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Biomedical subjects

S Farrow

Publications and source records attributed to S Farrow.

51 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Consumer opinion of when to attend for hospital antenatal care.

Between May 1985 and June 1986 a case control study of late and early antenatal bookings took place in two South Wales hospitals, one urban and one rural. The study examined respondents' opinions on the importance of early hospital antenatal care and the optimum time for a booking visit. Respondents were asked to state the major influence on their opinions regarding antenatal care. It was found that the majority of both late and early attenders thought that early hospital antenatal care was important, but of these many, particularly late attenders, had no accurate idea of the advisable gestation for first attendance. The most frequently mentioned influence on the respondents' opinions was health service literature provided during antenatal care. Some of these booklets gave no specific advice on when the first hospital visit should take place.

Appointments and Schedules↗
PubMed1981

A fast interval processor (FIP) for cervical prescreening.

A cervical prescreening device (FIP: fast interval processor) designed to scan and classify a slide-mounted specimen within two minutes is described. The image analysis techniques are based directly on the MRC Cerviscan equipment with the minimal conversion needed to adapt these techniques for interval processing. A high scanning rate is achieved by scanning with a charge-coupled diode linear image sensor along one axis and by stepping the microscope stage continuously along the other axis. High processing rates are achieved using an asynchronous pipeline approach. Operations on pixels are carried out by parallel dedicated hardware units, while operations on intervals (segments) are carrie out using a dual microprocessing configuration. A determined attempt has been made to minimize the cost of the components required. Preliminary results showing scanning and processing performance are given.

Cervix Uteri↗
PubMed1980

An empirical definition of "primary care".

An operational definition of "primary care", useful to a wide variety of professionals, has eluded researchers since the term first gained popularity. This paper presents an activity-based definition of primary care derived from ratings of 59 representative health care activities by a group of state health administrators, a group of local health department directors, and a random sample of primary care physicians practicing in North Carolina. Thirty-one activities received ratings indicating they were considered core primary care services. Examination of differences in ratings among the three groups surveyed suggested that health department directors differ from the other two groups. Consideration of the variances of activity ratings within the groups emphasizes the unique response of the health department directors and identifies activities characterized by considerable disagreement. The study includes information necessary for researchers and practitioners to form an activity-based definition of varying scope. Definitions constructed from this information should be useful in planning the evaluation efforts that involve different groups of providers, since activities provide an objective basis for agreement. Repeating the approach outlined in the paper with other provider groups in other areas of the country should lead to better understanding of intergroup and regional differences in the concept of "primary care".

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1975

Hodgkin's disease. An immunodepleting and immunosuppressive disorder.

Irradiated leukocytes or mononuclear leukocytes, from 16 out of 30 patients with Hodgkin's disease and from one patient with the Sézary syndrome, stimulated in culture subnormal (3H)thymidine incorporation by allogeneic lymphocytes from normal individuals. This abnormality was not demonstrated in any of 30 other patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Subnormal mixed leukocyte culture reaction activation was caused by suppression of the mixed leukocyte reaction by patients' cells. Inhibition of the reaction by patient mononuclear leukocytes was corrected when adherent cells were removed or when protein synthesis was inhibited with cycloheximide. The inhibitory cells were probably lymphocytes since selective removal of phagocytic cells did not remove the inhibition by other patient mononuclear leukocytes. The presence in culture of as few as 2,500 granulocytes per mm3 also reduced responses when target cells were from patients with Hodgkin's disease. Patient cells no longer suppressed the mixed leukocyte reaction after patients entered clinical remission which suggests that suppression is a reversible, disease-related abnormality. Thus, the immune deficiency with advance Hodgkin's disease caused by ly lymphocyte depletion may be compounded by a relative excess of suppressor lymphocytes. The overall immunodeficiency may be further compounded by suppression of immune response by granulocytes at even physiologic concentrations.

Dermatitis, Exfoliative↗
PubMed1973

Evolution of bone disease over 10 years in 135 patients with terminal renal failure.

An objective radiographic study of erosions, fractures, and periarticular and vascular calcification was made in a series of 135 patients over 10 years of maintenance haemodialysis therapy. The four lesions progressed at different rates, consistent with variation in the response of tissues to a changing biochemical milieu and deficiency in vitamin D metabolites. The half time for development of individual radiographic signs was 3.4 years for vascular calcification, 9 years for fractures, 16 years for periarticular calcification, and 22.9 years for erosions. Calcification of the dorsalis pedis artery seen as a developing ring or tube was an early and valuable sign of disturbed calcium metabolism. In these patients renal osteodystrophy is a chronic condition with a prolonged time course.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The place of Eusol in wound management.

This article by Stephen Farrow and Ben Toth presents a summary of a report on the place of Eusol in wound management commissioned by the Regional Nursing Advisory Committee of the Southwestern Regional Health Authority. An extensive literature search was undertaken to try and establish the applicability of the product. Although there are gaps in the available research, the report concluded that Eusol should not be applied to wounds.

Anti-Infective Agents↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Early developments in combination therapy.

The concept of combination therapy implies the concurrent use of two or more slow-acting antirheumatic drugs to treat rheumatoid arthritis. This review places such combination therapy into an historical context and evaluates studies carried out before 1990. There were no published studies before 1980 of combination therapy, and between 1980 and 1990 there were 11 published studies. Three were conventional randomised controlled trials, three were non-randomised studies of parallel group design, four were observational open studies, and one was a retrospective review. Altogether 486 patients were studied with the numbers of cases in each study varying between 12 and 101. The main combinations used were penicillamine + hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine, gold + hydroxychloroquine, and sulphasalzine + penicillamine. Six studies concluded that combination therapy helped patients, three suggested possible benefits, and two gave essentially negative findings. These two negative studies were randomised controlled trials. Most studies indicated an increase in adverse events with combination therapy. The average erythrocyte sedimentation rate on combination therapy fell by 21.4%. A majority of patients remained on the therapy for 6-12 months. The balance of evidence in 1990 suggested that combination therapy had a modest advantage. However, the trials were too small to detect its true value, and the combinations used were not ideal. In particular, combining gold or penicillamine with other drugs appeared to give too much toxicity. The future development of the field would depend on identifying more effective combinations of drugs and undertaking larger and better-designed trials.

Antirheumatic Agents↗