Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

G F Cole

Publications and source records attributed to G F Cole.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Citrobacter diversus brain abscess: case reports and molecular epidemiology.

Citrobacter diversus brain abscess occurred in two infants in Aberdeen, 5 months apart. These are the first reported cases of this condition in the UK since 1976. Restriction endonuclease analysis with SacI enzyme showed blood and CSF isolates from both patients to be identical and different from 10 other clinical isolates of C. diversus and one C. amalonaticus strain. Furthermore, isolates of C. diversus from patients belonged to biotype "d" whereas control isolates were of biotypes "a" or "e". Because both infants attended the same central and peripheral maternity units, this raised suspicions of long term contamination of the hospital environment by this organism. Sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) patterns of whole-cell proteins and immunoblotting with normal human serum were remarkably homogeneous for all 13 C. diversus strains and thus were not useful for typing. However, the only C. amalonaticus strain was clearly differentiated from C. diversus strains by SDS-PAGE. Management of the infants included multiple intravenous antibiotic therapy for 4-6 weeks and repeated computerised tomography (CT) scanning and drainage of the abscess cavity. Both children survived albeit with some minor degree of brain damage.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1991

Ammonia and carnitine concentrations in children treated with sodium valproate compared with other anticonvulsant drugs.

Plasma ammonia was measured in 59 children requiring anticonvulsant drugs: 37 children (group 1) on sodium valproate alone or in combination with other drugs and 22 children (group 2) on drugs other than sodium valproate. Plasma ammonia was higher in group 1 children. Total and free carnitine was measured in plasma and erythrocytes of all children and in the urine of 16 children from group 1 and eight from group 2. Plasma and erythrocyte free carnitine was significantly lower in the children on sodium valproate, along with a significant increase in the ratio of acyl (bound) carnitine to free carnitine. No significant correlation was found between plasma ammonia and carnitine concentrations for either group of children. Plasma and erythrocyte concentrations were not related. Urinary free carnitine was reduced in children treated with valproate, with a significant increase in the ratio of bound to free carnitine. Carnitine supplementation is discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Changes in bacterial meningitis.

In 1964, one of us (WHG) undertook a retrospective study of bacterial meningitis in childhood in the north east of Scotland during the period 1946-61. We have recently carried out a similar review of cases occurring during 1971-86, to compare the incidence, mortality, and bacteriological patterns. During the earlier period 285 cases occurred, a total incidence of 16.9/100,000 children per year. In the later period 274 children were affected, an annual incidence of 17.8/100,000. The overall mortality rate fell dramatically from 11.9% to 1.8%, the latter figure comparing favourably with recent published studies from Scandinavia and the United States. There was a change in the bacteriological profile in the second period with a significant rise in cases due to Haemophilus influenzae at all ages. A fall in cases of meningococcal meningitis was significant in infants under 1 year of age only. Possible reasons for the change in the bacteriological pattern are discussed.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1990

Cranial hemihypertrophy and neurodevelopmental prognosis.

Three cases of congenital cranial hemihypertrophy are described. CT or ultrasound scans showed unilateral cerebral enlargement with dilatation of the ipsilateral ventricle. Seizures occurred in two patients and the neurodevelopmental outlook appears poor. These patients represent a poor prognosis subgroup of the congenital hemihypertrophies.

Brain↗
PubMed1987

Cognitive functioning in albino children.

Twelve albino children with IQs in the normal range were psychometrically assessed and compared to a control group of equally visually handicapped children who were non-albino. A striking and consistent pattern of cognitive functioning emerged in the albino group (a large verbal/performance discrepancy in favour of verbal skills) which could not be attributed to their poor visual acuity. This unusual pattern of intellectual functioning may be related to the unique neuroanatomy and neurophysiology recently demonstrated in people with albinism.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Prognosis in severe Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Recent studies of Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults have shown that the requirement for assisted ventilation correlates closely with a poor outcome, and the need for ventilation is now being used as an indication for plasmapheresis. As comparable studies in children have not been performed we reviewed our experience of patients who had Guillain-Barré syndrome severe enough to require assisted ventilation. In a group of 11 children two died in the acute stage of the illness and nine made an excellent recovery. It would seem that the need for mechanical ventilation is not necessarily a bad prognostic factor for neurological recovery in children.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1984

Delayed visual maturation.

Sixteen blind babies who were considered to be showing the characteristics of delayed visual maturation were studied prospectively. The diagnosis was made on clinical grounds, and the criteria for this are discussed. All of these infants developed visual responses between 4 and 6 months of age and had normal or near normal visual acuities by 1 year of age. Long term follow up, however, has shown neurological abnormalities in some of these children.

Developmental Disabilities↗