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Biomedical subjects

L Floyd

Publications and source records attributed to L Floyd.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

An outbreak of meningococcal meningitis in Gauteng, Spring 1996.

OBJECTIVE: To describe a Neisseria meningitidis outbreak in Gauteng during the period 1 July to 31 December 1996. DESIGN: A descriptive study. SETTING: Patients with meningococcal meningitis in Gauteng who had been diagnosed by laboratory means, or notified during the period 1 July to 31 December 1996. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Data including age, sex, date of admission to hospital, N. meningitidis serogroup and outcome were collected from Gauteng notification lists, South African Institute of Medical Research (SAIMR) records, a linelist compiled by the Gauteng Health Department, and hospital records. RESULTS: A total of 201 patients was studied; of this number 87 (43%) had been notified. Seventy per cent of cases were below 30 years of age and 78% were male. More than half (54%) of the cases were from the West Rand. The case fatality rate for 70 cases of known outcome was 14%. Serotyping of 85 isolates showed that a majority (76%) were serogroup A, with 57% being serogroup A clone I-1. Serogroup A clone III-1 accounted for 14% of the typed isolates. All isolates were sensitive to penicillin with minimum inhibitory concentrations of < 0.05 microgram/ml. CONCLUSION: In 1996 Gauteng experienced an epidemic of serogroup A meningococcal meningitis. The serotype that caused the majority of cases had been recorded in South Africa before, but serogroup A clone III-1, responsible for epidemics spreading across two continents, was recorded in South Africa for the first time. Notification of cases by health workers was inadequate in this epidemic.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Community midwives' views and experience of home birth.

This two-part study explored the home birth experiences of all full time practising community midwives within three health authorities. The study consisted of a self-completion questionnaire, followed by interviews with a random stratified sub-sample of the midwives. The study sample consisted of 56 midwives of whom 44 (78%) agreed to participate. The total experience of home birth by these midwives was limited. The mean number of home births undertaken in the previous year was only two and 14 midwives had not undertaken any. The average number of home births undertaken in their whole career was six. Four midwives (9%) had never undertaken any. Only two midwives (5%) routinely offered home birth at booking. Despite lack of experience, half the sample were strongly positive about home birth. Factors that influenced their feelings about home birth were more complex but were unrelated to the amount of their home birth experience, their age, training or own experience of childbirth. Positive feelings about home birth resulted from the quality of positive previous experiences, education and knowledge and an autonomous view of women and midwives. Negative feelings tended to result from a lack of specific skills, namely suturing, resuscitation and siting of IVIs, midwives' inadequate support networks, doctors' attitudes and a confused perception of the provision of emergency cover.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1990

Peptidergic transmission in the brain. I. Vasopressin-like signal in the hippocampus.

Studies of the action of arginine vasopressin (AVP) in the rat hippocampal slice have produced a model of the peptide's neural action. AVP excites local circuit inhibitory interneurons and causes consequent inhibition of pyramidal cells that is apparent as a reduction in the amplitude of the evoked population spike in field potential recording. Here we show that applied AVP does the same thing to the evoked population spike in the whole animal. Then we show that stimulation of the source of hippocampampal AVP, the medial amygdaloid nucleus, also inhibits the evoked population spike. Analysis of the synaptic potential indicates that the same mechanisms are employed by exogenously applied and endogenously released peptide. The inhibition can only be obtained by stimulating those brain structures known to project vasopressin fibers to the hippocampus. The stimulus-response characteristics and kinetics of the endogenous signal correspond to the properties of peptidergic signals in simple systems. The results are taken to support a transmitter role for AVP in the rat hippocampus.

Action Potentials↗