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Biomedical subjects

S Collins

Publications and source records attributed to S Collins.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Perspectives on AAC systems by the users and by their communication partners.

The study examined the perspectives of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) users and their 'formal' and 'informal' communication partners in relation to two areas of relevance to AAC: firstly, communication strategies, and secondly, advantages and disadvantages of AAC systems. With respect to communication strategies, it was found that formal communication partners thought that more vocabulary for communicating social purposes was actually available to AAC users and they were less aware of daily routines within day and residential environments. With respect to advantages and disadvantages, three main areas of concern emerged: the effect of the AAC system on the users' communication; features of AAC systems; and the effect of AAC on the users' quality of life. Both high- and low-technology AAC systems were seen as having advantages and disadvantages. This study demonstrates the important contribution to be made by AAC users in the provision of a new set of priorities based on their user experiences.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Adequacy of cervical cytology sampling with the Cervex brush and the Aylesbury spatula: a population based randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the adequacy of cervical cytology sampling with two sampling instruments commonly used in primary care-namely, the Aylesbury spatula and the Cervex brush. DESIGN: Pair matched, population based randomised controlled trial. SETTING: 86 general practices and family planning clinics in Greater Manchester. SUBJECTS: 15 882 cervical smears taken from women aged 20-64 years as part of the national cervical screening programme. INTERVENTIONS: Participating centres were allocated to sample with either the Cervex brush or the Aylesbury spatula. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Inadequate smear rate. RESULTS: 5.4% and 5.5% (433/8086 and 426/7796) of smears taken with the Cervex brush and the Aylesbury spatula respectively were reported as inadequate (odds ratio 0.95; 95% confidence interval 0.74 to 1.22). CONCLUSION: The Cervex brush offers no advantage over the Aylesbury spatula in reducing inadequate smear rates in the primary care setting.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Using middle upper arm circumference to assess severe adult malnutrition during famine.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the use of middle upper arm circumference measurement (MUAC [cm]) and body mass index measurement (BMI [kg/m2]) in the screening of severely malnourished adults during famine. DESIGN: Nonrandomized cohort study, correlating measurements of MUAC and BMI. SETTING: The Concern Worldwide adult feeding center in the village of Ayod in south Sudan. The area has experienced several years of war, leading to severe famine during early 1993. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 98 adult inpatients belonging to the Nuer tribe. Criteria for entry into the study were prior admission to the feeding center and the ability to stand and have a BMI measured. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A comparison of the ease of use of MUAC and BMI assessments, and a correlation of MUAC and BMI measurements. RESULTS: An MUAC measurement was easier to perform on severely malnourished adults than BMI assessment. For MUAC, the patient could be standing, sitting, or, in extreme cases, lying. For BMI, patients were required to stand. Measuring BMI requires a height board, weighing scales, and mathematical calculations; to measure MUAC, only a tape measure is required. A correlation between measurements of MUAC and BMI was demonstrated (r=0.88; 95% confidence interval, 0.82-0.92 P<.001). The proportions of the population and the actual individuals identified as malnourished by the 2 indicators were similar. CONCLUSIONS: The MUAC measurement reflects adult nutritional status as defined by BMI. During famine, MUAC may be better suited to screening admissions to adult feeding centers than BMI. Studies to assess the capacity of MUAC cutoffs to predict mortality in severe adult malnutrition are needed.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Iatrogenic and zoonotic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: the Australian perspective.

The transmissible brain diseases of humans and animals, the spongiform encephalopathies, continue to stimulate interest, and the announcement that exposure to "mad cow disease" (bovine spongiform encephalopathy [BSE]) is a possible explanation for more than 10 cases of a variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans in the United Kingdom is a recent example. Cases of iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (from previous use of human cadaveric tissues for pituitary hormone therapy and neurosurgical grafts) are still being identified, and the unique nosological status of this group of disorders-that they are both transmissible and inherited and that the only known component of their infectious agent is protein-alone makes these diseases remarkable.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Pharmacologic manipulation of ob expression in a dietary model of obesity.

Mutation of the obese (ob) gene results in severe hereditary obesity and diabetes in the C57BL/6J and related strains of mice. In this study we examined the expression of the ob gene in a dietary model in which moderate obesity develops in response to fat (58% of calories from fat) without mutation of the ob gene, and in four genetic models of obesity in mice: ob/ob, db/db, tubby, and fat. Several white and brown adipose depots were examined (epididymal, subcutaneous, perirenal, and interscapular). Northern blot analysis shows that levels of ob mRNA are increased in all adipose depots examined in every model of obesity. The average fold increases were 12.0 +/ 2.1 (ob/ob), 4.8 +/- 1.5 (db/db), 2.8 +/- 0.1 (tubby), 2.4 +/- 0.3 (fat), and 2.1 +/- 0.2 (high fat diet-induced A/J). Moreover, we found that the expression of the ob gene could be manipulated by pharmacologically blocking the development of diet-induced obesity. Supplementation of a high fat diet with a beta 3-adrenergic receptor agonist (CL316,243) prevented obesity, but not hyperphagia associated with high fat feeding (body weights of high fat-fed A/J mice = 34.0 +/- 1.0 g; high fat plus CL316,243-fed mice = 26.8 +/- 0.5 g; n = 10). CL316,243-treated, high fat-fed animals contained levels of ob mRNA in all adipose depots that were equal to or less than levels in low fat-fed mice (average levels in high fat plus CL316,243-fed mice relative to low fat-fed mice: 0.93 +/- 0.09). Inasmuch as fat cell size, but not number, was increased in a previous study in diet-induced obese A/J mice, these results indicate that expression of the ob gene serves as a sensor of fat cell hypertrophy, independent of any effects on food intake.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1996

Abnormalities of smooth eye and head movement control in Parkinson's disease.

The control of horizontal head and eye movements was examined in 13 nondemented patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) of mild to moderate severity. During pursuit of single-frequency sine waves, smooth component eye velocity was lower in the PD group at frequencies of 1.2 Hz and above; but the differences in overall eye displacement were even greater, indicating an impaired ability to generate catch-up saccades at high frequencies. A corresponding deficit in saccadic performance was observed during a high-frequency saccadic tracking task where predictive saccades of reduced gain and variable timing were generated. During pursuit of pseudo-random target motion with varying degrees of predictability, small differences in smooth component eye velocity were observed, but prediction was otherwise well preserved in the patient group. Vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) suppression was also normal during head-free pursuit. No major improvement in smooth pursuit gain could be attributed to drug treatment, based on a comparison of patient results before and after administration of levodopa.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Respiratory chain encephalomyopathies: a diagnostic classification.

Mitochondrial encephalomyopathies are a heterogenous group of disorders with various biochemical defects of the respiratory chain (RC). Due to the considerable phenotypic diversity of the RC encephalomyopathies, they are included in the differential diagnosis of many cases of multisystem disease. Aside from clinical evaluation and family history, diagnosis can be supported by many other sources. The complexity of diagnostic information can make it difficult for the clinician to establish the level of certainty at which a RC cytopathy is diagnosed in atypical cases. We review the parameters (clinical, pathological, biochemical and molecular) which are used to aid diagnosis of RC encephalomyopathy and identify levels of abnormality in each that strongly or less strongly support the diagnosis. A system is developed that allows classification of the diagnosis in possible, probable and definite categories of certainty, which will be of value to the clinician.

Biomarkers↗
PubMed1996

AAC systems: obstacles to effective use.

This paper investigates some of the issues which contribute to the lack of use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems. It presents findings from a two-year research study which examined the communication of 93 adolescent and adult AAC users with cerebral palsy and 186 of their communication partners. The methods of data collection were questionnaires, interviews and field notes. The results show that some of the obstacles to effective use of AAC systems include lack of availability and accessibility of AAC systems, communication partners' lack of knowledge of AAC systems, insufficient amount of therapy provided, type of vocabulary in AAC systems and other modes of communication available to AAC user.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Activation of retinoid receptors RAR alpha and RXR alpha induces differentiation and apoptosis, respectively, in HL-60 cells.

Induction of granulocytic differentiation in HL-60 myeloid leukemia cells by retinoids is followed by their death via apoptosis. Retinoids are known to mediate their biological effects through at least two distinct types of nuclear receptors, the retinoic acid receptors and retinoid X receptors. We undertook to characterize the potential role of these receptors in inducing differentiation and apoptosis by retinoids. For this, we used a previously described variant of an HL-60 cell line (HL-60R) in which retinoid receptor function has been abrogated due to a trans-dominant negative mutation. Retroviral vector-mediated gene transfer was used to introduce the normal retinoic acid receptor (RAR alpha) or retinoid X receptor (RXR alpha) into HL-60R cells. Our results suggest that ligand-induced activation of RAR alpha is sufficient to induce differentiation in HL-60 cells, whereas activation of RXR alpha can induce direct apoptosis of these cells without their prior commitment to differentiate.

ADP-ribosyl Cyclase↗
PubMed1996

CME--what works?

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Australia↗
PubMed1996

Cervical smears--an opportunity for disinvestment?

BACKGROUND: The National Cervical Screening Programme was introduced to increase population coverage while reducing the overscreening of women at low risk. AIM: To describe the frequency with which cervical smears are unnecessarily repeated within the prescribed screening interval. METHOD: All cervical smears taken in a primary care setting in Manchester from women aged 20-64, during 1988-92, were identified. A smear was considered unscheduled if it was taken within 30 months of a preceding smear and if there was no clinical indication or laboratory recommendation for an early repeat smear. RESULTS: A total of 100 134 smears were identified from 85 594 women attending 130 general practices and 40 NHS community clinics; 12 633 women subsequently had 14 702 unscheduled smears; 50% of the unscheduled smears were taken by 18% of the general practices and 8% of the NHS community clinics. CONCLUSION: If they are replicated elsewhere, these findings suggest a substantial disinvestment opportunity.

Adult↗