Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Barrier Methods”

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.

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

At least 613 records · Page 34Linked to original sources
PubMed1980

The cervical cap: past and current experience.

In the past several years, a new trend has emerged where women in increasingly growing numbers are becoming hesitant to accept the risks associated with hormonal and invasive methods of birth control. It is as part of this trend that a revival of sorts is occurring with the cervical cap, a form of birth control with roots which precede recorded history and which, in its modern form, was widely advocated in late 19th and early 20th century Europe. Based on the principle of occlusion, the cervical cap appears effective and risk-free, both vital concerns to women of all centuries. Women's health activists and organizations have been in the forefront of this revival. Two of the first organizations to take an active interest in making the cap available were the New Hampshire Feminist Health Center in Concord, New Hampshire, and the Emma Goldman Women's Health Clinic in Iowa City, Iowa. The National Women's Health Network, a national organization based in Washington, D.C., has also been an active advocate on the cervical cap's behalf.

Contraceptive Devices, Female↗
PubMed1990

Use of condoms as contraceptive and disease preventive measures among residents of Jos, northern Nigeria.

The effectiveness, acceptability and protective aspects of condoms as both contraceptive and disease control measures was evaluated in 168 male residents of Jos in Nigeria. They were aged between 15 and 40 years and were attending the Family Planning Clinic of the Jos University Teaching Hospital. The results showed that the majority (87.5%) of our patients were in the 21 to 30 years age group and most of the clients had used condoms for between 1 to 5 years. A good number of our clients (40.5%) used condom because it protects them against venereal disease while others felt it was safe and effective. The Family Planning Clinic was the main source of knowledge of the condom among our clients (42.9%), and the condom was rated as good or excellent by 137 (81.5%) clients. The only side effect of condom usage which featured prominently among our clients was reduced sexual excitement. The results were compared with studies carried out elsewhere. It was concluded that the condom could be an acceptable and effective form of contraception in this population. The users must, however, be highly motivated so as to use it during every act of coitus for optimal efficacy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Methods for studying microvascular barrier function in ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is accompanied by functional disturbances in the microcirculation that often translate into significant morbidity and mortality. We present an overview of methods to evaluate microvascular barrier properties and how these methods can be applied to the study of I/R injury. Included is a summary of techniques for measuring 1) fluid and macromolecule flux from the vascular compartment into the interstitial space of tissues and 2) the permeability parameters of microvascular wall. Several experimental models will be surveyed including whole animal, isolated organ, individually perfused microvessels and cultured endothelial cells using examples from our own studies and work of other investigators relating to I/R-induced endothelial injury. The strengths and weaknesses of these different approaches are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

[Contraception for the man].

Current possibilities of contraception that can be practiced by the male continue to be based on the barrier concept. Methods that have an action on the spermatozoa, whether toxic, immunologic or hormonal have not become established in Germany, although the latter is still being researched, and even practiced (gestagen implant), in some countries. The two barrier methods--the condom and vasectomy--both have a permanent place in contraception: the condom is by far the more popular of the two, additionally providing protection against infection and free of side effects. The invasive procedure of vasectomy is not widely practiced, although, on the basis of risk-benefit considerations, it is the method of choice vis-à-vis the pill when a couple definitively want no more children.

Contraceptive Agents, Male↗
PubMed2006

Blood-brain barrier and cell-cell interactions: methods for establishing in vitro models of the blood-brain barrier and transport measurements.

This chapter describes in vitro methods for studying the blood-brain barrier. These methods include a cell line and isolated brain microvessels. The rat brain endothelial cell line 4 (RBE4) express many properties that are expressed by brain endothelial cells in vivo. Tissue culture methods allow the investigator to design experiments for studying transporters and permeability that would be much more difficult in vivo. A method for making preparations of isolated brain microvessels also is described. These preparations are highly enriched and also can be used for studying transport in vitro, but their short life span is a limitation. Two methods are discussed for measuring transport in cell culture. In one method, permeability is measured across a cell mono-layer. This method is useful for measuring luminal and abluminal transport. The second method is especially designed for measuring the families of efflux transporters. These in vitro methods will complement many of the in vivo techniques, and they may be used as screening for more timely and expensive experiments, and also reducing the need for experimental animals.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Contraception and the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are a major cause of ill health in women and their sexual partners and children. Contraceptive methods alter in various ways the risk of acquiring STD but assessment of the odds ratio is difficult due to the many confounding factors. Spermicides have been reported to kill a wide range of bacteria and viruses including HIV in vitro and to protect in vivo from infection by gonorrhoea, chlamydia and pelvic inflammatory disease (organisms unspecified). Spermicides will not cure pre-existing infections. Condoms and diaphragms will give some protection from bacterial and viral infections in all parts of the genital tract. Hormonal contraception and tubal ligation give protection to the upper genital tract but not the cervix. Carcinoma of the cervix follows the same pattern as STDs. The risk of pelvic infection in intrauterine device users is discussed in the chapter by Bromham (pp 100-123, this issue).

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Improving prescribing of antihypertensive and cholesterol-lowering drugs: a method for identifying and addressing barriers to change.

BACKGROUND: We describe a simple approach we used to identify barriers and tailor an intervention to improve pharmacological management of hypertension and hypercholesterolaemia. We also report the results of a post hoc exercise and survey we carried out to evaluate our approach for identifying barriers and tailoring interventions. METHODS: We used structured reflection, searched for other relevant trials, surveyed general practitioners and talked with physicians during pilot testing of the intervention. The post hoc exercise was carried out as focus groups of international researchers in the field of quality improvement in health care. The post hoc survey was done by telephone interviews with physicians allocated to the experimental group of a randomised trial of our multifaceted intervention. RESULTS: A wide range of barriers was identified and several interventions were suggested through structured reflection. The survey led to some adjustments. Studying other trials and pilot testing did not lead to changes in the design of the intervention. Neither the post hoc focus groups nor the post hoc survey revealed important barriers or interventions that we had not considered or included in our tailored intervention. CONCLUSIONS: A simple approach to identifying barriers to change appears to have been adequate and efficient. However, we do not know for certain what we would have gained by using more comprehensive methods and we do not know whether the resulting intervention would have been more effective if we had used other methods. The effectiveness of our multifaceted intervention is under evaluation in a randomised controlled trial.

Anticholesteremic Agents↗
PubMed1991

Tubal sterilization and subsequent ectopic pregnancy. A case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relative risk of ectopic pregnancy associated with postpartum or interval tubal sterilization. DESIGN: Case-control study using a comparison group of women of reproductive age at risk of pregnancy. SETTING: Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound, a health maintenance organization based in Seattle, Wash. organization based in Seattle, Wash. PARTICIPANTS: Cases were 249 enrollees diagnosed as having an ectopic pregnancy between October 1, 1981, and September 30, 1986. Controls were 835 randomly selected enrollees matched to cases on age and county of residence. MEASUREMENTS: Information on interval sterilization history was obtained from interviews, examination of medical records, automated hospitalization files and a previously validated algorithm. A logistic regression model was used to estimate relative risks (RRs) for sterilized women compared with women using other types of or no contraception at the reference date. RESULTS: Controlling for age, county, race, smoking, income, gravidity, and prior use of a Dalkon Shield intrauterine device, the risk of ectopic pregnancy in women who had undergone interval sterilization was 3.7 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.7 to 8.0) times that of women currently using oral contraception and 2.8 (95% CI, 1.5 to 5.5) times that of women currently using barrier contraceptive methods. Use of interval sterilization was associated with a risk of ectopic pregnancy similar to that of women using intrauterine devices (RR, 0.8; 95% CI, 0.4 to 1.7) and a risk lower than that of women who were not using contraception (RR, 0.2; 95% CI, 0.1 to 0.3). The corresponding RRs associated with postpartum sterilization were lower: 1.2 (95% CI, 0.3 to 3.9), 0.9 (95% CI, 0.3 to 2.8), 0.3 (95% CI, 0.1 to 0.8), and 0.1 (95% CI, 0.0 to 0.2), respectively. CONCLUSION: Tubal sterilization provides some protection against extrauterine as well as intrauterine pregnancy. It is likely that postpartum sterilization can be a safe alternative to all types of temporary contraception in terms of risk of ectopic pregnancy, while some types of interval sterilization may lead to an increased risk, in comparison with use of oral contraceptives or barrier methods.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Participant characteristics associated with withdrawal from a large randomized trial of spermicide effectiveness.

BACKGROUND: In most recent large efficacy trials of barrier contraceptive methods, a high proportion of participants withdrew before the intended end of follow-up. The objective of this analysis was to explore characteristics of participants who failed to complete seven months of planned participation in a trial of spermicide efficacy. METHODS: Trial participants were expected to use the assigned spermicide for contraception for 7 months or until pregnancy occurred. In bivariable and multivariable analyses, we assessed the associations between failure to complete the trial and 17 pre-specified baseline characteristics. In addition, among women who participated for at least 6 weeks, we evaluated the relationships between failure to complete, various features of their first 6 weeks of experience with the spermicide, and characteristics of the study centers and population. RESULTS: Of the 1514 participants in this analysis, 635 (42%) failed to complete the study for reasons other than pregnancy. Women were significantly less likely to complete if they were younger or unmarried, had intercourse at least 8 times per month, or were enrolled at a university center or at a center that enrolled fewer than 4 participants per month. Noncompliance with study procedures in the first 6 weeks was also associated with subsequent early withdrawal, but dissatisfaction with the spermicide was not. However, many participants without these risk factors withdrew early. CONCLUSIONS: Failure to complete is a major problem in barrier method trials that seriously compromises the interpretation of results. Targeting retention efforts at women at high risk for early withdrawal is not likely to address the problem sufficiently.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

The Prentif contraceptive cervical cap: a contemporary study of its clinical safety and effectiveness.

Because they seemed to be an overlooked, underutilized, and underdeveloped means of contraception, cervical caps were offered to patients in a private gynecological practice and the first 413 acceptors were sent a detailed questionnaire about their experiences. The 371 who responded provided generous amounts of information helpful in assessing not only cap safety and effectiveness, which are dealt with herein, but also in assessing acceptability which is dealt with in the companion article that follows. With regard to safety considerations, "cervical erosion" was not found to contraindicate cap use and no other significant safety hazards were encountered, although two concerns were suggested for further evaluation. The failure rate was 8.4 per 100 women per year by the life table method. Of 25 failures, 11 were labeled method failures and 14 were labeled human failures by the respondents themselves. The role of cap dislodgement as a cause of method failures is analyzed. It is concluded that caps are as safe and effective as diaphragms and that for many women they are the most suitable form of contraception available. It is reasonable to expect that they will soon be able to be approved for general use.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

A novel in vitro percutaneous penetration model: evaluation of barrier properties with p-aminobenzoic acid and two of its derivatives.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the utility of a stratum corneum substitute (SCS) as a novel in vitro percutaneous penetration model. The SCS consists of synthetic stratum corneum (SC) lipids (cholesterol, free fatty acids, and specific ceramides) applied onto a porous substrate. The composition, organization, and orientation of lipids in the SCS bear high resemblance to that of the intercellular barrier lipids in SC. METHODS: The barrier integrity of the SCS was evaluated by means of passive diffusion studies, using three model compounds with different lipophilicities. The effects of lipid layer thickness, permeant lipophilicity, and altered lipid composition on the barrier properties were investigated, using isolated human SC as a control sample. RESULTS: For all three model compounds, the permeability characteristics of the SCS with a 12-mum-thick lipid layer closely resemble those of human SC. Modification of the lipid composition, generating an SCS that lacks the characteristic long periodicity phase as present in SC, was accompanied by a 2-fold increased permeability. CONCLUSIONS: The SCS offers an attractive tool to predict solute permeation through human skin. Moreover, as its lipid composition can be modified, they may also serve as a suitable screening model for diseased skin.

4-Aminobenzoic Acid↗