injectors, their sex partners and their off-spring, affecting large numbers of citizens in the European region. This paper gives an overview of the magnitude of the drugs/AIDS problem in the European region, and the concrete measures that have been taken to prevent HIV infection among drug users. Data from the evaluation of methadone programmes, needle and syringe exchange schemes and data on sexual behaviour change of drug users are critically reviewed. Limitations of the methods used for the evaluation of prevention activities are also discussed. Based on all the material reviewed, the main conclusions are the following: AIDS is a greater threat to public health than problem drug use, more accurate and reliable evaluation methods need to be utilized at European Community level, a combination of prevention measures should be used in order to reduce the further spread of HIV infection among injecting drug users.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗
PubMed1994

Live cultures: their use in industrial biotechnology.

Advances in the areas of molecular genetics and molecular biology provide a tremendous opportunity for development of custom-made microorganisms for human and animal use. This reviews discusses the current and future potentials of these organisms for use in the food and agricultural industries.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1994

Potential development of community oriented HIV outreach among drug injectors in the UK.

Given the current epidemiological and behavioural risk profile of HIV infection among injecting drug users in the UK, the main strategic task continues to be to develop interventions to prevent the spread of HIV infection. Outreach to drug injectors is an important part of the wider UK HIV prevention strategy. This paper reviews critically and reassesses practically the role of outreach interventions among drug injectors in the UK. It is argued that despite the development of innovative outreach activity, the full potential of outreach has not been realized due to its theoretical orientation and in-built structural limitations. Outreach has predominantly operated with an 'individual' orientation, aiming to work with individual clients to help them to change their behaviour, gain access to services, or to become better users of services. The main thesis of this paper is that current outreach provision needs to be complemented by 'community change' models which seek to engender changes in the social etiquette of drug use within communities of drug injectors. The paper argues that the social networks through which HIV may be transmitted are the same social networks that may be coopted for HIV prevention. Future outreach services must turn to these networks as a way of targeting and encouraging changes among broad populations of drug injectors. Such models might use indigenous advocates, working within social networks, supported by community outreach facilitators.

Community Health Services↗