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Biomedical subjects

S M Simpson

Publications and source records attributed to S M Simpson.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Child protective services' response to prenatal drug exposure: results from a nationwide survey.

OBJECTIVE: This survey was conducted to: (1) document child protective services (CPS) agencies' actual practices regarding prenatal drug exposure; (2) examine urban and rural differences in CPS responses; (3) explore whether CPS practices varied as a function of county median income, birth rate, population size, or percent minority births; and (4) assess respondent satisfaction with their county's current responses. METHOD: Data were collected via a nationwide telephone survey of child welfare supervisors from two urban and two rural counties in every state (N = 200). RESULTS: Ninety percent of counties (100% of urban and 80% of rural) reported receiving referrals of infants with prenatal drug exposure. Among those receiving referrals, extreme variations in practice were found; all possible response options (from very inactive to very aggressive) were equally represented on key questions (e.g., filing court petitions, taking custody). Rural counties tended to have stronger responses than urban counties (t[175] = -2.26, p = .024). County response did not vary with county-level median family income, percent minority births, or birth rate. Despite wide variations in practice, the majority of respondents (69%) felt their county's response was appropriate. Of respondents who did indicate that their county's response was inappropriate, most (85%) felt that the county needed to do more to protect children. CONCLUSIONS: There is currently tremendous variation across US counties in CPS responses to, and beliefs regarding, the issue of prenatal drug exposure. Some of this variation is due to differences between urban and rural counties, with little variation explained by differences in median income or percent minority births at the county level. There is a need for research-based guidance and consensus building in CPS practice in this area.

Child Abuse↗
PubMed2001

Near death experience: a concept analysis as applied to nursing.

BACKGROUND: A concept is a thought or complicated mental illustration of a phenomenon. Concepts are essential in research development as they are described as the building blocks of theory. The occurrence of near death experiences (NDEs) is not an innovative subject. Parallels have existed as early as the Bible and Plato's Republic. The NDE was given further consideration in 1975 by Dr Raymond Moody who initiated an interest from the general public and researchers alike, with his book Life after Life. METHOD: This paper will use the strategy of concept analysis to find a working definition for the concept of the NDE and the implications it has for nursing. CONCLUSION: This paper will attest that the number of people who have claimed to have a NDE is phenomenal and overwhelming. In addition, it claims that the numbers of those who have experienced this phenomenon may be underestimated because of the persons' feeling of insecurity in talking with others about their paranormal incident. Therefore, it is vital that nurses become aware of the NDE and how to support the client who has had the experience. The following paper will summarize the different stages of a NDE, the consequences that one experiences, both positive and negative, and nursing implications.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2000

Prenatal drug exposure and social policy: the search for an appropriate response.

Prenatal drug exposure continues to be a controversial topic. Views of what constitutes an appropriate response to drug-exposed infants vary, in large part due to the many complex issues endemic to perinatal substance use. The purpose of this article is to review the controversy surrounding prenatal drug exposure, outline the policy dilemmas that complicate attempts to respond appropriately, review current practice in this area and the effectiveness of those practices, and offer specific recommendations as a starting point for debate. It is suggested that earlier controversy regarding the sequelae of prenatal drug exposure may be decreasing as research identifies specific and subtle deficits in some affected infants. It is also suggested that the postnatal effects of parental substance abuse (e.g., in terms of abuse/neglect, attachment, and development) are the more appropriate focus of child protection efforts, and that different disciplines must collaborate to reach a consensus regarding the nature of these efforts.

Child↗
PubMed2000

Three approaches to use of questioning by clinical lecturers: a pilot study.

In the current health care climate nurses require very good problem solving and critical thinking skills. Questioning as a teaching strategy is viewed as one way to promote such student learning. Using a comparative descriptive quantitative and a qualitative approach, this pilot study investigated the types of questions asked of students by lecturers working within the preceptorship model in the clinical setting. A convenience sample of five volunteer nursing lecturers were tape recorded during their interactions with undergraduate students (n = 8). Initially two auditing approaches were used to analyse the interview data: relevant parts of Mogan and Warbinek's (1994) Observation of Nursing Teachers in Clinical Settings instrument (ONTICS Tool) and Craig and Page's (1981) conceptual framework as adapted by Sellappah, Hussey, Blackmore and McMurray (1998). The data were further analysed by qualitative content analysis. This study supported the findings of the ONTICS tool and Sellappah et al's framework that teachers asked predominantly directive style and low level questions. What the two approaches did not adequately capture was the complexity of the lecturers' questioning behaviours or the effects of contextual factors. The content analysis process however, identified three broad categories forming a model that effectively integrated aspects of the context of the lecturer/student interaction. It also represented lecturer questioning behaviours more comprehensively. The preliminary model offered has the potential to highlight the importance of lecturers asking questions that lead students to extend their thinking about practice. It could also contribute to student learning by assisting lecturers to understand the value and critical nature of their questioning and serve as a framework for staff development.

Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate↗
PubMed1994

A forgotten need: paediatric resuscitation training.

This article highlights the fact that there are currently no real official recommendations regarding the provision of paediatric resuscitation training in the UK. All too often, this teaching features as no more than an 'add on' to adult resuscitation sessions. This is a thoroughly inadequate situation as the relatively infrequent occurrence and different aetiology of paediatric arrests necessitates specific training, based on standard guidelines, and adapted to meet the needs of the various groups who have contact with children. A three-tiered package of training is recommended, starting with nationwide paediatric Basic Life Support (BLS) training for the general public. In addition to BLS, healthcare personnel need to be trained in appropriate use of airway adjuncts. Paediatric Advanced Life Support (ALS) is also essential for all medical, nursing and paramedical staff who come into contact with acutely-ill children. In an attempt to address the need for ALS, the PALS (Paediatric Advanced Life Support) course, has been implemented in the UK. Adapted from the American PALS course, it aims to provide appropriate personnel with a systematic, research-based approach to acutely-ill children in emergency situations.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation↗
PubMed1983

Effects of short-term treatment with testosterone on the secretion of FSH and LH in castrated golden hamsters exposed to short days.

Castrated hamsters which were transferred from long (14L:10D) to short (9L:15D) days and received testosterone-filled capsules for 1 week after transfer failed to show a significant suppression in the plasma levels of FSH and LH after capsule removal. In contrast, gonadotrophin concentrations were suppressed in hamsters in which the long-day castration response had been blocked with exogenous testosterone. After castration on long days and exposure to 10 weeks of short days pituitary gland weight and gonadotrophin content, as well as plasma FSH titres, were higher in control animals than in those that had received testosterone implants for 7 weeks of short days. The results suggest that failure of castrated hamsters to respond to the suppressive effects of short days reflects castration-induced changes in hypothalamo-pituitary physiology rather than a neuroendocrine mechanism by which photoperiod modulates gonadotrophin secretion.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

The pineal gland and the photoperiodic control of luteinizing hormone secretion in intact and castrated Japanese quail.

The effects of pinealectomy on a range of photoperiodic responses were investigated in male Japanese quail by measuring plasma LH concentrations in intact, sham-operated and pinealectomized birds in the following four experiments: (1) transfer of sexually quiescent birds from a short photoperiod of 8 h light: 16 h darkness (8L:16D) to a photostimulatory daylength of 16L:8D; (2) transfer of sexually mature birds from 16L:8D to 8L:16D; (3) castration in 16L:8D and exposure to 13L:11D; (4) castration in 8L:16D and exposure to 13L:11D. There was no evidence of effects of the pineal gland on the photoperiodically induced changes in LH secretion, the quantitative relationship between LH secretion and photoperiod in intact and castrated birds, or the induction of relative photorefractoriness by prolonged exposure to 16L:8D. This suggests that there is no pineal influence on the photoperiodic clock or its effectors in this bird.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Secretion of follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone in castrated golden hamsters during exposure to various photoperiods and to natural daylengths.

Golden hamsters were castrated and either maintained under short days of 9 h light and 15 h darkness (9L : 15D) or transferred to 12L : 12D, 13L : 11D or 16L : 8D. Plasma concentrations of FSH and LH remained low under 9L : 15D and 12L : 12D for 6-8 weeks but rose markedly within 4 weeks under 13L : 11D and 16L : 8D, suggesting a more abrupt transition between non-stimulatory and maximally stimulatory photoperiods than found in Japanese quail. Intact and castrated hamsters were exposed to natural photoperiods at a latitude of 51 degrees 27' N (Bristol) for 12 months. In the intact animals plasma FSH and LH levels and the size of the testes decreased as the daylength shortened from 12.5 to 10.5 h during autumn. This was followed by a rise in FSH output in mid-winter with an upward trend in LH secretion. The ensuing testicular recrudescence was complete before the spring equinox. The results emphasize that under natural conditions the primary factor regulating gonadal growth is the development of refractoriness to short days. In castrated hamsters there was no significant seasonal trend in LH output. Levels of FSH remained unchanged until a peak occurred in January, the same time that a peak was seen in intact animals before testicular recrudescence. A similar peak occurred in castrated hamsters maintained in 9L : 15D in the laboratory. This suggests that even in the absence of gonadal steroid negative feedback, hypothalamo-pituitary activity changes during the photorefractory period.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Modulation by photoperiod of gonadotrophin secretion in intact and castrated Djungarian hamsters.

Reproductive activity in the Djungarian hamster, Phodopus sungorus, is suppressed by short daylengths and induced and maintained by long daylengths. To determine the time course of changes in plasma and pituitary gonadotrophin concentrations during the photoperiodic response, sexually immature male hamsters were moved from short (9L:15D) to long days (14D:10D). This induced an increase in testicular weight in 5 days and full sexual maturity in about 1 month. Plasma and pituitary FSH concentrations were significantly elevated after 3 and 5 long days respectively, reaching peak levels after 7--14 days and then declining. In contrast, pituitary and plasma LH concentrations did not increase until 10 and 21 days of photostimulation respectively. Castration of hamsters kept in short days led to a marked increase in plasma and pituitary FSH titres. Transfer to long days further increased plasma FSH although pituitary content did not change. Castration of hamsters kept in long days led to an elevation of plasma and pituitary FSH concentration to these same levels. Transfer to short days reduced plasma FSH to the levels seen in hamsters castrated and kept in short days. Pituitary content did not change. The results suggest that while there is substantial steroid negative feedback in intact animals on both long and short days, the photoperiodic modulation of gonadotrophin secretion does not necessarily involve changes in feedback sensitivity.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Photoperiodic suppression of gonadotrophin secretion in castrated male hamsters.

Male golden hamsters were transferred from long to short days and castrated on the day of transfer (Group SP0) or 1, 2 or 3 weeks afterwards (Groups SP1, SP2 & SP3). Animals in Group LP were castrated and maintained on long days. After 7 weeks of short days, plasma levels of LH and FSH were low in Groups SP1, SP2, and SP3. In Group SP0 LH output was also low and FSH secretion, although greater than in Groups SP1, SP2 and SP3, was lower than in the long-day controls (Group LP). This photoperiodic control of gonadotrophin secretion in castrated hamsters raises doubts about the significance of hypothetical alterations in hypothalamo-pituitary sensitivity to sex steroids.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Paediatric advanced life support--an update.

This paper provides an overview of the current guidelines for advanced paediatric life support (ALS). It offers details of the rationale for these recommended protocols and follows on from the paediatric basic life support update published in NT on May 25.

Age Factors↗