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Biomedical subjects

D A Peters

Publications and source records attributed to D A Peters.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

An overview of current research relating to outcomes of care.

This paper has discussed the current emphasis on outcome indicators, the complexities of the outcome construct, and some of the studies that have been or are being conducted. It is obvious that although the need for outcomes for various categories of clients in long-term care is present, the development of them is slow and complicated. Researchers, however, are challenged to continue to develop and test valid outcome measures for this population; the federal mandate is already in place.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Both prenatal and postnatal factors contribute to the effects of maternal stress on offspring behavior and central 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors in the rat.

Litters from stressed and control females were cross-fostered at birth to determine whether the effects of maternal stress on the offspring originated prenatally or during the neonatal period. Offspring of stressed females reared by control mothers from birth showed a reduced behavioral response to injections of the 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) agonist 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeODMT), increased 5-HT2 receptor binding in cerebral cortex and increased open field activity when tested at 60 days of age. In contrast, control litters reared by previously stressed females showed an increased behavioral response to 5-MeODMT, increased 5-HT2 receptor binding and only minor changes in open-field activity. These results provide further evidence that adult rat behavior can be significantly altered by exposure to the effects of maternal stress in utero. However, the effect of maternal stress on central 5-HT receptors is also strongly influenced by the postnatal rearing conditions.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Effects of maternal stress during different gestational periods on the serotonergic system in adult rat offspring.

Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to mild stress treatments during different gestational periods and the offspring were investigated at 60 days of age. In the first study, stress from embryonic day (ED) 11 to ED 20 produced effects similar to those reported following stress throughout pregnancy; increased numbers of 5-HT2 binding sites in cerebral cortex and a reduced intensity of the behavioral syndrome produced by injections of the 5-HT agonist 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeODMT). In the second study, stress from ED 3 to ED 14 had no significant effect on the intensity of the 5-MeODMT-elicited 5-HT syndrome while stress from ED 15 to ED 20 had a similar effect as stress throughout pregnancy. These data provide evidence that the critical period for prenatal stress-induced changes in brain 5-HT neurons is between ED 15 and birth. This suggests that the mechanism involves an interaction with developmental events occurring within this time span such as the growth of nerve axons and the formation of synaptic contacts. Our findings also provide further evidence that stress during the final trimester of pregnancy may have serious adverse effects on fetal brain development.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

An individualistic approach to routine cadaver organ removal.

Consenting to the taking of one's organs after death is a moral duty--the duty to consent--which derives from a more general moral duty--the duty to attempt an easy rescue of an endangered person. These two duties can be justified within the framework of factual and value beliefs associated with the general intellectual orientation called "individualism," which informs the liberal democratic tradition in the spirit of John Locke. Individualists value personal liberty and would accept these two duties on the ground that personal liberty is likely to be better protected and advanced in a society that abides by them than in a society that does not. The same reasoning justifies a social policy of routine removal of cadaver organs. Individualists would find it prudent to give up their right to be buried whole and adopt a policy of routine removal of cadaver organs, with organs distributed according to some principle of fair allocation. Since they recognize that their own organs will be of no use to them after death, giving up their right to be buried whole will not be viewed as a significant sacrifice of personal liberty. Some people of basic individualistic sympathies may, however, embrace additional special values that favor their being buried whole. To accommodate such persons, two compromises on a policy of routine taking of cadaver organs are possible: Allow these persons to "opt out" of the system by signing a legally binding document prohibiting the taking of their organs after death, or require everyone to state on their driver's licenses a positive or negative decision concerning organ removal.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Cadaver↗
PubMed1988

Quality documentation. Quality care.

Providing home care services is becoming a greater challenge as the resources of professional staffing, time, and money become more scarce. However, simultaneously, the need for quality services is increasing as the numbers and needs of people requiring these services increase. Since home care services are essentially "invisible" because they are rendered behind the closed doors of the patient's house, assuring quality becomes dependent on the documentation. This article has presented a framework for organizing care and the documentation of care which provides both a comprehensive assessment and systematic process for uniformly managing that assessment. Us of this framework provides one way to define home health services for both home health personnel and others. Having such a definition focuses everyone's efforts and moves the industry toward quality care and quality documentation.

Documentation↗
PubMed1986

Prenatal stress: effect on development of rat brain serotonergic neurons.

Maternal low-level stress was found to produce persistent changes in serotonin (5-HT) receptor binding in several brain regions of the offspring. [3H]5-HT binding was increased in cerebral cortex, decreased in hippocampus and unchanged in pons medulla while [3H]spiperone binding was increased in all three regions at 60 days of age. The binding changes appeared to be due to altered numbers of binding sites with no change in dissociation constants. Regional differences were also found when the ability of nerve terminals to synthesize [14C]5-HT from L-[14C]tryptophan was studied. Prenatal stress reduced the rate of [14C]5-HT synthesis in hippocampus but not in cortex or pons medulla. When younger offspring were studied, binding of [3H]5-HT to cerebrocortical membranes was found to be reduced at 16 days of age and increased at 40 days while [3H]spiperone showed only an increased binding at 40 days. In contrast, prenatal stress resulted in increased nighttime locomotor activity whether measured at 23, 40 or 60 days of age. The present study provides additional evidence that prenatal stress affects the development of serotonergic neurons and it is possible that such changes may underlie the reported behavioural deficits in offspring of stressed female rats.

Aging↗
PubMed1986

Prenatal stress increases the behavioral response to serotonin agonists and alters open field behavior in the rat.

Female rats were exposed to mild stress throughout pregnancy and the offspring tested at 60 days of age. In an open field test the prenatal stress group showed increased locomotion and increased rearing compared to control rats confirming that the prenatal stress treatment was sufficient to produce persistent behavioural changes in the offspring. The prenatal stress offspring also showed an increased behavioural response to injections of 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan (wet-dog shakes) and an enhanced 5-HT syndrome following treatment with the 5-HT agonist 5-methoxy-N,N- dimethyltryptamine. These results provide further evidence that maternal stress produces long-lasting changes in the functioning of central 5-HT neurons in the offspring.

5-Hydroxytryptophan↗
PubMed1986

Protecting autonomy in organ procurement procedures: some overlooked issues.

Organ procurement personnel in the United States appear to be unaware that the standard practice of asking the surviving families of all classes of potential donors (declared and undeclared) for permission to remove organs and tissues from these individuals is inconsistent with the provisions of most state UAGAs. The majority of these Acts vest first authority concerning the donation of body parts in those individuals whose organs and tissues are needed and judged medically acceptable for removal and transfer. These laws do not give families the right to veto the positive written declarations of dead relatives who have authorized the posthumous taking of their own body parts. Hence, seeking family consent for the removal of body parts from registered donors is unnecessary and inappropriate according to the provisions of most state UAGAs. The primary authority given to individuals under this legislation to control the taking of organs and tissues from their bodies after death arguably rests on the plausible premise that a person's body is his or her property in a significant sense. This gives individuals first authority to control the posthumous disposition of their body parts. Under current retrieval practice, however, families of deceased registered donors are seldom informed about the paramount rights of these individuals and are led to believe that they have final legal authority over the disposition of organs and tissues from these expatients. This is, in effect, an unwitting but nonetheless serious "sellout" of the moral-legal rights of these potential donors. I have attempted to show the weakness of one plausible line of argument for the claim that current retrieval practice with its family priority orientation ought to be continued in unamended form, irrespective of what the law says. I suggested an alternative procedure for approaching the surviving families of registered donors which I believe offers a socially acceptable compromise among three values which enter into competition at the death of a declared donor: (1) saving the maximum number of lives of ESOD victims, (2) respecting and protecting the rights of declared donors, and (3) honoring the needs of the grieving family.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Prenatal stress: effect on development of rat brain adrenergic receptors.

Female rats were subjected to stress treatments during pregnancy and the offspring were studied at several different ages. The ligands [3H]WB-4101, [3H]clonidine and [3H]dihydroalprenolol were used to measure alpha 1, alpha 2 and beta receptor binding in several brain regions. At 16 but not at 23, 40 or 60 days of age the offspring showed reduced alpha 1 and beta receptor binding in cerebral cortex whereas a previous study had shown a similarly transient elevation of norepinephrine (NE) level at 16 days of age. The 60 day-old offspring showed only a reduced alpha 2 binding which appeared to have no regional specificity. Consistent with our previous finding that in 60 day-old offspring NE levels were not significantly affected by maternal stress exposure in almost all brain regions studied, we find no effect on the ability of nerve endings to synthesise catecholamines. These data provide additional support for the proposal that prenatal stress results in permanent neurochemical changes and suggest that there may be a delayed or impaired development of the postsynaptic elements of noradrenergic neurons.

Age Factors↗