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Biomedical subjects

J E James

Publications and source records attributed to J E James.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Pressor effects of caffeine and cigarette smoking.

Pressor effects of caffeine and cigarette smoking were examined in 15 normotensive young men and women. A cross-over design was used in which all subjects participated in four separate conditions: placebo alone, caffeine alone, placebo plus smoking, and caffeine plus smoking. Caffeine and smoking produced independent increases in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and these effects were additive in the caffeine-plus-smoking condition. Heart rate was significantly increased by smoking but was essentially unaffected by caffeine.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Virtue rewarded: reinforcement and punishment in an acute psychiatric admission ward.

This study evaluated the naturally occurring behaviour of psychiatric patients in an acute psychiatric setting. Direct behavioural observations were carried out to determine the amount of time patients spent in interaction, with whom they interacted, and the nature of the interaction. Also examined were each respondent group's type and rate of interactive behavior. For much of the time no interactive behaviour was observed to occur, but much of the behaviour exhibited by patients was socially appropriate. When social interactions did occur, both fellow patients and staff tended to reinforce appropriate behaviour. However, nurses reinforced inappropriate crazy behaviour much less than did fellow-patients or non-nursing staff. Treatment implications are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

The influence of user status and anxious disposition on the hypertensive effects of caffeine.

The present study examined the influence of consumer status and anxious disposition on the hypertensive effects of caffeine. A secondary aim of the study was to investigate possible gender differences in response to caffeine. Sixty normotensive subjects were assigned to 4 groups representing high and low scorers on the variables of habitual caffeine consumption and anxious disposition. A randomized double-blind crossover design was used in which all subjects received a placebo (lactose) at one of two 120-min laboratory sessions and caffeine (6 mg/kg) at the other. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, hand steadiness, and EMG were monitored before and after exposure to a psychological stressor. Caffeine produced significant elevations in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and these effects were additive to the pressor effects of stress and anxiety. While the general pattern of results was similar for both sexes, reactions to caffeine were more pronounced in males than in females. Notwithstanding the need for clarification of the chronic effects of caffeine, present findings add further weight to current concerns about the acute hypertensive effects of the drug.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

A preliminary analysis of the ameliorative effects of time-out from speaking on stuttering.

Relatively few attempts have been made to systematically examine the processes responsible for the ameliorative effects of response-contingent stimulation (RCS) on stuttering. It was hypothesized that the reductions in stuttering that frequently accompany RCS are the result of the stutterer being encouraged to access extant fluent speech that may not be fully evident during "contingency-free" (CF) conditions. A preliminary analysis of the hypothesis was conducted by monitoring RCS and CF stuttering frequency and speaking rate in 20 adult stutterers before, during, and after a program of fluency training. Subjects were divided into "high" and "low" responders on the basis of their baseline response to the RCS procedure of time-out from speaking, after which they participated in a 32-hour program of fluency training aimed at minimizing stuttering. After showing a degree of relapse during a subsequent 6-mon follow-up, high and low responders were found to be equally affected by time-out. This result contrasted the differential response shown by the two groups during the baseline phase, and is consistent with the hypothesis that improvements in fluency during RCS may occur when stutterers access extant fluent speech that is not otherwise being fully utilized.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Self-report reliability and symptomatology of habitual caffeine consumption.

1. A large body of research on the demography of caffeine use and its potential health consequences has been undermined by the absence of empirical data on the reliability of retrospective self-reports of caffeine consumption. 2. The principal aim of the present study was to use standard bioanalytic method to assess the reliability of subjects' self-reported caffeine use. Saliva samples were obtained from 142 first-and second-year medical students and assayed for caffeine and paraxanthine. 3. Self-reported caffeine use was found to be significantly correlated with salivary caffeine (r = 0.31, P less than 0.001) and paraxanthine (r = 0.42, P less than 0.001), thereby providing qualified support for use of questionnaires to estimate patterns of caffeine consumption. 4. A secondary aim of the study was to extend previous research concerning the symptomatology of caffeine use by examining the association between caffeine exposure and a variety of measures of somatic and psychological health. Caffeine consumption was reliably associated with the self-reported occurrence of somatic symptoms, but not psychological well-being.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Relative efficacy of intensive and spaced behavioral treatment of stuttering.

Twenty adult and adolescent stutterers were randomly assigned to two treatment formats consisting of either 16 two-hour sessions of fluency training administered within a concentrated period of four consecutive days (intensive treatment), or two two-hour sessions per week for eight weeks (spaced treatment). Frequency of stuttering and rate of speaking were repeatedly assessed from speech samples obtained in six different clinic and extra-clinic speech settings. The efficiency of treatment, subject compliance, and communication "attitudes" were also measured. Fluency training produced significant reductions in stuttering frequency, and significant improvements in speaking rate and communication attitudes for both treatment formats. Both formats were found equivalent on all measures. In addition, generalization of treatment effects was observed in all settings. However, maintenance of generalization effects was uneven across settings, suggesting the possible need for differential levels of training for different speaking situations.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Lumbar zygapophyseal joint meniscoids: evidence of their role in chronic intersegmental hypomobility.

Meniscoid bodies of the zygapophyseal joints are considered by some to be a cause of the Acute-Locked Back Syndrome. These meniscoid bodies have been identified anatomically and histologically, but not yet in a formal clinical investigation. The authors provide a brief review of the zygapophyseal meniscoid-related literature, present new documentation of histological variations and offer some possible consequences of the presence of mechanically pathological meniscoids. It is herein proposed that an important sequela to the pathophysiology of these structures is that of chronic intersegmental hypomobility. We invite the scientific community to pursue further investigations of these meniscoids. Magnetic resonance imaging is one method suggested to investigate the meniscoid in vivo.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Biochemical validation of self-reported caffeine consumption during caffeine fading.

Increasing concern about caffeine as a drug with potential for abuse has resulted in the development of procedures for effecting reductions in caffeine consumption among heavy users. However, the reliability of reported findings may be questioned, since previous studies have relied on subject self-report as the principal measure of caffeine use. The present study employed bioanalytic methods for assessing the reliability of self-reported caffeine intake during a caffeine-fading regime. Twelve subjects, each with a history of heavy caffeine use, provided baseline, treatment, and follow-up blood samples which were assayed for caffeine and its major metabolites. General support was provided for the reliability of self-report as a measure of caffeine consumption. The general efficacy of caffeine fading was also supported, although there were indications that maintenance effects may have been over-estimated in previous studies.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Desensitization treatment of agoraphobia.

Clinical literature on desensitization treatment of agoraphobia is reviewed. The popular belief that in vivo desensitization is generally superior to imaginal exposure is critically examined. Studies which do not support this belief are reviewed, and the implications for clinical practice are considered.

Agoraphobia↗
PubMed1985

Caffeine and human reproduction.

The widespread use of caffeine justifies its being thoroughly investigated for signs of any adverse effects it might have in relation to human reproduction. The present review surveys a range of potential adverse influences of caffeine, including its pharmacological effects on the fetus and neonate, its teratogenicity, its possible effect on intrauterine growth, and its possible involvement in reproductive loss. While evidence of adverse effects does exist, the quality of the research conducted to date does not permit any firm conclusions. In general, the relevant research has been characterized by significant methodological inadequacies, including: extensive reliance on retrospective questionnaire and/or interview data; inadequate control and quantification of the independent variable of caffeine use; lack of control over potentially confounding factors (especially alcohol and nicotine use); and the absence of adequate control groups.

Caffeine↗
PubMed1984

Embryo transfer in swine.

Embryo transfer is used to propagate genetically superior swine while minimizing disease risks. Embryos are harvested through a ventral midline incision in the anesthetized sow 4-6 days after estrus, using a glass tube or Foley catheter. Embryos are transferred to similarly prepared sows by injection directly into the uterus through a tomcat catheter or glass pipette. Embryos typically are transferred within a few hours of collection but may be stored in culture medium at 37 C for up to 30 hours.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Embryo transfer for conserving valuable genetic material from swine herds with pseudorabies.

Embryo transfer was used to conserve genetic material from 2 swine herds seropositive for pseudorabies virus (PRV). Embryos (n = 805) were recovered from 38 PRV-seropositive Duroc sows in Iowa and, after 4 to 10 hours' culture and shipment to Illinois, were transferred to 34 recipients from a herd seronegative for PRV. All recipients remained seronegative for PRV, and 22 of the recipients farrowed 208 pigs (189 alive) that also were seronegative for PRV. There was no evidence of PRV in the embryo recovery medium or in the uterine and oviductal cells recovered with the embryos. Transfer of morulae resulted in higher (P less than 0.02) farrowing rates than did transfer of 4- to 8-cell embryos, but litter size was not affected.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

The relative efficacy of imaginal and in vivo desensitization in the treatment of agoraphobia.

Claims have often been made that in vivo procedures are generally superior to imaginal approaches in the clinical management of anxiety and avoidance behavior. Such claims seem unwarranted in that the relevant clinical research appears only to have involved either flooding or rapid exposure techniques. The aim of the present study was specifically to examine the relative efficacy of imaginal and in vivo desensitization in the clinical management of debilitating phobia. Six agoraphobic women participated in the study which employed a multiple-baseline single-subject methodology. Severity of phobia was repeatedly assessed on measures of avoidance behavior and subjective distress, and subjects self-monitored pulse rate. Significant reductions in phobic behavior were observed during both imaginal and in vivo desensitization, but neither treatment was found to be more effective than the other. Moreover, the same pattern of results was observed for both treatment and generalization settings. As such, the results do not support previous suggestions that in vivo exposure is necessarily superior to imaginal desensitization in the treatment of agoraphobia. Encouraging follow-up results provided some confirmation of previous findings indicating the effectiveness of self-management procedures in the long-term control of agoraphobia.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Parameters of the influence of self-initiated time-out from speaking on stuttering.

The influence of two parameters of self-initiated time-out from speaking were investigated with 33 adolescent and adult stutterers. Subjects were assigned at random to one of three conditions which compared experimenter-administered time-out of fixed duration, experimenter-administered time-out of duration determined by the subject, and self-initiated time-out of fixed duration. When given the opportunity to determine time-out duration, subjects chose a relatively brief period. In addition, when given responsibility for self-initiating time-out contingent on stuttering, subjects were significantly less reliable than was the experimenter in administering the procedure. Nevertheless, significant improvements in fluency were observed during all three time-out conditions, and the improvements were comparable across the three conditions.

Behavior Therapy↗