Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A Vickers

Publications and source records attributed to A Vickers.

67 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

A basic introduction to medical research. Part II: An overview of different research methods.

Though health research has long been equated with the randomised control trial (RCT), there are, in fact, many different forms of research. These complement one another as different pieces in a jigsaw of evidence. Qualitative research can provide valuable insights into meaning, motivation, social significance and other aspects of patients' and practitioners' experience. Such data can be useful in the design of more quantitative research, such as surveys of attitudes or RCTs. Audits monitor and evaluate the quality of health care delivery and are an important means of ensuring the value of RCTs in everyday clinical practice. Laboratory research provides data on the mechanisms of a treatment or on its therapeutic effect in controlled conditions. This can provide a valuable background to subsequent clinical research. A prospective researcher should choose a methodology depending on the particular research question he or she wishes to ask: a good question immediately suggests the appropriate type of research.

Data Collection↗
PubMed1995

A basic introduction to medical research. Part I: What is research and why do it?

Our beliefs about health come from many sources, most of which come down to personal experience. This is often an unreliable way of finding out about health as it can be affected by the individual practitioner's own biases and beliefs. Moreover, changes observed in patients cannot always be ascribed to any treatments given. Research attempts to generate more reliable beliefs by carefully controlling for those factors likely to influence us incorrectly. Good research always starts by focusing on a question: what is the question which the researcher wants to answer? Questions enable the development of research designs. There is a particularly pressing need for good quality research in the complementary therapies typically used by nurses and midwives. We need to know: do the complementary therapies have specific effects on health? How should the therapies be used so that their effects are optimised? How should the therapies be used in health service settings? Unless these questions are answered, the use of complementary therapies by nurses and midwives is likely to remain sub-optimal.

Complementary Therapies↗
PubMed1988

Changes in the fatty acid profile of lung, liver and serum of rats intratracheally given silica.

The esterified (E) and nonesterified (NE) fatty acid level and profile in the lung, serum, and liver of rats are significantly altered after intratracheal administration of silica. The changes include a silica-specific increase of the total long chain (C16-C20:4) fatty acid content in the lung, and a decrease in the serum and liver of both groups of rats intratracheally given silica and/or saline. In the silicotic lung, arachidonate and palmitate accumulated at the highest rate. A heat-labile, high-molecular weight component from lung homogenates increases lipogenesis in isolated hepatocytes in vitro. These findings, taken together with evidence indicating increased lipogenesis in the liver of rats treated with silica under identical conditions, suggest a lung-liver communication mechanism which coordinates lipid uptake by the lung and lipid synthesis and release by the liver. The stimulatory factor identified in lung homogenates might play an important regulatory role-for hepatic lipogenesis in rats developing silicotic lungs.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Evaluation of the combined effects of atropine and domperidone on the lower oesophageal sphincter.

The effects of sequential administration of both domperidone followed by atropine, and atropine followed by domperidone were examined on the lower oesophageal sphincter of 10 healthy volunteers. Domperidone, 10 mg, increased lower oesophageal sphincter pressure (LOSP) within 10 min of injection. Atropine, 0.6 mg given at the time of peak effect of domperidone, subsequently decreased LOSP. However, frequent measurement of LOSP during the succeeding 40 min demonstrated that LOSP did not decrease significantly below control levels during this drug sequence. When the drugs were administered in the reverse sequence, atropine, 0.6 mg, decreased LOSP within 5 min of injection and subsequent administration of domperidone, at the time of peak effect of the atropine, resulted in a gradual increase in LOSP. However, control values were not approached until 30 min had elapsed after the administration of the domperidone.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Increases in liver microsomal phosphatidylethanolamine methyltransferase activity(s) in mice after short-term ethanol treatments.

Adult C57/BL mice subjected to short term ethanol liquid diets exhibited significant increases in liver microsomal phosphatidylethanolamine methyltransferase activity(s) as well as changes in microsomal lipid composition. Specifically, increases in [3H]-methyl incorporation into phosphatidyl-N-monomethylethanolamine and phosphatidyl-N,N-dimethylethanolamine were observed suggesting increases in phospholipid methyltransferase I and the first methyl transfer reaction of phospholipid methyltransferase II. Labeling of phosphatidylcholine was not affected, however. Dietary supplementation with 2% choline reduced liver methyltransferase activities of both control and ethanol treated mice. The ethanol induced increase in methyltransferase activity returned to control values upon removal of ethanol from the diet for 24 hours. It is suggested that the increase in phospholipid methyltransferase activity after chronic ethanol treatment may be responsible, in part, for alterations in the activities of certain microsomal enzymes known to be influenced by ethanol.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cyclosporine A nephrotoxicity studied by the combined application of kidney cell lines, hepatocytes, and endothelial-platelet cocultures.

Established renal epithelial cell lines of human, pig, and dog origin (293, LLC-PK1, MDCK) were examined in terms of nephrotoxicity and ability to biotransform cyclosporine A (CsA). All three cell lines exhibited a comparable concentration dependent cytotoxicity to CsA treatment. Alterations in cell function included a decreased transport of lysine, an inhibition of growth, and an activation of lysosomal and mitochondrial activity as indicated by the increased uptake of neutral red (NR) and increased reduction of the tetrazolium dye MTT at 1-6 microM CsA. Increased leakage of lactic dehydrogenase and activities of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) and N-acetyl-beta-D-hexosaminidase were observed at 48 h and 12 microM CsA. A discrimination between CsA and the less nephrotoxic cyclosporine-(CsH) was shown for DNA synthesis and NR uptake. The contribution of extrarenal parameters on kidney cell function was studied by the addition of medium from hepatocytes exposed to CsA to the kidney cell lines. A more potent inhibition of DNA synthesis and enhanced reduction of MTT resulted than by addition of equimolar CsA directly to the kidney cells. These data indicate that hepatocyte constituents present in the medium due to CsA treatment affect kidney cell function; additionally, the presence of CsA metabolites may contribute to the CsA-induced nephrotoxicity. The vascular nephrotoxicity induced by CsA, an increased deposition of platelets in the renal arterioles, was mimicked by cocultures of endothelial cell monolayers and platelets. CsA increased the aggregability and adherence of platelets to the endothelial cell monolayers, whereas CsH had no effect.

Animals↗