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R Hussey

Publications and source records attributed to R Hussey.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

In planta localization of a beta-1,4-endoglucanase secreted by Heterodera glycines.

Polyclonal sera specific to beta-1,4-endoglucanases (cellulases) synthesized in the subventral esophageal gland cells of the soybean cyst nematode, Heterodera glycines, were used to provide the first identification of a nematode esophageal gland protein that is secreted into host plant tissue. Sera generated to proteins encoded by Hg-eng-1 and Hg-eng-2 (endoglucanases) did not cross-react with soybean root proteins on Western blots (immunoblots) or in immunofluorescence microscopy of noninoculated (control) soybean root sections. In cross sections of soybean roots at 24 h after inoculation of roots with second-stage juveniles of H. glycines, HG-ENG-1 was localized within the nematode's subventral gland cells and was not detected in root tissue. HG-ENG-2 was localized within the subventral gland cells and was secreted from the juvenile's stylet into root cortical tissue at 24 h after inoculation of roots with second-stage juveniles of H. glycines. HG-ENG-2 was localized along the juvenile's migratory path through the root cortex.

Animals↗

Dental health related behaviours in toddlers in low and high caries areas in St Helens, north west England.

The aim of this investigation was to compare the dental health behaviour of toddlers in low caries (A) and high caries (B) communities in St Helens. Parents of 60 children aged between 17 and 20 months in community A, and 68 in community B were interviewed at home. Using 24-hour dietary recall, sugar intake was recorded as sugar episodes-a sugar episode being a half-hour period during which any amount of non-milk extrinsic sugars (NMES) was consumed. Exposure to fluoride was recorded according to the number of times fluoride toothpaste was used and whether a fluoride supplement was given in the 24-hour period. The median sugar episode score for community A was 6 per 24-hour period (interquartile range 5 to 8), compared with 10.5 (7 to 13) for community B. Sixty per cent of parents in community A compared with 37% in community B reported brushing their child's teeth twice daily with fluoride toothpaste. The respective figures for use of fluoride supplements were 12% and 6%. It is concluded that patterns of dental health behaviour are established early in children's lives, and that marked differences exist between communities within the same district. Recommendations are made for oral health promotion policy.

Dental Care↗

Industrial atmospheric pollution, historical land use patterns and mortality.

BACKGROUND: The measurement of atmospheric pollution for epidemiological studies is problematic. This study presents a new proxy measure of atmospheric pollution of industrial origin and uses it to determine, at electoral ward level, the relationship between atmospheric pollution and all-cause mortality. METHODS: All-cause Standardized Mortality Ratios (SMR), all ages, and for persons under 65 years for the period 1984-1988, proportions of land in each ward utilized by industrial works (the proxy for atmospheric pollution) and levels of socioeconomic deprivation of the ward residents were compared in 104 electoral wards. RESULTS: The all-age SMR in the 22 wards containing the largest proportions of industrial land (113) was 9.7 per cent higher than the SMR (103) in the 60 wards with no industrial land. The under 65 years SMR in the 22 highly industrialized wards (120) was 22.4 per cent higher than the SMR (98) in the wards with no industrial land. After matching the levels of deprivation, the all-age SMR in the 15 wards containing over 10 per cent industrial land (116) was significantly higher than the SMR in 15 wards containing no industrial land (108); corresponding figures for the under 65 years SMR were 135 and 118. CONCLUSIONS: A greater proportion of industrial land in a ward is associated with a higher mortality of the ward residents, even after controlling for the level of socio-economic deprivation of the residents. The association between deprivation and mortality is stronger than the association between atmospheric pollution and mortality. There is an urgent need for better measures of atmospheric pollution which are usable in epidemiological studies.

Adolescent↗

Clinical guidelines and their implementation.

Within the UK there has been increasing interest in the development and implementation of guidelines, as the emphasis on clinical effectiveness is gathering momentum. This paper outlines some of the practical issues encountered in developing and implementing guidelines, based on experiences within Liverpool. Developing local guidelines can be a lengthy process, but that process is not a waste of time if it means there is more likely to be compliance in the end. Dissemination of guidelines alone is not enough; it needs to be combined with an appropriate implementation strategy. There is a danger of primary care being overloaded with new guidelines; there needs to be a timed strategy for their introduction. More imaginative thought needs to be put into the marketing of new ideas in order to change practice. We need to encourage the ethos amongst healthcare professionals of expecting to have to constantly update knowledge and practice.

England↗

Public health and economics in tandem: programme budgeting, marginal analysis and priority setting in practice.

In the wake of the reforms of the UK National Health Service there has been increased interest in 'getting it right' with respect to priority setting in health care. This article examines the way in which programme budgeting and marginal analysis (PBMA) were introduced into North Mersey. It provides a very practical introduction to the topic and indicates the actual processes that were gone through. It is suggested that, in terms of getting participants in the PBMA exercise to think through what programmes comprise, what they cost, what they are trying to achieve and to focus on relevant possible changes, there was considerable merit in the approach. However there are problems, particularly at the level of determining the costs of different programmes.

Budgets↗

A tool to measure the change in health status of selected adult patients before and after intensive care.

If the effect of intensive care on the patient is to be fully assessed then the health status of patients before and after admission to ICU must be measured. The validity of a simplified system which can also use relatives, where necessary, as informants on the patients' pre-morbid health status has been evaluated. In a District General Hospital Intensive Care Unit a questionnaire based survey of 85 patients admitted over a period of eight months used a new specially-designed instrument and compared this with the Functional Limitations Profile (FLP) and the Perceived Quality of Life instrument (PQL). Relatives completed the health status questionnaire as soon as possible after the patient's admission and patients completed a suitably modified version at discharge from ICU. Patients were sent the FLP, PQL and modified health status questionnaire six months and one year after discharge. Questionnaires were completed by 59 paired relatives and patients. Questions were answered in the same way by relatives and patients; 42 of the 59 pairs of results were in agreement within two points of better or worse health. The closest responses were provided by wives in daily contact with their partner. At six months post ICU discharge, 49 patients completed the follow-up questionnaires, 12 patients had died and three were too confused to co-operate. Twenty-one patients (25%) were lost to follow-up. At one year post ICU discharge, 43 patients completed the follow-up questionnaires, one other patient had died and three still remained confused.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Hyponatremia in spinal cord injury.

Hypoosmolar hyponatremia (serum Na+ less than 130 mmol/L) has proven a common and incompletely explained phenomenon in the spinal cord injured patient. When present, it has generally been preceded by excessive fluid intake and environmental/dietary factors which reversibly restrict free water excretion. We have attempted to more fully characterize the determinants of SCI-associated hyponatremia by retrospectively analyzing its features and treatment response in a series of 14 hyponatremic SCI patients. In most instances, hyponatremia could be attributed to uncontrolled fluid intake in the presence of an acute or semiacute illness and thus stimuli for non-osmotic releases of arginine vasopressin. Treatment measures generally included administration of 3% saline, with all patients recovering uneventfully from their episode of hyponatremia.

Adult↗

Pyomyositis in spinal cord injury patients.

Bacterial infections remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality among patients with longstanding spinal cord injury. Infection may occur in a number of different foci, often taxing the skill of the most accomplished diagnostician. Herein are described three patients with fever of unknown origin wherein extensive diagnostic workups ultimately led to the diagnosis of primary pyomyositis. These patients demonstrate the importance of repeated careful physician examination in determining the site of infection in patients with established sensorimotor deficits. Although primary pyomyositis is not a common occurrence in those with spinal cord injuries, it should be included as a potential cause of fever in this patient population.

Adult↗