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Biomedical subjects

B Hodgson

Publications and source records attributed to B Hodgson.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Reduction in wound infection rates by wound surveillance with postdischarge follow-up and feedback.

BACKGROUND: Surgical wound surveillance with postdischarge follow-up is rarely done in the UK as it is seen as expensive. The aim of this study was to determine whether employing a dedicated team was effective and reduced costs. METHODS: Infection data were collected prospectively with postdischarge follow-up at 2-3 months, and fed back to surgeons. Wound infection was defined using both ASEPSIS wound scoring and criteria of the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) definitions. RESULTS: Over 4 years, 15 548 patient episodes were included. Postdischarge surveillance data were available for 79.9 per cent of the 15 154 records of patients who survived. There was a significant reduction in the rate of wound infection between the first and fourth years by ASEPSIS and CDC definitions: odds ratio 0.77 (95 per cent confidence interval (c.i.) 0.64 to 0.92) and 0.69 (95 per cent c.i. 0.57 to 0.83), respectively. The proportion of infections fell significantly in orthopaedic, cardiac and thoracic surgery. The annual budget for wound surveillance was pound 91,600. Changes in infection rates contributed pound 347,491 to the reduction in cost among the patients surveyed. CONCLUSION: Wound surveillance was associated with a reduction in rates of wound infection within 4 years. The cost reduction as a result of fewer infections exceeded the cost of surveillance after 2 years.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗
PubMed2006

Assessment of bony union following surgical stabilisation for lumbar spondylolysis: a comparative study between radiography and computed tomography.

PURPOSE: To compare the status of bony union seen on plain radiography versus computed tomography (CT) following tension band repair for refractory spondylolysis. METHODS: 14 patients (12 men and 2 women; mean age, 23 years; age range, 16-56 years) with a mean follow-up period of 6.35 years were included. All patients were operated on by one senior surgeon using either a Scott procedure (n=2) or van Dam modification of the Scott procedure (n=12). Bony union of the pars was assessed using both plain radiography (anteroposterior, lateral, and oblique views) and reverse gantry CT. The presence of bony union was determined if a bridging bone was shown in the images. The Oswestry Disability Index was measured at 6-year follow-up. RESULTS: 13 (93%) of 14 patients showed bony union on plain/oblique radiographs versus 7 (50%) on CT scan. The mean Oswestry Disability Index was 28 (good to excellent). The high incidence of nonunion shown on CT scanning did not correlate well with clinical results. CONCLUSION: Bony nonunion is more difficult to visualise on plain radiographs than reverse gantry CT. CT demonstrates more clearly the presence or absence of the bridging bone. Clinical results do not correlate with bony union, indicating that bony union is not required to achieve good results.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Surgical wound infection as a performance indicator: agreement of common definitions of wound infection in 4773 patients.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the level of agreement between common definitions of wound infection that might be used as performance indicators. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: London teaching hospital group receiving emergency cases as well as tertiary referrals. PARTICIPANTS: 4773 surgical patients staying in hospital at least two nights. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Numbers of wound infections based on purulent discharge alone, on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) definition of wound infection, on the nosocomial infection national surveillance scheme (NINSS) version of the CDC definition, and on the ASEPSIS scoring method. RESULTS: 5804 surgical wounds were assessed during 5028 separate hospital admissions. The mean percentage of wounds classified as infected differed substantially with different definitions: 19.2% with the CDC definition (95% confidence interval 18.1% to 20.4%), 14.6% (13.6% to 15.6%) with the NINSS version, 12.3% (11.4% to 13.2%) with pus alone, and 6.8% (6.1% to 7.5%) with an ASEPSIS score > 20. The agreement between definitions with respect to individual wounds was poor. Wounds with pus were automatically defined as infected with the CDC, NINSS, and pus alone definitions, but only 39% (283/714) of these had ASEPSIS scores > 20. CONCLUSIONS: Small changes made to the CDC definition or even in its interpretation, as with the NINSS version, caused major variation in estimated percentage of wound infection. Substantial numbers of wounds were differently classified across the grades of infection. A single definition used consistently can show changes in percentage wound infection over time at a single centre, but differences in interpretation prevent comparison between different centres.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

The use of evoked EMG in detecting misplaced thoracolumbar pedicle screws.

STUDY DESIGN: Experimental study performed using an animal model. OBJECTIVES: To determine if EMG responses generated by the electrical stimulation of thoracolumbar pedicle screws could be used to predict the screw position. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Evoked EMG has been used successfully to predict pedicle screw position in the lumbar spine. No data have been published on its effectiveness in the thoracic spine. METHODS: A total of 91 screws were inserted into the pedicles from T8 to L2 in six sheep. Monitoring electrodes were placed into transversus abdominus at three levels, the lower two intercostal spaces, and into psoas. A constant voltage stimulus was applied to a probe inserted into each pedicle, and then to each pedicle screw after it had replaced the probe. The threshold voltage required to evoke EMG activity in the relevant myotome was noted. After monitoring the position of each screw was determined by gross dissection. RESULTS: EMG responses in abdominal and intercostal muscles were successfully evoked by thoracic pedicle screw stimulation. Of the 91 screws, 50 were within the pedicle and required an average voltage of 15.12 V to stimulate an EMG response, compared with the 41 misplaced screws that had an average voltage of 7.63 V (P < 0.0001). Using a threshold of 10 V the technique has a sensitivity of 94% and a specificity of 90%. CONCLUSION: Electrical stimulation of pedicle screws and EMG recording in abdominal and leg muscles in sheep provide a reliable indication of pedicle screw position. This technique can be directly applied to human thoracolumbar surgery, but differences in pedicle size would mean that new threshold voltage criteria would need to be established.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Effect of NASA light-emitting diode irradiation on wound healing.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) and near-infrared light therapy on wound healing. BACKGROUND DATA: Light-emitting diodes (LED), originally developed for NASA plant growth experiments in space show promise for delivering light deep into tissues of the body to promote wound healing and human tissue growth. In this paper, we review and present our new data of LED treatment on cells grown in culture, on ischemic and diabetic wounds in rat models, and on acute and chronic wounds in humans. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In vitro and in vivo (animal and human) studies utilized a variety of LED wavelength, power intensity, and energy density parameters to begin to identify conditions for each biological tissue that are optimal for biostimulation. RESULTS: LED produced in vitro increases of cell growth of 140-200% in mouse-derived fibroblasts, rat-derived osteoblasts, and rat-derived skeletal muscle cells, and increases in growth of 155-171% of normal human epithelial cells. Wound size decreased up to 36% in conjunction with HBO in ischemic rat models. LED produced improvement of greater than 40% in musculoskeletal training injuries in Navy SEAL team members, and decreased wound healing time in crew members aboard a U.S. Naval submarine. LED produced a 47% reduction in pain of children suffering from oral mucositis. CONCLUSION: We believe that the use of NASA LED for light therapy alone, and in conjunction with hyperbaric oxygen, will greatly enhance the natural wound healing process, and more quickly return the patient to a preinjury/illness level of activity. This work is supported and managed through the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center-SBIR Program.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Cross-cultural comparison of women students' attitudes toward the Internet and usage: China and the United Kingdom.

This article is an analysis and discussion of early returns of a large-scale study. It reports on women students' attitudes toward the Internet and usage in educational contexts from a cross-cultural perspective; cultural issues related to the Internet were also explored. An initial sample of 79 Chinese students was compared with a similar sample of 91 British students. These are the early returns from a much larger survey. Students were presented with a questionnaire about their use of and attitudes toward the Internet. The results clearly demonstrate the existence of cultural differences between two samples in terms of attitudes toward the Internet and usage characteristics. Chinese students reported far less experience of computers and the Internet, but were far more positive about them than the British. It was of particular interest that usage was also found to be related to certain cultural and background characteristics of students in each country. The paper concludes with recommendations for future research, and implications for education are also addressed.

Attitude↗
PubMed2000

Stereolithographic models of biopolymers.

Stereolithography (STL) has been used to make plastic models of the solvent accessible surfaces of biopolymers. Models have been made of proteins and proteins bound to DNA and RNA. The STL process uses a laser to photopolymerize a liquid resin. Using the ACES (accurate, clear, epoxy, solid) building technique, parts are made with minimum postcure shrinkage. Protein Data Bank files are converted to STL files that represent the surface topology of the biopolymer as a series of triangles and an index that describes their orientation. The models are useful in teaching biomolecular structure and the principle of docking. They are especially useful to the visually impaired.

Acetylcholinesterase↗
PubMed1988

Side-room tests to screen for microalbuminuria in diabetes mellitus.

Three side-room tests (latex bead immunoagglutination test, LBT; 25% sulphosalicylic acid test, SST; microalbutest, MAT) for the detection of microalbuminuria in diabetics are described and their screening potential and practicability assessed. One hundred insulin-dependent diabetics attending a diabetic clinic provided an early morning urine sample (Albustix-negative) which was subjected to each of the three tests, and urinary albumin concentration (UA) was assayed by RIA. Tests were assessed in random order by two trained operators using a semiquantitative grading scale with 100% concordance between 10 observers. All test results greater than or equal to trace +ve were sufficiently sensitive (sensitivity greater than or equal to 90%) in detecting UA greater than 15 mg/l, but MAT exhibited a significantly reduced specificity (69%) and positive predictive value (58%). For a reference UA greater than 30 mg/l, LBT and SST results greater than or equal to trace +ve and MAT results greater than or equal to +ve showed a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity greater than 85% and a positive predictive value greater than 60%. Reagent shelf-life was shortest with LBT. SST involved centrifugation or filtration. Technical skill required was highest with LBT and lowest with MAT. Costs were slightly higher with LBT than SST and were not available for MAT.

Albuminuria↗
PubMed1984

On the aggregation of cells during growth and its effect on the isolation of auxotrophic mutants of Bacillus brevis ATCC 10068.

We have shown that penicillin effects a five log10 kill of a growing culture of a prototrophic strain of Bacillus brevis ATCC 10068 and less than a one log10 kill of an auxotrophic mutant incubated in the absence of the auxotrophic requirement. In spite of this, when a mixed culture of auxotrophic and prototrophic strains were incubated with penicillin under conditions conducive for selection of auxotrophic strains, such strains were not recovered. During growth in both AGM and PY media, the majority of B. brevis cells exist in clumps. Although there is no obvious correlation between the numbers of cells in clumps and the stage of growth with either of the growth media used, bigger clumps consisting of hundreds of single cells were observed in the AGM medium. In experiments with a mixed population of auxotrophic mutants previously derived from the B. brevis ATCC 10068 it was demonstrated that the aggregation of the cells occurred in either the presence or the absence of their growth requirements. The importance of this phenomenon in the aggregation of cells is discussed in relation to the isolation of auxotrophic mutants of B. brevis ATCC 10068.

Asparagine↗
PubMed1982

Isolation and properties of Bacillus brevis mutants unable to produce tyrocidine.

Mutants of Bacillus brevis ATCC 10068 were isolated which produced less than 1/100 of the amount of tyrocidine produced by the parent strain. These mutants produced spores at the same frequency and which were as resistant to heating at 80 degrees C for up to 3 h as were those produced by the parent strain. A partially purified tyrocidine synthetase from strain ATCC 10068 catalyzed [32P]PPi-ATP exchange reactions dependent on added tyrocidine-constituent amino acids. These activities were separated into three groups (I, II, and III) by fractionation on an Ultrogel AcA34 column. Each group was similar to one of the three components (heavy, intermediate, and light, respectively) found previously for strain ATCC 8185 except that glutamate-dependent activity was not detected in the group I activities and some amino acyl-tRNA synthetase activities were associated with the group III activities. Some of the mutants were shown to have defective tyrocidine synthetase enzymes. Mutant BH30 was defective in two of the group II amino acid-dependent [32P]PPi-ATP exchange reactions, mutant BH16 was defective in one of the group I and one of the group II reactions, and mutant BH34 had alterations to activities in all of the groups. It is unlikely that any of these mutants could synthesise tyrocidine. We conclude that tyrocidine is not involved in either the sporulation process or the resistance of spores of B. brevis ATCC 10068 to heating at 80 degrees C for up to 3 h.

Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases↗
PubMed1981

Some properties of a defective bacteriophage of Bacillus brevis.

Bacillus brevis strains contains defective prophage. In strain ATCC 10068 this prophage is responsible for the production of particles resembling phage tails and the induction of events leading to cell lysis. There is a slow rate of spontaneous production of particles, which is greatly increased by treating growing cells with mitomycin C, ultraviolet light, N-methyl-N-nitroso-N'-nitroguanidine, and acridine orange or by changing the growth medium. There is no conversion of host DNA to a unique, phage-size DNA entity associated with induction. It was not possible to detect strains that did not produce particles on treatment with mitomycin C. The particles themselves had no recognised biological activity. The molecular weight of the major sheath protein was 49 000 and at least four other protein components were detected in partially purified preparations. DNA and RNA were not associated with the particles but a small amount of carbohydrate was detected.

Bacillus↗
PubMed1980

Regulation of lysine- and lysine-plus-threonine-inhibitable aspartokinases in Bacillus brevis.

Further studies on the expression of the two aspartokinase activities in Bacillus bovis are presented. Aspartokinase I (previously shown to be inhibited and repressed by lysine) was found to be repressed by diaminopimelate in the wild-type strain. However, in a mutant unable to convert diaminopimelate to lysine, starvation for lysine resulted in an increase in aspartokinase I activity. Thus, lysine itself or an immediate metabolite was the true effector of repression. Aspartokinase II (previously shown to be inhibited by lysine plus threonine) was repressed by threonine. Studies with the parent strain and auxotrophs inidicated that only threonine or an immediate metabolite of threonine was involved in this repression. Methionine and isoleucine were not effectors of any of the detected aspartokinase activities. Apart from inhibition and repression controls, a third as yet undefined regulatory mechanism operated to decrease the levels of both aspartokinases as growth declined, even in mutants in which repression control was absent. In thiosine-resistant, lysine-excreting mutants with elevated levels of aspartokinase, the increase in activity could always be attributed to one enzyme or the other, never both. The existence of separate structural genes for each aspartokinase is therefore suggested.

Aspartate Kinase↗
PubMed1980

Pressure therapy for hypertrophic scarring: preliminary communication.

A six-point programme for the prevention and pressure therapy of hypertrophic scarring started in 1975 at Odstock Hospital. The work reported here includes a pressure calibration of batches of the material chosen for pressure bandaging; a pressure study of the bandages on volunteers' limbs; and the formation of a pressure therapy clinic. The clinic results were similar to those reported by Thomson (1974) and were considered sufficiently favourable to justify continuing the clinic and instituting a policy of close review and early therapy for all burns patients. The programme proved the accuracy of the pressure sensor and attempted to develop an objective method of recording progress. Arguments for pressure versus occlusion as the therapeutic agent are discussed and supported by a case report. It is suggested that a controlled trial of pressure therapy should be carried out.

Bandages↗
PubMed1976

Lysine- and lysine-plus-threonine-inhibitable aspartokinases in Bacillus brevis.

Two aspartokinase (ATP:L-aspartate 4-phosphotrasferase, EC 2.7.2.4) enzyme activities have been identified and partially purified from Bacillus brevis. Aspartokinase I is subject to both inhibition and repression by lysine, and has a molecular weight in the region of 110 000. Aspartokinase II is a lysine-stabilised enzyme, inhibited multivalently by lysine plus theonine and has a molecular weight in the region of 95 000. This attern of aspartokinase activity has not been described previously and is unusual in that one end product (lysine) regulates two isoenzymes catalysing the first reaction of a branced biosynthetic pathway. In the absence of lysine, aspartokinase II changes to a more unstable non-inhibitable enzyme. Both enzymes are stabilised by sulphydryl reducing agents and have similar affinities for ATP, aspartate and lysine. However, there is no evidence for a view that they are products of a common gene. Problem concerned with the regulation of aspartokinase activities in Bacillus species are discussed.

Aspartate Kinase↗
PubMed1975

Effect of prostaglandin E2 on oviductal adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate levels during estrus and pseudopregnancy.

The basal levels of adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) in the oviductal isthmus were lower during pseudopregnancy than during estrus. No differences were observed in the ampulla. Prostaglandin E2(PGE2) significantly increased cyclic AMP levels in the isthmus during pseudopregnancy but not during estrus. In contrast, in the ampulla, PGE2 did not alter cyclic AMP levels in either hormonal condition. Theophylline increased cyclic AMP levels in the isthmus and in the ampulla during pseudopregnancy. These results show that PGE2 causes a specific increase in cyclic AMP levels in the isthmus after ovulation.

Adenosine Monophosphate↗