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Biomedical subjects

B Beach

Publications and source records attributed to B Beach.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Long-term effects of language intensity in preventive messages on planned family solar protection.

A series of sun safety messages containing highly intense language and deductive logical style achieved the most immediate compliance by parents, particularly when they intended to improve protection. Inductive messages were more successful when no intentions existed (D. B. Buller, Borland, & Burgoon, 1998; D. B. Buller et al., 2000). Interviewers recontacted 568 parents during the winter following message dissemination and assessed solar protection. A 2 (language intensity) x 2 (logical style) x 3 (behavioral intention) x 2 (person) mixed-model analysis of variance showed that parents receiving high-intensity, deductive messages reported the most improved solar protection and improvement was greatest when parents intended to improve protection. Over the long term, high language intensity may reinforce decisions to take preventive action and does not appear to provoke psychological reactance or resistance to these highly directive messages.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1996

Tetrasomy 8 detected by interphase cytogenetics in a child with acute lymphocytic leukemia.

Tetrasomy 8 is a rare clonal anomaly in human acute leukemia. Here we present a case of a 7-year-old boy with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) displaying a tetrasomy 8 clone that could not be detected by conventional cytogenetics. In this study, bone marrow and peripheral blood cells were collected at five different diagnostic stages and analyzed by double targeted fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with centromeric DNA probes for chromosomes 7, 8, 9, and 12. FISH analysis revealed a significant increase in tetrasomy 8 frequency, but not in other chromosomes examined. A smaller increase in trisomy 8 was also detected. At one stage over 60% of the cells were hyperdiploid with 40% being tetrasomic. The size of the tetrasomic clone changed during the course of the disease. The hyperdiploid frequencies of chromosome 8 detected by interphase FISH analysis in bone marrow and peripheral blood were similar. Our findings indicate the utility of FISH analysis in cytogenetic monitoring of leukemia patients and further show that tetrasomy 8 may play a specific role in a subtype of ALL.

Aneuploidy↗
PubMed1996

Sunny days, healthy ways: evaluation of a skin cancer prevention curriculum for elementary school-aged children.

BACKGROUND: Primary prevention of skin cancer must start early in life to reduce total life-time sun exposure and severe overexposure in childhood. Childhood is an excellent time to form life-long prevention habits. A school-based curriculum can be an effective prevention strategy. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine the effectiveness of a skin cancer prevention curriculum at increasing knowledge and attitudes supporting prevention and decreasing sun exposure by children in grades four, five, and six. METHODS: Twenty-four classes (N = 447 students) from four public elementary schools in southern Arizona participated. Half received a pretest, half were tested at the conclusion of the 5-week curriculum in early spring, and half were tested 8 weeks later in late spring. Objective measures of suntanning were obtained. RESULTS: The curriculum increased knowledge about skin cancer prevention and attitudes supporting prevention and decreased suntanning. Self-reported preventive behavior was inconsistent and only weakly associated with measures of suntanning. CONCLUSION: The curriculum was effective at increasing skin cancer prevention. Resulting reduction in sun exposure was superior to that achieved with previous prevention curricula. Change in attitude needed time to emerge, appearing after 8 weeks. Self-reported preventive behavior by children in elementary school may lack validity. Pretesting did not alter effectiveness. Sixth-graders may be ready for more advanced content, but the curriculum is probably too advanced for kindergarten through third grade.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1989

Oral hygiene instruction and health risk assessment in dental practice.

We studied oral hygiene instruction given to 109 patients in 19 Washington State dental practices to investigate the extent to which therapists targeted their efforts toward patients with high disease risk. Patients were examined prior to instruction and prophylaxes. Therapists' instructions were tape-recorded and their content analyzed: therapists' expectations were scored. There were no statistically significant associations between patients' initial plaque levels and the process/content of the oral hygiene instructions delivered. On average, therapists spent 9.4 minutes of each prophylaxis session discussing oral hygiene. Therapists were judged more genuine with those patients for whom they had higher expectations of compliance, i.e., those with less plaque and low disease risk. We conclude that dental practitioners were not employing effective risk assessment strategies in selection of patients most in need of intensive instructional efforts.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1989

How effective is oral hygiene instruction? Results after 6 and 24 weeks.

We studied the clinical effectiveness of oral hygiene instruction given to 71 "high" plaque patients in 19 Washington State dental practices to determine the extent of plaque reduction. Patients were examined prior to instruction and prophylaxis. Therapist instructions were tape-recorded and content analyzed, and therapists' expectations were scored. Patients were surveyed as to oral health behaviors and general health habit characteristics. Only 20 of 71 (28%) initially "high" plaque patients had reduced mean plaque scores to 1.0 or less at six weeks. An additional 13 percent had deteriorated plaque levels at 24 weeks. We concluded that therapists did not consistently follow principles of effective instruction and often overestimated their effectiveness. Determinants of relapse involve the educational process, the patients' oral status, and patients' life situations.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Use of routine chest radiography in the evaluation of fever in neutropenic pediatric oncology patients.

Evaluation of febrile episodes in children who have become neutropenic during treatment for malignant disease has traditionally included radiography of the chest. It has been our impression that the yield of such examination is low. To test this hypothesis we reviewed all chest radiographs (CXRs) obtained in the above setting in our institution over the last 3 years. These radiographs were independently reviewed by two of us (R.C., J.F.). Sixty-one patients experienced 134 febrile neutropenic episodes for which a CXR was obtained. Only eight (6%) of these films revealed any abnormality. After careful review it was apparent that four of these radiographs did not represent a infectious process. Thus only four of 134 films (2.9%) indicated pulmonary infection as the probable cause of fever in the patient. All four of these patients had prominent respiratory signs or symptoms. Of patients who were febrile but without pulmonary signs/symptoms, only one of 49 had an abnormal radiograph. We feel that such a low yield (at most 2%) calls into question the routine practice of obtaining a CXR in the febrile neutropenic child who is otherwise asymptomatic.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Hypertension in neuroblastoma induced by imipramine.

Hypertension is a well-known finding in some patients with neuroblastoma. However, it has not previously been described in association with the use of Imipramine. We report the occurrence of severe hypertension (blood pressure 190/160) in a 4-year-old girl with neuroblastoma who was given Imipramine to control a behavior disorder. It was determined later that this patient's tumor was recurring at the time of her hypertensive episode. Since she had no blood pressure elevation at initial diagnosis and none following discontinuation of the Imipramine (when she was in florid relapse), we believe that this drug rather than her underlying disease alone caused her hypertension. The mechanism for this reaction is believed to be increased levels of vasoactive catecholamines due to interference of their physiologic inactivation by Imipramine. From this experience, we urge extreme caution in the use of tricyclic antidepressants in children with active neuroblastoma.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms↗
PubMed1986

Development of a measure of job satisfaction for dentists and dental auxiliaries.

This paper describes the development of a multidimensional, 38-item measure of job satisfaction appropriate for dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants. Items were grouped into the following 12 subscales: income, recognition, opportunity to develop professionally, time to develop professionally, responsibility, non-patient tasks, staff relations, quality of care, leisure time, fatigue, time pressure and general satisfaction. The measure was developed from a set of 45 items included in questionnaires administered to dentists and staff of 126 dental practices in Washington State, USA. Questionnaires were returned by 117, 121 and 106 dentists; 69, 80, and 82 hygienists; and 322, 329, and 320 assistants, respectively, in each of the 3 yr (1979, 1980, 1981). Factor analysis (principal components analysis with varimax rotation) plus categorization of items by a panel of professionals were used to initially group items into subscales. Contribution to internal consistency was the final criterion for an item's inclusion in a subscale. Internal consistency reliability of subscales ranged from 0.68 to 0.95. Statistically significant relationships were found between individual job satisfaction subscales and intent to change job for hygienists and assistants.

Dental Assistants↗
PubMed1985

The prediction of relapse in bulimia nervosa.

Thirty-nine women successfully treated for bulimia nervosa were followed up six months after the conclusion of treatment and classified as maintaining recovery or partially or completely relapsed. Clinical and psychometric variables including body image disturbance and dissatisfaction were entered into regression equations to identify predictors of relapse. Dissatisfaction with body image at the end of treatment was the most potent predictor of relapse. The finding is interpreted as underscoring the importance of addressing issues of body image in therapy if treatment gains are to be maintained.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Development and validation of a measure of dental patient satisfaction.

As part of the Washington State Dental Auxiliaries Project, a 42-item measure of patient satisfaction with dental care was developed. The measure is comprised of 13 subscales: dentist-patient relations, technical quality of care, access, patient waiting time, cost, facilities, availability, continuity, pain, auxiliaries performing expanded duties, staff-patient relations, staff technical quality of care, and office atmosphere. The measure was developed from a set of 52 items included in a questionnaire administered to the patients of private dental practices in Washington state. Usable questionnaires were returned by 30.8% of patients receiving questionnaires in 1979, 40.1% in 1980, and 34.0% in 1981. Factor analysis plus categorization of items by a panel of professionals were used initially to group items into subscales. Contribution to internal consistency was the final criterion for an item's inclusion in a subscale. Internal consistency of subscales ranged from 0.44 to 0.80. The concurrent validity of subscales was assessed by relating patient satisfaction to characteristics of the dental practices. The following statistically significant relationships between subscales and criterion variables were observed: dentist-patient relations and percent of patients seen by the dentist; access and number of weeks appointments must be booked in advance; patient waiting time and actual patient waiting time; continuity of care and percent of patients seen by the dentist; auxiliaries performing expanded duties and delegation to auxiliaries; and staff technical quality and percent of hygienist restorations with satisfactory quality. Each relationship was in the expected direction.

Adult↗