Biomedical subjects

A L Knasel

Publications and source records attributed to A L Knasel.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1992

Cancer knowledge and attitudes of African-American and white adolescents: a comparison of two secondary schools.

A cancer knowledge and attitude survey was administered to 385 students 12 to 18 years of age. Half attended a predominantly African-American academic high school and the other half, a predominantly white college preparatory school. Both schools were in Washington, DC. Responses were analyzed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov two-sample test. African-American students more often than white students understood the words leukemia and malignancy to mean cancer; identified breast self-examination as a method for early cancer detection; and recognized chemotherapy as effective cancer treatment. White students more often than African-American students responded correctly that cancer is less common in children than in adults; cancer is often curable; and research has benefited cancer outcome. Although both groups of students had good knowledge, the African-American adolescents appeared to have a pessimistic attitude, which may contribute to "delay behavior," suboptimal compliance, and poor survival. Cancer education should help to counteract this attitude, however. It is also encouraging that the African-American adolescents were more interested than the white students in further cancer education.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1987

Musical stimulation in the developmentally delayed child: a pilot study.

Music is a convenient way of bypassing barriers of communication and eliciting responses that may be helpful in the diagnoses and treatment of illness. The use of background music in elevators, in doctors' offices, and in stores are good examples of how music can be used to affect the subconscious mind. In this pilot study drums were used to better define the effects of particular elements of music and sound. When repetitive rhythms are presented as background music to a group of severely developmentally delayed children, three out of four subjects show a definite change in level of development in the unstructured task of free drawing. To discover more about the effects of the various elements of music and to better identify patterns in the environment that are conducive to optimal functioning, further studies are indicated.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

PubMed1987

Evaluation of pediatric community field trips.

A field trip program for junior medical students on a pediatric clinical clerkship acquainted students with the care of normal and handicapped children in community settings of school, day care center, residential treatment, or diagnostic facilities.A program evaluation by pre and post-trip survey demonstrated a positive change in students' knowledge and attitude in general, which was unaffected by such factors as sex, previous experience in a medical setting, and previous experience with handicapped children.As an integral part of the pediatric clerkship, the field trip appears to have been a positive experience for students, as it met their educational and emotional needs. Subjective evaluation indicated that many students formed insightful and compassionate judgments about handicapped children.Although the increase in knowledge and sensitivity of the students, as reflected in the pre-and post-test, was not statistically significant, the benefit to the students, to the personnel of the agencies, and ultimately to the children and families with whom they dealt during their professional careers was important.

Curriculum↗

PubMed1986

Applicability of early indicators of iron toxicity.

Leukocytosis, blood glucose, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal radiograph have been reported as early indicators of toxic serum iron levels. To test the applicability of this battery of five variables, the charts of 64 patients admitted for toxic iron ingestion were reviewed. When these variables were subjected to tests of sensitivity, specificity, and predictive negative and positive values in 42 patients meeting study criteria, they failed to reach statistical significance. Only vomiting was found to approach statistical significance and, therefore, may serve as an early indicator of toxicity. In addition, several epidemiological issues relevant to the study population are discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1982

Incest and child sexual abuse.

Child sexual abuse was examined nationally and in the Washington, DC and Howard University Hospital area. In an attempt to describe this widespread problem, two case histories are presented which reflect some of the typical characteristics of child sexual abuse cases seen at Howard University Hospital. Pertinent literature is reviewed citing the prevalence rates and the personality and environmental factors which may contribute to the sexual abuse of children in this country. Finally, the role of the physician in identifying and treating the physical and emotional effects of child abuse are discussed.

Child↗