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G Moran

Publications and source records attributed to G Moran.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Predictors of psychosocial adjustment in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators.

Predictors of psychological distress/adjustment were examined in 25 patients following placement of ICDs. Patients completed a demographic questionnaire and a standardized questionnaire of psychological symptoms (i.e., Symptom Checklist-90 Revised; SCL-90-R). The number of discharges categorized by the patient as inappropriate and appropriate were also ascertained. The number of ICD discharges categorized as inappropriate and diminished levels of physical activity (r = 0.53 and 0.63, P < 0.01, respectively) did significantly relate to overall psychological distress. In addition, after controlling for age and prior psychiatric and physical health status through a stepwise multiple regression analysis, the occurrence of ICD discharges categorized as inappropriate and diminished physical activity continued to significantly predict overall psychological distress (R2 = 0.41, P < 0.01). However, the number of ICD discharges categorized as appropriate did not significantly predict overall psychological distress. The results of this investigation suggest that further refinement of the ICD could reduce the risk of exposure to potential psychological distress, and an analysis of prior and anticipated patient physical activity levels should be a factor when calibrating minimum ICD discharge threshold levels.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1997

Molecular and phenotypic analysis of Candida dubliniensis: a recently identified species linked with oral candidosis in HIV-infected and AIDS patients.

The discovery and characterisation of a novel species of Candida, termed Candida dubliniensis, associated with oral candidosis in HIV-infected individuals is described. These organisms share several phenotypic characteristics in common with Candida albicans and Candida stellatoidea, including the ability to produce germ tubes and chlamydospores. However, in contrast to these latter two species, C. dubliniensis isolates produce abundant chlamydospores, which are often arranged in contiguous pairs, triplets and other multiples suspended from a single suspensor cell. They belong to C. albicans serotype A and exhibit atypical substrate assimilation profiles. Genomic DNA fingerprinting analysis with the C. albicans-specific probe 27A and five different oligonucleotide probes consisting of short repeat sequence-containing motifs, demonstrated that C. dubliniensis has a distinct genomic organisation relative to C. albicans and C. stellatoidea. This was confirmed by karyotype analysis and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. Comparison of 500 bp of the V3 variable region of the large ribosomal subunit genes from 14 separate C. dubliniensis isolates and the corresponding sequences from C. albicans, C. stellatoidea, C. tropicalis, C. glabrata, C. parapsilosis, C. kefyr and C. krusei demonstrated that the C. dubliniensis isolates formed a homogenous cluster (100% similarity), representing a discrete taxon within the genus Candida that was significantly different from the other species analysed.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1996

Hostility predicts restenosis after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the "toxic" total (potential for) hostility component of the type A behavior pattern (assessed by means of the structured interview) as it relates to prediction of restenosis after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). DESIGN: Patients with single vessel or multivessel coronary artery disease in whom PTCA had been scheduled or done were administered the structured interview by one trained interviewer prospectively or retrospectively (blinded to angiographic endpoints). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 41 patients underwent 53 initial balloon dilations on native arteries by 1 of 5 participating cardiologists. Inclusion criteria for this study were a successful initial PTCA and post-PTCA recatheterization if a patient complained of ischemic symptoms possibly related to restenosis. RESULTS: Of the 41 patients, 15 (36.6%) had restenoses at a total of 18 previous angioplasty sites. Patients with high total (potential for) hostility ratings were almost 2.5 times more likely to have restenosis than those with low total (potential for) hostility scores (95% confidence interval = 1.03 to 5.32). Logistic regression revealed that total (potential for) hostility scores predicted post-PTCA restenosis overall as well as when adjusted for gender and race. Total (potential for) hostility scores were also positively associated with the number of arteries restenosed (P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: This is the first report of type A total (potential for) hostility behavior conferring an increased risk for restenosis after PTCA. Its modification may be effective in reducing recurrent cardiac events. A coronary-prone behavior modification program for patients with persistent, same-site restenosis after PTCA has been initiated.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Persistence, replacement, and microevolution of Cryptococcus neoformans strains in recurrent meningitis in AIDS patients.

Six separate human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients with cryptococcal meningitis were each found to have been infected with a unique strain of Cryptococcus neoformans on the basis of genomic DNA finger-printing analysis with the microsatellite sequence-containing oligonucleotide probe (GGAT)4 and by random amplification of polymorphic DNA. Two patients (A and B) experienced a recurrent episode of infection. Between 12 and 16 single-colony isolates recovered from primary isolation media (> 50% of C. neoformans colonies recovered) from cerebrospinal fluid specimens were fingerprinted from both patients during each episode. The fingerprints of both isolate collections from patient B were very similar, although minor polymorphisms were evident in both sets of profiles. The fingerprints of the isolate collection from the initial episode of infection in patient A were also identical to each other, apart from minor polymorphisms, but they were clearly different from the corresponding profiles of the isolate collection from the recurrent episode, the latter of which were completely identical, apart from minor polymorphisms in a single isolate. Furthermore, prolonged storage and in vitro subculture of the isolates did not alter the fingerprint profiles. These results provided convincing evidence that patients A and B were each infected with a single C. neoformans strain during each episode of infection and that in patient B, the same strain persisted and caused both episodes, while in patient A, a different strain was responsible for each episode. The prevalence of polymorphisms in multiple single-colony isolates from both patients also suggested that C. neoformans populations may undergo microevolution.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1996

Expressions of the attachment relationship outside of the strange situation.

41 preterm infants and 38 full-term infants and their mothers were observed at home at 8 and 12 months of age and in the Strange Situation at 18 months in order to compare expressions of attachment relationships in these 2 settings. There was 84% concordance in the distinctions between secure and nonsecure classifications of the mother-infant relationship made at home at 12 months and in the Strange Situation. Classifications of avoidant relationships also displayed high concordance, but only 6 of the 15 dyads classified at home as ambivalent were classified in the same way in the Strange Situation. Mothers in secure relationships as assessed in the Strange Situation were rated as more sensitive at both 8 and 12 months than mothers in either avoidant or ambivalent relationships, whereas the sensitivity of mothers in these two nonsecure relationships did not differ significantly. Infants in secure relationships in the Strange Situation were characterized by more effective secure base behavior and more affective sharing and enjoyment of physical contact, and they were less fussy or difficult during the 12-month home observations.

Female↗
PubMed1995

Bacteriology of skin and soft-tissue infections: comparison of infections in intravenous drug users and individuals with no history of intravenous drug use.

The bacteriology of cutaneous or subcutaneous abscesses (86 specimens) among intravenous drug users (IVDUs) was compared with the bacteriology of abscesses (74 specimens) in patients with no history of intravenous drug use (non-IVDUs). The IVDU abscesses yielded 173 aerobes and 131 anaerobes. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common aerobe isolated (50% of specimens yielded this isolate), followed by "Streptococcus milleri" (46%). The commonly encountered anaerobes were Fusobacterium nucleatum (17%), pigmented Prevotella species (22%), Peptostreptococcus micros (17%), Actinomyces odontolyticus (15%), and Veillonella species (13%). The non-IVDU isolates included 116 aerobes and 106 anaerobes. S. aureus was isolated from 53% of these specimens, followed by coagulase-negative staphylococci (19%), "S. milleri" (19%), and Streptococcus pyogenes (16%). The main groups of anaerobes were Peptostreptococcus species (35%), Bacteroides species (19%), and gram-positive bacilli (31%). Overall, 67% of the IVDU isolates were of oral origin, compared with 25% of the non-IVDU isolates. Of the specimens from IVDUs and non-IVDUs, 48% and 67%, respectively, yielded only aerobes, and 2% and 4%, respectively, yielded only anaerobes. Sixty-four percent of the patients had one or more beta-lactamase-producing organisms.

Abscess↗
PubMed1993

Measuring the ghost in the nursery: an empirical study of the relation between parents' mental representations of childhood experiences and their infants' security of attachment.

This paper presents a summary of the Anna Freud Centre-University College London, Parent-Child Project. Its most important finding was that the security of the infants' relationship with both parents at 12 and 18 months could be predicted on the basis of qualitative aspects of the parents' accounts of their own childhoods collected before the birth of the child. This confirmed Selma Fraiberg's observations concerning the reemergence of childhood conflicts at early stages of childbearing. Possible mechanisms mediating this link are explored with particular reference to the role of the parents' accurate mental representations of the infants' mental world.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Effect of the cyanobacterial (blue-green algal) toxins from Microcystis aeruginosa on isolated enterocytes from the chicken small intestine.

Livestock deaths, and clinical reports of human injury, follow the consumption of toxic blue-green algae. The experiments described show that isolated intestinal enterocytes from chicks are both deformed and killed by exposure to Microcystis toxins, in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. The enterocytes were protected from toxicity by deoxycholate, bromosulphothalein and rifampicin. It was concluded that the gastroenteritis clinically associated with accidental Microcystis ingestion is likely to reflect enterocyte injury by Microcystis toxins, and that the therapeutic use of bile acids or transport inhibitors may be of value in treatment.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Open letter.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Ethics, Medical↗
PubMed1991

Reflections on the aim of child analysis.

Childhood disturbances can best be studied in a developmental frame of reference. Following Anna Freud, the authors distinguish between outcome aims and intermediary aims. They present the analyses of a child and an adolescent to demonstrate how these aims affect the nature and progression of treatment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

A controlled study of psychoanalytic treatment of brittle diabetes.

The study compared two equivalent groups of 11 diabetic children with grossly abnormal blood glucose profiles necessitating repeated admissions to a hospital. Patients in the treatment group were offered an intensive inpatient treatment program including psychoanalytic psychotherapy three to four times a week, which took place on the hospital ward and lasted an average of 15 weeks. The intervention was highly effective in improving the diabetic control of the children, and this was maintained at a 1 year follow-up. Patients in the comparison group, who were offered only inpatient medical intervention, returned to their prehospitalization level of metabolic control within a period of 3 months from discharge.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Maternal sensitivity and the security of infant-mother attachment: a Q-sort study.

40 mothers and their 12-month-old infants were observed twice at home by 2 observers for 2 hours. After the second visit, the observers described the infant using the Waters Attachment Behavior Q-sort and the mother's interactive behavior with the Maternal Behavior Q-sort developed by the present authors and Ainsworth's rating scales. Maternal sensitivity was unrelated to maternal age, income, or SES, but correlated positively with maternal education. Mothers of more difficult children were less sensitive. A strong relation was found between infant attachment and maternal sensitivity as measured by the Maternal Behavior Q-sort and by the Ainsworth scales. Using the Q-sort procedure, mothers of more secure infants were more frequently characterized as noticing their babies' signals and using these signals to guide their behavior; they also were more knowledgeable about their infant and appeared to enjoy them more than mothers of less secure infants.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Intraperitoneal cisplatin: comparison of antitumor activity and toxicity as a function of solvent saline concentration.

The use of increasing concentrations of NaCl in the solvent during administration of cisplatin is known to decrease nephrotoxicity, but its effect on antitumor activity is less certain. A murine tumor model employing the subrenal capsule assay was used to test the toxicity and antitumor activity of intraperitoneal cisplatin at different doses of the drug using varying concentrations of NaCl in the vehicle of administration. Toxicity (measured by LD50, weight loss, and nephrotoxicity) was significantly lower in mice treated with cisplatin prepared in 4.5% NaCl as compared to cisplatin prepared in distilled water (DW) or 0.9% NaCl. Administration of 4.5% NaCl subcutaneously along with intraperitoneal cisplatin prepared in DW failed to decrease toxicity. Despite lower toxicity, no decrease in antitumor activity could be demonstrated based on increasing concentrations of NaCl in the solvent during intraperitoneal therapy.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Biological grading of breast cancer using antibodies to proliferating cells and other markers.

Quantitation of immunohistochemical staining by image analysis was performed on 50 breast cancers stained with the monoclonal antibody Ki-67 to determine the growth fraction and its correlation with tumor grade. A high degree of correlation was shown. For each case the DNA ploidy was determined by quantitation of the DNA Feulgen stain by computerized microdensitometry. DNA content of breast tumor cells correlated to the histopathologic grade at which poorly differentiated tumors are more likely to be aneuploid. Quantitation of immunohistochemistry for estrogen and progesterone receptors had a high degree of correlation with the steroid binding assay, such as dextran-coated charcoal assay (DCCA), and were weakly correlated to histologic grade. In summary, our results indicated that quantitation of Ki-67-positive nuclear area and of DNA content by image analysis provides an objective method for assessing tumor cell growth fraction and DNA ploidy. Quantitation of steroid receptors by immunohistochemistry is a better and easier technique than those currently used to determine the best therapy for postmenopausal women. These methods can be performed on small frozen sections or needle aspirates in quantities that are insufficient for current steroid binding assays. Thus, this method is prognosticly useful even for patients with small breast lesions.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1983

Binocular depth perception in the meerkat (Suricata suricatta).

Although it has been widely assumed that mammals with frontally placed eyes have stereoscopic vision, there is actually a paucity of supporting evidence. We have measured monocular and binocular depth perception in the meerkat (Suricata suricatta), obtaining strong evidence for the presence of stereopsis. The data provide additional evidence for the generality of stereoscopic vision across many different species.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Visual, kinaesthetic and cross-modal development: relationships to motor skill development.

The ability of children between the ages of 5 and 10 years to match the length of lines within and between the modalities of vision and kinaesthesis was studied. No evidence was found for specific increases in cross-modal skill which could not be explained in terms of within-modal development. Performance in the perceptual task was related to measures of developing motor skill in the children. Substantial relationships were found between performance on the within-modal tasks and motor skill, but no significant relationships were found between cross-modal measures and motor skill development. It is concluded that the development of cross-modal integration is not a major determinant of motor skill development.

Child↗