Biomedical subjects

K McCurdy

Publications and source records attributed to K McCurdy.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Prevalence of and risk factors for Escherichia coli O157 in market-ready beef cattle from 12 U.S. feedlots.

Determination of Escherichia coli O157 prevalence immediately prior to shipment and harvest is an important facet of the ecology of this organism, which requires further elucidation. As part of a larger study to measure the effects of within-pen prevalence of E. coli O157 on subsequent carcass contamination, fecal samples from 15 pens of cattle in each of 12 different feedlots in three states (Colorado, Nebraska, and Montana) were collected from June through September 2002. Thirty fresh fecal samples were collected from each pen floor within 36 h of shipment to slaughter. Fecal samples underwent standard enrichment, immunomagnetic separation, and isolation procedures for E. coli O157. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine which factors best predicted pen-level positive culture results, and to estimate the magnitude of association between each factor and the outcome, while adjusting for other factors in the model. Thirteen (86.7%) of the 15 pens had at least one positive sample, and the within-pen prevalence of E. coli O157 in positive pens ranged from 3.3% to 77.8%. The odds of E. coli O157 positive fecal samples from cattle fed brewers grains were six times that for cattle not fed brewers grains. The odds of E. coli O157 positive fecal samples from pens of cattle from Central Nebraska was nine times that for pens of cattle from Eastern Colorado. These data demonstrate that the presence of E. coli O157 in fecal samples from finished feedlot cattle is associated with feeding of brewers grain and geographic location. Additional studies to further characterize geographic distribution of E. coli O157 and to investigate pen-level intervention strategies should be conducted.

Animal Feed↗

PubMed2001

Can home visitation enhance maternal social support?

This study investigates the impacts of Healthy Start, a statewide, home visitation program, on the social support systems of 212 disadvantaged mothers in Oahu, Hawaii. Maternal support was assessed at the time these mothers gave birth and 12 months later with the Maternal Social Support Index. Comparisons of mothers randomly assigned to visited (n = 108) or nonvisited (n = 104) conditions uncover few differences on structural or affiliational aspects of support after 12 months. Visited mothers, however, are significantly less likely to report a decline in satisfaction with a close adult than nonvisited mothers do. The discussion examines the challenges of fostering social support and the ability of home visitation efforts to achieve this outcome.

Child↗

PubMed1992

The links between types of maltreatment and demographic characteristics of children.

This paper examines the relative impact of demographic characteristics of the child, family structure, and economic variables on types of child abuse and neglect. The current analysis is based on data from the second National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect (NIS-2), which collected information from both CPS and non-CPS agencies (e.g., schools, hospitals) in a national sample of 29 counties (Westat, 1988). The NIS-2 offers a unique opportunity to examine abuse and neglect issues with a large, national data set. This paper looks at a series of exploratory logistic regression models to distinguish between four different types of maltreatment: (a) physical abuse, (b) sexual abuse, (c) emotional maltreatment, and (d) physical neglect. Our findings show that physical neglect, in comparison with the other types of abuse, is the most predictable and distinguishable. It is most clearly related to economic factors such as low income and Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) status, regardless of race. Additionally, both sexual abuse and physical neglect occur at younger ages than previously shown. The policy implications for these findings are discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1992

Regulatory and legislative issues in transfusion medicine.

The nation's blood supply is safer than ever following the implementation of more restrictive donor screening and additional tests for infectious agents. As a result of the AIDS crisis, however, there is a heightened awareness that blood transfusion is not an entirely benign therapy. As blood banking practices continue to undergo close scrutiny by members of Congress, regulators, and the American public, blood banks and transfusion services are striving to communicate effectively their efforts to ensure the provision of quality blood components and services.

Blood Banks↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Preventing child abuse and neglect: programmatic interventions.

The majority of prevention efforts offer services to individual parents, families, or children with the goal of altering those behaviors and attitudes that contribute to risk. Evaluations of these efforts offer preliminary guidelines for shaping programs and systems and for articulating those critical issues in need of further study. This article identifies what we know about the efficacy of prevention, highlights those elements of prevention programming that suggest the most promise, and summarizes the critical outstanding research questions surrounding the proliferation and improvement of prevention programs.

Child↗