Biomedical subjects

B Alvin

Publications and source records attributed to B Alvin.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1991

Immediate and sustained reduction in serum cholesterol achieved in 4-week Heart Tune program.

Currently, there is limited information about educational models effective in assisting individuals to lower their serum cholesterol. Dietitians and nutritionists involved in cholesterol-reduction programs need to inform other health professionals about programs utilized and the success of those programs. The National Cholesterol Education Program has published guidelines for the detection, evaluation, and treatment of high blood cholesterol in adults. Educational programs should be systematically evaluated to confirm their success in cholesterol reduction. The Heart Tune program is a 4-week class developed by a dietitian to assist clients in cholesterol reduction. An evaluation of the lipoprotein levels of 49 program participants demonstrated that serum total cholesterol levels significantly decreased at the completion of the 4-week class (0.65 mmol/L) and after 1 year (0.80 mmol/L).

Adult↗

PubMed1990

Patient sex role and preference for a male or female physician.

A study was undertaken to test whether a patient's sex role, as measured by the Bem Sex Role Inventory, is associated with preference for a male or female physician. One hundred ninety-three patients completed a physician preference survey and the Bem Sex Role Inventory. Thirty-six percent of patients preferred a physician of a specific sex. For women, sex role was associated with preference for a female physician (chi 2 = 16.14, P less than .01). Women with an androgynous sex role who gave a preference always chose a female physician; three fourths of women with an undifferentiated sex role who gave a preference always chose a female physician. Regardless of sex role, men who gave a preference always chose a male physician. For women, these findings support the hypothesis that sex role is associated with preference for a female physician.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

Monitoring dental sterilizers' effectiveness using biological indicators.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of dental office sterilizers as measured by their ability to kill bacterial spores present on biological indicator strips. The biological indicators used in this study contained two different spores, Bacillus stearothermophilus and Bacillus subtilis (Spordi, AMSCO/Medical Products). Ten spore test strips were sent to 87 dental offices; 51 sterilizers were tested. Office personnel were instructed to place four strips in the center of a normal sterilization load and process the load. The procedure was repeated on a second day. The processed strips, along with two unprocessed control strips, were returned by mail for laboratory culturing. The results indicated the overall failure rate (positive test) of sterlizers tested for both days was 51% at the culturing temperature of 37 degrees C and 33.3% at 55 degrees C. McNemar's test indicated a significant difference (p less than .03) in sterilization failures associated with the type and number of microorganisms present on the test strips. This study also showed that the more times a sterilizer was tested, the more likely a failure would occur. Overall, an alarming number of sterilizers (64.7%) were not effective in killing all the spores present on the indicator strips. When office personnel were given information for improving sterilizer performance, there was a noticeable reduction in sterilization failures following retesting.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗