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Biomedical subjects

D McDougall

Publications and source records attributed to D McDougall.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

Effect of age and gender on sweat lactate and ammonia concentrations during exercise in the heat.

The dependence of sweat composition and acidity on sweating rate (SR) suggests that the lower SR in children compared to adults may be accompanied by a higher level of sweat lactate (Lac-) and ammonia (NH3) and a lower sweat pH. Four groups (15 girls, 18 boys, 8 women, 8 men) cycled in the heat (42 degrees C, 20% relative humidity) at 50% VO2max for two 20-min bouts with a 10-min rest before bout 1 and between bouts. Sweat was collected into plastic bags attached to the subject's lower back. During bout 1, sweat from girls and boys had higher Lac- concentrations (23.6 +/- 1.2 and 21.2 +/- 1.7 mM; P < 0.05) than sweat from women and men (18.2 +/- 1.9 and 14.8 +/- 1.6 mM, respectively), but Lac- was weakly associated with SR (P > 0.05; r = -0.27). Sweat Lac- concentration dropped during exercise bout 2, reaching similar levels among all groups (overall mean = 13.7 +/- 0.4 mM). Children had a higher sweat NH3 than adults during bout 1 (girls = 4.2 +/- 0.4, boys = 4.6 +/- 0.6, women = 2.7 +/- 0.2, and men = 3.0 +/- 0.2 mM; P < 0.05). This difference persisted through bout 2 only in females. On average, children's sweat pH was lower than that of adults (mean +/- SEM, girls = 5.4 +/- 0.2, boys = 5.0 +/- 0.1, women = 6.2 +/- 0.5, and men = 6.2 +/- 0.4 for bout 1, and girls = 5.4 +/- 0.2, boys = 6.5 +/- 0.5, women = 5.2 +/- 0.2, and men = 6.9 +/- 0.4 for bout 2). This may have favored NH3 transport from plasma to sweat as accounted for by a significant correlation between sweat NH3 and H+ (r = 0.56). Blood pH increased from rest (mean +/- SEM; 7.3 +/- 0.02) to the end of exercise (7.4 +/- 0.01) without differences among groups. These results, however, are representative of sweat induced by moderate exercise in the absence of acidosis.

Adult↗

The structure of empathy during middle childhood and its relationship to prosocial behavior.

This study was an investigation of the structure and development of dispositional empathy during middle childhood and its relationship to altruism. A sample of 478 students from 2nd, 4th, and 6th grades completed an altruism questionnaire and a social desirability scale, both created for this study, and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (Davis, 1980), adapted for this study. Teachers also rated the students on prosocial behaviors, such as sharing. In addition, as an experimental part of the study, the children could make monetary donations and volunteer time to raise funds. Results of a confirmatory factor analysis on the Interpersonal Reactivity Index supported Davis's (1980) findings that empathy comprises four components: perspective taking, fantasy, empathic concern, and personal distress. Factor intercorrelations, however, were not the same as those reported by Davis. MANOVAs were used to examine gender and age effects on empathy. Girls were more empathic in general than boys, and older children showed more empathic concern than younger children. Only empathic concern and perspective taking were significant predictors of prosocial behavior.

Adolescent↗

Students' self-reported substance use by grade level and gender.

Over 900 students in the rural northwest at the fourth, sixth, eighth, and tenth grade levels were surveyed for alcohol and drug use. The survey instrument measured self-reported usage of seventeen substances. The descriptive statistical results are reported by gender as well as grade-level usage rates. Discussion includes targeting drug prevention programs for specific grade and gender levels based upon the results.

Adolescent↗

Students' self-reported substance use by grade level and gender.

Over 900 students in the rural northwest at the fourth, sixth, eighth, and tenth grade levels were surveyed for alcohol and drug use. The survey instrument measured self-reported usage of seventeen substances. The descriptive statistical results are reported by gender as well as grade-level usage rates. Discussion includes targeting drug prevention programs for specific grade and gender levels based upon the results.

Adolescent↗

Effects of confirmatory and contradictory stimuli and development on children's intergroup attribution.

Intergroup attributional differences were investigated among Canadian children at three developmental levels who received confirmatory and contradictory stimuli about ingroup and outgroup individuals. Participants were 83 public school students divided into three levels of social attribution development. An intergroup attribution questionnaire assessed the degree of internality of participants' explanations of the success and failure of ingroup and outgroup members. Results indicated that the participants responded differently to stimuli that confirmed ethnocentric assumptions than they responded to stimuli that contradicted these assumptions. The precise nature of the responses, however, depended on the developmental level of the participant: Whereas younger children tended to use attributions that favored the ethnic ingroup, older children actually used attributions that favored the outgroup.

Adolescent↗

Pilot trials of PDF symbology as a means of transfering data on blood units between transfusion centres.

PDF 417, a two-dimensional barcode, was used as a portable data file to transfer key information on blood units and delivery documentation between two Regional Blood Transfusion Centres. Multiple Codabar messages currently displayed on blood packs, as well as other useful information, i.e. microbiology conformance, were encoded in a 45-character single PDF barcode. The delivery note which accompanied each consignment of blood consisted of a series of PDF barcodes, each representing 20 blood units. Computer validation showed 100% reconciliation of PDF data with Codabar data. Readability of the code was excellent with a greater than 98% first-pass read rate. The delivery note PDF barcode identified eight operator errors which would have been undetected by the present manual system. We conclude that PDF 417 is an effective, secure and space efficient means of transferring data associated with the transfer of blood.

Blood Banks↗

A versatile hand splint.

Splintage plays a major part in the management and rehabilitation of the hand following injury, infection and operation. It is essential to have a simple, comfortable, and firm but flexible splint. This should be available "off the shelf", but be acceptable to the patient and to the treating clinician. This paper will describe a splint which not only has these qualities, but is cheap and is re-usable after washing. The splint is made of high density Plastazote and is available in two sizes for each hand. It is moulded into the shape of the functional position of the hand and can easily be trimmed with bandage scissors to give a precise fitting. The splint has been evaluated following surgery on fifty hands. Its fabrication, use and simplicity are discussed.

Casts, Surgical↗

Is anti-Pseudomonas therapy warranted in acute respiratory exacerbations in children with cystic fibrosis?

A controlled study was designed to clarify the indications for antibiotic therapy in children with advanced cystic fibrosis hospitalized with respiratory exacerbations. Twenty-two children with severe CF and signs of acute lower respiratory infection were randomly assigned to receive either cloxacillin or carbenicillin plus gentamicin administered intravenously for ten days. Other aspects of therapy were constant. The groups were comparable in all respects and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the predominant sputum pathogen in most patients. Clinical improvement, chest radiograph changes, evidence of airway obstruction, and bacteriologic flora of sputum were no different regardless of the regimen used. These results suggest that the use of anti-Pseudomonas medication in these children may not always be necessary. These observations need to be confirmed by blind-controlled studies in larger numbers of patients with mild as well as severe respiratory involvement.

Carbenicillin↗