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Biomedical subjects

P Starkey

Publications and source records attributed to P Starkey.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Calcium carbonate and the premenstrual syndrome: effects on premenstrual and menstrual symptoms. Premenstrual Syndrome Study Group.

OBJECTIVE: Previous reports have suggested that disturbances in calcium regulation may underlie the pathophysiologic characteristics of premenstrual syndrome and that calcium supplementation may be an effective therapeutic approach. To evaluate the effect of calcium carbonate on the luteal and menstrual phases of the menstrual cycle in premenstrual syndrome, a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, multicenter clinical trial was conducted. STUDY DESIGN: Healthy, premenopausal women between the ages of 18 and 45 years were recruited nationally across the United States at 12 outpatient centers and screened for moderate-to-severe, cyclically recurring premenstrual symptoms. Symptoms were prospectively documented over 2 menstrual cycles with a daily rating scale that had 17 core symptoms and 4 symptom factors (negative affect, water retention, food cravings, and pain). Participants were randomly assigned to receive 1200 mg of elemental calcium per day in the form of calcium carbonate or placebo for 3 menstrual cycles. Routine chemistry, complete blood cell count, and urinalysis were obtained on all participants. Daily documentation of symptoms, adverse effects, and compliance with medications were monitored. The primary outcome measure was the 17-parameter symptom complex score. RESULTS: Seven hundred twenty women were screened for this trial; 497 women were enrolled; 466 were valid for the efficacy analysis. There was no difference in age, weight, height, use of oral contraceptives, or menstrual cycle length between treatment groups. There were no differences between groups in the mean screening symptom complex score of the luteal (P = .659), menstrual (P = .818), or intermenstrual phase (P = .726) of the menstrual cycle. During the luteal phase of the treatment cycle, a significantly lower mean symptom complex score was observed in the calcium-treated group for both the second (P = .007) and third (P < .001) treatment cycles. By the third treatment cycle calcium effectively resulted in an overall 48% reduction in total symptom scores from baseline compared with a 30% reduction in placebo. All 4 symptom factors were significantly reduced by the third treatment cycle. CONCLUSIONS: Calcium supplementation is a simple and effective treatment in premenstrual syndrome, resulting in a major reduction in overall luteal phase symptoms.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

The medical officer of health, the social worker, and the problem family, 1943 to 1968: the case of family service units.

It has sometimes been assumed that the Report of the Seebohm Committee on the Local Authority and Allied Personal Social Services of 1968 and subsequent Local Authority (Social Services) Reorganization signalled a reduction in the influence of Medical Officers of Health in the care of poor and disorganized families and an increase in that of social workers. This article considers the role of Medical Officers of Health in the care of such families in the period after the Second World War, and their relationship with one of the key voluntary social work agencies in the field, Pacifist Service Units/Family Service Units. By examining the shift in responsibility from public health doctors to social workers and using the Bristol Family Service Unit as a case study, it argues that in many areas the Children and Young Persons Act of 1963 was used formally to transfer responsibility for such families to the Children's Departments and that the process was complete before the Seebohm Committee reported in 1968. It also suggests that those families in difficulty who remained the responsibility of the Public Health Department, and who were thought to have increased in number during the course of the 1960s, presented health visitors and public health doctors with a different range of problems, although they continued to be labelled problem families.

Community Health Workers↗
PubMed1997

In vitro culture of endometrial stromal and gland cells as a model for endometriosis: the effect of peritoneal fluid on proliferation.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that the cell-free fraction of PF from women with endometriosis affects the proliferation of endometrial epithelial and stromal cells in vitro. DESIGN: A cell biologic and immunohistochemical study. SETTING: University teaching hospital. PATIENT(S): Premenopausal women undergoing laparoscopy and women with histologically normal endometrium undergoing hysterectomy were selected. INTERVENTION(S): Peritoneal fluid (PF) and serum were collected at laparoscopy. Endometrial epithelial and stromal cells were obtained by enzymic dissociation of tissue, and epithelium was separated from stromal cells by sieving. Epithelial and stromal cell populations were purified by removal of contaminating cells using Thy-1-and CD-45-labeled immunomagnetic beads. Isolated endometrial gland and stromal cells were cultured in the presence of PF or serum from women with and without endometriosis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Cell proliferation was assessed by measurement of incorporation of 3[H]thymidine after 48 hours in culture. RESULT(S): Isolated endometrial gland and stromal cells were able to proliferate in vitro. The proliferative effect of PF or sera from women with endometriosis did not differ significantly from normal controls. CONCLUSION(S): We conclude that PF from women with endometriosis does not have an additional mitogenic effect compared with women without endometriosis. It may be postulated that the endometrium from women with endometriosis responds differently to the effects of PF.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Uncommon entrance? The recruitment of probationers to Merseyside hospitals 1919-1938.

That voluntary and municipal hospitals in inter-war Britain enjoyed different levels of prestige is well known. This article explores ways in which the status of hospitals was reflected in the recruitment of probationer nurses on Merseyside and argues that there were overlapping hierarchies between and within the two sectors.

Education, Nursing↗
PubMed1996

Peritoneal fluid cytokines and the relationship with endometriosis and pain.

It is generally accepted that the current scoring system for endometriosis has little correlation with clinical symptoms such as pain, and therefore we may deduce that either endometriosis does not cause pain, or that the current scoring system does not indicate the biological activity of the disease. Pain may occur because the presence of endometriosis produces an intraperitoneal inflammatory response, and several studies have shown that the cytokine content of peritoneal fluid differs between women with and without endometriosis. We studied the relationship between tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-4 and TNF (alpha and beta) activity in peritoneal fluid and the clinical history of pain and infertility. TNF alpha concentrations were increased in peritoneal fluid of women with endometriosis and of infertile women; PDGF concentrations were increased in peritoneal fluid of parous women; IL-6 was increased in peritoneal fluid of women with adhesions; IL-4 was absent from peritoneal fluid. PDGF and IL-6 concentrations were cycle related, with the highest amounts in the menstrual and proliferative phases respectively. We failed to demonstrate any association between concentrations of cytokines in vitro and pain symptoms or severity of endometriosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Effects of topical erythromycin on ecology of aerobic cutaneous bacterial flora.

We have demonstrated previously that application of topical erythromycin, an antibiotic commonly used for the treatment of acne, results in an increased density of cutaneous erythromycin-resistant (Emr) coagulase-negative staphylococci; however, it is unknown if this increase results in an overall higher density of total cutaneous staphylococci or if upon cessation of erythromycin use, Emr coagulase-negative staphylococci remain at an increased density compared with the pretreatment density. To investigate this, 2% erythromycin or vehicle was applied to each subject's forehead (n = 225) twice a day by laboratory personnel for a period of 6 weeks. Samples were obtained for culture from the forehead, anterior nares, and back of the subjects at baseline and at weeks 6, 9, and 12 of the study. Cultures were performed on differential media. Plates into which erythromycin was incorporated (8 micrograms/ml) were used to identify Emr coagulase-negative staphylococci. The species of all Emr coagulase-negative staphylococci were determined, and an antibiogram for 16 antibiotics was obtained. The baseline prevalence of Emr coagulase-negative staphylococci on the forehead and nose was about 80% at the two study sites, whereas that on the back was 50%. The baseline density of Emr coagulase-negative staphylococci on the forehead, nose, and back was approximately 20% of the total flora. Following 6 weeks of erythromycin treatment, the prevalence of Emr coagulase-negative staphylococci on the forehead and nose was nearly 100% and the densities were 73 and 62%, respectively; the prevalence and density for the back were 78 and 42%, respectively. The most prevalent erythromycin resistance gene expressed by the Emr coagulase-negative staphylococci was ermC. There was no increase in the numbers of Staphylococcus aureus, gram-negative rods, or yeasts, nor was there increased resistance to any other antibiotic except clindamycin. The density of total aerobic organisms also remained static. There were no changes in the prevalence or density of Emr coagulase-negative staphylococci in the vehicle group. A statistically significant decrease in the prevalence and density of Emr coagulase-negative staphylococci in the erythromycin group was observed within 3 weeks posttreatment and by 6 weeks posttreatment, the prevalence and density returned to baseline values. These data demonstrate that the increased prevalence and density of Emr coagulase-negative staphylococci as a result of topical 2% erythromycin use are transient on both population and individual levels.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1994

CD56+ lymphoid cells in human first trimester pregnancy decidua as a source of novel transforming growth factor-beta 2-related immunosuppressive factors.

The lymphomyeloid cells isolated from normal first trimester pregnancy decidua may be separated into a CD56+ population of natural killer (NK)-lineage cells with the morphology of granulated lymphocytes, and a CD56- population which includes other cell types. Unlike CD56+ NK cells in peripheral blood, decidual CD56+ cells lack type III Fc receptors (CD16) and did not express significant levels of either type I FcR (CD64) or type II FcR (CDw32). By contrast to the decidual CD56- cells, CD56+ cells could release biologically active transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta in vitro, detectable using an normal rat kidney fibroblast colony-forming assay. The CD56+ cells could be stained using an antibody specific for TGF-beta 2, and similarly staining cells could be detected in intact biopsies of normal pregnancy decidua. Bioactive TGF-beta is known to suppress the generation of cytotoxic cells in vitro, and high performance liquid chromatography fractionation of supernatants conditioned by CD56+ but not CD56- cells contained reproducible peaks of immunosuppressive activity at 40-45 and 15-20 kDa, similar to the TGF-beta 2 immunosuppressive activity in supernatants conditioned by unfractionated decidua.

Antigens, CD↗
PubMed1992

The early development of numerical reasoning.

Children of age 1-4 years were found capable of engaging in numerical reasoning. Children were presented with a task in which they placed a set of objects one by one into an opaque container. An experimenter then visibly performed either an addition, a subtraction, or no transformation on the screened set. Children were then instructed to remove all objects from the container. Across two experiments, children searched for and removed the correct number of objects when set numerosity was small. Knowledge of numerical identity and knowledge of the effects of addition and subtraction transformations on numerosity were present even in children who had not yet begun to count verbally. These findings provide evidence that the emergence of numerical reasoning does not depend upon the prior development of a verbal counting ability or upon cultural experience with numbers.

Child Development↗
PubMed1992

Localization of tumour necrosis factor production in cells at the materno/fetal interface in human pregnancy.

Biologically active tumour necrosis factor (TNF) was detected in medium conditioned by incubation with explants of human pregnancy decidua or fetal chorionic villous tissue, taken in the first trimester and at term. Addition of endotoxin increased TNF release in most cases. ELISA assays gave similar results for TNF-alpha and also demonstrated low levels of TNF-beta. Using cell populations purified by flow cytometry, secretion of biologically active TNF was shown to be localized to the macrophages. Cytotrophoblast purified from term amniochorion produced no TNF. Both decidual and chorionic villous tissue at term contained mRNA for TNF-alpha and TNF-beta. TNF-alpha mRNA was confined to decidual macrophages in first trimester tissue, and was not present in chorionic cytotrophoblast. TNF-beta mRNA, in contrast, was detected in both macrophage and non-macrophage populations in term decidua.

Decidua↗
PubMed1990

Numerical abstraction by human infants.

Across several experiments, 6- to 8-month-old human infants were found to detect numerical correspondences between sets of entities presented in different sensory modalities and bearing no natural relation to one another. At the basis of this ability, we argue, is a sensitivity to numerosity, an abstract property of collections of objects and events. Our findings provide evidence that the emergence of the earliest numerical abilities does not depend upon the development of language or complex actions, or upon cultural experience with number.

Attention↗
PubMed1984

Glycosaminoglycan synthesis by rat fibroblast monolayers: effects of serum and solubilized bone matrix fractions.

Glycosaminoglycan synthesis by fibroblasts, from skeletal muscle of the neonatal rat, is stimulated by a bone matrix preparation, soluble in isotonic medium, obtained by extracting decalcified rat bone with 4 M guanidine HCl. The stimulation in glycosaminoglycan synthesis is dependent on the presence of serum in the culture, but the stimulatory effect can be clearly distinguished from that of serum. The stimulatory activity in the bone matrix has been fractionated by ion-exchange chromatography and coelutes largely with anionic, non-collagenous matrix glycoproteins.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Detection of intermodal numerical correspondences by human infants.

Infants prefer to look at an array of objects that corresponds in number to a sequence of sounds. In doing so, infants disregard the modality (visual or auditory) and type (object or event) of items presented. This finding indicates that infants possess a mechanism that enables them to obtain information about number.

Auditory Perception↗
PubMed1983

Incorporation of radioactive precursors into glycosaminoglycans by rat muscle fibroblasts exposed to a solubilized rat bone matrix fraction.

Confluent cultures of rat muscle fibroblastic cells respond by increased glycosaminoglycan (GAG) synthesis when cultured in medium containing a solubilized bone matrix fraction (SBM) at a concentration of 100 micrograms/ml. The metabolism of the GAG associated with the cell pellet, the cell surface and the tissue culture medium fractions was studied, in the presence and absence of SBM, by measuring the incorporation of radioactivity from [3H]glucosamine and [35S]SO4 into the isolated GAG. Net synthesis of hyaluronic acid and of chondroitin sulfate in the medium fraction increased more rapidly in cultures containing SBM compared to controls, and the accumulation of labelled GAG in the medium of the treated cultures was approximately linear with respect to the length of incubation. The addition of SBM also resulted in increased incorporation of 3H and of 35S into the GAG of the cell surface and cell pellet fractions. In these fractions, stimulation of incorporation of radioactivity occurred in two waves: an early, relatively minor increase and a later relatively major increase. The relatively major stimulation of radioactivity into the GAG of the cell surface fraction occurred between 24 and 48 h and was independent of any apparent effect of serum.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Control of glycosaminoglycan synthesis and connective tissue differentiation in culture by solubilized bone matrix fractions.

Implantation of decalcified bone matrix in rodents induces the formation of new cartilage and bone by responding cells. Extraction of the bone matrix with high ionic strength solutions, followed by solubilization of part of the extract in isotonic salt solution, yielded material which stimulated glycosaminoglycan (GAG) synthesis by monolayers of fibroblastic cells. Bone is greatly enriched in this stimulatory activity compared to other connective tissues. However, fibroblastic cells from different sources respond to the stimulatory effect of low concentrations of the solubilized material. Kinetic studies of the GAG synthesized and secreted by the cultured cells revealed that a major stimulation of GAG secretion occurred at the cell surface as an early event following stimulation with the bone matrix extract. GAG accumulation in the culture medium occurs at a greater rate in cultures that have been stimulated with the bone matrix extract than in controls.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Glycosaminoglycan and surface glycoprotein syntheses by rat muscle fibroblast monolayers: response to solubilized bone matrix and effect of serum.

Glycosaminoglycan synthesis by muscle fibroblasts derived from neonatal rats has been studied using a sensitive radioisotope method. Feeding the cultures with serum-containing medium supplemented with 80 micrograms/ml of a solubilized bone matrix (SBM) preparation results in an initial enhancement of net glycosaminoglycan secretion and a later additional response, not seen in controls. A pronounced dilution of the specific radioactivity of secreted chondroitin sulfate characterizes the latter response. SBM-treated cultures (100 micrograms/ml) also demonstrate increased incorporation of radioactive glucosamine into a large molecular weight cell surface glycoprotein. SBM suppresses the growth rate and final cell densities at all serum concentrations tested. However, at similar cell densities, higher serum concentrations tend to minimize the relative stimulation of incorporation of radioactivity into the secreted glycosaminoglycans by SBM-treated cultures, compared to controls.

Animals↗