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M S Andrews

Publications and source records attributed to M S Andrews.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

Measuring food insecurity and hunger in the United States: development of a national benchmark measure and prevalence estimates.

Since 1992, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has led a collaborative effort to develop a comprehensive benchmark measure of the severity and prevalence of food insecurity and hunger in the United States. Based on prior research and wide consultation, a survey instrument specifically relevant to U.S. conditions was designed and tested. Through its Current Population Survey (CPS), the U.S. Bureau of the Census has fielded this instrument each year since 1995. A measurement scale was derived from the data through fitting, testing and validating a Rasch scale. The unidimensional Rasch model corresponds to the form of the phenomenon being measured, i.e., the severity of food insufficiency due to inadequate resources as directly experienced and reported in U.S. households. A categorical measure reflecting designated ranges of severity on the scale was constructed for consistent comparison of prevalence estimates over time and across population groups. The technical basis and initial results of the new measure were reported in September 1997. For the 12 months ending April 1995, an estimated 11.9% of U.S. households (35 million persons) were food insecure. Among these, 4.1% of households (with 6.9 million adults and 4.3 million children) showed a recurring pattern of hunger due to inadequate resources for one or more of their adult and/or child members sometime during the period. The new measure has been incorporated into other federal surveys and is being used by researchers throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Adult↗

Pentoxifylline increases RIF-1 tumour pO2 in a manner compatible with its ability to increase relative tumour perfusion.

The time course and dose response of 600 mm3 subcutaneous RIF-1 tumours to pentoxifylline was measured in terms of relative tumour perfusion, assayed by 86Rb extraction, and pO2 distribution measured by the Eppendorf histograph. Both perfusion and pO2 distribution were maximally increased by 20 mg/kg pentoxifylline 15 min after administration, perfusion to 141 +/- 15% (2 SE) of control, and median pO2 from 3 to 15 mmHg, with the percentage of values < 2.5 mmHg falling from 44 +/- 8% to 22 +/- 7%. Fifteen minutes after administration the pO2 increases were linearly dose-dependent up to 20 mg/kg. Correlation coefficients for perfusion data with the percentages of low values were, for time course and dose response data respectively, 0.76 and 0.84 for median pO2, 0.84 and 0.97 for percentage < 2.5 mmHg and 0.81 and 0.87 for percentage < 10 mmHg. The data show good correlation between changes in perfusion and pO2 distribution parameters, with better correlation for percentage of low values than for median pO2.

Animals↗

Neuromotor development of graduates of the neonatal intensive care unit: patterns encountered in the first two years of life.

The neurodevelopmental course of 219 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit graduates followed prospectively over 2 years was determined on retrospective chart review. Mild neuromotor abnormalities during the first year were identified in 50%, three-quarters of which proved transient with normal development at 2 years of age. Moderate abnormalities were identified in 7%, half of which proved transient. Severe neuromotor abnormalities were identified in 20%, two-thirds of whom had cerebral palsy at 2 years. Persistent noncerebral palsy neuromotor abnormalities remained in one-third of those in the severe abnormality group, one-half of those in the moderate abnormality group, and one-quarter of those in the mild abnormality group. As birthweight decreased, the incidence of always normal development and transient neuromotor abnormalities decreased while the incidence of persistent neuromotor abnormalities increased. Small for gestational age infants demonstrated a slightly higher incidence of persistent abnormalities than their appropriate for gestational age counterparts. No significant sex differences were observed.

Birth Weight↗

Predictive validity of the "Movement Assessment of Infants".

Early identification of neuromotor deficits, cerebral palsy or other neurological handicaps, is a focus of concern for neurologists, pediatricians, and developmental therapists. Among infants at risk for developing these handicaps are those with low birthweight, idiopathic respiratory distress syndrome, and early central nervous system insults. The Movement Assessment of infants (MAI), a neuromotor assessment tool, was developed for the purpose of evaluating high-risk infants participating in the University of Washington's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Followup Clinic. The predictive validity of the MAI was evaluated for 246 infants for whom assessments had been completed at four months and for whom at least one set of followup data was available at either one or two years of age. Correlations between the MAI total risk score and all five of the outcome measures at one and two years were highly significant. The clinical relevance of this study in the use of the MAI as an evaluation tool for identifying infants with neuromotor dysfunction is discussed.

Cerebral Palsy↗