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Biomedical subjects

N W Brown

Publications and source records attributed to N W Brown.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Evidence for long-term pancreatic damage caused by laxative abuse in subjects recovered from anorexia nervosa.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined whether a prior history of laxative abuse results in long-term changes in gastrointestinal function. METHOD: The functioning of the enteroinsular axis was examined by measuring the insulin response to a standard meal. The study involved 18 subjects who had fully recovered from anorexia nervosa (AN) and an age and weight-matched control group. In the recovered group, 10 of 18 subjects had a history of laxative abuse. RESULTS: Subjects with a prior history of laxative abuse show a more gradual increase and decrease in insulin secretion, but no differences in glucose response or hunger ratings. DISCUSSION: Because there are no differences in the glucose response to the meal, it is hypothesized that the difference in insulin response is due to changes in the enteroinsular axis. These data indicate that chronic laxative abuse induces long-term changes in gastrointestinal function.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Comparison of described empathic and nominated empathic individuals.

A composite profile of "empathic individuals" was developed from adjectives checked on Gough and Heilbrun's Adjective Check List by 43 undergraduate students enrolled in a course on counseling. Individuals were nominated as empathic by the students who also completed the checklist. The composite profile was consistent with the Rogerian definition of empathy and Factor 3 (Sociability) of the check list. The profiles for the nominated sample and for the students did not differ significantly on 36 of the 37 scales but both differed significantly from the composite profile on 34 scales.

Counseling↗
PubMed1985

Medical consequences of eating disorders.

While much has appeared in the recent literature about various psychotherapeutic techniques used to treat eating disorders, little attention has been paid to the medical complications. Prominent among these are heart damage, failure of the endocrine system, infarction and perforation of the stomach after acute dilatation, multiple suicide attempts, aspiration, injury or rupture of the esophagus, severe bleeding per rectum causing anemia due to laxative abuse, hypokalemic nephropathy, depressive disorders due to starvation, and severe erosion of the enamel of the teeth resulting in extensive loss of teeth. I decry the sudden trend of nonmedically trained personnel rushing into the treatment of eating disorders, particularly anorexia nervosa and bulimia, because they know little about the possibly fatal consequences of their failure to attend to some of these medical phenomena. I also note with grave concern the identification of the medical profession with the "thin is better" mentality of our culture, which blinds them to the serious medical consequences of eating disorders.

Amenorrhea↗
PubMed1977

Personality characteristics of black adolescents.

Four hundred and forty-six poor, Black, urban and rural adolescents ages 15-18 enrolled in a summer poverty-work program were administered Gough's Adjective Checklist (ACL) and Holland's Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI). Significant sex differences were found on 12 of the 24 ACL scales with Black females tending to score higher on all differing scales. The VPI scores were compared with Black College students' scores and significant differences were found on most of the 11 VPI scales.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Anorexia nervosa visited and revisited: weight is the issue.

Anorexia nervosa is known as a psychiatric disorder. Many practitioners seem unaware that a patient in a starvation state is cognitively impaired and thus a poor candidate for psychotherapy. Weight restoration is a prerequisite to other treatment modalities. Many practitioners and all patients fail to recognize this illness because of a prevailing cultural idealization of thinness. Since these patients initially seem so compliant in treatment, valuable time is lost by those who fail to understand the patient's deceptiveness and the life-threatening potential of the disease.

Adult↗