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Biomedical subjects

C Jackson

Publications and source records attributed to C Jackson.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

A longitudinal study predicting patterns of cigarette smoking in late childhood.

Early initiation of cigarette smoking so strongly predicts future smoking that several investigators have advocated delaying the age of initiation as a prevention strategy. To complement retrospective studies of early initiation, this study assessed prospectively patterns of smoking behavior in a sample of 401 children who were surveyed in the fifth, sixth, and seventh grades. The principal findings were (1) modeling of smoking by parents and friends is sufficient to influence children to initiate smoking, particularly when children also have low behavioral self-control, and (2) when modeling occurs in combination with poor adjustment to school, low parental monitoring, easy access to cigarettes, and other risk attributes, early initiators are significantly more likely to continue smoking. The results suggest that delaying initiation of smoking without also modifying child attributes and socialization factors that predict early initiation and persistent smoking is unlikely to reduce the proportion of children who become habitual smokers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Anti-smoking socialization: relationship to parent and child smoking status.

Anti-smoking socialization is defined as the transmission of knowledge, attitudes, and skills that prepare children to resist smoking. Three types of anti-smoking socialization are studied: parents' communication with children regarding no-smoking rules at home, health risks associated with smoking, and the disciplinary consequences of smoking. Results from a survey of children in 3rd through 8th grades (N = 937) indicate that (a) children from households where one or both parents smoke perceive less anti-smoking socialization than their peers from nonsmoking households; (b) anti-smoking socialization is positively associated with authoritative parenting; (c) children have significantly lower rates of smoking intention and initiation when parents engage in anti-smoking socialization, even if parents currently smoke. The findings offer an encouraging message to all parents Communicating anti-smoking messages may effectively discourage children from smoking.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1998

Prevention of visual loss. Screening in general practice.

BACKGROUND: Diseases such as primary open angle glaucoma, diabetes, strabismus and retinoblastoma have been found to have improved outcome by early investigations. Australian GPs are currently well placed to enhance their role in preventable blindness. OBJECTIVE: To identify key clinical target areas for the prevention of visual loss and discuss opportunities to address these in everyday general practice. DISCUSSION: Undertaking visual assessment in both children and adults can have benefits in reducing the incidence of preventable blindness in the community. Upskilling and having protocols to work to can enhance the GP's ability to offer this preventive service.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Early intervention in psychosis. The critical period hypothesis.

BACKGROUND: We consider the evidence for the proposition that the early phase of psychosis (including the period of untreated psychosis) is a critical period in which (a) long-term outcome is predictable, and (b) biological, psychological and psychosocial influences are developing and show maximum plasticity. METHOD: First-episode prospective studies, predictors of outcome and the genesis of patients' key appraisals of their psychosis are reviewed. RESULTS: The data support the notion of the 'plateau effect', first coined by Tom McGlashan, which suggested that where deterioration occurs, it does so aggressively in the first 2-3 years; and that critical psychosocial influences, including family and psychological reactions to psychosis and psychiatric services, develop during this period. CONCLUSIONS: The early phase of psychosis presents important opportunities for secondary prevention. We outline a prototype of intervention appropriate to the critical period. The data challenge the widely held assumption that first-episode psychosis is a benign illness posing little risk.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1998

Life is sweeter.

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Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1998

A life of his own.

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Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1997

Dopamine agonist treatment of Tourette disorder in children: results of an open-label trial of pergolide.

This exploratory study was meant to determine the effect of the dopamine (DA) agonist pergolide on Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) in children and adolescents and to ascertain correlates of pergolide response. Thirty-two outpatients, aged 7-19 years, were systemically assessed in a neuropsychiatric clinic for the presence of GTS and comorbid disorders. After a 6-week open-label, fixed-flexible dosing schedule, response to pergolide on standard GTS severity outcome measures was assessed. Overall, 75% of patients (24/32) had a > 50% drop in their tic severity rating from baseline with a mean treatment dosage of 177 +/- 61 micrograms/day. Highly significant (p = 0.0001) baseline to week 6 differences were demonstrated in all tic symptom measures. The presence of restless legs syndrome (RLS) comorbidity (59%) was highly associated with a positive response. These results suggest DA agonism as a strategy, and pergolide in particular, may be a practical form of therapy for GTS. Response predictors of patient comorbid RLS argue for its further study with regard to GTS.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Effect of methotrexate and sulphasalazine on UMR 106 rat osteosarcoma cells.

Methotrexate is commonly used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. An osteopathy has been described in children treated with methotrexate for leukaemia, consisting of bone pain, osteoporosis and fractures. Animals given short-term high-dose and long-term low-dose methotrexate have both reduced bone formation and increased resorption on histomorphometry. As patients with rheumatic diseases have numerous risk factors for osteoporosis, possible additional risk from low-dose methotrexate is of relevance to the rheumatologist. To investigate further the mechanism of osteoporosis in animals and man, in vitro studies were carried out on an osteoblast cell line, using concentrations found in patients with rheumatic disease. UMR 106 rat osteoblast-like osteosarcoma cells were incubated with methotrexate, and also with sulphasalazine, an anti-rheumatic drug with no known effect on bone, for comparison. A dose-dependent toxic effect of methotrexate on the cell line was observed using concentrations found in patients with rheumatic disease. This was not observed with sulphasalazine. The reduced bone formation observed in animals and man may be due to a direct effect of methotrexate on the osteoblast.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1997

Relative efficacy of haloperidol and pimozide in children and adolescents with Tourette's disorder.

OBJECTIVE: The authors evaluated the relative efficacy and safety of pimozide and haloperidol in the treatment of Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome in children and adolescents. METHOD: A double-blind, 24-week, placebo-controlled double crossover study of equivalent dose formulations of haloperidol and pimozide was conducted with 22 subjects, aged 7-16 years, with Tourette's disorder who were randomly assigned to first one active drug treatment and then the other. Biweekly assessment and flexible dose titration mimicked clinical practice. The primary outcome variable was total score on the Tourette Syndrome Global Scale. Final outcome was determined after 6 weeks of each treatment (placebo, pimozide, haloperidol), with a 2-week placebo baseline period and intervening 2-week placebo washout periods between treatments. RESULTS: Pimozide proved significantly different from placebo in affecting the primary outcome variable, whereas haloperidol failed to have a significant effect. Haloperidol exhibited a threefold higher frequency of serious side effects and significantly greater extrapyramidal symptoms relative to pimozide. Haloperidol-associated treatment-limiting adverse events were experienced by 41% of the patients. The therapeutic doses of pimozide and haloperidol were equivalent (mean = 3.4 mg/day, SD = 1.6, and mean = 3.5 mg/day, SD = 2.2, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: At equivalent doses, pimozide is superior to haloperidol for controlling symptoms of Tourette's disorder in children and adolescents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

The early use of alcohol and tobacco: its relation to children's competence and parents' behavior.

OBJECTIVES: Use of tobacco and alcohol during childhood predicts heavy use of these substances and use of illicit drugs during adolescence. This study aims to identify developmental correlates of tobacco and alcohol use among elementary-school children. METHODS: Cross-sectional surveys were used to measure tobacco and alcohol use, multiple indicators of child competence, parenting behaviors, and parental modeling of tobacco and alcohol use in a sample of 1470 third- and fifth-grade children. Both self-report and teacher-rated assessments were obtained, which allowed collateral testing of study hypotheses. RESULTS: Children's tobacco and alcohol use was strongly related to low scores on several measures of child competence, both self-reported and teacher rated. Children's tobacco and alcohol use was also associated with less effective parenting behaviors and with parental use of tobacco and alcohol. CONCLUSIONS: Children's early experience with tobacco and alcohol is associated with weak competence development and exposure to socialization factors that promote risk taking. Interventions to prevent early use of tobacco and alcohol are needed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Does psychological testing help to predict the response to acupuncture or massage/relaxation therapy in patients presenting to a general neurology clinic with headache?

Patients with chronic headache were offered treatment by acupuncture or massage with relaxation instead of a change in their prescribed medication. They were randomly allocated to either treatment. There was a significant improvement in pain ratings with both treatment types. Specifically a greater effect was seen in migraine patients treated by massage with relaxation when compared to acupuncture. No psychological factors were found to predict response to either treatment. At the end of the study, 13% of patients were significantly more worried that there may be a more serious cause underlying their headache despite reassurance and an improvement in their headache scores.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed1997

Gingival hyperplasia: interaction between cyclosporin A and nifedipine? A case report.

Treatment with either cyclosporin A or nifedipine may induce gingival hyperplasia. A case report is presented which describes a patient medicated simultaneously with both drugs and who subsequently developed extreme hyperplasia. Could such a severe gingival pathology have resulted from an additive interaction between the two drugs?

Calcium Channel Blockers↗
PubMed1997

GPs and eye skills. A brave new world?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of a brief general practitioner eye upskilling intervention to enhance GP eye skills and increase their use in clinical practice. METHOD: Seventeen GPs from a Brisbane Division of General Practice were recruited to participate in a 7 hour clinical upskilling intervention, delivered over an 8 week period. RESULTS: The proportion of GPs able to accurately recognise glaucomatous fundal damage on clinical assessments rose from 24.0 to 54.2% (standard error [SE] 3.96). The proportion able to accurately recognise diabetic fundal disease on clinical assessment rose from 30.8 to 54.1% (SE 9.2). The ability to recognise fundal disease on slide presentations rose on average from 27.1 to 67.5% (SE 10.8). Although none of the practitioners were able to perform oculokinetic perimetry at the beginning of the intervention, all were able to accurately perform it at the conclusion of the intervention. CONCLUSION: GPs are capable of rapidly upskilling in important areas of ocular assessment involving preventable blindness.

Australia↗
PubMed1997

Efficacy of antimigrainous therapy in the treatment of migraine-associated dizziness.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of antimigrainous therapy on migraine-associated dizziness/vertigo. We hypothesized that a medication's ability to ameliorate dizziness/vertigo in this patient population would be directly correlated with its efficacy in improving headache symptoms. STUDY DESIGN: Patient survey. SETTING: Patients were entered into the study from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Headache Clinic, a tertiary care referral clinic. PATIENTS: All patients presenting to the UCSD headache clinic are entered into its comprehensive database. Patients who identified dizziness or vertigo as symptoms were entered into this study and were surveyed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patients were surveyed as to the nature of their vestibular symptoms, and the therapeutic response of these symptoms and their headaches to various antimigrainous medications. Patients were asked to rank therapeutic efficacy utilizing a numeric scale. These results were then subjected to statistical analysis (Spearman rank correlation) to identify any correlation between the efficacies of the medications in improving headache and dizziness/vertigo. RESULTS: The efficacy of the medications in treating migraine-associated dizziness was directly correlated with their ability to alleviate headaches. CONCLUSION: We conclude that antimigrainous therapy may offer specific treatment to patients suffering from the spectrum of migraine-associated vestibular disorders. This would include the entity known alternately as vestibular Meniere's disease, benign recurrent vertigo, or recurrent vestibulopathy. Given the potential benefits that may be derived from this therapy, clinicians should be sensitive to a history of migraines in patients complaining of dizziness, particularly in those complaining of recurrent episodic vertigo.

Adolescent↗