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S L Garrett

Publications and source records attributed to S L Garrett.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Broadcasts of wing-fanning vibrations recorded from calling male Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) increase captures of females in traps.

Female Mediterranean fruit flies, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), from the sterile-male rearing facility in El Pino, Guatemala, were exposed to broadcasts of wing-fanning vibrations recorded from males engaged in calling behavior to investigate the feasibility of developing a female-selective acoustic trap. The recorded signals had frequent amplitude fluctuations and peak frequencies approximately 350 Hz, typical of signals observed in previous studies of Mediterranean fruit fly acoustic behavior. Females did not exhibit long-distance phonotaxis, but remained near a speaker significantly longer when the sounds were broadcast at 103-107 dB than when the speaker was silent. In addition, significantly higher percentages of females were captured by yellow adhesive traps next to a broadcasting speaker than by traps next to a silent mimic. Additional bioassays were conducted with synthetic, 350-Hz tones produced by a thermoacoustic tube as well as with silent mimics of the different sound sources to examine the relative responsiveness of female Mediterranean fruit flies to traps with different acoustic and visual features. The visual attributes of the different sound source assemblies significantly affected capture rates. The range over which the broadcast significantly increased the percentage of female captures was <0.5 m, which may limit the utility of these acoustic cues in large-scale trapping programs. However, the findings of this study do justify further testing of whether optimized short-range acoustic signals could be used to augment longer range pheromonal and visual cues to improve the efficacy of female-selective traps.

Acoustics↗
PubMed1997

Cervical spine surgery in ankylosing spondylitis: is the outcome good?

OBJECTIVE: To assess retrospectively, the outcome of cervical spine surgery in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 3464 patients with identified AS, 19 patients of whom had cervical spine surgery. A self-administered questionnaire (including the use of 10 cm visual analogue scales, 0 = none, 10 = worst) assessing the complications of the surgery, patients' neck symptoms and post-surgery functional ability was sent to the 19 patients. Available casenotes and radiographs were reviewed. RESULTS: The mean duration of follow-up was 10 years. One patient had two separate cervical spine operations. The types of surgery performed included cervical fusion (n=7), osteotomy (n=7) and laminectomy (n=6). Six patients had minor complications as a result of surgery. The majority of patients (93%) felt that their surgery had been successful. Most patients (81%) had a reduction in neck pain (mean pain score=3.1, SD 2.8) but increased neck stiffness (mean stiffness score=8.0, SD 2.9). Postoperative radiographs of 7 patients showed complete ankylosis of the cervical spine. Generally, few patients reported difficulty with reading/watching television (6%), sleep (19%) or driving (36%). A third of the patients were still in full time employment. CONCLUSIONS: About 1 in 200 patients with AS undergo cervical spine surgery. The surgery is often successful and complications are usually minor. Neck pain is often better after surgery and any remaining neck symptoms do not significantly affect the patient's sleep or functional activities. In this retrospective study, the long term outcome of cervical spine surgery in patients with AS appears to be good.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Which patients with ankylosing spondylitis derive most benefit from an inpatient management program?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the benefit achieved from an inpatient management program by testing the hypothesis that more mobile, younger patients on their first course show the most improvement. METHODS: We assessed 236 patients over an 18 month period. Patients were assessed at the beginning and end of the course by 4 indices, 3 of which were self-administered (disease activity, functional ability, and global well being) and one administered by a trained physiotherapist (metrology). Paired t tests and ordinary least squares regression analysis were used to compare pre and postcourse results for each index. RESULTS: The wide range of disease duration (0-53 years) and disease severity [0.69-9.39 (on a 0-10 scale)] reveal that patients are from a wide spectrum of disease. Results revealed a mean improvement of 18-27% over baseline in the 4 indices. Significant predictors of greater improvement over the 2 week course were found for each index. CONCLUSION: Our results confirm the benefit of an intensive regime of inpatient physiotherapy. Although the original hypothesis cannot be accepted or rejected as the results were different for the 4 indices, the following general conclusions may be drawn: (1) there is a trend for females to improve more than males; (2) patients who have attended fewer courses tend to achieve more improvement; (3) younger patients do better than older patients; and (4) age of disease onset has little effect.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

The Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Patient Global Score (BAS-G).

In the absence of an ideal objective measure for assessing ankylosing spondylitis (AS), self-administered measures of disease activity (the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index, BASDAI) and function (the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index, BASFI) have been developed, in addition to an objective measure of spinal mobility (the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index, BASMI). However, a more global assessment is also desirable. We report on the design and validation of a global measure (the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Patient Global Score, BAS-G) which reflects the effect of AS on the patient's well-being. A pilot study was performed to select the most appropriate wording for BAS-G. Using 392 patients with AS, BAS-G's construct and predictive validity and test-retest reliability were assessed. Correlations between BAS-G and BASDAI/BASFI were calculated, and multiple regression was used to examine the significant correlates. The distribution of the responses covered the whole scale. As predicted, BAS-G correlated best with BASDAI (r=0.73), followed by BASFI (r=0.54). The best fitting regression equation included these scales as well as patients' gender and current age. One week and 6 month scores were significantly different (P<0.001). Construct validity was good: BAS-G correlated more strongly with each component of BASDAI and BASFI than with BASMI or with gender. Predictive validity was satisfactory: there was an improvement (mean=29%) in in-patient BAS-G scores over a 2 week treatment period (P<0.001). Test-retest reliability was excellent (1 week r=0.84, 6 months r=0.93). BAS-G correlates well with both BASDAI and BASFI, suggesting that disease activity and functional ability play a major role in patients' well-being, whereas metrology does not. The score is sensitive to change, reliable, and meets face, predictive and construct validity criteria.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

The epidemiology of spondylodiscitis in ankylosing spondylitis--a controlled study.

UNLABELLED: Spondylodiscitis is well recognized in ankylosing spondylitis (AS), but little is known about its epidemiology. We therefore reviewed 147 consecutive patients with AS using lumbar and thoracic spine radiographs. For each patient with spondylodiscitis, two age- and sex-matched controls were selected. Twelve individuals (8%) had spondylodiscitis, affecting a total of 32 disc spaces: 10 thoracic, 22 lumbar. The mean age at onset was 21 +/- 4.1 yr, significantly younger than that of the controls (28.5 +/- 10.1 yr, P = 0.004). Half of the 12 patients had multiple lesions (between two and six levels). The most common site was the lower thoracic spine with additional lumbar spine involvement. Only two of the 12 patients (17%) had symptoms localized to the lesions. Neither trauma nor infection were considered to be causes of the spondylodiscitis. IN CONCLUSION: (1) spondylodiscitis occurs in approximately 8% of patients with AS; (2) these patients have early onset of disease; (3) multiple-level lesions in the spine are not uncommon among those with spondylodiscitis; (4) lesions are usually asymptomatic.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Fatigue in ankylosing spondylitis: its prevalence and relationship to disease activity, sleep, and other factors.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the symptom of fatigue in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) with regard to its prevalence and its relationship to disease activity and other factors. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire, including visual analog scales to assess fatigue, other components of disease activity, and functional ability (the Bath AS Functional Index, BASFI) was sent to 350 patients with AS. Questionnaires were completed and returned by 295 patients (84% response rate). Statistical analyses were descriptive and predictive and included t tests, chi-squared tests, and multiple regression. RESULTS: Sixty-five percent of the patients (n = 192) described fatigue as a major symptom (F+ group) while 31% (n = 91; F- group) did not consider it to be important (4% noncommittal). Excluding fatigue, the mean of a disease activity composite score was significantly higher in the F+ group (5.26, standard deviation (SD) + or - 2.33) than in the F- cohort (3.67, SD + or - 2.09, p <0.001). The former group also had significantly worse scores on the functional index (BASFI mean 5.87, SD + or - 2.42 vs 4.29. SD + or - 2.46, p <0.001). Of the total, 55% had, on occasion, suffered fatigue without accompanying pain or stiffness. After controlling for other factors, pain (p <0.001), functional disability (BASFI, p <0.001) and stiffness (p <0.05) were significantly associated with level of fatigue. The F+ group reported more sleep disturbance, with 41 % (compared to 26% of the F- group) waking more than 3 times a night (p = 0.04). In addition, usual fatigue on waking was more common in the F+ group (71 vs 36%, p <0.001). CONCLUSION: (1) Fatigue is a major symptom in the majority of patients with AS, in particular those with more severe disease; (2) fatigue is more likely to occur with active disease but may also occur as a lone symptom. (3) those with severe fatigue function less well; and (4) the management of fatigue remains an enigma - exercise, for example, having only an equivocal effect.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Ankylosing spondylitis: the correlation between a new metrology score and radiology.

The objective was to compare the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index (BASMI) with radiology as a measure of disease outcome. Fifty-three patients, covering the entire spectrum of disease severity, were blindly and independently assessed using the BASMI (total of five standardized measurements, scoring range 0-10) and a radiology score of the four main spinal areas affected by ankylosing spondylitis (AS). BASMI correlates positively with the total radiology score (r = 0.74), while the individual BASMI scores for cervical rotation (r = 0.59), wall to tragus (r = 0.61), lumbar side flexion (r = 0.56), lumbar flexion (r = 0.68) and intermalleolar distance (r = 0.50) correlate positively with their respective radiology scores. BASMI and radiology do not relate well to each other as BASMI takes account of normal physical limitation and soft tissue involvement. In addition, although radiology scores are termed a 'gold standard', they are unreliable. Therefore, BASMI may be judged to be more important in assessing AS and become a 'gold standard' itself.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Defining spinal mobility in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The Bath AS Metrology Index.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the most appropriate clinical measurements for the assessment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) to develop the new metrology index. METHODS: One hundred and ninety-three individuals with AS were studied. The patients reflected the entire spectrum of cases of AS. Metrology was performed on 327 occasions. First the metrology (20 measurements) of 43 patients was analyzed. From this, 5 simple clinical measurements were defined which most accurately reflect axial status: cervical rotation, tragus to wall distance, lateral flexion, modified Schober's, and intermalleolar distance. These measurements were assessed for reliability, speed and both inter and intraobserver variability in another 40 patients. RESULTS: Analysis of the first group of 43 patients and a subsequent group of 54 patients, using the 5 measurements that constitute this new Bath AS Metrology Index (BASMI), demonstrated that they accurately and reliably mirror the 20 clinical measurements assessed previously (r = 0.92, p < 0.001). In a new group of 40 patients the measurements were demonstrated to be accurate and reproducible for both intraobserver variability (r = 0.99, p < 0.001) and interobserver variability (r = 0.97, p < 0.001). In a further 56 patients, admitted for inpatient therapy, an improvement in the BASMI from 3.34 (SD 2.71) to 2.16 (SD 2.42) was noted over a period of 3 weeks (regardless of disease severity) which indicates a sensitivity to change (chi 2 = 6.55, p < 0.01). The mean improvement over baseline was about 30%. CONCLUSION: Five clinical measurements provide a composite index (BASMI) and define disease status in AS. The BASMI is quick (7 min), reproducible and sensitive to change across the disease spectrum.

Adult↗