Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

D G Jones

Publications and source records attributed to D G Jones.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Stabilisation of the hip in myelomeningocele. Comparison of posterior iliopsoas transfer and varus-rotation osteotomy.

Patients with myelomeningocele who had had surgery to stabilise the hip were reviewed; the results of the 106 operations in 88 patients were assessed. In the earlier part of the series there were 55 children who had 64 iliopsoas transfers; later in the series 33 children had 42 varus-rotation osteotomies combined with adductor tenotomy, anterior obturator neurectomy and psoas division. The technical results of both operations were satisfactory: following iliopsoas transfer only 19% of the hips were either dislocated or subluxated; the corresponding figure for the osteotomy was 12%. Thus varus-rotation osteotomy with psoas division, adductor tenotomy and anterior obturator neurectomy was at least as effective in stabilising the hip as iliopsoas transfer. Nevertheless 80% of the latter and 61% of the osteotomy patients relied on wheelchairs for mobility.

Child↗
PubMed1987

A serial-section study of perforated synapses in rat neocortex.

The morphology of perforated synapses in the molecular layer of rat parietal cortex has been studied in 28-day-old animals. Of the perforated synapses analyzed, 92% were axospinous and of these all had asymmetrical contacts. A spinule was present in 20% of them, and 63% had a negative curvature (concave with respect to the presynaptic terminal) overall. Up to 95% of perforated synapses had one or more negatively-curved segments. The perforated synapses studied were characterized by postsynaptic densities (PSD) with a mean length of 581 nm, compared with 233 nm for non-perforated synapses. A study of over 100 serially sectioned synapses demonstrated that, in perforated synapses, the PSD and perforations often had a highly irregular shape and arrangement, the site of the perforation frequently projected into the presynaptic terminal, and coated evaginations of membrane, or coated vesicles, were sometimes found at the site of a perforation or towards the periphery of perforated PSDs. Preliminary reconstructions of perforated synapses suggest that, for descriptive purposes, three types can be recognized. Criteria are formulated for determining, on the basis of a study of single sections, which non-perforated profiles belong to perforated synapses.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Determination of the numerical density of perforated synapses in rat neocortex.

The numerical density and frequency of perforated synapses in the molecular layer of rat parietal cortex have been determined using 4 procedures in an attempt to overcome problems associated with the size and complex three-dimensional shape of perforated synapses. The following procedures were compared: A, single-section analysis; B, adjacent-section analysis; C, semi-serial-section analysis; and D, complete serial-section analysis. All procedures made use of an unbiased counting rule. Estimates of the numerical density of perforated synapses ranged from 0.06 to 0.27 X 10(9) mm-3, and that of all synapses (non-perforated and perforated) from 1.88 to 2.50 X 10(9) mm-3. The frequency of perforated synapses varied from 4.5 to 18.0%. Procedures B (adjacent-section analysis) and D (complete serial-section analysis), neither of which utilize assumptions regarding the shape of synapses, produced comparable results (numerical density of perforated synapses 0.19-0.27 X 10(9) mm-3, and of all synapses 2.24-2.45 X 10(9) mm-3; frequency of perforated synapses 8.6-10.9%). The frequency of perforated synapses appeared to be underestimated by procedure A (single section analysis; 4.5%) and overestimated by C (semi-serial section analysis; 18%). It is concluded that adjacent-section analysis is the most efficient and effective procedure for determining the numerical density and frequency of complex particles, such as perforated synapses. There is, however, no significant difference in the performance of this procedure compared with that of single-section analysis, for determining the numerical density of synapses in general. Nevertheless, inherent problems of bias within the single-section procedure make the adjacent section method the procedure of choice.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

New problems in old bones: closed nailing of the shaft of the femur.

Closed medullary nailing is now established as a routine treatment of fractures of the shaft of the femur. However, the quality of the bone in elderly patients is such that serious technical difficulties may arise during the operation. Three typical cases illustrate the problems that may occur and point the lesson that closed nailing in the elderly ought not to be undertaken by the inexperienced surgeon.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

Heinz body anaemia in lambs with deficiencies of copper or selenium.

1. The progression of Heinz body anaemia was studied in groups of lambs of low- and high-copper status, produced through breeding or Cu supplementation, when they were transferred from improved pasture to rape (Brassica napus L.) in autumn. Some lambs had previously received selenium by injection. The Cu and Se supplements markedly increased superoxide dismutase (EC 1.15.1.1; SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.9; GSHPx) activities respectively in the erythrocytes, and both supplements had elicited growth responses at pasture. 2. At the time of transfer to rape, lambs not treated with Cu had lower whole-blood haemoglobin (Hb) concentrations and a higher percentage of erythrocytes containing Heinz bodies (6.6 v. 3.7%, P less than 0.01) than Cu-treated lambs: the corresponding effects of Se treatment were similar in direction but lower in magnitude (P less than 0.05). 3. After grazing rape for 2 weeks the mean Hb concentration had fallen by 30 g/l while Heinz body count had increased from 5 to 25%. However, counts were negatively correlated with the initial values and were unaffected by the Cu and Se treatments which maintained high plasma Cu concentrations and SOD and GSHPx activities. 4. The results provide the first evidence that Cu deficiency can induce Heinz body formation and the anaemia in grazing Cu-deficient lambs may be partly haemolytic in origin. The concomitant Se deficiency added marginally to the problem but neither the separate nor combined deficiencies increased the susceptibility of lambs to brassica anaemia.

Anemia, Hemolytic↗
PubMed1987

Review: post-marketing surveillance of the safety of cimetidine--the problems of data interpretation.

Experience obtained during post-marketing surveillance of the safety of cimetidine emphasizes the difficulties in interpretation posed by the high background frequency of disease of all types in drug takers. The multiple sources of confounding factors, and their high prevalence, make it impossible to detect adverse events which mimic ordinary disease, particularly when a consistent relationship between adverse event and drug exposure is not observed. The inclusion of controls emphasizes the difficulties but does not ease interpretation.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

External fixation of Colles' fractures. An anatomical study.

In a prospective, controlled study 58 patients aged under 60 years with Colles' fractures were treated either by a forearm plaster or by the application of an external fixator. In 94% of those treated by a fixator it was possible to insert the distal pins of the frame into the fracture fragment, the fixation obtained being sufficient to forgo additional splintage. The external fixator proved more effective at holding the manipulated position, and the radiological loss of position during fracture union was minimal compared with that seen in patients treated in plaster.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Pharmaceutical services in an extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy center.

Satellite pharmacy services in a hospital's extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) center are described. At an 833-bed hospital, an ESWL center was opened in 1985. The existing surgical pharmacy satellite provided pharmaceutical services to the ESWL center with no addition of pharmacy staff. Drug boxes for the ESWL procedure were prepared, and the ESWL area was provided with a limited stock of infusion and irrigation fluids, drugs, and supplies. After each ESWL procedure, the box was checked for patient charges and restocked. Charge slips for floor-stock items were also placed in the box. The initial pharmacy cost to supply the ESWL unit was $500. The satellite pharmacist provides distributive functions, drug information, and quality assurance. Estimated annual pharmacy revenue from the ESWL is $239,240. Pharmacists' new role in the ESWL was beneficial to the pharmacy department and to the hospital.

Centralized Hospital Services↗
PubMed1987

Principles and application of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy.

The physics, instrumentation, and patient-care aspects of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) in the treatment of kidney stone disease are described. The kidney stone is located through the use of two integrated roentgenographic imaging systems. The x-ray tubes, fixed on either side of a tub of water in which the patient is partially immersed, are directed upward. The patient is maneuvered until the imaging systems indicate the kidney stone is within the second focus of the reflector and within the 1.5-cu cm target area. Once within this alignment, the stone is ready for shock wave treatment; general or regional anesthesia is used to immobilize the patient so that the position of the stone can be maintained within the focus of the shock wave. When the stone is repeatedly subjected to this high-energy force, it begins to disintegrate until fragments of less than 1 mm are left. ESWL can (1) disintegrate kidney stones of all types, (2) be efficiently transmitted over distances that allow the shock wave source to be outside the body, (3) safely pass through living tissue, and (4) be precisely controlled and focused into a small target area. ESWL is a safe, effective, and cost-saving treatment that can be used for 90% of all kidney stone disease that previously required surgery.

Anesthesia, General↗
PubMed1986

Non-neuronal cell proliferation in tissue culture: implications for axonal regeneration in the central nervous system.

A tissue culture model has been developed to examine the hypothesis that proliferating non-neuronal cells may constitute a physical and/or chemical barrier to regenerating neurons in the central nervous system. Explants from the sensorimotor cortex of 20-day-old fetal rats were cultured in serum medium (control) or serum medium containing 10(-5) M cytosine arabinoside (AraC), a mitotic inhibitor, for varying periods: 2-10, 4-12, 4-10, 4-8 and 4-7 days in vitro (DIV). The center and outgrowth zone of the explants were examined by phase-contrast microscopy at varying intervals between 3 and 18 DIV. The extent of central degeneration was greatest in explants treated with AraC from 2 DIV, and was least in the 4-7 day treated group in which only minimal degeneration was evident at 13 and 18 DIV. In the outgrowth zone at 18 DIV non-neuronal cell proliferation was controlled in the 4-10 day treated explants, although this was accompanied by extensive degeneration of neurites. Further examination of neurite viability, using a neurite viability ratio, revealed that degeneration was first evident at 6 DIV in the 2-10 day treated explants, but not until 9 or 13 DIV in any of the explants exposed to AraC from 4 days onwards. There was minimal degeneration in the 4-7 day treated explants. Electron microscopic examination revealed the presence of atypical inclusions in non-neuronal cells of 4-8 day treated explants, suggesting that the cytotoxic effect of AraC may be due to a disturbance in lipid and/or ganglioside metabolism. Quantitative electron microscopic analysis of the outgrowth zone at 18 DIV revealed a significant increase in the summated area of neuronal tissue (from 7 to 18 microns2/100 microns2) and a decline in the summated area of non-neuronal cells (from 83 to 61 microns2/100 microns2) for explants treated with AraC from 4 to 7 DIV compared to control. Diminishing the potential of non-neuronal cells to act as a barrier by controlling their proliferation may, therefore, be of importance in enhancing the regenerative response of central neurons.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Tissue culture analysis of neurite outgrowth in the presence and absence of serum: possible relevance for central nervous system regeneration.

A tissue culture model has been developed to examine the hypothesis that axons can only regenerate when their growing tips are surrounded by extracellular fluid containing proteins derived from the blood. Fetal rat cerebral explants were cultured in serum medium for 10 days, followed by serum-free (SF) medium (from which serum had been removed) until 18 days in vitro (DIV). All explants cultured in serum medium for 0-10 DIV exhibited greater than 77% neurite viability (neurite viability ratio, NVR, 3.10). This degree of neurite viability was maintained for those explants exposed to serum until 18 DIV (NVR 2.82 at 18 DIV). By contrast, explants maintained in SF medium from 10-18 DIV had a much lower NVR, which, by 18 DIV, had declined to 0.30 (7.5% viability). Transmission electron microscopic analysis of explants fixed at 18 DIV confirmed these phase-contrast results and also showed a predominance of axonal profiles within the neurite population. In the center of explants, tissue viability was in excess of 75% in both the serum and SF media, suggesting that serum is of primary importance for axonal extension rather than neuronal survival. These data strengthen the hypothesis that blood-derived proteins may be needed for prolonged regeneration.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Effect of cytosine arabinoside on the composition of the nonneuronal cell population in cerebral explants.

Rat cortical explants were cultured in the presence or absence of the mitotic inhibitor cytosine arabinoside to determine whether or not it affects the composition of the nonneuronal cell population within the outgrowth zone. Ultrastructural morphometric analysis of the incidence of fibroblasts, fibrous astrocytes, and protoplasmic astrocytes-epithelial cells at 18 days in vitro, revealed statistically significant decreases in the incidence of fibroblasts and fibrous astrocytes in the explants treated with the inhibitor compared with control explants. Coupled with earlier findings of enhanced neurite outgrowth and decreased nonneuronal cell proliferation that follows such treatment, it appears that cytosine arabinoside may potentiate neurite outgrowth by altering the composition, as well as the number, of nonneuronal cells in the outgrowth zone. These data indicate that fibroblasts and fibrous astrocytes may limit the regenerative response of severed axons in the mammalian central nervous system.

Animals↗