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Biomedical subjects

M K Chapko

Publications and source records attributed to M K Chapko.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Multiple sexual partners: results of a national HIV/AIDS survey in the Central African Republic.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence and characteristics of individuals with more than one sexual partner in the Central African Republic during the previous 12 months. DESIGN: A national survey. METHODS: A stratified sample of 2589 individuals aged 15-50 years was interviewed in late 1989. The 157-question survey questionnaire was a modified version of a questionnaire developed by the World Health Organization Global Programme on AIDS. RESULTS: Thirty-four per cent of men and 17% of women reported having sex with more than one partner during the previous 12 months. For both men and women, logistic regression indicated that the risk of having multiple partners increased with being single compared with being married; being employed in a profession other than agriculture compared with being a farmer, unemployed, a housewife, or a student; living in an urban rather than a rural area; rape being part of their first sexual encounter; and combining sex with alcohol. Risk increased with increasing ability to read for men and with decreasing age and drinking alcohol for women. CONCLUSIONS: These findings can be used to develop and target HIV/AIDS prevention and control programmes and to improve mathematical models of the epidemic.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Clinical assessment scale for the rating of oral mucosal changes associated with bone marrow transplantation. Development of an oral mucositis index.

Oral complications can be serious and disabling problems for patients undergoing cancer therapy. Therefore, the authors wanted to develop a sensitive and specific instrument to measure oral mucosal changes during therapy. The Oral Mucosa Rating Scale (OMRS) has an examination rating scale to quantify the type and severity of clinically evident oral mucosal changes (atrophy, erythema, ulceration, and pseudomembranous, hyperkeratotic, lichenoid, and edematous changes), with a scale ranging from 0 to 3 (normal to severe). Separate visual analogue scales are obtained for oral pain and dryness. One hundred eighty-eight bone marrow transplant recipients were studied from before transplant through day 42 after transplant. The OMRS then was used to develop a specific index for assessing acute oral mucositis after bone marrow transplant--the Oral Mucositis Index (OMI). The OMI internal consistency measures (Chronbach alpha and Guttman split-half coefficients) were strong (range, 0.84 to 0.93). Support for the validity of the OMI is presented. These scales should help improve the study of oral complications of cancer therapy.

Adult↗

Hospitalizations in Niger (West Africa) for complications from arterial hypertension.

Fifty-four patients hospitalized in Niger for complications from hypertension between September 1988 and October 1989 were studied. The following complications were observed: left ventricular hypertrophy (56%), coronary vascular defect (35%), left heart deficiency (26%), cardiac failure (32%), retinopathy (56%), renal insufficiency (35%), and stroke (24%). The most frequent risk factor was Type A personality (76%), followed by stress (48%), excess weight (37%), tobacco use (35%), hyperuricemia (35%), hypercholesteremia (17%), and diabetes (15%). Complications from hypertension may well become a major problem for African countries as they develop.

Adult↗

Development of a behavioral measure of mouth pain, nausea, and wellness for patients receiving radiation and chemotherapy.

Toxicities from the chemotherapy and irradiation preparative regimen for bone marrow transplantation include nausea, emesis, and oral pain. Behavioral measures were developed as alternatives to paper and pencil measures of these symptoms because patients are sometimes too ill, unavailable, or unwilling to complete self-report scales. Behavioral observations also provide supplements to self-report for these multidimensional symptoms. For 24 days during the acute phase of transplantation, nurses rated the behavior of adult patients on: (a) oral pain (for example, requests pain medication or refuses mouth examination), (b) nausea (for instance, retches or keeps emesis basin near), (c) wellness (for example, talks voluntarily or smiles), (d) verbal complaints of pain, and (e) verbal complaints of nausea. The behavioral measures demonstrated good interday reliability (range, 0.70-0.86) and construct validity as demonstrated by a multitrait, multimethod correlation matrix.

Adult↗

Time to adoption of an innovation by dentists in private practice: sealant utilization.

Dentists can be divided into five adoption categories based upon their time of adoption of pit and fissure sealants: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards. The differences among dentists in the five adoption categories were examined for four classes of variables: practice characteristics, dentist characteristics, communication of information, and practice environment. Questionnaires were mailed in September 1984 to a random sample (N = 521) of Washington State dentists in general practices. A total of 376 completed questionnaires were returned, for a response rate of 72 percent. Adoption of sealants proceeded as follows: 5 percent of dentists through 1973, 24 percent through 1979, 50 percent through 1982, and 75 percent through 1984. Adoption category was related to percent of assistants who were certified, delegation to assistants and hygienists, magnitude of the fees charged by the practice, number of staff meetings per month, the dentist having been an officer in a dental organization, year the dentist adopted other new technologies, dentist's self-rating of willingness to try new things, percent of patients who are children, and percent of the dentist's colleagues who used sealants. These data lend some support to the two-stage or opinion-leader model of diffusion and suggest that new technologies can be promoted by first influencing dentists who consistently adopt early.

Adolescent↗

Methods of determining the cost of health care in the Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers and other non-priced settings.

Cost is increasingly important in the evaluation of health care. Though charges are often used as a proxy for cost, some health care systems such as the Veterans Administration do little or no billing. This article describes, presents examples of, and evaluates four options for determining the cost of care within the Department of Veterans Affairs: measuring input costs, the Department's cost accounting system, the reimbursement system, and use of charges from a surrogate health care facility. Each approach is evaluated for accuracy, ability to compare the costs of different treatments, and effort required to estimate cost.

Accounting↗

A long-term study of the relationship of third molars to changes in the mandibular dental arch.

The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship of third molars to changes in the mandibular dental arch. The sample for this study consisted of four groups and subgroups. The groups consisted of premolar extraction treated, nonextraction treated with initial generalized spacing, nonextraction treated, and serial extraction untreated subjects. The subgroups were divided into persons who had mandibular third molars that were either impacted, erupted into function, congenitally absent, or extracted at least 10 years before postretention records. The mean postretention time interval was 13 years, with a range of 10 to 28 years. The mean postretention age was 28 years 6 months, with a range of 18 years 6 months to 39 years 4 months. Two-way analysis of variance with repeated measures was used to compare the changes over time (before treatment, at end of active treatment, and after retention) of groups and third molar subgroups. With time, mandibular incisor irregularity increased while arch length and intercanine width decreased. The eruption patterns of mandibular incisors and first molars were similarly dispersed in all groups studied. The findings between the subgroups in which mandibular third molars were impacted, erupted into function, congenitally absent, or extracted 10 years before postretention records revealed no significant differences between any of the subgroups for the parameters studied. No significant differences in mandibular growth were found between the third molar subgroups; this suggests that persons with third molars erupted into satisfactory function do not have a significantly different mandibular growth pattern than those whose third molars are impacted or congenitally missing. In the majority of cases some degree of mandibular incisor crowding took place after retention, but this change was not significantly different between third molar subgroups. This finding suggests that the recommendation for mandibular third molar removal with the objective of alleviating or preventing mandibular incisor irregularity may not be justified.

Adult↗

A model for reducing the cost of care in VA medical centers that offer adult day health care.

One approach to providing cost-effective adult day health care (ADHC) services is to guide both the inputs to ADHC services and the provision of other services so that substitution for institutional services can realistically take place. This approach has been used in a randomized clinical trial to evaluate the medical efficacy and cost of ADHC in the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA). This article describes the strategies that were used to improve the cost effectiveness of ADHC during the evaluation. Cost and use estimates were developed based on the best data available from the DVA and previous research on the cost for patients' use of ADHC, nursing home, hospital, and ambulatory care. A cost workshop was attended by the ADHC managers to develop plans for controlling costs. Plans were identified that increase the likelihood that ADHC can be shown to be less costly than customary care.

Adult↗

Long-term evaluation of root resorption occurring during orthodontic treatment.

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the long-term status of teeth that had undergone root resorption during active orthodontic treatment. A total of 100 patients who exhibited root resorption during appliance therapy were recalled at a mean period of 14.1 years (SD 0.4) after treatment. At those examinations full-mouth sets of periapical radiographs were taken and tooth mobility evaluated. Pretreatment, posttreatment, and long-term periapical radiographs were examined and compared for changes in root length and contour with time. At each stage scores were given on a scale from 0 to 4, depending on the degree of resorption. The maxillary incisors were affected more frequently and to a greater degree than the rest of the teeth during active treatment. The long-term evaluation showed no apparent changes after appliance removal except remodeling of rough and sharp edges. Hypermobility was observed in only two instances.

Adolescent↗

Chemoradiotherapy toxicity during bone marrow transplantation: time course and variation in pain and nausea.

Chemoradiotherapy-induced toxicity following unmodified allogeneic marrow grafting was studied. Patients with hematologic malignancy (n = 157) received cyclophosphamide (120 mg/kg) followed by single or fractionated total body irradiation (TBI); aplastic anemia patients (n = 41) received only cyclophosphamide (200 mg/kg). Physicians rated mucositis, pain and nausea daily as (0) none, (1) mild, (2) moderate, (3) severe, (4) life threatening. Oral mucositis pain began several days prior to transplant, peaked during the second week after transplant, and declined thereafter. Patients with hematologic malignancies (maximum mean rating of 1.6, day 11) experienced more pain than aplastic anemia patients (maximum mean rating of 0.7, day 6). Nausea peaked before transplant and gradually declined. Nausea was higher (p less than 0.001) in patients with aplastic anemia (maximum mean rating of 1.3, day -2) than with hematologic malignancies (maximum mean rating of 0.9, day -6). There was no significant difference between single dose 1000 cGy and 6-day 1200 cGy irradiation. Recipients of 1575 cGy rather than 1200 cGy TBI had significantly (p less than 0.01) higher levels of pain (mean rating 1.25 and 0.82, respectively) and nausea (mean rating 1.27 and 0.72, respectively). Additional research is needed to determine the predictors, consequences and best methods of controlling these toxicities.

Adolescent↗

Diffusion of knowledge in dentistry. The pit and fissure sealant conferences.

This paper presents data on the diffusion to dentists of information from the May 1981 American Dental Association conference and December 1983 National Institutes of Health (NIH) conference on pit and fissure sealants. A mail survey was sent to 521 (72.2% returned) randomly selected dentists in general practice and all 47 (76.6% returned) pedodontists in the State of Washington. Approximately 70% of the dentists were aware that the conferences had taken place and a little over 50% were aware of the conference recommendations. Awareness was related to: being a pedodontist, number of continuing education hours taken, number of referred journals read, and being an officer in a dental organization.

American Dental Association↗

Double-blind, dose-response study of metaproterenol inhalant solution in children with acute asthma.

One hundred children, aged 6 to 12 years, with acute asthma received nebulized therapy with saline, 5, 10, or 15 mg of metaproterenol aerosol solution according to a prerandomized, double-blind protocol. Pulmonary function and cardiac function were assessed for 60 minutes. All patients then received 5 mg of metaproterenol aerosol solution, and observation continued for another 30 minutes. The best response to therapy in terms of rise in FEV1, forced expiratory flow rate between 25% and 75% of FVC, and area under the curve (change in lung function with time) occurred with 5 and 10 mg of metaproterenol. The highest dose, 15 mg, produced significantly less bronchodilation. Although there were no electrocardiographic abnormalities, pulse rate was significantly higher with 10 and 15 mg of metaproterenol than with 5 mg. Five milligrams of metaproterenol aerosol solution is the optimal bronchodilating dose for treating acute asthma in children. Repeating this dose provides some additional bronchodilation and is well tolerated.

Administration, Inhalation↗

Hygiene status associated with different types of bonded, orthodontic canine-to-canine retainers. A clinical trial.

The present study was performed to test whether bonded, orthodontic canine-to-canine retainers made of spiral wire tended to accumulate more plaque than retainers made of plain wire, and whether the presence of such retainers caused any damage to the teeth involved. 44 patients were classified in eight strata according to age, gender and gingival status. From each stratum, the patients were randomly divided into 4 groups, each of which received either retainers made of thick plain wire bonded only to the canines, thick twisted wired bonded only to the canines, thin twisted wire bonded to each tooth or removable retainers. Accumulation of plaque and calculus along the gingival margin and gingival inflammation were scored in lingual areas from canine to canine at time of fixed appliance removal and again 4 months after retainer insertion. In addition, accumulation of plaque and calculus and development of caries along the retainer wires were scored after 4 months. The results revealed no differences between the groups for any of the variables. No differences in accumulation of plaque was found between baseline and follow-up examinations. Gingival bleeding was scored less frequently after 4 months in retention than at time of debonding.

Adolescent↗

A study of the intentional use of pit and fissure sealants over carious lesions.

This article reports data on the intentional use by dentists of pit and fissure sealants over carious lesions. In early 1985 a random sample of 127 dentists in general practice and 20 pedodontists from Washington State were interviewed by phone. Completed interviews were obtained from 81.9 percent (N = 104) of the general practitioners and 60.0 percent (N = 12) of the pedodontists. Eighteen percent of the dentists who offer sealants in their practice use sealants on "incipient" or "superficial" lesions. The major reasons given for not sealing lesions are: concern about failure or leakage, lack of confidence, or amalgams would be better. Dentists who seal lesions have larger practices in terms of the number of operatories and patients seen per week, place sealants on a larger proportion of their child patients, and more frequently delegate sealants to the hygienist. There is no relationship between placing sealants on lesions and placing sealants on primary teeth, the dentist's year of graduation, the number of years the dentist has used sealants, being a pedodontist, or employing a hygienist.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

Development of a measure of job satisfaction for dentists and dental auxiliaries.

This paper describes the development of a multidimensional, 38-item measure of job satisfaction appropriate for dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants. Items were grouped into the following 12 subscales: income, recognition, opportunity to develop professionally, time to develop professionally, responsibility, non-patient tasks, staff relations, quality of care, leisure time, fatigue, time pressure and general satisfaction. The measure was developed from a set of 45 items included in questionnaires administered to dentists and staff of 126 dental practices in Washington State, USA. Questionnaires were returned by 117, 121 and 106 dentists; 69, 80, and 82 hygienists; and 322, 329, and 320 assistants, respectively, in each of the 3 yr (1979, 1980, 1981). Factor analysis (principal components analysis with varimax rotation) plus categorization of items by a panel of professionals were used to initially group items into subscales. Contribution to internal consistency was the final criterion for an item's inclusion in a subscale. Internal consistency reliability of subscales ranged from 0.68 to 0.95. Statistically significant relationships were found between individual job satisfaction subscales and intent to change job for hygienists and assistants.

Dental Assistants↗

Stability and relapse of mandibular anterior alignment: a cephalometric appraisal of first-premolar-extraction cases treated by traditional edgewise orthodontics.

Assessment at least 10 years postretention of fifty-four cases previously treated in the permanent-dentition stage with first-premolar extractions, traditional edgewise mechanotherapy, and retention revealed considerable variation among patients. The long-term response to mandibular anterior alignment was unpredictable; no cephalometric parameters, such as maxillary and mandibular incisor proclination, horizontal and vertical growth amounts, mandibular plane angle, etc., were useful in establishing a prognosis. Few associations of value were found between cephalometric parameters and dental-cast measurements, such as overbite, arch length, intercanine width, and overjet. Only a slight tendency was found for incisor inclination to return toward the pretreatment value during the postretention period. It was possible to predict, on the basis of an analysis of pre- and posttreatment cephalometric records, those cases which had greater than 4 mm deepening of overbite postretention as well as those cases which had decreases of 3 mm or more in arch-length postretention. The practical use of these predictions were of limited clinical value, however.

Adolescent↗

Development and validation of a measure of dental patient satisfaction.

As part of the Washington State Dental Auxiliaries Project, a 42-item measure of patient satisfaction with dental care was developed. The measure is comprised of 13 subscales: dentist-patient relations, technical quality of care, access, patient waiting time, cost, facilities, availability, continuity, pain, auxiliaries performing expanded duties, staff-patient relations, staff technical quality of care, and office atmosphere. The measure was developed from a set of 52 items included in a questionnaire administered to the patients of private dental practices in Washington state. Usable questionnaires were returned by 30.8% of patients receiving questionnaires in 1979, 40.1% in 1980, and 34.0% in 1981. Factor analysis plus categorization of items by a panel of professionals were used initially to group items into subscales. Contribution to internal consistency was the final criterion for an item's inclusion in a subscale. Internal consistency of subscales ranged from 0.44 to 0.80. The concurrent validity of subscales was assessed by relating patient satisfaction to characteristics of the dental practices. The following statistically significant relationships between subscales and criterion variables were observed: dentist-patient relations and percent of patients seen by the dentist; access and number of weeks appointments must be booked in advance; patient waiting time and actual patient waiting time; continuity of care and percent of patients seen by the dentist; auxiliaries performing expanded duties and delegation to auxiliaries; and staff technical quality and percent of hygienist restorations with satisfactory quality. Each relationship was in the expected direction.

Adult↗