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Biomedical subjects

J P Oliver

Publications and source records attributed to J P Oliver.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

Measuring the quality of life of severely mentally ill people using the Lancashire Quality of Life Profile.

Quality of life (QOL) has become an important outcome measure for many disorders, including mental illness. The Lancashire Quality of Life Profile (LQOLP) was developed for use in operational contexts, and has been translated into several languages. It is in use in several European and North American community psychiatric services. The present paper addresses the questions: how easy is it to use?; how reliable is it?; do the results of the LQOLP vary by setting in a meaningful way?; how do the results co-vary with measures of clinical symptoms and social functioning?; how well does it measure change?; is it clinically useful? While most of the answers to these questions are favourable, there is a need for further research and development of the profile, in particular with reference to the consequences of the use of the profile as a routine monitoring instrument and the most appropriate form of statistical analysis in longitudinal data-sets.

Bias↗

Does quality of life differ in schizophrenic women and men? An empirical study.

In our study of 617 schizophrenic patients, we tested the hypothesis that women have a better objective and subjective quality of life than men. Better social integration of women was confirmed. Objective conditions had a significant but quantitatively small impact on satisfaction with specific life domains. Better social integration did not, however, lead to more satisfaction among schizophrenic women. Satisfaction with life in general was better predicted by satisfaction in different life domains than by objective circumstances. Predictors of satisfaction with life were not equal for both sexes. Rather than confirming quantitative differences in subjective quality of life, our data support the existence of gender-specific processes and contexts of subjective valuation.

Adult↗

Investigation of the Ca2(+)-dependent interaction of trifluoperazine with S100a: a 19F NMR and circular dichroism study.

S100a is a heterodimeric, acidic calcium-binding protein that interacts with calmodulin antagonists in a Ca2(+)-dependent manner. In order to study the behavior of the hydrophobic domain on S100a when bound to Ca2+, its interaction with trifluoperazine (TFP) was investigated using 16F nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. The dissociation constant (Kd) values of TFP, as estimated from the chemical shifts of 19F NMR, were 191 and 29 microns in the absence and presence of Ca2+, respectively, and were similar to those previously reported for S100b. However, the TFP linewidth in the presence of Ca2(+)-bound S100a was 65 Hz greater than in the presence of Ca2(+)-bound S100b. This suggests a slower TFP exchange rate for S100a than for S100b. Thus, the TFP linewidths observed for each isoform may reflect differences in structural and modulatory properties of the Ca2(+)-dependent hydrophobic domains on S100a and S100b. Additionally, the presence of magnesium had no effect on the observed Ca2(+)-induced TFP spectral changes in S100a solutions. Circular dichroism studies indicate that Ca2+ induces a small transition from alpha-helix to random coil in S100a; in contrast, the opposite transition is reported for calmodulin (Hennessey et al., 1987). However, TFP did not significantly alter the secondary structure of Ca2(+)-bound S100a; this observation is similar to the effect of TFP on Ca2(+)-bound calmodulin and troponin C (Shimizu and Hatano, 1984; Gariépy and Hodges, 1983). It is, therefore, proposed that TFP binds to a hydrophobic domain on S100a in a fashion similar to other calcium-modulated proteins.

Animals↗

Rapid method for preparing bone marrow cells from small laboratory animals.

A new method is described by which long bones may be removed from small laboratory animals for the preparation of bone marrow cell suspensions for use in immunologic assays. Bones are obtained free of muscle and cartilage, and the procedures is adaptable for use under aseptic experimental conditions.

Animals↗

An evaluation of an inpatient psychiatric unit for children.

The progress of 31 children admitted over a 2 year period to a regional child psychiatric inpatient unit was studied using questionnaires and interviews. The effectiveness of the children's treatment was evaluated using an interrupted time series design. Substantial and significant improvements were observed for both global levels of disorder and specific problems, and this effect appeared to be stable. These results confirm previous assertions on the efficacy of inpatient treatment.

Child↗