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Biomedical subjects

J Barroso

Publications and source records attributed to J Barroso.

25 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

A review of fatigue in people with HIV infection.

Fatigue is often cited by clinicians as a debilitating symptom suffered by the many who are infected with HIV. This article provides a review of HIV-related fatigue, including research on possible physiological causes such as anemia, CD4 count, impaired liver function, impaired thyroid function, and cortisol abnormalities. Psychological causes of fatigue, particularly depression, are reviewed as well. Measurement issues, such as the use of inappropriate tools, the problem of measuring the presence or absence of fatigue, and the use of tools developed for other groups of patients, are reviewed. The need for a comprehensive fatigue tool that is appropriate for people with HIV is discussed. Current treatment research, including thyroid replacement, hyperbaric oxygen, and dextroamphetamine, is presented. Finally, the implications for further research, including the need for qualitative studies to learn more about the phenomenon, develop an instrument to measure fatigue, and examine variables together to get a complete picture of this complex concept, are reviewed.

CD4 Lymphocyte Count↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Long-term nonprogressors with HIV disease.

BACKGROUND: Although biomedical research is being conducted on long-term nonprogressors with HIV disease, there is relatively little research on the psychosocial factors influencing this phenomenon. OBJECTIVE: To describe the perceptions of long-term nonprogressors of their HIV disease and its course. METHOD: A naturalistic study design was used to elicit information from 25 men and women who were long-term nonprogressors (HIV positive for 7 or more years, CD4 count > 500, and free of opportunistic infections and/or AIDS-defining illnesses). Audiotaped interviews were transcribed verbatim, and content analysis and constant comparison were used to elicit themes. RESULTS: Themes include viewing HIV as a manageable illness, taking care of my physical health, human connectedness, taking care of my emotional/mental health, and spirituality. Specific ways of adapting to HIV are identified within each theme. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study can be used by nurses who work with HIV positive individuals in an effort to help them adopt strategies that may assist them in maintaining their health. However, longitudinal studies that follow this group over time and that include biomedical markers of disease progression would provide knowledge that would assist in the refinement of these interventions.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Focusing on living: attitudinal approaches of long-term survivors of AIDS.

This naturalistic study reports the attitudinal approaches of long-term survivors of AIDS. Ethnographic interviewing techniques were employed to interview a purposive sample of 14 men and 6 women who had had AIDS for at least 3 years and who were living in the Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL, area. As part of a larger study on the phenomenon of surviving AIDS, participants reconstructed their lives within the context of AIDS. There were five dimensions involved in becoming a long-term survivor, and this article reports on the attitudinal dimension, labelled "focusing on living." Components of this dimension include having a positive attitude, planning for the future, and having a focus for one's energies. Implications for practice, theory, and research are discussed, and specific strategies are suggested for nurses to assist people in all stages of HIV disease.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Neuropsychological assessment in multiple sclerosis].

OBJECTIVE: Over the past 20 years great advances have been made in understanding the neuropsychological changes in multiple sclerosis. In this paper we review the nature of mental deterioration in multiple sclerosis and the procedures used for its evaluation. DEVELOPMENT: First we give a short summary of present knowledge of the involvement of different functions and the instruments most generally used to evaluate it. We then consider the different approaches to neuropsychological assessment, the use of broad guidelines as opposed to screening techniques, bearing in mind their advantages and disadvantages in the clinical field and in investigation. Similarly we mention the current trends in the evaluation and treatment of multiple sclerosis. CONCLUSIONS: The general profile of neuropsychological alterations in multiple sclerosis is characterized by the presence of changes in secondary memory and speed of thought, although the nature of this defect is still not clear. Changes are also seen in other neuropsychological functions, although less frequently and more controversially. Our knowledge of the prevalence of these changes comes from the use of guidelines for thorough examination. However, the current tendency is to seek instruments for evaluation which combine diagnostic efficiency, clinical usefulness and brevity. In this respect, although progress is being made, there are still questions to be answered.

Cognition Disorders↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Study of brain asymmetry with neurologically normal subjects: visual procedures].

OBJECTIVES: We present a revision of the technique of visual lateralization of stimuli as one approach to the study of brain asymmetry with regard to language. At the same time, we present a summary of the research carried out by our group using these techniques, reflecting not only the main results but also the most relevant methodological aspects. DEVELOPMENT: Brain asymmetry is a basic characteristic of the organization of the nervous system. In most of the principal psychological processes there exists a greater or lesser degree of hemispheric differentiation. Among these, language is possibly one of the processes most noticeably lateralized. One of the main approaches in this field is the study of neurologically normal subjects using techniques of visual lateralization of stimuli. Appropriate use of this technique requires a knowledge of the basic principles involved and of the methodological requirement, as well as the different types of tasks and stimuli, which can be adapted to these requirements. CONCLUSIONS: The technique of lateralization of visual stimuli has a long tradition as a procedure for the study of cerebral asymmetry for language and is within the possibilities of most laboratories. However, ensuring correct lateralization requires rigorous controls and this has to be taken into consideration in the selection and adaptation of the experimental paradigm to be used. Several of these paradigms are used in our research and our results provide evidence of the relative character of cerebral asymmetry and of the participation of the right hemisphere in lexico-semantic processing.

Brain↗