Biomedical subjects

M Lennox

Publications and source records attributed to M Lennox.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1989

Is a drain necessary after colonic anastomosis?

To date, there have been no clinical investigations of the usefulness of drains following colonic anastomosis in elective operations. We report a prospective study in which 49 patients were randomized to have a corrugated silastic drain (Portex) placed next to the colonic anastomosis. These patients were compared with a control group of 57 patients who had no drain. The two groups were similar in age, sex, diagnosis and site of anastomosis. There was no difference in outcome between the two groups. Anastomotic leakage occurred in six patients in each group. Wound infections were noted in 10 patients in each group. Two patients with a drain and one patient without a drain died from leakage at the anastomosis. This study provides no evidence to support the use of a corrugated drain after anastomosis of the colon.

Aged↗

PubMed1983

The extent of solvent abuse in a regional secure unit sample.

Because of concern over the increasing number of teenage boys being admitted to secure facilities with a background of solvent abuse this study set out to compare such boys with a sample drawn from a drop-in youth centre. It was discovered that the secure unit boys were more likely to have habitually abused solvents than their youth centre counterparts. However their drinking and smoking habits were similar. A measure of neuropsychiatric and psychosomatic symptoms showed that the "sniffers" had a higher mean score than "non-sniffers" in the secure unit--although the difference was not statistically significant. Sniffing was associated with heightened emotions, with approximately half the "sniffers" associating sniffing with pleasant feelings and the other half with unpleasant experiences. It was suggested that those who construe sniffing positively are more likely to have socially determined reasons for abuse, whereas those who construe it negatively may have psychologically determined reasons. Finally, results from a Delinquency Implications Matrix suggested that sniffing was viewed as part of a delinquent syndrome and not as a discrete activity by the boys concerned.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1978

The effects of immunisation upon the natural history of pertussis. A family study in the Cardiff area.

During an outbreak of pertussis in the Cardiff area in 1974, 229 children with the disease were studied to assess the effect of immunisation upon its natural history and severity. The typical clinical features of pertussis, such as paroxysmal cough, whooping, vomiting, cyanosis, and irregular breathing, were less prevalent in both the immunised and the older children. Immunisation is the main factor in protecting against complications such as fits; and, together with older age, it protects against hospitalisation. Nevertheless, pertussis today can be just as severe as it was 40 years ago, and the vaccine remains the major factor ameliorating its natural history. The immunisation programme needs more active support by all child health workers.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied