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Biomedical subjects

S McLaren

Publications and source records attributed to S McLaren.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Social relationships as predictors of depression and suicidal ideation in older adults.

The prevalence of depression and suicidal ideation among older adults is considered to be a major mental health concern among this age group. The present study investigated the human relatedness variables of marital status, social support resources and sense of belonging as predictors of depression and suicidal ideation in older adults. A community sample of 110 older adults (M age 76.67 years, SD = 8.11) completed the Social Support Subscale of the Coping Resources Inventory, the Sense of Belonging Instrument, the Zung Depression Inventory and the Suicide Subscale of the General Health Questionnaire. Results indicated that fewer social support resources were associated with higher levels of depression and suicidal ideation. Sense of belonging to the community was not an additional predictor of mental health. The results of the present study suggest that enhancing social support resources in older adults could reduce depression and suicidal ideation.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2005

Physical activity alone and with others as predictors of sense of belonging and mental health in retirees.

A high sense of belonging to the community and physical activity are associated with improved mental health in older people. The present study tested a model incorporating physical activities performed alone and with others as predictors of sense of belonging, depression and suicide ideation. One hundred and ninety four retired adults (87 males, 107 females, mean age 68 years) completed the Yale Physical Activity Survey, the Sense of Belonging Instrument, the Suicide Subscale of the General Health Questionnaire and the Zung Depression Inventory. Within the context of the model, neither participating in physical activities alone, nor with at least one other person, predicted sense of belonging, depression or suicide ideation. Having the abilities and motivation to belong was a predictor of participating in physical activities with others and actual feelings of belonging and contributed to predicting mental health in retirees. It was concluded that simply performing activities with others was not associated with a sense of belonging or mental health. Rather, sense of belonging may need to be facilitated in order for mental health to be enhanced.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2004

The DNA sequence and comparative analysis of human chromosome 10.

The finished sequence of human chromosome 10 comprises a total of 131,666,441 base pairs. It represents 99.4% of the euchromatic DNA and includes one megabase of heterochromatic sequence within the pericentromeric region of the short and long arm of the chromosome. Sequence annotation revealed 1,357 genes, of which 816 are protein coding, and 430 are pseudogenes. We observed widespread occurrence of overlapping coding genes (either strand) and identified 67 antisense transcripts. Our analysis suggests that both inter- and intrachromosomal segmental duplications have impacted on the gene count on chromosome 10. Multispecies comparative analysis indicated that we can readily annotate the protein-coding genes with current resources. We estimate that over 95% of all coding exons were identified in this study. Assessment of single base changes between the human chromosome 10 and chimpanzee sequence revealed nonsense mutations in only 21 coding genes with respect to the human sequence.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

DNA sequence and analysis of human chromosome 9.

Chromosome 9 is highly structurally polymorphic. It contains the largest autosomal block of heterochromatin, which is heteromorphic in 6-8% of humans, whereas pericentric inversions occur in more than 1% of the population. The finished euchromatic sequence of chromosome 9 comprises 109,044,351 base pairs and represents >99.6% of the region. Analysis of the sequence reveals many intra- and interchromosomal duplications, including segmental duplications adjacent to both the centromere and the large heterochromatic block. We have annotated 1,149 genes, including genes implicated in male-to-female sex reversal, cancer and neurodegenerative disease, and 426 pseudogenes. The chromosome contains the largest interferon gene cluster in the human genome. There is also a region of exceptionally high gene and G + C content including genes paralogous to those in the major histocompatibility complex. We have also detected recently duplicated genes that exhibit different rates of sequence divergence, presumably reflecting natural selection.

Base Composition↗
PubMed2000

Treatment programmes for people with both severe mental illness and substance misuse.

BACKGROUND: Substance misuse in the context of severe mental illness can have detrimental effects. A variety of treatments exist, but the drive has been to provide programmes integrating treatment of both substance misuse and severe mental illness. Such programmes require additional resources and may require radical redesign of service delivery systems. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of treatment programmes within psychiatric care for people with problems of both substance misuse and serious mental illness. SEARCH STRATEGY: Biological Abstracts (1985-1998), CINAHL (1982-1998), The Cochrane Library (Issue 3, 1998), The Cochrane Schizophrenia Group's Register of trials (August 1998), EMBASE (1980-1998), MEDLINE (1966-1998), PsycLIT (1974-1998) and Sociofile (1974-1998) were comprehensively searched. Citations of all trials were searched and further studies sought from published trials and their authors. SELECTION CRITERIA: All randomised trials of any programme of substance misuse treatment for people with serious mental illness and current problems of substance misuse. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Citations and, where possible, abstracts were independently inspected by reviewers, papers ordered, re-inspected and quality assessed. Data were also independently extracted. For homogeneous dichotomous data the Peto odds ratio (OR), and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated on an intention-to-treat basis. MAIN RESULTS: Six relevant studies, four of which were small, were identified. In general, the quality of design and reporting was not high. Clinically important outcomes such as relapse of severe mental illness, violence to others, patient or carer satisfaction, social functioning and employment were not reported. There is no clear evidence supporting an advantage of any type of substance misuse programme for those with serious mental illness over the value of standard care. No one programme is clearly superior to another. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: The problems posed by substance misuse in the context of severe mental illness will not go away. The current momentum for integrated programmes is not based on good evidence. Implementation of new specialist substance misuse services for those with serious mental illnesses should be within the context of simple, well designed controlled clinical trials.

Comorbidity↗
PubMed1999

Nutritional intake in community patients with pressure ulcers.

Nutritional status has been associated with the development and healing of pressure ulcers. This study aimed to examine the dietary intake of adults who had pressure ulcers (n = 75) and a control group with no pressure ulcers (n = 100), randomly selected from those receiving treatment from community nurses. All participants were considered to be at risk of developing pressure damage. Dietary intake was assessed using a 24-hour recall method (completed by 84 participants) and a nutritional questionnaire (completed by all 175 participants). The mean age of participants was 79 +/- 6 years and 70% were women. Patients who had pressure ulcers had a lower energy intake (mean difference -185 kcal, 95% confidence interval -413 to 43) and intake of protein (mean difference -6.73 g/day, 95% CI -16.20 to 2.74) but neither factor achieved a standard level of statistical significance. However, when protein was categorised into quartiles, a significantly higher proportion of participants with low intake had pressure ulcers on chi-squared analysis (p = 0.043). More participants who had pressure ulcers required assistance with eating (odds ratio 4.55, 95% CI 1.53 to 13.54) and more had experienced recent taste changes (odds ratio 3.28, 95% CI 1.19 to 9.10). While these differences were significant, there were few major differences between those who had pressure ulcers and the control group. A number of participants in both groups had poor nutritional intake and other risk factors for malnutrition were also found. Poor nutrition is a problem for all patients receiving community nursing care, not just those with pressure ulceration. Due to acknowledged difficulties in recording nutritional intake in elderly patients, further assessment of dietary intake in those receiving community nursing services should be undertaken to support these results.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1999

An audit of measuring equipment in elderly care.

Accurate monitoring of weight and height is a vital element of nutritional assessment. Specialist equipment may be required for older patients. Accuracy depends upon calibration and maintenance of equipment.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Perceived stress as a function of occupation.

The study compared the perceived stress of 54 male police officers, 99 ambulance officers, and 51 correctional officers. Scores on the Perceived Stress Scale were not high and did not differ among groups.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Nutritional screening and assessment.

Health professionals need to take part in nutritional screening and assessment. Nutritional screening tools must meet criteria for reliability and validity. A number of assessment techniques can be used to establish nutritional status. Effective interdisciplinary working can improve outcome.

Education, Nursing, Continuing↗
PubMed1992

Positive and negative symptoms, depression and social disability in chronic schizophrenia: a comparative trial of bromperidol and fluphenazine decanoates.

A 1 year double-blind trial of bromperidol decanoate and fluphenazine decanoate was conducted in the maintenance treatment of 47 outpatients with schizophrenia. Six patients relapsed on bromperidol decanoate and none on fluphenazine decanoate, a difference which is statistically significant. No significant differences in positive and negative symptoms, nor depression measures were found between treatment groups when comparisons were made for change in score from entry to last visit. However, patients on fluphenazine decanoate achieved significantly better changes on social disability (Morningside scale) compared to those on bromperidol decanoate. The incidence of extrapyramidal side-effects was similar in both groups, and no statistically significant differences emerged in body weight change between treatments.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

A study of psychotropic medication given 'as required' in a regional secure unit.

Within the setting of a regional secure unit, all doses of medication given p.r.n. over three months were ascertained and the details of each administration determined from prescription charts and a semistructured interview with the nursing staff involved. Thirty-two patients were resident for all or part of the study, all compulsorily detained. Only 15 were given medication p.r.n.; compared with the other patients they were significantly younger and more likely to be detained under civil orders than under the criminal provisions of the Mental Health Act 1983. Rarely was the medication the sole intervention in a crisis. In terms of effects on the overall treatment programme of the patient, medication given p.r.n. seemed to have an impact in only one small subgroup.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Antithyroid effect of chlorpropamide?

1 The relationship between plasma chlorpropamide concentration and thyroid function was examined in 87 maturity onset diabetic patients receiving chronic therapy. 2 Although plasma chlorpropamide concentration was weakly negatively correlated with serum thyroxine (r = 0.33, P less than 0.01) the mean serum thyroxine and thyrotrophin (TSH) were not different from that of a matched control group of diabetics treated with diet alone. 3 Serum thyroxine was negatively correlated with the duration of diabetes in both groups. 4 These results suggest that chlorpropamide does not have a clinically significant antithyroid effect.

Adult↗