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Biomedical subjects

D Watson

Publications and source records attributed to D Watson.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Spironolactone with physiological female steroids for presurgical therapy of male-to-female transsexualism.

The clinical and hormonal response to 12-month therapy with the antiandrogen, spironolactone, in conjunction with near-physiologic doses of female gonadal steroids in 50 transsexual males, is presented. An unselected referred series of 61 men with the psychiatric diagnosis of transsexualism was treated; 10 subjects who had received previous gonadal surgery and 1 man with Klinefelter's syndrome were excluded. Twenty-seven conventionally treated (CT; high-dose estrogen), age 34.4 +/- 10.5 years, mean +/- SD, and 23 untreated patients (SPS), age 30.7 +/- 6.2 years, were studied. Following the initial visit, all 50 were begun on spironolactone and low-dose female hormone therapy. Despite high-dose estrogen treatment for more than 2 years, the mean testosterone (T) level for the CT group was not in the female range (169 +/- 193 ng/dl; normal 20-80). Spironolactone, in doses of 200-600 mg/day, lowered T to the female range in both groups after 12 months (CT 87 +/- 111 and SPS 49 +/- 41 ng/dl). This was achieved in the CT group despite decreases in estrogen dose and discontinuation of parenteral therapy. SPS subjects experienced significant decreases in plasma T (642 +/- 236 to 49 +/- 41 ng/dl, p less than 0.001). Systolic blood pressure dropped (128 +/- 14 to 121 +/- 14 mm Hg, p less than 0.05). The clinical response, including decreased male pattern hair, breast development, feminization, and lack of erections was excellent in most subjects.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Health complaints, stress, and distress: exploring the central role of negative affectivity.

Most current models in health psychology assume that stress adversely affects physical health. We re-examined this assumption by reviewing extensive data from the literature and from six samples of our own, in which we collected measures of personality, health and fitness, stress, and current emotional functioning. Results indicate that self-report health measures reflect a pervasive mood disposition of negative affectivity (NA); self-report stress scales also contain a substantial NA component. However, although NA is correlated with health compliant scales, it is not strongly or consistently related to actual, long-term health status, and thus will act as a general nuisance factor in health research. Because self-report measures of stress and health both contain a significant NA component, correlations between such measures likely overestimate the true association between stress and health. Results demonstrate the importance of including different types of health measures in health psychology research.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

The role of bacterial infection of the maxillary sinus in nasal polyps.

Fifty-two adult patients with nasal polyps were studied. All patients had preoperative sinus radiographs which were coded on the degree of mucosal thickening and these were compared with the results of irrigation of the maxillary sinuses. All irrigations were sent for culture and microscopy for pus cells. Pus cells and bacteria were found in only 16 of 104 wash-outs. It was concluded that the disease results in stasis of secretions and secondary maxillary sinusitis.

Bacterial Infections↗
PubMed1989

Effect of pyocyanin and 1-hydroxyphenazine on in vivo tracheal mucus velocity.

Products of the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa have been shown to slow the beating of human respiratory tract cilia in vitro. We have tested the effects of two of these compounds, pyocyanin and 1-hydroxyphenazine (given as a bolus dose dissolved in 2 microliters Ringer solution), on tracheal mucus velocity of radiolabeled erythrocytes in anesthetized guinea pigs. 1-Hydroxyphenazine (200 ng) caused a rapid slowing of tracheal mucus velocity (maximum fall 47% at 20 min) with recovery by 1 h. The effect of pyocyanin was slower in onset, 600 ng causing 60% reduction in tracheal mucus velocity at 3 h, and no recovery occurred. A combination of pyocyanin and 1-hydroxyphenazine produced an initial rapid slowing equivalent to the same dose of 1-hydroxyphenazine given alone, but the later slowing attributed to pyocyanin was greater than the same dose administered alone. This study demonstrates one mechanism by which products of P. aeruginosa may facilitate its colonization of the respiratory tract.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Penetration of topically applied dexamethasone alcohol into human aqueous humor.

Gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry was used to determine the absorption of topically applied dexamethasone alcohol into the aqueous humor of human subjects undergoing routine intraocular surgery. The dexamethasone concentration in aqueous humor was greatest in the interval between 91 and 120 minutes following instillation (mean concentration, 31 ng/mL). Dexamethasone was still detectable in the aqueous 12 hours after instillation.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1988

Beta human chorionic gonadotropin levels in cul-de-sac blood of patients with ectopic pregnancies.

hCG levels in cul-de-sac and peripheral blood in patients with ectopic pregnancies were studied. hCG levels were significantly higher in the cul-de-sac blood than in peripheral blood (P less than 0.01). The high hCG level in the cul-de-sac blood was not due to interference by proteolytic enzymes in cul-de-sac blood since the protease inhibitors, aprotinin and phenylmethylsulfony fluoride, did not alter the RIA results from cul-de-sac samples, nor did Con-A chromatography of the samples. Assay of cul-de-sac blood samples for hCG may increase the sensitivity of diagnosing ectopic pregnancies.

Chorionic Gonadotropin↗
PubMed1988

Mood and the mundane: relations between daily life events and self-reported mood.

Daily mood ratings and corresponding diary entries were studied to determine relations between common events and two independent mood factors--Positive Affect (PA) and Negative Affect (NA)--in a sample of 18 young adults over a 3-month period. In an extension of findings from earlier interindividual studies, PA (enthusiastic, delighted vs. sluggish, drowsy) was found to be associated with a wide range of daily events, whereas fewer correlations were found between these events and NA (distressed, nervous, angry vs. calm, relaxed). The relation between high PA and reported social interactions (particularly physically active social events) was especially robust, and its effects were noted repeatedly; NA was unrelated to social activity. As hypothesized, high NA was associated with physical problems; contrary to expectations, low PA also tended to be correlated with health complaints. Overall, the results reaffirm the importance of assessing NA and PA independently and suggest that PA is an interesting and important dimension that deserves more research attention. Theoretical considerations and clinical implications are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1988

Intraindividual and interindividual analyses of positive and negative affect: their relation to health complaints, perceived stress, and daily activities.

I examined correlates of Negative Affect (NA) and Positive Affect (PA) through both within- and between-subjects analyses. Eighty subjects completed a daily questionnaire for 6-8 weeks. Each day they rated (a) their mood, (b) the extent to which they suffered from various minor physical problems, (c) their level of stress, (d) the time they spent socializing, and (e) whether or not they had exercised. Subjects also completed several trait tests measuring their general affective level, frequency of health problems, and social tendencies. A between-subjects analysis showed the expected pattern: Level of physical complaints and perceived stress were correlated with individual differences in NA but not in PA, whereas social indicators and frequency of exercise were related only to PA. The within-subjects results generally exhibited a similar pattern: Social activity and exercise were more strongly related to PA, whereas perceived stress was highly related to NA. However, the most significant finding was that, contrary to prediction, health complaints were as strongly related to intraindividual fluctuations in PA as in NA. Possible interpretations of the observed correlates of NA and PA are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: the PANAS scales.

In recent studies of the structure of affect, positive and negative affect have consistently emerged as two dominant and relatively independent dimensions. A number of mood scales have been created to measure these factors; however, many existing measures are inadequate, showing low reliability or poor convergent or discriminant validity. To fill the need for reliable and valid Positive Affect and Negative Affect scales that are also brief and easy to administer, we developed two 10-item mood scales that comprise the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). The scales are shown to be highly internally consistent, largely uncorrelated, and stable at appropriate levels over a 2-month time period. Normative data and factorial and external evidence of convergent and discriminant validity for the scales are also presented.

Arousal↗
PubMed1988

The vicissitudes of mood measurement: effects of varying descriptors, time frames, and response formats on measures of positive and negative affect.

Three studies examined the psychometric characteristics of short Positive Affect (PA) and Negative Affect (NA) scales as a function of varying descriptors, time frames and rating formats. The stability of affective structure across time periods and response modes was also evaluated. Study 1 examined the effect of six specified time periods on mood ratings. Both orthogonal and oblique factor analyses indicated that highly convergent PA and NA dimensions emerged in each solution; moreover, in the oblique solutions the correlation between the factors did not systematically vary across the different time periods. Correlations between brief NA and PA scales were also unaffected by the specified time frame but were consistently influenced by the descriptors comprising the scales. Study 2 investigated the psychometric properties of several short PA and NA scales. Most showed reasonable internal consistency reliability and convergent correlations; however, the discriminant correlations between PA and NA scales varied as a function of their component terms. Study 3 investigated the effects of different response formats. Analyses indicated that highly similar factors emerged regardless of format but that the response mode did affect the discriminant correlations.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Blood pressure estimation and beliefs among normotensives and hypertensives.

Although health professionals believe that blood pressure (BP) is asymptomatic, most diagnosed hypertensives are confident that they experience specific symptoms and emotions that help them detect their BP levels. Several months after screening interviews that elicited subjects' BP beliefs, 14 medicated hypertensives, 15 nonmedicated mild hypertensives (diastolic BP greater than or equal to 90 mm Hg), 39 normotensives, and 13 hypotensives (systolic BP less than or equal to 100 mm Hg) participated in a 1- to 2-hr laboratory experiment that assessed each subject's symptoms, moods, and estimates of systolic BP (SBP) relative to actual SBP levels. Several self-reports and autonomic measures were collected 45 times during and after each of 22 tasks. Subjects never received SBP feedback during the experiment. Within-subject correlations indicated that all subject groups could estimate SBP at levels greater than chance (mean estimated SBP-actual SBP correlation = .25). Further, 68% of the subjects evidenced at least one significant symptom-SBP correlation. Although medicated hypertensives believed they could estimate their BP more accurately than other groups by using their symptoms and emotions, they were actually no more accurate than the other groups. They also evidenced far fewer empirically derived symptom-SBP and emotion-SBP correlations than any other group. Overall, BP beliefs were largely inaccurate. If these erroneous beliefs can be eliminated, subjects may be able to estimate BP fluctuations more accurately.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Measurement of Pseudomonas aeruginosa phenazine pigments in sputum and assessment of their contribution to sputum sol toxicity for respiratory epithelium.

The phenazine pigments pyocyanin and 1-hydroxyphenazine were resolved by high-pressure liquid chromatography from the sputum sol phase from 9 of 13 patients with cystic fibrosis or bronchiectasis colonized by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The concentrations measured were each sufficient to inhibit ciliary beating in vitro and contributed a significant proportion of sol phase toxicity for respiratory epithelium.

Cilia↗
PubMed1988

Coronary awareness--evaluation of a week's campaign.

An intensive Healthy Heart week was organised in Halstead, Essex. Financed by a district health authority grant, the week involved intensive preparation by a multi-disciplinary working party, and a number of events, as well as a mass mailing. Although evaluation found some positive results, the overall conclusion was that the results did not justify the effort. However, support from the local community was felt to be valuable, and likely to be the most important lasting effect.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1988

Posttest probability calculation by weights. A simple form of Bayes' theorem.

This article reintroduces a different form of Bayes' theorem that allows calculation of posttest probabilities by adding quantities known as "weights." A weight combines information found in both a test's sensitivity and specificity. A single value can describe how a given test result changes the posttest probability of disease. The use of weights and this form of Bayes' theorem should allow more widespread understanding and use of probability theory in clinical practice.

Bayes Theorem↗