Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

C Rayner

Publications and source records attributed to C Rayner.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Antibiotics currently used in the treatment of infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus.

Staphylococcal infections are a common and significant clinical problem in medical practice. Most strains of Staphylococcus aureus are now resistant to penicillin, and methicillin-resistant strains of S. aureus (MRSA) are common in hospitals and are emerging in the community. Penicillinase-resistant penicillins (flucloxacillin, dicloxacillin) remain the antibiotics of choice for the management of serious methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) infections, but first generation cephalosporins (cefazolin, cephalothin and cephalexin), clindamycin, lincomycin and erythromycin have important therapeutic roles in less serious MSSA infections such as skin and soft tissue infections or in patients with penicillin hypersensitivity, although cephalosporins are contra-indicated in patients with immediate penicillin hypersensitivity (urticaria, angioedema, bronchospasm or anaphylaxis). All serious MRSA infections should be treated with parenteral vancomycin or, if the patient is vancomycin allergic, teicoplanin. Nosocomial strains of MRSA are typically multi-resistant (mrMRSA), and mrMRSA strains must always be treated with a combination of two oral antimicrobials, typically rifampicin and fusidic acid, because resistance develops rapidly if they are used as single agents. Most community-acquired strains of MRSA in Australia and New Zealand are non multiresistant (nmMRSA), and lincosamides (clindamycin, lincomycin) or cotrimoxazole are the antibiotics of choice for less serious nmMRSA infections such as skin and soft tissue infections. New antibiotics such as linezolid and quinupristin/dalfopristin have good antistaphylococcal activity but are very expensive and should be reserved for patients who fail on or are intolerant of conventional therapy or who have highly resistant strains such as hVISA (heterogenous vancomycin-intermediate S aureus).

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed2004

Factors contributing to the cause of a community outbreak of tuberculosis.

The diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in a nursery teacher led to a total of 282 adults and children being screened for TB, and 67 of these contracted the condition. Latent and active factors mitigated against earlier diagnosis of the disease during the multiple contacts by the teacher with the healthcare system over 18 months. A series of barely inter-linked events meant that the system failed the patient and consequently the contacts who contracted the disease. The system errors were widespread and render possible a similar occurrence elsewhere.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Prospective, placebo-controlled trial of 5 vs 10 days of oral prednisolone in acute adult asthma.

BACKGROUND: The optimal duration of oral steroid treatment in the management of acute adult asthma is unclear. We prospectively studied the effect of 5 vs. 10 days of oral prednisolone in patients with acute asthma requiring hospital admission. METHODS: Each patient received 40 mg of enteric-coated prednisolone daily for 5 days, followed by 5 days of 40 mg prednisolone daily (n=24) or placebo (n=20). All were given their usual inhaled asthma therapy including inhaled corticosteroids. Patients kept PEF and symptom diaries for 21 days. RESULTS: For the 5-day treatment group mean (95% CI) early morning PEF was 6 (-47,+36) l/min lower to day 21 (P=0.78). There was no evidence of differences in other PEF measures (morning post-bronchodilator, evening or worst of day). One patient in each group had an exacerbation requiring further oral steroids during the 21-day observation period. Asthma symptom scores were worse in the 5-day group on days 6-21 but the significance of this finding was uncertain, as a difference had emerged by day 5 (prior to trial entry). CONCLUSIONS: It may be possible to reduce the standard steroid course to 5 days in acute adult asthma, provided all patients receive inhaled steroids and a personal asthma management plan.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2000

Informed consent.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2000

Consultation skills of medical students before and after changes in curriculum.

The University of Manchester Medical School has adopted problem-based learning as its main educational method, with a change of emphasis from a biomedical to a biopsychosocial approach. The training of junior medical students in clinical interviewing is intended to reinforce and develop their interpersonal skills. We measured the impact of this new curriculum by assessing two intakes of students covering the period before and after its introduction; a third intake was later added to examine the effect of further curriculum adjustments. 86 students, randomly selected, were videorecorded conducting diagnostic interviews with standardized patients 10 weeks after they had started to learn clinical interviewing. Two instruments were developed--a 23-item communication skills scale and a 13-item information-gathering scale and both showed acceptable inter-rater and test-retest reliability. Communication skills did not differ between years. The total score for information-gathering fell by 13% (95% confidence interval -20 to -6%, P < 0.001) in the first year after introduction of the new educational approach but returned to baseline the following year after further modification of the course. Although the new approach yielded no measurable improvement in the process of communication, assessment 10 weeks after the start of interview training may be too early to permit definitive conclusions. We conclude that it is possible to change to a more patient-centred emphasis in teaching medical interviewing. Some initial loss of information content was rectified by adjustment of the course. Our unfavourable early experience highlights the need to evaluate educational change.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed2000

The effect of 1-year rotations on stress in preregistration house officers.

A comparison of stress levels in preregistration house officers demonstrated lower levels in those completing 1-year rotations compared with those completing 6-month posts in two different hospitals. One-year rotations provide a more stable environment, allow new doctors to become familiar with the workings of an organization from several viewpoints and permit a better sense of working within a multiprofessional team than the traditional arrangements.

Education, Medical, Graduate↗
PubMed1999

The effect of hyperglycaemia on cerebral potentials evoked by rapid rectal distension in healthy humans.

BACKGROUND: Acute hyperglycaemia affects the perception of sensations arising from the gastrointestinal tract. The mechanisms responsible for this effect are unknown. Recordings of cerebral evoked potentials (EPs) can be used to assess the integrity of visceral afferent pathways. Our aim was to determine whether hyperglycaemia affects EPs elicited by rectal distension in healthy humans. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twelve healthy men, aged 19-31 years, were studied. A manometric catheter, incorporating a rectal balloon, was positioned 7-10 cm from the anal verge. Balloon distensions at both 'low' ( approximately 20 mL) and 'high' ( approximately 28 mL) volumes were performed, in a single-blind, randomized order, during both euglycaemia (4 mmol L-1) and hyperglycaemia (12 mmol L-1). EPs were recorded from a midline scalp electrode (Cz, International 10-20 system) and averaged for each series of 50 distensions. EP latencies and interpeak amplitudes were calculated. RESULTS: Polyphasic EPs were recorded in all but one subject. Although the blood glucose concentration had no significant effect on the latencies of the EP peaks elicited by either 'low'- or 'high'-volume balloon distension, the interpeak amplitude (P1-N1) was greater during hyperglycaemia than during euglycaemia at the 'low' balloon volume (6.3 +/- 1.2 microV vs. 4.8 +/- 1.0 microV, P < 0.05). The blood glucose concentration had no significant effect on the perception of rectal balloon distension. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that in normal subjects acute hyperglycaemia increases the amplitude of the cerebral EP elicited by rectal balloon distension at low balloon volumes, suggesting that the effects of hyperglycaemia on gastrointestinal sensation may be mediated by central mechanisms.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Short cuts.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Health Care Rationing↗
PubMed1996

Bottling up.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Bottle Feeding↗
PubMed1992

Environmental conditions for treatment of burned patients by the exposure method.

The influence of the thermal environment on evaporation and heat loss from patients with severe burns treated by exposure has been studied. Simple heat transfer equations can be used to predict changes resulting from alterations in environmental conditions and these have been tested using phantoms. The method relies upon the derivation of surface diffusion resistances to describe the moisture properties of burn wounds. Clinical measurements revealed wide variations in evaporation rates and diffusion resistances for different wounds. Evaporation rates changed by less than 30 per cent during the first 5-6 days following injury, after which evaporation from partial skin thickness wounds gradually fell whereas that from full skin thickness wounds tended to remain higher. Raising ambient temperature can compensate for increased evaporation heat losses. Patients can be treated at ambient temperatures of 32-35 degrees C in the intensive care room with a specially designed airflow system. However, raising the temperatures of standard wards with no special airflow or temperature control facilities often caused patients to sweat, further increasing heat loss.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Burn wound evaporation--measurement of body fluid loss by probe evaporimeter and weight change.

A knowledge of the rate of fluid loss from the body is a useful aid in planning treatment of patients with severe burns. Different methods for obtaining this data have been investigated. Evaporation rates recorded from a probe evaporimeter have been compared with gravimetric measurements. The evaporimeter underestimated evaporation, especially at high levels, but could be calibrated against known evaporation rates. Estimates of whole-body fluid loss have been made from calibrated evaporimeter data and results compared with measurements of fluid loss by weight change for three patients. Problems with assessing whole-body evaporation rates in the clinical environment are highlighted. Weight change gives a more accurate assessment of total body fluid loss, but considerable effort is necessary to record all relevant information. Probe evaporimeter measurements are simple to perform and allow local evaporation rates to be estimated, but results should be treated with caution. Evaporation rates from wounds of 17 patients with severe burns have been evaluated in terms of surface diffusion resistances. The diffusion resistances of some burn wounds increased with time, but many did not change significantly during the first ten days after injury, and there was considerable variation with burn type and severity.

Adolescent↗