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Biomedical subjects

A Dale

Publications and source records attributed to A Dale.

52 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Massive hydrothorax complicating continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.

2 patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) developed massive hydrothorax. Further studies revealed preferential transfer of fluid from peritoneal cavity to pleural space in absence of a direct pleuroperitoneal communication. Hydrothorax resolved in both following a brief interruption in CAPD but recurred in one upon restitution of CAPD. In case of recurrent hydrothorax, pleurodesis or alternate dialytic therapy should be considered.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Locus of control and expectancy in electromyographic biofeedback.

From a subject pool of 226 psychology students, 16 external and 16 internal subjects, as determined by the Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale, were randomly assigned to either a positive or a negative expectancy group (n = 8). In Session I all subjects were asked to relax their frontalis muscle using auditory proportional biofeedback over 8 subsequent 3-min trials. The procedure was repeated during Session II except for the inclusion of a verbal expectation which suggested subjects' likelihood or non-likelihood of achieving further muscle relaxation. Results indicated that externals with positive expectancy had significantly higher levels of tension than internals with positive expectancy. No difference between externals and internals in the negative expectancy condition were observed. Results are interpreted to indicate that cognitive set affected the perception of performance ability with externals being disrupted by comments suggesting positive expectancies.

Attitude↗
PubMed1980

An epidemiological study of cerebral palsy in Western Australia, 1956-1975. II: Spastic cerebral palsy and perinatal factors.

This case:control study demonstrates that although the incidence of spastic cerebral palsy is falling in Western Australia, the contribution made by low-birthweight and small-for-dates infants who have significant neonatal morbidity, and who have been treated in neonatal intensive care units, has increased significantly. This points to factors other than care being important in diminishing the incidence of spastic cerebral palsy. Further falls in incidence may only result from improvements in the management of the very small and very sick neonate, and preventive programmes aimed at preterm births. Obstetric intervention and fetal distress were more frequent in recent cerebral-palsy cases than in the controls. Thus, falling neonatal mortality among low-birthweight infants in Western Australia coincided with an increased incidence of spastic cerebral palsy in these infants, despite an over-all drop in the incidence of cerebral palsy.

Australia↗
PubMed1980

Voluntary heart-rate changes mediated by muscle tension and respiration.

20 undergraduates completed heart-rate mediation treatments (isometric exercise, relaxation, hyperventilation, and hypoventilation) with and without feedback. Heart rate increased during tension, decreased with relaxation, and changed even more with feedback. During hyperventilation the heart rates were lower than during hypoventilation, and this difference was even greater during trials with feedback. This paradoxical finding was attributed to the shallowness of the breathing. Additional data from an experiment on voluntary heart-rate control (n = 31) without feedback and one with biofeedback of heart rate (n = 18) showed that subjects were following heart-rate increase and decrease instructions with altered respiration rates. These observations are interpreted as indicating that biofeedback changes in heart rate are mediated by skeletal muscle tension, respiration, and other mediating mechanisms.

Biofeedback, Psychology↗
PubMed1979

Biofeedback and relaxation effects in electromyographic biofeedback training: a methodological note.

The present study documented progressive reductions of electromyographic potentials in a biofeedback study involving instructions to 11 female and 5 male college students to both increase and decrease the feedback (and therefore the muscle tension). When only pre-experimental baselines were employed, electromyographic reductions were found with instructions to decrease the feedback. When repeated, nontreatment baseline conditions were employed as references for analysis, no electromyographic reductions were detected beyond the progressive reductions that occurred during those baselines.

Biofeedback, Psychology↗
PubMed1978

Information variables in voluntary control and classical conditioning of heart rate: field dependence and heart-rate perception.

Two experiments focused on two information variables relevant to changes in heart rate, field dependence and the ability to perceive one's own heart rate. In Exp. I, 14 field-independent and 17 field-dependent subjects completed a heart-rate perception and a voluntary heart-rate control task. The anticipated superiority in heart-rate control by field-independent subjects was detected although no evidence was found for a relationship between the amount of biofeedback available in the situation and voluntary control of the cardiovascular system. Exp. II involved 9 field-independent and 8 field-dependent subjects in a classical conditioning paradigm involving shock sensitivity. In contrast with Exp. I, in this phase of the study heart-rate increases were correlated with the ability of the subject to discriminate heart beats, especially for the field-independent group. It was concluded that field dependence and heart-rate perception are related to classically conditioned heart-rate increase for some subjects and further that field dependence may be a potent variable operating in those situations involving the voluntary control of heart rate without exteroceptive feedback.

Biofeedback, Psychology↗
PubMed1977

Comparison of biofeedback pulse wave velocity and progressive relaxation on essential hypertensives.

In a study undertaken to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of two behavioral treatments for essential hypertension (biofeedback on arterial pulse-wave velocity and progressive relaxation) 24 hypertensive subjects were randomly assigned to either a relaxation or biofeedback treatment group for 5 weekly sessions. In a second stage of the study 16 of the original subjects received both biofeedback and relaxation treatments during 5 additional weekly sessions. Results indicated that biofeedback and relaxation were equally effective in initial lowering of blood pressure in hypertensives. Although biofeedback training lead to superior reductions at the 3-mo. follow-up point, after 1 yr. the blood pressures of both groups were not only equal but well below those presented at the beginning of the study.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Arm veins for peripheral arterial reconstruction.

The ipsilateral saphenous vein has become accepted as the best available material for femoropopliteal bypass and for arterial patch grafts as well as for visceral and cardiac bypasses. However, in a few patients, nonavailability or nonsuitability of the saphenous vein forces use of some other material. We report an experience with 32 operations using arm veins. Among the 11 long vein grafts, seven composite vein-Dacron or vein-vein grafts, and 14 vein patch grafts during the past six years, there were no infections or aneurysms and only nine thrombotic failures have been detected to date, to our knowledge. Our present indications are (1) ipsilateral saphenous vein is not available or is not suitable, (2) only a short graft or patch is needed and the saphenous vein may therefore be saved for the future, (3) to join to a saphenous graft or to a Dacron composite graft for additional length, and (4) to reconstruct an arm artery. Our experiences using cephalic and basilic veins confirms them as a useful source of autogenous material for arterial reconstruction.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Practical and psychological problems for parents of children with epidermolysis bullosa.

Parents of children with epidermolysis bullosa were sent a questionnaire seeking information on problems associated with the condition; 45% replied and their responses are discussed in terms of reported needs. Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is the name given to a group of distinct, inherited disorders which are manifest as an exceptional liability of the skin to blister and ulcerate following mechanical trauma. There are three principal groups: EB simplex, dystrophic EB and junctional EB. All forms of EB simplex are inherited as autosomal dominant traits. These diseases are generally relatively mild but some patients are sufficiently disabled to prevent their walking more than 200 yards at a time. Dystrophic EB is of variable severity; not unknown are problems such as fusion of the fingers, fixation of the tongue, shrinkage of the mouth and oesophageal stenosis. When severe this is an exceptionally disabling disorder associated with a significant reduction in life expectancy. Junctional EB is always serious and death within the first few years of life, often within the first few weeks, is usual. DEBRA, the Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Association, is a self-help group of sufferers and their families. A questionnaire aimed at eliciting problems associated with this condition was sent to 138 members and their replies form the basis of this paper.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Thanatophobia and opiophobia of hospice nurses compared with that of other caregivers.

In meeting national needs for our terminally ill, health care educators need to become more aware of their students' aptitudes for hospice work. For these reasons we measured hospice nurses' attitudes toward caring for the terminally ill and their views on using opioids, and compared them to those of other health care personnel and their students. Thirty-eight hospice nurses, 64 other nurses, 93 physicians, and 676 senior medical students participated in this study. Our primary measures were scales assessing thanatophobia and opiophobia and a battery of personal and professional role trait measures. Our results indicated that in providing end-of-life care, hospice nurses expressed less discomfort, helplessness, and frustration, and indicated less reluctance to use opioids than did any of the other groups surveyed. Overall, these hospice nurses had 35 percent lower opiophobia and 55 percent lower thanatophobia scores than the other health care professionals. Despite dealing with issues of death and dying on a daily basis, hospice nurses also scored lower on depressed mood. In caring for the terminally ill, hospice nurses' other personal traits were also less maladaptive than those of the other health professionals. Psychiatrists exhibited the most opiophobia, not only scoring higher than physicians practicing oncology, but also higher than senior medical students. To assure cancer patients that they can expect to live their lives free of pain, medical educators can use these thanatophobia and opiophobia scales to develop better teaching, counseling, and monitoring strategies.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Bleomycin and cyclophosphamide toxicity simulating metastatic nodules to the lungs in childhood cancer.

Two pediatric oncology patients with Ewing's sarcoma and one with mixed germ cell tumor were treated with drug regimens that included bleomycin or cyclophosphamide. Despite progress to apparently complete remission, all manifested pulmonary nodules on computed tomography during or at the end of treatment. Thoracoscopic biopsy to confirm metastasis revealed instead fibrotic lesions apparently attributable to bleomycin or cyclophosphamide. After cessation of chemotherapy, the pulmonary lesions resolved and all three patients sustained their remissions. The case histories and comments on the diagnosis and management of pulmonary nodules are reviewed.

Adolescent↗