SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Conservatism”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 397 records · Page 22Linked to original sources

PubMed1984

What is, must be best: a research note on conservative or deferential responses to antenatal care provision.

During a study of innovations in antenatal care it was found that overall levels of satisfaction with care were high. Pregnant women appeared to assume that whatever arrangements they had experienced were the best arrangements possible and to be negative about innovations until they had experienced them. This response, which may be due to conservatism or deference, is examined in relation to aspects of general practice and hospital care, and its implications for the evaluation of health care are discussed.

Abdomen↗

PubMed1988

Regional and welfare perspectives on the public-private hospital dichotomy in New Zealand.

Concern with the social welfare implications of dual (public and private) hospital systems has grown over the last decade as national commitments to welfare state ideals have wavered in the continuing atmosphere of fiscal conservatism that has permeated through western democracies. New Zealand provides an excellent example of a health care system in which private hospitals have survived (and recently flourished) alongside those provided by the state. Following a brief survey of the evolution of the New Zealand hospital system, variations in the 'mix' of public and private hospitals are described at the (regional) Hospital Board District level. It is noted that competition for patients and funding between the public and private sectors occurs almost exclusively in the larger, urban hospital districts, and is invariably to the detriment of public hospitals. Districts with a substantial private hospital presence are found to have fewer resources in the public sector (relative to their population) than those which have few or no private hospitals. The welfare implications of this situation are explored. It is proposed that the maintenance of a dual hospital system in New Zealand has provided, in some parts of the country at least, a 'choice' for those able to afford private hospital charges or insurance coverage, but at the expense of those dependent solely upon a (shrinking) public sector.

Economics, Hospital↗

PubMed1989

The coming of age of critical medical anthropology.

This paper reviews the development over the last 15 years of a broadening critical trend in the field of medical anthropology by: (1) examining shortcomings of conventional medical anthropology that led to interest in critical alternatives; (2) examining historical and occupational factors that tend to conservatize the subdiscipline; (3) reviewing the body of literature produced thus far by its adherents; and (4) suggesting directions for future work.

Anthropology↗

PubMed1989

Traditional or transitional medical systems? Pharmacotherapy as a case for analysis.

Questions have been raised about the validity of labels such as 'western', 'alternative', and 'traditional' as applied to medical systems. This study shows that the rubric 'traditional' may be validly applied to clusters of medical systems sharing common elements that distinguish them from 'western' systems. At the same time, pluralism in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures must be recognized even within each system. The discussion in this paper analyzes explanatory models, drawing mainly from Asian examples and focussing on pharmaceuticals. A purely cognitive approach may however be insufficient in understanding the different medical systems. A review of socio-historical factors that influence medical systems highlights important processes such as cultural reinterpretation and indigenization that characterize what could be more appropriately described as transitional medical systems. Changes in cultural forms, such as the acceptance of western pharmaceuticals, may still rely on traditional cognitive frames of reference, suggesting eclecticism amid conservatism. Issues of theoretical and practical concern are outlined at the end of the article.

Asia↗

PubMed1991

Politics, power and poverty: health for all in 2000 in the Third World?

Health for All by 2000 could become a reality in the Third World countries. On present resource allocation, medical professional and political patterns and trends that is unlikely to happen in more than a few countries. For it to happen requires basic priority shifts to universal access primary health care (including preventative). The main obstacles to such a shift are not absolute resource constraints but medical professional conservatism together with its interaction with elite interests and with political priorities based partly on perceived demand and partly on (largely medical) professional advice. These obstacles are surmountable-as illustrated by divergent performances among countries--but only if education, promotion, efficiency in terms of lives saved and healthy years gained, community participation and political activism for Health for All are more carefully analytically based and pursued more seriously and widely than they have been to date.

Developing Countries↗

PubMed1994

One person's 'spoiling' is another's freedom to become: overcoming ethnocentric views about parental control.

Gaining cultural self-awareness by health and human services professionals in areas that are bastions of conservatism like childrearing is particularly difficult to achieve. It is argued that polarized ideas about parental control dominate the Anglo Dominant Culture's value orientations, reflected in both popular and scientific literature. Parental permissiveness is cast into an opposing category of 'noncontrol', imbuing it with negativism. Prejudice against Eskimo childrearing is examined in that context and a method is offered to 'loosen' the grip of Anglo beliefs about parenting.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed1991

The evolution of hormonal signalling systems.

1. A comparative analysis was made of chemosignalling systems responsible for the action of hormones, hormone-like substances, pheromones, etc. in vertebrates--multicellular invertebrates--unicellular eukaryotes. Many common features revealed in structural-functional organization of the above systems give evidence of their evolutionary conservatism. 2. It was shown that some molecular components as well as signal transduction mechanisms similar to those of higher eukaryote hormonal signalling systems are present in such early organisms as bacteria. This allowed a suggestion that the roots of chemosignalling systems are likely to be found in prokaryotes. 3. The evolution of hormonal signalling systems is discussed in terms of current theories of the origin of eukaryotic cell, its organelles and components. A hypothesis is put forward about endosymbiotic genesis of these signal transduction systems in eukaryotes. 4. A possible evolutionary scenario of the formation of hormonocompetent systems is proposed with hormone-sensitive adenylate cyclase complex taken as an example.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Ultradian rhythms in cognitive performance: no evidence for a 1.5-h rhythm.

In the past, Kleitman's notion of a basic rest-activity cycle (BRAC), which states an approximate 1.5-h rhythm of arousal, has received some empirical support in studies investigating physiological or psychological parameters. Our study investigated this ultradian rhythm in human cognitive performance. Sixty subjects were tested every 10 min for 9 h with an elementary cognitive task, the sentence-verification test (SVT), and provided ratings of alertness and mood. Heart period was always measured during performance of the SVT. Using rather conservative statistical methods, spectral analyses of time series revealed no significant 90-min periodicity for any of the variables. Instead, longer periodicities were the major sources of variance. Reanalyses using detrended and/or smoothed time series suggest that emergence of the BRAC might depend also on statistical methods. In conformity with recent studies it was concluded that several positive reports for the BRAC might be due to lack of conservatism in statistical methods.

Adult↗

PubMed1981

A new macrosystem for the phylum Ciliophora doflein, 1901.

A new macrosystem for the phylum Ciliophora is described. It is based primarily on the concept of the structural conservatism of the cortical fibrillar structures. Three subphyla, the Postciliodesmatophora, Rhabdophora, and Cyrtophora, are described. These three subphyla are divided respectively into the following classes: (1) the Postciliodesmatophora, into the Karyorelictea and Spirotrichea; (2) Rhabdophora, into the Prostomea and the Litostomea n, nov.; and (3) Cyrtophorea, into the Nassophorea n. nov., Phyllopharyngea, Coipodea, and Oligohymenophorea. The subclass divisions of these eight classes are briefly discussed. Problem areas are indicated where further research will test the relationship proposed by this new macrosystem.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Fossils as keys to evolution in fungi.

Both flagellated and nonflagellated fungi have an extensive fossil record, which is, however, unevenly documented and often difficult to interpret. Recent work on Silurian, Devonian and Carboniferous terrestrial assemblages has provided plausible evidence for all major groups of extant fungi in the Paleozoic. Key events in fungal macroevolution thus probably took place in the early Paleozoic or the late Precambrian, and the likelihood of finding definitive fossil evidence for them is small. The fossil record also provides evidence for morphological conservatism and early establishment of a spectrum of intimate associations between fungi and vascular plants. A model for the origin of terrestrial fungi involving two distinct lines of biotrophs in lichen-like symbioses with algae is proposed.

Biological Evolution↗

PubMed1991

Neurochordins of higher vertebrates: similarities in P-epitope-bearing polypeptide composition and a study of P-epitope expression in cultured neural tissue cells.

Neurochordins are a family of high Mr P-epitope-bearing neural tissue glycoproteins. Comparison of SDS-agarose electrophoretic patterns of extracts from human, rat, mouse and chicken brain after immunostaining of blots with an anti-P-epitope MAb At5 demonstrated that in each case neurochordins from the A, B and C group were present. A similar result was obtained when polyclonal serum against total human neurochordin was used. The data favours the idea of high evolutional conservatism of neurochordins of higher vertebrate species. Expression of the P-epitope on glial cells in culture was studied. Strong immunostaining of oligodendrocytes with MAb At5 and the absence of this staining in astrocytes and Schwann cells make it possible to use At5 for identification of cell types in tissue culture experiments as well as for differential diagnostics of brain tumours.

Animals↗

PubMed1989

Consequences and costs of shutting off methadone.

In the face of rising fiscal conservatism, many states and localities with sizable addict populations have reduced or eliminated public funding for methadone maintenance (MM) programs and permitted private-fee-for-service programs to replace them. The social and economic costs of these changed funding policies with reference to the California experience were analyzed. A two-and-a-half year follow-up of a sample of San Diego MM clients (195 men, 129 women) terminated from a public subsidized program compared outcome results to clients from publicly funded MM programs in Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties (129 men, 131 women). In a secondary analysis, San Diego clients who transferred into private (fee-for-service) treatment programs were compared with those who did not transfer. Major adverse consequences were found for clients unable or unwilling to transfer to private programs: higher crime and dealing rates, more contact with the criminal justice system, and higher rates of illicit drug use were demonstrated by nontransfer clients. Moreover, the savings resulting from a reduction of MM program costs were nearly offset by increased direct costs for incarceration, legal supervision, and other government-funded drug treatment. Indirect costs were not assessed.

Adult↗

PubMed1985

The distribution of cholecystokinin-8 in the central nervous system of turtles: an immunohistochemical and biochemical study.

Immunohistochemical techniques, radioimmunoassay (RIA) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were used to: (1) determine the regional distribution and amounts of cholecystokinin-8 (CCK8)-like immunoreactivity in the turtle central nervous system, and (2) chemically characterize the CCK8-like material present in the turtle central nervous system. High levels of CCK8-like immunoreactivity were found in the turtle central nervous system, with the highest levels being present in the hypothalamus and neurohypophysis. Moderate levels of the CCK8-like material were found in all other regions of the turtle nervous system except the cerebellum, the olfactory bulbs and the dorsal ventricular ridge of the telencephalon, which contained low levels. The bulk (87%) of the CCK8-like material in turtle central nervous system co-eluted with CCK8-sulfate in gradient elution HPLC. The distribution of CCK8-like immunoreactivity (CCK8LI) observed using immunohistochemistry was consistent with the results of the RIA studies. Numerous CCK8LI-containing neurons and fibers were observed in the hypothalamus and neurohypophysis. Neurons and fibers containing CCK8 were, however, more sparsely distributed outside the hypothalamus. The immunohistochemical data provided evidence for the existence of two major CCK8-containing pathways in turtles that have been previously described in mammals: a pathway from the supraoptic and paraventricular magnocellular nuclei to the external zone of the median eminence and neurohypophysis and a pathway from dorsal root ganglia to the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. Overall, the present results, in conjunction with several previous studies, indicate that CCK8 has had a relatively stable evolutionary history as a CNS neuropeptide among land vertebrates. The molecular structure of CCK8 appears to have been largely (if not entirely) conserved, as has its concentration in many brain regions. A noteworthy exception to such conservatism in the localization of CCK8 is that the concentration of CCK8 in the telencephalon, particularly in the telencephalic cortex, is much lower in turtles than in mammals. The present results therefore suggest that CCK8 may not have become a prominent peptide in the telencephalic cortex (or its anatomical equivalents) until the evolution of neocortex in the mammalian lineage.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Small-area variations in conviction rates for DWI: the significance of contextual variables in a Southwestern state.

Average annual conviction rates (1990-2000) of people arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol in each of New Mexico's 33 counties are described. Conviction rates vary from 58 to 95%. Rates are correlated with political conservatism, being higher where a higher proportion of voters voted for the republican presidential candidates, and with measures of crowding in the courts. Conviction rates are higher in rural than urban areas and are correlated with a low prevalence of alcohol-related problems in the population. The variance in conviction rates is higher in rural than urban areas, and higher where measures of court crowding are low. The results suggest that political culture and the efficiency of court functioning are each independently associated with conviction rates for DWI and may also be associated in a reciprocal fashion with both low DWI arrest rates and alcohol-involved crash rates.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMed2005

The relationship between maternal attitudes and young people's attitudes toward children's rights.

Relations between maternal socio-political attitudes and parenting style and young people's and mothers' attitudes toward young people's nurturance and self-determination rights were examined. Both young people (n = 121) and mothers (n = 67) were more supportive of nurturance than self-determination rights, although young people were more supportive than their mothers of self-determination rights and mothers were more supportive than young people of nurturance rights. Maternal conservatism was unrelated to young people's support for rights and negatively related to mothers' support for both types of rights. Last, young people who perceived their mother to be either authoritarian or uninvolved showed stronger endorsement of self-determination rights than young people who perceived their mother to be authoritative. The implications of these findings for the development of young people's attitudes toward rights within the context of various family factors are discussed. In particular, it is suggested that a balance needs to be achieved between assertion of rights and a respect for the rights of others.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Protein structure similarity clustering (PSSC) and natural product structure as inspiration sources for drug development and chemical genomics.

Finding small molecules that modulate protein function is of primary importance in drug development and in the emerging field of chemical genomics. To facilitate the identification of such molecules, we developed a novel strategy making use of structural conservatism found in protein domain architecture and natural product inspired compound library design. Domains and proteins identified as being structurally similar in their ligand-sensing cores are grouped in a protein structure similarity cluster (PSSC). Natural products can be considered as evolutionary pre-validated ligands for multiple proteins and therefore natural products that are known to interact with one of the PSSC member proteins are selected as guiding structures for compound library synthesis. Application of this novel strategy for compound library design provided enhanced hit rates in small compound libraries for structurally similar proteins.

Biological Factors↗

PubMed2004

Prognosis of environmental concentrations by geo-referenced and generic models: a comparison of GREAT-ER and EUSES exposure simulations for some consumer-product ingredients in the Itter.

The aim of this study was the comparison between predicted environmental concentrations (PEC) derived using a generic aspacial model, European Union System for the Evaluation of Substances (EUSES), and a geo-referenced model, the Geo-referenced Regional Environmental Assessment Tool for European Rivers (GREAT-ER). The PECs of some consumer-product ingredients (boron, LAS) and professional uses (EDTA, NTA and Triclosan) were calculated for the river catchment of the Itter, a small tributary to the river Rhine. The PEClocal and PECregional for the water compartment generated by EUSES (default scenario) were subsequently refined with data that realistically reflects the region of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW scenario) and the Itter catchment (Itter scenario). The results of the three scenarios were then compared with the PECinitial and PECcatchment calculated by GREAT-ER, that was designed as a higher-tiered exposure assessment tool, and with concrete concentrations in the Itter, measured as 24-h composite samples. While the PECregional of all scenarios was close to the lower end of the measured concentrations, the geo-referenced PECs described equally well the real spacial situation. The measured environmental concentrations confirmed the built-in conservatism of the PEClocal calculations by EUSES showing for all investigated chemicals an unrealistically high PEClocal (default). The refinement in the more realistic scenarios could not provide a straight forward general improvement of the PEClocal. In conclusion, when the EUSES prognosis is refined using more detailed substance and regional specific data, it may provide a fairly accurate modelling especially of substances that are not eliminated in the environment. However, in the case of eliminable substances, it does not match the accuracy of higher-tiered geo-referenced exposure models like GREAT-ER.

Arylsulfonates↗

PubMed2004

Nasal tip support and its surgical modification.

As noted by Drs. Johnson and Toriumi, "The keyto successful rhinoplasty lies in the restructuring of the lower third of the nose. The modified skeletal elements must have both proper form and sufficient skeletal strength to give shape to the overlying skin-soft tissue envelope. A skeleton that lacks this load-bearing integrity becomes distorted or collapses under the weight of overlying tissues and the forces of scar contracture" [6]. All facial plastic surgeons have seen (or caused)a weakened nasal tip and have been frustrated at attempts to correct the resultant aesthetic and functional deformities. In a well-reasoned plea for surgical conservatism Dr. Tardy states that "Tip cartilage reorientation and repositioning often produce more favorable and predictable appearances. Notching, pinching, cephalicalar retraction, over-rotation, asymmetries, and tip support loss are all almost entirely eliminated in long-term healing when this conservative philosophy is embraced" [3]. Though conservation of surgical injury will certainly improve rhinoplasty results, a midline tensegrity rebuild using the time-honored surgical technique of layered wound closure will provide the maximum level of surgical control presently available overnasal tip modification. The basic knowledge of architecture and engineering presented here, along with the application of these concepts to nasal tip support,will benefit all of our patients through improvement of surgical results. As surgical architect/engineers we should all em-brace the concept that "The resistant virtue of the(nasal tip) structure that we seek depends on its (architectural) form; it is through its form that it is stable,not because of an awkward accumulation of material. There is nothing more noble and elegant from an intellectual viewpoint than this: to resist through form" [12].

Esthetics↗