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Biomedical subjects

D Peterson

Publications and source records attributed to D Peterson.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Near-fatal yew berry intoxication treated with external cardiac pacing and digoxin-specific FAB antibody fragments.

The case of a 5-year-old girl who survived a near-fatal ingestion of yew plant leaves after treatment with CPR, transcutaneous pacing, and digoxin-specific FAB antibody fragments is presented. Multiple rhythm disturbances, including profound bradycardia, occurred. She required endotracheal intubation, external chest compressions, and application of a transcutaneous pacemaker. Paced cardiac contractions produced a dramatic improvement in her blood pressure and clinical condition. Two empiric injections of digoxin-specific FAB antibody fragments were administered, after which cardiac function and rhythm gradually improved. She was discharged in her normal state of health three days later. Yew leaves and berries contain several alkaloids that can produce fatal conduction disturbances. Transcutaneous cardiac pacemakers may be lifesaving for patients with transient cardiac toxicity from drug or toxin ingestions. In addition, cross-reactivity between digoxin-specific FAB antibodies and the alkaloids in the yew plant may exist and may have therapeutic importance, although this mechanism was unlikely to have helped our patient.

Bradycardia↗
PubMed1990

Monte Carlo simulation of HIV infection in an intravenous drug user community.

Intravenous drug users are crucial to the understanding and control of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission. We have developed a population-based simulation of a community of intravenous drug users. This model was implemented using Monte Carlo techniques, which permit great flexibility in creating realistic social structures, to describe the needle-sharing network of drug users. We present the baseline behavior of this model in a generic community and demonstrate the model's utility for assessing public health interventions. Our early results demonstrate the powerful effects of social networks on HIV transmission and the importance of prevalence levels in assessing the effectiveness of interventions in the drug-injecting community.

Equipment Contamination↗
PubMed1989

Oxygen radicals and antioxidant enzymes alter pulmonary vascular reactivity in the rat lung.

It has been postulated that changes in the availability of partially reduced O2 species, such as O2 radicals, could serve as a link between PO2 in the alveolus and pulmonary vascular tone (Herz 11: 127-141, 1986). To assess this hypothesis, the hemodynamic effects of acute changes in the balance between the production of O2 radicals and availability of antioxidant enzymes were studied in the isolated perfused rat lung. Intravascular generation of O2 radicals, by administration of xanthine-xanthine oxidase, decreased the pulmonary vascular pressor response to alveolar hypoxia (-55 +/- 5%) and angiotensin II (-58 +/- 10%, P less than 0.01 for each) in isolated perfused rat lungs without increasing the lung wet-to-dry weight ratio. Decreases in pulmonary vascular reactivity were inhibited by pretreatment of the lung with desferrioxamine or a mixture of catalase and superoxide dismutase. Catalase and superoxide dismutase preserved the hypoxic pressor response whether given in liposomes or in dissolved form. Superoxide dismutase administered free in solution, or combined with catalase in liposomes, increased the normoxic pulmonary arterial pressure and enhanced vascular reactivity to angiotensin II and hypoxia. Lungs treated with antioxidant enzymes in liposomes had 50% higher lung catalase levels than control lungs (P less than 0.05). These findings demonstrate that exogenous partially reduced O2 species can decrease pulmonary vascular reactivity and suggest that endogenous radicals, superoxide radical in particular, might be important in modulating pulmonary vascular tone.

Animals↗