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Biomedical subjects

M Reidy

Publications and source records attributed to M Reidy.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

[Attitude of french speaking nurses towards AIDS].

This study describes the beliefs, the attitudes and the intentions to act toward persons infected with AIDS, of a group of nurses of the greater Montreal area (n = 427). A questionnaire (71 items) was mailed to 1000 randomly selected Montreal nurses and was completed by 427 of them. The majority of these nurses were female (82.5%) and did not possess a university diploma (64.8%). Most of them had at least 15 years of experience and more than half of them had already taken care of a patient with AIDS. It was found that the nurses' knowledge of AIDS was limited: they do not understand the signification of seropositivity and they had little knowledge of the epidemiological dimensions of the illness. The younger nurses tend to adopt the prejudices and beliefs already endorsed by society: isolation, obligatory testing and homophobia. A factor analysis of the beliefs, attitudes and intent to act sub-scales permits the identification of nine factors (fears, prejudices, emotional support, mistrust, avoidance, quality of care, false security, AIDS equals sex and more experience equals less fear). These factors tend to be associated with certain sociodemographic characteristics. The nurses who are less knowledgeable, who are most prejudiced, and who least intend to care for the client with AIDS are: 1) the younger nurses (21-34 years old); 2) those who see the media as their primary source of information and 3) those who have never cared for seropositive clients. This study allows us to render judgement on the values of a specific group of francophone nurses within a fixed time-place framework.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1991

Psychosocial needs expressed by the natural caregivers of HIV infected children.

The presence in a family of a young child with AIDS, with the exception of a small number of transfusion-infected children, implies almost necessarily the presence of an infected adult, usually the mother. The problem in such a situation is not that of a child with a fatal illness but that of an entire family. Our study included a sample of thirty natural caregivers. These were mostly mothers but others responsible for the care of a seropositive child, such as fathers, aunts and grandmothers, were also included. The aim of the project was to describe their perceptions of their own psycho-social needs. Our results reveal that these caregivers are economically disadvantaged. They need help in coping with stress and their life situation. Their need to confide in others is frequently not met. However, the need to learn how to protect themselves and other members of the family against both HIV and other infections and to know the course and the treatments associated with this disease are seen by them, both as being very important and as being well met, particularly by the health professionals who care for them.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1991

[A measure of professors' attitudes towards the creativity of student nurses].

Creativity and problem solving are closely related in the learning and practice of nursing. The problem underlying this study concerns the attitudes of professors of nursing in 321 French language community colleges in Quebec toward the creative characteristics of their students. However, given the absence of a valid and reliable French instrument, this study focused on the validation of a French version of Torrance's Ideal Pupil Checklist. Content, construct and criteria validity were all verified, as well as the stability and homogeneity aspects of reliability.

Attitude↗
PubMed1990

Long-acting propranolol in the prophylaxis of migraine: a comparative study of two doses.

A randomized double-blind, cross-over study using treatment periods of 12 weeks with a 2-week washout, comparing two long-acting formulations of propranolol ('Inderal' LA 160 mg daily and Half-'Inderal' LA 80 mg daily) was performed after a placebo run-in of 4 weeks on 51 patients. The study indicated that both long-acting formulations were significantly better than placebo in reducing the frequency of migraine attacks (p less than 0.01). After 12 weeks there was a significantly lower (p = 0.03) frequency of migraine attacks in patients on the higher dose formulation than in those on the lower dose formulation. There was no significant difference in the frequency of side effects produced by the two formulations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Vascular effects of cyclosporine A in vivo and in vitro.

The authors have evaluated the in vivo effects of cyclosporine A on the de-endothelialized rabbit carotid artery. Vascular endothelium was gently removed from the common carotid artery of 10 New Zealand White rabbits that then were treated with therapeutic doses of cyclosporine A (15 mg/kg/day), or its vehicle (Cremophor-EL). Significant intimal proliferation was observed in all cases 2 weeks after de-endothelialization. Concomitant cyclosporine A therapy had no significant effect on intimal smooth muscle proliferation, but was associated with 1) intimal smooth muscle vacuolation, 2) an increase in total intimal thickening, because of the presence of numerous macrophage-derived foam cells, and 3) incorporation of 3H-thymidine by neo-intimal monocyte/macrophages. Mean plasma cholesterol levels were moderately increased in both groups. Although this may have contributed to foam cell formation in the cyclosporine-A-treated animals, it was not the sole determinant, as foam-cell-rich lesions were not observed in control animals. In vitro, cyclosporine A reduced the rate of proliferation of rabbit aortic smooth muscle and endothelial cells in a dose-dependent fashion, and induced smooth muscle cell vacuolation. These data suggest that cyclosporine A may contribute to the formation of graft-related atherosclerosis.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Disclosure of psychosocial concerns of young adults with advanced cystic fibrosis (CF) by a nurse home visiting program.

Twelve patients with advanced cystic fibrosis were enrolled over a 36 month interval in a trial to assess the effect of nocturnal home oxygen therapy. As part of this study, there were repeated home visits by the nurse. Immediately following a visit, the nurse encoded all spontaneous expressions of concern into three general categories: CF management, growth and development and family relations. During the first 6 months, the concerns focused on CF management and over the subsequent year were followed by concerns related to growth and development and, finally to family interactions. This pattern suggests a sequence to the types of interventions accepted by this population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Chronic contained rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm presenting as a lower extremity neuropathy.

Rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm often presents with a pulsatile abdominal mass, abdominal pain, and hypotension. Recent clinical reports describe patients with less apparent clinical signs and symptoms who were found later in their evaluation to have a contained rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Even more unusual is a chronic contained rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Our patient had a chronic contained rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm that presented with erosion into the lumbar vertebral bodies and subsequent lumbar neuropathy. CT scan confirmed the contained rupture of the aortic aneurysm and the patient underwent successful repair of his aortic aneurysm. Our report discusses the significance of atypical presentations of abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture and the importance of prompt diagnosis and definitive repair.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

The effects of suctioning techniques on the distal tracheal mucosa in intubated low birth weight infants.

Microscopic pathology of the distal trachea at autopsy was retrospectively reviewed in 51 low birth weight infants (less than 1250 g). Twenty-six patients from 1977 who had nasal and/or orotracheal intubation and who underwent suctioning with uncontrolled deep suctioning technique were compared to 25 patients from 1980 who had orotracheal intubation with suctioning to the tube tip only. Clinical diagnoses, duration of intubation and number of intubations were correlated to degree of distal tracheal injury: absent (normal epithelium), mild (focal epithelial loss), moderate (diffuse epithelial loss/some inflammation), or severe (submucosal ulceration/squamous metaplasia). From 1977 to 1980 the mortality rate, mean gestational age and mean birth weight all decreased by 20% (P less than 0.05), 1.1 week (P less than 0.05) and 118 g (P less than 0.01) in both autopsied and non-autopsied infants. In 1977, 15 of 26 autopsies (58%) revealed mild (6), moderate (5) or severe (4) pathology. The mean duration of intubation was 71.3, 11.8, and 265 h. respectively. No history of intubation was obtained in two patients with mild injury. No significant tracheal pathology was seen in 11 patients (42%) in 1977. In 1980, fewer patients, 10 of 24 autopsies (42%), revealed mild (3), moderate (4) or severe (3) pathology. The mean duration of intubation was 19.3, 318.3 and 1391.3 h, respectively. One patient with no history of intubation had mild tracheal injury. No significant tracheal pathology was seen in 15 patients (58%) in 1980. The diagnoses of hyaline membrane disease, anemia, hyperbilirubinemia and coagulation disorder were seen more frequently in patients with moderate and severe tracheal pathology both in 1977 and 1980. Despite factors which should lead to greater tracheal injury--longer duration of intubation, lower birth weights and younger gestational age--less tracheal injury was seen in infants undergoing careful suctioning techniques. Clinical implications for the low birth weight neonate are discussed.

Bronchi↗
PubMed1984

Evaluation of a presurgical group program given at two different times.

This study was designed to test the outcomes of a preoperative teaching program for cholecystectomy patients and to determine the appropriate time to offer the program. The hypotheses were: (a) Patients in a preadmission program will recover better than those in a program given the eve of surgery, and (b) patients in the control group will have a poorer recovery than those in the two experimental groups. The outcomes measured were state-anxiety, ventilatory function, well-being, pain, functional ability, analgesics, and length of hospitalization. There were no significant differences between the three groups except in state-anxiety the eve of surgery which was higher in the control than in the two experimental groups. State-anxiety the eve of surgery and trait-anxiety were the most important variables affecting outcomes. There was a positive and significant linear relationship between pre- and postoperative state-anxiety.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

Atopic eczema: a clinical psychiatric study.

Twenty subject (including patients with atopic eczema and normal matched controls) were subjected to extensive psychiatric interviewing and psychological testing. The atopic eczema patients were found to differ from the controls in early childhood experiences, in adaptation to aggressive conflicts, in themes of dreams and first memories as well as in conflicts and relationships to their extended families. A precipitant stress could be identified at the time of onset and exacerbation of the eczema. Significant psychiatric pathology was found in 60% of the atopic eczema patients. Psychological test results also indicated differences between the two groups with the MMPI being the most discriminating test of those used.

Adolescent↗