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Biomedical subjects

G Griffin

Publications and source records attributed to G Griffin.

68 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1980

The somatotopic organization of the nucleus raphe magnus and surrounding brain stem structures as revealed by HRP slow-release gels.

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) in slow-release gel was unilaterally implanted in the dorsal lateral funiculus (DLF) of either cervical, midthoracic, lumbar or sacral spinal cord levels of adult male rats. Complete mappings and cell counts were made of HRP-filled cells from the level of the rostral trapezoid body caudal to the inferior olive. Following cervical or midthoracic placements, labelled cells often formed a continuous band surrounding the medial, dorsal and lateral aspects of the ipsilateral pyramid and extending into the ventral region medial to the facial nucleus and lateral to the pyramid. It appears that this population of HRP-filled cells in the nucleus raphe magnus (NRM) and reticularis magnocellularis (Rmc) corresponds to the serotonergic cell group B3 of Dahlström and Fuxe. In lumbar and sacral cases, there was a noticeable difference both in the pattern and number of labelled cells, with fewer labelled cells and greater tendency for a 'gap' to occur in the population of cells midway over the pyramid. Based on the patterns of labelling and a review of the literature, its appears that the actual functional unit involved in the descending control of nociception may be the combined population of Rmc and NRM.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Timing of postpartum hematocrit determinations.

Postpartum hematocrit determinations have been done at eight, 16, and 24 hours after vaginal deliveries. We studied 23 patients in whom the hematocrit level dropped at least 10% from control value with a range of 10% to 32%. The peak drop in hematocrit occurred at eight hours in four patients, at 16 hours in nine patients, and at 24 hours in ten. Therefore, no single timed hematocrit determination in the first 24 hours post partum will detect the peak drop in a vast majority of patients. A proposed plan for timing of hematocrit determinations in the postpartum period is presented.

Female↗
PubMed1976

Papular urticaria.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Antipruritics↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Bartonellosis in Zamora Chinchipe province in Ecuador.

Human bartonellosis was investigated in the Ecuadorian province of Zamora Chinchipe; 17 cases were identified retrospectively from hospital records over the period 1984-1995, mostly from 6 communities in the provincial district of Zumba. A questionnaire concerning risk factors for disease transmission was administered in these 6 communities. Blood samples were taken from individuals with current febrile illnesses or skin lesions suggestive of bartonellosis. Samples for detection of Bartonella bacilliformis were also taken from all school-age children in communities where historical cases had been identified by questionnaire. No bacteriologically positive case was identified and no evidence of asymptomatic infection was detected. Risk factors for disease transmission, identified by the questionnaire, included the presence of sick or dying chickens and guinea-pigs. It was suggested that bartonellosis is a zoonosis with wild animals, probably rodents, as the reservoir. The widespread use of residual insecticides and the easy availability of antibiotics is likely to have modified the epidemiology of this disease over the last decade.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

An outbreak of bartonellosis in Zamora Chinchipe Province in Ecuador.

We report an outbreak of human bartonellosis in Zamora Chinchipe Province in Ecuador, which occurred in 1995-1996. Nineteen cases were seen, of which 18 presented with classical oroya fever (fever and profound anaemia) and one with verruga peruana; 11 of the cases (58%) had positive blood films containing Bartonella bacilliformis. The houses of cases and neighbouring controls were visited; blood samples for thin films and cultures were collected from members of each house and a questionnaire was administered to investigate possible risk factors for disease transmission. In none of those sampled was B. bacilliformis bacteriologically demonstrable. All case houses were located in isolated areas at the margin of forest and the presence of dead rodents was reported only in case houses (P < 0.05). We suggest that human bartonellosis is a zoonosis with a natural rodent reservoir and that migrant humans infected in this way may become a temporary reservoir host in populated areas.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Plasma nitrogen oxides and blood lactate concentrations in Ghanaian children with malaria.

Nitric oxide is an important host defence molecule as well as being a mediator in many pathophysiological processes. To investigate its role in severe malaria, we measured plasma nitrate and nitrite concentrations in 70 children with malaria (54 with severe malaria) and 48 control subjects (33 with medical conditions and 15 surgical patients). We related these measurements to plasma lactate concentrations, an established marker of disease severity in malaria. Plasma lactate levels were significantly elevated in patients with deep coma (P = 0.0007) and those with a fatal outcome, but mean nitrogen oxide concentrations were not significantly different in the 2 outcome categories and were not related to depth of coma (P > 0.5). In patients whose cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was examined, lactate concentrations were elevated in fatal cases (geometric mean 8.2 mmol/L, n = 5) compared with survivors (3.4 mmol/L, n = 13; P = 0.032); corresponding CSF nitrogen oxide concentrations were 10.7 microM in fatal cases compared with 12.5 microM in survivors (P = 0.5). Plasma nitrogen oxide concentrations were negatively correlated with admission parasitaemia (r = -0.41, n = 70; P < 0.0001). In our population, elevations of plasma lactate, but not nitrite or nitrate, reflected disease severity in malaria.

Biomarkers↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of equipotent blocking doses of acebutolol, acebutolol's primary metabolite, and propranolol on left ventricular hemodynamics in conscious awake dogs.

In six conscious dogs we compared the hemodynamic effects of propranolol, acebutolol, and acebutolol's primary metabolite at equipotent beta-blocking doses. Aortic pressure, heart rate, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, dP/dt, and aortic flow velocity were measured 3 weeks after sterile surgery during three infusions of each drug. Only one drug was given on each day. The equipotent beta-blocking dose of each drug was obtained by comparing isoproterenol dose-response curves. All three drugs produced a fall in dP/dt. Left ventricular end-diastolic pressure increased in most dogs, but this was only significant for acebutolol. The heart rate tended to fall and the blood pressure rise, but this was variable and not significant. The concentration of the equipotent blocking dose of acebutolol was 44 times that of propranolol, and while the concentration of acebutolol's metabolite was 1.6 times that of acebutolol. In conclusion, at a concentration similar to acebutolol, acebutolol's metabolite has heart rate blocking and myocardial depressive effects similar to those of propranolol and acebutolol.

Acebutolol↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Healthcare pay: belts tighten--but who feels the squeeze?

A CEO of a renowned acute care facility echoes what many in the healthcare industry are experiencing: "At no time in my memory are we changing so much so fast ... with so little time in which to make changes." The once mighty fortress of the healthcare industry has been invaded by a Trojan horse: managed care. Consequently, managed care has become the primary impetus for industry change. Managed care penetration has increased dramatically over the past few years, and all indications point to its continued growth throughout the US. In 1995, 71% of employees covered under an employer-sponsored health plan received their care through a managed care arrangement (health maintenance organization, preferred provider organization, point of service plan) and only 29% were covered under a traditional indemnity plan. In contrast, 52% of employees had indemnity plans in 1992. Managed care is growing in the public sector as well. Government-sponsored programs such as Medicare and Medicaid increasingly rely on managed care to help control costs and utilization. Though Medicare managed care enrollment today represents only about 10% of the Medicare population, enrollment has more than doubled between 1990 and 1995. Almost every state has some form of Medicaid managed care program in place. Fifteen states have received waivers to mandate that recipients receive care through managed care arrangements, and an additional ten states await federal approval to do the same. Between the years 1993-95, the number of Medicaid beneficiaries enrolled in managed care plans increased 140% to a national enrollment of close to 12 million. In addition to factors in the healthcare field such as uncompensated care, increased outpatient services, excess bed capacity, and restrictions in government reimbursement, the shift to managed care has forced hospitals to find new ways to operate within the healthcare delivery system. In particular, because hospitals' human resource costs are a substantial portion of their budgets, compensation policies are an important component of managing the cost of day-to-day operations. The 1996 Coopers & Lybrand Compensation in the Healthcare Industry Survey summarizes the responses from 207 healthcare organizations, primarily hospitals, in terms of their efforts to survive this constantly changing environment. Respondents included acute care and specialty hospitals, community-based hospitals, academic medical centers, public, and private organizations. The survey addresses operational issues, compensation incentives, special pay, and other compensation-related programs. This article analyzes the results of the Coopers & Lybrand survey.

Cost Control↗