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Biomedical subjects

B Williams

Publications and source records attributed to B Williams.

At least 397 records · Page 22Linked to original sources

A focused casework approach to the treatment of child abuse: a controlled comparison.

Two contrasting therapies for the treatment of child abuse were compared in a randomised design: a focused casework approach to the whole family and a structured play therapy approach to the child. The Patterson coding system was used as an outcome measure. There was a high drop-out rate from both the therapies, but of those who completed the treatment, there was a greater improvement in the focused casework regime on some of the comparisons made.

Adolescent↗

Chronic renal failure; an important feature of the Laurence-Moon-Biedl syndrome.

Two cases of end stage renal failure occurring in association with the Laurence-Moon-Biedl syndrome are reported. Abnormalities in renal function and morphology are increasingly recognized in these patients in whom uraemia is an important cause of morbidity and early mortality. The presence of renal impairment, occurring as frequently as any of the pentad of features that characterize the syndrome, has important implications for the prognosis and long term management of these patients.

Adult↗

Recurrent acute renal failure due to a rectal villous adenoma.

A case is reported in which a rectal villous adenoma was complicated by severe fluid and electrolyte depletion producing recurrent renal failure. The pathophysiology of the depletion syndrome and its complications are discussed. Successful management by acute haemodialysis and early surgical resection of the tumour is described.

Acute Kidney Injury↗

Cloning and sequencing of the medium-chain S-acyl fatty acid synthetase thioester hydrolase cDNA from rat mammary gland.

cDNA clones coding for the medium-chain S-acyl fatty acid synthetase thioester hydrolase (thioesterase II) from rat mammary gland were identified in a bacteriophage lambda gt11 library and their nucleotide sequences were determined. The predicted coding region spans 263 amino acid residues and includes a sequence identical with that of a peptide derived from the enzyme active site. The rat thioesterase II cDNA sequence exhibits homology with that of a thioesterase found in duck uropygial glands.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Hindbrain hernia headache.

In six patients with episodic, severe, and disabling headaches with specific characteristics and in whom clinical examination and CT scanning were normal the symptoms were due to hindbrain herniation into the foramen magnum with resulting craniospinal pressure dissociation. This syndrome may be recognised by eliciting the typical history. In all patients myelography showed hindbrain herniation or Arnold-Chiari deformity and surgical decompression of the foramen magnum produced complete resolution of the headaches.

Adolescent↗

Bacteriology in acute mastoiditis.

During the period from July 1979 to December 1979, the bacteriology of 35 consecutive patients undergoing surgery for acute mastoiditis was studied. The patients' ages ranged from 3 to 13 years. All patients presented with a purulent otorrhea and a postauricular subperiosteal abscess and were subjected to a mastoidectomy within 12 hours of presentation. Specimens were obtained intraoperatively from the mastoid cavity and, using appropriate technology, were cultured for aerobic and anaerobic organisms. Bacteria were isolated from specimens of 32 patients (91.4%); specimens from three patients (8.6%) yielded no growth. Aerobes alone were cultured from four patients (11.4%); six patients' cultures (17.1%) yielded only anaerobes; and 22 patients' cultures (62.8%) had both aerobic and anaerobic organisms. Thus, anaerobes were cultured from a total of 28 patients (80.0%).

Acute Disease↗

Devaluation of stimuli contingent on choice: evidence for conditioned reinforcement.

Pigeons were presented a concurrent-chains schedule of reinforcement that had terminal links of equal duration. The initial links of the schedule were periodically interrupted by 15-s periods during which an extinction schedule was in effect. The extinction periods were presented on either a response-contingent or a noncontingent basis. Relative response rate for the left alternative decreased when the extinction periods were accompanied by the left terminal-link stimulus. Relative response rate for the right alternative decreased when the extinction periods were accompanied by the right terminal-link stimulus. Relative response rate varied inversely with the frequency of presentation of the extinction periods but was unaffected by presence versus absence of the response contingency in the schedule of extinction-period presentation. Furthermore, relative response rate was unaffected by presentation of extinction periods accompanied by a novel stimulus. When the extinction periods were presented after reinforcement in the left terminal link instead of as interruptions of the initial links, relative response rate for the left alternative was reduced if the postreinforcement extinction period was accompanied by the terminal-link stimulus for the left chain and reduced less if the extinction period was accompanied by the terminal-link stimulus for the right chain. The results demonstrate that the correlation between the terminal-link stimulus and extinction influenced the relative response rate in the initial link.

Animals↗

Familial subependymomas.

A family of eleven siblings is presented, five of whom developed a brain tumour. Three siblings had a subependymoma, one had an ependymoma and in one case the tumour was unverified histologically. The significance of familial brain tumours is discussed.

Adolescent↗

Surgical treatment of syringomyelia with syringopleural shunting.

The clinical course of 21 patients who underwent syringopleural shunting for syringomyelia is summarised. All the patients were continuing to deteriorate at the time of the operation. Objective improvement was seen in nine patients following the procedure but three subsequently deteriorated. Contralateral syrinx symptoms have appeared in two patients. No change was seen in six patients who did not deteriorate later. Three were worse following the procedure. In syringomyelia with marked hydrocephalus, ventricular drainage by a valved shunt may be the preferred first procedure. Craniovertebral decompression is recommended for syringomyelia with hindbrain herniation without dense arachnoiditis. In appropriate cases syringopleural shunting may be performed in combination with craniovertebral decompression, and may be the procedure of choice in cases with marked hindbrain arachnoiditis. In cases with a sizeable syrinx who have subsequently deteriorated following craniovertebral decompression, syringopleural shunting may be considered the preferred second procedure. Syringopleural shunting is suggested in amenable cases of syringomyelia associated with spinal tumour, trauma or arachnoiditis.

Adult↗