PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

D A Gillies

Publications and source records attributed to D A Gillies.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Expression of B7 co-stimulatory molecules and CD1a antigen by alveolar macrophages in allergic bronchial asthma.

BACKGROUND: Lung allergen recognition that takes place in the airways of asthmatic subjects is still a controversial matter. OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that a rapid allergen recognition process requires the presence, at the mucosal surface, of professional APC, such as B7+ alveolar macrophages (AM) and/or CD1+ dendritic cells, which usually have a lower expression in the normal human lung. METHODS: Studies were performed on bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid collected from 10 untreated allergic subjects and 10 adult normal volunteers. Further controls consisted of five untreated pulmonary sarcoidosis (PS) and four extrinsic allergic alveolitis (EAA) individuals. To ascertain whether T helper 2-type cytokines or allergen influence B7 and CD1 antigen expression, in vitro studies were carried out using unprimed (naive) cord blood plastic-adherent monocytes. RESULTS: Cytofluorymetric analysis revealed that AM from asthmatics, unlike those from normal subjects or patients with PS or EAA, overexpressed B7-2, CD1a and, to a lesser extent, B7-1 surface molecules. Immunohistochemical studies confirmed the presence of CD1+ dendritic cells in the BAL fluid from asthmatic subjects. On in vitro cultured naive cord blood monocytes both purified Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus allergen and T-cell cytokines, i.e. IL-4 and granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor, induced surface expression of B7-2 and CD1a receptors, whereas they had no appreciable effect on that of B7-1 membrane molecule. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these findings support the proposal that airways of atopic individuals are equipped with professional APC that synergize with allergen-specific T cells for the recognition of intact allergens. When the recognition process takes place, asthmatic symptoms could develop in genetically susceptible individuals.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Identification of a polymorphic nucleotide in oxyR specific for Mycobacterium bovis.

Automated sequence analysis of a 410-bp region of the axyR gene in 105 Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex isolates identified a polymorphic nucleotide that differentiated Mycobacterium bovis isolates from other complex members. All 29 M. bovis isolates sequenced had an adenine residue at nucleotide 285, whereas all 76 other complex isolates had a guanine residue. PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of oxyR with restriction endonuclease AluI in an additional 255 complex isolates from widespread intercontinental sources confirmed and extended the unique association of adenine at position 285 with M. bovis isolates.

Adenosine↗
PubMed1996

Satisfaction of nurse managers in long-term care.

Nurse managers control quality and cost of the principal service provided by long-term care agencies. Job satisfaction was higher for long-term care nurse managers in metropolitan than in rural or suburban agencies. Findings suggest that continuing education may increase task satisfaction, as well as job knowledge of diploma-prepared nurse managers.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Factors encouraging and discouraging the use of nursing research findings.

A sample of 543 members of Midwest Alliance in Nursing and Midwest Nursing Research Society were surveyed to identify factors encouraging and discouraging research utilization. Lack of time was the factor that most discouraged research utilization. A library containing research journals was available to most service (82 percent) and educator nurses (86 percent). Computer services were more available to educators (85 percent) than service nurses (68 percent). A research newsletter was ranked as more helpful than continuing education or computer networks for keeping abreast of research findings.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1993

Managing HIV-positive and AIDS risks: educational and psychosocial resource assessment.

A needs assessment survey reveals many staff nurses incorrectly estimate the HIV contagion risk, inadequately follow universal precaution mandates, and are often unaware of available information and counseling resources. Nurses want current, reliable HIV-AIDS related information and counseling from credible, accessible, and readily available sources. Colleagues, families, and friends' attitudes decidedly influence nurses' capacity to cope emotionally.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1993

Negotiating nurse-patient authority in pediatric home health care.

In this qualitative study, pediatric home health nurses described the solitary, ambiguous, and unprogrammed nature of home health nursing. As employees of the family, the nurses in this study found it necessary to negotiate their work tasks and working conditions with family members. In describing the meaning of their work, the nurses emphasized differences between hospital and home health nursing with regard to their authority for care decisions, methods of child discipline, parental control of care, and innovations of nursing routines and interventions. Characteristics of pediatric home nursing are identified in order for these to be communicated to prospective home care nurses, to pediatric nurse educators, and to home health managers. With knowledge of these characteristics, a new home health nurse will be better prepared to negotiate shared patient care responsibilities with the client's family.

Child↗
PubMed1990

Marketing the home healthcare agency. Do nurses and physicians agree?

Increasingly, hospital nurse administrators are being called upon to organize and implement home care services and to market these services to physicians, patients, and family members. A survey of hospital personnel revealed that both nurses and physicians perceived themselves as the persons primarily responsible for determining the patient's need for postdischarge home care. In listing criteria for selecting a home care agency for patient referral, nurses and physicians rated service dependability and nursing care quality as the most important criteria.

Advertising↗
PubMed1989

Impaired cognition in the critically ill elderly patient: clinical implications.

Cognitive impairment is a significant health problem for the critically ill aged and warrants further investigation. Despite the lack of knowledge of all aspects of cognitive impairment, much can be undertaken to improve the care of impaired patients. Nurses must routinely, systematically, and comprehensively assess the cognitive state of each elderly patient at the time of admission and daily throughout hospitalization. On the basis of these assessments, nurses must accurately differentiate among confusion, depression, and dementia in the cognitively impaired patient. To carry out such assessments, modification of existing tools, such as the MMSE, may be necessary. Only through such assessment, however, is it possible to detect, prevent, or treat changes in cognition, and thereby prevent its sequelae.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

The emotional and behavioral process of staff nurse turnover.

Nurses who leave their jobs proceed through stages of disengagement, some of which are quite intense. Yet 88% of the nurses in this study say that an appropriate managerial intervention early in their leave-taking decision process would have halted their decision to leave. The authors describe stages of nurses' leave-taking decisions, their experiences, and their behaviors.

Behavior↗
PubMed1988

Resource teams: their structure and use.

With the current nursing shortage and changing health care climate, nursing administrators are concerned with the effective and efficient use of supplementary staffs such as internal resource teams (RTs) or float pools. This article describes a telephone survey of 20 leading hospitals nationwide, which identified organization structure, personnel use, and the main characteristics of state-of-the-art resource teams.

Clinical Competence↗