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J Broadhead

Publications and source records attributed to J Broadhead.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Social support and life events as risk factors for depression amongst women in an urban setting in Zimbabwe.

BACKGROUND: This paper explores the applicability of a psychosocial model of depression in an African setting. METHOD: Of a random sample of women (n = 172) from a Zimbabwean township, 79 had a severe life event in the year before interview. Twenty-nine who had an onset of depression were compared with 50 who did not. RESULTS: Having crisis support following a severe life event reduced the risk of onset of depression. The effect of crisis support was confounded by the number of severe events in the study year, but just persisted following adjustment for number of severe events and for socio-demographic factors. Women received crisis support more often from relatives than from partners or friends. The following variables were independently associated with onset of depression following a severe life event: number of life events in the previous 6 months, age, being in formal employment, having crisis support and separation from mother in childhood. CONCLUSION: This study supports the ubiquity of the social support construct. For Zimbabwe, the data suggest that crisis support from family members may be of particular importance in protecting against onset of depression.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Dry-powder inhalers: evaluation of testing methodology and effect of inhaler design.

We have previously developed a spray dried formulation of a model protein (beta-galactosidase) of a size suitable for evaluation in dry powder inhaler devices. In this study, we wished to evaluate the roles of various methods available for the laboratory testing of dry powders for inhalation (cascade impactor, twin impinger, aerodynamic time of flight and image analysis). Secondly we wished to compare different inhaler devices using formulations with and without a carrier. Both the cascade impactor and twin impinger were appropriate methods for the testing of dry powder inhalers, and gave comparable estimates of respirable fraction. Image analysis and aerodynamic time of flight were suitable methods for determining the particle size of the dry powders, although the former was considerably more time consuming than the latter. The four inhalers evaluated differed greatly in terms of in vitro deposition properties. The presence of a carrier significantly improved respirable fraction with the poorer inhalers, but was less critical to the performance of the more efficient devices.

Equipment Design↗
PubMed1994

The effect of process and formulation variables on the properties of spray-dried beta-galactosidase.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the joint effects of various processing and formulation variables on the properties of spray-dried beta-galactosidase using statistically designed experiments. The key response variables evaluated were product yield, residual enzymatic activity, moisture content and particle size and appearance. The residual enzymatic activity and product yield were significantly affected by the processing variables. The highest product yields were obtained when the drier outlet temperature was relatively high, resulting in extensive protein denaturation. Subsequent experiments, therefore, compared the relative effectiveness of four stabilizers (mannitol, sucrose, arginine hydrochloride and trehalose) in terms of their ability to preserve enzymatic activity during the spray-drying process and during long-term storage. Trehalose was the most suitable stabilizer. The effect of a number of other formulation variables (total solids level, ratio of stabilizer to protein, presence of surfactant and presence of buffer) was also investigated. A final formulation consisting of 6% beta-galactosidase and 10% trehalose in deionized water was selected. Spray-drying at inlet and outlet temperatures of 140 and 95 degrees C, respectively, results in greater than 70% yields of a fully active product with a moisture content of 2-5% and a mean particle size of 2-4 microns.

Arginine↗
PubMed1994

Depressive illness--Zimbabwe.

Depression is common in the developing world and accounts for 10-20% of attendances at primary care clinics. It is a condition associated with considerable morbidity. This paper considers the characteristics of depressive illness in Zimbabwe and discusses ways to improve detection and management.

Depressive Disorder↗
PubMed1990

The prevalence and management of dementia and other psychiatric disorders in nursing homes.

The prevalence of psychiatric disorders among new admissions to nursing homes is unknown. Such data are needed to estimate the psychiatric needs of this population. We report the prevalence of specific psychiatric disorders in 454 consecutive new nursing home admissions who were evaluated by psychiatrists and diagnosed according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, third edition, revised. Eighty percent had a psychiatric disorder. The commonest were dementia syndromes (67.4%) and affective disorders (10%). Also, 40% of demented patients had additional psychiatric syndromes such as delusions or depression, and these patients constituted a distinct subgroup that predicted frequent use of restraints and neuroleptics, and the greatest consumption of nursing time. These data demonstrate that the majority of nursing home residents have psychiatric disorders on admission, and that their management is often quite restrictive. Research is now needed to determine the best methods of treatment for nursing home patients with mental disorders.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

Depression and Alzheimer's disease.

In his classic case, Alzheimer described cognitive symptoms such as amnesia, aphasia, and apraxia and noncognitive symptoms such as delusions and agitation. Recent studies have suggested that depression also occurs in Alzheimer's disease. In this study, 144 patients who met criteria for Alzheimer's disease were examined for depression on a modified version of the Present State Examination. The prevalence rate of major depression was 17%. The depressed Alzheimer's disease patients were more cognitively impaired and more disabled than the nondepressed patients. Studies are needed to clarify the etiology and treatment of depression in Alzheimer's disease.

Aged↗