PubMed HealthSearch

Biomedical subjects

J Hull

Publications and source records attributed to J Hull.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

Pain perception in self-injurious patients with borderline personality disorder.

Pain ratings during the cold pressor test were significantly lower in female inpatients with borderline personality disorder who report that they do not experience pain during self-injury (BPD-NP group, n = 11), compared with similar patients who report that they do experience pain during self-injury (BPD-P group, n = 11), and normal female subjects (n = 6). Pain ratings were not significantly different in the BPD-P and normal control groups. Self-report ratings of depression, anger, anxiety, and confusion were significantly lower, and ratings of vigor significantly higher following the cold pressor test in the BPD-NP group, but not in the BPD-P group. Only anxiety was significantly lower in the normal control group following the cold pressor test. The implications and limitations of these preliminary findings are discussed.

Adolescent

Falling incidence of hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy in term infants.

OBJECTIVE: To examine trends in the incidence of hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy over a 13-year period. DESIGN: A retrospective analysis of medical records of all infants admitted in the years 1976-1980 and 1984-1988. SETTING: A large non-teaching district health authority in central England. SUBJECTS: Infants admitted to a district general hospital neonatal unit with clinical features of hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence of three grades of hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy, handicap and mortality. RESULTS: During the first 5-year period the overall incidence of hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy was 7.7 per 1000 live births with 2.6 per 1000 live births being severely affected (grades II and III). In the second 5-year period the overall incidence was 4.6 per 1000 live births with 1.8 per 1000 live births being severely affected. The difference in the overall rate is statistically significant. Of the infants with severe encephalopathy 61% had Apgar scores below 4 at 1 min and 60% were born by instrumental or operative delivery. CONCLUSIONS: The fall in incidence of hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy has occurred during a period of falling perinatal mortality rate. It was instructive to find that infants born vaginally and without obstetric intervention formed a larger fraction of the severely affected infants in the later period.

Brain Ischemia

Psychiatric referrals in general practice.

A major option available to the nonpsychiatric physician in dealing with patients who have psychiatric problems is to refer them to psychiatrists. A group of 93 nonpsychiatric physicians indicated that they have positive attitudes toward making such referrals where appropriate, and make extensive use of this mechanism with psychiatric patients. There are, however, great differences of opinion with respect to the appropriateness of psychiatric referrals for neurotic patients, those with alcohol and addiction problems, and those with other personal problems (marital, vocational, etc).

Alcoholism

Factors influencing styles of medical practice: the use of psychiatric referrals by non-psychiatric physicians.

There is substantial variation between physicians in the extent to which they employ psychiatric referral as a mechanism for dealing with their patients who have psychiatric problems. A variety of factors, including personal characteristics, professional attitudes, training and practice characteristics, were hypothesized to influence styles of practice in this area of medicine. A regression equation with a multiple R of .71 indicated that personal characteristics and attitudes were particularly strongly related, but that practice and patient characteristics as well as training also play some role in influencing a physician's behavior.

Attitude of Health Personnel

The influence of egg consumption on the serum cholesterol level in human subjects.

The influence of whole fresh eggs on the serum cholesterol level in men and women was studied independently in hospitalized patients in Sofia, Prague and Urbana-Champaign. The patients were fed two eggs or the equivalent of two eggs in a custard base or milk shake in addition to the foods that were consumed in their diet pattern. The serum cholesterol level was determined before and at periods varying from 5 hr to 54 days after the consumption of the eggs. The mixed fatty acid composition of the total lipids in the serum and the erythrocytes was also determined. In the majority of patients, the serum cholesterol level did not change significantly 5 hr after the consumption of 465 mg of cholesterol in an egg custard base or milk shake or after up to 54 days of continued consumption of two whole eggs per day. The serum cholesterol level of some subjects increased and others decreased at all three experimental sites. A comparison of the mixed fatty acid composition of the total serum lipids obtained from men and women who had received treatment for other reasons than cardiovascular disease with those that had been treated for cardiovascular disease indicated that the serum from both groups contained a substantial amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids. The lipids extracted from the red blood cells obtained from patients in Urbana-Champaign and Sofia did not differ significantly in linoleic and arachidonic acid content.

Adult

Results of a one-year trial of tolmetin in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

The safety and effectiveness of tolmetin was assessed in ten patients with active rheumatoid arthritis for 12 months. All patients met the requirements of the American Rheumatism Association's diagnostic criteria for definite rheumatoid arthritis. None of the patients had received gold, antimalarials, or glucocorticoids. All had been stabilized, more or less, with aspirin. Monthly measurements were made of grip strength, duration of morning stiffness, time to the onset of fatigue, Westergren sedimentation rates, the number of swollen joints, number of hot joints, the time to walk 50 feet, and the circumference of proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints (measured in millimeters with a plastic-loop arthrocircameter). The initial dosage of tolmetin in all patients was 600 mg a day, given orally in three divided doses. Upon completion of the study, the average daily oral dosage was 1400 mg tolmetin. No other antiinflammatory drugs were allowed. The results indicate that tolmetin affords symptomatic relief of rheumatoid arthritis; its use results in global improvement in 80 per cent of the patients, and a net improvement in one or more of the parameters used to assess disease activity in 100 per cent of the patients; it seems to be sufficiently safe to administer to patients over a long period of time; there was no evidence of severe toxicity of any kind; gastrointestinal side effects were uncommon, and epigastric distress, in particular, was not observed.

Adult