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Biomedical subjects

A McCarthy

Publications and source records attributed to A McCarthy.

65 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1976

The "Pooh Corner" vision study.

Two groups of children were screened by selected optometrical tests. Infants between the ages of 3 and 24 months and kindergarten children aged from 2 to 5 years were tested. The results indicated that meaningful data can be obtained from both groups and that the tests revealed visuosensory and visuomotor defects, correction of which at an early stage is not only desirable but, in most cases, essential.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

"In-situ" Teicoplanin for central venous catheter infection.

Infection of central venous catheters (CVC) is a relatively common occurrence in immunocompromised patients, management of which has included I.V. antibiotics +/- removal of catheter. We have previously demonstrated that intracatheter administration of Amikacin empirically, successfully eradicated all bacterial infections except those due to S. epidermidis. A study was subsequently undertaken to treat gram positive cocci infections of CVC with intracatheter Teicoplanin. Eleven patients attending a single institution with documented gram positive cocci infection of CVC over a one year period were included in the study. Teicoplanin was instilled with heparinised saline once daily into the infected lumen of the CVC and allowed to remain for 24 hours. Treatment was continued for 48 hours after negative cultures were reported. Teicoplanin was successful in eradicating infection in 100% of cases. Mean duration of treatment was six days (range 4-9 days). Four patients subsequently developed a further infection, a mean of 13 weeks from first infection, only one of which was due to the same organism and this was successfully treated by a further course of Teicoplanin. No side effects were reported and catheter life was prolonged a mean of 132 days after completion of treatment. The use of Teicoplanin in this way for treatment of gram positive cocci infection of CVC is highly effective; once daily administration of antibiotic enables treatment to be given on an outpatient basis, thereby minimising hospital admission.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Specification of left-right asymmetry in mammals: embryo culture studies of stage of determination and relationships with morphogenesis and growth.

The internal mammalian body plan is laterally asymmetric with a consistent handedness such that some organs are placed on one side (stomach on the left, for example) and paired organs are not symmetric (for example, there are more lung lobes on the right). Some chemical teratogens can affect the development of asymmetry, and some can cause asymmetric defects in overtly symmetric structures, but the mechanisms are unknown. We have used chemical treatment of rat embryos in culture to examine the stage at which the left-right axis is determined and show that all effective treatments can affect left-right axis development up to the early headfold stage, but not from late headfold onwards. This suggests that the left-right axis is determined by the late headfold stage, even though the embryo is overtly symmetric at this stage. It appears to be much easier to induce an abnormal left-right axis from late allantoic bud and early headfold stages than the early allantoic bud stage, but we have not established the earliest stage at which a response can be induced. Complete situs inversus was the most common chemically induced abnormality, although heart looping and body turning could be inverted separately, suggesting that the two phenomena are linked but not wholly interdependent. The treatments appeared to cause a loss of handedness, rather than inducing inversion, since the incidence of an abnormal left-right axis never exceeded 50%. All treatments except methoxamine, an alpha1 adrenergic agonist, induced an abnormal left-right axis in association with other morphologic defects and growth retardation. However, there was no relationship between the severity or incidence of dysmorphology, nor growth retardation, and left-right abnormality, suggesting that although the process that specifies lateral asymmetry is labile, it is independent of general growth and morphogenesis.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The perceptions of rural nurses towards role change within the context of organisational change.

This paper, derived from The role and function of the rural nurse in Australia study, describes the effects of organisational change upon the rural nurses participating in the study. It appears that whilst change is an inevitable and regular feature of rural health service delivery, it does not necessarily benefit rural nurses or communities for reasons unique to rural life. Nurses in the study responded positively to organisational change when it was congruent with the rural norms of community consultation and collaboration, or when it ensured the long-term viability of the health service. They responded negatively to organisational change that caused role overload, role conflict or role insecurity, particularly when they perceived they had little control over the change process. This paper emphasises the need for nurses to actively participate in the change processes affecting their livelihood and their communities.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗