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Biomedical subjects

A Wilson

Publications and source records attributed to A Wilson.

At least 343 records · Page 19Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Cervical cytology in the Vale of Trent faculty of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 1985-8.

OBJECTIVE: To assess changes in the organisation and performance of cervical cytology programmes in the practices of members of the Vale of Trent faculty of the Royal College of General Practitioners. DESIGN: Retrospective audits completed in 1985 and 1988 by general practitioners on a sequential sample of 100 records of women aged 35-64 in their practice. SETTING: General practices in which one or more partners were members or associates of the Vale of Trent faculty of the college, of which 76 participated in the first audit and 55 (82% of 67 eligible practices) in the second. SUBJECTS: Sequential samples of 100 women born between 1 January 1920 and 31 December 1949 (first audit) and between 1 January 1923 and 31 December 1952 (second audit) whose surnames began with P or B respectively. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Percentage of women in each practice with a record of cervical cytology performed in the previous five years and percentage with no recorded smear. RESULTS: Of the 76 practices completing the audit in 1985, 55 (82% of those eligible) repeated the exercise in 1988. Performance was not significantly different in practices that did and did not respond. The median percentage of women who had had a smear in the previous five years was 49% and 69% in 1985 and 1988 respectively (p less than 0.001) and that of women with no record of a cervical smear was 28% and 16% respectively (p less than 0.001). All but six practices showed improvement in both outcome measures. In both audits an active call system was associated with a significantly increased performance (p less than 0.05). In nine practices (16%) 80% or more of the samples of women had had a smear in the previous five years. CONCLUSION: Organisation and performance of practices audited improved between 1985 and 1988. Although this might result from participation in the first audit, it probably represents a more general trend within primary care. ACTION: Between the two audits more practices (87% v 67%) had developed a policy on screening, and this was more likely to include the aim of performing regular smears on all sexually active women (98% v 80%).

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Measuring blood pressure in an inner city pharmacy: an attempt at coordination with general practice.

Free blood pressure checks, targeted at those aged 30 to 64 years, were offered for a six week period in a small inner city pharmacy. The pharmacist invited 120 clients to take part, of whom 70 (58%) accepted. Thirty of those having the check were interviewed. All had seen their general practitioner within the last five years, and half recalled having had a blood pressure check in the preceding 12 months. The 70 clients were given a copy of the result of the blood pressure check to return to their general practitioner. On checking the general practitioner record of 40 such patients, 25 (63%) had previous blood pressure recordings in the last five years. Only 10 (25%) contained the pharmacy reading, although the records of high readings were more likely to be present. The majority of the 14 general practitioners interviewed were unenthusiastic about the scheme. These results are not favourable to the idea of blood pressure screening by pharmacists, unless it is part of a major coordinated programme.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Bilateral elbow dislocation.

Bilateral dislocation of the elbow joint is a rare injury. Five previous descriptions involved female gymnasts who fell with their arms extended. This report is of a hang-gliding accident involving a middle aged man.

Humans↗
PubMed1990

A comparison of two methods of eliciting the ankle jerk.

Two methods of eliciting the ankle jerk have been compared. One, the traditional method, involved tapping the Achilles tendon (the tendon tap); the other (the plantar tap) involved tapping the sole of the foot. The study was done on 110 inpatients in the medical wards of a teaching hospital. The results showed an 89% agreement between the two methods. The extent of agreement was unrelated to the level of experience of the examiner. Forty three per cent of patients favoured the plantar tap method; 14% the tendon tap. The plantar tap method of eliciting the ankle jerk is an acceptable alternative to the traditional method.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Alcohol consumption and menstrual distress in women at higher and lower risk for alcoholism.

This study investigated whether alcohol consumption varied as a function of menstrual cycle, menstrual distress symptomatology, and global stress in nonalcoholic drinking young women at higher and lower (HR, LR) risk for alcoholism as assessed by family history. Eighty-two normally menstruating women (52 LR and 30 HR) monitored their alcohol intake, physical and affective distress symptoms, and global stress level daily for two consecutive menstrual cycles. Subjects were unaware that their menstrual cycles were being monitored. The results confirmed the presence of increased physical distress symptomatology during the premenstrual and menstrual phases but did not show variation in negative affect or global stress throughout the menstrual cycle. High risk subjects were aware that they were at higher risk for alcoholism and consumed more alcohol. However, alcohol consumption was not related to the menstrual cycle, distress symptoms, or global stress. Subjects reported that they drank most frequently with others for pleasure enhancement and rarely for pain or tension-reduction. Subjects also drank more on weekends than weekdays. These findings argue against the menstrual cycle as etiological in the development of alcoholism. It would appear that social factors influence alcohol consumption in young nonalcoholic women.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1990

Drug-eluting collar--a new approach to reducing threshold.

This study evaluated the clinical performance of leads with a drug-eluting (less than 0.5 mg of dexamethasone sodium phosphate) collar (DEC) placed adjacent to a 4-mm2 Pt/Ir coated electrode (Telectronics model 030-368). Ten trailing tined ventricular silicone DEC leads and ten control leads (model 030-359) were implanted transvenously in patients of comparable age, sex, and indication for pacing. Early threshold rise, chronic thresholds (Vario), and lead impedances were monitored by pacer telemetry. The DEC lead had substantially lower thresholds in the first few weeks (P less than 0.0005) as well as chronically (P less than 0.025). The study has shown that a drug dose of less than 0.5 mg, released from a drug-eluting collar (DEC), is effective in reducing thresholds.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Comparison of flurbiprofen and alprazolam in the management of chronic pain syndrome.

A three-process model of chronic pain comprising tissue damage, anxiety, and depression is hypothesized. Within this model, the effectiveness of flurbiprofen (for analgesia) plus either alprazolam (for anxiety and depression) or placebo was evaluated in a randomized, double-blind trial with a single crossover. Flurbiprofen was found to have a significant analgesic effect but this was not enhanced by combining it with alprazolam.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Dangerous leak.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Anesthesia, Inhalation↗
PubMed1990

Correlation of roentgenographic patterns and clinical manifestations of symptomatic idiopathic osteoarthritis of the knee.

A retrospective review of weight-bearing roentgenograms of 2197 knees in 1894 patients with symptomatic idiopathic osteoarthritis (IOA) revealed six different patterns of tibiofemoral deformity. Five of these patterns expand the taxonomic concepts of Ahlback; the sixth, "nonproliferative," was previously undescribed. It was seen exclusively in patients with varus disease and was characterized by a lack of reactive bony changes. Knees with degenerative changes in the medial compartment constituted the majority of cases (63%). The average age of patients was 72 years for those with varus disease, 79 years for those with valgus disease, and 84 years for those with patellofemoral arthritis (PFA). Bilateral involvement was common only in patients with PFA (79%), suggesting a developmental cause for this subset. There was a female predominance in valgus and patellofemoral disease. The authors report here on a classification system of IOA that has been designed and modified to reflect the unique roentgenographic, epidemiologic, and clinical characterization of the six subsets.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

Evidence for IL-6 production by and effects on the pancreatic beta-cell.

IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha injure the pancreatic beta-cell and may be involved in the pathogenesis of autoimmune type 1 diabetes. Because the induction of IL-6 appears to be an important host cell response to injury, we have examined whether IL-6 is produced by murine pancreatic islets or rat insulinoma (RIN-m5F) cells after their exposure to IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha. Islet culture supernatants contained detectable IL-6 activity which was increased 6-fold when islets were exposed to IFN-gamma and 40- and 115-fold when islets were exposed to TNF-alpha and TNF-alpha + IFN-gamma, respectively. A mAb against murine IL-6 abolished (control and IFN-gamma) or significantly reduced (TNF-alpha and TNF-alpha + IFN-gamma) the IL-6 activity in islet supernatants. The magnitude for the effects of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha on the production of IL-6 from mouse islets was found to be both time and dose dependent. Northern blot hybridization analysis of islet total cytoplasmic RNA with a cDNA probe to murine IL-6 revealed a band at 1.3 kb, the intensity of which increased in islets exposed to IFN-gamma + TNF-alpha. IL-6 activity was also detected in culture supernatants from RIN-m5F cells exposed to TNF-alpha + IFN-gamma. Islets cultured with rIL-6 secreted higher levels of insulin compared with control islets. Pancreatic islet cells, in all probability beta-cells, produce IL-6, the expression of which is up-regulated by IFN-gamma and/or TNF-alpha. In addition to a possible role in regulating pancreatic beta-cell function we propose that IL-6 produced by the pancreatic beta-cell may act as a costimulator for autoreactive B and T lymphocytes in autoimmune diabetes.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Cardiovascular disease-related knowledge and attitudes in a high-risk Australian population.

The population of Sydney's western suburbs has higher-than-average mortality rates of heart disease and has raised prevalence rates of the associated risk factors. To enquire into the cardiovascular disease-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of this population, a survey that used a multistage area-probability sampling method was conducted in May 1987. A total of 484 subjects was interviewed. The self-reported prevalence rates of angina, heart attacks, strokes and diabetes all were high compared with the rates from the Australia-wide National Heart Foundation's Risk Factor Prevalence Study in 1983. The rates of smoking, hypertension, high blood-lipid levels and sedentary life-style also were raised. Awareness of cardiovascular disease-related issues was high but detailed knowledge often was deficient. The majority of respondents reported having attempted to change their health-related behaviours. Of special note was the finding that 80% of current smokers had tried to quit smoking. The high level of awareness of the importance of making life-style changes, and the frequency with which attempts at behavioural changes were reported, suggest that improvements in the health of the population of Sydney's western suburbs will require two complementary strategies: the teaching of the skills that are needed to maintain healthy behaviours successfully and environmental changes to facilitate healthy life-style choices.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Multiple defects occur in the guanine nucleotide regulatory protein system in liver plasma membranes of obese (fa/fa) but not lean (Fa/Fa) Zucker rats: loss of functional Gi and abnormal Gs function.

Hepatocyte membranes from both lean and obese Zucker rats exhibited adenylate cyclase activity that could be stimulated by glucagon, forskolin, NaF and elevated concentrations of p[NH]ppG. In membranes from lean animals, functional Gi was detected by the ability of low concentrations of p[NH]ppG to inhibit forskolin-activated adenylate cyclase. This activity was abolished by treatment of hepatocytes with either pertussis toxin or the phorbol ester TPA, prior to making membranes for assay of adenylate cyclase activity. In hepatocyte membranes from obese animals no functional Gi activity was detected. Quantitative immunoblotting, using an antibody able to detect the alpha subunit of Gi, showed that hepatocyte plasma membranes from both lean and obese Zucker rats had similar amounts of Gi-alpha subunit. This was 6.2 pmol/mg plasma membrane for lean and 6.5 pmol/mg plasma membrane for obese animals. Using thiol pre-activated pertussis toxin and [32P]-NAD+, similar degrees of labelling of the 40 kDa alpha subunit of Gi were found using plasma membranes of both lean and obese Zucker rats. We suggest that liver plasma membranes from obese Zucker rats express an inactive Gi alpha subunit. Thus lesions in liver Gi functioning are seen in insulin-resistant obese rats and in alloxan- and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats which also show resistance as regards the acute actions of insulin. Liver plasma membranes of obese animals also showed an impairment in the coupling of glucagon receptors to Gs-controlled adenylate cyclase, with the Kd values for activation by glucagon being 17.3 and 126 nM for lean and obese animals respectively. Membranes from obese animals also showed a reduced ability for high concentration of p[NH]ppG to activate adenylate cyclase. The use of [32P]-NAD+ and thiol-preactivated cholera toxin to label the 43 kDa and 52 kDa forms of the alpha-subunit of Gs showed that a reduced labelling occurred using liver plasma membranes from obese animals. It is suggested that abnormalities in the levels of expression of primarily the 52 kDa form of alpha-Gs may give rise to the abnormal coupling between glucagon receptors and adenylate cyclase in liver membranes from obese (fa/fa) Zucker rats.

Adenosine Diphosphate Ribose↗
PubMed1989

Tongue metastasis from carcinoma of the rectum.

A case report of a patient with carcinoma of the rectum with metastasis to the tongue clinically mimicking a primary tongue neoplasm is described. The patient presented with an ulcer in the tongue three years after undergoing an anterior resection for a Dukes C carcinoma of the rectum. Other asymptomatic metastatic lesions were discovered only after the histology report suggested that the tongue ulcer biopsy was metastatic in origin. Metastatic tumour to the tongue is extremely rare and often occurs at a late stage, when there is disseminated disease. We are not aware of any reported case of tongue metastasis from carcinoma of the rectum.

Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous↗
PubMed1989

Limited diversity of T-cell receptor gamma-chain expression of murine Thy-1+ dendritic epidermal cells revealed by V gamma 3-specific monoclonal antibody.

To study the origin of and the degree of T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) diversity of Thy-1+ dendritic epidermal cells (Thy-1+ dECs) in mice, we have developed a monoclonal antibody (mAb 536) to the gamma delta TCR. mAb 536 binds to and stimulates interleukin 2 secretion from Thy-1+ dEC but not cells that express TCR composed of alpha and beta chains. mAb 536 precipitates CD3-associated gamma and delta chains from lysates of radioiodinated Thy-1+ dECs. Analysis of a panel of hybridomas that express gamma delta TCR indicated that mAb 536 defines an epitope of the variable region (V gamma 3) gene product. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that expression of V gamma 3 in the adult mouse is restricted to cells in the epidermis, where essentially all Thy-1+ cells are V gamma 3+. The majority of CD3+ cells in the 14-day fetal thymus also express V gamma 3. These results indicate that the T-cell complement in epidermis are cells that express gamma delta TCR and that the diversity of antigens recognized by the cells might be restricted by the use of a single V gamma gene segment. Finally, the data raise the intriguing possibility that Thy-1+ dECs may arise from precursors that are among the first to emerge from the developing thymus. This suggests that V gene usage during thymocyte development is highly regulated and has important consequences on the tissue localization and function of the emerging cells. As in other developing tissues, it appears that programmed and transient gene expression determines the fate of the emerging cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

A murine early thymocyte developmental sequence is marked by transient expression of the interleukin 2 receptor.

Precursors of all T-lineage cells are found in the population of thymocytes that lacks the CD4 and CD8 surface markers. These "double-negative" thymocytes are heterogeneous and can be divided into discrete subpopulations based on their expression of other surface markers. We have determined the relative maturity of these subpopulations based on the extent of rearrangement and expression of their T-cell receptor genes, their cell cycle status, and their thymus reconstitution capacity. Within the subpopulation of double negatives expressing high levels of the heat-stable antigen, the additional markers phagocytic glycoprotein 1 (Pgp-1) and interleukin 2 receptor (IL-2R) can be used to define the sequence IL-2R- Pgp-1+----IL-2R+ Pgp-1-----IL-2R- Pgp-1-, which occurs before the expression of CD4 and CD8. Transient expression of the IL-2R marks an important developmental point in the sequence just prior to a burst of cell proliferation and a loss of thymus reconstitution ability. The earliest cells in this sequence are already partially rearranged for genes in the C beta 1 region. IL-2R expression marks a second wave of T-cell antigen receptor of beta-chain gene rearrangement and the initiation of T-cell antigen receptor alpha- and beta-chain gene expression.

Animals↗