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Biomedical subjects

B J O'Connell

Publications and source records attributed to B J O'Connell.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

High-density lipoproteins and endothelial function.

Elevated plasma levels of HDL cholesterol or apolipoprotein A-I, the major protein moiety of HDL particles, are protective against coronary artery disease. HDL particles remove cholesterol from peripheral cells and transfer it to the liver for bile acid synthesis. The interaction between lipoproteins is not mediated through simple contact between 2 phospholipid membranes but involves specific protein-receptor interactions, charged phospholipid-phospholipid contact, and activation of cellular signaling pathways. These lead to regulation of genes or the modification of proteins involved in vasomotor function, platelet activation, thrombosis and thrombolysis, cell adhesion, apoptosis and cell proliferation, and cellular cholesterol homeostasis.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

A longitudinal study of relations between job stressors and job strains while controlling for prior negative affectivity and strains.

Interpretation of observed relations between job stressors and job strains in cross-sectional surveys is often ambiguous because of possible 3rd variables (both stable background factors, such as personality, and transitory occasion factors, such as mood). In this longitudinal study, negative affectivity (NA) and strains were assessed both in college and later on the job. Stressors were assessed only on the job. Evidence was found that some background factors affected measures of job stressors and job strains in that college measures were significantly related to subsequent measures on the job. Relations between job stressors and job strains, however, were in most cases not affected significantly when prior strains and NA were controlled for. Furthermore, the results suggested that NA measures are subject to occasion factors.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

The pediatrician and the sexually active adolescent. Treatment of common menstrual disorders.

Menstrual disorders in adolescents are a common medical problem. For young adolescents, the onset of menses is a time of dramatic physical and psychological change. Providing education to young women regarding the normal process of puberty helps ease some of the anxiety regarding this change. Health professionals can participate in the education of young women by defining the normal process of puberty and menstruation. Menstrual disorders, such as dysmenorrhea, irregularities in menstrual flow, and premenstrual symptoms, can be effectively diagnosed and treated in the adolescent population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

New contraceptives in the 1990s.

This article reviews the contraceptive methods levonorgestrel implants and depot medroxyprogesterone acetate. These methods provide effective and safe contraception for adolescents and adults. This review focuses on the use of these contraceptive techniques in the adolescent population, discussing patient selection, side effects, and controversies concerning the methods. Future hormonal contraceptive methods are also discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

The relationship between pain and uterine contractions during laser vaporization of the cervix.

Laser vaporization of the uterine cervix to treat cervical dysplasia is usually described by patients as moderately painful. Many describe the pain as uterine cramping, but most authorities attribute the pain to heat buildup during the procedure. To specify the mechanism of pain, intrauterine pressures were measured in 16 subjects (randomly divided into placebo and control groups of eight each) before and during cervical laser vaporization for dysplasia. The women were told what to expect during intrauterine pressure recording and laser vaporization and that a study of pain medication during laser vaporization was being conducted. The session began with 5 minutes of baseline intrauterine pressure recording. Subjects were then randomly given oral placebo or ibuprofen, 600 mg. Thirty to 45 minutes later, the intrauterine catheter was reinserted and the pressure recorded during 5 minutes of cervical laser vaporization. Laser vaporization increased significantly the frequency (P less than .025) and amplitude (P less than .03) of contractions in the placebo group but not in subjects given ibuprofen. However, post-procedure pain questionnaires showed no difference in pain perception between the groups. This study shows that pain during laser vaporization of the cervix is not due to increased uterine contractions, and that pain was not significantly relieved by ibuprofen.

Cervix Uteri↗
PubMed1992

Indications, techniques, and advantages of partial laser vaginectomy.

Partial vaginectomy is seldom used diagnostically to evaluate vaginal neoplasia because of its technical difficulty, the possible need for grafting, and postoperative vaginal agglutination or stenosis. We found that use of the carbon dioxide laser simplified vaginectomy in ten subjects, producing a low rate of complications, an excellent diagnostic specimen, and superior healing.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Improving the Cytobrush as an aid in the evaluation of the abnormal Papanicolaou test.

In a series of 39 patients undergoing cervical conization, the Cytobrush was used to determine whether dysplasia involved the endocervical canal. To improve the specificity of the Cytobrush for this purpose, a sleeve was designed to guide the brush into the endocervical canal in order to minimize contamination from ectocervical lesions. Both the unsleeved and sleeved Cytobrush demonstrated good sensitivity for detecting dysplasia within the endocervical canal (89 and 95%, respectively). The sleeved Cytobrush demonstrated greater specificity than the unsleeved Cytobrush (90 versus 60%; P less than .05). Compared with endocervical curettage, the Cytobrush used in conjunction with the described "cytosleeve" offers an inexpensive, less painful, and accurate method of determining endocervical involvement of dysplasia.

Adult↗