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Biomedical subjects

A Bridges

Publications and source records attributed to A Bridges.

49 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

The relation between calcium absorption, serum dehydroepiandrosterone, and vertebral mineral density in postmenopausal women.

Vertebral mineral density, measured by computerized axial tomography, radiocalcium absorption, serum dehydroepiandrosterone (DHA), and serum cortisol (C) were measured in 98 postmenopausal women aged 56-70 yr. On the basis of spine radiographs and fracture history, the women were classified into 49 normal subjects (mean age, 60.5 yr) and 49 with osteoporosis (mean age, 63.1 yr). Vertebral mineral density (VMD), radiocalcium absorption (alpha), serum DHA, and the ratio of DHA to cortisol (DHA/C) were all significantly lower in the osteoporotic than in the normal subjects. DHA was significantly related to C in both groups but the regression was significantly flatter in the osteoporotic than in the normal subjects. Calcium absorption did not fall significantly with age in either group. In the normal group VMD, DHA, and DHA/C fell with age but VMD was not related to alpha, DHA, or DHA/C. In the osteoporotic group, VMD did not fall significantly with age but was significantly related to alpha and DHA/C. Stepwise regression analysis showed that in the normal subjects, age was the only variable significantly related to VMD (P less than 0.05). In the osteoporotic group, calcium absorption was the main determinant of VMD, with age and DHA/C contributing much less to the variance. Discriminant function analysis showed a theoretical misclassification of 45% of cases using DHA, 39% using DHA/C, 32% using alpha, and 18% when alpha and DHA or DHA/C were both taken into account. It is concluded that malabsorption of calcium is a significant risk factor for postmenopausal osteoporosis, probably because of a secondary increase in bone resorption to maintain serum calcium. The severity of the osteoporosis is directly related to the severity of the calcium malabsorption. Low serum DHA appears to represent a further risk factor, either because of its role as estrogen precursor or (possibly) because it promotes bone formation. However, the severity of the osteoporosis was not related to the serum DHA level and only weakly to the DHA/C ratio.

Aged↗
PubMed1984

Syntactic comprehension in Down's syndrome children.

The ability of 24 Down's syndrome children to act out active and passive semantically biased and neutral sentences in a comprehension task was compared with that of 24 non-retarded children, matched on the basis of their verbal comprehension scores on the Reynell Developmental Language Scale (Reynell, 1969). Down's syndrome children closely resembled control children both in terms of percentage correct responses and in terms of individual children's patterns of error. The results are taken as support for the proposition that the processes underlying language comprehension in the retarded are fundamentally the same as those of non-retarded children. Even so, there was evidence of a slight (6 to 12 months) delay in the appearance of syntactic strategies of comprehension by the Down's syndrome children compared with those non-retarded children matched with them in terms of verbal comprehension age.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Subjective assessment of sleep by Sleep Questionnaire.

A 55-item Sleep Questionnaire is presented for possible use as a standardized instrument in psychological studies of sleep. A factor analysis of responses from 145 adults to the questionnaire indicated 7 factors accounted for 71.7% of the total variance. These factors are congruent with sleep dimensions discussed in the literature and with other factor analytic investigations. A set of 11 clinical judgment scales are also presented. The reliabilities of both factor and clinical scales are adequate as judged by test-retest, internal consistency, and comparisons of self vs spouse ratings. The construct validity is supported by three studies showing significant differences between (a) medical patients with and without sleep disturbances, (b) psychiatric patients with and without symptoms of depression, and (c) short and long sleepers.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

American health planning and the lessons of comparative policy analysis.

This paper reviews case studies of eighteen countries to identify similarities and differences in health planning problems and institutional arrangements for resolving them. On the basis of this review, it is argued that in order for cost-containment to be effective in the United States, planning agencies need to have control over resource allocation.

Delivery of Health Care↗
PubMed1977

The political economy on national health insurance. Policy analysis and political evaluation.

National health insurance (NHI) is discussed as a redistributive issue (that is, conflict over it is characterized by stable coalitions with important ideological differences). Discussion of policy alternatives has been intensified, but obscured, by a rhetoric which insists that the medical care system is in crisis. Both rhetoric and discussion point to three problem areas: cost, quality, and distribution of care. Three kinds of NHI proposals exist--minimal intervention measurees (e.g., AMAs Medicredit proposal), major government action (e.g., Kennedy-Corman), and mixed strategies (e.g., CHIP). While these have different potentials for mitigating the problem areas discussed, none can provide complete solutions. Rather, the goal of NHI is to avert financial catastrophe for families and individuals. The emergence of Democratic majorities in Congress and a Democratic White House increases the chances that some NHI plan will be adopted. Political analysis suggests that, short of aggressive leadership committed to a comprehensive scheme, a "middle ground" solution will be outcome.

Economics, Medical↗
PubMed1972

S.E.N. in the team.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Nursing, Practical↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Nursing education resources on the World Wide Web.

The Internet offers the promise of quick and convenient access to large amounts of up-to-date information. There are many resources on the Internet for nurses and nurse educators, but they can be challenging to locate and the information must be evaluated carefully. In this article, some nursing resources on the Internet are analyzed and criteria for evaluating information are suggested. With a little patience and persistence, nurse educators will find exploring the Internet rewarding and informative.

Computer Communication Networks↗