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Biomedical subjects

L MacDonald

Publications and source records attributed to L MacDonald.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Vital fluorescence: a new measure of periodontal treatment effect.

The purpose of the current study was to determine, by means of a fluorescence test, the ratio between vital and dead bacteria in dental plaque before and two weeks following professional dental prophylaxis. A solution of fluoresceindiacetate (FDA) and ethidium bromide (EB) in normal saline was applied to plaque samples from 82 healthy adults both prior to and 14 days following professional prophylaxis. Living microorganisms were colored green by the FDA while the EB introduced a red color into the nucleic acids of dead cells. The relationships between the vital fluorescence scores and standard clinical measures, plaque index (PlI) and gingival index (GI) were analyzed. Two weeks following professional prophylaxis, a significant decrease was observed in the PlI scores (0.9 +/- 0.4, Day 0; 0.6 +/- 0.3, Day 14, p < 0.001) and the GI scores (1.1 +/- 0.2, Day 0; 0.7 +/- 0.3, Day 14, p < 0.001), while there was a statistically significant increase in the vitality of the dental plaque (74 per cent +/- 9, Day 0; 78 per cent +/- 7, Day 14, p < 0.001). The vital fluorescence (VF) technique may provide an additional explanation of periodontal treatment effect.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Efficacy of Listerine, Meridol and chlorhexidine mouthrinses as supplements to regular tooth cleaning measures.

The anti-plaque, anti-gingivitis and anti-microbial efficacies of a phenolic compound (Listerine) and 2 different amine/stannous fluoride mouthwashes (Meridol I, II) were compared when these solutions were used in addition to usual tooth cleaning. A placebo preparation was utilized as a negative control and a chlorhexidine solution as a positive control in this double-blind study. After professional tooth cleaning, 49 volunteers continued their habitual, self-performed and non-supervised oral hygiene for a period of 2 weeks, in order to have a more standard baseline. At day 0, they began to rinse twice daily with 1 of the 5 mouthwashes. After 3 weeks of rinsing, plaque indices remained the lowest in the chlorhexidine and the Meridol I groups, while subjects using Listerine or Meridol II demonstrated similar indices significantly lower than that of individuals rinsing with the placebo solution. Through this period, the gingival index scores were similar in the Meridol, Listerine and chlorhexidine groups. At day 21, the mean GI scores in the chlorhexidine group were significantly lower than the scores in the placebo group. The plaque vitality scores showed a bacterial effect in vivo of chlorhexidine and, to a lesser extent, of the Meridol solutions. No substantial evidence of an antibacterial effect in vivo was found for Listerine. This study has demonstrated that when mouthrinses are used to supplement habitual mechanical oral hygiene, chlorhexidine remains the most powerful solution. Furthermore, it was also shown that a combination of habitual self-performed and non-supervised oral hygiene with Meridol or Listerine is more beneficial for plaque control than the use of mechanical oral hygiene alone.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

A survey of long-term care elderly patients in the South West Thames Region.

This paper describes a survey which focuses on the patients in National Health Service long-term care beds. It examines the dependency levels and mental impairment of geriatric patients in 15 Departments of Geriatric Medicine, and determines the extent and distribution of patient dependency, including the number of independent patients. The findings support the view that there is a need for National Health Service long-term care beds.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1988

Measuring patient satisfaction with life in a long-stay psychiatric hospital.

A survey of patient satisfaction with physical and social conditions was carried out in the long-stay wards of a large inner city psychiatric hospital in London, Britain. Patient satisfaction was assessed by means of an administered questionnaire which was developed specifically for this purpose. Factor analysis identified eight components of patient satisfaction. Of 143 eligible patients, 104 (73%) successfully completed the interview. Responses showed that patients were generally satisfied with life in the hospital, although levels of satisfaction varied significantly among wards. The factors causing greatest dissatisfaction related to failure to be treated as individuals and to feelings of isolation and apathy. Our findings showed that patients can express views about their conditions which should be useful in planning improvements in care. The questionnaire proved a simple and effective method of measuring satisfaction and may be useful to others concerned with improving the quality of the environment of patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Improving the reliability of a Maladaptive Behavior Scale.

A methodology was described for operationalizing the terms occasionally and frequently on the Maladaptive Behavior Scale (MacDonald & Barton, 1986), previously developed by modifying Part II of the AAMD Adaptive Behavior Scale. The modal ratings obtained from staff members of 28 rehabilitation agencies were used to define numerically these terms on a revised scale; interrater reliability and item-by-item agreement were slightly greater for the revised scale. On the basis of these findings and raters' comments, it is suggested that a similar methodology might increase the reliability and usefulness of the ABS, Part II.

Humans↗
PubMed1987

Sensitivity to change and the effect of mode of administration on health status measurement.

A measure of global health status, the McMaster Health Index Questionnaire (MHIQ), was assessed to determine two important measurement properties related to its reliability and validity--sensitivity to change and the effect of mode of administration. Ninety-six patients in a physiotherapy clinic were randomly assigned to three mode-of-administration study groups, administered the MHIQ at four points in time including at admission and discharge from the clinic, and assessed for change by their physiotherapist. MHIQ physical function, social function, and emotional function retest scores obtained by self-completion within a 1-week interval were most stable. Physical function scores by any of self-completion, telephone interview, or personal interview were sensitive to change, that is, they improved dramatically by the time of discharge from the clinic. Mode of administration did not affect the size of the change scores. Changes reflected by the physical function scores correlated with changes in physical function reported by a patient's physiotherapist. No systematic changes occurred with social and emotional function scores; this is not surprising in a group of patients with predominantly physical function problems.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1986

Bowels: beliefs and behaviour.

A postal questionnaire about knowledge, beliefs, and experiences of bowel function was returned by 171 patients aged 55 years and over from a group general practice in London. Of the respondents, 10% reported no predictable frequency of movement, a higher proportion being women than men; 79% believed that a daily movement is important and 90% that 'regularity' is necessary for good health; 14% were dissatisfied with their bowel habits and 16% regularly self-treated; 95% gave reasonable definitions of 'regular' and 'diarrhoea'; a tenth were unsure about the definition of 'constipation'. Although 76% believed there were bowel symptoms which require immediate medical attention, 98% would in the first instance treat themselves for constipation, 90% for diarrhoea, and 25% for rectal bleeding. To reduce delay in the diagnosis of colorectal cancer, it is suggested that consultations for disturbance of bowel function be encouraged among the middle-aged and the elderly. Doctors should examine such patients with the diagnosis of malignancy in mind.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

Measuring severity of behavior: a revision of Part II of the Adaptive Behavior Scale.

This study was designed to: (a) assess the degree to which rehabilitation staff rate the severity of maladaptive behaviors on Part II of the AAMD Adaptive Behavior Scale (ABS) and, on the basis of the obtained rating, (b) develop a socially validated revision of the scoring system to allow more accurate classification of mentally retarded individuals as having mild, moderate, or severe behavior problems. On the basis of the modal ratings obtained from various service agencies for "occasionally" and "frequently" on Part II of the ABS, we constructed a revised scoring system. Preliminary use of the scoring system suggests satisfactory agreement between "severity profile" scores and subjective ratings of individuals classified by service agencies as demonstrating mild, moderate, or severe behavior problems.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Children's multiple vitamins: overuse leads to overdose.

A suburban Ontario community hospital encountered 21 +/- 1 overdoses of children's multiple vitamins yearly between 1978 and 1981. Of these, 35% involved one particular cartoon character preparation. Parents were surveyed to determine whether this particular preparation resulted in a disproportionate number of accidental overdoses. However, the use of vitamins with a cartoon character format did not lead to a greater risk of overdose than did conventional preparations. Of the 1051 families who had given multiple vitamins to their children 34 (3%) had experienced an overdose. The number of vitamin preparations used by each family was the most powerful determinant of overdose (p less than 0.001). The risk of accidental overdose increased from 1.5% with one multiple-vitamin preparation to 8% with four or more preparations. Among all the variables examined, exposure was the most important element in the risk of multiple-vitamin overdose.

Adolescent↗