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Biomedical subjects

S Morrell

Publications and source records attributed to S Morrell.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

A cohort study of unemployment as a cause of psychological disturbance in Australian youth.

Data from the Australian Longitudinal Survey, conducted by the Commonwealth Department of Employment, Education and Training, were analysed to estimate relative risk of psychological disturbance accompanying unemployment in young people aged 15-24 years. Two cohorts were surveyed annually over 4 years during the mid-to-late-1980s; one from the general 15-24 year-old population (N = 8995), and the other selected from Commonwealth Employment Service records (N = 2403). Such large respondent numbers allowed control of confounding by exclusion to isolate employment transition groups suitable for hypothesis testing and quantification of causal relationships. Psychological morbidity was measured using binary outcomes of the 12 item psychological component of the General Health Questionnaire. Excluded from the analysis were those who: suffered from pre-existing physical health problems; were dissatisfied in their job; were self-employed; underwent marriage breakdown during the inter-survey period; had become widowed during the inter-survey period. A Bayesian probabilistic approach was used to calculate probabilities of psychologically normal respondents becoming psychologically morbid, given prior transition from employment to unemployment. Mantel-Haenszel analysis was utilised to estimate relative risks in comparison to a control group of those remaining employed, after controlling for age and gender. An overall relative risk of becoming psychologically disturbed as a consequence of becoming unemployed was estimated to be 1.51 (95% CI: 1.15-1.99). The overall relative risk of recovery from psychological disturbance upon re-employment in those with psychological disturbance was estimated to be 1.63 (95% CI: 1.08-2.48). Residual psychological effects of past unemployment experience and the effects of long-term unemployment were investigated, but found to be non-significant in this study. There was some evidence of psychological adaptation to unemployment, but this was statistically insignificant. Unemployment was a significant cause of psychological disturbance in young people who were initially employed, not suffering physical ill-health, and psychologically normal; conversely, re-employment reversed the effect.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1993

Effects of growth with ethanol on fermentation and membrane fluidity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae HSc was grown with ethanol at concentrations up to 10% (v/v). The immediate effects of additions of externally added ethanol on CO2 production and O2 consumption of washed organisms were studied by stopped-flow membrane inlet quadrupole mass spectrometry. Fermentative activities of organisms grown with ethanol (0-5% v/v) showed similar sensitivities to inhibition by ethanol, whereas those grown with 10% (v/v) ethanol had become protected and were markedly less sensitive. The fluidity of subcellular membrane fractions was measured by determination of the temperature dependence of the rotational order parameter of the spin label 5-doxyl stearic acid (free radical) by electron spin resonance. Mitochondria prepared from yeasts grown with 0, 7, and 9% (v/v) ethanol showed similar overall fluidity, although differences in temperature-dependent behaviour indicate altered lipid composition or lateral phase separations. On the other hand the microsomal fraction from organisms grown with 9% ethanol showed a remarkable increase in fluidity. These data suggest that the protective effects of growth with ethanol near the limit of tolerance on fermentative activities may arise from altered plasma membrane fluidity properties.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1993

Suicide and unemployment in Australia 1907-1990.

Ever since Durkheim postulated a relationship between economic change and suicide there has been evidence of a general association between aggregate data on unemployment and the frequency of suicide. Quantitatively, however, the association has been variable and it is clear that due to differing cultural, social and individual determinants of suicide, the relationship is complex. Methodological difficulties abound with interpretation of aggregate data. Australian records for most of the present century are suitable for examining secular trends in suicide and unemployment by age group and gender to gain an indication of the extent to which both parameters may be causally related. An aggregate/ecological study was designed to incorporate quantitative and qualitative strategies. Annual age-adjusted male and female suicide rates and annual unemployment rates were derived for the period 1907-1990. Female suicide rates were generally stable throughout the period, whereas those for males demonstrated sharp fluctuations with the peaks coinciding with times of high unemployment. The association between suicide and unemployment for 15-24 year old males was comparatively high for the recent period, 1966-1990. The increasingly youthful contribution to male suicide was demonstrated by a rise in the loss of life years during 1973-1984. Despite the inability of any investigation based on aggregate data to establish an unequivocable causal relationship, no evidence was detected to suggest that relatively high population levels of unemployment were not related to the occurrence of suicide.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Accessory nerve palsy following thoracotomy.

A previously unreported cause of 11th cranial nerve palsy is described in a 53-year-old man. Dysfunction of the trapezius branch of the spinal accessory nerve occurred following median sternotomy and was documented by electromyography. This injury resulted in dysfunction of the trapezius muscle with loss of support of the shoulder girdle and pain. The injury may have been due to stretching from sternal retraction or injury secondary to internal jugular venous cannulation.

Accessory Nerve Injuries↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pesticide storage and use patterns in Minnesota households with children.

As part of the National Human Exposure Assessment Survey (NHEXAS), residential pesticide storage and use patterns were evaluated in a population-based sample of Minnesota households with children aged 3-13. In-home interviews and inventories were conducted to identify pesticide products stored and used in and around 308 households. This statistically based sample represents more than 49,000 urban and rural households in the census tracts sampled. More than 850 unique products were identified using Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registration numbers. Pesticide products were found in 97% and reported used in 88% of study households. Population-weighted mean values for pesticide storage and use were 6.0 and 3.1 products per household, respectively. The most common active ingredients found were diethyl toluamide (DEET) and related compounds, piperonyl butoxide, pyrethrins, dimethylamine 2-[2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyl propionate (MCPA) and chlorpyrifos. Household socio-demographic characteristics explained little of the variability in pesticide storage and use patterns, and there were no significant differences in residential storage and use patterns between households located in urban versus non-urban census tracts. Although the prevalence of households with pesticide products was similar to recent national surveys, observed storage and use rates were almost twice those obtained in recent national studies, reflecting improved inventory techniques used by this study and/or increased rates of pesticide presence and use in study households.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Barking mad? another lunatic hypothesis bites the dust.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether dog bites requiring hospital admission occur more at the full moon. DESIGN: Review of dates of admission for dog bites to accident and emergency departments, June 1997 to June 1998, compared with dates of the full moon. SETTING: All public hospitals in Australia. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Admissions for dog bites. RESULTS: 12 peak clusters of admissions were unrelated to the time of the full moon. CONCLUSION: Dog bites are no more frequent on full moons than at any other time of the month. Sceptics rejoice.

Animals↗