PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A Beattie

Publications and source records attributed to A Beattie.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Epilepsy and employment. A community based survey in an area of high unemployment.

A community based survey was undertaken to assess the work record of patients with epilepsy in an area of high unemployment. One hundred and thirty seven epileptic patients were identified from a population of 23,837 persons of employable age registered with three urban group practices in North East England. The unemployment rate for economically active patients with epilepsy was 46% compared with 19% for an age and sex matched control population (p less than 0.01). Fifty nine per cent of patients with active epilepsy were unemployed. In those with an associated neurological or psychiatric handicap and those who were unskilled manual workers the unemployment rates were 79% and 77%, respectively. Patients with epilepsy were less likely to leave school with qualifications or undergo subsequent training or apprenticeships. They were more likely to be unskilled manual workers, single and living in rented accommodation. In an area of high unemployment patients with epilepsy have disproportionately greater difficulty finding work. High unemployment rates among patients with epilepsy are only one aspect of a spectrum of social and economic disadvantage.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Anaesthesia, movement and emesis.

One hundred and eighty-two women undergoing dilatation and curettage were allocated randomly to receive premedication comprising temazepam, papaveretum-hyoscine or placebo. The temazepam recipients reported significantly fewer episodes of postoperative nausea. Movement was blamed by 66% of patients who identified a cause for nausea. These patients had higher scores on a motion sickness susceptibility questionnaire and were more likely to have been treated previously for nausea or vomiting. It may be possible to identify susceptible patients before surgery.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Influence of induced hypotension and spinal distraction on feline spinal somatosensory evoked potentials.

Spinal cord injury may occur during surgical correction of spinal deformity, which is performed frequently under hypotensive anaesthesia. We have investigated the interaction between pharmacologically induced hypotension and distraction on feline spinal cord function. Twelve anaesthetized cats were subjected to hypotension (mean arterial pressure (MAP) 60 mm Hg) using a mixture of sodium nitroprusside and trimetaphan (1:5). No significant changes were observed in somatosensory evoked potentials recorded at T11. In six cats distraction was applied at L2-3 in 2.5-mm increments up to 1 cm, while MAP was maintained at 100 mm Hg (normotensive group). The remaining cats were subjected to the same distraction procedure at an MAP of 60 mm Hg (hypotensive group). In the hypotensive group, a reduction in amplitude of evoked response occurred at significantly less distraction than in the normotensive group. These data indicate that the feline spinal cord is more sensitive to spinal distraction under hypotensive conditions.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Celiprolol in the treatment of hypertension: a comparison with propranolol.

A randomized double-blind study compared the antihypertensive efficacy of single daily oral doses of celiprolol 200 or 400 mg to twice daily doses of propranolol 40 or 80 mg in 58 patients with uncomplicated essential hypertension (supine diastolic blood pressure range 95-114 mm Hg). Before treatment there was no significant difference in patient characteristics or in the average systolic or diastolic blood pressures or heart rates between the two groups. Sixty-five percent of the celiprolol group and 56% of the patients randomized to propranolol achieved blood pressure control on the lowest dose of each drug. The mean reductions in the systolic and diastolic pressures at the end of the 4 week titration period were -14/-13 mm Hg for the celiprolol group and -11/-12 mm Hg for the propranolol group. Continued treatment with the same doses of celiprolol and propranolol for a further 8 weeks resulted in blood pressure reductions of -18/14 mm Hg and -8/-9 mm Hg, respectively. In 64% of patients taking celiprolol and in 54% of those taking propranolol the prospective target reduction in supine diastolic blood pressure was achieved, namely a reduction to below 90 mm Hg or a reduction lower after propranolol than after celiprolol; celiprolol reduced the heart rate by an average of 6 bt/min and propranolol by 13 bt/min after 12 weeks treatment (p 0.01). Adverse reactions assessed by patient-volunteered information were similar in character and frequency for both drugs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed1986

The five year outcome of severe blunt head injury: a relative's view.

A close relative of each of 42 severely head injured patients was interviewed at 5 years after injury, following initial study at 3, 6, and 12 months. Persisting severe deficits, in some cases worse than at 1 year, were primarily psychological and behavioural, although minor physical deficits, for example in vision, were also common. Relatives were under great strain; significantly more so than at 1 year. The best predictor of strain in the relative was the magnitude of behavioural and personality change in the patient.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Return to work within the first seven years of severe head injury.

The rate and prediction of return to work was examined in 98 severely head injured patients during the first seven years after injury. The employment rate dropped from 86% before injury to 29% after. Younger patients, and those with technical/managerial jobs before injury were more likely to return to work than those over 45 years of age, or in unskilled occupations. Physical deficits were not related to return to work, but the presence of cognitive, behavioural, and personality changes was significantly related to a failure to return to work.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Alcohol and other predictors of cognitive recovery after severe head injury.

The research examined the effects of alcohol and other variables on cognitive outcome after severe head injury. Alcohol consumption habitually and at the time of injury were strongly related, and both were related to age and educational level but not injury severity. Covariance analysis to remove the effects of age and education showed a reduction in the main effects, so that only alcohol consumption at injury was a significant predictor of memory, but not other cognitive areas late after injury. There were significant interactions between severity of injury (post-traumatic amnesia), and alcohol habitually or at time of injury, with increasing alcohol consumption increasing the size of the memory deficit. To have a short post-traumatic amnesia and have drunk heavily led to a worse memory score than that found in patients with a considerably longer post-traumatic amnesia who had drunk lightly or not at all.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Defining quality in training institutions.

The views of nurse and midwife teachers occupy a crucial role in discussions about the quality of educational provision. So far, however, little information has been available on what the members of the profession think about this issue. In the course of a two-year research project commissioned by the ENB on performance indicators for training institutions, we asked teachers and their colleagues in all the English NHS regions to describe the characteristics of a high standard school. The study was conducted in the spring of 1988, that is, following the clinical grading review and the initiative to amalgamate school but before the NHS review and the acceptance of Project 2000. The data provided are an account of what is valued in schools of nursing and midwifery, for which a high degree of consensus was found among respondents. Management issues emerged as the top concern, followed by resources. Curriculum issues ranked third, closely followed by service links and professional/teacher issues. External links were of low importance.

Curriculum↗