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Biomedical subjects

J Cooper

Publications and source records attributed to J Cooper.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Thought field therapy. Interview by Denise Rankin-Box.

Thought field therapy (TFT), one of the new 'power therapies' uses the body's meridian system to facilitate emotional and psychological change. Developed by clinical psychologist Dr Roger Callahan over the last 22 years,TFT is now used internationally. Recent developments indicate that TFT has the potential to be used more widely in the field of health care. The editor recently interviewed Jo Cooper to find out more about this therapy,

Affective Symptoms↗
PubMed2001

Psychological characteristics and fatal ischaemic heart disease.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relation between psychological characteristics and subsequent fatal ischaemic heart disease (IHD) events. DESIGN: Prospective study of participants in the Northwick Park heart study (NPHS) recruited between 1972 and 1978 and followed up for fatal events until 1997. SETTING: Three occupational groups in north west London. SUBJECTS: 1408 white men without a history of myocardial infarction aged 40-64 years at entry who completed a Crown-Crisp experiential index form (CCEI). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Fatal IHD during follow up. RESULTS: A one point increase in the score on the obsessionality/obsessional neurosis subscale was associated with a relative risk of fatal IHD of 1.08 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02 to 1.15). For the functional somatic complaint subscale the relative risk was also 1.08 (95% CI 1.02 to 1.15). In the case of the total score the relative risk of fatal IHD was 1.28 (95% CI 1.09 to 1.50) for a 10 point increase. The associations were independent of age, social class, and known cardiovascular risk factors. In the case of phobic anxiety, which had previously been found to be associated with fatal IHD in NPHS, the association was evident in the first 10 years of follow up but overall the relative risk was only 1.07 (95% CI 0.99 to 1.15) for a one point increase in the score. CONCLUSION: Scores on two of the subscales of the CCEI and the total score are significantly associated with fatal IHD on long term follow up independently of other known risk factors.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

A comparison of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure and the Health Assessment Questionnaire.

The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) is receiving international attention as an important assessment for directing occupational therapy interventions and measuring client-centred outcomes. The COPM measures individuals' perceptions of disability by identifying those tasks that are important to them and difficult to perform. The Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) has been used extensively with persons with arthritis and measures individuals' perceived difficulty in performing predetermined tasks of daily living. The HAQ has been shown to correlate with actual performance and has reported concurrent validity with a number of similar scales. In this study, 13 participants diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis were assessed with the COPM and the disability dimension of the HAQ. Participants scored performance limitations on both the COPM and the HAQ; the correlation coefficient between the scores was not statistically significant. However, when the COPM and the HAQ scores for similar activities were compared, a statistically significant correlation was found. These findings support the use of the COPM as a valid measure of self-reported performance.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2001

Middle school reform through data and dialogue. Collaborative evaluation with 17 leadership teams.

This report describes a 2-year, longitudinal study of one school district's effort to link site-based, collaborative evaluation with formal, centralized program evaluation. Participants formed a research team in partnership with a local university. Team members assisted leadership teams in identifying issues for informal, site-based assessments and then used the information to monitor progress toward established goals. Participants collaborated in designing and conducting informal assessments of student achievement, school climate and safety, discipline, and parent involvement. Leadership teams used these data in developing their school improvement plans. Researchers and administrators used these data to revise the districtwide survey. At the end of the 2-year cycle, analysis of school improvement plans showed that collaborative evaluation is creating a connection between dialogue and data. These 17 middle schools are approaching school improvement in a more integrated fashion by actively involving key stakeholders (students, parents, and teachers) in the evaluation process.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Dose and pitch relationship for a particular multislice CT scanner.

OBJECTIVE: With single-slice helical CT, an increased pitch can decrease the radiation dose to the patient if all other parameters are constant. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the same relationship holds for a particular multislice helical CT system (Somatom Plus 4 VZ multislice helical CT scanner, version A11A) in our department. CONCLUSION: The measured radiation dose to the phantom was identical for all pitch selections on the multislice helical CT system we tested. This unexpected result was because of an automatic proportionate increase in the tube current when the pitch selection was increased. Radiologists and physicists should exercise caution when extrapolating dose reduction strategies from single-slice to multislice helical CT systems, and they must acquire a detailed understanding of the multislice helical CT scanner of their chosen manufacturer.

Equipment Design↗
PubMed2000

Hypochlorite modified LDL are a stronger agonist for platelets than copper oxidized LDL.

Experimental low density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation is usually performed using trace copper, although the in vivo relevance of this method has been called into question. Such LDL augment adenosine 5'-diphosphate (ADP) induced platelet aggregation, presumably by the action of lipid derived compounds. In striking contrast, we find that LDL oxidized to a comparable extent by hypochlorite, an in vivo occurring oxidant, reveal themselves to be potent promoters of platelet aggregation. Interestingly, hypochlorite modified LDL seem to mediate their influence on human platelets by means of the modified apolipoprotein B-100 (apoB) moiety. Also, the finding that hypochlorite modified albumin is able to trigger platelet aggregation suggests an essential role for hypochlorite modified protein(s) in the process of platelet activation.

Binding, Competitive↗
PubMed2000

Systematic review of water fluoridation.

OBJECTIVE: To review the safety and efficacy of fluoridation of drinking water. DESIGN: Search of 25 electronic databases and world wide web. Relevant journals hand searched; further information requested from authors. Inclusion criteria were a predefined hierarchy of evidence and objectives. Study validity was assessed with checklists. Two reviewers independently screened sources, extracted data, and assessed validity. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Decayed, missing, and filled primary/permanent teeth. Proportion of children without caries. Measure of effect was the difference in change in prevalence of caries from baseline to final examination in fluoridated compared with control areas. For potential adverse effects, all outcomes reported were used. RESULTS: 214 studies were included. The quality of studies was low to moderate. Water fluoridation was associated with an increased proportion of children without caries and a reduction in the number of teeth affected by caries. The range (median) of mean differences in the proportion of children without caries was -5.0% to 64% (14.6%). The range (median) of mean change in decayed, missing, and filled primary/permanent teeth was 0.5 to 4.4 (2.25) teeth. A dose-dependent increase in dental fluorosis was found. At a fluoride level of 1 ppm an estimated 12.5% (95% confidence interval 7.0% to 21.5%) of exposed people would have fluorosis that they would find aesthetically concerning. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence of a beneficial reduction in caries should be considered together with the increased prevalence of dental fluorosis. There was no clear evidence of other potential adverse effects.

Child↗
PubMed2000

Measurement of J/psi and psi(2S) polarization in pp collisions at sqrt[s] = 1.8 TeV.

We have measured the polarization of J/psi and psi(2S) mesons produced in pp collisions at sqrt[s] = 1.8 TeV, using data collected at the Collider Detector at Fermilab during 1992-1995. The polarization of promptly produced J/psi [psi(2S)] mesons is isolated from those produced in B-hadron decay, and measured over the kinematic range 4 [5.5]<P(T)<20 GeV/c and |y|<0.6. For P(T) greater than or approximately equal 12 GeV/c we do not observe significant polarization in the prompt component.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Strategies for the avoidance of faeces by grazing sheep.

Experiments were conducted to investigate which environmental cues were used by sheep when discriminating against patches of pasture contaminated with faeces. The influence of the spatial distribution of contaminated patches and the parasite infection status of sheep on avoidance of contaminated patches and ingestion of parasite larvae was also investigated. In experiment 1, sheep infected with the parasite Ostertagia circumcincta were given the opportunity to graze in uncontaminated or aggregated contaminated patches. Patch contamination comprised of either faeces from sheep infected with O. circumcincta larvae, faeces from uninfected sheep, or O. circumcincta larvae only. Infected sheep discriminated against faeces from parasite-infected animals and faeces from uninfected animals equally. Sheep did not discriminate against patches contaminated with parasite larvae only. In experiment 2, sheep infected with O. circumcincta and uninfected sheep grazed experimental plots with differing spatial patterns of faecal-contaminated patches, allowing animals the opportunity to forage in contaminated or uncontaminated patches of herbage. Plots were also grazed by infected and uninfected animals that were fistulated at the oesophagus to enable the collection of ingested herbage. Sheep spent a greater proportion of their time foraging in uncontaminated patches than in contaminated patches. Where patches were highly aggregated, infected animals spent a greater proportion of total grazing time in uncontaminated patches than did uninfected animals, and grazed uncontaminated patches for longer on each sampling occasion. On grazing plots where all patches were contaminated, the difference between the numbers of larvae isolated from pasture herbage and ingested herbage was greatest for infected animals. In this situation, infected animals avoided parasites most. On grazing plots consisting of both contaminated and uncontaminated patches, the difference between the numbers of larvae isolated from pasture herbage and ingested herbage was greatest for uninfected animals. In this situation, uninfected animals were most effective at parasite avoidance as they consumed fewer parasite larvae relative to what was available on pasture.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Search for scalar top and scalar bottom quarks in pp collisions at square root s=1.8 TeV.

We have searched for direct pair production of scalar top and scalar bottom quarks in 88 pb-1 of pp collisions at sqrt[s]=1.8 TeV with the CDF detector. We looked for events with a pair of heavy flavor jets and missing energy, consistent with scalar top (bottom) quark decays to a charm (bottom) quark and a neutralino. The numbers of events that pass our selections show no significant deviation from standard model expectations. We compare our results to the next-to-leading order scalar quark production cross sections to exclude regions in scalar quark-neutralino mass parameter space.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Search for a W' boson via the decay mode W'-->munumu in 1.8 TeV pp collisions.

We report the results of a search for a W' boson produced in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 1.8 TeV using a 107 pb-1 data sample recorded by the Collider Detector at Fermilab. We consider the decay channel W'-->&munumu and search for anomalous production of high transverse mass munumu lepton pairs. We observe no excess of events above background and set limits on the rate of W' boson production and decay relative to standard model W boson production and decay using a fit of the transverse mass distribution observed. If we assume standard model strength couplings of the W' boson to quark and lepton pairs, we exclude a W' boson with invariant mass less than 660 GeV/c2 at 95% confidence level.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Ventral subiculum administration of the somatostatin receptor agonist MK-678 increases dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens.

Somatostatin (or somatotropin-release inhibitory factor, SRIF) binding and in situ hybridisation studies have indicated a high expression of receptor subtypes throughout the rat brain and, in particular, in subregions of the hippocampus and subiculum. In vitro, somatostatin and related peptides, including seglitide (MK-678), hyperpolarize subicular neurones of the burst firing type-a response, which may have functional consequences for their output. One major projection from the subiculum is to the nucleus accumbens. The functional consequence of somatostatin receptor stimulation in the ventral subiculum has been assessed by measuring extracellular levels of dopamine in the ipsilateral nucleus accumbens. In anaesthetised rats, administration of seglitide (MK-678), a somatostatin analogue with selectivity for the SRIF-1 receptor (comprising somatostatin sst2, sst3 and sst5 subtypes) significantly increased extracellular levels of dopamine in the ipsilateral nucleus accumbens shell. The result suggests that hyperpolarization of subicular neurones by MK-678 may lead to activation of the subiculo-accumbens projection system, and an associated increase in dopaminergic function.

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid↗
PubMed2000

Stimulating effect of biologically modified low density lipoproteins on ADP-induced aggregation of washed platelets persists in absence of specific binding.

Oxidized low density lipoproteins are closely associated with atherosclerosis and also might be directly involved in thrombosis because they have been shown to mediate a stimulating effect on human platelets. In this work, we used biologically modified low density lipoproteins (i.e., low density lipoproteins sufficiently oxidized to show specificity for the macrophage scavenger receptor system) to examine if specific binding of the oxidized apolipoprotein moiety to the platelet surface is a prerequisite for the platelet-stimulating effects reported by other authors. We find that biologically modified low density lipoproteins show specific binding to human platelets (K(d)=5.83+/-0.4 microg/mL, 3850+/-620 sites/platelet) and strongly augment both ADP- and thrombin-induced aggregation of washed platelets. Maleylated albumin, an antagonist of oxidized low density lipoproteins binding to all currently classified scavenger receptors, is able to reduce platelet oxidized low density lipoproteins binding to background levels. Nevertheless, maleylated albumin is not able to exert any kind of normalizing effect on the augmented ADP-induced aggregation response observed in the presence of biologically modified low density lipoproteins. From these data, we conclude that specific binding of oxidatively modified apolipoprotein B to the platelet surface is not essential to the process of platelet stimulation. Therefore, we conclude that these stimulating effects may be mediated by unidentified compounds formed in the lipid phase of the lipoproteins.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗
PubMed2000

In situ prosthetic graft repair of a mycotic aneurysm of the aorta after orthotopic liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Vascular complications after liver transplant are associated with a high incidence of graft failure and mortality. Mycotic aneurysms, although uncommon, carry the additional risk of infection and rupture. METHODS: We report a case of a 51-year-old woman who developed a mycotic aneurysm of the aorta secondary to construction of an infrarenal donor iliac artery graft during a retransplant. We evaluated risk factors for the aneurysm, appropriate diagnosis, and potential treatments. RESULTS: The aneurysm was repaired with an in situ prosthetic graft. The patient is alive with good liver function 31 months posttreatment. CONCLUSIONS: The use of in situ prosthetic grafts for repair of mycotic aneurysms is appropriate in certain situations and may be life-saving.

Aneurysm, Infected↗