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Biomedical subjects

S A Thomas

Publications and source records attributed to S A Thomas.

125 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Sleep-waking changes in cardiac arrhythmia in a coronary care patient.

A single case is reported in whom ventricular cardiac arrhythmias were related to the occurrence of polygraphically verified sleep. A strong relationship was found to exist between the heart rate in any one minute and the number of premature ventricular contractions, with higher rates associated with a greater number of these ectopic beats.

Arrhythmias, Cardiac↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Human contact and cardiac arrhythmia in a coronary care unit.

In a sample of 225 coronary care patients it was observed that a significant reduction in ventricular arrhythmias occurred following pulse palpation. These data suggest that significant changes in ventricular arrhythmia can occur as a result of even minimally arousing psychosocial interactions.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Blood pressure increases while signing in a deaf population.

Recent technologic advances have permitted the observation of rapid and significant increases in blood pressure (BP) during verbal communication. The magnitude of the increase in BP is influenced by rate of speech, audience size, status, affective content, environmental setting, and resting BP. The current study evaluates the effect of communicating without vocalizing in 38 deaf adults. Similar to speaking individuals, deaf individuals exhibited significant increases in BP and heart rate (HR) while signing, and the magnitude of the increases were related to resting BP levels. These findings suggest that communication, independent of vocalization, has significant effects on the cardiovascular system. Further studies are needed to explore other dimensions of cardiovascular-communication relationships in deaf populations.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Capturing policy in hearing-aid decisions by audiologists.

Two studies are reported that together demonstrate that a rigorous protocol of cue elicitation employing behavioral observations of actual clinical behavior can be rewarded with powerful policy capturing in social judgment theory experiments. The decision policies of 16 clinical audiologists were derived in a study of the decision to recommend hearing-aid amplification. Using discriminant function analysis for each judge, the percentage correct classification rates for the hearing-aid recommendation criterion variable for all judges were high, with an average correct rate of 89.9%, despite widely divergent recommendation rates (21.4% to 87.1%) associated with individual decision behaviors.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The incidence and distribution of stress fractures in competitive track and field athletes. A twelve-month prospective study.

The incidence and distribution of stress fractures were evaluated prospectively over 12 months in 53 female and 58 male competitive track and field athletes (age range, 17 to 26 years). Twenty athletes sustained 26 stress fractures for an overall incidence rate of 21.1%. The incidence was 0.70 for the number of stress fractures per 1000 hours of training. No differences were observed between male and female rates (P > 0.05). Twenty-six stress fractures composed 20% of the 130 musculoskeletal injuries sustained during the study. Although there was no difference in stress fracture incidence among athletes competing in different events (P > 0.05), sprints, hurdles, and jumps were associated with a significantly greater number of foot fractures; middle- and long-distance running were associated with a greater number of long bone and pelvic fractures (P < 0.05). Overall, the most common sites of bone injuries were the tibia with 12 injuries (46%), followed by the navicular with 4 injuries (15%), and the fibula with 3 injuries (12%). The high incidence of stress fractures in our study suggests that risk factors in track and field athletes should be identified.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Risk factors for stress fractures in track and field athletes. A twelve-month prospective study.

The aim of this 12-month prospective study was to investigate risk factors for stress fractures in a cohort of 53 female and 58 male track and field athletes, aged 17 to 26 years. Total bone mineral content, regional bone density, and soft tissue composition were measured using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and anthropometric techniques. Menstrual characteristics, current dietary intake, and training were assessed using questionnaires. A clinical biomechanical assessment was performed by a physical therapist. The incidence of stress fractures during the study was 21.1% with most injuries located in the tibia. Of the risk factors evaluated, none was able to predict the occurrence of stress fractures in men. However, in female athletes, significant risk factors included lower bone density, a history of menstrual disturbance, less lean mass in the lower limb, a discrepancy in leg length, and a lower fat diet. Multiple logistic regression revealed that age of menarche and calf girth were the best independent predictors of stress fractures in women. This bivariate model correctly assigned 80% of the female athletes into their respective stress fracture or nonstress fracture groups. These results suggest that it may be possible to identify female athletes most at risk for this overuse bone injury.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Rehabilitation of older injured workers.

This paper provides a review of international findings in rehabilitation outcomes for older workers. Older workers are disadvantaged in terms of their rehabilitation following injury. They sustain more serious injuries, take longer to recover and are less likely to return to work than younger workers. This results in substantial economic costs to the community as well as a reduction in financial security and quality of life for the older person. A number of possible explanations for the relationship between age and rehabilitation outcomes are discussed. It is proposed that the application of a 'biopsychosocial' model to rehabilitation outcome may be a useful way of conceptualizing the complexity of the rehabilitation process in older workers and predicting rehabilitation outcomes.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Psychosocial influences on heart rhythm in the coronary-care unit.

This report is an extension of previous studies which have shown that significant heart rate and rhythm changes can occur in coronary-care patients during a variety of socio-clinical interactions. Results of continuous day-long observations and concurrent monitoring of one such coronary-care patient disclosed that twice as many ectopic beats occurred during routine nursing interactions compared to resting periods, even though such interactions accounted for less than half of the total observation period. These results are similar to previous studies that have shown that the frequency of ectopic beats can be significantly altered in coronary-care patients by such routine interactions as pulse palpation. Combined with other clinical and animal studies, these data suggest that psycho-social interactions can have major effects on cardiac functioning.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of pulse palpation on cardiac arrhythmia in coronary care patients.

In a study of 62 coronary care patients, 31 of whom exhibited types of cardiac arrhythmia, the frequency of ectopic beats changed significantly when a nurse palpated the pulse. This finding suggests that autonomic responses to human contact can significantly alter the rate of ectopic impulse generation. These findings further suggest that studies of cardiac arrhythmia should attend to the nature of the social field in which data are collected.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Type A behavior and cardiovascular responses during verbalization in cardiac patients.

While the physiological mechanisms linking Type A behavior pattern (TABP) to increased coronary heart disease (CHD) risk are unknown, extreme cardiovascular reactivity to daily activities and stressors has been proposed as a mechanism for promoting the progression of atherosclerosis and CHD. Verbalization, either talking or reading aloud, is known to cause significant increases in the blood pressure and heart rates of individuals, including cardiac patients. Blood pressure and heart rate responses of 111 Type A and Type B cardiac patients during verbalization were examined in this study. Blood pressure and heart rate increased significantly during verbalization for all patients. The TABP, measured with both the structured interview and the Jenkins Activity Survey, had little relation to cardiovascular responses.

Blood Pressure↗
PubMedDate not supplied

New fathers' blood pressure and heart rate: relationships to interaction with their newborn infants.

Cardiovascular changes in 148 first-time fathers while holding and interacting with their newborn infants are described and relationships of fathers' verbal and nonverbal behavior with these cardiovascular changes are discussed. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP) and heart rate (HR) were monitored before, during, and after interaction with the infants in a controlled hospital setting using a noninvasive oscillometric monitor. Subjects were videotaped during the interaction period. Analyses of cardiovascular responses controlled for preinteraction values revealed that all measures were significantly higher during interaction than during the postinteraction period. The frequency of fathers' verbal behaviors was negatively related to SBP and positively related to HR during interaction. Frequency of infant crying was positively related to fathers' DBP both during interaction and in the postinteraction period. Fathers appeared highly sensitive to the stimuli of interacting with their newborns and responded in a complex manner to infant signals. The findings may indicate an autonomic balance that is situationally specific.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Blood pressure and heart rate changes in children when they read aloud in school.

The 52 children in the study were recruited from two fifth grade classes in Baltimore city. The blood pressures and heart rates were recorded both at rest and while they read aloud in a classroom setting. A computerized monitoring system was used to measure blood pressures. Rapid and highly significant increases in blood pressure and heart rate were observed when the children read aloud. A total of 84 measurements of 312 systolic and diastolic readings were not within the 95th percentile of normal pressure for the child's age and sex. The data indicate that a routine school task, that is, reading aloud, may have significant effects on the cardiovascular system. These findings are discussed in terms of previously unexamined links between certain childhood school experiences and potential problems with adult hypertension.

Black People↗