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Biomedical subjects

S M Hunt

Publications and source records attributed to S M Hunt.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

A quantitative approach to perceived health status: a validation study.

The current recognition of the importance of perceived health status as a predictor of need for, and utilisation of, health services has led to attempts to produce indicators which assess subjective rather than objective health problems. The development of the Nottingham Health Profile is described, together with a study which tested the validity of the instrument on four groups of elderly people differing in health status. The results showed that the profile was capable of discriminating between groups differing in terms of diagnosed chronic illness, number of consultations at primary care level, and physiological fitness. Age, sex, and marital status were not significant overall in affecting scores. In these elderly subjects, perceived health status accorded well with objective health status. Further tests of the profile are now taking place on younger groups of subjects.

Affective Symptoms↗

Temperature effects on shape and function of human granulocytes.

Scanning microscopic and functional studies were made of granulocytes isolated from CPD anticoagulated whole blood by counterflow centrifugation in a Beckman JE-6 rotor. The collection buffer was phosphate (20 mM) buffered saline (280 mOsM) with glucose (29 mM) and human serum albumin (1.2% w/v). The final suspension contained less than 2% mononuclear cells and 5% red cells. Incubation and fixation at various temperatures revealed two distinct temperature dependent shape transformations. At 22, 37, 40 and 45 degrees C granulocytes were ameboid with extensive highly textured veils. These smoothed progressively, bullae and blebs formed, and membranes peeled finally leaving nonfunctional spheres with smooth surfaces. At 4 degrees C, granulocytes were irregular spheres, less rugose but with numerous microvilli and nodules. Veiling was absent. Phagocytosis, initially low, progressively declined over 48 h while cell surfaces become smooth. Some formed blebs, but all terminated as nonfunctional spheres with untextured surfaces containing occasional large single holes. Cellular stability estimated from changes in volume distributions, and phagocytosis by microfluorescence measurements of yeast and latex particle ingestion were also temperature dependent and paralleled the shape progressions. It is concluded that at body (37 degrees C) or fever (40 degrees C) temperatures, granulocytes have dynamic membrane surfaces characterized by extensive veiling and high function. At 4 degrees C they are relatively inactive spheres devoid of pseudopodia or veils, yet functional at slow rates.

Cell Membrane↗

Hypnosis as obedience behaviour.

Obedience to authority has been implicated in hypnotic behaviour from the earliest theories. However, no exact formulation of a model of obedience was available until Milgram's experiments in the 1960s. Milgram's model can usefully be applied to hypnotic behaviour in terms of antecedent and immediate antecedent variables, binding and strain factors and the resolution of conflict. An experiment was carried out to test the hypothesis that the presence of a 'disobedient' hypnotic subject in the same room as another hypnotic subject would lower the susceptibility to hypnosis of the second subject. Results showed that when one subject disobeyed by leaving the hypnotic situation, susceptibility was significantly less than that of control subjects. It is suggested that hypnosis can be viewed as an 'agentic state' whereby the subject gives up autonomy and relinquishes responsibility for his actions to the hypnotist, whilst remaining responsible to the hypnotist for his performance as an hypnotic subject.

Adolescent↗