Biomedical subjects

J Kidd

Publications and source records attributed to J Kidd.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1992

The psychological effects of false-positive results in prenatal screening for fetal abnormality: a prospective study.

The purpose of the study was to describe the impact of false-positive results from initial maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MS-AFP) screening. The analyses compared two groups of women, those receiving a negative result (n = 346) and those receiving an initial positive result (n = 26), over four time points--prior to testing, immediately after testing, later in pregnancy, and in the post-partum period. Receiving an abnormal result was associated with high levels of anxiety which were reflected in increased worry about the baby's health and a more negative attitude towards the pregnancy and the baby. Women who had an initial abnormal result were offered a variety of further tests. Those women who went on to have amniocentesis were less worried about their baby's health in the third trimester and also less anxious post-partum than those who did not have amniocentesis. In view of the increasing number of screening tests available, it is necessary to establish whether and how these levels of distress can best be reduced.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Psychological effects of having amniocentesis: are these due to the procedure, the risk or the behaviour?

The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of amniocentesis on women at risk for having a baby with Down's syndrome because of raised maternal age. Fifty-four of the study participants had amniocentesis and nine did not. At the time of the procedure, those having amniocentesis were significantly more anxious, less certain about the baby's health, and held more negative attitudes towards the baby than women who did not undergo amniocentesis. For women undergoing amniocentesis there was a positive association between perceived risk of having an abnormal baby and anxiety. After the baby's birth, women who had undergone amniocentesis held less positive attitudes to the baby and were significantly more worried about the baby's health. These results suggest that the anxiety surrounding amniocentesis is related both to the procedure and to the perceived likelihood of an abnormal result. The differences between the groups after the birth seem more likely to reflect pre-existing attitudinal differences between the two groups, than the effects of amniocentesis.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1992

Presenting a routine screening test in antenatal care: practice observed.

People's knowledge of screening tests for which they are eligible and which they may have undergone is frequently low. The aim of the current study is to determine the extent to which this is due to how a test is offered and explained. Routine consultations (n = 102) between midwives, obstetricians and pregnant women were tape-recorded to determine how a routine screening test for fetal abnormalities (maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein) is presented. The test was presented in the vast majority of consultations. Overall, little information was provided about the test, the conditions screened for, and the meaning of either a positive or a negative result. Screening was presented in such a way as to encourage women to undergo the test. The way in which routine prenatal screening is presented is unlikely to maximise informed decisions about whether to participate in this screening programme. Factors likely to be influencing test presentation include knowledge, attitudes and skills of staff, as well as the attitudes of pregnant women. The results of this study highlight a need to train the heath professionals implementing screening programmes in how to inform people fully about low probability but serious events without alarming them unduly, or reassuring them falsely.

Down Syndrome↗

PubMed1992

Human population genetic studies using hypervariable loci. I. Analysis of Assamese, Australian, Cambodian, Caucasian, Chinese and Melanesian populations.

Population genetic studies, in Australian, Assamese, Cambodian, Chinese, Caucasian and Melanesian populations, were performed with several highly polymorphic DNA loci. Results showed that the Caucasian and Chinese had the highest level of heterozygosity. The size range of the majority of the polymorphic DNA fragments of a locus was the same in the different populations. The distinguishing feature of each ethnic group was the relative frequency of a particular set or group of alleles. For example, alleles greater than 9.0 kb in size, in D14S13, or from 4.5 to 4.7 kb, in D18S27, were less than half as frequent in Caucasians than in the other populations. Overall, there were groups of alleles, at one or more loci, whose frequencies were different among some of the ethnic groups and therefore could be used to differentiate one group from the other.

Alleles↗

PubMed1979

Tennis elbow.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Athletic Injuries↗

PubMed1978

Local anaesthetic plasma levels in children.

Blood levels of lignocaine and bupivacaine were measured in children following caudal, subcutaneous and tracheal administration. The highest peak levels were in children under 3 years following tracheal spray but all blood levels were below accepted toxic adult levels for anaesthetised patients. No toxic manifestations were seen.

Administration, Topical↗

PubMed1976

Neuropathological considerations in cerebro-hepato-renal syndrome (Zellweger's syndrome).

The nervous system in patients with cerebro-hepato-renal syndrome appeared to be affected at various tissue levels. There was evidence of a migrational disorder manifested by polymicrogyria and lack of normal neuronal maturation. There was dysmyelination of the white matter associated with accumulation of neutral fat in astrocytes. Within the peripheral nerves, masses of tangled neurofilaments producing dystrophic axons were demonstrated by electron microscopy. These findings could be explained on the basis of a genetic metabolic defect, one that involved particularly the amino acids. The defect may have interfered with the normal intercellular reaction during embryogenesis resulting in the malformation of multiple organs. The same metabolic abnormality could have caused the hepatic damage and disturbance in normal myelination during the neonatal period.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

PubMed1976

Ependymomas of childhood. I. Histological survey and clinicopathological correlation.

We have conducted a correlative histological and clinical study on 34 cases of childhood ependymomas encountered at the Children's Memorial Hospital from 1953 to 1974. The cases were classified into grades A, B and C according to the extent of cytological differentiation and the correlation between the histological grades and the clinical outcome was obtained. It is concluded that the biological behavior of an ependymoma could be predicted to a large extent by the degree of cytological differentiation and by its anatomical location. A large share of the infratentorial ependymomas are well differentiated (grade A) and prognosis in this group is good when complete surgical removal could be accomplished. Most of the supratentorial ependymomas belong to the intermediate grade B and the malignant grade C; prognosis in these two grades is less predictable, approximately two thirds of these patients died within 3 years. The most malignant form is the ependymoblastoma. This is a highly primitive neoplasm histologically similar to medulloblastoma but shows evidence of ependymal differentiation. Most of the ependymoblastomas are located in the supratentorial region and the average length of survival is 20 months.

Adolescent↗