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Biomedical subjects

D Wilson

Publications and source records attributed to D Wilson.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Reverse smoking and palatal mucosal changes in Filipino women. Epidemiological features.

The habit of reverse smoking is practised in various parts of the world including the Philippines. In this pilot, community-based, cross-sectional study carried out in the region of Cabanatuan City in the Philippines. 61 Filipina reverse smokers and 30 Filipina conventional smokers were interviewed and clinically examined. Seven demographic variables and twelve habit variables were compared in the two study groups. The majority (96.7 per cent) of reverse smokers exhibited palatal mucosal changes including leukoplakia, mucosal thickening, fissuring, pigmentation, nodularity, erythema and ulceration. In comparison, only 26.7 per cent of conventional smokers exhibited mucosal changes predominantly focal pigmentation and mild erythema. This difference was statistically significant at a X2 value of 47.28 (p < .001). Analysis of the other variables indicated that the two study groups differed significantly with regard to age (p < .05), educational attainment (p < .01), use of filtered versus non-filtered cigarettes (p < .001) and duration of smoking in years (p < .01).

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Evidence for the utilization of peptides for milk protein synthesis in the lactating dairy goat in vivo.

Precursors for milk protein synthesis have been examined in lactating dairy goats using arteriovenous difference and isotope kinetic techniques. Certain amino acids, such as phenylalanine and histidine, are taken up by the mammary gland in quantities that are insufficient to account for their output in milk protein. Some amino acids have been shown to be present in significant quantities (10-30% of total non-protein-bound amino acids) as peptides (< 1,500 Da) in the arterial supply to the mammary gland, although methodological considerations make it difficult to accurately assess the extent of their uptake across the tissue bed. Indirect evidence for the utilization of peptides for milk protein synthesis in vivo has been obtained, however, by examination of the kinetics of milk casein labeling during long-term (24 h) systemic infusion of [1-13C]phenylalanine and [1-13C]leucine. Comparison of plateau enrichments for blood, plasma, and casein indicate that, although, for leucine, the plasma free pool seems to provide all the leucine for milk protein synthesis, sources other than the labeled plasma free amino acids contribute phenylalanine (10-20%) for casein biosynthesis. These findings raise questions relating to the type and source of amino acid precursors used by tissues for protein synthesis.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1996

Resolving the ethical dilemma of nurse managers over chemically-dependent colleagues.

This paper addresses the nurse manager's role regarding chemically-dependent nurses in the workplace. The manager may intervene by: terminating the contract of the impaired colleague; notifying a disciplinary committee; consulting with a counselling committee; or referring the impaired nurse to an employee assistance programme. A dilemma may arise about which of these interventions is ethically the best. The ethical theories relevant to nursing involve ethical relativism, utilitarianism, Kantian ethics, Kohlberg's justice, and Gilligan's ethic of care. Nurse managers first need to understand these theories in order to clarify their own perceptions and attitudes towards chemical dependency, and then satisfactorily resolve this ethical dilemma. Education and social learning are routes to a better understanding of chemical dependency and to broadening the ethical dimensions of nurse managers.

Conflict, Psychological↗
PubMed1996

Alcohol risk assessment and intervention for family physicians. Project of the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

At-risk and problem drinkers (excluding those with severe dependency) are estimated to be 20% of the Canadian population. With minimal training family physicians can effectively manage patients with alcohol problems. The Alcohol Risk Assessment and Intervention Project of the College of Family Physicians of Canada has developed materials and training for family physicians to use in helping their patients reduce the risks of alcohol-related harm.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed1996

Implementation and evaluation of a liberalized visiting policy.

BACKGROUND: Visiting policies have been liberalized in ICUs, but the process and outcome of policy modifications have not been well described. OBJECTIVES: To describe the process by which nurses in one critical care unit modified visiting from a restricted to a liberalized (i.e., modified open) policy, and to evaluate the nurses' perceptions about visiting before and after the policy was liberalized. METHODS: A group of ICU/coronary care unit nurses met to discuss changes in their unit's visiting policy. Before the change was initiated, nurses (N = 36) in the unit were informally surveyed regarding their perceptions and attitudes about visiting. After a 3-month trial of liberalized visiting, in which visiting hours were increased at the discretion of the nursing staff, nurses (N = 32) were surveyed using a questionnaire about their beliefs, attitudes, level of satisfaction, and perceptions of their actual visiting policy. RESULTS: Nurses confirmed that the visiting policy had become liberalized, and they believed that liberalized visiting had positive effects on patients' emotional well-being. Nurses had more positive attitudes about the effects of liberalized visiting on families than on patients and unit function. Most nurses were satisfied with liberalized visiting. However, attitudes differed about how liberalized visiting affected patients' physiological responses or the unit function. CONCLUSIONS: Effective implementation of liberalized visiting depends on assessment of the following: nurses' beliefs, attitudes, and satisfaction about a change toward a more open visiting policy; staff involvement in determining the policy; and nurse manager and clinical nurse specialist support.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1996

Correlations between anatomic and MRI sections of human cadaver temporomandibular joints in the coronal and sagittal planes.

Cadaver material was used in this study to correlate sequential sagittal and coronal T1-weighted magnetic resonance images against anatomic detail. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was found to accurately represent soft tissues in normal and deranged joints. In contrast to previous reports, MRI was found to accurately represent the discal-retrodiscal junction and did not appear to give false positive findings for disc displacement. Magnetic resonance imaging provided good images of bony outline, particularly in coronal views. Difficulties in interpretation arose when different adjoining tissues produced the same MR image; the central tendon of the lateral pterygoid muscle can appear as an extension of the disc, imaging as a distorted and displaced disc. In anatomic sections, a medial hernia sac in the lower joint space was seen as a constant indicator of the medial component of disc displacement; however, this was not evident in sagittal and coronal T1-weighted images. Fibrocartilaginous remodeling of the articular surface projecting into a discal perforation presented the same image as normal discal tissue. Because discs are often thinned over the lateral pole, it is difficult to determine whether discal tissue is present between the articular surfaces when MRI is at its present resolution. Subcortical bone spaces may be misinterpreted as areas of avascular necrosis and osteochondritis dissecans. It is recommended that an imaging sequence of the TMJ include a midcondyle image and lateral, central, and medial sagittal images; however, the lateral sagittal image is the most difficult to interpret.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Evidence for a glycyl-proline transport system in ovine enterocyte brush-border membrane vesicles.

A peptide transport system in ovine enterocyte BBMV has been examined with glycyl-L-proline (Gly-Pro) as substrate. Transport is stimulated by an inwardly directed proton gradient (pH1 = 8.4; pH0 = 6.0). Gly-Pro uptake was saturable and conformed to Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Uptake was not affected by the presence of glycine but was inhibited by glycyl-L-phenylalanine (Gly-Phe). This is thought to be the first positive demonstration of the existence of a peptide transporter in the ruminant small intestine.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Physical stabilization of insulin by glycosylation.

The modification of human insulin by the covalent attachment of monosaccharide moieties to insulin amino group(s) alters the aggregation and self-association behavior, improving both the pharmaceutical stability and biological response. The synthesis of p-succinamidophenyl glucopyranoside-insulin conjugate(s) (SAPG-insulin) has resulted in seven possible glucosylated insulin derivatives (three monosubstituted, three disubstituted, and one trisubstituted). These derivatives were isolated and purified using ion exchange chromatography. Characterization of the derivatives includes determining the site and number of sugar groups attached for each individual derivative and an evaluation of biological activity. Nearly all the derivatives retained in vivo biological activity comparable to insulin. In addition, extensive physicochemical characterization of the glucosylated insulin derivatives was undertaken to determine association/aggregation properties using GPC, dynamic light scattering, UV/Vis, and CD spectroscopy. Protein self-association was most suppressed with the disubstituted derivatives, especially those substituted on PheB1, and the trisubstituted derivative. The same general pattern was observed for physical stability of glucosylated insulin derivatives. As the number of glucosyl moieties attached to insulin increased, solution physical stability dramatically improved. Yet, the most significant impact to stability was glycosylation at the PheB1 site.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Can we target smoking groups more effectively? A study of male and female heavy smokers.

BACKGROUND: In recent years a number of studies have examined subgroups within the smoking population. These studies have provided information which facilitate improved targeting of programs and interventions to help smokers quit. Despite this there have been few population studies which have described male and female heavy smokers and compared their characteristics. METHODS: We used representative population data on 789 smokers to examine differences between light and heavy smokers of each gender and between male and female heavy smokers directly. RESULTS: Of those who smoked, 35% of males and 24% of females were classified as heavy smokers and represent a large target group within the smoking population. Whereas a light smoker was characterized as smoking a median of 12.5 cigarettes per day, the heavy smoker smoked a median of 32 cigarettes per day. Univariate comparison of heavy smokers and light smokers showed a number of statistically significant differences according to demographics, in smoking behaviors and knowledge, in beliefs about smoking, in smoking characteristics, and in other health indicators. Because of interactions between gender and work/leisure day smoking variation, separate logistic regression models based on gender were fitted to the data. Again, compared with light smokers, several significant differences emerged for both heavy female and heavy male smokers under the headings mentioned above. Further logistic regression analyses showed differences between male and female heavy smokers when compared directly. CONCLUSIONS: The smoking population of South Australia is not homogeneous and this segmentation study has shown the need for varying approaches to different segments when developing intervention programs.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

A robotics-based liquid chromatographic assay for the measurement of atovaquone in plasma.

A precise and specific robotics-based liquid chromatographic (LC) method for measuring atovaquone concentrations in plasma was developed and validated, and the method was compared with an existing manual LC method. The compound was isolated from plasma by liquid-liquid extraction, separated by reversed-phase LC, and quantitated against an internal standard with UV detection. Least-squares linear regression with 1/concentration2 weighting was used as the calibration model. The range of the calibration curve for the assay under routine conditions was 0.25-50 micrograms ml-1. No endogenous interferences with the compound or the internal standard were noted in either untreated human plasma or in plasma from patients enrolled in Phase III clinical trials of atovaquone. The accuracy of the assay (determined as the percent bias) ranged from -4.8% to -9.4% in the validation runs. The intra- and interassay precisions (determined as the relative standard deviation) were less than 6.8% and 6.4%, respectively. The contribution of an internal standard on assay accuracy and precision also was examined. Interassay variability was marginally improved by the incorporation of an internal standard to the assay; accuracy and intra-assay precision were essentially unchanged. A paired t-test between estimates of atovaquone concentrations in healthy volunteer and HIV + patient human plasma samples assayed by the automated and manual methods demonstrated no significant difference (p = 0.31) between the values determined by each method.

Antifungal Agents↗
PubMed1995

Thyroiditis in the BB rat is associated with lymphopenia but occurs independently of diabetes.

The spontaneously diabetic BB rat is an excellent and well studied model for human insulin-dependent diabetes (IDDM), sharing many important features with the human disease. Similarities include an equal frequency of IDDM in males and females, production of antibodies against pancreatic cell antigens, and an MHC disease association. In addition, the BB rat shares with human IDDM patients an increased frequency of autoantibodies against the parietal cells of the stomach and colloid cells of the thyroid gland. Here we investigate the genetic basis of thyroiditis in the BB rat. Based on crosses between BB, Lewis and Fischer rats, we show that two susceptibility factors for diabetes--the lymphopenia trait present in diabetes prone BB rats and the MHC--also appear to be risk factors for thyroiditis. However, the nature of the susceptibility was different for the two autoimmune diseases, with lymphopenia being absolutely required for diabetes although it only conferred increased risk for thyroiditis. Also, in contrast to IDDM, the MHC conferred dominant susceptibility to thyroiditis. Despite these shared risk factors, diabetes per se did not show significant correlation with thyroiditis.

Animals↗