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Biomedical subjects

M C Hughes

Publications and source records attributed to M C Hughes.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Environmental influences on helminthiasis and nutritional status among Pacific schoolchildren.

This paper describes a study undertaken to: (1) determine the prevalence of Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura and hookworm infections and nutritional status among Pacific Island school children; (2) identify factors influencing helminthiasis; (3) identify interventions to improve school health. A total of 3,683 children aged 5-12 years attending 27 primary schools in 13 Pacific Island countries were surveyed along with school environmental data. Stool samples were collected from 1996 children (54.2%) and analysed for ova and helminths. Total prevalence of helminthiasis was 32.8%. Anaemia prevalence was 12.4%. Children with helminthiasis and anaemia were found to be 8.7 times more likely to be stunted and 4.3 times more likely to be underweight than non-anaemic and non-infected children. Four significant environmental influences on helminthiasis were identified: (1) an inadequate water supply; (2); availability of a school canteen; (3) regular water/sanitation maintenance regimes; and (4) overcrowded classrooms. Helminthiasis was found to be strongly associated with anaemia, stunting and underweight and environmental influences identified. Although mass anti-helminthic drug administrations (MDA) have been taking place, reinfection is common as drug therapy alone is not enough. Programme effectiveness depends upon upgrading school environments to include an adequate water supply, controlled food preparation/provision, well-maintained water/sanitation facilities and class sizes of 30 students or less.

Ancylostoma↗
PubMed1990

Critical care nursing for the patient with a spinal cord injury.

Knowledge of the dynamics of spinal cord injury to anticipate the myriad of physiologic and psychological complications is essential for effective interventions to achieve optimal patient outcomes. Continuous expert nursing care must be provided to ensure that the patient survives life-threatening events and to facilitate optimal adaptation of the patient and family during this enormous emotional upheaval of their lives. Given the devastating effects of a spinal cord injury, the critical care nurse faces one of the most complex and potentially rewarding challenges of his or her career.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1985

Deaf children's revision behaviors in conversations.

This study was designed to investigate school-age deaf children's responses to a listener's indication of communication breakdown and to determine if the deaf children's responses were related to their syntactic or semantic abilities and/or typical mode of communication. Subjects were 14 deaf children between the ages of 5 yr, 10 mo and 8 yr, 11 mo. Approximately once every 3 min during a 60-min conversation, the experimenter said, and simultaneously signed, "What?" The child's responses to the "What?" probe were classified as Revision, Repetition, and No Response. Revisions were categorized into eight subcategories involving changes in sentence constituents and supraconstituents. Revisions were the most frequent responses when communication broke down. Most of the children's revisions involved changes in sentence constituents. The frequency of revisions, repetitions, and no responses was related to the children's level of syntactic production.

Child↗
PubMed1985

Oral diadochokinesis in hearing-impaired adolescents.

Oscillographic tracings for time-by-count measures of diadochokinetic syllable rate (Fletcher, 1972) were collected from a group of 30 hearing-impaired and five normal-hearing high-school students. Results indicated that hearing-impaired subjects performed significantly slower on all speech-timing tasks than their normal-hearing peers. Within-group differences were identified for the hearing-impaired subjects with respect to speech intelligibility, degree of hearing loss, and gender. The differences, in general, indicate that for varying degrees of hearing loss severity there are speech-timing coordination deficits commensurate to that level.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Hyperactivity and the attention deficit disorder.

The attention deficit disorder is a clinical syndrome manifested by inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity beginning before age seven and persisting for at least six months. The family physician plays a key role in consolidating the observations of parents and teachers with the findings on medical evaluation. The physician also initiates the comprehensive treatment program with counseling and stimulant medication, and coordinates the use of special education, mental health and other resources as needed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1978

Children with psychogenic abdominal pain and their families. Management during hospitalization.

Children hospitalized with psychogenic abdominal pain and the children's families are discussed from the perspective of a child psychiatrist working within the pediatric hospital. Psychosocial and emotional difficulties for the child and parents are noted as families use somatic symptoms to deal with psychic distress. Principles for management are emphasized, utilizing a comprehensive team approach by physicians, nurses, and other health professionals. Through constructive use of hospitalization and informed follow-up, these children and their parents can be helped toward symptomatic improvement and a more meaningful understanding and resolution of their underlying emotional difficulties.

Abdomen↗