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Biomedical subjects

J D Wright

Publications and source records attributed to J D Wright.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Gun-related violence in and around inner-city schools.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the degree to which inner-city high school students are victimized by threat of or actual firearm attack. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Ten inner-city high schools in five cities in four states. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 1653 male and female inner-city high school students responding anonymously. SELECTION PROCEDURES: Volunteer, convenience sample. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Twenty-three percent of respondents were classified as victims. Major variables predicting victimization levels were gender, number of siblings, exposure to violence outside of school, and personal violence-related attributes. Only one in 10 victimizations appeared to be random (ie, not predicted by these variables). CONCLUSIONS: Violence in school is brought into, rather than generated by, the school. Victimized students have characteristics that put them at higher risk of victimization than other students. Given the large number of victimizations and the large number of respondents with risk characteristics, intervention at the individual level seems ineffective. Instead, alteration of community social structure and culture appears to be the appropriate, although difficult, avenue of change for gun-related victimization levels.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Equine neural angiostrongylosis.

Verminous encephalomyelitis due to Angiostrongylus cantonensis larvae was diagnosed in 2 foals at necropsy. The principal clinical feature was tetraparesis, although history and neurological examination revealed progressive and multifocal neurological disease. At presentation, a tentative diagnosis of parasitic larval migration involving the central nervous system (CNS), presumably due to Strongylus vulgaris, was proposed. Dissection of the spinal cord in one case resulted in recovery of intact larvae of both sexes of A. cantonensis. In both foals, histopathology of the brain and spinal cord revealed nematode sections which were consistent with A. cantonensis larvae.

Angiostrongylus↗
PubMed1991

Hypertension management in health care for the homeless clinics: results from a survey.

BACKGROUND: With the exception of alcohol abuse, hypertension is the most common chronic physical health problem encountered among homeless persons. The material conditions of homelessness greatly complicate the management of this disorder. Some of the complications and their solutions are discussed here, based on the experiences of health clinics for the homeless in large US cities. METHODS: In 1988, the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act established health care clinics for homeless persons in 108 cities. We surveyed medical directors in these clinics, asking about the management of hypertension in this difficult-to-treat population; 65 responded. RESULTS: Comparisons between our survey data and those obtained in two recent surveys of clinicians in "normal" clinical practice provide interesting lessons in how medical practice is adapted to respond to the unique needs and problems of the urban homeless. Although therapeutic goals are similar, the means chosen to achieve them often are not. CONCLUSIONS: The treatment of homeless hypertensives illustrates the problems inherent in strict biomedical models of disease and its alleviation. Preferred treatments, course of disease, and success of intervention are powerfully affected by social factors.

Ambulatory Care Facilities↗
PubMed1990

Knowledge and experience of young people regarding drug abuse, 1969-89.

OBJECTIVE: To establish a baseline of knowledge to plan an effective health education programme in schools. The survey was repeated at five year intervals from 1969 to 1989. DESIGN: To preserve consistency, the same anonymous questionnaire, which was confidential to the research workers, was used throughout. SETTING: Three secondary schools in Wolverhampton in different parts of the town and representing different social groups. SUBJECTS: Sample sizes ranged from 471 fourth year pupils (aged 14 to 15) in 1969 to 540 in 1984 and 380 in 1989, the decrease being due mainly to the falling birth rate. There were slightly more girls than boys, and the pupils covered the whole range of academic ability. RESULTS: Over the 20 years the proportion of pupils who knew someone taking drugs more than doubled from 15% (71) to 31% (117) and the proportion who had been offered drugs almost quadrupled from 5% (24) to 19% (72). The changes taking place over the past five years were characterised by an increased knowledge about drugs and the first mention of "crack," a purified form of cocaine, and "ecstasy" (methylenedioxymethamphetamine). Peer influence continued to be given as the prime reason for taking drugs. Over the 20 years, though less often mentioned in 1989, television and newspapers remained the most common source of information. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest the need for responsible coverage by the mass media and for more effective health and social education programmes to prevent the spread of drug misuse.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

The urban homeless: estimating composition and size.

Although homelessness has been recognized as a serious and growing urban social problem, scientifically acceptable methods for estimating the composition and size of the homeless population have been lacking. A new research approach to estimating the size and composition of undomiciled urban populations is presented, and its utility is illustrated through a description of the literal homeless of Chicago. The homeless in the Chicago sample are unaffiliated persons living in extreme poverty, with high levels of physical and mental disability. Homelessness is interpreted as a manifestation of extreme poverty among persons without families in housing markets with declining stocks of inexpensive dwelling units suitable for single persons.

Chicago↗
PubMed1986

Knowledge and experience of young people of drug abuse 1969-84.

An anonymous questionnaire survey of the knowledge and experience of drug abuse among fourth year pupils in three Wolverhampton secondary schools in 1969, 1974, 1979, and 1984 showed familiarity with the names of drugs but considerable ignorance and misunderstanding about how the drugs were taken and their dangers. The proportion of pupils who knew someone taking illicit drugs almost doubled over the period from 15% in 1969 to 28% in 1984, and the proportion of those who had been offered illicit drugs almost trebled, from 5% in 1969 to 14% in 1984. Television remained the most important source of information about drugs. Peer group and social pressures continued to be the most important reason for starting to take drugs. The results of this study endorse the need for continued evaluation of programmes of education about drugs. Such programmes must be part of a wider programme of health and social education, define clear goals, and be sensitive to culture, locality, and ability.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Extended-wear contact lens correction of aphakia in infant primates. Corneal studies.

Extended-wear contact lenses (EWCL) are being used increasingly for the correction of aphakia in infants, but there is a lack of data documenting their effects on the corneas of young children. Therefore, corneal studies were performed on infant monkeys wearing EWCL for the correction of surgical aphakia. Nine newborn monkeys underwent unilateral lensectomy and anterior vitrectomy. Seven eyes were fitted with aphakic EWCL postoperatively and two wore no lenses. After at least six months, corneas were studied with slit-lamp and specular microscopy, and with light microscopy (LM) and electron microscopy (EM). Small central corneal opacities developed in two aphakic eyes corrected with EWCL after episodes of keratoconjunctivitis. One of these corneas was found to have a mildly increased coefficient of variation (CV) of endothelial cell size (polymegathism). Although EWCL are well tolerated by the corneas of aphakic infant primates, their association with endothelial polymegathism, which may indicate physiologic compromise, mandates careful long-term follow-up.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Closed-circuit metabolic system with multiple applications.

A closed-circuit metabolic system has been designed and tested for multiple applications. Air pressure within a closed chamber is regulated electronically while allowing for respiratory gas exchange. Compared with a previously reported standard indirect calorimetry system, the new device had by virtue of longer duration of measurement improved precision (coefficient of variation 3% vs. 14%) during studies of O2 consumption both at room temperature and at 5 degrees C. In addition, a more physiological atmospheric environment is maintained. This system has also been utilized for simultaneously labeling groups of up to 20 weanling rats with 18O2 over a 2-day period and for exposure of rats to a hyperoxic (84% O2), normobaric environment for 4-day periods. Potential applications include maintenance of pressure (hypobaric through hyperbaric) and O2 (hypoxic through hyperoxic) controlled environments, exposure to toxic gases, study of diurnal variations in metabolic rate, measurement of metabolic expenditure with activity, and adaptation to other species including humans.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Mucinous sweat gland adenocarcinoma of eyelid: a clinicopathologic study of 21 cases with histochemical and electron microscopic observations.

This is a clinicopathologic study of 21 cases of mucinous sweat gland adenocarcinoma involving the eyelid. The tumor occurred in middle-aged adults (median age 60 years) and has a predilection for males. In this series eight patients (40%) had one or more local recurrences, one of whom died with extensive local invasion of the face after multiple recurrences in a 15-year interval. Only one patient had metastasis to the submandibular lymph nodes, which was treated by radical neck dissection. Involvement of the head, especially the face and scalp, was observed in 78% of the cases from the literature. Combining our cases with those previously reported, we found that the eyelid was involved in almost half of the cases (21 out of 45 lesions). We believe that the identification by light microscopy of a mixed population of light and dark secretory cells within the tumor lobules, the histochemical findings (presence of sialomucin and absence of iron as well as periodic acid-Schiff positive, diastase-resistant granules), and the results of ultrastructural studies support the histogenetic postulate that this mucinous adenocarcinoma is probably derived from the secretory cells of the eccrine coil. Our interpretation concurs with Headington's view of origin from the eccrine glands.

Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous↗
PubMed1977

Caesarean section.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Cesarean Section↗
PubMed1976

Location of light chain tyrosine peptides from the combining site of a rabbit anti-p-azobenzoate antibody.

Peptic peptides containing a tyrosyl residue from the binding site of a rabbit anti-p-azobenzoate antibody were isolated by means of the paired-iodination procedure. The peptides were from the light chain, and the tyrosyl residue is 29, 30, 31, 32, 32A, 32B, 33 at position 30 in the sequence -Val-Tyr-Asn-Asx-Lys-Gly-Leu- and thus is in the first hypervariable region. The sequence of the N-terminal 40 residues was determined. The major antibody-site peptide isolated was a diiodotyrosyl (DIT) tetrapeptide representing residues 30-32A; the monoiodotyrosyl (MIT) tetrapeptide was also isolated, but in a smaller yield. By isoelectric focusing, the light chain appeared to be homogeneous. No heterogeneity was apparent in the light chain sequencing until position 32B when, in addition to the phenylthiohydantoin derivative of tyrosine present as the major residue, a significant amount of the phenylthiohydantoin derivative of glycine was obtained. The glycine presumably represents a light chain variant population and explains the source of the other antibody-site peptides isolated, i.e. two pentapeptides, apparently of the sequence Tyr-Asn-Asx-Lys-Gly, isolated as the DIT and MIT derivatives. The tetrapeptides must have been derived from the peptic cleavage between Lys 32A and Tyr 32B in the major light chain variant and the pentapeptides from the peptic cleavage between Gly 32B and Leu 33 in the other variant. It is interesting that position 30 is occupied by a tyrosyl residue in five out of twelve other rabbit antibody light chains of known sequence (Margolies, M.N. et al., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. US 1975.72: 2180). One light chain is from another rabbit anti-p-azobenzoate antibody in which Tyr 30 is apparently not important in hapten binding although a tyrosyl at position 96 is clearly involved in hapten binding (Roholt, O.A. et al., J. Immunol. 1973.111:1367). The other four of the five light chains are from anti-pneumococcal polysaccharide antibodies in which the role of this tyrosyl residue is not known.

Amino Acid Sequence↗