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Biomedical subjects

R L Foster

Publications and source records attributed to R L Foster.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Symptom management outcomes. Do they reflect variations in care delivery systems?

OBJECTIVES: Symptom management is increasingly recognized as a critical element of patient care, particularly in managing chronic illness. However, research on outcomes related to symptom management is in its infancy, except for the symptom of pain. This symptom was therefore chosen as a prototype to review the state of the science regarding relations between organizational variables and symptom management outcomes and to illustrate the issues regardless of the symptom managed. This article discusses pain outcome measures appropriate for acute and cancer pain, proposes attributes of the care delivery system that may affect outcome measures, and identifies challenges associated with this type of research. METHODS: Review of quality assurance studies raises issues concerning the adequacy of currently used outcomes for pain and satisfaction with pain management. Although considerable effort has been expended in developing pain measurement in adults and children, critical issues for examining pain management outcomes include deciding what perspectives should be used as the most valid indicator of the pain outcome and when the measures should be obtained. RESULTS: Critical concerns are raised about the measure of satisfaction with pain management and its appropriateness as the end-result outcome. A key issue is whether respondents actually disentangle satisfaction with pain management from satisfaction with other aspects of care, including caring dispositions of health-care providers. Finally, the question is raised: Are pain outcomes affected by organizational context? CONCLUSIONS: Although the answer to this question is unknown, a few research studies suggest that organizational context is likely to influence pain outcomes. It is clear, however, from ongoing work that until several conceptual, methodological, and analytic challenges are resolved, research is unlikely to capture the influence of variations in care delivery systems on symptom management outcomes.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Addressing epistemologic and practical issues in multimethod research: a procedure for conceptual triangulation.

Although a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods are being used increasingly in nursing research, little practical advice exists about the conduct of such studies. Conceptual triangulation offers one approach to multimethod research, addressing epistemologic and practical issues that have long plagued investigators. Conducting quantitative and qualitative research as parallel studies and using method-specific criteria for rigor provide an alternative to blending methodologic assumptions. Systematic examination of the support for findings guides judgments about model development, and the provision for multiple conceptual models resolves issues about the interpretation of findings.

Humans↗
PubMed1996

Evaluating a pediatric pain management research utilization program.

Research-based pain assessment and management innovations are not fully utilized in clinical nursing practice. Thus children continue to suffer despite strategies that could eliminate or significantly reduce their pain. An educational program was developed and implemented to integrate state-of-the-art pain assessment and management strategies into the clinical practice of pediatric nurses. This article reports on evaluation of the research utilization process during development and implementation of the program. The program included formal classes, development of instruments for pain assessment and documentation, ongoing consultation on pain management strategies, and designation of a unit-based staff nurse liaison. Findings illuminated the process through which nursing staff on one unit came to learn about new ideas, try those ideas in their clinical practice, re-invent certain strategies to better meet their needs, and, ultimately, to adopt innovations deemed helpful in their work.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Effect of diet on growth of M. leprae in mouse footpads.

Semipurified diets, with equal amounts of vitamins, minerals and fibre, but varied in protein and fat content from pork, barbel fish or soya beans were tested for their possible effect on the growth of M. leprae in mouse footpads. 105 BALB/c male weanling mice were randomly divided into five diet groups of 21 mice each and fed for six months. Differences between bacterial counts of diet groups were found. The mouse foot pad model is suitable for dietary study in leprosy.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Effects of dietary composition on growth of M. leprae in mouse footpads.

The number of bacteria per mouse footpad were measured at intervals beginning with the third month in male, weanling BALB/c mice infected with M. leprae and fed for a period of 6 months to test the effects of diet on multiplication of bacteria. The mean bacteria count per footpad in mice remaining at 6 months in the two high fat diets was higher (p = 0.014) than the mean of the two low fat diets. Likewise, the pooled mean bacterial count of mice fed the two diets of animal origin had a tendency to a higher mean bacterial count compared to mice fed the two diets of plant origin. Low level of dietary protein in early life also seemed to predispose to M. leprae multiplication. Our data in mice suggest that the association of diet with human leprosy should be investigated.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

The incidence of urogenital Chlamydia trachomatis infections among patients in Kumasi, Ghana.

The incidence of urogenital chlamydia infections among selected patients in Kumasi, Ghana was evaluated using an immunofluorescent monoclonal antibody technique. Chlamydia trachomatis was identified in 4 of 110 patients presenting for prenatal care, 2 of 55 female patients with infertility and 6 of 15 males with acute urethritis. The findings demonstrate that C. trachomatis is a frequently identified pathogen among male patients presenting with symptoms of acute urethritis; however, the incidence of chlamydia infections among asymptomatic patients is relatively low.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1988

Nutrition in leprosy: a review.

The literature relating diet to leprosy is abundant between 1900 and 1960, peaking around 1940. Dietary factors that appear to influence the etiopathogenesis of Hansen's disease include: vitamin A, vitamin B group, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, calcium, and zinc. We noted a frequent lack of detailed dietary data in much of the literature cited. This is particularly true when the thrust of the investigation is not dietary. The literature strongly suggests the beneficial influence of adequate diet on the outcome of Hansen's disease and the deleterious effect of a deficient diet. In contrast with the paucity of reported hard data in the previous reviews concerned with the effect of nutrition and diet on leprosy, is the increasing volume of literature reviews and experimental studies showing the profound impact of nutrition and diet on the immune system of man and laboratory animals. That diet has a global, if poorly understood, effect on the immune system is being increasingly recognized. The difficult question that remains is how to use this information in the control and prevention of disease. Therefore, we believe that more emphasis should be given to diet in the study of this important worldwide disease in light of the current understanding of biochemistry and immunology.

Diet↗
PubMed1987

Covalent linkage of carboxypeptidase G2 to soluble dextrans--I. Properties of conjugates and effects on plasma persistence in mice.

The covalent attachment of the therapeutic enzyme carboxypeptidase G2 to soluble dextrans of varying molecular weight resulted in a 5-15-fold increase in plasma persistence in normal and tumour-bearing mice. The molecular weight of the dextran used markedly affected the number of dextran molecules present in the conjugate, resulting in a molecular weight distribution between 6 and 12 X 10(5) daltons. The isoelectric point of the conjugates varied between 4.1 and 4.8 compared to native enzyme 7.8. Conjugates were resistant to proteolysis by trypsin and chymotrypsin, but showed little difference in their affinity for substrate.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Covalent linkage of carboxypeptidase G2 to soluble dextrans--II. In vivo distribution and fate of conjugates.

The in vivo fate of the therapeutic enzyme, carboxypeptidase G2 (CPG2) in native form and covalently-linked to soluble dextrans was studied in the mouse using radiolabelled compounds. Clearance, from the blood, of all compounds tested was found to be as intact, active material, whilst excreted radiolabel was associated in all cases with low molecular weight substances. The clearance and excretion rates of native CPG2 were found to balance, but this was not so for dextran-CPG2 conjugate or CNBr-activated dextran. Tissue distribution studies demonstrated that there was little or no tissue uptake of native CPG2, whereas dextran-CPG2 conjugate, and CNBr-activated dextran were retained in the liver. Within the liver, the CPG2 component of dextran-CPG2 conjugate was degraded more rapidly than the dextran moiety. Blockade of reticulo-endothelial system (RES) led to increased half-lives of dextran CPG2 conjugate and CNBr-activated dextran, demonstrating the involvement of the RES in the clearance of these compounds. Impairment of RES activity did not affect the clearance rate of native CPG2. These results are discussed in relation to the potential use of dextran-CPG2 conjugates in cancer chemotherapy.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Soluble asparaginase-dextran conjugates show increased circulatory persistence and lowered antigen reactivity.

Oxidized dextrans of increasing molecular weight were bound covalently to Erwinia carotovora asparaginase. The resulting conjugates retained 50% of their enzyme activity and showed marked resistance to proteolysis by trypsin and chymotrypsin and inactivation by asparaginase-specific antibody. When tested in-vivo, the larger molecular weight conjugates showed prolonged circulatory survival in both immune and non-immune animals and failed to elicit full type III hypersensitivity or anaphylactic reactions when injected into sensitized guinea-pigs. Rabbits could tolerate multiple doses of the asparaginase conjugate without developing an immunity to the enzyme. A conjugate showing increased circulatory half-life and lowered antigen reactivity should have therapeutic potential.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Buffer-induced activation of calf intestinal alkaline phosphatase.

The influence of Tris, phosphate ions, imidazole, carbonate ions, bicarbonate ions and hydroxyl ions on the rate of activation of calf intestinal alkaline phosphatase after its dissolution in aqueous solution was investigated. The kinetic data are consistent with a general base-catalysed reaction in which the base reacts with an unprotonated enzyme species formed by ionization of a group with pK = 8.9.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1976

Neighbouring acetamido-group participation in reactions of derivatives of 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucose.

Kinetic measurements suggest that neighbouring acetamido-group participation occurs in the spontaneous hydrolysis and methanolysis of o-carboxyphenyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranoside and in the spontaneous hydrolysis of 2,4-dinitrophenyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranoside and 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-beta-D-glycopyranosyl fluoride. The methanolyses of these compounds proceed with predominant retention of configuration which is also consistent with neighbouring acetamido-group participation. The oxazoline intermediate which would arise from such a process was detected during methanolysis of 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranosyl fluoride in the presence of bases by n.m.r., i.r., and u.v. spectroscopy. Attempts to isolate the oxazoline were unsuccessful.

Acetylglucosamine↗