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Biomedical subjects

D D Scott

Publications and source records attributed to D D Scott.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

Gabapentin effect on spasticity in multiple sclerosis: a placebo-controlled, randomized trial.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of gabapentin on subject self-report and physician-administered spasticity scales in individuals with multiple sclerosis. DESIGN: Prospective, double-masked, placebo-controlled, crossover design. SETTING: The Multiple Sclerosis Center at the Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center. INTERVENTION: Subjects were titrated to either 900 mg gabapentin orally three times a day or placebo over a 6-day period. Subjects underwent a 14-day washout and then were crossed over. No other changes were made to their medication regimen. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The outcome measures were divided into two categories: subject self-report scales physician-administered scales. Subject self-report scales included the spasm frequency scale, spasm severity scale, interference with function scale, painful spasm scale, and global assessment scale. Physician-administered scales included the Modified Ashworth Scale, clonus scale, deep tendon reflexes, plantar stimulation response, and the Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status (EDSS) Scale. Digit Span and Digit Symbol subtests of the WAIS-R Intelligence Scale were administered to assess for possible impaired concentration. The Fatigue Impact Scale was administered to assess for changes in fatigue. The adjective generation technique was administered to assess for alterations in mood. RESULTS: A statistically significant reduction in the impairment of spasticity was found in the gabapentin-treated subjects compared with placebo as measured by the self-report scales of the spasm severity scale, interference with function scale, painful spasm scale, and global assessment scale and by the physician-administered scales of the Modified Ashworth and plantar stimulation response. No significant difference was noted in the Digit Span, Digit Symbol, adjective generation technique, and EDSS. CONCLUSION: Gabapentin reduces the impairment of spasticity, compared with placebo, without the side effects of worsening concentration and fatigue.

Acetates↗

Oral health of Seventh Cavalry troopers: dentitions from the Custer National Cemetery.

To document the oral health of mid-nineteenth century frontiersmen, the dentitions of eight Seventh Cavalry troopers from the Little Bighorn Battlefield were examined for indications of disease. These observations are supplemented with historic records and compared with the oral health of other soldiers from the Indian Wars. The Seventh Cavalry troopers, despite their young ages, had a variety of oral problems, including abscesses, caries, periodontitis, attrition, antemortem tooth loss, and indications of tobacco use. One of the specimens had gold and tin foil fillings. Combining historic records and a dental approach to the archaeological specimens provides complementary insights which are unavailable otherwise from either of the individual fields.

Famous Persons↗

Intermittent digital cyanosis as the sole presenting sign of pulmonary embolus: an unusual case report.

A 77-year-old man who was undergoing comprehensive rehabilitation for a right subcapital femoral neck fracture presented with intermittent digital cyanosis of 3 days duration. He had no other cardiopulmonary signs or symptoms, therefore a diagnosis of Raynaud's Phenomenon was considered but ruled out because of no prior history of similar episodes or associated conditions. A ventilation-perfusion (V/Q) scan was obtained and was highly indicative of pulmonary embolus. Dopplers and impedance plethysmography (IPG) revealed a left lower extremity deep vein thrombosis. Heparinization resulted in cessation of the cyanotic episodes. Intermittent digital cyanosis as the sole presentation of pulmonary embolus has not been previously reported in humans. Pulmonary embolus is notoriously difficult to diagnose based on clinical signs and symptoms. Intermittent peripheral cyanosis should raise the index of suspicion for the possibility of pulmonary embolus.

Aged↗

Back to the Little Bighorn.

Fillings found in the skull of a 7th Cavalry trooper killed 118 years ago in the Battle of Little Bighorn show sophisticated, well-executed dentistry. Some fillings are examples of early preventive dentistry, using a variety of materials and techniques typical of 19th-century cavity preparation. Dental care most likely was delivered by a private dentist or performed in part at a dental school in the East or Midwest, in a large city or at West Point. The logical, deductive process suggests an identification: Cpl. George Lell. Without additional corroborative documentation, however, this is speculation. Whoever he was, the cavalryman was older and shorter and had better oral care and health than most of the comrades who died with him in 1876. He used tobacco, most likely by chewing it. His remains provide a glimpse into the reality of life and death, dental care and hygiene of the mid-19th century.

Dental Caries↗

Antibodies to glycosphingolipids in patients with multiple sclerosis and SLE.

We used a liposome lysis assay to measure antibodies against a panel of glycolipids. Antibodies to one or more compounds were detected in 34 of 46 patients with multiple sclerosis, 19 of 31 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and in the majority of patients with cranial trauma or cerebrovascular accidents. Antibodies against ganglioside GM1 and asialo GM1 were found most commonly, and they were frequently present in the same sera. The specificity of the antibodies was tested in four sera that contained antibodies to both glycolipids. The anti-GM1 antibodies cross-reacted with asialo GM1, but the converse was not true. Among patients whose sera contained antibodies to glycolipids, anti-asialo GM1 alone was more common in patients with SLE (7 of 17) than in multiple sclerosis (2 of 34; p = 0.004). Anti-GM1 alone was found in 9 of 34 patients with multiple sclerosis and 1 of 17 patients with SLE, a difference that was not statistically significant (0.135). No correlation was observed between the presence of anti-glycolipid antibodies and symptoms related to the nervous system in patients with SLE. Because of our inability to detect these antibodies by a solid phase immunoassay (ELISA), a comparison was made of the titers obtained with three monoclonal anti-glycolipid antibodies in the liposome lysis assay and ELISA. The ELISA was less sensitive in all instances, requiring from four to 1000 times as much antibody as the liposome lysis assay to give a positive test. We conclude that antibodies to glycolipids occur frequently in patients with multiple sclerosis, SLE, major cranial trauma, and cerebrovascular accidents. Their role in the initiation or perpetuation of inflammatory disease of the central nervous system has yet to be determined.

Antibodies↗

Rapid separation of gangliosides by high-performance liquid chromatography.

We have developed a high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) procedure for the rapid separation of individual ganglioside components on a 5-micron porous silica gel column using a mixture of isopropanol-hexane-water with increasing water content and decreasing hexane content. Total ganglioside mixtures were first fractionated on DEAE-silica gel according to the number of sialic acid residues. Each fraction was then separated into individual ganglioside components by HPLC. Total elution time was less than 2 h. This procedure has been applied for the separation of major ganglioside components of human erythrocytes and beef brain and is highly reproducible.

Animals↗