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Biomedical subjects

H Williams

Publications and source records attributed to H Williams.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Human immunodeficiency viruses in patients attending a sexually transmitted disease clinic in London, 1982-7.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in all patients attending a London sexually transmitted disease clinic over four weeks at the end of 1987 and to see how it varied from that in similar samples studied between 1982 and 1986. DESIGN: Anonymous testing of serum samples from consecutive heterosexual and homosexual patients having routine serological investigations for syphilis. Testing was for anti-HIV-I, anti-HIV-II, and hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) and P24 antigen. Age, nationality, sexual orientation, and past sexually transmitted diseases were recorded for each patient. Gonorrhoea rates by quarters were analysed among homosexual and bisexual men and heterosexual men and women from 1981 to 1987. SETTING: Outpatient department of genitourinary medicine. PATIENTS: A total of 1074 patients attending consecutively for syphilis serology. Thirty five homosexual and bisexual men were excluded (these were regular attenders as part of a prospective study of the natural course of HIV infection). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The prevalence of anti-HIV-I in homosexual and bisexual men in 1987 was 25.6% (64/250). Results in the same clinic population between 1982 and 1984 had shown a rise in prevalence, which flattened out in 1985-6 and continued at that level. Among heterosexual attenders in 1987 the prevalence of anti-HIV-I was 1% (women 4/412; men 4/377), which contrasted with a prevalence of 0.5% (women 2/395; men 3/757) in January 1986. One homosexual man was seropositive for anti-HIV-II and seronegative for anti-HIV-I. Among homosexual and bisexual men the rate of gonorrhoea had declined by an average of 2.7% a year since 1981, such that by 1987--and for the first time in the clinic--there was no significant difference in the rates between these men and heterosexual men and women. CONCLUSIONS: The appearance of HIV-I infection among heterosexuals indicates a need for more aggressive education programmes and intervention strategies along the lines adopted for homosexual men. Surveillance for HIV-II infection is needed to provide information for future policy in national screening programmes.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1989

Tanning-bed lentigines: ultrastructural and histopathologic features.

The development of unusual melanocytic lesions after exposure to UVA tanning beds has been reported recently. We studied one such case with the use of light and electron microscopy and found the appearance similar to the lentigines that may occur after psoralen photochemotherapy. Histologically, some melanocytes showed mild nuclear atypia. Ultrastructural examination showed features similar to those of other forms of lentigo.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Timbre control in zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) song syllables.

Zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) song syllables often include harmonically related frequency components. These harmonics may be suppressed, and this differential emphasis varies between the syllables in a song and between individual birds' songs. These patterns of harmonic suppression are timbre. Individual syllables' patterns of harmonic suppression are constant with adult males' songs. Young males that imitate the songs of older males also imitate their patterns of harmonic suppression. Syringeal denervation distorts these patterns, which suggests that they are produced through active control of the vocal organ. The selective suppression and emphasis of some harmonics creates a great number of possible timbre variants for any one syllable. These add signal diversity to the limited array of frequency modulations and range of fundamental frequencies found in zebra finch song. Analyses of bird song that disregard timbre may overlook a feature that is important in vocal communication.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Biotin-labelled antigen screening test for toxoplasma IgM antibody.

A method for the simple preparation of biotin-labelled toxoplasma antigen was used with avidin peroxidase in an IgM-capture enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (BAM-ELISA). Although the overall predictive value of a positive result was only 38%, its low cost and 100% sensitivity makes it a very suitable screening test. Positive results can be confirmed by an alternative assay, thus providing a more economical and effective diagnostic service than either screening all sera by a commercial test or selecting sera for IgM testing.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Pneumocystis carinii antibody testing.

Sera from blood donors and patients from all over Scotland were examined by indirect immunofluorescence using Pneumocystis carinii antigen from infected rat lung. Antibody was found in 76 of 488 (15.6%) of patients tested on clinical grounds but in only 13 of 148 (8.8%) blood donors. The antibody rates were higher in disease groups likely to have or develop P carinii pneumonia: in those with histologically confirmed or strongly suspected P carinii pneumonia the rate was 14 of 24 (58.3%); in those who had undergone transplantation eight of 24 (33.3%); in those who were immunosuppressed five of 16 (31.2%); in those who were human immunodeficiency virus antibody (HIV) positive 11 of 43 (25.6%); in those with malignancy 34 of 233 (14.6%); and in those with chest infection 10 of 85 (11.7%). P carinii pneumonia was confirmed or likely in four of 45 (8.8%) patients with titres of 1/8-1/16 and in three of seven (42.8%) in those with titres of greater than or equal to 1/128. Seroconversion or rising titre was detected in seven of 13 (53.8%) cases of confirmed or likely P carinii pneumonia compared with 10 of 93 (10.7%) in other patients. Diagnosis of P carinii infection can therefore be assisted by positive immunofluorescence results, but negative serology does not exclude infection.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Teaching Zimbabwean medical students an awareness of hidden psychological disorder in an urban outpatient setting.

A one-week attachment to an urban primary health care clinic was introduced into the eight-week psychiatric teaching block for fourth (penultimate) year medical students at the University of Zimbabwe. Its objective was to alert students to underlying psychological disorder in patients presenting, at primary health care level, with physical symptomatology. Students were required to screen patients using a 20-item questionnaire, take a psychosocial history of all high-scoring patients, and make one home visit. The attachment proved both popular and valuable, and it is anticipated that this will now become an integral part of the psychiatric teaching block.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Melatonin and light treatment of ewes for autumn lambing.

Forty spring lambing adult, and 24 unbred yearling, Suffolk crossbred ewes were allocated to 3 groups. Group I and II were maintained on 18L: 6D and Group III on Local light (51 degrees 42' N) during 24 Feb-13 April. During 13 April-11 July Group I changed to 9L: 15D and Groups II and III were group fed a diet containing melatonin and providing 3 mg/ewe at 16.00 hrs daily. A further 20 adult ewes, Group IV and V were maintained on Local light during 24 Feb-13 April; Group IV was transferred to 9L: 15D and Group V remained on Local light during 13 April-11 July. The ewes were exposed to vasectomised rams from the time of weaning on 3 June. All ewes were housed until 11 July and then remained at pasture thereafter. The performance of the yearling ewes was as follows - % Keel-marked during 11-28 follows: Group I - 90.0; Group II - 100.0: Group III 92.3; Group IV - 50.0; Group V - 10.0. There were no significant differences between Groups I, II and III. The following percentage of adult ewes lambed during 3-23 December - 66.7; 85.7; 69.2; 20.0 and 0.0 for Groups I - V respectively. Groups I, II and III were significantly higher than Group V. The performance of the yearling ewes was as follows - % keel-marked during 11-28 July: Group I - 100.0; Group II - 66.7; Group III - 22.2. The following percentage of yearling ewes lambed during 3-23 December - 50.0; 44.4 and 11.1 for Group I - III respectively. An assessment of these data in relation to autumn lambing is presented in the paper.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Three models of social work intervention with tuberculosis patients.

Modern tuberculosis intervention emphasizes patient compliance with a medical regimen, but it neglects the need to change socioeconomic factors that contribute to the persistence of this disease. Currently, social workers rarely work with tuberculosis patients, although social work methods may be more appropriate for groups who resist the medical approach. Three models of social work intervention with a primarily black, low-income, tuberculosis population are described. The models emphasize community organization, case consultation, and medical social work methods, respectively.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Intracranial hemorrhage in small-for-gestational-age neonates: comparison with weight-matched appropriate-for-gestational-age infants.

In a comparative study of 93 small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants against 93 weight-matched, appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) neonates, the SGA group exhibited a significantly lower incidence of periventricular-intraventricular type intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) at the first ultrasound scan than did the AGA neonates (9/93 vs 21/93; p less than 0.02). This apparent advantage was no longer maintained in later scans of the first week (16/93 vs 27/93; NS), despite the fact that the SGA group were 4 weeks advanced in gestational age and had fewer respiratory problems than the AGA controls. It is prudent, therefore, to follow SGA infants closely for ICH by repeat ultrasound examinations even if the first scan is negative. Evaluation of the subgroup of SGA infants with ICH against the total SGA population revealed lower admission body temperature and Apgar scores, and higher incidence of asphyxia, resuscitation, and mortality. The above observations in SGA infants with ICH and the lack of a similar trend between the AGA infants with ICH and the total AGA population suggest that SGA status, hypothermia, and ICH are interrelated. Hypothermia, therefore, can be used as a convenient marker for the possibility of ICH in low birth weight SGA infants. The authors' data is consistent with the view that hypothermia and ICH are both the consequences of perinatal asphyxia in SGA infants and probably reflect the magnitude of stormy perinatal events.

Apgar Score↗
PubMed1987

Long term use of enalapril in the treatment of patients with congestive heart failure.

Fifty-five patients of both sexes, aged 39-72, suffering from congestive heart failure of varying aetiology were admitted to a double blind study in which enalapril given in a dose of 5-10 mg twice daily or placebo was added to existing medication. A significant increase in exercise performance (P less than 0.004) was seen in the group treated with enalapril, an improvement which was still evident after 24 weeks of therapy. No significant difference was seen between the mean ejection fractions but subjective assessment suggested improvement in the enalapril-treated group.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Intracranial hemorrhage in low-birth-weight twins during neonatal period.

Since twins have a higher incidence of premature birth, fetal distress, asphyxia and other pre- and intrapartum high-risk factors, it is reasonable to expect that they may be vulnerable to intracranial hemorrhage. Forty-seven pairs of low-birth-weight twins were studied during the newborn period by serial cranial ultrasound. The comparisons of groups, based on birth order, relative size of the neonates, and the mode of delivery, showed no significant differences in the incidence of intracranial hemorrhage between first and second twins, smaller and larger twins, or vaginal and cesarean delivery. However, the comparison based on the presentation of the infant revealed a significantly higher number of intracranial hemorrhages within the first week of life in the breech group than in the cephalic presentation group. The adverse effect of breech presentation on intracranial hemorrhage did not appear to be mediated by the well recognized risk factors such as lower gestational age, lower Apgar scores, and higher incidence of respiratory distress syndrome and assisted ventilation. Since most of the twins with ICH had breech presentation and were delivered by cesarean section, this mode of delivery does not seem to protect the twins with breech presentation from intracranial hemorrhage.

Breech Presentation↗
PubMed1987

Hyperventilation and Raynaud's disease.

A 42 year old woman with long standing Raynaud's disease, unresponsive to medical and surgical treatment, was noted to have a typical history of the hyperventilation syndrome. Rewarming of the hands following cold challenge was markedly prolonged in the presence of hypocapnia. It is suggested that hyperventilation may have an aetiological role in maintaining digital artery spasm in Raynaud's disease, which would benefit from recognition and treatment.

Adult↗