Perimenstrual symptoms and health-seeking behavior.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to E S Mitchell.
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Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a condition that is widespread and has been talked about for almost 60 years, yet today there is no consistent method used to diagnose PMS; there is no well-supported etiology; and there is no noninvasive and low-risk proven treatment for the condition. This paper reviews current ideas about diagnosis, etiology, and treatment and makes recommendations for ways a clinician might safely help women with PMS.
Meclofenamic acid was used to inhibit prostaglandin synthesis in lambs challenged with Ostertagia circumcincta. It lowered the number of parasites which established in treated animals but not significantly. In treated animals plasma pepsinogen values were elevated at the time of parasite emergence but had dropped below the values achieved in control lambs towards the end of the experiment when parasites were at the adult, lumenal dwelling stage. Meclofenamic acid administered to adult immune ewes during challenge with third stage O circumcincta larvae did not significantly affect the establishment of the parasites, nor did it affect the rise in pepsinogen concentration associated with the challenge.
A benzimidazole-resistant strain of Ostertagia circumcincta (HFRO) was used experimentally to infect lambs. The level of resistance, measured by an egg hatch assay, was studied throughout each infection and also after treatment of the lambs with fenbendazole. The HFRO strain was highly resistant to benzimidazoles. There was day-to-day variation in the level of resistance throughout a single infection with a high level of resistance in the early part of the infection, around Day 27 post-inoculation of infective larvae, falling to a lower level later in the infection. Egg hatch assays on the 3 days immediately post-treatment with fenbendazole showed the resistance level was high then resistance fell to the pre-treatment level after 7 days. Selection for benzimidazole resistance using fenbendazole treatment at the normal dose rate of 5 mg kg-1 over five passages of the HFRO strain in lambs failed to increase the resistance level. Storage of larvae over a 5-month period at 4 degrees C, prior to infection of lambs, did not produce any alteration in the resistance level. The possible reasons for the variations in resistance found with the HFRO strain are discussed along with the implications for sheep parasite control and further development of benzimidazole resistance.
This longitudinal study investigated the relative importance of correlates of psychological distress in first year medical students (N = 312) in September and May. Anxiety levels were one SD above the mean when compared with nonpatient levels in both September and May, and the percentage of students reporting depression doubled over the study period. Problem-focused coping decreased, emotion-focused coping increased, and satisfaction with social supports decreased over the year. In contrast, type A behavior and anger expression were more stable. Students distressed in September were at higher risk for distress in May. Students distressed in May were also characterized by higher scores for suppressed anger and type A behavior in May, even after controlling for distress in September.
We compared survival following transient ischemic attack (TIA) in 2 prospective cohorts of TIA patients admitted to Wake Forest University Medical Center. The 1st consisted of 177 patients admitted between 1961 and 1973, and the 2nd of 185 patients admitted between 1980 and 1983. Patients in the 2nd cohort had significantly greater longevity than patients in the 1st cohort, both univariately and after adjustment for cerebrovascular risk factors. The adjusted 1-year survival estimate increased from 91% in the 1st cohort to 98% in the 2nd, and the adjusted 3-year survival estimate increased from 83% in the 1st to 94% in the 2nd. The underlying causes for this dramatic improvement in survival may include early identification and aggressive management of TIAs or coexisting diseases, improved management of subsequent completed strokes or myocardial infarctions, or unadjusted differences in these cohorts. The data imply that reports of TIA survival from different periods may not be comparable.
Medical student distress was examined in two consecutive first-year classes (N = 312) in September, before they interacted with the school regimen, and again in May before exams. Anxiety means were one SD above the normative mean for nonpatients at both times. The number of students reporting a significant level of depression doubled from September (N = 36) to May (N = 78). The correlation of distress in September and May was .40, indicating that for many students distress was enduring. A biopsychosocial model of initial distress explained more variance (36%) in the cross-validation sample than did any one variable alone. Distressed students had higher Type A scores. Also, anger held in was a risk factor for distress in students with a family history of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Students who hold anger in may experience prolonged stress which, coupled with a family history of CVD, could make them psychobiologically vulnerable to distress.
Although the concept of health is central to nursing practice and science, measurement of the concept has lagged far behind theory development. The study presented extends Laffrey's earlier work by describing the meaning of health for a population of women representing multiple ethnic groups residing in the Pacific Northwest. A sample of 528 women from a cross-section of a community who had participated in a study of women's health was asked to respond to the question, "What does being healthy mean to you?" In addition to evidence of the clinical, role performance, and adaptive models of health, the women's responses yielded nine dimensions consistent with the eudaemonistic model. Each dimension included multiple descriptors identified through content analysis of the women's verbatim responses. The women's images of health were consistent with Smith's and Laffrey's four conceptions, but the eudaemonistic category included multiple dimensions. The women reported images of health consistent with contemporary nursing theorists' views. Moreover, their emphasis on eudaemonistic images crossed all categories of age, education, income, ethnicity, and employment status.
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Lambs were inoculated with a single dose of Cooperia curticei. Subcutaneous administration of ivermectin at a dosage of 200 micrograms/kg of body weight resulted in 61.1% and 90.4% anthelmintic efficacy, when measured at 7 and 14 days after treatment, respectively. In the treatment groups, parasites that remained were located more distally in the small intestine than those in the lambs in the control groups.
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The discipline of nursing needs methodological strategies that promote the study of complex and dynamic phenomena like human health behavior. Triangulation is an approach conductive to studying such complex behavior. The purpose of this article is to discuss the four basic types of triangulation and to examine several issues and problems related to the use of a more complex form, multiple triangulation. Solutions are proposed for dealing with each of the problems involved in the research application of triangulation.
The joint fluids of 37 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, eight patients with traumatic injuries to their joints, two patients with Reiter's syndrome and three patients with psoriatic arthritis were tested for the presence of B cell colony stimulating activity (B cell CSA). B cell CSA was found in all of the joint fluids from the patients with rheumatoid arthritis but in none of the joint fluids from patients with traumatic injuries to their joints or in the joint fluids from the patients with Reiter's syndrome. A trace of B cell CSA was found in the joint fluid of one of the three patients with psoriatic arthritis. There was a positive correlation (r = 0.796) between the amount of rheumatoid factor present in the joint fluids and the titre of B cell CSA. This correlation was highly significant (P less than 0.001). The B cell CSA was localized to component(s) with molecular weight ranges 115-129 kD and 64-72 kD and an isoelectric point of 6.8. Its activity was sensitive to reduction with 2-mercaptoethanol and to the oxidising action of potassium periodate.
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The premenstrual syndrome is discussed in relation to prevalence, symptomatology, severity, and time course. Methodologic problems common to the study of the menstrual cycle are presented. The research on psychologic and physiologic etiologies is reviewed, and results of studies on various treatment modes are discussed. Newer theories suggesting a combined psychophysiologic etiology and concomitant nonpharmaceutical treatment modes encompassing self-care and stress management skills are included.
This study was conducted to determine predictors of breast self-examination (BSE) frequency. One hundred ninety-one women completed questionnaires about their personal experiences with BSE, their risk factors, and their perceived risks of breast cancer. Satisfaction with BSE ability and explanation of BSE technique significantly predicted frequency of BSE. Perceived risk, history of breast cancer, BSE demonstration, and a BSE handout did not affect BSE frequency. Of the five BSE teaching variables, only explanation of technique significantly predicted BSE satisfaction. Clinicians can promote BSE frequency by helping women feel confident about their abilities to perform BSE.
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