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Biomedical subjects

S Chapman

Publications and source records attributed to S Chapman.

At least 307 records · Page 17Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Community knowledge, attitudes and media recall about AIDS, Sydney 1988 and 1989.

A randomized telephone survey of Sydney residents aged 16-50 was conducted in 1988 (n = 651) and repeated in 1989 (n = 701) to assess changes in AIDS-related knowledge and attitudes and opinions about AIDS policies. The mean number of correct answers to 21 questions about AIDS was 18.6 (1988) and 18.1 (1989). Almost all respondents gave correct answers to fundamental questions about AIDS transmission and prevention. No statistically significant changes in AIDS knowledge were found between the two survey periods. There was widespread anxiety about AIDS: just over half the population was personally afraid of getting AIDS, 80 per cent had considered being tested for human immunodeficiency virus and over half supported 'compulsory testing' for all the population. Mass media messages about AIDS were almost universally recalled, with the Grim Reaper and news stories centring on particular individuals ranking highest. AIDS policy makers in public education should consider the wisdom of continuing to target messages to low-risk populations. These messages have raised fundamental knowledge about AIDS but may be unintentionally causing social divisiveness and widespread unnecessary anxiety.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1991

Detection of deficits in temporal pattern discrimination using the seashore rhythm test in young children with reading impairments.

A deficiency in temporal pattern discrimination frequently is a distinguishing characteristic of children with dyslexia or learning disabilities (LD). We studied the feasibility of using the Seashore Rhythm Test, a subtest of the Halstead-Reitan neurological assessment battery (Halstead, 1947), with young children to discriminate children with reading impairments from age-matched controls reading at a normal level, in an effort to develop tools to determine readiness to read in young school-age children. Major considerations in test selection were ease of administration and wide use and acceptance. Fifty-nine children in Grades 1 through 3 were administered a battery of tests during the last 3 weeks of the school year by blinded experimenters. Tests administered included the Seashore Rhythm Test, Benton Visual Retention Test, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Blau Torque Test, and the Rod and Frame Test. Children with reading impairments (n = 24) in all age groups were found to exhibit a marked deficit in the ability to discriminate patterned pairs of tones on the Seashore Rhythm Test compared to controls (n = 26). These children also exhibited deficits in right-left orientation, as indicated by their poor performance on the Blau Torque Test. Performance on the Seashore and the Blau by a group of children diagnosed as learning disabled (n = 9) was similar to the group with reading impairments. No significant differences between controls and children with reading impairments or LD were observed in Rod and Frame or Benton performance. The results suggest that the Seashore Rhythm Test may prove to be a useful tool to detect young children who will later show signs of reading impairment.

Attention↗
PubMed1991

The use of interferon-alpha in virus infections.

The interferons (IFN) act too slowly to arrest acute viral infections, but interferon-alpha (IFN alpha) preparations have proved useful in some chronic infections and will clearly be used increasingly in these in the future. In the preparations derived from human leucocytes or cultured B lymphoblastoid cells, which are in routine clinical use, mixtures of a number of distinct subtypes of human IFN alpha have been identified. There are also 3 slightly different versions of the same single subtype, IFN alpha-2, made by recombinant DNA procedures in bacteria. IFN alpha preparations are injected intramuscularly or subcutaneously. Dose-related side effects are common but usually tolerable, but prolonged treatment may cause increasing fatigue and depression. Some patients form neutralising antibodies which block the effects of the IFN; these appear to be relatively more common after recombinant IFN alpha-2 than after IFN derived from human cells. Given intranasally, IFN alpha can prevent a subsequent experimental rhinovirus infection, or the spread of natural colds within a family. Repeated administration progressively damages the nasal mucosa, so that long term prophylaxis is not possible. IFN alpha has proved useful in patients with papillomavirus warts of the larynx, ano-genital region (condyloma acuminata) and skin (common warts). Treatment regimens remain to be optimised and are likely to include surgery or other treatments. IFN alpha and zidovudine (azidothymidine) synergistically inhibit the growth of HIV in vitro, and combination are on trial in patients with early AIDS. Very large doses of IFN alpha are effective against Kaposi's sarcoma in some AIDS patients. In chronic hepatitis B, continuing virus replication may lead to cirrhosis or primary liver cancer. Earlier clinical trials with IFN alpha gave inconclusive results, but recent large studies have confirmed that 25 to 40% of patients obtain benefit; this probably results from both the antiviral and the immunomodulatory effects of IFN alpha. In patients with chronic hepatitis C, the biochemical markers usually improve rapidly during IFN alpha administration, but relapse if treatment is stopped after only a few months; to increase the chances of sustained cure, the treatment period is now being prolonged.

HIV Infections↗
PubMed1991

The sail sign.

Radiological terminology includes a number of interesting and often amusing terms intended to help us understand and remember the pathological abnormality being described. What radiological sign is illustrated in Fig. 1 and what condition does it represent?

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1991

Geographical skull.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Diagnosis, Differential↗
PubMed1991

Erlenmeyer flask-shaped long bones.

Radiological terminology includes a number of interesting and often amusing terms intended to help us understand and remember the pathological abnormality being described. What radiological sign is illustrated in Fig. 1 and what condition does it represent?

Bone Diseases, Developmental↗
PubMed1991

The double bubble.

Radiological terminology includes a number of interesting and often amusing terms intended to help us understand and remember the pathological abnormality being described. What radiological sign is illustrated in Fig. 1 and what condition does it represent?

Duodenal Obstruction↗
PubMed1990

Effects of CBDP and MEPQ on the toxicity and distribution of [3H]-soman in mice.

Soman poisoning presents a problem in terms of its detailed pathophysiology and its detoxification mechanism(s). The present study was designed to evaluate the role of carboxylesterases (CaE) and cholinesterase (ChE) in the distribution and detoxification of soman in vivo. Mice were injected (i.v.) with 0.06-1.0 LD50 of [3H]-soman, 60 min following pretreatment with either 2-O-cresyl-4H-1:2:3 benzodioxa-phosphorine-2-oxide (CBDP), which blocks CaE or 7-(methylethoxyphosphinyloxy)-1-methyl quinolinium iodide (MEPQ), which selectively inhibits intravascular ChE. One hour after [3']-soman administration animals were sacrificed and whole body autoradiography was performed. High concentrations of [3H]-soman were found in lung and kidney in control mice, and low concentrations were found in central nervous system. Pretreatment with CBDP caused a 93% decrease in radioactive labelling in the lung, and a minor decrease in overall labelling, whereas pretreatment with MEPQ did not change the distribution pattern of [3H]-soman. It is concluded that lung is a major target organ for soman detoxification and that it exerts this effect by means of enzymatic reaction with soman through the abundant amounts of CaE which are present in the lung. Intravascular ChE has little (if any) effect on the distribution and detoxification of soman in vivo.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Changes in acceptance of workplace smoking bans following their implementation: a prospective study.

Recent cross-sectional and retrospective studies suggest that the attitudes of employees toward workplace smoking bans may become more positive after the bans have been introduced. Using a prospective design, we found that the attitudes of nonsmokers, ex-smokers, and smokers became more favorable over the 6 months following the introduction of smoking bans to Australian Government Offices. The magnitude of changes in approval ratings was greatest for smokers, but smokers were also more likely to disapprove of the bans before and after their introduction than were nonsmokers and ex-smokers. Among smokers, there was a strong relationship between the extent to which they saw themselves inconvenienced by the bans and the extent to which they disapproved of them. Overall, the bans were accepted and viewed in a positive light, but there was nevertheless a significant minority of smokers who remained disgruntled with them. Some ways in which the concerns of this subgroup of smokers may be addressed are considered.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

AIDS and dentistry in Australia: knowledge, infection control practices and attitudes to treatment in a random sample of Australian dentists.

1130 dentists surveyed by mail from Australian capital cities (response rate 80%) answered a questionnaire on knowledge of clinical manifestations of AIDS and HIV, attitudes to treatment and referral of AIDS/HIV patients, infection control practices and personal risk factors for HIV. Despite a third of dentists being willing to treat HIV antibody-positive patients and 22% being willing to treat AIDS patients, over 50% believe AIDS to be a major problem for dentists, with two thirds claiming that their staff would not treat AIDS patients and 55% believing they would lose patients if word spread that they were treating HIV/AIDS patients. The perhaps irreconcilable tension between variable willingness to treat and the concerns of staff and other patients suggests that a policy of improving the dental referral network among people with AIDS may be in the best interests of the dental health and well-being of people with AIDS.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗