Biomedical subjects

Laura Freeman

Publications and source records attributed to Laura Freeman.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Reducing diazepam prescribing for illicit drug users: a randomised control study.

Illicit drug users undergoing mandatory reductions in prescribed diazepam were randomly allocated to one of two methods of delivering psychological support to help reduce their prescription: a) an enhanced intervention consisting of skills training and reinforcement, and b) a limited intervention where patients initially received skills training and thereafter only advice. Outcome measures at baseline and six-months consisted of daily diazepam dose; reported illicit drug use; Severity of Dependence Scale; Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS); Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Fifty-three of 119 eligible patients agreed to be randomly allocated to the interventions. Those in the enhanced intervention reduced their daily dose of prescribed diazepam from a mean of 27.8 mgs to 19.9 mgs at six months (5.3% per month) compared with 29.8 mgs to 17.6 mgs at six months (7.5%) among those in the limited intervention group. However, there was no statistically significant difference in the reduction rate between the intervention groups. Approximately 75% of patients in each group suspended their reduction programme. The enhanced intervention group reported a statistically and clinically greater reduction in the mean HADS depression score (10.6 at baseline and 7.7 at follow-up), compared with a rise from 8.9 to 11.2 in the limited intervention group. In conclusion, it is possible to reduce prescribed diazepam among illicit drug users but not at the rate of 10% per month set by the study. The difficulties of working with this population necessitate a flexible and possibly long-term approach to reducing prescribed benzodiazepines.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Time-lapse analysis of the circadian rhythms of conidiation and growth rate in neurospora.

The filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa has frequently served as a model organism for the study of circadian rhythms through its ability to form conidial spores on a daily basis. This phenomenon leaves a spatial pattern of conidiation bands along a solid surface of agar after several days of growth. Using time-lapse video, the authors have quantified the rate of conidiation. They have found that conidia do not form at a specified lag time after the growth front is laid down, but rather the band region tends to simultaneously develop over a short time frame. This produces a sharp peak when the conidiation rate is plotted against time. In addition, the authors used time-lapse video to assay growth rate with greater accuracy than previously reported. It is usually assumed that Neurospora's rate of growth is constant, and this assumption of linear growth has been used extensively to determine period and phase of the conidiation circadian rhythm. The authors have confirmed an earlier report of nonlinear growth rate and have shown that the growth rate varies by a factor of about 2 with each circadian cycle. They have demonstrated that the errors in calculating times of conidiation peaks are maximally 1 to 2 h if linearity is assumed. The conidiation rate and growth rate rhythms are not apparent under conditions (using mutants or high or low temperatures) where the spatial banding rhythm is not observed. In light/dark entraining conditions, the conidiation rate and growth rate rhythms maintain the same phase relationship in different T-cycles. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that the growth rate rhythm is a consequence of the conidiation rate rhythm.

Biological Clocks↗