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Biomedical subjects

K A King

Publications and source records attributed to K A King.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Psychiatrists' knowledge and attitudes about costs of commonly prescribed treatments in psychiatry.

A survey was conducted to assess psychiatrists' knowledge and attitudes regarding the costs of various psychiatric treatments. Psychiatrists (n = 500) were randomly selected from the membership of the Ohio Psychiatric Association. The survey explored several aspects of psychiatrists' knowledge of costs, including estimated prices of 24 specific psychiatric treatments (frequently used psychotropic medications, laboratory tests, and inpatient and outpatient procedures) as well as their level of confidence in their estimates. The survey also asked a series of attitude/opinion questions and specific demographic data. The psychiatrists (n = 265, 59% response) perceived that knowing the costs of treatments was an important consideration when choosing a particular treatment. Psychiatrists' actual knowledge of the costs of treatment was inconsistent with their beliefs of the importance of knowing the costs as well as their reported confidence in their knowledge of costs. Information about the costs of psychiatric treatments is an important clinical consideration and a program to improve clinicians' knowledge of the costs of psychiatric treatment could occur during residency training.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Developing a comprehensive school suicide prevention program.

Since the 1950s, the suicide rate for adolescents more than tripled, and suicide currently ranks as the third-leading cause of death among 15-to-24 year-olds. Comprehensive school suicide prevention programs should include primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention components. This paper discusses these components as they relate to suicide prevention, and it provides practical steps for incorporating each component within a school system. All steps are based on a review of the professional literature. Three questions are explored: What can school professionals do to help in preventing adolescent suicide? What should school professionals do when a student threatens suicide? What should school professionals do after a student commits suicide?

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Safe and drug-free school coordinators' perceived needs to improve violence and drug prevention programs.

A random sample of 380 Ohio safe and drug-free school coordinators was mailed surveys regarding their perceived needs to improve safe and drug-free school programs. Of 298 who responded (78%), most were White (88%), female (71%), older than age 40 (72%), possessed a master's degree (56%), and worked at either a rural (43%) or suburban (40%) school. Training topics perceived as most beneficial in improving safe and drug-free school programs included training on effective techniques that enhance youth success, building school-parent-community partnerships, and providing conflict management/dispute resolution skills. Lack of time, poor parental attitudes, and lack of school personnel support were identified most often as barriers to program improvement. Findings can be used by state health education resource centers and training providers to more effectively meet the needs of safe and drug-free school coordinators.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Exaggerated neurogenic inflammation and substance P receptor upregulation in RSV-infected weanling rats.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in adult rats causes exaggerated inflammation after sensory nerve stimulation in the extrapulmonary, but not in the intrapulmonary airways. The goal of this study was to analyze neurogenic inflammation in weanling F-344 rats infected with RSV 18 +/- 2 d after birth. Five days after RSV inoculation, the extravasation of Evans blue-labeled albumin after nerve stimulation was significantly greater in the intrapulmonary airways of RSV-infected weanling rats than in pathogen-free control rats. In contrast, no difference was found in the extrapulmonary airways. The level of messenger RNA (mRNA) encoding the substance P (SP) receptor (neurokinin 1 [NK1]) increased fourfold in RSV-infected lungs, whereas mRNA encoding the VIPR1 receptor for the antiinflammatory vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) increased to a much lesser degree. mRNAs encoding the other neurokinin (NK2) and VIP (VIPR2) receptors were not affected by the virus. Selective inhibition of the NK1 receptor abolished neurogenic inflammation in RSV-infected intrapulmonary airways. Also, neurogenic inflammation and NK1 receptor upregulation in infected lungs were inhibited by prophylaxis with a monoclonal antibody against RSV. These data suggest that RSV lower respiratory tract infection makes the intrapulmonary airways of young rats abnormally susceptible to the proinflammatory effects of SP by selectively upregulating the expression of NK1 receptors.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Attitudes and perceptions of fitness professionals regarding obesity.

The purpose of this study was to assess perceptions of exercise professionals regarding obesity. A three page, 25-item survey was mailed to a random sample of 500 certified Health Fitness Instructors, Exercise Test Technologists, and Exercise Specialists from a certification list provided by the American (College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). The return rate was 66%. Most exercise professionals (74%) supervised or worked directly with obese clients in an exercise/fitness setting. The majority of exercise professionals believed that normal weight is very important to a person's health, that physical activity is very important in the treatment of obesity, that they should be role models by maintaining normal weight, that they are obligated to counsel obese persons concerning the health risks of obesity, that they are very competent to prescribe exercise programs for weight loss, and that counseling obese persons on exercise for weight loss is professionally gratifying. The majority of exercise professionals also believed sedentary lifestyles, poor eating behavior, excessive calorie consumption, and psychological problems play a major role in most obesity. Exercise professionals reported that they received most of their information on weight control from textbooks, college classes, scientific journals, workshops/seminars, and past experience.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Project SOAR: a training program to increase school counselors' knowledge and confidence regarding suicide prevention and intervention.

School counselors are often the lead individuals in school suicide prevention programs. All school counselors in Dallas, Texas, receive training through Project SOAR (Suicide, Options, Awareness, and Relief), a suicide prevention program. This study assessed Dallas school counselors' knowledge of suicidal risk factors and perceived ability to initiate appropriate steps when confronted with a suicidal student. A two-page, 44-item survey was distributed to all Dallas school counselors attending a mandatory meeting in spring 1999. A total of 186 school counselors (75%) responded. Most had been a school counselor for less than 10 years and one-half received initial SOAR training less than four years ago. The majority strongly agreed that they could recognize suicidal warning signs, assess a student's risk for suicide, and offer support to a suicidal student. In addition, most knew the intervention steps to take when a student assessed at high suicidal risk. When compared to school counselors nationwide, these counselors reported increased confidence in identifying students at suicidal risk.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

A humanized monoclonal antibody against respiratory syncytial virus (palivizumab) inhibits RSV-induced neurogenic-mediated inflammation in rat airways.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most important respiratory pathogen in infancy and early childhood and may predispose to subsequent lower respiratory tract illness. Recent data indicate that RSV up-regulates the substance P receptor, making the airways abnormally susceptible to the proinflammatory effects of this peptide released from sensory nerves. The present study was designed to determine whether the administration of RSV antibodies prevents the potentiation of neurogenic inflammation in rat airways. Five days after inoculation, sensory nerve-mediated extravasation of Evans blue-labeled albumin was significantly greater in the airways of RSV-infected rats than in pathogen-free controls. Polyclonal immune globulin enriched for RSV-neutralizing antibodies (RSVIG) reduced neurogenic extravasation when injected 24 h before intranasal inoculation of the virus but not when injected before endotracheal inoculation. A humanized MAb against RSV fusion protein (palivizumab) was twice as potent as RSVIG when given before intranasal inoculation and also caused significant inhibition after endotracheal inoculation. Furthermore, palivizumab inhibited neurogenic inflammation in RSV-infected rats when given 72 h after virus inoculation. These data suggest that palivizumab protects the respiratory tract from RSV-induced inflammation when given before or in the early phase of the viral infection. The administration of palivizumab to high-risk infants may limit the severity of the acute airway inflammation and may protect against subsequent lower respiratory tract illness.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

The validity of male patients' self-reports regarding prostate cancer screening.

BACKGROUND: Despite the high rate of prostate cancer screening, the accuracy of male patients' self-reports of screening has not been investigated. This study assessed the concordance between patients' self-reports of prostate screening and the medical record. METHODS: Focus groups were conducted to obtain male patients' perceptions of prostate cancer screening and salient terminology. A sample of males (n = 276), 40 years of age or older, completed a 15-item questionnaire. Patients' self-reports of PSA and DRE screening were then compared with medical records. RESULTS: Results showed that patients' self-reports of DRE and PSA were discordant with the medical record 32 and 29% of the time, respectively. Sensitivity of patients' self-reports for DRE and PSA was 82 and 74%, respectively. Specificity of patients' self-reports for DRE and PSA was 56 and 65%, respectively. One in five patients reported that they were not sure how a doctor checks a man's prostate gland. Only 39% of patients knew that the prostate gland can be checked by a blood test. CONCLUSIONS: There were significant differences between patients' self-reports and the medical record. The results should be of concern to primary care practitioners and to those who evaluate the efficacy of prostate cancer screening programs.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

School nurses' perceptions of and experience with school health research.

This survey examined school nurses' perceptions of and experience with school health research. A random sample of school nurses who were either members of the school nurse section of the American School Health Association (ASHA) or members of the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) comprised the sample (n = 590). The response rate was 81%; the nurses were all females. A plurality held masters degrees (40%) and had worked an average of 12.0 years as a school nurse. Most (67%) were employed at the elementary school level. Slightly more than one-third (37%) had ever been involved in a research study as a school nurse. Perceived barriers to engaging in research were lack of time, clerical help, and money. Perceived benefits of school nurses engaging in research were: adds new knowledge on school nursing issues (97%), benefits the health care of children at school (93%), and helps peers do their job better (86%). School nurses also indicated they would become involved in research if someone would assist them (78%).

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1999

High school health teachers' perceived self-efficacy in identifying students at risk for suicide.

A national random sample of 228 high school health teachers completed a 45-item survey to examine their perceived self-efficacy regarding adolescent suicide. Most respondents were female, White, and held master's degrees. Most believed it was their role to recognize students at risk for suicide, believed that if they did recognize students at risk it would reduce the chances that the student would commit suicide, and believed that one of the most important things they could do would be to prevent a suicidal student from committing suicide. However, only 9% believed they could recognize a student at risk for suicide. High efficacy expectations scores were associated with working at a school that offered an inservice program on adolescent suicide, included teaching about suicide prevention in the curriculum, and had a crisis intervention team. This study suggests that teacher health education programs should spend more time on developing the skills necessary to identify students at risk. In addition, a comprehensive school suicide prevention program is strongly encouraged for all high schools.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Respiratory syncytial virus upregulates expression of the substance P receptor in rat lungs.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major respiratory pathogen in infants. The first goal of this study was to determine whether the infection following endotracheal inoculation of RSV in Fischer 344 rats results in increased inflammatory responses to substance P (SP) either released by capsaicin from sensory nerves or injected into the circulation. Five days after inoculation, the extravasation of Evans blue-labeled albumin after capsaicin or SP was significantly greater in RSV-infected airways than in pathogen-free controls. The peptide-degrading activity of the regulatory enzyme neutral endopeptidase was unaffected by RSV. However, SP(NK(1)) receptor mRNA levels increased fivefold in RSV-infected lungs, and the density of SP binding sites in the bronchial mucosa increased threefold. These data suggest that RSV makes the airways abnormally susceptible to the proinflammatory effects of SP by upregulating SP(NK(1)) receptor gene expression, thereby increasing the density of these receptors on target cells. This effect may contribute to the inflammatory reaction to the virus and could be a target for the therapy of RSV disease and its sequelae.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Does the application of ground force set the energetic cost of cross-country skiing?

We tested whether the rate at which force is applied to the ground sets metabolic rates during classical-style roller skiing in four ways: 1) by increasing speed (from 2.5 to 4.5 m/s) during skiing with arms only, 2) by increasing speed (from 2.5 to 4.5 m/s) during skiing with legs only, 3) by changing stride rate (from 25 to 75 strides/min) at each of three speeds (3.0, 3.5, and 4.0 m/s) during skiing with legs only, and 4) by skiing with arms and legs together at three speeds (2.0-3.2 m/s, 1.5 degrees incline). We determined net metabolic rates from rates of O2 consumption (gross O2 consumption - standing O2 consumption) and rates of force application from the inverse period of pole-ground contact [1/tp(arms)] for the arms and the inverse period of propulsion [1/tp(legs)] for the legs. During arm-and-leg skiing at different speeds, metabolic rates changed in direct proportion to rates of force application, while the net ground force to counteract friction and gravity (F) was constant. Consequently, metabolic rates were described by a simple equation (metab = F . 1/tp . C, where metab is metabolic rates) with cost coefficients (C) of 8.2 and 0.16 J/N for arms and legs, respectively. Metabolic rates predicted from net ground forces and rates of force application during combined arm-and-leg skiing agreed with measured metabolic rates within +/-3. 5%. We conclude that rates of ground force application to support the weight of the body and overcome friction set the energetic cost of skiing and that the rate at which muscles expend metabolic energy during weight-bearing locomotion depends on the time course of their activation.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Regional haemodynamic effects of platelet activating factor in the rat.

The effects of platelet activating factor (PAF) on haemodynamics in the absence and presence of the potent PAF receptor antagonist TCV-309 (3-bromo-5-[N-phenyl-N-[2-[[2-(1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-2- isoquinolyl-carbonyloxy)ethyl]carbamoyl]ethyl]carbamoyl]-1- propylpyridinium nitrate) were studied by the microsphere technique in pentobarbitone-anaesthetized rats. I.v. infusion of the low dose PAF (0.05 microgram kg-1 min-1) did not significantly alter mean arterial pressure, cardiac output or total peripheral resistance but increased arterial conductances in the stomach, intestine, caecum and colon and reduced conductance in the spleen. I.v. infusion of the high dose of PAF (0.3 microgram kg-1 min-1) markedly reduced mean arterial pressure (-53 mm Hg) and cardiac output (-62%) and insignificantly increased total peripheral resistance. Arterial conductances in the lungs, stomach, intestine, caecum and colon, kidneys and spleen were reduced and those in the heart and muscle were increased. TCV-309 (10 micrograms kg-1) abolished all changes in arterial pressure, cardiac output and total peripheral resistance and arterial conductances elicited by either the low or the high dose of PAF. The results show that a non-hypotensive dose of PAF caused vasodilatation of the gastrointestinal organs and vasoconstriction of the spleen. A high dose of PAF which markedly decreased arterial pressure and cardiac output caused vasodilatation of the heart and muscle and vasoconstriction of the lungs (bronchial), gastrointestinal organs, kidneys and spleen. All haemodynamic changes were blocked by TCV-309 indicating the involvement of PAF receptors.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Bombesin and [Leu8]phyllolitorin promote fetal mouse lung branching morphogenesis via a receptor-mediated mechanism.

Pulmonary neuroendocrine cells are localized predominantly at airway branchpoints. Previous work showed that gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP), a major pulmonary bombesin-like peptide, occurred in neuroendocrine cells exclusively in branching human fetal airways. We now demonstrate that GRP and GRP receptor genes are expressed in fetal mouse lung as early as embryonic day 12 (E12), when lung buds are beginning to branch. By in situ hybridization, GRP receptor transcripts were at highest levels in mesenchymal cells at cleft regions of branching airways and blood vessels. To explore the possibility that bombesin-like peptides might play a role in branching morphogenesis, E12 lung buds were cultured for 48 hr in serum-free medium. In the presence of 0.10-10 microM bombesin, branching was significantly augmented as compared with control cultures, with a peak of 94% above control values at 1 microM (P < 0.005). The bombesin receptor antagonist [Leu13- psi(CH2NH)Leu14]bombesin alone (100 nM) had no effect on baseline branching but completely abolished bombesin-induced branching. A bombesin-related peptide, [Leu8]phyllolitorin also increased branching (65% above control values at 10 nM, P < 0.005). [Leu8]Phyllolitorin also significantly augmented thymidine incorporation in cultured lung buds. Fibronectin, which is abundant at branchpoints, induces GRP gene expression in undifferentiated cell lines. These observations suggest that BLPs secreted by pulmonary neuroendocrine cells may contribute to lung branching morphogenesis. Furthermore, components of branchpoints may induce pulmonary neuroendocrine cell differentiation as part of a positive feedback loop, which could account in part for the high prevalence of these cells at branchpoints.

Animals↗