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Biomedical subjects

J Rigby

Publications and source records attributed to J Rigby.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

A comparison of the determinants of safe injecting and condom use among injecting drug users.

A sample of 582 injecting drug users were interviewed as part of an evaluation of an AIDS prevention programme for drug users. This paper examines the biographic and predispositional determinants of five HIV preventive behaviours--equipment sharing (not receiving and not giving) and and condom use (with regular partners, casual partners and sex clients). A two-stage sequential approach was adopted for a logistic regression analysis. Initially, to model each of the five preventive behaviours, biographical and drug use variables were entered. In a second set of models, behavioural predisposition factors were included. Age, drug use and prison experience correlate with variables in both models, although not consistently in the same direction. While a predisposition to reject sharing correlates with safer rejecting and condom use, the predisposition to safer sex only correlates with condom use. Needle exchange programmes that only target the individual would seem to be inadequate. To enhance targeted interventions changes in public and agency policy that create a social environment conductive to behaviour change are required.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1994

Error types in ideomotor apraxia: a qualitative analysis.

Seventeen brain-damaged subjects with dominant hemisphere pathology and 24 matched control subjects were asked to perform simple familiar gestures under four conditions: (1) verbal command (pantomime), (2) imitation, (3) with the actual object, and (4) verbal command a second time. The subjects subsequently watched a video of an actor performing simple movements and decided whether or not these were performed accurately. The gestural production task was videoed and analyzed for error type. Error type remained consistent over the four task conditions, although subgroups of patients made different types of errors. One group of patients with Ideomotor Apraxia (IMA) made more errors but of the same type as the controls, i.e., movement-related errors and the use of "body part as object" (BPO). The second group made mainly substituted (i.e. unrelated) movements and perseverative errors. The second group of subjects was also poorer at discriminating incorrectly performed movements in the recognition task. BPO errors were commonly made by the control group and they were also chosen as correct in the recognition task. This indicated that use of BPO may reflect a convention in symbolising gestures rather than pathology. The performance of the IMA subjects was discussed in relation to current theories of the mechanisms underlying apraxia.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Mania precipitated by benzodiazepine withdrawal.

A case of mania following abrupt benzodiazepine withdrawal in an 83-year-old woman is described. It is argued that the withdrawal state acted as a significant life event in precipitating the manic episode.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

Altered beta-adrenoceptor internalization does not explain reduced beta-adrenergic responsiveness in the elderly.

To determine whether altered beta-adrenoceptor internalization contributes to the reduced adrenergic responsiveness of the elderly, the ability to internalize beta-adrenoceptors in young and elderly men was studied by in vitro exposure of whole lymphocytes to a range of isoproterenol concentrations. The total numbers of receptors per cell were similar in the two groups [young, 1645 +/- 206 +/- SE); elderly, 1707 +/- 120], as were the basal levels of beta-adrenoceptor internalization (young, 8.85 +/- 1.09%; elderly, 8.73 +/- 1.35%). Incubation in the presence of isoproterenol resulted in dose-dependent internalization of receptors. The EC50 values for isoproterenol-induced internalization were similar in the young (20.7 +/- 3.5 nmol/L) and elderly groups (26.9 +/- 4.4 nmol/L). These results suggest that altered receptor internalization does not contribute to impaired beta-adrenoceptor function in the elderly.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

The effect of advancing age on the sympathetic response to laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation.

The effect of aging on the hemodynamic and sympathetic response to tracheal intubation was evaluated in 27 patients aged 18 to 80 years, ASA Class I and II, given atropine 0.4 mg and diazepam 10 mg as premedication and thiopental, 4.0 mg/kg, and succinylcholine 100 mg for anesthesia induction. Laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation was performed 60 seconds after induction. The elderly had significantly less chronotropic response to intubation 2, 3, 4, and 5 minutes after induction so that the maximum increase in heart rate above awake values was negatively correlated with age (R = -0.66, P less than 0.001). Baseline systolic blood pressure (SBP) and mean BP increased significantly with age (R = 0.81, P less than 0.001 and R = 0.76, P less than 0.001, respectively) but age was not significantly related to increases in SBP and mean BP following intubation. Baseline plasma norepinephrine (NE) levels increased with age ( R = 0.51, P less than 0.01). Following intubation, mean plasma NE concentrations were significantly higher in elderly patients than young patients, despite the diminished heart rate response. Heart rate (HR) per pg/ml of NE, a measure of cardiac sensitivity to beta stimulation, was therefore significantly less 2, 3, and 4 mins after induction in elderly patients than in younger patients. To determine if this alteration in cardiac sensitivity to endogenous catecholamines was reflected by changes in beta receptor function on lymphocytes, beta receptor density and the proportion of receptor binding agonist with high affinity (%RH) were measured. No significant correlation between beta-receptor affinity for agonist, %RH, or receptor density was found with age, HR, or HR per pg/ml NE.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Scintigraphy of gastrointestinal hemorrhage: superiority of 99mTc red blood cells over 99mTc sulfur colloid.

The relative efficacy of 99mTc sulfur colloid and in vitro-labeled 99mTc red blood cells in detecting and localizing gastrointestinal hemorrhage was evaluated in a prospective tandem study of 100 patients referred for suspicion of gastrointestinal tract hemorrhage. Thirty-eight true-positive scintigrams were obtained with 99mTc red blood cells, whereas 99mTc sulfur colloid detected only five sites of hemorrhage. Scintigraphic findings were corroborated by clinical, endoscopic, arteriographic, and surgical findings. 99mTc red blood cells were clearly superior, with a sensitivity of 93%, specificity of 95%, and overall accuracy of 94% in detecting and localizing gastrointestinal hemorrhage.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

Effect of various milk feeds on numbers of Escherichia coli and Bidifobacterium in the stools of new-born infants.

Escherichia coli was found in a similar proportion of stool specimens from infants who were breast-fed and from others fed on three different artificial-milk preparations. When E. coli was present its mean colony count in the stools of breast-fed infants was within the range of the mean counts for infants receiving the artificial -milk feeds. There was no consistent relation between high counts of bifidobacteria (Lactobacillus bifidus) and low counts of E. coli. This suggests that measures aimed at implanting or stimulating the growth of bifidobacteria in the large intestine of artificially fed infants may not greatly influence the E. coli population therein. The results are discussed in relation to the protection of artifically fed infants from E. coli enteritis.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus and associated risk behaviour in injection drug users in Toronto.

During 1989-90, interviews were conducted with 582 current injection drug users in the City of Toronto, 535 of whom also provided blood and/or saliva for anonymous unlinked HIV antibody testing. The rate of seropositivity identified was 4.3% (95% CI 3-6). The subjects were predominantly male, with a mean age of 28.3. The commonest drug of choice was cocaine (70%). Forty-six percent of the subjects reported using someone else's needle in the preceding six months, 60% of these indicating that they always cleaned it first. Eighty-one percent of those interviewed had been in jail at some time since they began injecting; 25% of these had injected while in custody, and of these 61% had shared injection equipment. Eighty-two percent of the men and 85.4% of the women reported opposite sex partners in the previous six months. Only about 20% of men reported consistent condom use, while 22% of females reported condom use at least 75% of the time.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Biographical characteristics of injection drug users and behavioural predispositions related to HIV prevention and drug use.

OBJECTIVE: This paper presents a preliminary analysis of the determinants of selected behavioural predispositions toward HIV prevention among injection drug users. METHOD: An exploratory factor analysis was used to group attitudinal, behavioural intention and change statements into five predisposing factors and the correlates with these were examined using general linear regression. RESULTS: The analysis demonstrates that many IDUs have responded to AIDS and highlights the characteristics of those who are predisposed to unsafe practices. Predispositions toward safer sex appear to be contextually determined, and needle-sharing determined by socio-behavioural history. CONCLUSIONS: The data emphasize the need for prevention programs in educational and correctional systems along with community-wide harm reduction and HIV prevention strategies, especially for younger persons. For older drug users, there may be a need for more intensive rehabilitation programs. Some evidence suggest that greater attention be given to the type of drug dependence when focusing programs.

Adolescent↗