PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

N Barron

Publications and source records attributed to N Barron.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

Statewide replication of predictive validation for the Multnomah Community Ability Scale.

The Multnomah Community Ability Scale is a 17 item instrument that case managers can use to rate levels of functioning for clients with severe mental illness. Prior work in a large urban community mental health center showed that the instrument predicted subsequent involuntary hospitalization. The current project involved some 2,487 clients of community mental health programs throughout Oregon. This replication study again showed that low scores on the instrument predicted subsequent psychiatric hospitalization.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Resistance to several steroids in two sisters.

A 14-yr-old native American girl from the Iroquois Nation was referred as a potential patient with the syndrome of apparent mineralocorticoid excess. Instead, her evaluation revealed resistance to glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids, and androgens, but no resistance to vitamin D or thyroid hormones. She lacked Cushingoid features despite significantly high cortisol levels. Menstruation was regular, and there was no clinical evidence of masculinization despite high serum androgen levels in the male range. The patient's sister had similar clinical features. Partial resistance to exogenous glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid administration was well demonstrated in both patients. It is proposed that these patients represent the first cases of partial resistance to multiple steroids, possibly due to a coactivator defect.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

A community ability scale for chronically mentally ill consumers: Part II. Applications.

The authors describe uses for a 17-item instrument that efficiently measures the functioning level of chronically mentally ill persons living in the community. The Multnomah Community Ability Scale is designed to be completed by case managers who work with chronically mentally ill consumers. The instrument is sensitive to differences among individuals within this special population of consumers and is easy to complete. Community mental health program staff can be trained to use the scale reliably. The scale has been used to compare levels of severity between urban and rural community mental health program clients. The authors discuss the application of the Multnomah Community Ability Scale to a capitated payment system for severely mentally ill, involuntary clients.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1994

A community ability scale for chronically mentally ill consumers: Part I. Reliability and validity.

The authors describe the development, reliability testing, and validation of a 17-item instrument that measures the level of functioning of chronically mentally ill persons living in the community. The Multnomah Community Ability Scale is designed to be completed by case managers. The instrument provides a measure of the consumer's severity of disability which can, in turn, be used to: (a) describe an agency's "case mix" of clients; (b) measure consumer progress; (c) assign clients to different levels of service; and (d) assist payors in determining reimbursement. The Multnomah Community Ability Scale is aimed specifically at persons with chronic mental illness, is sensitive to differences among individuals within this special population, and is quick and easy to complete. The scale's reliability and validity have been examined in detail. Inter-rater and test-retest reliability are good. Criterion variables such as length of psychiatric hospitalization and clinicians' global ratings correlated highly with scale scores. Finally, the instrument predicts subsequent state and local hospital admissions.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1989

Antibody interference in a two-site immunometric assay for thyrotrophin.

Of 1585 consecutive serum samples referred for thyroid function testing, 14 gave erroneously high values from a two-site immunoenzymometric assay for thyrotrophin. The addition of mouse or newborn calf serum to the assay failed to correct the interference. In serum samples from 11 patients who were available for follow up a higher concentration of mouse, but not of horse, sheep or rabbit serum reduced the interference. The interference was associated only with assay systems which employed horseradish peroxidase but not 125I as a label. Addition of mouse serum and anti-IgM to the assay reagents successfully removed the interference.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Assay performance and tracer properties for two analog-based assays of free triiodothyronine.

We determined binding characteristics of the triiodothyronine (T3) analog tracer used in the Amerlex and Amerlex-M FT3 radioimmunoassay for the three endogenous binding proteins in serum: thyroxin-binding globulin (TBG), thyroxin binding prealbumin (PA), and albumin. Both T3 and its analog bind to the same sites on TBG and PA. However, the analog has significantly lower association constants (1.0% and 3.8%, respectively, of T3 binding affinity) and it binds to different sites on albumin. Analog binding is characterized by two (weak) specific binding sites [K = 0.46 (SD 0.03) X 10(5) L/mol]; T3 is bound at about 28 very weak, nonspecific sites [K = 0.41 (SD 0.03) X 10(4) L/mol]. Sera from healthy subjects with a wide range of concentrations of binding proteins showed no interference from analog binding in the FT3 assay. In contrast, in vitro studies of albumin binding revealed a weak dependence of both assays on albumin concentration (0.05 pmol of FT3 per gram of albumin per liter), an interference probably unimportant for most laboratory samples. Nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) and the T3 analog apparently bind to different sites on albumin; thus the Amerlex FT3 assay is insensitive to moderately increased concentrations of NEFA in serum.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1985

Comprehensive study of a thyroxin-analog-based assay for free thyroxin ("Amerlex FT4").

The basic theory of thyroxin-analog-based radioimmunoassays for free thyroxin has been extended to evaluate definitively the effects arising from residual binding of the tracer analog to serum proteins. Using experimentally determined binding constants and computer simulation techniques, we studied the effects of thyroxin-analog binding to serum proteins on results of Amerlex FT4 radioimmunoassay, using this improved mathematical model. Results from computer-simulation studies were compared both directly with in vitro experimental results and indirectly with clinical studies. Agreement was good among all three approaches. The relatively weak binding of analog to thyroxin-binding globulin and prealbumin does not significantly perturb Amerlex FT4 assay results. Binding of the analog by albumin has a small but quantifiable effect on assay results, amounting to an intrinsic bias of 0.08 pmol of free thyroxin per liter per gram of albumin per liter for euthyroid serum samples. This bias is unlikely to be important for most clinical laboratory samples, but it may be significant when one is interpreting results for those rare patients with genetic albumin abnormalities such as analbuminemia or familial dysalbuminemic hyperthyroxinemia. Massively increased concentrations of nonesterified fatty acids (e.g., after treatment with heparin) will lead to a spurious increase in free thyroxin in this and most other techniques, including equilibrium dialysis.

Computers↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Resistance to multiple steroids in two sisters.

A 14-year-old Native American girl from the Iroquois Nation was referred as a potential patient with the syndrome of Apparent Mineralocorticoid Excess. Instead, her evaluation revealed resistance to glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids, and androgens. She lacked Cushingoid features in spite of significantly high cortisol levels. Menstruation was regular and there was no clinical evidence of masculinization despite high serum androgen levels in the male range. The patient's sister had similar clinical features. Partial resistance to exogenous glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid administration was well demonstrated in both patients. It is proposed that these patients represent the first cases of partial resistance to multiple steroids, possibly owing to a coactivator defect.

Adolescent↗