Thesis (M.A.)--University of Montana, 2008. / Title from title screen. Description basecd on contents viewed May 7, 2008. Includes bibliographical references (p. 74-79).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1972. / Vita. Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.). / Statement from author: "... the absence of pages numbered 163 and 82 is a reflection of an error in pagination rather than of missing material." Written for the Faculty of Religious Studies. Bibliography: leaves 246-268.

M.A. (African Languages) / Philosophical opinions on the status of proper names are widely divergent. They range from one extreme, expressed by Mills (1986:19), that proper names are mere labels which denote but do not connote, to the view that proper names are abbreviated or disguised definite descriptions. It is only comparatively recently that philosophers acknowledged the contribution that the discipline of linguistics could make toward the solution of this problem. Especially the realization that languages can be analysed as a rule-governed structure made a strong impact as we see in Searle (Annegarn, 1975:32) and later authors. Philosophers of an earlier period, the "ordinary language" philosophers, avoided any systematic theoretical concern. Searle (Annegarn, 1975: i), in particular, studied certain general features of language such as reference, truth, meaning and necessity by focusing attention on speech acts. But for the enigma of proper names he could do no better than taking up an intermediate position: proper names are logically connected with the object to which they refer "in a loose sort of way".

Objectives: To evaluate the accuracy of the four main Intensive Care severity of illness scoring models using a large Scottish database, and to investigate different strategies for improving their accuracy in a Scottish setting. Method: Twenty two out of 25 general adult Intensive Care Units in Scotland collected data for two and half years to allow calculation of Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) version II and III, Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) version II, Mortality Probability Model (MPM) version II (calculated on admission and at 24 hours). The models' Goodness of Fit (discrimination and calibration) and performances in subgroups (Uniformity of Fit) were evaluated using Receiver Operating Characteristic Curves, Hosmer-Lemeshow Goodness of Fit test, Chi Squared test and Confidence Intervals. Three of the Models (APACHE II, SAPS II, and MPM II) were customised with Scottish data using logistic regression techniques. Results: All models had good discrimination but poor calibration. However, the SAPS II and APACHE II models appeared to have better calibration than other models. All models, except the new APACHE II model, showed significant differences in important subgroups. Conclusions: Questions remain about the accuracy of these models even after customisation. Further research is needed to investigate variations in Intensive Care Units and the relationship to clinical effectiveness. However, where case mix adjustment is needed the new customised models remain the most accurate means of doing this in Scottish data.

The role of intestinal nematode infections in the aetiology of iron deficiency and anaemia in pregnant women was investigated in peri-urban and rural areas of Western Sierra Leone. A randomised placebo-controlled field trial was carried out to evaluate the efficacy of a single course of albendazole (400 mg) and daily iron-folate supplements (36 g iron and 5 mg folate), administered after the first trimester, as control interventions for intestinal nematode infections and anaemia during pregnancy. At baseline, in the first trimester of pregnancy, the prevalence (and geometric mean intensity) of intestinal nematodes was as follows: <I>Ascaris lumbricoides </I>21.1% (267 eggs per gram); <I>Necator americanus </I>66.5% (191 epg); and <I>Trichuris trichiura </I>71.9% (93 epg). Chronic undernutrition (height < 150 cm) and chronic energy deficiency (body mass index < 18.5 kg/m<SUP>2</SUP>) was found in 5.4% and 8.2% of women respectively. Anaemia (Hb < 110 g/l) was diagnosed in 58.7% of women and associated with iron deficiency (serum ferritin < 20 μg/l) in 21.2% of women. Iron deficiency is likely to have a dietary basis in these women. The dietary iron intake was predominantly non-haem, and was estimated to supply less than 1 g of absorbable iron daily. High fertility and closely spaced pregnancies placed additional stress on iron stores. The findings of this study indicate that anthelminthic treatment should be included in strategies to control maternal anaemia in Western Sierra Leone. It is recommended that pregnant women routinely receive a single course of anthelminthics after the first trimester, alongside daily iron-folate supplements, to minimise the decline in maternal Hb concentration during pregnancy. These interventions could be implemented through the existing primary health care system, although the use of traditional birth attendants should be investigated as a means of improving compliance and coverage. The implications of these findings for public health policy in other antenatal populations will depend on the local epidemiology of intestinal nematode infections and on the extent of underlying maternal iron deficiency and anaemia.

No description available.

This study was conceived against the backdrop of academic and medically based discussions about inappropriate use of General Practice, in the context of an overburdened and under resourced National Health Service. Both frequent and less frequent consulters prioritised dilemmas around functional ability, reporting attempts to control illness, and resist loss of normal life and familiar selves. Despite our attempts to sample frequent and less frequent users with similar levels of morbidity in the more detailed qualitative interviews the frequent consulters conveyed more severe illness, which limited their lives and challenged their coherent and moral identities. Cultural, structural and social factors combined to influence health actions; personal troubles were linked to public matters. The accounts revealed how the severity of condition combined with social position influenced the place of the GP consultation in overall management strategies. Women and men communicated common problems, but also discussed experiences which were related to their traditional family roles. Housing status was not revealed as significant, in the context of a complex combination of micro and macro influences on experience. In the frequent consulters’ accounts the role of the GP was magnified in lives diminished and disrupted by chronic illness, whereas the less frequent consulters’ accounts presented a more peripheral role for their GP. Using Bourdieu’s central concepts, the GP was conceptualised as a ‘dispenser of capital’. Throughout, all of the participants described the hard work of illness management, and they used the accounts to display their moral competence. The medical encounter was conveyed against a moral backdrop, and this may have had implications for frequency of consulting. Overall, the symbolic and physical burden of chronic illness was highlighted.

Introduction. Trace element status may be important in acutely-inflamed patients. Plasma concentrations of trace elements are known to alter during the evolution of the acute phase response, however, erythrocyte trace element concentrations do not. It is not known whether either erythrocyte or plasma concentrations reflect the status of the tissues where trace elements are utilised. Therefore trace element concentrations were examined in tissues and blood from non-inflamed patients, with plasma and erythrocyte concentration changes studied during the evolution of the acute phase response. Methods: 31 patients undergoing liver resection had liver, rectus muscle, and blood samples obtained pre-operatively, and blood sampling for 3 days post-operatively. Se, Cu and Zn concentrations were obtained by inductively coupled mass spectrometry after nitric acid digestion. Erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase (GPx) was measured by spectrophotometry. C-reactive protein and albumin concentration were measured on each day. Results: C-reactive protein increased and albumin concentration decreased over the 3 days postoperatively. Plasma Zn and Se concentration changed in the 3 days post-operatively (p<0.001); erythrocyte Cu, Zn and Se concentration, GPx activity and plasma Cu concentration did not change. Preoperatively, liver Cu concentration was associated with erythrocyte Cu concentration (r2 15.9%; p=0.036) but not plasma Cu concentration (r2 4.3%; p=0.264); plasma Zn concentration was associated with liver Zn concentration (r2 14.4%; p=0.046) but erythrocyte Zn concentration was not (r2 0.1%; p=0.896); and liver Se concentration was associated with erythrocyte Se concentration (r2 17.1%; p=0.023), erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase (r2 22.6%; 0.008) and plasma Se concentration (r2 43.1%; p<0.001). Conclusions: Erythrocyte Cu and Se concentration, and GPx activity are associated with liver Cu and Se concentration respectively, and do not change during the evolution of the acute phase response. They should be considered as potential markers of Cu and Se status. Plasma Zn is associated with liver Zn concentration but the concentration changes during the acute phase response; caution should be taken interpreting results in patients with inflammation, and further work is required to find a suitable alternative marker of Zn status.

This thesis presents men’s discussions and experiences of health and illness and its relation to, and implications for, the practices of masculinity amongst a diversity of men. Fifty five men participated in fourteen semi-structured focus group interviews. Diversity in men’s experiences of health and illness and in their constructions of masculinity was sought within the sample by age (range 15-72 years), occupational status, socio-economic background and current health status. Groups of men were recruited who had had ‘everyday’ or unremarkable experiences of masculinity and health and groups of men with health experiences that could have prompted reflection on masculinity and health. This included groups with men who had prostate cancer, coronary heart disease, mental health problems, and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME). All of the men that participated in the study lived in central Scotland (Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Lanarkshire and Perthshire) and just one group was conducted with men of Asian origin, which reflects the limited ethnic diversity in this part of Britain. The first data chapter examines participants’ descriptions of their masculinity and their health-related beliefs and behaviours. The data capture both the experiences of men who felt pressured to engage in behaviours that may be harmful to their health in order to appear masculine and the accounts of those who regarded themselves as freer to embrace salutogenic health practices as they perceived there to be fewer consequences for their masculinities. These considerations are then followed by an examination of how participants re-negotiated male identity in the light of illness. The final data chapter presents participants’ discussions and experiences of help seeking and its relation to the practice of masculinity. The data suggests a widespread endorsement of a ‘hegemonic’ view that men ‘should’ be reluctant to seek help, particularly amongst younger men.