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Biomedical subjects

D Burman

Publications and source records attributed to D Burman.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

Quantitative buffy coat: a special adjunct for diagnosis of malaria.

Quantitative buffy coats (QBC) technique was compared with conventional blood film technique for the diagnosis of malaria in a tertiary care hospital. The QBC technique was found to be a rapid technique with a sensitivity of 83% and specificity of 94%. Malaria species identification was also possible. It was essentially very useful to detect parasites below < or = 100 parasites/ul of blood by QBC technique. However, quantification of parasitaemia could not be made using this technique. Many cases of carriers having very few gametocytes in their blood were also identified. It is therefore, concluded that the QBC technique, may be appropriate for screening populations for malaria and for detection of asymptomatic carriers to control further transmission of the disease in the community.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

In-situ self-assembling protein polymer gel systems for administration, delivery, and release of drugs.

Sequential block copolymers consisting of tandem repetition of amino acids have been constructed and genetically produced based on the natural repeating structures of silk and elastin protein. Combinations of silklike and elastinlike amino acid sequence blocks in a high molecular weight protein polymer are used to confer properties similar to those observed with hard block and soft block segmented polyurethanes. A certain subset of these silk-elastinlike protein compositions, termed ProLastins, will undergo an irreversible solution to gel transition in physiological, aqueous solution. The transition occurs over time and can be controlled by temperature, solution conditions, and additives which either prevent or promote hydrogen bond-mediated chain crystallization. The process involves no covalent crosslinking. Characterization of the gelling properties of various ProLastin compositions and their ability to release compounds which are incorporated directly into the gels are presented.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Physician profiling: applications for the Robert Wood Johnson Profiling Project database.

An overview of the applications and limitations of the Center for Research in Ambulatory Health Care Administration (CRAHCA) Profiling Project database funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is presented. The Profiling Project collects data from 77 practices and links organizational, provider, and patient demographics to administrative data. The Project's database has the capacity (1) to profile physicians based on the Resource Based Relative Value Scale (RBRVS) relative value units as a measure of work and (2) to identify practice patterns as defined by procedures used by physicians with the same diagnosis. The Project will further explore variations between physicians and specialties based on systems of care, physician specialty, and patient differences. The comparative reports generated from these data provide comparisons on selected indicators for participating practices.

Ambulatory Care↗
PubMed1991

Self-reported fears (FSS-II) of subjects aged 50 years and over.

From studies of fears in children and adolescents, it was concluded that fears decrease with age and that girls show more fears than boys at the approach of adolescence. Community studies of adult fears as well as psychopathology have suggested a decrease in fears and phobic and anxiety symptoms with age. However, little is known of the distribution of fears in older adults. In view of this, the FSS-II was administered to a group of individuals aged 50 yr and over, as part of a larger epidemiological investigation of the oral health and treatment needs of older adults within Metropolitan Toronto. The results supported the hypothesis that the gender differences which ermerge at adolescence hold up into old age. The predicted age decrease in fearfulness was also supported.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Dental fear and anxiety in an older adult population.

A random sample of 580 people aged between 50 and 89 yr completed a questionnaire containing two measures of dental fear and anxiety. One of these was Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) and the other a scale derived from the Structured Interview for Assessing Dental Fear (SIADF). The mean score on the DAS was 7.8, and 8.4% of subjects were classified as dentally anxious. There were no differences in mean DAS scores by sex but significant differences by age, with younger individuals having higher scores (P less than 0.0001). The edentulous had significantly higher scores than the dentate (P less than 0.001). Scores on the SIADF scale were higher among younger individuals (P less than 0.0001), the edentulous (P less than 0.01) and women (P less than 0.05). Older adults who were dentally anxious were less likely to report a regular source of dental care and a dental visit in the previous year and more likely to report having avoided or delayed dental treatment. Possible explanations of higher dental anxiety scores among younger persons and the edentulous are reviewed.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1990

Ontario dental assistants' job satisfaction: relationship to work stress and intention to change jobs.

Low job satisfaction has been linked to rapid turnover of dental assistants with resultant loss of productivity and reduced quality of patient care. Work dissatisfaction has also been linked to stress related diseases. The aim of this mailed survey of 1,000 Ontario certified dental assistants was to test a survey instrument developed in the United States and to relate satisfaction to work stress and to the intent to change jobs. Eighty-one per cent of eligible subjects responded. The satisfaction sub-scales of the survey instrument were found generally to have acceptable construct validity and to be reliable when applied to an Ontario population. However, some minor modifications were necessary. Although over 36 per cent said they were generally very satisfied with their work, the intent to change jobs was significantly related to areas of dissatisfaction concerning recognition for work done and opportunities for personal and professional growth. Stress was related to dissatisfaction with work-related fatigue, time pressure and nonpatient tasks. These findings have implications for dental practice management.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Work-related stress and its predictors among Canadian dental assistants.

This paper reports the results of a survey of 1000 certified dental assistants in Ontario, Canada. The aim was to obtain data on work-related stress, its sources and predictors. Of those responding to the survey, 38.8% said that their work was moderately stressful and 14.5% said it was very or extremely stressful. Approximately one-third had been bothered by stress at work on three or more days in the previous week. The main sources of stress were working under constant time pressures, running behind schedule and feeling undervalued by the dentist. Stepwise regression analysis revealed that the main predictors of work stress were not having a clear job description, working long hours, life stress while not at work and age. However, these variables explained less than 10% of the variance in job stress scores. Overall, 22.8% said it was very likely that they would seek work in another practice or seek work outside dentistry in the coming year. There was a significant association between work stress and job intentions; 43.0% of those reporting high levels of stress intended to change jobs compared to 8.9% of those who said that their job was not at all stressful (P less than 0.0001). These findings have implications for the way in which dental practice is organised and managed.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

[Effect of lactose on the evaluation of the nutritive value of casein].

The biological evaluation of protein from dairy products such as normal and modified powdered milks where lactose is present, poses difficulties. It is known that when this sugar is contained in high concentrations, and due to its osmotic effect, it causes serious intestinal disorders in rats, thus obstructing the determination of the protein nutritional quality. In the study described herein, efforts were made to determine how lactose affects determination of the nutritional value of casein when this is evaluated by the Net Protein Utilization (NPU) procedure, and by the Relative Net Protein Ratio (RNPR) method. Thirty, and 21-day-old rats were fed with diets containing 10% and 8% of casein respectively, and lactose concentrations varying from 20% to 50%. All experiments lasted 10 days. The results demonstrated that casein's nutritional value did not differ significantly (p greater than 0.05) with lactose concentrations up to 40% in any of both methods, even though intestinal disorders were observed with more frequency and duration as lactose concentration increased.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Phenylalanine and tyrosine levels in newborn screening blood samples.

A previously described difference in newborn blood phenylalanine concentrations between those living in urban and non-urban areas in the south west of England has been confirmed and shown to be independent of the type of feed. Several factors including the place of abode, type of feed, birthweight, and the accuracy of the test have been found to affect the measured, phenylalanine concentration in the newborn screening blood spot, and the importance of these results to screening practice is considered. Blood tyrosine also varied with the above factors, but severe, neonatal tyrosinaemia was shown to be a rare problem.

Birth Weight↗