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Biomedical subjects

N Rose

Publications and source records attributed to N Rose.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Transmission of tuberculosis in the metropolitan area of Zurich: a 3 year survey based on DNA fingerprinting.

Between 1991 and 1993, 444 inhabitants of the metropolitan area of Zurich were reported as confirmed or suspected cases of tuberculosis (TB). Overall, isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis of 361 patients (90% of the bacteriologically confirmed cases) were available to study the frequency of transmission of the strains on a molecular level. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis was performed by using IS6110 and the polymorphic GC-rich sequence (PGRS) as genetic markers. Ninety nine isolates shared by 77 patients (21.3%) were associated with 28 IS6110-defined clusters. However, secondary typing of low copy number isolates decreased the number of clusters to 25, encompassing 81 isolates from 63 (17.5%) patients. By deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fingerprinting plus conventional contact tracing, definite transmission of TB was proven in only five patients (1.4%) and assumed in 20 patients (5.6%). In all other cluster-associated isolates, no epidemiological connections between the patients could be found using the clinical and sociodemographic data available. The present study demonstrates that in the time period studied only minor transmission occurred.

Adolescent↗

Living dangerously: risk-thinking and risk management in mental health care.

Behind today's fixation on risk assessment and risk management in the care of people with mental health problems in the community lies a more sinister regime, argues NIKOLAS ROSE. Clinical judgement is now less about care and treatment; much more about the control of those who might pose a threat to the community in which, with the closure of the long-stay hospitals, they now must live.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

Regional cerebral blood flow in late-onset schizophrenia: a SPECT study using 99mTc-HMPAO.

Functional neuroimaging studies have been performed in many young patients with schizophrenia, but late-onset schizophrenia (LOS) remains largely unexamined by these techniques. We predicted that LOS would demonstrate regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) abnormalities similar to those seen in early-onset schizophrenia (EOS), but with a basis in demonstrable coarse brain disease. The subjects were 15 LOS and 7 EOS patients and 27 healthy controls. Each was given a detailed clinical and neuropsychological assessment and underwent MRI and Tc99m-HMPAO single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scans. The LOS subjects had a significantly lower cerebral hemispheric perfusion than controls, with a lower perfusion in the frontal and temporal lobes bilaterally. The LOS group also had significantly lower left-to-right hemisphere blood flow ratios. EOS subjects had a lower frontal perfusion than the controls, which was significant in the left frontal region. The temporal perfusion in the EOS subjects was greater than in the LOS group, and not different from the control subjects. Left temporal perfusion was the most discriminating variable between LOS and control subjects on logistic regression. Correlations of perfusion with MRI were generally low with the exception that the asymmetry indices were significantly correlated, and basal ganglia perfusion correlated with basal ganglia hyperintensities on MRI. The total cerebral perfusion index correlated significantly with the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) score, and the temporal lobe perfusion correlated with MMSE scores and some verbal memory measures. In the schizophrenic groups, perfusion correlated nonsignificantly with symptom profiles. We conclude that our findings of temporal and frontal rCBF abnormalities, especially on the left side, in LOS are similar to those reported in schizophrenia in general. The results do not provide evidence for coarse brain disease underlying the rCBF abnormalities in LOS, or support the specificity of these abnormalities for particular subsyndromes of schizophrenia.

Age of Onset↗

Open doors.

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Ethics, Nursing↗

A prolonged outbreak of Campylobacter infection at a training facility.

Campylobacter outbreaks are rarely detected despite Campylobacter being the most common food-borne illness notified to public health authorities. We report a prolonged outbreak of Campylobacter occurring over a three month period at a training facility. Seventy-eight cases were detected, 16 of which were confirmed Campylobacter infections. In seven affected groups of people using the facility, the attack rate ranged between 19% and 67%. An investigation of one sporting group showed that illness was associated with consumption of cucumber served at a self-serve salad bar. Six people attending the facility in other weeks also reported illness after eating only at the salad bar. Transmission of Campylobacter ceased after changes were instituted to food preparation and storage in the facility kitchen.

Adolescent↗

Cytogenetic and fragile X molecular testing of individuals with mental retardation of unknown etiology.

The aim of this program was to investigate the patients with Mental Retardation Of Unknown Etiology (MROUE), on the island of Cyprus. The MROUE patients were examined cytogenetically for gross chromosomal abnormalities, and by molecular methods for the Fragile X syndrome pathology. Specialized physicians examined all institutionalized or non institutionalized patients throughout Cyprus. Cytogenetic analysis was carried out on 105 individuals, six of which showed various chromosomal aberrations. PCR and Southern blot analysis were carried out on 170 patients referred for exclusion of the Fragile X syndrome. Three patients had positive findings. Although the number of cases elucidated with this general approach was not spectacular, it allowed the resolution of a few clinically equivocal cases, to the satisfaction of the clinicians and, most importantly, the relatives involved. We believe that such screening programs should continue until all cases are thoroughly examined, thus providing definite genetic counseling and psychological support, at least in those cases that are clearly resolved. Equally important is the prospect for prevention through prenatal diagnostic programs, that are already available for such conditions.

Adolescent↗

[Tuberculosis therapy in canton Zurich 1991-1993: what are the causes for recurrence and therapy failure?].

A retrospective cohort analysis of TB patients in the Canton of Zurich was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of a primary care physician-based tuberculosis treatment program in the Canton of Zurich (1991-1993) and compare it with treatment results in selected patient groups in controlled prospective studies. Of the 440 TB patients (62.5% men, 51% foreign born, 9.6% with HIV infection) 65% were initially hospitalized. The total treatment duration was 210 (+/-108) days on average. Only 75% of the patients who were treated by a total of 410 hospital and primary care physicians were treated with standard regimens according to guidelines. 3 patients were treatment failures; 13 relapsed (5.1% of the 257 patients reexamined in 1995). Possible causes for relapses were poor patient compliance due to alcoholism, homelessness, drug addiction, psychiatric disorders; prescription errors with inadequate treatment durations, concurrent AIDS disease, or use of a three-drug combination despite primary drug resistance. In 4 of the relapse patients and in all 3 treatment failures, secondary drug resistance developed under treatment. 5 of these 7 patients were treated initially only with a fixed three-drug regimen (Rifater). The relatively high INH resistance rate (8.6%) and relapse rate (5.1%) in the Canton of Zurich renders the use of a four-drug combination therapy necessary. In the outpatient maintenance phase, more effort must be devoted to ensuring patient compliance and adherence to a proper treatment duration. This should be documented by a standardized questionnaire at 6 or 12 months after initiation of therapy. In high risk patients in particular, home care visits by a TB nurse in addition to consultations by primary care physicians are necessary to ensure directly observed therapy (DOT) in order to prevent relapses and treatment failures.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗

Sex differences in bone growth of broiler chickens.

Females are often supposed to have a lighter skeleton than males, even in avian domestic species. However, in broiler chickens, females are less susceptible to bone deformities than males. In order to better understand these conflicting facts, male and female broilers were compared for the growth of cortical bone. Morphology, histomorphometry, composition and biomechanical properties of the tibiotarsi were analysed in both sexes at 1, 12, 26 and 42 days of age. The quantity of bone tissue of the tibiotarsus (weight, volume, diameter of the diaphysis, area of the cortex) was smaller in females, although the occurrence of varus-valgus deformations of the intertarsal joint was largely reduced in female chickens (8.8% versus 19.9% in males at 42 days of age). The tibia became significantly lighter in females from 26 d of age. Differences in tibia length and volume became significant at 42 d of age only, while cross-sections of the diaphysis were smaller in females from the hatching, leading to thinner bones in females. The percentage of dry matter of tibiae was higher in females from hatching. From 12 days old, tibiotarsi of females tended to be less porous and were more mineralized (higher ash/dry matter ratio). In females, mineralization proceeded at a higher rate (MAR) until 26 d of age and MAR became higher in males afterwards. The stiffness of the tibia diaphysis was similar in males and females all along the growth. In conclusion, the growth of cortical bone is very different in male and female broilers. In female broilers, the thinness of bone diaphysis is counter-balanced by modifications in the composition of the matrix and in the porosity of the cortex, leading to equal biomechanical characteristics of tibiotarsi in both sexes.

Aging↗

Hysterectomy and psychiatric disorder: are the levels of psychiatric morbidity falling?

This paper compares the findings of three studies carried out at intervals over the years 1975-1990. The three studies were concerned with different issues, but each study examined psychiatric morbidity among women undergoing hysterectomy for menorrhagia of benign origin. In all three studies levels of psychiatric morbidity were measured before the operation and 6 months after the operation. Psychiatric morbidity was measured with the Present State Examination (PSE) (Wing et al. 1974), and with established self-report questionnaires. Levels of psychiatric morbidity fell significantly across the three studies. In Study 1, the proportions of psychiatric cases were 58% before hysterectomy and 26% after; in Study 2, 28% before and 7% after; and in Study 3, 9% before and 4% after. The decline in psychiatric morbidity was not associated with demographic and social characteristics, previous psychiatric history, family psychiatric history, the nature of the women's menstrual complaints, or the women's understanding and expectations of the operation. In Study 3 anti-menorrhagic drugs were prescribed twice as frequently as in the two previous studies; while the prescribing of psychotropic medication was significantly higher in Study 1 than in Study 2 or Study 3. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Sexual abuse and body-image distortion in the eating disorders.

It has been suggested that there is a link between sexual abuse and bodily self-deprecation in women with eating disorders. In order to test that model, this study considers whether reported sexual abuse is associated with body-image distortion in anorexia and bulimia nervosa. There was no association with the reported presence of a history of abuse. However, the nature of any abuse was important. In particular, women who reported more recent abuse had a substantially greater level of bodysize overestimation. The clinical implications of this finding are discussed.

Adolescent↗

Vitamin B6 is effective therapy for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy: a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study.

Fifty-nine women completed a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study of pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6) for the treatment of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. Thirty-one patients received vitamin B6, 25-mg tablets orally every 8 hours for 72 hours, and 28 patients received placebo in the same regimen. Patients were categorized according to the presence of vomiting: severe nausea (score greater than 7) or mild to moderate nausea (score of 7 or less). The severity of nausea (as graded on a visual analogue scale of 1-10 cm) and the number of patients with vomiting over a 72-hour period were used to evaluate response to therapy. Twelve of 31 patients in the vitamin B6 group had a pre-treatment nausea score greater than 7 (severe) (mean 8.2 +/- 0.8), as did ten of 28 patients in the placebo group (mean 8.7 +/- 0.9) (not significant). Following therapy, there was a significant difference in the mean "difference in nausea" score (ie, baseline - post-therapy nausea) between patients with severe nausea receiving vitamin B6 (mean 4.3 +/- 2.1) and placebo (mean 1.8 +/- 2.2) (P less than .01). In patients with mild to moderate nausea and in the group as a whole, no significant difference between treatment and placebo was observed. Fifteen of 31 vitamin B6-treated patients had vomiting before therapy, compared with ten of 28 in the placebo group (not significant). At the completion of 3 days of therapy, only eight of 31 patients in the vitamin B6 group had any vomiting, compared with 15 of 28 patients in the placebo group (P less than .05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Autoantibodies of various specificities encoded by genes from the VH J558 family bind to foreign antigens and share idiotopes of antibodies specific for self and foreign antigens.

We examined the binding to foreign antigens and the expression of crossreactive idiotypes by a panel of 20 murine monoclonal autoantibodies encoded by V genes from the VH J558 family. 9 of 20 antibodies bound to foreign antigens such as bacterial polysaccharides, poly(Glu50, Tyr50), poly(Glu54,Lys37,Phe9), arsonate, and lysozyme, known to interact with antibodies encoded by genes from the VH J558 family. A high proportion of our panel of autoantibodies expressed crossreactive idiotypes originally borne by monoclonal rheumatoid factors, anti-Sm, and anti-DNA antibodies, all encoded by V genes from the VH J558 family. Some of these VH J558+ autoantibodies shared crossreactive idiotypes with VH J558+ antibodies directed against foreign antigens such as influenza virus hemagglutinin, poly(Glu60,Ala30,Tyr10), arsonate, and dextran. The implications of these findings are discussed with respect to the process of activation of self-reactive clones.

Animals↗

Psychological sequelae to elective sterilisation: a prospective study.

A total of 201 women were interviewed four weeks before elective interval tubal sterilisation, of whom 190 (94.5%) were assessed again six months postoperatively and 193 (96.0%) 18 months postoperatively. Before sterilisation the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity as measured by the present state examination was 10.4% (21 patients), no greater than might be expected in a general population sample; six months after the operation the prevalence was significantly reduced to 4.7% (nine patients); and 18 months postoperatively it had returned almost to the preoperative value (9.3%; 18 patients). Postoperative psychosexual disturbance was rare, only 3% of patients reporting reduced enjoyment of sexual intercourse at either follow-up. Considerable regret was reported by only five patients (2.6%) six months after the operation and by eight (4.1%) 18 months after the operation; however, some dissatisfaction was reported by 15 patients (7.9%) at six months and 21 patients (10.9%) at 18 months. Postoperative psychiatric disturbance and dissatisfaction were largely associated with preoperative psychiatric disturbance. Thus there was no evidence that elective interval sterilisation increased the risk of psychiatric disturbance up to 18 months after the operation.

Adult↗