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Biomedical subjects

G Robinson

Publications and source records attributed to G Robinson.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Psychological aspects of recurrences of genital herpes.

Fifty-seven patients presenting with virologically confirmed first attacks of genital herpes were assessed for risk factors for time to the first recurrence. These factors included demographic details, personality traits, recent life events, herpes simplex biotype, frequency of orogenital intercourse and psychiatric illness as measured by the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). This and our similar previous study (58 patients) were analysed separately and combined using a novel statistical technique (Cox's proportional hazards model). In the previous study there was a significant association only for GHQ score (p less than 0.02). For the present study age was the only statistical significant factor (the younger the patient the more likely a recurrence sooner (p less than 0.05), although there was a trend for high GHQ scorers to have recurrences sooner than low scorers. Data of the two studies combined showed that the only significant association with time to recurrence was the GHQ (p less than 0.02). These data support the notion that there is an association between psychiatric illness and recurrence of genital herpes.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1986

Late-onset folie simultanée in a pair of monozygotic twins.

A case-report is presented of folie simultanée in a pair of female monozygotic twins with onset at the remarkable age of 81. The twins demonstrated no evidence of dementia or other psychopathology apart from delusions. Folie simultanée in monozygotic twins provides a model example of the potential role of genotype-environment correlation in the etiology of psychiatric illness.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

Relation of lead and social factors to IQ of low-SES children: a partial replication.

An independent replication of a previous study (Schroeder et al., 1985) of the effects of interactive social environmental factors on the relationship of lead and Stanford-Binet IQ was performed on 75 of 80 low-SES black children screened by county health departments in North Carolina. Children's mean blood lead (PbB) level was 20.8 micrograms/dl (range, 6.3 to 47.4). Multivariate regression analyses showed no significant interactions between PbB and age, sex, maternal IQ, Caldwell home environment score, or SES (Hollingshead Two-Factor Index). There was a highly significant negative relationship between both mean and maximum PbB levels with IQ, p less than .002; that is, IQ decreased linearly as PbB increased. The most accurate and precise regression model included lead, maternal IQ, home environment, and gender.

Child↗
PubMed1985

5-year follow-up study of children with low-to-moderate lead absorption: electrophysiological evaluation.

Forty-nine children aged 6 to 12 years were evaluated for residual effects of lead exposure using psychometric, electrophysiological, and medical tests 5 years after initial assessment. The original range of blood lead (PbB) levels was 6-59 (mean = 28) micrograms/dl; the current range was 6-30 (mean = 14) micrograms/dl. A linear relationship between PbB and slow brain wave voltage during sensory conditioning was observed at initial evaluation and at 2-year follow-up. No significant relationship between PbB and slow wave voltage during passive conditioning was found at the 5-year follow-up, although a linear increase in slow wave negativity relative to the current PbB level during active conditioning was suggested by exploratory analyses. Another exploratory analysis revealed a significant linear relationship between the original PbB levels and the latency of waves III and V of the brainstem auditory evoked potential. The latency of both waves increased as a function of original PbB. Increased latency of these waves is suggestive of subclinical pathology of the auditory pathway rostral to the cochlear nucleus, although end-organ impairment cannot be ruled out. No threshold for the effect of Pb on auditory function was apparent.

Brain↗
PubMed1985

A system of alias assignment for unidentified patients requiring emergency hospital admission.

Many patients are admitted to emergency facilities without positive identification. In the past, these patients were usually assigned a temporary alias name (i.e., John Doe, Jane Doe) which was then changed after positive identification. We have discerned several problems with this procedure and have subsequently developed a coordinated system of alias identification in our hospital. This system allows for: a large pool of distinct alias identities, pre-assignment of hospital numbers to unidentified patients before arrival, and a smooth administrative transition as records are changed from the alias to the true identity.

California↗
PubMed1985

Oxytocin can affect follicular development in the adult mouse.

Injection of oxytocin into normal adult cycling mice caused alterations in ovarian histology. Oxytocin was administered early on the day of pro-oestrus and it induced the appearance of large numbers of corpora lutea by late pro-oestrus, suggesting oxytocin stimulated ovulation. When mice were examined very early on the day of normal oestrus the ovarian population of follicles was different in the experimental group from that in the control mice, there being increased numbers of preantral and antral follicles in treated animals. As oxytocin can cause an alteration in the timing of follicular maturation and ovulation processes study of communications between the adenohypophysis and areas containing oxytocin might be important for understanding physiological details of ovulation. The relative times at which, for instance, antral follicle and corpora lutea populations increased suggested that oxytocin might have more than one activity which affects ovarian behaviour.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

31P NMR spin-transfer in the phosphoglyceromutase reaction.

The rate of exchange of phosphoryl groups between 2- and 3-phosphoglycerate catalysed by (a) high concentrations (approximately equal to 5.0 mg protein ml-1) of rabbit muscle phosphoglyceromutase and (b) lysed human erythrocytes was measured using saturation and inversion transfer techniques with 31P-NMR spectroscopy. This is the first reported application of these techniques to a study of this particular enzymic reaction either in vitro or in situ in a cell cytosol. Selective irradiation of resonances was achieved by the DANTE pulse sequence which had not previously been used for spin-transfer studies. New equilibrium exchange theory was developed for the simplest model of a two-reactant enzyme-catalysed reaction and this was used to calculate turnover rates for the enzymes. There was a close similarity between the turnover rates calculated from the spin-transfer data obtained from the systems in vitro and in situ and those obtained by conventional enzymic assays, at low enzyme concentrations. This suggested an absence of any homogeneous enzyme-enzyme interactions which modify the kinetics at high protein concentrations either in lysates or in the system in vitro.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Contralateral cerebellar hypometabolism following cerebral insult: a positron emission tomographic study.

Positron emission tomographic studies of 16 patients with cerebral ischemia and brain tumor showed asymmetries in cerebellar metabolism not encountered in 14 normal control subjects. An asymmetry was present in 62.5% of cases. The lower metabolic rate occurred in the cerebellar hemisphere contralateral to the cerebral lesion (p less than 0.001; sign test). In all cases computed tomography showed the supratentorial lesion to be unilateral and the posterior fossa contents to be unaffected. The presence of depressed cerebellar metabolism was highly associated with involvement of the contralateral parietal lobe (p less than 0.02; phi coefficient). The presence of a cerebellar abnormality was not related to the presence of any particular sign. Serial studies showed normalization of cerebellar metabolism over time. It is likely that this effect is a result of interruption of the functional interconnections between the cerebrum and the cerebellum.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Synthesis of high purity 11C labeled palmitic acid for measurement of regional myocardial perfusion and metabolism.

Palmitic acid is a major physiological substrate of the myocardium and its role in myocardial metabolism is well understood. 11C labeled palmitic acid may be used with a positron emission tomograph (PET) to obtain high contrast images of transverse sections of the heart. A rapid and reliable method for producing [11C]palmitic acid from [11C]carbon dioxide by the Grignard synthesis is described. All interfering long chain nonradioactive impurities are removed by the purification procedure. As a result, this [11C]palmitic acid may be used as a tracer for pure palmitic acid in the measurement of regional myocardial function.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Hyperuricaemia, gout and kidney function in New Zealand Maori men.

Several previous studies have demonstrated an increased prevalence of gout in New Zealand Maoris. The aetiology of the hyperuricaemia and its effect on morbidity, apart from gout, are unknown. A survey of 115 Maori men of working age revealed a history of gout in 10 (8%) and asymptomatic hyperuricaemia in 26 (23%). The relationship of hyperuricaemia with obesity was confirmed. Alcohol did not make an obvious contribution to the prevalence of hyperuricaemia. Hypertension was more common and creatinine clearance lower amongst those with gout, but not significantly so. The frequency of hypertension and mean creatinine clearance were similar to that seen in asymptomatic hyperuricaemia and normouricaemia. Urate clearance was lower in the gouty and hyperuricaemic subjects. The normouricaemic Maoris had a reduced fractional urate clearance compared with normal men elsewhere. They also excreted a relatively small proportion of hydrogen as ammonium. Both these features are characteristic of gout, and suggest that the Maoris' susceptibility to hyperuricaemia has a renal mechanism. Obesity is common amongst the Maoris and accentuates their natural tendency to hyperuricaemia.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Some circulatory responses to exercise at different times of day.

Circadian rhythms in heart rate were examined at rest, immediately pre-exercise, during submaximal and maximal exercise on a cycle ergometer, and during recovery post-exercise (N = 10). Observations were made under controlled conditions at 0300, 0900, 1500, and 2100 hours. A significant circadian rhythm was found for resting heart rate lying supine and sitting pre-exercise (P less than 0.05), peak values being measured at 1500 hours. The acrophase in the oral temperature rhythm at 1739 hours was not significantly out of phase with that of resting heart rate (P greater than 0.05). The rhythm in heart rate persisted during submaximal exercise (150 W) and at the maximal rate (P less than 0.05); the amplitude of the rhythm was attenuated at maximum. Ratings of perceived exertion at submaximal and maximal exercise intensities, and time of day (P greater than 0.05). The increment of 0.2 degrees C in oral temperature during exercise did not exhibit circadian variation (P greater than 0.05). A significant rhythm was found for recovery heart rates in minutes 2, 3, 4, and 5 post-exercise (P less than 0.05). Observations of systolic and diastolic pressures pre- and post-exercise were inconclusive. Therefore, the circadian rhythm in heart rate responses to exercise should be considered when a heart rate variable is used as a criterion in fitness testing or as an index of physiological strain.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Purification and characterization of guinea-pig chorionic gonadotrophin.

A human chorionic gonadotrophin-like protein (GF-1, 1.0 g) from the placentae of 50 guinea-pigs killed at Day 26 of gestation was purified by pH and ammonium salt fractionation followed by column chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex and filtration on Sephadex G-100. Relative to the Second International hCG standard (MRC 61/6) GF-1 had an immunological potency of 21 000 i.u./mg as measured in a specific hCG-beta radioimmunoassay and, using the ovarian ascorbic acid depletion assay, an apparent biological potency of 24 064 i.u./mg. Isoelectric focusing yielded 6 bands between pH 4.4 and 5.7 and the material comprised two non-covalently linked subunits. The Stokes' radii were 3.40 nm for the native preparation, and 2.38 nm and 3.15 nm for GF-1-alpha and GF-1-beta subunits respectively. The guinea-pig placenta therefore produces a chorionic gonadotrophin which on purification has physicochemical, biological and immunological properties similar to those of hCG.

Animals↗