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D J Stephens

Publications and source records attributed to D J Stephens.

30 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Union organizing drives dealt a blow by Supreme Court.

The Lechmere case is important because it reaffirms that employers' property rights take precedence over the rights of nonemployees to engage in union organizing on employers' property. This is particularly important for hospitals and health care institutions because of their heightened exposure to union organizing activity after American Hospital Association v. National Labor Relations Board, discussed above. Providers should, however, remember two points. First, the principal focus of Lechmere was on union organizing by nonemployees; nothing in Lechmere limited the basic right of employees to form and join labor unions as guaranteed by Section 7 of the NLRA. Additionally, Lechmere notwithstanding, providers must be careful not to discriminate in their approach to union organizing activities--even by nonemployees. Thus, if a provider allows nonemployee groups other than unions to enter upon its property for purposes of soliciting employees and/or distributing literature, any attempt to bar nonemployee union organizers from the property would probably be deemed discriminatory and could indeed be an unfair labor practice. (In Lechmere, the employer consistently enforced a ban against all such nonemployee groups.)

Collective Bargaining↗
PubMed1991

Know your volunteers. Healthcare facilities should review laws regarding employee status.

For the most part, healthcare providers and volunteers have no legally enforceable obligations to one another. However, problems can arise for providers when they incorrectly categorize certain individuals, treating them as volunteers when for legal purposes they should be considered employees. The status of individuals who have never been employees and who perform volunteer services is usually not an issue, but questions can arise when an organization provides someone with an economic benefit other than cash in return for services. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that when individuals expect economic benefits (e.g., food, shelter, clothing, transportation, medical care), they may be legally in an employment relationship with the organization that provides them. Moreover, the question of whether work donated can be considered volunteer service arises most often when employees give time during off hours. The U.S. Department of Labor has ruled that individuals cannot be considered volunteers when performing their regular work in the same work week in which they were considered employees. Healthcare providers can also be held responsible for sexually or racially discriminatory behavior on volunteers' part. Finally, employers should take care that their use of volunteers does not give rise to a charge of an unfair labor practice.

Employment↗
PubMed1991

Special report on labor and employment. Provider obligations under the Drug-Free Workplace Act.

In view of the sanctions that may be taken by government agencies against employers, all providers should take their obligations under the Act seriously. The first step for each provider is to determine if it is subject to the Act or to any analogous state statutes. If so, the provider should take steps, if it has not already done so, to comply with the Act or applicable state legislation. While the Act has been criticized as a matter of social policy for not going further to prevent substance abuse in the workplace--by, for example, mandating drug testing or requiring sanctions against employees without the prerequisite of a criminal conviction--there is no question that the penalties it authorizes against employers do go far enough to warrant careful compliance with the Act's provisions.

Drug and Narcotic Control↗
PubMed1989

Rocastine (AHR-11325), a rapid acting, nonsedating antihistamine.

Rocastine [AHR-11325, 2-[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]-2,3-dihydro-4-methylpyrido-[3,2-f]-1,4- oxazepine-5(4H)-thione (E)-2-butenedioate)] is a rapid-acting, potent, nonsedating antihistamine. In guinea pigs challenged with a lethal dose of histamine, rocastine is as effective [based on 1 hr. oral, protective dose (PD50S)] as brompheniramine, chlorpheniramine, pyrilamine, and promethazine and superior to astemizole, diphenhydramine, terfenadine, and oxatomide. Rocastine has a faster onset of action than does terfenadine; rocastine being as effective with a 15 min pretreatment time (PD50 = 0.13 mg/kg) as it is with a 1 hr pretreatment time (PD50 = 0.12 mg/kg), while the 15 min PD50 of terfenadine (PD50 = 44.0 mg/kg) is 22 times greater than the 1 hr PD50 (PD50 = 1.93 mg/kg). Against aerosolized histamine, rocastine was 7.12 x, 2.63 x, and equipotent to pyrilamine in preventing histamine-induced prostration at pretreatment times of 1,3, and 6 hr, respectively. Rocastine protected guinea pigs from collapse induced by aerosolized antigen; rocastine was approximately 36 x more potent (based on 1 hr PD50) than diphenhydramine and as potent as oxatomide and terfenadine. Rocastine did not alter the EEG of cats at doses in vast excess (150x) of its antihistaminic dose nor did it potentiate yohimbine toxicity in mice. Further, rocastine possesses no anticholinergic, antiadrenergic, or antiserotonergic properties in vitro. Rocastine is a selective, nonsedating, H1-antagonist with a rapid onset of action.

Anaphylaxis↗
PubMed1988

The topical anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties of bromfenac in rodents.

Bromfenac [2-amino-3-(4-bromobenzoyl)benzeneacetic acid sodium salt sesquihydrate] is an anti-inflammatory/analgesic agent that possesses potent topical activity in rats, guinea pigs, and mice. In rat models of acute (carrageenan paw edema) and chronic (adjuvant arthritis) inflammation, preparations of bromfenac at concentrations as low as 0.01-0.32% (0.01-0.32 mg bromfenac) produced significant anti-inflammatory activity when applied to the injected paw or to the backs of rats. In the acute paw edema test, topical bromfenac was more potent than indomethacin or hydrocortisone and about as active as triamcinolone acetonide. Bromfenac, at concentrations of 0.1-0.32%, showed topical analgesic activity in the acetylcholine-induced abdominal constriction test in mice. In this test, bromfenac was more potent than indomethacin (24.9X), more potent than ketoprofen (approximately 14.9X), and superior to piroxicam. In the guinea pig UV-erythema test, bromfenac was active (26.1X indomethacin) when applied to the UV-exposed site, but not when applied away from the site. The results suggest that bromfenac has activity topically because of a local and a systemic effect. Test results obtained with a long (4-7 hr) pretreatment time (paw edema, adjuvant arthritis, abdominal constriction) are due in great part to a systemic effect of topically applied bromfenac, while the UV-erythema test (1-hr treatment time) clearly indicates a local effect.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1985

The protective effect of prazosin on the ischaemic and reperfused myocardium.

Experiments were undertaken to establish whether prazosin prevents isolated hearts from gaining excess Ca2+ during post-ischaemic reperfusion, to determine whether this effect is dose-dependent, if it is accompanied by a change in the energy-rich phosphate reserves, and whether prazosin is effective when added only upon reperfusion. Isolated, spontaneously beating rat hearts were used. The ischaemic episodes ranged from 15 to 60 min, and prazosin (0.01 to 10 micro mol/1) was added both before inducing ischaemia and upon reperfusion. When 0.01 to 1 micro mol/1 prazosin was present before and after the ischaemic episode the reperfusion-induced gain in Ca2+ was attenuated, but not abolished. Pretreatment with 0.01 to 1 micro mol/1 prazosin slowed the ischaemic-induced rise in resting tension, enhanced mechanical recovery after 30 but not 60 min ischaemia, and exerted a dose-dependent slowing effect on the ischaemia-induced depletion of ATP and CP, with 1 micro mol/1 being the optimal dose. Adding 0.01 to 1 micro mol/1 prazosin at the time of reperfusion neither prevented excess Ca2+ accumulation upon reperfusion nor did it exert an energy-sparing effect. 5 to 10 micro mol/1 prazosin did not attenuate the reperfusion-induced gain in Ca2+, irrespective of whether it was added before or only at the time of reperfusion. These results show that the dose-response curve for the inhibitory effect of prazosin on Ca2+ overload is complex, and that adding prazosin coincident with the reperfusion of isolated ischaemic hearts does not attenuate Ca2+ gain.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Serology of Campylobacter fetus fetus strains from four outbreaks of ovine abortion.

As a result of a Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries survey on ovine abortions, 76 isolates of Campylobacterfetus fetus were obtained. These isolates were from four farms in the southern Hawkes Bay, with an abortion incidence of 2.8% to 9.1%. Antisera to eight different strains of C. fetus fetus were made in rabbits. Strains were then examined using whole cell tube agglutination tests and sensitised Staphylococcal Protein A slide agglutination tests. Heat labile antigens were examined by absorbing antisera with heat-treated bacteria. Two broad serogroups were found, but within-group variation was demonstrated by cross-absorbing antisera. The isolates from one farm were all of a single broad serogroup. Both serogroups were found on the remaining three farms. Evidence for the presence of two major serogroups was also obtained by immobilisation tests and antigen analysis by gel diffusion.

Journal Article↗