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Biomedical subjects

A D Harrower

Publications and source records attributed to A D Harrower.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Comparison by nuclear angiography of resting left ventricular function in insulin-dependent diabetic patients and normal subjects and the effect of diabetic control.

Resting left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was measured by nuclear angiography in 28 type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic patients and 31 control subjects. None had any clinical evidence of cardiac disease. The influence of age, duration of diabetes, plasma glucose (PG) and glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1) levels at the time of testing was also assessed in a larger group of 52 type 1 diabetic patients. Resting LVEF was significantly lower in the diabetic patients, 0.46 +/- 0.11 (mean +/- SD), compared with the control subjects, 0.53 +/- 0.07 (p = 0.02). No significant correlation was found between resting LVEF and age, duration of diabetes, PG or HbA1 levels. While LV function may be abnormal in diabetic patients the causes are still unclear.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Reduced transcutaneous oxygen tension and impaired vascular response in Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes.

Measurements of transcutaneous oxygen tension were made on the foot and arm in 16 Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic patients with no evidence of vascular or neurological disease on simple clinical examination and in 30 non-diabetic subjects. The mean transcutaneous oxygen tension measured at 45 degrees C on the foot was significantly lower in the diabetic patients than in the non-diabetic subjects. The hyperaemia response in the arm after cuff occlusion (measured by transcutaneous oxygen tension at 37 degrees C) was also significantly lower in the diabetic patients. These results may reflect abnormal capillary blood flow in diabetic patients. As the methods are simple and non-invasive, they may prove useful in the early assessment and subsequent monitoring of peripheral vascular problems in diabetes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

The assessment of diabetic control in insulin-independent patients.

All diabetics are at risk from the development of the specific and non-specific complications of the disorder. While good control with relative normoglycaemia may be beneficial, most of the emphasis on maintaining stricter blood glucose control has been aimed at the insulin-dependent diabetic. Seventy-four sylphonylurea-treated were observed for a year and their degree of control assessed and compared using simple clinical criteria, plasma glucose levels and haemoglobin A1c concentrations. Control was considered good in 55.4 per cent, 16.2 per cent and 14.9 per cent using each criterion respectively. Simple clinical assessment of control is therefore unlikely to achieve normoglycaemia in the majority of such patients. A more wide ranging assessment and a more aggressive approach to therapy may be desirable if better blood glucose control can be shown to produce a reduction in the significant morbidity and mortality in these patients.

Aged↗
PubMed1982

A double-blind study of cefaclor and amoxycillin in home and hospital-acquired infections.

Eighty-seven patients admitted to hospital for a variety of reasons and who had, or subsequently developed, an infection were treated with either cefaclor or amoxycillin, 150 mg 3-times daily, on a double-blind basis. Two patients were excluded from te final analysis as the infecting organisms would normally be resistant to both antibiotics. Forty (93%) patients treated with cefaclor and 40 (95.2%) treated with amoxycillin responded satisfactorily. Of the patients with a hospital-acquired infection, 93.3% of the cefaclor group and 94.3% of the amoxycillin group responded satisfactorily. The differences between the groups were not significant. A greater number of organisms were sensitive to cefaclor, confirming its broader spectrum of activity. It is concluded that cefaclor is a useful first-line antibiotic which could be particularly useful in hospital-acquired infections.

Amoxicillin↗
PubMed1981

Prolonged effect of nadolol on heart rate in hyperthyroidism.

There is extensive experience in the treatment of hyperthyroidism with beta-blockade. Because of the short half-life of propranolol the drug must be taken in divided doses. The effect of a single daily dose of a long-acting beta-blocking drug, nadolol, was investigated in 7 hyperthyroid patients. A satisfactory and prolonged reduction in heart rate was observed during continuous monitoring over a 24-hour period. Nadolol, therefore, is a possible alternative to propranolol in the treatment of hyperthyroidism with an advantage in the poorly-compliant patient.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Growth hormone, prolactin and thyrotrophin responses to thyrotrophin-releasing hormone in diabetic patients.

Growth hormone (GH), prolactin (PRL) and thyrotrophin (TSH) responses to thyrotrophin-releasing hormone (TRH) were studied in 15 insulin-dependent diabetic patients. Basal plasma GH levels were raised above 5 mu./l in 6 patients and following the injection of TRH there was a significant rise in plasma GH levels in 9. The mean rise in plasma GH from basal to peak values was significant in the group as a whole (P < 0.01). Basal PRL and TSH levels were normal and rose normally in response to TRH. GH release may be qualitatively abnormal in some diabetics and any such loss of specificity of GH-releasing mechanisms would further contribute to the raised GH levels found in many diabetics which would be of importance if GH is a factor in the aetiology of diabetic microangiopathy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Effect of nifedipine on glucose tolerance and insulin secretion in diabetic and non-diabetic patients.

The effect of the acute and long-term oral administration of nifedipine on glucose and insulin levels during a standard oral glucose tolerance test was studied in a total of 8 diabetic and 8 non-diabetic patients. No significant effect weas found on either glucose or insulin levels or on serum calcium and phosphate concentrations. The drug was withdrawn in 2 patients because of side-effects and failure of response, respectively. When used in standard recommended oral dosage nifedipine has no significant effect on glucose tolerance.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Hypothalmic-pituitary adrenal responsiveness to dexamethasone-insulin tolerance test in acromegalic patients before and during treatment with bromocriptine.

Insulin tolerance tests were carried out in 10 acromegalic patients after 1 mg dexamethasone had been given the previous evening (DEX-ITT). Nine patients showed a rise in plasma 11-OHCS and four patients showed a rise in plasma growth hormone (GH) levels. These responses were unaltered after treatment with bromocriptine 10 mg daily for two months. Basal plasma GH levels fell in 6 of the patients and the mean plasma GH levels of the 10 patients during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) fell from 63.2 +/- 25.5 ng/ml before treatment to 53.0 +/- 27.1 ng/ml (mean +/- sem; p less than 0.05). These data fail to confirm a previous report of abnormal hypothalmic-pituitary-adrenal suppressibility during a DEX-ITT in acromegalic patients. They also indicate that bromcriptine does not alter the responses of plasma 11-OHCS and plasma GH to the DEX-ITT despite lowering plasma GH levels.

11-Hydroxycorticosteroids↗
PubMed1978

'On-the-spot' blood glucose requirement at a peripheral diabetic clinic.

In 100 consecutive diabetics attending a peripheral clinic subsequent blood glucose analyses indicated the need for some change in treatment in 24 patients. As it can be difficult to predict which patients should have their blood glucose levels checked provision of some form of comprehensive and reliable 'on-the-spot' analysis is essential for the best management of diabetics attending such clinics.

Adolescent↗