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Biomedical subjects

K O'Reilly

Publications and source records attributed to K O'Reilly.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

The ESRC review of government social classifications.

In this article we first discuss the background to the ESRC Review of Government Social Classifications and the recommendations of the Review Committee's initial report to the Office for National Statistics in 1995. Second, we discuss the work of Phase 2 of the review, including the derivation of an interim version of a proposed revised government social classification schema and the criterion and construct validation work so far undertaken using this schema. Finally, we indicate the further work required to establish the schema in its ultimate recommended form for use by ONS and others. The main purpose of the paper is to introduce users of government social classifications both to the ideas underlying the review and to the revised version of the current classifications which we shall be recommending to ONS.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Prevention campaigns for hard-to-reach populations at risk for HIV infection: theory and implementation.

Using applied behavioral science techniques that have been successful in other areas of health promotion, community-level campaigns were implemented in 5 cities to prevent HIV infection among hard-to-reach, at-risk populations: men who have sex with men but do not self-identify as gay; women who engage in sex for money or drugs; injecting drug users (IDUs), female sex partners of IDUs; and youth in high-risk situations. Communication materials presented positive role models for risk-reducing behaviors, and peer networks prompted and reinforced the behavior change process. This article describes the first year of intervention experience and documents the practical application of theoretical concepts of persuasion and learning. The use of theory and data to develop 188 educational messages is illustrated and training methods and experiences are reported for 150 peer leaders, 104 other community networkers, and 22 outreach workers. These activities are feasible and appear to offer an effective, general approach for diverse, special populations.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Using formative research to lay the foundation for community level HIV prevention efforts: an example from the AIDS Community Demonstration Projects.

The AIDS Community Demonstration Projects provided community-level HIV prevention interventions to historically hard-to-reach groups at high risk for HIV infection. The projects operated under a common research protocol which encompassed formative research, intervention delivery, process evaluation, and outcome evaluation. A formative research process specifically focusing on intervention development was devised to assist project staff in identifying, prioritizing, accessing, and understanding the intervention target groups. This process was central to the creation of interventions that were acceptable and unique to the target populations. Intended to be rapid, the process took 6 months to complete. Drawn from the disciplines of anthropology, community psychology, sociology, and public health, the formative research process followed distinct steps which included (a) defining the populations at high-risk for HIV; (b) gathering information about these populations through interviews with persons who were outside of, but who had contact with, the target groups (such as staff from the health department and alcohol and drug treatment facilities, as well as persons who interacted in an informal manner with the target groups, such as clerks in neighborhood grocery stores and bartenders); (c) interviewing people with access to the target populations (gatekeepers), and conducting observations in areas where these high-risk groups were reported to gather (from previous interviews); (d) interviewing members of these groups at high risk for HIV infection or transmission; and (e) systematically integrating information throughout the process. Semistructured interview schedules were used for all data collection in this process. This standardized systematic method yielded valuable information about the focal groups in each demonstration project site. The method, if adopted by others, would assist community intervention specialists in developing interventions that are culturally appropriate and meaningful to their respective target populations.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1995

Comparison of in-hospital mortality from myocardial infarction in the pre- and post-thrombolysis eras at the Royal University Hospital, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

PURPOSE: To compare in-hospital mortality of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in two groups of patients in the pre- (1978-79) and post- (1990-91) thrombolysis era via a retrospective study. DATA SOURCE: Hospital files of patients discharged from the Royal University Hospital (RUH) in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan with the diagnosis of AMI. RESULTS: The diagnosis of AMI was established in 125 patients in 1978-79 and in 164 patients in 1990-91. The two groups were comparable with exceptions noted in the recorded family history of myocardial infarction and hypercholesterolemia. The overall in-hospital mortality decreased from 21.6% (1978-79) to 11.0% (1990-91; P = 0.05). The difference was more significant for patients admitted directly to the RUH, 24.0% (1978-79) versus 7.0% (1990-91; P = 0.05), and for patients over the age of 70 years. Marked differences were observed in the treatments provided to patients between these two decades. CONCLUSIONS: The in-hospital mortality of patients with AMI has decreased considerably in the past two decades. The use of thrombolytic agents, acetylsalicylic acid, heparin and beta-blockers may have contributed to these changes. A worse prognosis was observed with advancing age, hypotension on admission and the development of congestive heart failure, malignant arrhythmias or shock.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1994

Risking everything? Risk behavior, behavior change, and AIDS.

Inquiry into the determinants of risk-related sexual behavior is important for the development of interventions to reduce the incidence of new cases of human immunodeficiency virus infection. Recent social and behavioral research has revealed much about the individual and social factors influencing risk-taking. Findings from these studies have been important in the development of new educational and community-based interventions for communities at risk in the developed and developing worlds.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1994

Expression of inducible stress protein 70 in rat heart myogenic cells confers protection against simulated ischemia-induced injury.

Myocardial ischemia markedly increases the expression of several members of the stress/heat shock protein (HSP) family, especially the inducible HSP70 isoforms. Increased expression of HSP70 has been shown to exert a protective effect against a lethal heat shock. We have examined the possibility of using this resistance to a lethal heat shock as a protective effect against an ischemic-like stress in vitro using a rat embryonic heart-derived cell line H9c2 (2-1). Myogenic cells in which the heat shock proteins have been induced by a previous heat shock are found to become resistant to a subsequent simulated ischemic stress. In addition, to address the question of how much does the presence of the HSP70 contribute to this protective effect, we have generated stably transfected cell lines overexpressing the human-inducible HSP70. Embryonal rat heart-derived H9c2(2-1) cells were used for this purpose. This stably transfected cell line was found to be significantly more resistant to an ischemic-like stress than control myogenic cells only expressing the selectable marker (neomycin) or the parental cell line H9c2(2-1). This finding implicates the inducible HSP70 protein as playing a major role in protecting cardiac cells against ischemic injury.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Calculating receptor number from binding experiments using same compound as radioligand and competitor.

Saturation experiments using increasing concentrations of radioligand are commonly used to determine receptor number and affinity, but this protocol is not feasible in all situations. Alternatively, competitive binding experiments are often performed in which binding of a single concentration of radioligand is completed for by multiple concentrations of the same unlabelled ligand, but the analysis of such data has been difficult. Antonio DeBlasi and colleagues present here a simple method for calculating receptor number and affinity from competitive binding data. This experimental protocol is useful when a single class of binding site is present, but is often not able to detect the presence of two classes of site.

Binding, Competitive↗
PubMed1989

Na+-Ca2+ exchange in cardiac sarcolemma: modulation of Ca2+ affinity by exercise.

The high activity of the cardiac Na+-Ca2+ exchanger has led to the suggestion that it plays an important role in the regulation of myocardial contractility. We have proposed that exercise training increases stroke volume as a consequence of an enhanced contractility caused by an adaptation in Ca2+ transport across the cardiac plasma membrane (sarcolemma). The present study examined the possibility that the Na+-Ca2+ exchanger in heart muscle is modified in response to training. Sprague-Dawley rats (female, n = 72) were randomly divided into exercise-trained (T) and sedentary control (C) groups. As a result of the 11-wk treadmill-training paradigm, group T had a 7.6% higher (P less than 0.005) heart-to-body weight ratio and a 36% increase (P less than 0.01) in gastrocnemius mitochondrial enzyme activity. Na+-Ca2+ exchange was studied in highly purified sarcolemmal vesicles using rapid-quenching techniques. The absolute initial rate of uptake was significantly higher in T vs. C at calcium concentrations [( Ca2+]) ranging from 10 to 80 microM. This increased uptake appears to be due solely to the fact that the apparent Km of the myocardial Na+-Ca2+ exchanger for Ca2+ was significantly lower in T vs. C (15.7 +/- 1.1 vs. 36.1 +/- 2.6 microM), since the maximum velocity was unchanged. The observed increase in the affinity of the exchanger for Ca2+ is not attributable to group differences in vesicular purity, cross-contamination, or passive Ca2+ efflux. This observation is consistent with observed alterations in sarcolemmal composition in response to exercise training. We propose that the modification of the Na+-Ca2+ exchanger may play an important role in the adaptation of the heart to exercise.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Long term survival following bilateral breast angiosarcoma.

Angiosarcoma of the breast is a rare and usually rapidly fatal tumour. A 45-year-old woman with bilateral angiosarcoma who has survived 13 years since her original presentation is reported. The management and prognosis of angiosarcomas of the breast is reviewed.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1987

Anti-BoLA-w8 monoclonal antibody: production of a tissue typing reagent after blocking monomorphic sites on bovine mononuclear cells.

A murine monoclonal antibody, WIM-8 with specificity for BoLA-w8, was generated after using an immunization protocol designed to reduce the response to bovine monomorphic determinants. BoLA-w8/w9 peripheral blood mononuclear (PBM) cells were incubated with an antiserum from mice immunized with BoLA-w10/w20 PBM cells. Splenocytes from a mouse that received three intravenous injections of the treated cells were fused with murine myelomas. A hybridoma supernatant with alloreactivity in ELISA against BoLA-w8 positive but not BoLA-w8 negative PBM cells was tested for lymphocytotoxicity in parallel with parous alloantisera. WIM-8, an IgG2b monoclonal antibody, identified the 44,000 dalton protein of the bovine MHC class I molecule present on Bos taurus and Bos indicus animals.

Animals↗