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L J Bernard

Publications and source records attributed to L J Bernard.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Recruiting elderly African-American women in cancer prevention and control studies: a multifaceted approach and its effectiveness.

Barriers to engaging African Americans as research participants may be accentuated among older single African-American women partly because of financial, social, physical, and cognitive factors. This article shows our multifaceted strategies and experiences in the recruitment of single African-American women aged 65 and older in a cancer prevention and control study. The study was conducted in 10 public housing complexes in Nashville, Tennessee. Out of 367 eligible women, 325 participated in the study, resulting in a rate of 89%. The result suggests that a strategy, which targets the cultural, perceptive, and cognitive characteristics of the population, was effective for increasing the enrollment of study subjects in this population. Because the single constitute 75% of African-American women aged 65 and older; and the incidence and mortality of cancer are especially high in elderly African Americans, our experiences are encouraging for cancer prevention and control research in the population.

Black or African American↗
PubMed2000

Mammography screening in single older African-American women: a study of related factors.

OBJECTIVE: Using baseline data from an intervention study, we examined cognitive, psychological, social and medical care factors in relation to the use of a mammogram in the preceding year among single African-American women aged 65 and older. METHODS: Study subjects were 325 African-American women aged 65 and older who were divorced, widowed, separated or never-married, and lived in ten public housing complexes in Nashville, Tennessee. In-person interviews were conducted to collect information on breast screening behavior, knowledge and attitude, social network and activities, emotional and psychological symptoms and signs, and medical care use. RESULTS: Compared with those who had not had a mammogram in the preceding year, women who had had a mammogram in the preceding year were three times more likely to have a regular doctor (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.4-5.0) and about six times more likely to have a doctor's recommendation for a mammogram (95%CI 3.4-11.1). In addition, they were more likely to: (a) have attended a meeting on breast health or received educational materials on breast cancer; (b) agree that a woman needs a mammogram even though she has no breast problem; (c) agree that a woman can have breast cancer without having symptoms; (d) have living children and grandchildren; and (e) attend social activities more frequently. CONCLUSIONS: While access to regular medical care and receiving a physician's recommendation are strongly associated with mammography among these older, single African-American women, education on breast health and social networks also appear to be influential.

Black or African American↗
PubMed1997

Estrogen receptor status of breast cancer: a marker of different stages of tumor or different entities of the disease?

Breast cancer can be divided into two types according to the estrogen receptor (ER) level of the tumor: ER-positive and ER-negative. Two hypotheses have been raised about the relationship between ER-positive and ER-negative breast tumors. One hypothesis considers ER status as an indicator of a different stage of the disease. The other regards ER-positive and ER-negative tumors as different entities. For both etiological and biological studies of breast cancer it is important to know which hypothesis is correct. In this paper, we review evidence for and against each hypothesis and suggest issues to be addressed in future studies.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗
PubMed1987

Intestinal obstruction: still a lethal clinical entity.

A retrospective analysis of 70 consecutive patients with a clinical diagnosis of intestinal obstruction from January 1983 to September 1985 was reviewed. Mean age was 62 years. Etiological factors included adhesions 50 percent, malignancy 24 percent, volvulus 12 percent, diverticulitis 7 percent, hernias 4 percent, and radiation enteritis, mesenteric infarction, and perforation of the cecum in the remaining 3 percent. Complications included wound infection 9 percent (n = 6), intra-abdominal sepsis 7 percent (n = 5), and recurrent small bowel obstruction 4 percent (n = 3). Overall mortality was 24 percent (n = 7).Results of the univariant analysis showed no association between the clinical signs of intestinal obstruction, that is, fever, tachycardia, leukocytosis, and local tenderness, and gangrenous bowel. A multiple regression analysis showed, however, that only 14 percent of the variance was able to predict the gangrenous bowel based on clinical signs. In conclusion, the classical signs of intestinal obstruction are poor indicators for compromised bowel, and early surgical intervention will reduce the incidence of ischemic bowel and mortality.

Adolescent↗