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Biomedical subjects

D Taylor

Publications and source records attributed to D Taylor.

At least 487 records · Page 27Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

Examination of a myopathy by phosphorus nuclear magnetic resonance.

A 16-year-old boy with myopathy, ophthalmoplegia, and raised basal metabolic rate was examined by the non-invasive technique of phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance (31 P NMR). The muscles of the forearm showed an abnormal 31P NMR spectrum with a high inorganic phosphate (Pi) content in relation to phosphocreatine (PCr) (PCr/Pi = 4; control = 10). This finding was compatible with the abnormality of mitochondrial function already established by biopsy and offers in addition an explanation for the raised oxygen consumption in this patient. The method of 31P NMR is suited to rapid non-invasive diagnosis in various muscle disorders.

Acidosis↗
PubMed1981

Depression, antidepressants, and plasma DBH.

Plasma levels of dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH) were determined in 16 unmedicated patients with major depressive episodes (nonpsychotic) and in an equal number of normal subjects, before and after 4 weeks of treatment with tricyclic antidepressants. Some eight patients were treated with amitriptyline, and the remainder received desipramine. The controls remained medication free during the entire experimental period. Degrees of depression were quantified before and after treatment with the Hamilton Rating Scale of Depression (HRSD). There were no significant differences between the depressed patients and the controls on levels of DBH. Similarly, there were no within-group, pre-posttreatment differences on the enzyme levels in either group. Pre- and posttreatment HRSD scores did not correlate with corresponding plasma DBH levels. Plasma levels of amitriptyline, nortriptyline (product of amitriptyline in the body), and desipramine at the end of 4 weeks of treatment also failed to correlate with the enzyme levels.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Ocular lesions in the blue rubber bleb naevus syndrome.

Investigations of a neonate presenting with multiple pleomorphic vascular skin lesions enabled a clinical and histological diagnosis of blue rubber bleb naevus syndrome to be made. This child had lesions in the conjunctiva, iris, and retina, associated with local haemorrhages at the time of birth. All the lesions regressed spontaneously, and a conservative approach to management of the ocular lesions in this syndrome is therefore suggested.

Eye Neoplasms↗
PubMed1981

Assessment of progression of secondary bone lesions following cancer of the breast or prostate using serial radionuclide imaging.

A serial study on 32 patients with bone metastases following cancer of the breast or prostate was performed over three years. Up to ten sets of images (average of four) per patient were obtained during this period using 99Tcm methylene diphosphonate as the radiopharmaceutical. Ninety-three paired serial images of individual lesions were qualitatively assessed for change by three physicians in nuclear medicine and the results were compared with the quantitative results from computer analysis. The reproducibility of the quantitative approach was determined by the analysis of 20 paired lesions by three physicists. It was found that quantitative changes in uptake of less than 20% between images were generally not detected by the medical observers; a change of 41% had only a 95% probability of being identified as change by the physicians. Although much more reproducible in determining changes in individual lesions, the quantitative approach was found to be inferior to the qualitative assessment of overall change in the majority of cases which involve multiple lesions. The basic assumption that uptake varies proportionally with progression of the bone lesion is discussed an is considered in some instances to be untenable. The conclusion is drawn that the determination of progression from changes of uptake in longstanding lesions is uncertain and is subsidiary in importance to the detection of new lesions.

Bone Neoplasms↗
PubMed1981

An exploration of homesickness among student nurses.

Clinical experience of the author and literature reports suggest that homesickness can be an important factor in adjustment difficulties among student nurses. Following previous studies of residential relocation, homesickenss is conceptualised as a grief reaction. It is suggested that attempts to maintain attachment to home and family will also be involved. A scale of 'homesickness symptoms' based on this conceptualisation was developed and administered to 185 student nurses, 85 after 4 months of training and 100 after 10 months. Results supported the view that homesickness is a state involving both grief behaviour and attachment behaviour. Recency of separation increased the likelihood of reporting many symptoms. The numbers reporting large numbers of symptoms declined after the first 6 weeks but remained steady at 40-50% thereafter. Students with easier access to their homes were not less likely to report many symptoms initially, but were more likely to report fewer symptoms after the first 6 weeks. Some findings of a more intensive interview study of students, some of whom appeared never to have been homesick, some to have recovered, and some to have continued being homesick, are described. Finally, the therapeutic implications of the results are discussed and the potential of further research for elucidation of attachment behaviour in young adults of maturation to self-reliance is suggested.

Anxiety, Separation↗
PubMed1981

The extra digit. A pointer to the eye?

The syndrome associated with an extra digit which is commonly seen by the ophthalmologist is that of Laurence-Moon-Biedl, with its well-known association with retinal dystrophy. However, there are several other syndromes in which there is polydactyly and an ocular malformation. Many have colobomata and microphthalmos. Other syndromes show various orbital and eyelid abnormalities, such as ptosis, hypertelorism, and lateral displacement of the canthi. In three syndromes other than the Laurence-Moon-Biedl there is a retinal dystrophy. In Trisomy 13 there is a severe retinal dysplasia, and in Bloom's syndrome excrescences on Bruch's membrane have been described. There have been several cases of asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy (Jeune's syndrome) described with a retinal dystrophy, and we present a case of the closely-related Ellis-van Creveld syndrome with a retinal dystrophy. We also present a case with a chromosomal defect (an addition to the short arm of chromosome 2), polydactyly, and a retinal dystrophy.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed1981

Choice of surgical technique in the management of congenital cataract.

A group of patients with congenital cataracts which were operated by an aspiration technique was compared with a similarly aged group who were operated by a lensectomy technique. Of the 28 eyes in which the lens was aspirated, leaving the posterior capsule intact, nineteen required re-operation a total of 32 times to keep the pupillary area clear for refraction and accurate contact lens prescription. The re-operations were carried out during the first 18 months of life which are critical for visual development, and probably represent a substantial force in the genesis of the amblyopia which profoundly alters the visual prognosis in congenital cataract. The 23 eyes which were operated by lensectomy did not require further surgery; this indicates that, despite the possible risk of retinal detachment, lensectomy may be the best surgical technique for the avoidance of amblyopia in congenital cataract.

Amblyopia↗
PubMed1980

The eye as a sanctuary in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Leukaemic infiltration of the anterior chamber of the eye was the only sign of relapse in two children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia who had been off treatment for two and four months. The malignant cells had probably been present in the eye since the onset of the disease.

Anterior Chamber↗
PubMed1980

Conditions for adrenergic hyperinnervation in hippocampus: I. Histochemical evidence from intraocular double grafts.

The developing hippocampal anlage of rats was homologously grafted to the anterior chamber of the eye of adult recipients. After intraocular maturation of the hippocampal graft and removal of the sympathetic innervation of the eye by ipsilateral superior cervical ganglionectomy, four types of monoamine neurons were transplanted to the eye chamber: Peripheral sympathetic neurons, central adrenergic neurons of locus coeruleus, central dopaminergic neurons of substantia nigra, and central 5-hydroxytryptamine neurons of the lower raphe nuclei. All four classes of monoamine neurons were able to reinnervate the hippocampal graft, but the fiber ingrowth differed markedly. Although peripheral sympathetic neurons produced a pattern of adrenergic innervation in the hippocampal graft which resembled innervation of the hippocampus by the locus coeruleus in the brain, locus coeruleus neurons themselves produced an extremely dense plexus of fibers within the graft. This hyperinnervation remained intact for up to 9 months, the longest period of time studied. The locus coeruleus graft itself received fibers from the hippocampus graft, as demonstrated by the retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase. We conclude that the hippocampal graft exerts a much stronger growth stimulation on the locus coeruleus neurons than on the peripheral sympathetic neurons. The difference between innervation patterns suggest that both presynaptic and postsynaptic influences determine fiber ingrowth in the central nervous system.

Adrenergic Fibers↗
PubMed1980

Conditions for adrenergic hyperinnervation in hippocampus: II. Electrophysiological evidence from intraocular double grafts.

Following sequential intraocular transplantations of areas containing NE cell bodies (locus coeruleus or superior cervical ganglion) and of NE fiber target areas (hippocampus), both pieces mature in a manner analogous to that observed for individual transplants. NE-containing nerve fibers, derived from either LC or SCG transplants, can be seen to invade the hippocampal formation. When LC is used, the invading fibers markedly hyperinnervate the hippocampus while SCG-derived fiber densities approximate those seen with innervation from the adrenergic ground plexus of the iris. Electrophysiological recordings from neurons in the LC reveal an atropine-sensitive excitatory response to illumination, suggesting innervation of the LC by cholinergic nerve fibers from the iris. This is supported by the fact that dense cholinesterase-positive staining can be found in the LC piece. Application of an epileptogenic agent, such as penicillin, results in a marked excitation of neurons in the LC without inducing epileptiform activity in the hippocampus. In contrast, single hippocampal grafts seize readily after penicillin. Local application of the inhibitory agent GABA into the LC allows penicillin-induced epileptiform activity to generate in the hippocampus, suggesting that functional inhibitory innervation develops between NE fibers derived from LC and pyramidal neurons in the hippocampus. Supporting this, subsequent excitation of LC neurons by iontophoresis of glutamate terminates the hippocampal seizure. Prior administration of reserpine (2.5 mg/kg) disrupts the inhibitory influence of LC innervation on the hippocampal EEG following penicillin. After reserpine, the hippocampal portions of double grafts behave like single hippocampal transplants. It is concluded that sequential transplantations of cell body and target regions of the CNS to the anterior chamber of the eye creates a functional, yet isolated, neuronal pathway which can be utilized to study the development of neuronal connections.

Adrenergic Fibers↗
PubMed1980

Effects of acute and chronic administration of phencyclidine on tyrosine hydroxylase activity in rat striatum.

Following a single dose of phencyclidine (PCP) striatal tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity was decreased 42% 15 min after PCP administration, but returned toward baseline levels by 45 min post-drug. Twenty-four hours after the 30th dose of PCP, TH activity remained depressed when compared to the chronic slaine controls. TH activity was not further depressed 15 or 45 min after the 31st dose of PCP.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Catechol-O-methyltransferase and catecholamines in anxiety and relaxation.

Levels of anxiety, plasma epinephrine and norpinephrine, and red blood cell (RBC) catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) activity were measured before and after 4 weeks of relaxation training in a group of 15 drug-free, anxious subjects and at a similar interval in a group of 15 drug-free, healthy controls. The index group showed significant decreases in levels of anxiety and plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine after treatment. No changes were observed in the control values. RBC COMT did not show any significant differences in activity between the index and control groups and between the pre- and posttreatment values. Similarly, COMT activity levels failed to correlate with levels of anxiety and catecholamines before or after treatment. These findings indicate that anxiety is unlikely to have an effect on RBC COMT activity, whereas it has a direct effect on plasma catecholamines.

Adult↗