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Biomedical subjects

S Maes

Publications and source records attributed to S Maes.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1994

Effects of a health education programme with telephone follow-up during cardiac rehabilitation.

A health education and counselling programme was offered to myocardial infarction patients during and after hospitalization. A randomized pre-test-post-test control group design was used to evaluate the effects of the experimental intervention. During hospitalization the intervention consisted of two individual counselling sessions and two group health education sessions focusing on medication, healthy habits, anxiety and depression. On completion of these sessions, weekly telephone calls were made to patients for a period of six weeks after discharge from hospital. The intervention was offered to 30 myocardial infarction patients and their partners (the experimental group) in addition to standard medical care. Thirty control patients received standard medical care only. Two months after myocardial infarction, patients in the experimental condition reported a significantly greater increase in physical activity, and a significantly greater decrease in unhealthy eating habits. No effects were found regarding smoking cessation, anxiety and depression. Twelve months after discharge from hospital patients in the experimental condition reported a significantly greater decrease in unhealthy eating habits. No effects were found regarding smoking cessation, physical activity, anxiety and depression. In addition, two months after myocardial infarction, it was found that patients whose partners participated in the health education sessions showed a significantly greater decrease in smoking and unhealthy eating habits and a significantly greater increase in physical activity than patients with no partner participating. Twelve months after discharge the only significant result favouring the patients whose partner participated in the health education sessions concerned smoking cessation.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Psychosocial aspects of cardiac rehabilitation in Europe.

While the present objectives of cardiac rehabilitation include recovery or restoration of everyday behaviour and secondary prevention, the effects of the traditional exercise-based, cardiac rehabilitation programmes are quite modest. It is argued that psychological interventions may affect these targets more easily, since there is evidence from controlled studies that psychological interventions may have beneficial effects on psychosocial recovery, compliance with medical advice and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. As a consequence one may expect that psychologists would be at least part-time members of most cardiac rehabilitation teams in European countries. In order to get an impression of the position of psychologists and the share of psychosocial care in cardiac rehabilitation in Europe, a questionnaire was sent out to two or three individuals in each European country. Health care professionals from 16 European countries returned their completed questionnaires on time. Among other things, the results show that in general social workers and psychologists, who may be considered the main potential agents for psychosocial care, are largely underrepresented in cardiac rehabilitation teams. As far as psychologists are concerned, the number involved in cardiac rehabilitation varies significantly from country to country. Three groups of countries could be distinguished: a group consisting of The Netherlands, Austria, and Italy, where psychologists are fairly well represented; a second one consisting of Norway, Finland and Belgium, where small numbers of psychologists are involved in cardiac rehabilitation; and a third group (the largest) consisting of Switzerland, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Ireland, Sweden, the UK, Greece, Portugal and Turkey, where the number of psychologists is negligible.

Cardiac Care Facilities↗
PubMed1992

[Diffusion of piperacillin in the eye].

Intraocular diffusion of piperacillin was studied in 42 patients scheduled for cataract surgery (n = 35) or vitrectomy (n = 7). Piperacillin was administered intravenously (4 g/injection). Thirty-four patients were given a single dose and 8 were given two doses 12 hours apart. Peak piperacillin levels in the aqueous (7.3 mg/l) occurred one hour after the injection; levels in the vitreous were low (less than 0.6 mg/l). Intraocular diffusion of piperacillin was also studied in rabbits with an experimental Staphylococcus epidermidis infection of one eye; the other eye served as the control. In pigmented rabbits (6 Fauve de Bourgogne animals), increased diffusion and decreased elimination of piperacillin were seen in the aqueous, iris and cornea of the infected eyes, as compared with uninfected control eyes. In albino rabbits (6 New Zealand animals), results were less conclusive, with a difference between the infected and healthy eyes appearing only during the second hour following the injection. The good diffusion of piperacillin in the aqueous, especially in infected eyes (at least in rabbits), suggests that this drug may be useful for the treatment of ocular infections provided it is initiated early and given in combination with another antimicrobial exhibiting good intraocular diffusion.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

[Treatment of facial spasm with botulin A toxin].

The authors use injections of botulinum A toxin in treatment of facial spasms. 105 patients (70 patients with blepharospasm, 35 patients with hemispasm) were treated during 4 years. The toxin Wisconsin relieved spasms for an average of 10 weeks. Local complications such as ptosis and diplopia appeared in less than 1/5 of the cases. No general complications were observed. Repeated treatments are necessary. The authors noted a decrease of lacrimal secretion on the treated side in hemifacial spasm and concluded that botulinum A toxin injections could be used as a treatment of epiphora.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Changing health behaviour outcomes in asthmatic patients: a pilot intervention study.

Starting from a prior study, in which cognitive and coping variables proved to be related to well-being, the use of medical resources and the absence from work in asthmatic patients, the authors constructed a cognitive-educational (a combination of health education and rational emotive behaviour modification) intervention programme aiming at altering coping behaviour in asthmatic patients in order to influence emotional distress and use of medical resources. The effects of the programme were assessed by means of a pre-test-post-test control group design. The programme was offered to ten patients and their partners. Both before and after the intervention cognitive attitudes (optimism, locus of control, and shame or stigma), coping behaviour in attack situations (minimizing the seriousness of the attack, rational action and reacting emotionally), coping in daily life (maintaining a restrictive life-style, focussing on asthma and hiding asthma), emotional distress (anxiety, anger, and depression), and the use of medication were measured in the experimental and control group. It was found that patients who received the programme became less preoccupied with their asthma and reported significantly less emotional distress (anxiety and anger) in daily life. In addition, they used less maintenance medication (corticosteroids). The authors wish to stress the importance of using medical variables such as the number of attacks as covariates in this type of research.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1987

The study of stress and disease: some developments and requirements.

This article considers the study of stress in relation to the onset, course, and outcomes of disease, and is divided into three parts. The first part describes the relationships between personality, environmental stressors, and disease. The second focuses specifically on the requirements that must be fulfilled to allow for the conclusion that there is a relationship between stress and the onset of disease. Finally, in the third part models describing the relationship between stress and the course of disease or medical outcome are presented and discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗