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Biomedical subjects

C Murphy

Publications and source records attributed to C Murphy.

At least 289 records · Page 16Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Odor sensitivity is impaired in HIV-positive cognitively impaired patients.

An estimated 7-28% of patients infected by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) develop dementia and at least 50% develop mild neurocognitive impairment. Past studies have shown odor identification impairments in HIV + neurocognitively impaired patients. It is difficult, however, based on an odor identification test to state with certainty that individuals with cognitive impairment have sensory olfactory deficits, because odor identification tests are known to draw upon cognitive skills. In the present study odor detection sensitivity was evaluated using an ascending, forced-choice, two-alternative, odor threshold test for butanol. Subjects were divided into three groups, HIV seropositive (HIV+) neurocognitively impaired, HIV+ neurocognitively unimpaired, and HIV negative, based on neurological and psychological testing. An analysis of variance revealed significantly poorer odor sensitivity for the HIV+ neurocognitively impaired group than for the two control groups. A significant negative correlation between degree of cognitive impairment and olfactory sensitivity was also found. We suspect that the olfactory deficits found in the HIV+ neurocognitively impaired subjects are primarily due to damage to the central nervous system; however, nasal infection may be a contributing etiology.

AIDS Dementia Complex↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Olfactory thresholds are associated with degree of dementia in Alzheimer's disease.

Recent neuroanatomical studies have noted that regions of the olfactory pathways contain high levels of neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease; and that the olfactory epithelium, the most peripheral level of the system, exhibits anatomical and biochemical changes in Alzheimer's disease. The present experiments investigated thresholds for olfactory and taste stimuli in patients with Probable Alzheimer's disease. Olfactory thresholds of Alzheimer's patients were significantly elevated relative to controls and were significantly correlated with scores on dementia scales. Taste thresholds of Alzheimer's patients were within normal limits and unrelated to scores on dementia scales. These results suggest that increased olfactory thresholds in patients with Alzheimer's disease reflect the effects of the disease process and, thus, may aid in the diagnosis and in the understanding of Alzheimer's disease.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Olfactory dysfunction in Down's Syndrome.

Down's Syndrome subjects over 40 years old show neuropathology similar to that of Alzheimer's disease. The olfactory system is particularly vulnerable in Alzheimer's disease, both anatomically and functionally. Several measures of sensory and cognitive functioning were studied in the older Down's Syndrome patient, with the hypothesis of significant olfactory dysfunction. Participants were 23 Down's subjects, and 23 controls. The Dementia Rating Scale showed mean scores of 103 for Down's subjects and 141 for controls. Down's subjects showed significant deficits in odor detection threshold, odor identification, and odor recognition memory. Normal performance in a taste threshold task, similar to the olfactory threshold task in subject demands, suggested that the Down's syndrome subjects' poor performance was not due to task demands. Deficits in olfaction may provide a sensitive and early indicator of the deterioration and progression of the brain in older subjects with Down's Syndrome.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Apolipoprotein E epsilon4 positive individuals demonstrate delayed olfactory event-related potentials.

Apolipoprotein E epsilon4 positive individuals have deficits in the ability to identify and remember odors, as demonstrated by psychophysical measures of olfactory function. The purpose of the present study was to identify olfactory deficits in this population using an objective electrophysiological measure: the olfactory event-related potential (OERP). Olfactory and auditory ERPs were recorded from the Fz, Cz, and Pz electrode sites in 10 epsilon4 positive individuals and 10 age and gender-matched epsilon4 negative individuals in a single-stimulus paradigm. The results indicate: (1) individuals who are positive for the apolipoprotein E epsilon4 allele demonstrated delays (of approximately 100 ms) in the processing of olfactory information compared to those who are epsilon4 negative; (2) OERP latency is more sensitive than psychophysical measures of olfactory function; (3) delays in the cognitive P3 component of the OERP are associated with deficits in the ability to identify an odor; and (4) unlike the moderate ranges found in auditory ERP, OERP latency showed high sensitivity and specificity in classifying epsilon4 positive and negative individuals.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Emerging clinical issues in home health psychiatric nursing.

Psychiatric nursing in the realm of home healthcare is relatively new, and there is a paucity of literature addressing the unique clinical concerns of the home health psychiatric nurse. This article explores clinical issues specific to psychiatric home health programs and offers a theory-based model for practice.

Community Health Nursing↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Comorbidity, smoking behavior and treatment outcome.

BACKGROUND: A sizeable sector of the population continues to smoke cigarettes despite our efforts to prevent and treat this addiction. We explored the relationships between lifetime comorbidity, psychiatric symptomatology, smoking behavior and treatment outcome to better understand vulnerability to smoking and treatment response. METHODS: One hundred and twenty smokers at two sites were enrolled in a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, 10-week smoking cessation trial with fluoxetine and behavioral treatment. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale were administered prior to treatment initiation. Self-report measures were used to assess psychiatric symptoms throughout treatment and during a 6-month follow-up period. RESULTS: Overall 62.3% of our sample were diagnosed with a lifetime mood, anxiety or substance use disorder despite stringent study exclusion criteria. Lifetime comorbidity was shown to be related to higher smoking rates and nicotine dependence, depressed mood and greater self-report of anxiety and stress. Lifetime comorbidity, however, alone or in combination with treatment condition, failed to predict treatment outcome (at posttreatment or follow-up). Baseline depression scores (Beck Depression Inventory, BDI) were related to treatment outcome only for smokers without a positive history of any psychiatric disorder or depression, with lower BDI scores more frequent in those who were abstinent. CONCLUSIONS: High prevalence rates of lifetime psychiatric illness and substance use disorders are reported for chronic smokers. Subsyndromal psychiatric symptoms may play a role in smoking behavior in combination with diagnosable disorders. Clinicians need to carefully assess both psychiatric diagnoses and symptoms in chronic smokers to optimize patient-treatment matching.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Olfactory threshold after nasal allergen challenge.

Olfactory threshold was investigated in patients with verified allergic rhinitis to birch pollen. In 20 patients the olfactory threshold was measured before and after challenge with topically applied birch pollen allergen during a non-symptomatic period. After provocation a statistically significant impaired detection sensitivity was found. The change in olfactory threshold was correlated with the measured amount of nasal secretions but not with subjectively or objectively registered nasal obstruction. A pronounced allergic reaction after allergen challenge is accompanied by an elevated olfactory threshold.

1-Butanol↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Olfaction dysfunction].

OBJECTIVE: To report of results obtained with the systematized boarding (physiopathology, diagnosis and treatment) to dysfunction of the smell that can affect the patient's life in significant form. MATERIAL AND METHOD: 58 patients were evaluated that went to the clinic with alterations in the olfaction or the pleasure, or both. The protocol includes a guided questionnaire, tests of identification of scent and threshold olfactory, rhinomanometry, nasal histogram, I simple study radiological of the roads breathing superiors and paranasals sinus, besides computer axial tomography and endoscopy. RESULTS: The most frequent cause in the olfactory dysfunction was the due mechanical obstruction to inflammatory processes, as chronic sinusitis and nasal polyposis, which obstruct the olfactory niche like complication; of the 58 patients, 48% belonged to this group. This inflammatory illness was divided, in turn, in allergy pure 25%, infectious 21% and pattern mixed 54%. The olfactory tests showed hyponia severe. In the general analysis the rest of the olfactory dysfunction was classified as postviral in 20%, posttraumatic in 12.1%, a group miscellaneous 8.6%, caused by toxins 6-9%, being a group of idiopathic cause in 3.4%.

Female↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The nurse clinician as research participant recruiter: experience from a longitudinal intervention study.

One of the most critical phases involved in carrying out a research project is participant recruitment. Recruitment into clinical trials and health programs is a primary public health challenge, particularly among adolescents. Special skills and abilities are needed to successfully recruit participants from this developmental age group. This paper describes the similarities found between the recruitment process developed for a randomized controlled trial with adolescents and the steps of the nursing process, and demonstrates that knowledge of the nursing process can assist in successfully recruiting individuals for a research study. Even without research training, clinical nurses can play a significant role in research studies because of their skills and experiences with the nursing process. Thus, nurse scientists and clinicians can work together successfully to conduct research studies and health projects that involve challenging recruitment efforts.

Adolescent↗