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Biomedical subjects

M A Parsons

Publications and source records attributed to M A Parsons.

135 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Development of questionnaires to measure psychosocial influences on children's physical activity.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to develop and validate questionnaires used to measure psychosocial determinants of physical activity in preadolescent children. METHODS: Three theory-based questionnaires and a measure of after-school physical activity were administered to 422 fifth-grade students. A cross-validation design was employed for psychometric development of the scales, including factor analysis, reliability, and validation by correlating scale scores with intention to be physically active and after-school physical activity. RESULTS: The Social Influences scale contained a single factor. The Self-Efficacy scale contained three factors: support seeking, barriers, and positive alternatives. The Beliefs scale contained two factors: social outcomes and physical activity outcomes. Reliability coefficients ranged from about 0.50 to 0.78. Significant correlations were obtained between all six scales and intention in the development sample, and between five scales and intention in the validation sample. Significant correlations were obtained between social influence and self-efficacy barriers and physical activity in the development sample, and between social influences and physical activity in the validation sample. CONCLUSIONS: Three scales to measure psychosocial determinants of physical activity were refined for use with rural, predominantly African-American, preadolescent children, and shown to be both reliable and valid. Factor analysis resulted in interpretable subscales that may be used as variables. These preliminary results provide support for using the scales to measure influences on activity in children.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Health behavior and related factors in adolescents with a history of abortion and never-pregnant adolescents.

Although prevention of unintended births among adolescents is health promoting, abortion, as one of those methods, has not been examined from a health promotion perspective. The authors describe and compare health behaviors, problem-solving appraisal, self-image, age, and use of contraceptives at first and most recent coitus in adolescents with a history of abortion and never-pregnant adolescents. A cross-sectional design with 26 pairs of adolescents matched on age, race, grade level, and Medicaid status was used. No significant differences were found between the 2 groups. The matched pairs' health behaviors and problem-solving scores were less favorable than those reported in the literature for nonmetropolitan women. Although the 2 groups of adolescents had similar self-image scores, they were significantly below those of the norm reference group. The matched pairs initiated coitus at an earlier age, and a smaller proportion used contraceptives at first and last coitus than national norms. These findings support the need for early intervention to enhance self-image, problem-solving confidence, and coitus delay. The findings point to the importance of aggressive family planning interventions and maintenance of access to abortion services.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Fusarium solani DNase is a signal for increasing expression of nonhost disease resistance response genes, hypersensitivity, and pisatin production.

The inoculation of pea endocarp tissue with the bean pathogen Fusarium solani f. sp. phaseoli results in a non-host resistance response causing a complete cessation of fungal growth within 6 to 8 h. In addition to previously reported elicitation by chitosan, we now report that components of this response are also induced by a DNase released from this fungus. A single band of protein corresponding with DNase activity elicits phytoalexin production and the accumulation of RnA homologous with the pathogenesis-related (PR) genes DRR49, DRR206, and DRR230. Both the enzyme activity and the eliciting potential of the Fusarium DNase (Fsp DNase) are heat stable but susceptible to digestion by proteinase K. Fsp DNase mimics the intact fungus in inducing resistance against F. solani f. sp. pisi. Also, Fsp DNase causes similar cytologically detectable changes in pea tissue, such as increasing hypersensitive discoloration and diminishing fluorescence of Hoechst 33342-stained nuclei and fluorescein diacetate stained cells.

Benzopyrans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Choroidal neurofibromatosis with congenital iris ectropion and buphthalmos: relationship and significance.

We report a case of unilateral buphthalmos in neurofibromatosis-1 without the other classical characteristics of the François syndrome (triad of unilateral buphthalmos, homolateral eyelid plexiform neuroma, and homolateral facial hemihypertrophy) and emphasize the difficulties in early diagnosis. The painful buphthalmic right eye was enucleated at the age of 13 months. Histopathology demonstrated diffuse choroidal neurofibromatosis in association with congenital iris ectropion syndrome. Cutaneous manifestations of neurofibromatosis subsequently developed in the patient and stigmata of the disease were later identified in other asymptomatic family members.

Choroid Neoplasms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Enolase isoenzymes in benign and malignant melanocytic lesions.

The distributions of the alpha, beta and gamma subunits of enolase were studied in 34 melanocytic lesions using the peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP) technique. Melanocytes in benign neoplasms stained moderately strongly for both alpha enolase and gamma enolase but staining for beta enolase was consistently negative. Staining for alpha enolase was always stronger than that for gamma enolase. There are some indications that with increasing degrees of dedifferentiation there was a reduction of gamma enolase activity, least differentiated cells being completely negative. Ocular melanomata showed similar changes to those seen in the skin. The enolase isoenzyme composition of tumour extracts was assessed biochemically on a limited number of cases and these results are discussed in relationship to the immunohistochemical studies.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis: a pathological, clinical and aetiological analysis of 87 cases.

Analysis of 87 cases of xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis ( XPN ) from 1958 to 1983 (14 males, 73 females, ages 13-85) revealed an incidence of 1.4 cases/100 000 population per annum which is apparently increasing. Clinical, radiological and pathological investigations demonstrated universal urinary obstruction (77.5 per cent calculi, 17.5 per cent pelviureteric junction obstruction) and pathogenic organisms such as E. coli or Proteus were cultured from the urine in 72 per cent of cases. Rare complications included sinuses or fistulae to bowel. We believe that the combination of urinary obstruction and infection by organisms of low virulence initiate XPN , and that associated lipid is derived from renal pelvic adipose tissue. Problems of differential diagnosis are discussed in relation to the use of immunocytochemistry and electron microscopy.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Faculty practice plan entrance strategy for nursing.

Nursing is a practice discipline that places great value on members of the profession who excel as providers of direct care. With health care reform, nursing faculty have unprecedented opportunities for advanced practice and are implementing entrepreneurial ventures to meet their commitments to practice. The purpose of this article is to describe a nursing faculty practice plan in conjunction with a decentralized medical school plan. The major benefits and barriers to its adoption are addressed.

Contract Services↗