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Biomedical subjects

B Hutchings

Publications and source records attributed to B Hutchings.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Body mass index of 0 to 45-y-old Danes: reference values and comparison with published European reference values.

OBJECTIVES: To generate body mass index (weight/height(2) (kg/m(2)), BMI) reference values for 0 to 45-y-old Danes and compare these with published European reference values. SUBJECTS: A national sample used to generate the current Danish height and weight reference (29 106 measurements made 1965-1977; age 0-21 y; sample I), and four samples from Copenhagen (3391 measurements made 1981-1985; age 7-45 y; samples II-III and 2608 measurements made 1991-1994; age 6-45 y; samples IV-V). DATA ANALYSIS: Using the LMS method, Danish BMI reference values by age and sex were constructed from samples I and II. These were compared with BMI reference values from Sweden (age 6-16 (girls) or 6-19 y (boys)), Germany (6-19 y), UK (0-23 y), and France (0-87 y). Two recently examined but smaller Danish cohorts (samples IV and V) were compared with the reference values to assess the secular trend in BMI. RESULTS: Overall, Danish BMI reference values (samples I and II) fitted best with French reference values and were systematically below UK, Swedish and German reference values. However, the BMI centiles of young adult Danish women were above French reference values and the BMI of Danes was substantially below French and UK reference values during the first months of life. The mean BMI Z-score of the recently examined samples was 0.24 (sample IV, P=0.0001) and 0.15 (sample V, P=0.0001) based on the French reference values and 0.19 (sample IV, P=0.0007) and 0.01 (sample V, P=0.49) based on the Danish reference values. CONCLUSION: For clinical purposes, we recommend comparing the BMI of Danish children and adolescents with the present Danish reference values and the new IOTF cut-off values and comparing the BMI of Danish adults with the WHO cut-off values. For research purposes, cut-off values and national or internationally used BMI reference values may be used, depending on the research questions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Psychosocial aspects of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in a pre-HAART sample.

The psychosocial consequences of HLV-infection were studied using a semi-structured interview and the psychiatric questionnaire SCL-90-R, in 3 matched groups of homosexual men: 20 patients with Aids, 20 asymptomatic HIV-infected and 20 non-infected controls. The data was collected before the HAART (Highly Active Anti-retroviral Therapy) era. The results showed that the infected subjects more often concealed their homosexuality, engaged in more risky sexual behavior and were less inclined to regard AIDS as a serious problem. The infected subjects also revealed more psychopathology on 5 of the 9 indexes on the SCL-90. Across all 3 groups, contact ability was correlated to being open about homosexuality and to psychological well-being. These results indicate that HIV has considerable impact on psychological well-being among the infected and point to the need for health-care workers to be especially attentive to those HIV-infected who have difficulty in talking to others about their situation.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1998

In vitro maturation and fertilization techniques for assessment of semen quality and boar fertility.

The reliability of using different in vitro-derived measures of sperm quality to predict boar fertility was examined. On three occasions during a 20-wk period of breeding, special collections of the first sperm-rich fraction of the ejaculate from six boars were carried out. After in vitro capacitation procedures, three dilutions (5 x 10(5), 1.25 x 10(5), and 3.125 x 10(4) sperm/mL) of these semen samples were used in a standardized in vitro fertilization (IVF) test with oocytes recovered from prepubertal slaughterhouse ovaries and matured in vitro. Routine assessments of sperm motility, concentration, and morphology were also carried out for all collections used for AI during the 20-wk period. Semen from the same ejaculate, processed according to normal commercial practice using the AndroHEP extender, was used to inseminate equal numbers of recently weaned sows with either 3 x 10(9) or 2 x 10(9) total sperm, three times during the estrous period. Data from a total of 444 sows were used to determine boar fertility; between 12 and 54 sows were bred with each semen dose across the six boars. All measures of sperm fertilizing ability in vitro were different among boars (all P < .05) and use of different semen dilutions for IVF allowed further discrimination of apparent sperm quality among boars. The laboratory evaluation of semen collected during the period of breeding indicated effects of boar on ejaculate volume, total number of sperm per ejaculate, motility, and the percentage of sperm with normal morphology (all P < .01). Sperm dose used in AI had no effect on farrowing rate (80.7 vs 81.5%), but the lower AI dose resulted in a reduction (P < .05) in total numbers born (10.8 vs 10.0). For all three semen dilutions, estimated potential embryo production rate accounted for up to 70% of the variation in litter size obtained with 3 x 10(9) sperm per AI dose, and the number of sperm attached per oocyte was a major factor accounting for variation in litter size obtained with 2 x 10(9) sperm per AI dose. These IVF variables may, therefore, be effective indicators of boar sperm quality for use in AI. With 2 x 10(9) sperm per AI dose, the percentage of sperm with normal morphology also explained a large part of the variance in litter size born (R2 = .59), indicating that morphological characteristics are a useful measure of semen quality.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Psychophysiological protective factors for male subjects at high risk for criminal behavior.

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the role of elevated autonomic nervous system reactivity in protecting individuals at high risk for criminal behavior from antisocial outcomes. The authors hypothesized that subjects with criminal fathers who did not become criminals themselves were biologically protected from such an outcome because of, in part, heightened responsiveness of the autonomic nervous system. METHOD: Ninety-four male subjects were placed into one of four study groups: criminal with criminal father (N = 26), noncriminal with criminal father (N = 24), criminal with noncriminal father (N = 20), and noncriminal with noncriminal father (N = 24). Skin conductance and heart rate data were gathered in an orienting paradigm. RESULTS: Skin conductance and heart rate orienting reactivity were found to be significantly higher in the group of noncriminal subjects with criminal fathers than in the other three groups. CONCLUSIONS: For subjects at high risk for criminal behavior, heightened autonomic nervous system responsiveness appears to be associated with lower likelihood of criminal outcome.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

[Psychology of phobias in relation to dental anxiety].

In this article the most important etiologic factors related to dental anxiety are presented and form the basis for the exposition of a model for the psychologic development of dental anxiety. The model shows that personality factors related to emotion and cognition can influence the development of dental anxiety. In order for the anxiety to develop and become manifest it is also necessary that: 1: the individual experiences a given stimulus as presenting a physical threat, e.g. in the form of pain, 2: the individual has been exposed to an experience or a learning situation involving the stimulus, and finally, 3: the individual in connection with this stimulus, experiences somatic reactions such as sweating, abdominal discomfort or tachycardia. This triad interacts in such a way that the individual elements can reinforce each other and thus increase the anxiety, (full-drawn arrow) or also the opposite, (stipled arrow). In this way pain control (anesthesia/sedation), positive reinforcement/information or bodily control (relaxation/biofeedback) will contribute to attenuate or prevent the development and manifestation of anxiety. The model further demonstrates that odontophobia also develops and is contingent upon the opinions, attitudes, feelings and behavior with regard to dental health, hygiene and dentists which is present in the social relationships in the family, the group, social class and the culture. This complex social psychologic process is called socialization, and it expresses the individuals more or less conscious adaptation to society. An important part of this process is imitation or social learning, which forms an important aspect of human development.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Anxiety↗
PubMed1990

[Psychologic considerations in the recording of dental anxiety].

The recording procedure is an especially important aspect of the psychologic treatment, since it contributes to the establishment of confidence between the dentist and his patient, and as such is an essential prerequisite to a successful treatment. The article argues that the registration should concern itself with situations and stimuli which have a traumatic character and with the associated learning processes. Furthermore recording of changes in behavior, somatic aspects of anxiety and of the emotional and cognitive aspects of anxiety should be involved. Based on these general requirements, recording of phobias has five main purposes: Firstly, a recording should contribute to a reliable diagnosis or a sufficiently differentiated description of the phobia that one can offer the best possible treatment and prognosis evaluation. Secondly, the recording should ensure that one can evaluate the effects of different types of treatment or the effects of correction of already initiated treatments. Thirdly, recording should contribute to testing the validity of various models of phobia, and by this means attempt to produce new and better hypotheses for the origin of phobias, their extent, treatment and prevention. Fourthly registration should ensure that different recorders and therapists work with as uniform a conception of phobias as possible, (continual calibration). Finally a registration should be of such a nature that it can be incorporated in an epidemiologic study. In addition to the interview method, the article considers the various objective psychologic and physiological instruments available for the registration of components of anxiety and especially dental anxiety. Weaknesses and sources of error in relation to the reliability and validity of these methods are discussed.

Anxiety↗
PubMed1990

[Behavior therapy for patients with dental fear].

Many dentists, in the course of their daily work with their patients, engage in a more or less explicit psychologic treatment of their patients where these evidence symptoms of odontophobia. In the case of many patients, the personal characteristics and individual psychologic skills of the dentist can be sufficient to the occasion, but for patients who suffer from serious phobic reactions to the dental situation, both good psychologic insight and experience are required in order that a psychologic treatment may be embarked upon with the prospect of a successful outcome. This article describes the various treatment techniques relevant to odontophobia which have their theoretical basis in the modern forms of behavior therapy. Thus the procedures associated with systematic desensitisation, fading, flooding, stress inoculation training, modelling, assertiveness training, progressive relaxation and biofeedback are briefly described. An absolutely necessary requirement for the successful treatment of a phobia is the establishment of a satisfactory and trusting relationship between patient and therapist, a requirement which in the case of dental anxiety is all too often ignored. The article emphasises that these treatment procedures are generally time-consuming, and that economic considerations dictate that it is difficult to incorporate them into private practice.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed1989

Conditioned emotional responding under diazepam: a psychophysiological study of state dependent learning.

An experimental study on 34 healthy male volunteers demonstrated that a therapeutic dose of diazepam (15 mg PO) influenced the reproduction of a conditioned emotional response (skin conductance activity) on subsequent test days. This effect depended upon the pharmacological state present at acquisition, and was in accordance with a drug-dissociation interpretation of diazepam's amnesic effect. The results are interpreted as an example of diazepam state-dependency effects upon development of behavioral tolerance to stress. The clinical consequence of the results indicates that patients under diazepam medication will to a certain degree be deprived of the ability to develop appropriate coping strategies. It is concluded that combining psychotherapy with diazepam treatment may have the opposite effects to those intended.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Genetic influences in criminal convictions: evidence from an adoption cohort.

The possibility that genetic factors are among the causes of criminal behavior was tested by comparing court convictions of 14,427 adoptees with those of their biological and adoptive parents. A statistically significant correlation was found between the adoptees and their biological parents for convictions of property crimes. This was not true with respect to violent crimes. There was no statistically significant correlation between adoptee and adoptive parent court convictions. Siblings adopted separately into different homes tended to be concordant for convictions, especially if the shared biological father also had a record of criminal behavior.

Adoption↗