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Biomedical subjects

M E Vernon

Publications and source records attributed to M E Vernon.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Immunization services for adolescents within comprehensive school health programs.

Every school day, more than 95% of the nation's five- to 17-year-olds attend one of almost 110,000 elementary and secondary schools where they receive instruction in how to avoid major health-threatening behaviors. School is also the place where children and adolescents can be given preventive health care services, including administration of vaccines and monitoring of immunization levels. This article addresses how expanding school health services could improve immunization levels of school-aged youth.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

The role of calcium in gonadotropin-releasing hormone induction of follicle-stimulating hormone release by the pituitary gonadotrope.

Binding of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) to the pituitary gonadotrope induces activation of a membrane associated calcium channel, resulting ultimately in luteinizing hormone release. The role of calcium mobilization in GnRH-induced follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) release was explored using anterior pituitary glands from female rats in a perifusion tissue culture system. While perifusion with GnRH (10 ng/ml) induced a constant level of gonadotropin release, the calcium channel blocker verapamil (10(-4)M) depressed FSH release, as did dantrolene (10(-4)M), an antagonist of intracellular calcium mobilization. When the calcium ionophore A23187 (10(-5) M) was substituted for GnRH, FSH release was not only maintained but increased. Antagonism of the activity of calmodulin (CAM) with trifluoperazine (10(-4)M), however, did not depress FSH release. Cellular content of cAMP and cGMP increased in response to GnRH. When FSH secretion was ionophoretically induced by A23187, however, little cAMP was detected. These results support a role for calcium mobilization in the second messenger cascade underlying GnRH-induced FSH release. The role for calcium in the disparate release of FSH and LH were further discussed in the context of these data.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Communicating with adolescents in alternative health care sites.

Many adolescents have needs that are not always met in traditional medical settings. A number of sociomedical problems known as the new morbidities have presently emerged as national health-related problems among adolescents. However, in a recent national review, the 15 most frequent reasons for adolescent visits to a hospital or practitioner's office did not include these problems. We know that the major causes of death among adolescents are accidents, homicide, and suicide, and they experience untold mortalities related to teenage pregnancy, alcohol abuse, and drug abuse. Special programs are needed to address these problems. Our traditional health care facilities fail to reach the majority of high-risk adolescents. Through innovative programs such as Teen-Link, The Door, The Bridge over Troubled Waters, School Based Health Clinics, and other alternative health care facilities, many of these problems are being identified; and the at-risk population is targeted and served. Health care promotion and education have become major components of these programs. The key to attracting adolescent patients to these facilities has been the ability to reach out and serve them on their ground, and to effectively communicate with them despite their different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. No ideal approach to delivering health care exists for adolescent patients; however, a program that addresses their medical, social, educational, vocational, and psychologic needs may be utilized more frequently than programs that do not address the adolescent in a holistic manner. Further evaluation of these existing programs is necessary to assess which components are cost-effective, and which ones significantly affect the life-styles of adolescents as they progress toward adulthood.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Teenage pregnancy: a prospective study of self-esteem and other sociodemographic factors.

A prospective study was undertaken to examine the relationship of self-esteem and other factors theorized to contribute to teenage pregnancy. The Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory and a questionnaire concerning demographic, attitudinal, and other factors, were administered to 874 of the 1,007 teenage women enrolled in two city high schools. During the following year, 95 of 858 teenage women followed up became pregnant, a pregnancy rate of 11.1%. The data show no significant association of self-esteem with subsequent pregnancy. Twelve of the 27 questionnaire items were associated significantly with pregnancy. However, further analysis revealed that either alone or in combination, there were no more than 57% sensitivity and 67% specificity for prediction of subsequent pregnancy from the questionnaires.

Adolescent↗