Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

D Murphy

Publications and source records attributed to D Murphy.

449 records · Page 25Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

A biomechanical study of the static stabilizing effect of knee braces on medial stability.

The purpose of this project was to determine if commercially available braces could be shown to produce objective evidence of medial stabilization of the knee. Commercially available athletic braces were evaluated for their effect on abduction forces applied to a cadaver knee with no instability and with experimentally created medial instability. Under computer control, abduction forces were applied while simultaneous data were obtained from an electrogoniometer and transducers applied to the anterior cruciate ligament and the superficial medial collateral ligament at 0 degrees, 15 degrees, and 30 degrees of flexion. Our results showed a reduction in abduction angle using functional braces, whereas prophylactic braces demonstrated little or no protective effect.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The effect of knee braces on lateral impact loading of the knee.

Disruption of the medial supporting structures of the knee occurs commonly in contact sports such as American football and lacrosse. A limited number of clinical and laboratory studies currently document the effectiveness of bracing. The purpose of this project was to determine if commercially available bracing could be shown to produce objective evidence of medial stabilization of the knee. Our model involves the use of a cadaver lower extremity with a fixed foot and suspended femur with a free knee and a lateral impact load applied simulating a clipping injury. Force transducers were placed on the ACL and medial collateral ligament (MCL) and an electrogoniometer was attached to the extremity. The prophylactic braces studied had a limited capacity to protect the MCL from direct lateral stress with the knee in full extension. In flexion or with a change in direction of the load, the protective effect is greatly reduced. The functional braces had a capacity to limit abduction and rotational stresses on the MCL in flexion and extension.

Braces↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Contraceptive practices in HIV seropositive females in Ireland.

A questionnaire was administered to a cohort of 130 HIV seropositive women attending the Department of Genitourinary Medicine, St James's Hospital, Dublin, in order to establish their current contraceptive practices. Forty (42%) of the sexually active women did not use reliable contraception; 55 (57%) used a method reliable in fertility control only, and 21 (22%) used a method reliable in terms of both partner and congenital transmission. The intravenous drug users were less likely to use reliable contraception, 9 (39%), in comparison to the heterosexual group 14 (70%), P < 0.05. The heterosexual group were more likely to use condoms consistently, 7 (35%) in comparison to one (4%) of intravenous drug users, P < 0.02. Nineteen children, 3 borne to heterosexual mothers and 16 borne to intravenous drug-using mothers were HIV seropositive after 18 months.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Long-term follow-up of children after repair of atrial septal defects.

BACKGROUND: It is critical to repair atrial septal defects during childhood to minimize long-term morbidity and mortality. However, only a few studies have examined factors that predict a favorable outcome. OBJECTIVE: To examine prognostic variables in the repair of atrial septal defects. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of children who underwent repair of atrial septal defects between 1957 and 1981. RESULTS: There were 70 girls and 57 boys with a mean age of 9.3 years at the time of surgery (range 4 months to 20 years). The most common presenting symptoms were fatigue and dyspnea. Before surgery, 74% were in New York Heart Association functional class I, 70% had echocardiographic evidence of right ventricular hypertrophy, and 55% had cardiomegaly on chest radiographs. The average mean pulmonary arterial pressure was 17.1 mm Hg. The only factor significantly related to poor outcome was pulmonary hypertension. Age at surgery did not influence long-term results. Ninety-four percent of patients were in functional class I at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Repair of atrial septal defects is safe before age 21, but it should be done as early as possible in order to minimize the long-term complications of chronic left-to-right shunting.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The cardiovascular health impact of an incentive worksite health promotion program.

PURPOSE: We examined the cardiovascular health profiles of benefit-eligible hospital employees who participated in an incentive screen program for 4 years. We also determined if cardiovascular health changes differed between participants (CHAP) who enrolled in structured follow-up risk reduction programs (CHAPplus) compared with those who chose less formal options (CHAPonly). METHODS: CHAP consisted of cardiovascular screens, results counseling, and encouragement to participate in education and behavioral support programs. After adjusting for gender, medication use, and baseline levels of adiposity and physical activity, cardiovascular health changes were tested with repeated-measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) among CHAP participants and by CHAP type. RESULTS: CHAP 4-year members (n = 278) were generally healthy and mostly women (87%) with an average age of 40.6 +/- .5 years at baseline. Despite increases in overall (p = .034) and central adiposity (p = .001), cardiovascular health improvements were found for the total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein ratio (TCHOL/HDL; p = .007), low-density lipoprotein (p = .009), and blood glucose (p = .018) among 4-year CHAP members. CHAPonly employees showed greater improvements in most cardiovascular health indicators than CHAPplus participants, although these differences did not achieve statistical significance. DISCUSSION: Cardiovascular health improvements were associated with long-term participation in a hospital worksite incentive screen program. The cardiovascular health benefits tended to be greatest for CHAP employees who chose informal follow-up risk reduction options (CHAPonly) than those who enrolled in structured programs (CHAPplus).

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Psychiatric disorders in Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease is associated with a wide variety of psychiatric syndromes. Advances in the neuropathology and neuropharmacology have not been applied to the associated psychiatric disorders due to complex interactions between social, psychological and pathological variables.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Home pain management. Continuous infusion of narcotics.

Home pain management is a complex and challenging therapy for the home infusion nurse. A thorough knowledge of pain assessment, therapeutic approaches, and pharmacology of narcotics; management of side effects; and a recognition of individual variations in response are necessary for successful pain control. Continuous infusions of narcotics can be safely administered in the home setting, thus leading to an improved quality of life for patients with intractable pain. A retrospective chart review of 20 patients cared for by Deaconess Home Health Care Corporation in Boston, Massachusetts, illustrates the wide variation in individual narcotic requirements necessary to achieve pain control. Three case studies are also included to provide further comparison.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Celiac sprue.

Celiac Sprue is a malabsorption disease (not to be confused with a food allergy or hypersensitivity to food products) that can occur at any age. This disease is characterized by changes in the mucosal lining of the small intestine. The mucosal lining is damaged by protein fragments of gliadin, which is found in gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats), and the small intestine is unable to carry out its main functions of digestion and absorption. The treatment for this disease is to discontinue gluten from the diet permanently. Once gluten is removed from the diet, the small intestine begins to heal itself. As the healing process continues, digestion and absorption resume. Celiac Sprue does not go away. A gluten-free diet must be maintained for the rest of one's life.

Celiac Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The development of a risk management program in response to the spread of bloodborne pathogen illnesses.

Risk management and total quality management are both focused on prevention, and together they provide the means to achieving improved outcomes. In total quality management, we are constantly looking for ways to improve processes, by continuously evaluating systems, identifying root causes, and providing employees with training, resources, and empowerment. Total quality management identifies opportunities for improvement, and risk management is used to prioritize these. Risk management involves identification and analysis of risk, development of action plans to deal with risk, examination of financial issues, and constant evaluation of the system. This article will describe the development and implementation of a risk management program, both in general and regarding bloodborne pathogen illnesses.

Blood-Borne Pathogens↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Concomitant Graves' disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis, presenting as primary hypothyroidism.

Hypothyroidism in patients with Graves' disease is usually the result of ablative treatment. We describe a 58 year old man with Graves' ophthalmopathy and pre-tibial myxoedema, who presented with spontaneous primary hypothyroidism. Circulating TSH receptor antibody activity was increased, while thyroid microsomal antibody was detectable in titres greater than one in one hundred thousand. It is likely that the TSH receptor antibody of Graves' disease was ineffective in stimulating hyperthyroidism because of concomitant thyroid destruction due to Hashimoto's disease. Alternatively, primary hypothyroidism could have resulted from the effects of a circulating TSH receptor blocking antibody.

Graves Disease↗