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Biomedical subjects

C Featherstone

Publications and source records attributed to C Featherstone.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Characteristics associated with reported CAM use in patients attending six GP practices in the Tayside and Grampian regions of Scotland: a survey.

OBJECTIVES: To study the nature of CAM use in primary care attenders, the involvement of their NHS healthcare professionals in their CAM care and differences in characteristics between CAM users and non-users. DESIGN: Postal questionnaire for primary care attenders and analysis of practice leaflets. SETTING: Six Scottish GP practices with a range of practice size, CAM provision within practice, deprivation and rurality. RESULTS: Five hundred and fourteen primary care attenders described 1194 incidences of CAM use and gave details about their main therapy. 37% had contact with a practitioner, the rest mainly self-prescribed. The perceived effectiveness of CAM was high. Patients used CAM for a variety of health problems, mainly as an adjuvant to orthodox medicine rather than an alternative. The involvement of the NHS in CAM delivery was small but there is a significant role to ensure patient safety, especially regarding herb-drug interactions. Disclosure rate of CAM use was low. CAM offered options in areas where the provision in the NHS is difficult, including musculo-skeletal and mental health problems. Provision of CAM by the GP is associated with higher CAM use in primary care attenders. CONCLUSIONS: It is recommended that healthcare professionals include patients' use of CAM in history taking and clinical decision making.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Healthcare: integrated in the fabric of life.

Healing as a primary function of life touches all aspects of an individual as well as of the collective, be that a community or our society as a whole. Living for the last II years in an intentional community, the Findhorn Community in north-east Scotland, the author has the privilege to explore the relevance of healthcare for individuals and as a community service. Healthcare is much more than medical care. Mostly it is a basic aspect of daily life and relies on self-responsibility, self-care and appropriate resources/opportunities. Should medical care become necessary a wide choice of treatment approaches offered to the patient facilitates patient empowerment and involvement. The author, therefore, advocates the integration of orthodox and complementary medicine.

Community Networks↗
PubMed1999

Ku, a DNA repair protein with multiple cellular functions?

The Ku protein binds to DNA ends and other types of discontinuity in double-stranded DNA. It is a tightly associated heterodimer of approximately 70 kDa and approximately 80 kDa subunits that together with the approximately 470 kDa catalytic subunit, DNA-PKcs, form the DNA-dependent protein kinase. This enzyme is involved in repairing DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) caused, for example, by physiological oxidation reactions, V(D)J recombination, ionizing radiation and certain chemotherapeutic drugs. The Ku-dependent repair process, called illegitimate recombination or nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ), appears to be the main DNA DSB repair mechanism in mammalian cells. Ku itself is probably involved in stabilizing broken DNA ends, bringing them together and preparing them for ligation. Ku also recruits DNA-PKcs to the DSB, activating its kinase function. Targeted disruption of the genes encoding Ku70 and Ku80 has identified significant differences between Ku-deficient mice and DNA-PKcs-deficient mice. Although all three gene products are clearly involved in repairing ionizing radiation-induced damage and in V(D)J recombination, Ku-knockout mice are small, and their cells fail to proliferate in culture and show signs of premature senescence. Recent findings have implicated yeast Ku in telomeric structure in addition to NHEJ. Some of the phenotypes of the Ku-knockout mice may indicate a similar role for Ku at mammalian telomeres.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Ultrasound localization of the ovaries for radiation-induced ovarian ablation.

The case notes and simulator films were reviewed from 70 sequential patients who received pelvic irradiation to induce an early menopause as part of their treatment for breast cancer at the Staffordshire Oncology Centre. These patients underwent ultrasound localization of the ovaries immediately prior to simulation. Altogether, 128 ovaries were plotted on a diagrammatic representation of a gynaecoid pelvis to represent their position in both craniocaudal and lateral dimensions in relation to the true bony pelvis. The craniocaudal ovarian position varied from 2.5 cm above the lower aspect of the sacroiliac joint to 2.0 cm above the symphysis pubis. Three (4.6%) right sided ovaries were within 1 cm medial to the right lateral side wall, with none lying lateral to the wall. Seventeen (26%) left sided ovaries were lying within 1 cm of the left pelvic side wall, with four of these lying outside. The limits of the pelvic fields used were from the top of the sacroiliac joint to the bottom of the symphysis pubis. Sixty-one (88%) upper borders were on or above the lower sacroiliac joint. Twenty-six (38%) and 49 (71%) fields were outside the right and left pelvic side walls respectively. This would suggest that field sizes were larger than standard; however, 87% were smaller than 150 cm(2) (assuming a 10x15-cm field as standard). Only one patient failed to respond to treatment. This was thought to be due to underdosing rather than a geographical miss. This patient was successfully retreated. The authors advocate the use of ultrasound localization prior to planning an irradiation menopause, to ensure that the ovaries are encompassed in the pelvic field, thus preventing a geographical miss and reducing field sizes.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

DNA repair: the Nijmegen breakage syndrome protein.

The gene mutated in Nijmegen breakage syndrome, a chromosome instability disorder, has been identified and sequenced. The protein product of this gene forms a complex with hMre11 and hRad50--proteins that are involved in repairing double-strand breaks in DNA.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗