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T Blakely

Publications and source records attributed to T Blakely.

20 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Health needs of Cambodian and Vietnamese refugees in Porirua.

AIMS: To determine the health needs of refugees in the Porirua region. To develop options for health promotion for refugees in the Porirua region. METHODS: Twelve families were interviewed (eight Cambodian and four Vietnamese) representing 68 individuals. Questions were asked of health and other needs, health service utilisation and barriers to health care, particularly language. Additionally, eight key informant interviews were conducted. RESULTS: Families reported 26 out of 68 individuals (38%) as suffering from poor health; asthma, hepatitis B and treated tuberculosis being the three most common conditions. Open questions elicited many vague somatic complaints that may overlay psychiatric morbidity or stress. Health service utilisation was as high, or higher, than a comparable needs assessment in the Porirua region of a population based random household sample in 1993/4. Only six of the 27 refugees (22%) aged 16 or over, by their judgement, considered themselves competent enough in English to communicate independently with a general practitioner or other service provider. This is despite a mean length of residence in New Zealand of four years. Key informant interviews suggested undiagnosed psychiatric morbidity and problems accessing interpreting services, particularly in primary care. CONCLUSIONS: The major unmet health need for this group of refugees is interpreting services. Mental health needs are strongly suspected. The health promotion priority is provision of adequate interpreting services. The new Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers' Rights legally enforces the right to a competent interpreter.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

L-trans-2,3-pyrrolidine dicarboxylate: characterization of a novel excitotoxin.

This study investigated the in vitro and in vivo excitotoxic properties of a novel conformationally constrained analogue of L-glutamate, L-trans-2,3-pyrrolidine dicarboxylate (L-trans-2,3-PDC). When tested for excitotoxic activity in rat cortical cultures, L-trans-2,3-PDC mimicked the action of NMDA in both acute (30 min) and chronic (24 h) exposure paradigms. This neurotoxicity was attenuated by co-addition of MK-801 (10 microM). Microinjections of L-trans-2,3-PDC into the dorsal hippocampus of male rats also induced a selective pattern of pathology indicative of an NMDA receptor excitotoxin. In contrast to the equipotency observed in vitro, 100 nmol of L-trans-2,3-PDC were needed to produce cellular damage comparable to that induced by 25 nmol of NMDA. Consistent with an action at NMDA receptors, L-trans-2,3-PDC-induced damage could be significantly reduced by co-administration of MK-801 (3 mg/kg i.p.), but not by NBQX (25 nmol). In radioligand binding assays L-trans-2,3-PDC inhibited the binding of 3H-L-glutamate to NMDA receptors (IC50 1 microM), although it also exhibited some cross reactivity with KA and AMPA receptors. L-trans-2,3-PDC was also identified as a competitive inhibitor (Ki = 33 microM) of 3H-D-aspartate uptake into rat forebrain synaptosomes. In contrast to the action of a transported substrate, such as L-glutamate, L-trans-2,3-PDC did not exchange with 3H-D-aspartate that had been previously loaded into the synaptosomes.

Animals↗