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Biomedical subjects

C Pearson

Publications and source records attributed to C Pearson.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Cover arrangements for consultants on leave: an analysis of job descriptions.

There is much ambiguity about consultant leave allowances and arrangements for cover in the National Health Service. We analysed job descriptions for 47 consultant posts advertised in mid-2000. 35 defined a duty rota but only 3 mentioned specific available leave (all different). In 32 there was no mention of cover for colleagues on leave. When a consultant is absent, colleagues tend to provide cover for emergency cases but not for elective admissions, which are managed largely by junior doctors. This arrangement is particularly hazardous in surgical specialties. If elective surgery is to continue when the consultant is absent, arrangements for leave and cover need to be more clearly defined.

Consultants↗
PubMed2000

Enantiospecific synthesis of N-Boc-Adda: a linear approach.

[structure: see text] Synthesis of the unusual amino acid (2S,3S,8S, 9S)-3-amino-9-methoxy-2,6,8-trimethyl-10-phenyl-4,6-decadienoic acid (Adda), a unit of numerous cyanobacterial toxins, is described. Construction of the target molecule was achieved in 13 steps with an overall yield of 40%. The work is highlighted by a novel one-pot transformation from isoxazolidin-5-one intermediate 6 to the final product, a step that can also be used to form beta-amino acids.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed2000

Polymorphisms of human SP-A, SP-B, and SP-D genes: association of SP-B Thr131Ile with ARDS.

An allele association study of 19 polymorphisms in surfactant proteins SP-A1, SP-A2, SP-B, and SP-D genes in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) was carried out. Trend-test analysis revealed differences (p < 0.05) in the frequency of alleles for some of the microsatellite markers flanking SP-B, and for one polymorphism (C/T) at nucleotide 1580 [C/T (1580)], within codon 131 (Thr131Ile) of the SP-B gene. The latter determines the presence or absence of a potential N-linked glycosylation site. Multivariate analysis revealed significant differences only for the C/T (1580) polymorphism. When the ARDS population was divided into subgroups, idiopathic (i.e., pneumonia, etc.) or exogenic (i.e., trauma, etc.), significant differences were observed for the C/T (1580), for the idiopathic ARDS group, and the frequency of the C/C genotype was increased in this group. Based on the odds ratio, the C allele may be viewed as a susceptibility factor for ARDS. Although the expression of both C and T alleles occurs in heterozygous individuals, it is currently not known whether these alleles correspond to similar levels of SP-B protein. These data suggest that SP-B or a linked gene contributes to susceptibility to ARDS.

Alleles↗
PubMed2000

The number of CD34+ cells mobilized into the peripheral blood can predict the quality of subsequent collections.

PBPC were mobilized using a variety of chemotherapy regimens plus G-CSF in a group of 126 consecutive patients. Data are presented that show a close correlation between the number of CD34+ cells mobilized into the peripheral blood (PB) and the number of CD34+ cells subsequently collected by leukapheresis (R = 0.904). On the basis of this correlation, a regression formula was calculated that could give an estimate of the total number of CD34+ cells likely to be collected by leukapheresis from a given number of CD34+ cells per microliter PB. An easy-to-read table has been compiled to show how this type of analysis can be applied to predict the likely dose of CD34+ cells that will be obtained by leukapheresis over a wide range of patient weights.

Antigens, CD34↗
PubMed2000

Personal constructs of male survivors of childhood sexual abuse receiving cognitive analytic therapy.

OBJECTIVE: This study assessed whether male survivors of sexual abuse identified with their abusers rather than their child- or victim-selves and failed to identify with men in general or with their victims, following abusive 'acting out'. Changes in both identification and symptomatology were assessed following cognitive analytic therapy. DESIGN: A patient series within-participants design was used. METHOD: A repertory grid methodology examined four male survivors self-construals before and after therapy. Measures of symptomatic distress, depression, self-esteem and distorted beliefs related to childhood sexual abuse were also obtained. RESULTS: Before therapy, patients showed little identification with the child-selves, men in general and ideal-selves. Two heterosexual patients identified with their abuser(s) whereas another, homosexual, patient negatively identified with his abuser. Patients did not identify with their victims following aggressive 'acting out'. After therapy, identification with the abuser reduced markedly; identification with victim- and ideal-self increased. Depression and distorted beliefs declined. CONCLUSION: Male survivors tend to identify with abusers and disavow their victim-hood. Sexual orientation may predict identification patterns. Cognitive analytic therapy may be a promising method of enabling survivors to integrate their abuse experience and reduce their commitment to the abuser role.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Pure consciousness: distinct phenomenological and physiological correlates of "consciousness itself".

This paper explores subjective reports and physiological correlates of the experience of "consciousness itself"--self awareness isolated from the processes and objects of experience during Transcendental Meditation practice. Subjectively, this state is characterized by the absence of the very framework (time, space, and body sense) and content (qualities of inner and outer perception) that define waking experiences. Physiologically, this state is distinguished by the presence of apneustic breathing, autonomic orienting at the onset of breath changes, and increases in the frequency of peak EEG power. A model, called the junction point model, is presented that integrates pure consciousness with waking, dreaming, or sleeping. It could provide a structure to generate a coherent program of research to test the full range of consciousness and so enable us to understand what it means to be fully human.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

A comparison of suburban and urban daytime telephone triage calls.

OBJECTIVE: To compare daytime nurse telephone triage calls received by a suburban practice with those received by a hospital-based, inner-city pediatric practice. METHODS: A research assistant, listening simultaneously with triage personnel, prospectively coded all calls received by the nurse triage telephone offices in 2 pediatric practices. Calls were coded the first full, nonholiday week of 3 consecutive summer and 3 consecutive winter months, alternating morning and afternoon sessions. One practice was suburban and had almost all commercially insured patients; the other was hospital-based, in an inner-city, and consisted mostly of patients with Medicaid coverage or no health insurance. RESULTS: A total of 901 calls were triaged in the suburban practice (SP) and 768 in the urban practice (UP). The chief complaints of calls regarding medical problems were similar at both sites. Difficulties with language were noted less often in SP compared with UP (1% vs 17%). The reason for the calls differed by site: medical problem relating to illness or injury (SP 55% vs UP 40%); social issue (SP 1% vs UP 9%); documentation request (SP 2% vs UP 7%); request for laboratory work (SP.3% vs UP 4%); and well child advice (SP 9% vs UP 5%). The disposition of calls also differed by site: telephone advice was offered significantly more in SP than in UP (32% vs 20%); fewer calls required the need for the medical record in SP than in UP (2% vs 12%). CONCLUSIONS: Calls received by a daytime nurse telephone triage office in an affluent SP and a UP are similar in regard to medical problems. Training programs can feasibly prepare physicians and nurses for both kinds of practice settings. The urban site received more calls affected by language and social issues. This could have administrative implications for staffing ratios, language skills of staff and knowledge of available support services.

Child↗
PubMed1999

Pure Consciousness: Distinct Phenomenological and Physiological Correlates of "Consciousness Itself"

This paper explores subjective reports and physiological correlates of the experience of "consciousness itself" - self awareness isolated from the processes and objects of experience during Transcendental Meditation practice. Subjectively, this state is characterized by the absence of the very framework (time, space, and body sense) and content (qualities of inner and outer perception) that define waking experiences. Physiologically, this state is distinguished by the presence of apneustic breathing, autonomic orienting at the onset of breath changes, and increases in the frequency of peak EEG power. A model, called the junction point model, is presented that integrates pure consciousness with waking, dreaming, or sleeping. It could provide a structure to generate a coherent program of research to test the full range of consciousness and so enable us to understand what it means to be fully human.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1997

Learning impairment induced by lesion of the CA1 field of the primate hippocampus: attempts to ameliorate the impairment by transplantation of fetal CA1 tissue.

Monkeys with bilateral excitotoxic lesion of the CA1 field of the hippocampus were severely impaired at learning visuospatial conditional tasks. This was not a general spatial impairment, because the animals were not impaired on serial spatial reversal, which requires response flexibility in the spatial domain; they were not impaired at learning to choose the position furthest away from a single stimulus, which requires analysis of spatial layout of the test area, and they were not impaired at discriminating between two patterns that differed only in orientation. CA1-lesioned monkeys were impaired at learning a visuospatial conditional task when trials of the two component types "if AA go left" and "if BB go right" were presented according to either a pseudorandom or alternating schedule; but they were not impaired if one component type of trial was presented until three consecutive correct responses were made, followed by the other type of trial, to three consecutive correct responses. In all cases testing continued until a criterion of 27 of 30 consecutive correct responses across both types of trial was achieved. Although this suggests that CA1-lesioned animals are particularly prone to interference effects, they had no difficulty in learning ten concurrent visual discriminations presented against either a uniform background or with each discrimination presented against its own distinctive background, a condition that might reduce interference in unoperated monkeys. Interference following hippocampal damage might occur at a deeper level than stimulus identification such that animals with hippocampal damage may be able to learn about many aspects of different stimuli in parallel but may be unable to learn about multiple related aspects of the same subject matter. Monkeys with grafts of fetal CA1 tissue in the lesioned CA1 field showed significant improvement relative to CA1-lesioned animals on those tasks on which CA1-lesioned animals were impaired, although they remained impaired relative to control animals. This suggests that the grafts had produced some improvement in performance. Grafted monkeys did not differ from unoperated control monkeys or from CA1-lesioned monkeys on those tasks that were not sensitive to CA1 damage. This demonstrates that the grafts did not have an additional deleterious effect on cognitive performance.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Nicotinic receptor distribution in the human thalamus: autoradiographical localization of [3H]nicotine and [125I] alpha-bungarotoxin binding.

The thalamus plays a major role in relaying and transforming information that is relayed to the cortex and in turn modulates cortical outputs. The reticular nucleus projects to the other thalamic nuclei, modulating and integrating their activity. The distribution of high affinity nicotine and alpha-bungarotoxin (alpha BTX) receptors in the human thalamus has been investigated by radioligand autoradiography in post mortem human tissue. [3H]nicotine binding in the human thalamus was high in most thalamic nuclei, especially in the lateral dorsal, the medial geniculate, lateral geniculate and anterior nuclei. The distribution of [125I] alpha BTX binding was quite distinct from [3H]nicotine binding. [125I] alpha BTX binding was generally lower (< 0.26-11.62 fmol/mg protein compared with 6.68-36.17 fmol/mg protein for nicotine binding) and concentrated in the reticular nucleus, with discrete groups of cells displaying higher binding in the latter. These results indicate differences between the distribution of nicotinic receptors in humans and those previously reported in mice and monkeys. Changes in high affinity nicotine and alpha BTX receptors in the thalamus may contribute to symptoms observed in neuropathological conditions associated with disorders of perception and movement such as Dementia with Lewy Bodies, Alzheimer's Disease and Schizophrenia.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

CD34 positive PBPC expanded ex vivo may not provide durable engraftment following myeloablative chemoradiotherapy regimens.

We have previously demonstrated that CD34+ cells, selected from peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPC), can be expanded in ex vivo culture and can be infused in tandem with unmanipulated PBPC with little or no toxicity. In this study, four patients (two non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), two multiple myeloma (MM)) received myeloablative conditioning prior to stem cell rescue using ex vivo expanded cells alone. The two patients with NHL received cyclophosphamide and total body irradiation (CY/TBI) and the two patients with MM, busulphan and melphalan (Bu/M). One case received an inadequate CFU-GM dose, despite expansion, and in one case the expanded cells were contaminated. No definitive conclusions may therefore be drawn concerning engraftment in these two cases. However, the other two cases received high doses of committed progenitors. Following infusion of the expanded material, all four patients failed to show sustained neutrophil engraftment and none showed evidence of platelet engraftment. Back-up, unmanipulated PBPC were therefore infused on days 14, 34, 32 and 28 and subsequently all four cases achieved satisfactory engraftment of both neutrophils and platelets. In conclusion, we feel that, CD34+ cells, expanded ex vivo using the conditions described in this report, may not provide durable engraftment following fully myeloablative conditioning.

Adult↗