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Biomedical subjects

B Watt

Publications and source records attributed to B Watt.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Epidemiology and clinical significance of cervical erosion in women attending a family planning clinic.

Women attending a family planning clinic were studied to determine the relation between cervical erosion and clinical and social characteristics. The appearance of the cervix was recorded without knowledge of the women's symptoms. The prevalence of erosion increased with parity but, when the effects of other factors were controlled, decreased in women aged 35 and over. Erosion was significantly more common in women taking the "pill" and less common in women using barrier methods of contraception than in others. There was considerable variation between doctors in the reporting of erosion. No association was found between erosion and postcoital bleeding, dyspareunia, backache, or dysuria. There was a significant but modest association between erosion and vaginal discharge and a suggestion that erosion may sometimes be associated with nocturia and frequency of micturition. Vaginal flora was similar in women with and without erosion. Cervical erosion should not be regarded as pathological in asymptomatic women, nor should it be assumed necessarily to be the cause of symptoms in women with genitourinary complaints.

Adolescent↗

What are anaerobic cocci?

Criteria are suggested for the definition of "anaerobic cocci" as a general term to include all obligately anaerobic cocci. Such a definition draws a clear distinction between obligately anaerobic and micro-aerophilic strains and might form a basis both for characterisation of these organisms in the diagnostic laboratory and for further studies on their taxonomy and pathogenicity.

Anaerobiosis↗

Erythromycin and anaerobes: in vitro aspects.

Anaerobic organisms are being increasingly recognised as important causes of serious infection in man. Sampling procedures, transport of specimens and laboratory techniques need to be constantly monitored and improved if the causative organisms are to be consistently recovered from clinical specimens. Once the organisms have been isolated, their susceptibility to antibiotics should be determined so that the clinician can base his antibiotic therapy on reliable laboratory results. There are many variables in the sensitivity testing of anaerobes--these may account for the difficulty reported by some workers in obtaining consistently reliable results with some antibiotics, including erythromycin. These problems can be largely overcome if a standardised procedure is adopted. It is clear from the published data that erythromycin has considerable in vitro activity against many strains of anaerobic bacteria, both sporing and non-sporing. There is a broad spectrum of activity with some strains being very sensitive and a few strains being resistant. M.I.C. values range from 0.04 microgram./ml. to 20 microgram./ml. or more. Further studies are now needed to assess the role of erythromycin in the treatment of anaerobic infections in vivo.

Anaerobiosis↗

Tests of performance of anaerobic jars.

This paper briefly reviews methods of assessing the in-use performance of anaerobic jars and outlines a simple system combining a rapid test of catalytic activity with a biological indicator that can detect defects in the jars after incubation.

Anaerobiosis↗

A defined medium for the growth of Clostridium tetani and other anaerobes of clinical interest.

The growth of six strains of Clostridium tetani was assessed in a chemically supplemented commercially available defined medium. All strains grew reliably even after 12 serial passages, and two strains produced demonstrable toxic activity after passage. Consistent growth of the test strains could also be obtained on a solid version of this medium ("CA109-S" medium), and the strains could be serially passaged on this medium. Preliminary evidence is presented that the medium supports the surface growth of some other test anaerobes. Such a defined solid medium might prove of value in further studies on the surface growth of C. tetani and of other anaerobes of clinical interest.

Anaerobiosis↗

The recovery of anaerobic bacteria from swabs.

When a standard sample of simulated exudate containing known numbers of anaerobic bacteria was taken up on a swab and plated on solid medium, the number of colonies subsequently cultured represented a very small proportion of the original sample. Evidence is produced that the apparent loss is not primarily attributable to inactivation on the swab but rather to retention of organisms on the swab. This was demonstrable with Clostridium welchii and with Bacteroides species that have hitherto been regarded as relatively oxygen-sensitive.When stock strains of Bacteroides species were held for some hours on swabs, some progressive loss of viability was demonstrable. A measure of protection was afforded when these organisms were held aerobically on blood agar medium, but a very exacting anaerobe and some wild strains of faecal anaerobes showed gradual inactivation under these conditions.These findings may have important implications in relation to currently employed bacteriological sampling procedures with swabs in clinical practice.

Aerobiosis↗