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Biomedical subjects

R Malcolm

Publications and source records attributed to R Malcolm.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Silver acetate gum as a deterrent to smoking.

Silver acetate chewing gum, a nonprescription medication, produces an unpleasant metallic taste in the mouth of individuals who consume tobacco products in conjunction with this smoking deterrent. Use of the product leads to self-induced aversive conditioning. In the present double-blind controlled study, subjects using silver acetate for three weeks of treatment had a smoking cessation rate of 15 out of 136 (11 percent, p = 0.02). Placebo subjects had a smoking cessation rate of 6 out of 146 (4 percent, p = .102). Without further treatment, the group using silver acetate demonstrated a 7 percent nonsmoking rate at four months compared with a 3 percent nonsmoking rate for the placebo group. Silver acetate demonstrated a modest benefit over placebo as a smoking deterrent in a minimal intervention and highly cost-effective treatment setting.

Acetates↗
PubMed1985

A controlled trial of naltrexone in obese humans.

Based on reports that opiate antagonists can curtail short-term eating in several species including humans, the efficacy of naltrexone in promoting weight loss by obese subjects was examined. Naltrexone, a long-acting oral opiate antagonist, was studied in a randomized parallel double-blind placebo controlled ten week trial in 27 females and 14 males who were 30-100 percent overweight. Subjects on naltrexone lost an average of 1.8 kg and placebo subjects lost 1.5 kg, with no significant difference between groups. Three subjects who took naltrexone had elevations of liver transaminases, two times higher than normal. In the present study naltrexone at a daily dosage of 200 mg did not appear to have efficacy in producing weight loss after eight weeks of treatment. Studies of the effects of naltrexone at higher dosage or for longer periods should monitor hepatic function.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Insomnia and its treatment. When are hypnotics justified?

Symptomatic treatment of transient insomnias is advisable, for without treatment these sleep disorders may become persistent. The drugs of choice are the benzodiazepine hypnotics, which have minimal side effects when used for short periods in properly selected patients. The three such drugs currently available in the United States differ enough in half-life, absorption rate, and potential for drug interactions that they cannot be used interchangeably. A sound selection matches the drug's characteristics with the patient's needs. Transient insomnias must be differentiated from persistent insomnias, which are more resistant to treatment. Hypnotic agents not only are more likely to be ineffective against persistent insomnias but also have greater potential for exacerbating a sleep-related breathing disorder, producing a drug-dependent insomnia, or contributing to drug misuse.

Anti-Anxiety Agents↗
PubMed1983

Treatment of insomnia in cancer patients using muscle relaxation training.

Mean sleep onset latency was reduced from 124 to 29 min in 15 patients suffering from insomnia secondary to cancer; 15 subjects receiving routine care had means of 116 and 104 min in comparison. Muscle relaxation training was administered in individual sessions on three consecutive days. With 26 subjects available for follow-up 3 months later, the mean differences in sleep latency continued. The relatively greater success in this study than previously reported for a behavioral treatment of insomnia is discussed in light of possible differences between primary insomniacs and those subjects with insomnia secondary to a medical disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Psychosocial and developmental factors in failure to thrive: one- to three- year follow-up.

Fifteen infants and children with a diagnosis of failure to thrive (FTT) were followed at one to three years postdischarge. Data were gathered from in-home interviews, psychosocial questionnaires, measurement of present height and weight, and administration of the Developmental Profile. Nine of the 15 children were still failing to thrive; the other 6 were considered recovered. The nonthriving group consisted of three subgroups: (1) developmentally retarded, (2) organic basis FTT, and (3) psychosocial FTT. The developmentally retarded children were significantly different in that they required more attention, had greater constipation, and engaged in less tantrum behavior. Further, they were significantly more impaired in the physical, self-help, and social areas of development. The difficulties in diagnosis and treatment of FTT children are discussed. Suggestions for the enhancement of medical management of this complex and life-threatening disorder are offered.

Body Height↗
PubMed1980

Taste hedonics and thresholds in obesity.

Previous investigations of the relation of taste to obesity have focused on sweet taste, with inconclusive results. This study compared adult-onset obese, juvenile-onset obese, and never-obese females on sensitivity and hedonic (preference) responses to sweet, salty, sour, and bitter solutions. On no taste did the groups differ on detection or recognition thresholds or on hedonic ratings of supra-threshold concentrations. Two patterns of individual hedonic responses to increasing concentrations were identified with supra-threshold sucrose solutions, as in previous work, but not with the other solutions. There were no reliable relations across tastes on detection or recognition thresholds or supra-threshold hedonic ratings. Hedonic ratings of the lowest (below detection threshold) concentrations of each taste solution were examined as indices of cognitive and affective responses to the expected properties of the taste. Adult-onset obese subjects assigned higher expectancy hedonic ratings for sour and sweet than did juvenile-onset obese or never-obese subjects. The same trend held, nonsignificantly, for salty. Discussion focuses on the nature of expectancy ratings and implications of findings for future investigations of the role of taste in obesity within different obese populations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Effects of social-skills training in a community-based program.

The effects of social-skills training upon the behavior of 8 previously institutionalized mentally retarded adults, residing in community group homes were evaluated. In comparison to a control group, the subjects who received training showed substantial changes in the desirable direction for each behavior. Generalization to unfamiliar situations was also noted. The problems in placing retarded clients in the community without social-skills training and the potential disadvantages of inadequate training were discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Behavioral treatment of obesity. Limitations and results with the chronically obese.

Results of behavioral treatment for obese persons during the first 18 months of clinical operation are presented and other reports in the literature are reviewed. Baseline and follow-up data were gathered from a population of 144 female, chronically obese patients, most of whom were experiencing medical complications associated with obesity. Treatment results were disappointing in comparison with results of similar programs. Difference in patient population groups is offered as a possible explanation for this phenomenon. Covariant analyses of demographic and psychosocial variables failed to yield any clear predictors of weight loss; it is suggested that biological factors may be important to treatment outcome for some overweight patients.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed1977

The problem patient as perceived by family physicians.

Views of family physicians, in training and in practice, were obtained on problem patients. Both groups identified problem patients by the presence of vague complaints of a functional nature and the presence of psychiatric symptoms. Views of problem patients did not change with age of physician or length of time since training. Neither group identified problem patients by the type of physician-patient relationship, a finding that probably contributes to increased difficulties with this group of patients.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1974

A mechanism by which the hair cells of the inner ear transduce mechanical energy into a modulated train of action potentials.

Physical models of the hair cells of the inner ear were built and analyzed. These models suggest that a straightforward physical process is capable of modulating the electrical resistance of the hair cell. Strong evidence in the literature indicates that such a change in resistance would modulate an otherwise steady electrical current which flows across the hair cell. This would cause the resting potential of the hair cell to change in a systematic fashion, eventually giving rise to the modulated train of action potentials in the neurons leading from the hair cell to the central nervous system.

Action Potentials↗