Publications by authors named "Freda DeKeyser"

Background & Aims: Pressure ulcers are a significant burden in the ICU. Many factors have found to be associated with pressure ulcers including malnutrition. While it has been recognized that high protein diets decrease the incidence of pressure ulcers, the role of lipids as well as vitamins and antioxidants remains unclear.

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Background: This study examined the role of glucocorticoids (GC) and interleukin-1 (IL-1) in regulating the production of brain prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) in response to surgical stress.

Methods: Surgical stress was induced in rats by laparotomy or exploration of the carotid. PGE(2) ex vivo production was measured in the frontal cortex or central amygdala of adrenalectomized rats, or of rats treated with either the GC type II receptor blocker (RU38486) or synthetic GC (dexamethasone).

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Surgical stress is the combined result of tissue injury, anesthesia, and postoperative pain. It is characterized by elevated levels of adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), corticosterone (CS), and elevated levels of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in the periphery and in the spinal cord. The present study examined the effects of perioperative pain management in rats undergoing laparotomy on serum levels of ACTH, CS, and on the production of PGE2 in several brain regions, including the amygdala.

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The purpose of this research was to compare the experience of social support of Israeli and Chinese husbands of women with breast cancer. Social support was examined from three different sources: wives, friends and family, and the healthcare team. This study is part of a larger descriptive comparative study investigating the husbands' adjustment to their wives' diagnosis of cancer.

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Establishing a positive patient care environment is one of the most basic concepts of health care professional practice. Dress and personal address are aspects of this environment that are influenced by culture and express mutual respect within the patient-provider relationship. The Patient Sensitivity Questionnaire was administered to determine how 76 Israeli inpatients perceived forms of address and dress in their health care environment.

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Psychoneuroimmunology is the study of the interactions among behavior, neural, and endocrine functions and the immune system. The purpose of this review is to briefly summarize the evidence concerning interactions among behavior, the neuroendocrine system, and the immune system, and to show how this evidence relates to critical care patients. It has been shown that the immune function of many patients in the intensive care unit is suppressed as a result of trauma, sepsis, or profound physiologic and psychological stress.

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Purpose: To provide this second 10-year review of nursing research on blood pressure (BP) and to focus attention on incorporating biopsychosocial factors affecting BP in nursing research.

Organizing Construct: Blood pressure is a dynamic, multidimensional, cardiovascular indicator of a person's state rather than a one-dimensional static measurement.

Methods: This 10-year literature review 1990-1999 included 54 nursing research articles with BP as an outcome measure.

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Background: Trauma is viewed by many as a global problem. The phenomenon of similar outcomes within differing healthcare delivery systems can illuminate the strengths and weaknesses of various trauma systems as well as the effects of these characteristics on patient outcome.

Objectives: To compare and contrast demographic and injury characteristics as well as patient outcomes of two urban/suburban trauma centers, one in Israel and the other in the United States.

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