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Biomedical subjects

G Ford

Publications and source records attributed to G Ford.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

The effects of caring on health: a community-based longitudinal study.

This paper begins with a critical review of studies which have examined the effects of caring on health. Most are shown to suffer from defects in sampling and design, so that the evidence for detrimental effects is suggestive rather than conclusive. The substantive part of the paper then utilizes data on a cohort of 55-year-olds to compare the health of carers with the health of non-carers and to examine changes in caring and health over a 3-year period. The comparison yields no systematic evidence of the deleterious effects of caring on health; indeed, if there is a tendency in the accumulated data, it is in the opposite direction i.e. that carers report better health and functioning than non-carers. It is suggested that part of the explanation relates to selection and self-selection and the longitudinal data reveals high volatility in caring status, even over a short time period. The paper goes on to examine sub-groups of carers considered to be at greater risk. There is no evidence that their health is compromised but the authors acknowledge weaknesses in the data and argue for a specially designed study. The paper concludes with a discussion of the findings and their implications for research, policy and practice.

Caregivers↗
PubMed1992

The management of neonatal rhinitis.

Life-threatening upper airway obstruction secondary to neonatal rhinitis is a rare and poorly understood condition. Despite potential lethal effects, there has been no basic scientific research investigating the nature of this curious condition. This paper retrospectively reviews 8 patients suffering from neonatal rhinitis. Both the medical and surgical management of neonatal rhinitis and possible aetiological factors involved are discussed. Increasing clinical awareness of this condition may, therefore, serve as inspiration for future research of both an epidemiological and basic scientific nature.

Female↗
PubMed1992

Competing explanations for associations between marital status and health.

This paper is based on baseline data from a survey of 1042 fifty-five year olds living in the Central Clydeside Conurbation, who constitute the eldest cohort of the 'West of Scotland Twenty-07 Study'--a longitudinal study of health and everyday life. The relationship between marital status and a number of measures of health and illness is explored. The paper examines which of four 'social causation' explanations--that married people have better health because they have more material resources, less stress, indulge in less risky health behaviour and have more social support--can actually account for the observed patterning. It finds that more risky health behaviour (measured by smoking and drinking), and 'objective' levels of social support, cannot account for very much of the effect of marital status on health measures; but that material resources, stress and perceived quality of social support could do so. However, elucidation of the direction of the relationships between these explanations and health measures, and indeed of the effect of health 'selection' into and out of marriage must await future sweeps of this longitudinal study.

Causality↗
PubMed1991

Survivors of extreme prematurity--outcome at 8 years of age.

Of 149 infants liveborn in a large maternity hospital in 1980 to 1982 and delivered between 24 and 29 completed weeks of gestation inclusive, 91 (61%) survived; 88 (97%) survivors were assessed at 8 years' corrected age; 77% of children were not disabled; disability was mild in 13%, moderate in 2% and severe in 4% of children. Although survival decreased with decreasing gestation, disability in survivors did not increase. An earlier assessment of the same children at approximately 2 years of age had been unduly pessimistic particularly for those born less than or equal to 26 weeks' gestation. The only other reports in the literature on outcome by gestation have all assessed the children in early childhood, and estimates of severe disability rates from these studies will probably also be too pessimistic. Since the rate of severe disabilities in infants of borderline viability is not much higher than in more mature infants the obstetrician should mainly consider survival chances for the fetus, and not be overly concerned with long-term neurological outcome, when making clinical decisions.

Australia↗
PubMed1990

Types and correlates of blood/injury-related vasovagal syncope.

This study investigated by interview, the initial syncopal episode of 103 blood/injury-related vasovagal fainters in order to examine two competing hypotheses concerning their origins. Graham (Circulation, 23, 901-906, 1961) postulated that the faint resulted when sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity ceased on termination of a threat, leaving parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activation unopposed. Engel [Fainting (2nd edn), 1962; Annals of Internal Medicine, 89, 901-906, 1978] proposed that when in the face of threat with SNS activation, escape is blocked, the PNS becomes activated as the conservation-withdrawal response, leading to syncope. We found cases clearly conforming to each of these formulations as well as some with characteristics of both, and some who fainted in response to blood or injury but with no perception of threat. The Graham and Engel types did not differ in terms of fear or avoidance of blood, injury, or medically-related situations nor did they differ in the frequency with which their parents reported blood/injury-related syncopal episodes. It is proposed that both may be activated by a common psychological mechanism involving cessation of a defensive posture. In contrast, the non-threat fainters showed significantly less medically-related avoidance and had a greater percentage (94%) of parents with positive faint histories.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Persistent infection of rhesus macaques with a molecular clone of human immunodeficiency virus type 2: evidence of minimal genetic drift and low pathogenetic effects.

In an attempt to generate a suitable animal model to study the infectivity and possible pathogenicity of human immunodeficiency viruses, we intravenously inoculated juvenile rhesus macaques and African green monkeys with a molecularly cloned virus, human immunodeficiency virus type 2 HIV-2sbl/isy, as well as with the uncloned HIV-2nih-z virus. Infection was monitored by virus recovery from the peripheral blood cells and by seroconversion against HIV-2 antigens measured by Western immunoblot, radioimmunoprecipitation, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We successfully infected two out of two macaques with the molecularly cloned virus and one macaque out of two with the HIV-2nih-z. No evidence of infection was seen in the African green monkeys with either virus. We followed the infected animals for 2 years. The animals remained healthy, although we observed intermittent lymphadenopathy and a transient decrease in the absolute number of circulating CD4+ T lymphocytes in both animals infected with the molecularly cloned virus. Virus isolation from the peripheral blood cells of the infected animals was successful only within the first few months after inoculation. Evidence of persistent infection was provided by the detection of proviral DNA by polymerase chain reaction analysis of the blood cells of the inoculated animals and by the stability of antiviral antibody titers. To evaluate the genetic drift of the proviral DNA, we molecularly cloned viruses which were reisolated 1 and 5 months postinoculation from one of these animals. Comparison of the DNA sequences of the envelope genes of both these isolates indicated that a low degree of variation (0.2%) in the envelope protein had occurred in vivo during the 5-month period. These data suggest that the use of HIV-2sbl/isy in rhesus macaques may represent a good animal model system to study prevention of viral infection. In particular, molecularly cloned virus can be manipulated for functional studies of viral genes in the pathogenesis of acquired immune deficiency syndrome and provides a reproducible source of virus for vaccine studies.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

The metabolism and testicular toxicity of cyclohexylamine in rats and mice during chronic dietary administration.

Cyclohexylamine hydrochloride has been given in the diet to mice and to Wistar and DA rats for 13 weeks, to provide a constant intake of 400 mg of the base/kg/day. Significantly decreased food intake and body weight gain were found in both strains of rats but not mice. The metabolism of [14C]cyclohexylamine was widely different in Wistar and DA rats and in rats and mice, and these differences were not altered appreciably by chronic intake for 13 weeks. The differences in metabolism resulted in marked and persistent differences in the concentrations of the hydroxylated metabolites in the plasma and testes of treated animals with Wistar much greater than DA much greater than mice. After 7 and 13 weeks testicular atrophy was demonstrated in both strains of rats given cyclohexylamine diet by a decrease in organ weight and by histological changes. DA rats appeared more sensitive to testicular toxicity from cyclohexylamine than Wistar rats, while mice showed no evidence of testicular damage. These data show that the development of testicular toxicity is not related to the extent of hydroxylation. The concentrations of cyclohexylamine in the plasma and testes of the treated animals were lower in mice than in either strain of rats despite a similar daily intake. This suggests that species differences in pharmacokinetics may contribute to the apparent difference in sensitivity to testicular toxicity.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Reduction of fractured nasal bones; local versus general anaesthesia.

This prospective study was designed to asses whether the results of reducing simple fractures of the nasal bones were different using local or general anaesthesia. Two consecutive groups of 50 patients had their fractures manipulated under (a) general, or (b) local anaesthesia. The results of reduction as assessed by the patients and surgeons were not significantly different between the 2 groups. The reoperation rate for nasal obstruction and external deformity was similar in the 2 groups. We suggest that fractured nasal bones may be reduced under local anaesthesia without detriment to the results. This represents a significant saving of hospital resources.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Magnetic resonance imaging of pituitary and parasellar abnormalities.

The ease, safety, accuracy, reliability, specificity, and sensitivity of the diagnosis of disorders of the sellar region all have been enhanced by MRI. This article demonstrates the normal anatomy and the wide array of pathology that can be visualized by MRI. Magnetic resonance has become the imaging modality of choice for most of the disorders within and about the sella.

Adenoma↗
PubMed1987

Outcome in infants of birth weight 500 to 999 g: a continuing regional study of 5-year-old survivors.

During 1979 and 1980, 351 infants of birth weight 500 to 999 g were born in the State of Victoria: 89 (25.4%) survived to the age of 2 years corrected for prematurity, and 83 were fully assessed by a multidisciplinary team; partial data were obtained on the remainder. At the age of 5 years, corrected for prematurity, 85/89 (96%) were evaluated by a multidisciplinary team, although not all children could be fully evaluated by the psychologists. Reports were available for another three children; one child was untraced. Of the survivors able to be classified at 5 years, 59/82 (72%) had no functional handicap. Functional handicaps was severe in 16 (19%), moderate in four (5%), and mild in three (4%). Functional handicaps were present in 50% (8/16) of outborn survivors compared with the 23% (15/66) for the inborn survivors (P = 0.02). Cerebral palsy was diagnosed in eight children at 5 years and in 12 children at 2 years. The diagnosis was stable for the children not ambulant at 2 years; five of seven 2-year-old children with mild cerebral palsy had "outgrown" the diagnosis by 5 years, but ataxic cerebral palsy was not identified in one child until 5 years. Six children were blind; four had severe sensorineural or mixed deafness, one more than at 2 years. Of 82 children assessed according to identical criteria for functional handicap at both 2 and 5 years, 52 (63%) remained in the same category at 5 years, three (4%) were judged to be more severely handicapped, and 27 (33%) were less severely handicapped. The 2-year evaluation of extremely low birth weight children often proved to be unduly pessimistic, for many showed improvement or recovery from functional handicaps and impairments by 5 years of age.

Australia↗
PubMed1986

Relationship of growth and psychoneurologic status of 2-year-old children of birthweight 500-999 g.

There were 257 liveborn infants of birthweight 500-999 g born in one tertiary centre in the 5 1/4 years commencing January 1977; 86 (33.5%) survived to 2 years of age, corrected for prematurity and 83/86 (96.5%) were fully assessed. The prevalence of cerebral palsy was 10/83 (12%) and 17/83 (20%) had a major impairment. The distribution of weights and heights for 2-year-old boys and girls was significantly lower than for the standard population, as was the head circumference distribution for boys; the distribution of the Mental Developmental Index (Bayley Scales) was not related to the head circumference or body weight at two years or to head-circumference/bodyweight or height ratios. At birth measurements of weight, length and head circumference were under the 3rd percentile for 13/86 (15%), 9/86 (10.5%) and 9/86 (10.5%) respectively. By 2 years of age, weight, length and head circumference were under the 3rd percentile in 23/83 (27.7%), 26/83 (31.3%) and 4/83 (4.8%) respectively. 12 children who were SGA at birth were fully assessed at 2 years; the group of 6, who continued with poor postnatal weight gains (under the 3rd percentile) had the highest rate of major impairment but included were the only extremely SGA twins and the only two major malformations in the study. We found no association of other health problems or unfavourable social factors with poor postnatal growth or impaired outcome.

Blindness↗