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Biomedical subjects

S Gibb

Publications and source records attributed to S Gibb.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Slow transit constipation in children.

Patients with chronic constipation that fails to respond to treatment remain a challenge for paediatricians and surgeons. Ongoing work in our institution suggests that a number of children with intractable symptoms have slow transit constipation, which has only been described recently in paediatrics. Common features of slow transit are: delayed passage of the first meconium stool beyond 24 h of age, symptoms of severe constipation within a year, or treatment-resistant 'encopresis' at 2-3 years, soft stools despite infrequent bowel actions, and delay in colonic transit on a transit study. A proportion of children with slow transit constipation have an abnormality of intestinal innervation associated with the dysfunctional colonic motility, recognized as intestinal neuronal dysplasia (IND). Intestinal neuronal dysplasia type B, the most common variant of IND, is defined on rectal biopsy by hyperplasia of the submucosal plexus. On laparoscopic colon muscle biopsy, many specimens show reduced numbers of excitatory substance P-immunoreactive nerve fibres in the circular muscle. Functional markers of the nerves allow new diagnostic criteria to be developed which may also allow a more rational approach to treatment. The aetiology remains obscure and the optimal management poorly defined, although subtotal colectomy, proximal colostomy or appendicostomy (for antegrade enemas) have been tried. Once the anatomy and physiology of the colon in children with slow colonic transit is better understood, we will have defined not only a new form of constipation, but also will be able to consider new therapies.

Child↗
PubMed1998

Assessing strength of preference for abortion method using 'willingness to pay': a useful research technique for measuring values.

Policy makers and practitioners need to differentiate between patient preferences which are strongly held, and those which are not. This study measured not only women's preferences for medical abortion versus surgical vacuum aspiration, but also the strength of these preferences, using a 'willingness to pay' (WTP) technique. Fifty women were recruited and interviewed prior to and following termination of early pregnancy. Due to the sensitivity of the situation, the WTP approach was administered by interview. Results revealed that 34 (64%) preferred to have the medical method. The amounts offered for each method were similar; however, a minority gave higher values for the medical method, thus for those women their strength of preference for that method was more intense. Validity of the technique was supported by the finding of a positive association with social class and the importance women attached to having choice. It is argued that WTP is an acceptable method for the elicitation of strength of treatment preferences. Its further use by nurses and midwives to assess health care preferences should be explored, particularly when considering aspects of care which are traditionally difficult to identify and measure.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMed1998

Protectionism or competition in managing British nursing research? Current debate among nurse and midwifery teachers.

AIM: The intention is to highlight key issues related to research by nurse and midwifery teachers. BACKGROUND: The debate centres on the 'culture change' facing teachers from traditional colleges moving to universities where a more formal research requirement prevails. ORIGINS OF INFORMATION: Data were drawn from selected official reports and other literature informing the introductory discussion. Emerging themes were discussed by 25 nurse and midwife teachers at Forresterhill College, Aberdeen in March 1996 and their views were recorded and analysed. DATA ANALYSIS: Selected documents and discussion records were reviewed, using a thematic approach. KEY ISSUES: Main themes concerned nursing as art and science, balance between multidisciplinary and unidisciplinary research and ring-fencing nursing research funds. CONCLUSIONS: Anxieties among teachers centred on the increased research requirement in universities with possible neglect of teaching excellence.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1993

An audit of thrombolytic therapy in a rural hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the complications from the use of streptokinase in a hospital remote from specialist support. DESIGN: A retrospective analysis from record files of patients treated with streptokinase thrombolysis following myocardial infarction. SETTING: Busselton District Hospital, Busselton, Western Australia. METHOD: The medical records of all patients admitted to Busselton District Hospital, from 1986 to 1991 with diagnoses of chest pain, angina or myocardial infarction were studied retrospectively and those admitted in 1992 who were given streptokinase were studied prospectively. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients received streptokinase. Two patients received this treatment twice. The drug was started a median of 30 minutes after arrival in casualty. Four deaths and one case of serious haemorrhage were recorded. CONCLUSION: Thrombolytic therapy is simple to give. Early use of it should be encouraged in isolated hospitals.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

DNA methylase during Xenopus laevis development.

The DNA methylase activity present in embryos and cultured cells of Xenopus laevis resembles DNA methylase from mammalian tissues. Little or no activity is found in mature germinal vesicles, though nuclear activity rises rapidly after fertilization. This rise may result in part from a relocation of cytoplasmic enzyme.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Studies on the concentration of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A during normal and complicated pregnancy.

Pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A was assayed in the blood of 347 women during pregnancy, using a new primary standard of PAPP-A as reference. The protein was assayed by antibody-antigen crossed electrophoresis with the lower limit of confident assay being 9.5 micrograms PAPP-A/ml (13 pmol/ml). PAPP-A was first detected at 14 weeks of gestation; by term it had risen to within the range 20 to 320 micrograms/ml. There was an indication that pregnancies involving a male baby had higher PAPP-A levels in blood than did those involving female babies. In 51 blood samples from 30 patients with gestational diabetes (taken between 28 weeks of pregnancy and term) there was no significant alteration in PAPP-A values compared with controls. In 35 blood samples from 15 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes, levels of PAPP-A were significantly lower than in controls or in gestational diabetes. In 43 blood samples from 35 patients with babies affected with intrauterine growth retardation (between 28 weeks and term), there was no significant difference in PAPP-A levels compared with controls. The effect of insulin on the blood levels of PAPP-A suggests that the concentration of PAPP-A is capable of altering significantly in response to certain physiological changes associated with the control of carbohydrate metabolism.

Birth Weight↗