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Biomedical subjects

F Stevens

Publications and source records attributed to F Stevens.

36 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Cystine-containing urinary calculi in dogs: 102 cases (1981-1989).

One hundred and seven cystine-containing urinary calculi from 1 female and 101 male dogs were analyzed. Cystine-containing calculi accounted for 2% (107 of 5,375) of all canine urinary calculi submitted to the urinary stone analysis laboratory from July 1981 through December 1989. Male dogs that formed cystine calculi were compared with 3 other canine populations to determine whether certain breeds were apparently at increased or decreased risk for cystine calculus formation. In one or more of 3 population comparisons, significantly increased risk of cystine calculus formation was found in Mastiffs, Australian Cattle Dogs, English Bulldogs, Chihuahuas, Bullmastiffs, Newfoundlands, Dachshunds, Basenjis, Australian Shepherd Dogs, Scottish Deerhounds, Staffordshire Terriers, Miniature Pinschers, pitbull terriers, Welsh Corgis, Silky Terriers, and Bichon Frises. Significantly low risk of cystine calculus formation was found in German Shepherd Dogs, Poodles, Schnauzers, and mixed-breed dogs.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Physician satisfaction, professional characteristics and behavior formalization in hospitals.

In this paper, an analysis is presented of professional and bureaucratic predictors of physician satisfaction. Results from 210 physicians in 17 medical departments of university hospitals support the hypotheses that both professional attitudes and formal structuring of work activities have a positive effect on physician satisfaction. It is shown that behavior formalization, preference for professional autonomy and the time spent on patient care activities within medical departments are positive predictors of satisfaction with work environment, while 'traditional' professional attitudes like craftsmanship and client service have more impact on satisfaction with patient demand. Certification is a strong positive predictor of work load satisfaction. Satisfaction with work environment was the most important factor in explaining other satisfaction dimensions. This finding supports the hypothesized 'buffering' effect of the affective climate or 'feel' of the professional work environment in hospitals. The implication of the findings is, that in the process of bureaucratization of medical practice in hospitals, specific attention should be paid to the maintenance of professional values as guidelines for professional work and to the maintenance of a good affective work environment for professionals in order to prevent dissatisfaction with patient demand and work load.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1992

Sickness Impact Profile: the state of the art of a generic functional status measure.

The Sickness Impact Profile (SIP) is a widely used health status measure, known to be valid and reliable. After the final development and testing in 1978, however, in which several methodological aspects were investigated, no descriptions of research projects that systematically evaluate the methodological and theoretical aspects of the instrument were found. In this article a review is presented of literature on the SIP. This review is the first step taken in a project that evaluates the SIP. The instrument appears to be a reliable instrument with sufficient content validity. It shows good correlations with other health status and functional status measures. Yet a number of questions about the SIP remain unanswered. Theoretical implications of the construct of sickness, the effect of age and gender on SIP scores, the construct validity judged by factor analysis, the responsiveness of the instrument, and the possibilities to use proxy-respondents or to shorten the list and to simplify the scoring procedure still have to be studied. If the instrument is to be used as an international standard measure of functional status, these topics should be thoroughly examined.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1992

Disease determinants of sporadic salmonellosis in four northern California counties. A case-control study of older children and adults.

A population-based, case-control study of sporadic salmonellosis was conducted in 1988 and 1989 in four northern California counties. The study included 120 patients and 265 control subjects. Conditional logistic regression analysis (adjusted for age) revealed that patients were more likely to consume undercooked chicken prior to the onset of disease (odds ratio [OR], 23.57; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.89 to 192.30). Elevated associations were also found with recent travel to foreign countries (OR, 9.69; 95% CI, 3.18 to 29.56), diabetes (OR, 6.29; 95% CI, 1.56 to 25.34), hormonal replacement therapy (principally conjugated estrogen) in older women (OR, 4.20; 95% CI, 1.82 to 9.71), and antibiotic therapy prior to illness (OR, 1.96; 95% CI, 0.86 to 4.37). The problems of studying self-selected cases that may lead to alternative explanations for these findings are also discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Factors associated with transmission of bovine leukemia virus by contact in cows on a California dairy.

A prospective study was undertaken on a California dairy from 1984 to 1987 to examine factors associated with contact transmission of bovine leukemia virus in cows. Two approaches were used to model the probability of infection. First, the expected number of new infections per pen-month was assumed to follow a binomial distribution. The probability of infection was modeled, using logistic regression, as a function of prevalence of infection in pen, presence of lactating cows, proportion of pregnant cows, presence of an infected bull, and proportion of infected cows with a lymphocyte count above 10,000 cells/microliters of blood and/or with Mr 24,000 protein (p24) antibodies. The probability of infection was significantly associated with the prevalence of infection and at the limit of significance for presence of lactating cows in pen. Second, the Cox model with time-dependent covariates was used to analyze time from first parturition or from the beginning of the study to infection. Factors examined were age, breed, lactation number, whether the cow was pregnant and/or lactating, prevalence of infection, presence of an infected bull, and density of cattle in the pen holding the cow. Non-pregnant cows were 2.9 times more at risk of infection than were pregnant cows, and risk of infection significantly increased as prevalence of infection in a pen increased.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Effect of brucellosis vaccination and dehorning on transmission of bovine leukemia virus in heifers on a California dairy.

Brucellosis vaccination and dehorning were examined for an association with bovine leukemia virus (BLV) infection in heifers on a California dairy between April 1984 and June 1987. Between December 1985 and June 1986, weaned heifers were dehorned using the gouge method at the time of brucellosis vaccination. Using logistic regression, the estimated probability for a nondehorned heifer to seroconvert within three months after brucellosis vaccination (0.08) was significantly less than that for heifers dehorned after a noninfected heifer (0.46) or than that for heifers dehorned after an infected heifer (0.85) (p = 0.039 and p less than 0.001, respectively). To evaluate risk of transmission by brucellosis vaccination, which was usually done within one month postweaning, cumulative proportions of heifers remaining uninfected were computed among heifers that did not seroconvert three months after dehorning. Because results of a Cox model analysis indicated that groups of heifers were 6.6 times more at risk of becoming infected if placed in pens holding gouge-dehorned heifers (where prevalence varied between 50 and 70%) (p less than 0.001) than other groups placed in pens without gouge-dehorned heifers (where prevalence varied between 10 and 30%), cumulative proportions of heifers remaining uninfected were computed for each type of group. The cumulative proportion of heifers remaining uninfected from weaning to first calving was 0.60 for the high prevalence group and 0.96 for the low prevalence group. No change in slope of cumulative proportions was observed before and after one month postweaning, suggesting that brucellosis vaccination was not an effective means of transmission.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Protection of colostral antibodies against bovine leukemia virus infection in calves on a California dairy.

A three-year prospective study involving 244 calves was undertaken on a California dairy to evaluate the protective role of colostral antibodies against bovine leukemia virus (BLV) infection in calves. Calves were followed from birth to the time they left their individual hutch (TLIH), at about 90 days of age. The probability of being infected at TLIH and the daily risk of infection between birth and TLIH were modelled using the logistic and the Cox models, respectively. Calves with no detectable antibodies during the first week of life were up to 2.00 and 2.75 times more likely to be infected at TLIH compared to calves with low and high concentrations of antibodies during the first week of life, respectively (p = 0.01). When the daily risk was modelled, calves without antibodies at the estimated day of infection were up to 3.4 and 11.6 times more likely to become infected than calves with low and high concentrations of antibodies on that day, respectively (p less than 0.001). Results indicated that calfhood infection may be reduced by about 45% through the feeding of colostrum with BLV antibodies. Further reduction in infection may be possible by feeding calves milk powder, milk replacer, and/or milk from noninfected cows. Results also indicated that quantification of the effect of a time-dependent risk factor, such as colostral antibody concentration, might be affected if treated as a fixed factor.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1986

Humoral response to wheat protein in patients with coeliac disease and enteropathy associated T cell lymphoma.

Features that might distinguish uncomplicated coeliac disease from enteropathy associated T cell lymphoma were investigated. Of 76 patients with coeliac disease, 71 (93%) had raised levels of alpha gliadin antibody and all responded clinically and histologically to treatment with a gluten free diet. In contrast, none of 16 patients with enteropathy associated T cell lymphoma had raised levels of alpha gliadin antibody, and treatment with a gluten free diet resulted in histological improvement in one and transient clinical improvement in six patients. The ratio of women to men was 2.2:1 in the group with coeliac disease and 1:1.6 in the patients with enteropathy associated T cell lymphoma. Thus patients with enteropathy associated T cell lymphoma do not display a humoral immune response to wheat protein (alpha gliadin), rarely respond to a gluten free diet, and are often men. Patients with uncomplicated coeliac disease usually have raised levels of alpha gliadin antibody, always respond to a gluten free diet, and are frequently women. These findings suggest the presence of two separate forms of enteropathy: one is benign and sensitive to wheat protein whereas the other runs a malignant course.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Special medical applications of computers.

The use of small computers for assistance in medical diagnosis is examined in light of their limitations, particularly in a veterinary clinical setting. Various approaches to these problems are discussed with an eye towards "appropriate technology" for the veterinary practice. The author describes two "expert systems" he devised that enable the small computer to aid in the analysis of laboratory data and in the clinical diagnosis of veterinary patients.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Considerations in evaluating changes in outcome for infants weighing less than 1,501 grams.

Neonatal mortality for 285 infants and developmental outcome for 158 infants with birth weights of 751 to 1,500 gm, born in the Capital Regional Perinatal Center between July 1975 and December 1979, were compared with the findings in 1952, in 1965 to 1967, and in 1968 to 1970. In the 1,001- to 1,500-gm group, mortality decreased and there was an 18% incidence of major neuropsychiatric disability compared to the 48% found in 1952 when the same examination techniques and diagnostic criteria were used. More 751- to 1,000-gm infants survive now also, but 40% have a major handicap. There is a high incidence of preconceptional, prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal abnormalities in this group of very low-birth-weight infants, but the incidence is significantly higher in those with major disabilities. The infants who die and those who have subsequent major neuropsychiatric abnormalities require the sophisticated techniques of neonatal intensive care, whereas these procedures are not needed or are used only briefly for the infants who are normal. In upper New York State, the demographic shifts in race, age, parity, education, and induced abortions account for 13% of the drop in neonatal mortality in the 1,001- to 1,500-gm group. These demographic as well as social and medical care changes must be taken into account in any evaluation of the decreasing mortality and morbidity that has occurred. Improvements in prenatal, obstetric, and neonatal care appear to be doing for the 751- to 1,000-gm group now what the then high-level care in 1952 did for the 1,001- to 1,500-gm group, when mortality decreased but only half of those who survived were normal.

Congenital Abnormalities↗
PubMed1979

The validity of parental reporting of infant development.

A developmental questionnaire, encompassing the ages from 4 weeks to 36 months, has been devised that, when completed by parents, can be used to screen children as being developmentally normal, questionable, or abnormal. A total of 526 infants were screened by this questionnaire at 28 weeks of age and then examined at 40 weeks of age by a full Gesell Developmental and Neurologic Examination. Underscreening of those with major abnormalities was 2.6%, and of those with minor abnormalities, 10%. Overscreening was 6%. In view of the demonstrated high reliability and validity of the full Gesell Developmental and Neurologic Examination on which the questionnaire is based, the relatively small percentages of overscreening and underscreening make it the most accurate and useful screening questionnaire to date.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Mucosal recovery in treated childhood celiac disease (gluten-sensitive enteropathy).

Follow-up studies on 36 children, in whom celiac disease (gluten-sensitive enteropathy) was established by gluten challenge, were carried out after management on gluten-free diets for a mean of six years. Evaluations included measurement of height and weight, which for the group approximated normal distributions, and histologic examination of the duodenal or jejunal mucosa. Mucosal morphology was regarded as normal in 16, and there were minimal changes in 20. Epithelial cell height was within the normal range in all the children. Interepithelial lymphocytes were within normal range in the majority and lymphoid cells in the lamina propria were not different from those in control subjects. Mucosal lactase was significantly lower in patients than in control subjects in the duodenum and the jejunum, whereas sucrase and alkaline phosphatase values were significantly lower in the jejunum but not in the duodenum. Low content of mucosal lactase and increased numbers of interepithelial lymphocytes may be sensitive indicators of persisting ingestion of gluten in mucosa that is otherwise normal or approximately so in appearance.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Distribution, prevalence, and relative risk of filariasis in dogs from the State of Washington (1997-1999).

Using antigen capture and filter tests, 6,078 dogs throughout the state of Washington were examined for filariasis between July 1, 1997 and October 31, 1999. In western Washington, 791 males and 901 females examined were outdoors, not on prophylaxis, and had traveled out of the state; 6/791 (0.8%) males and 7/901 (0.8%) females were infected with Dirofilaria immitis (D. immitis), and one (0.1%) male and one (0.1%) female were infected with Dipetalonema reconditum (D. reconditum). There were also 392 males and 362 females examined that were outdoors, not on prophylaxis, and had not traveled out of western Washington. One (0.1%) female was infected with D. immitis, and two (0.5%) males and one (0.2%) female were infected with D. reconditum. In eastern Washington, 707 males and 826 females examined were outdoors, not on prophylaxis, and had traveled out of the state; 9/707 (1.0%) males and 4/826 (0.5%) females were infected with D. immitis, and no D. reconditum was found. There were also 376 males and 412 females examined that were outdoors, not on prophylaxis, and had not traveled out of the state. Three (0.8%) males and three (0.7%) females had D. immitis. One (0.2%) female had D. reconditum. Distribution of D. immitis-infected, nontravel dogs in eastern Washington was only found between 120 degrees and 119 degrees west longitude in the communities of Richland, Moses Lake, Okanogan, and Omak. Enzootic transmission of D. immitis and D. reconditum is occurring in both eastern and western Washington.

Animals↗