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Biomedical subjects

G Kukulka

Publications and source records attributed to G Kukulka.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

Effect of lymphatic and splenic pump techniques on the antibody response to hepatitis B vaccine: a pilot study.

Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) facilitates the movement of lymphatic fluid and may enhance the immunologic response to infection or injected antigen. In this investigation, two groups of volunteers were vaccinated with recombinant hepatitis B vaccine, given at 0, 5, and 25 weeks. The experimental group (n = 20) received OMT (lymphatic and splenic pump) three times per week for 2 weeks after each vaccination. Control subjects (n = 19) received vaccine but no OMT. Resultant serum antibody levels were measured by enzyme immunoassay. Fifty percent of subjects in the treatment group achieved protective antibody titers (> or = 10 mIU/mL) on the 13th week with an average titer of 374 mIU/mL. Only 16% of the control subjects had positive antibody responses, with average titers of 96 mIU/mL. At all time points from week 6 on, the average anti-hepatitis B titer was higher in the treatment group than in the control group. These data suggest an enhanced immunologic response in subjects who received OMT.

Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay↗

Community-oriented primary care. Implementation of a national rural demonstration.

A major objective of community-oriented primary care (COPC) is to focus the clinical practice on the health care problems of the community that the practice serves. The COPC process defines the community of interest, identifies and prioritizes community health problems, and implements and evaluates interventions. Under sponsorship from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, the COPC National Rural Demonstration Program was established to explore the feasibility of implementing COPC in 13 rural practices. An evaluation of the program found that local communities played critical roles in defining and implementing COPC interventions. These interventions were most often focused on health promotion/illness prevention activities. At most sites, clinical practices were limited in their ability to incorporate COPC activities by staff and physician turnover and the extensive patient demands on the time of rural primary care physicians. While the COPC process proceeded at different rates across the sites, after 2 1/2 years of grant funding, most sites continued to devote the majority of their resources to designing and implementing interventions. Thus, it appears that coordination by dedicated nonphysician staff and more than 2 years of effort are required to implement COPC concepts in rural practices in underserved areas.

Community Health Services↗

Incorporating a community-oriented approach in primary care.

The health care system in the United States depends on primary care services. Yet the limitations imposed by traditional approaches in primary care have resulted in an unrealized potential for primary care. Currently, we rely on the motivation and initiative of persons to acquire the health care services they need, and health care providers have attempted to meet these needs. Community-oriented primary care provides an opportunity for primary care physicians to expand their range of services and their ability to reach out to people. Incorporating community-oriented primary care into primary health care has the potential to make a major contribution in reshaping health care in the United States.

Community Health Services↗

High school students' perceptions and misperceptions of AIDS.

This study examines the knowledge, beliefs, and sources of information of junior and senior high school students concerning AIDS. The students were found to have a very limited knowledge of AIDS. Males were more knowledgeable about AIDS than were females, but the majority of students were not personally worried about contracting AIDS. The primary sources of AIDS information were TV, newspapers, magazines, and radio. Schools were one of the least often mentioned sources of information.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Development of a short obesity knowledge scale using four different response formats.

This study examined the validity and reliability of a short obesity knowledge scale. A 12-item test was developed around the four aspects of obesity: etiology of obesity; diseases related to obesity; weight loss techniques; and general information on obesity. Four forms were developed: true/false, true/false/uncertain, multiple choice, and Likert response. Comparisons of the four test formats with 187 subjects revealed a variety of internal reliabilities, stability reliabilities, item discriminations, and readability scores.

Female↗