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Biomedical subjects

J E Ross

Publications and source records attributed to J E Ross.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Benzodiazepine use among injecting heroin users.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the extent and patterns of benzodiazepine use among heroin users, and whether preferences for different benzodiazepines exist among this group. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 210 heroin users who were current users of benzodiazepines volunteered for the study and completed a structured questionnaire. RESULTS: Heroin users had used a median of five different benzodiazepines, most commonly diazepam. Almost half the subjects (48%; 95% CI, 41-55) had injected benzodiazepines, 17% (95% CI, 12-22) within the preceding six months. Diazepam and temazepam were the most widely injected benzodiazepines. CONCLUSIONS: Flunitrazepam, diazepam and temazepam should be prescribed to heroin users with caution. A less popular and rarely injected benzodiazepine, nitrazepam, may be a better option for this group.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Naproxen-induced anaphylaxis. A case report.

Anaphylactic reactions to aspirin and other nonsteroid antiinflammatory agents may occur in patients unaware of their intolerance and as a result of the clinical syndrome "Aspirin-induced Asthma". A case report is presented.

Anaphylaxis↗
PubMed1993

Iowa FICSIT trial: the feasibility of elderly wearing a hip joint protective garment to reduce hip fractures.

Hip fractures exact a heavy toll in the elderly population. While intervention strategies are being investigated to reduce the numbers of geriatric falls and to improve the body's resiliency, the geriatric population remains at risk for the mortality and morbidity associated with fractures. The Iowa FICSIT site is investigating the feasibility of passive protection of the proximal femur through the use of hip pads. The pad is designed to disperse throughout the pad the energy created in a fall. The focus of the Iowa trial is to determine if elderly will wear hip pads for the majority of their waking hours. Thirty subjects are being recruited from each of six elderly populations who are at high risk to fall and at increased risk of injury. To facilitate compliance, the following strategies are utilized: run-in period, graduated implementation, tailoring of wearing times, and self-report of compliance. Outcome measures include compliance rates and injuries sustained during falls.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed1991

Iatrogenesis in the elderly. Contributors to falls.

Persons who are susceptible to falls can be identified before a fall occurs. A risk prediction tool must be evaluated for its usefulness; if a tool is not feasible, elderly persons who have fallen once are at high risk of falling again. Once high risk has been identified, strategies must be planned to prevent subsequent falls. One of the most important strategies is to communicate to all staff which patients are at high risk and the general circumstances surrounding any patient fall. Few interventions have been shown through rigorous clinical studies to be effective. Passive interventions, such as alarms, are usually more reliable than active interventions that staff must administer. Interventions must be individualized, based on the patient's deficits.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed1988

Test-retest reliability of the Arden Grating Test: inter-tester variability.

The aim of this study was to investigate the test-retest reliability of the Arden Grating Test (AGT), and to assess the extent to which any variance in AGT score on retest can be attributed to intra-subject and inter-tester differences. Twelve patients with various pathologies and whose contrast sensitivity covered a wide range were each tested twice by six testers. It was shown that variance attributable to testing by different clinicians accounted for approximately 25% of the total variance, and that the 95% confidence limits about any observed score were +/- 15 AGT units, which is about one quarter of the total dynamic range of the test. The large range of scores encompassed by the 95% confidence limits represents considerable unreliability, the consequence of which is a high misclassification rate, i.e. many false positives and false negatives, especially in the context of primary vision screening for which it was designed.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Quality review in the Peer Review Organization Program.

Several major, national forces have created the mandate of the Peer Review Organizations (PROs) for the evaluation of the quality of care received by Medicare patients. The shift of the Medicare Program to prospective payment to hospitals has caused concern that this change in financial incentives may have adverse effects on quality. An analysis and review of the experience of the California PRO (California Medical Review, Inc.)--including the application of sanctions--suggests that corrective actions have been successful in addressing quality deficiencies. However, the relationship between those deficiencies and the prospective payment mechanism remains unclear.

California↗
PubMed1985

Clinical detection of abnormalities in central vision in chronic simple glaucoma using contrast sensitivity.

Visual defect was assessed by contrast sensitivity and perimetry in 50 patients with chronic simple glaucoma. Abnormal contrast sensitivity using static gratings was found in patients with full central fields (i.e. a field of 15 degrees or more around fixation for the 12e isopter). It appears that central vision is affected by nerve fibre damage in the early stages of glaucoma, even in the presence of full central fields and normal visual acuity. Contrast sensitivity using temporally modulated gratings was reduced in the glaucoma patients, although this was found to be a less sensitive measure of visual loss than static contrast sensitivity function. These findings are discussed, and it is suggested that static contrast sensitivity function provides a simple method for detecting early visual defect in glaucoma and ocular hypertension.

Female↗
PubMed1985

Effect of age on contrast sensitivity function: uniocular and binocular findings.

Monocular and binocular contrast sensitivity function for a range of spatial frequencies was measured in two groups of subjects with normal vision. Statistically significant differences in performance between the younger group (age 20-30 years) and the older group (age 50-87 years) were found at all spatial frequencies sampled between 0.40 and 19 X 25 cpd. In the age range 50-87 years there was a linear decline in contrast sensitivity with age for medium and high spatial frequencies, but sensitivity for low spatial frequencies was independent of age.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Detection of optic nerve damage in ocular hypertension.

Thirty patients with ocular hypertension were tested for contrast sensitivity loss. Seventeen were not on treatment, and thirteen were receiving some form of pressure reducing therapy. The contrast sensitivity results of 63% of ocular hypertensive eyes were abnormal (greater than 2 SDs from the age matched norm). Thus it appears that contrast sensitivity can detect early visual loss in patients who have normal visual fields and it is suggested that this test might be used as a criterion for therapy in ocular hypertension. There was no significant difference in the intraocular pressures between patients who gave abnormal contrast sensitivity results and those who did not in the untreated group (p greater than 0.05), suggesting that intraocular pressure level is a poor predictor of optic nerve fibre damage in patients with ocular hypertension.

Aged↗
PubMed1984

Dermatitis herpetiformis: effects of sulfones and sulfonamides on neutrophil myeloperoxidase-mediated iodination and cytotoxicity.

The effects of sulfones and sulfonamides on neutrophil myeloperoxidase-mediated iodination and cytotoxicity were studied using in vitro assays to measure these parameters. Leukocyte iodination was documented using a quantitative assay to measure the iodination of protein by human neutrophils undergoing phagocytosis. Cytotoxicity for the tumor cell line LSTRA by human neutrophils activated by exposure to phorbol myristate acetate was measured by a 51Cr release assay. Dapsone, diasone, and sulfapyridine, at concentrations comparable to serum levels obtained by therapeutic doses of drug, effectively inhibited iodination and cytotoxicity mediated by human neutrophils. Other sulfonamides showed little inhibition of either iodination or cytotoxicity. The amount of inhibition was comparable to that seen with the inhibitors azide or cyanide and occurred in a dose dependent manner with all three drugs. A cell-free cytotoxic system using myeloperoxidase, iodide, a H2O2 generating system, and target cells also showed inhibition by dapsone, diasone and sulfapyridine in a similar fashion. The active drugs inhibited both the intra- and the extracellular myeloperoxidase-H2O2-halide cytotoxic systems. Serial iodination studies of four dermatitis herpetiformis patients, evaluated while taking dapsone or sulfapyridine, showed inhibition of iodination by either drug. Levels of IgA immune complexes, as measured by the Raji cell radioimmune assay adapted for IgA, did not change when medication was withheld. These studies demonstrate that dapsone, diasone, and sulfapyridine inhibit both neutrophil iodination and cytotoxicity for tumor cells, while other sulfonamides have no effect. This confirms previous studies showing inhibition by myeloperoxidase mediated iodination by dapsone. Furthermore, the effect on neutrophils is quickly reversible; in vivo administered drug has no effect on in vitro function. The active drugs inhibit both intra- and extracellular cytotoxic systems. This may represent an important mechanism by which these drugs produce their therapeutic effects when used to treat inflammatory skin diseases.

Antigen-Antibody Complex↗
PubMed1984

Contrast sensitivity and visual disability in chronic simple glaucoma.

A battery of vision tests was used to quantify visual defect in a group of 50 patients with chronic simple glaucoma. The vision tests were near and distance visual acuity, visual fields, and contrast sensitivity to static and temporally modulated sinusoidal grating patterns. Of these, static contrast sensitivity function appears to be the most sensitive method of measuring visual defect in glaucoma patients. The visual disability experienced by the glaucoma patients was quantified by means of a questionnaire, and the relationship between perceived visual disability and visual defect was examined. It was found that results from a group of tests, near visual acuity, visual field, and contrast sensitivity measures, are the best predictors of the difficulty experienced by patients in performing visually dependent daily activities.

Activities of Daily Living↗