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C W Pritchard

Publications and source records attributed to C W Pritchard.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

The effect of the apolipoprotein E gene polymorphisms and haplotypes on behavioural and psychological symptoms in probable Alzheimer's disease.

BACKGROUND: Patients with Alzheimer's disease and dementia commonly suffer from behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). A genetic component to BPSD development in Alzheimer's disease has been demonstrated. Several studies have investigated whether the exon 4 epsilon2/epsilon3/epsilon4 haplotype of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene is associated with BPSD, with variable results. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the exon 4 polymorphisms and extended this study to include promoter polymorphisms and the resultant haplotypes across the gene. METHODS: Our large independent cohort of 388 patients with longitudinal measures of BPSD assessed by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory was used to analyse whether any of these variants were associated with the presence of BPSD. RESULTS: We revealed several significant relationships before correction for multiple testing. The exon 4 haplotype was associated with hallucinations and anxiety, A-491T with irritability, T-427C with agitation/aggression and appetite disturbances, and T-219C with depression. Haplotype analyses of all variants did not reveal any statistically significant findings. CONCLUSIONS: Our data and a review of previous studies showed a diversity of relationships, suggesting that these findings might be due to chance and so collectively do not support a role for the APOE gene in BPSD.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Preterm birth, low birthweight and the stressfulness of the household role for pregnant women.

Whilst there is substantial, if inconclusive, literature on the association between psychosocial factors and birth outcomes, the relationship between persistent stressful aspects of daily life and birth outcomes has not been studied. This paper reports on the association of preterm birth and low birthweight with the psychosocial stresses of the household role. Three hundred and ninety three women who had completed one successful pregnancy (para 1) who booked for antenatal care in a single Glasgow hospital completed questionnaires at 20 and 30 weeks gestation and measures of perceived difficulties with the household role and of the frequency of negative feelings about participation in the role were obtained. Risks of preterm birth and low birthweight were associated with the measures of perceived difficulties at 20 and 30 weeks gestation. The association was strongest for the measure taken at 20 weeks where the odds ratio for those experiencing high levels of perceived difficulty were 2.86 (95% CI = 1.05 - 7.76) for preterm birth and 4.70 (95% CI = 1.53 - 13.38) for low birthweight. Although the frequency of negative feelings about the household role were strongly associated with the level of perceived difficulties, it was not associated with either preterm birth or low birthweight. The gradients of risk associated with problems in the household role were maintained within categories of socio-economic indicators (social class, housing tenure and low income) and self-reported smoking, suggesting that the risks are independent of these other risk factors.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1994

Depression and smoking in pregnancy in Scotland.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to examine the association between depressive symptoms and smoking in pregnancy and to investigate the part played by social and psychosocial factors. SETTING: A single Glasgow hospital. DESIGN: Prospective survey by postal questionnaires at 20 and 30 weeks' gestation. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 395 women (69% of the 572 eligible) parity 1 who booked for delivery between November 1988 and February 1990 took part. MEASUREMENTS: Depressive symptoms were measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Smoking was self reported. The Life Events Inventory and measures of role specific strain and stress in domestic roles were used to assess psychosocial well being. MAIN RESULTS: Smokers were more likely than non-smokers to experience depressive symptoms at 20 and 30 weeks' gestation and on both occasions. The excess risk remained substantial and significant after adjustment for social and psychosocial factors. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking is a significant risk factor for depression in pregnancy. The association of smoking with depression and psychosocial difficulty represents a major problem for interventions intended to reduce smoking in pregnancy.

Depression↗
PubMed1991

Measures of performance in Scottish maternity hospitals.

OBJECTIVE: To develop measures of hospital performance over time with particular reference to maternal and neonatal care by controlling for case mix. DESIGN: Analysis of computerised records of births. SETTING: Scotland, 1980-7. SUBJECTS: Over half a million singleton live births and stillbirths. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Numbers of perinatal deaths and caesarean sections. RESULTS: Scottish maternity hospitals perform more or less equally with regard to perinatal mortality. When caesarean sections are considered, there is evidence that hospitals differ in their treatment of different groups of women; in two examples one hospital had an increased rate among women of parity 2 or more and another had a reduced rate of repeat caesarean section. CONCLUSIONS: Developing measures of performance over time by controlling for case mix is a valid system for monitoring hospital outcomes and activity, and allows comparison either between hospitals or with data for all Scottish maternity hospitals. Hospital profiles permit identification of differences for particular patient groups after allowance is made for other case mix variables.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Increased incidence of spontaneous abortion in pregnancies complicated by maternal diabetes mellitus.

A retrospective sample of 164 pregnancies in the years 1956 to 1975 of 78 insulin-dependent diabetic women was examined to assess the extent of the risk of clinically recognizable spontaneous abortion relative to the expected risk in a comparable population. This study was done before the implementation of the policy to establish good control of maternal diabetes before conception was attempted. After control of data for pregnancy number, maternal age, and epoch, the risk of spontaneous abortion among the diabetic women was almost double the estimate of the expected risk (p less than 0.001).

Abortion, Spontaneous↗
PubMed1983

Birthweight and paternal height.

The distributions of standardized birthweights of babies born to women of given heights married to short and tall husbands were compared. The standardized birthweights were consistently greater for babies born to women with tall husbands. It is concluded that tall parental stature relates to favourable environmental and genetic components among those influencing birthweight.

Birth Weight↗
PubMed1983

Reviewing birthweight standards.

The standardization of birthweight for gestational age, taking into account sex of infant and maternal height and weight, is clinically useful and essential for some research purposes. In Britain, the most commonly used standards for singletons are those derived from Thomson et al. (1968) from a series of births to women in Aberdeen between 1948 and 1964. The present study starts with the observation that the present population of births in Aberdeen is different. This prompted work to 'update' the standards at least for research purposes, and in so doing a number of problems have been encountered which complicate the task of developing universally applicable standards.

Birth Weight↗