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Biomedical subjects

J Baker

Publications and source records attributed to J Baker.

At least 307 records · Page 17Linked to original sources
PubMed1977

Correlation between plasma chlorpromazine and its metabolites and clinical ratings in patients with acute relapse of schizophrenic and paranoid psychosis.

Nine patients diagnosed as having acute schizophrenic psychosis were treated with chlorpromazine. Their clinical response to drug treatment was measured by the use of a clinical rating scale developed from the Present State Examination, and a nurses rating scale. Plasma levels of chlorpromazine (CPZ), 7-hydroxychlorpromazine (7OHCPZ), monodesmethylchlorpromazine (NOR1CPZ) and chlorpromazine sulphoxide (SOCPZ), were monitored during the period of hospital treatment. Correlations were made between the increase in plasma levels of drug or metabolites and improvement in the different PSE scores. These showed that the most significant correlations occurred when symptoms with high diagnostic significance for schizophrenia (Group 1) and symptoms rating perceptual disorders (P) were correlated with plasma 7OHCPZ levels in plasma samples taken before the first morning dose of CPZ. The ration of 7OHCPZ to CPZ in these samples increased significantly as clinical ratings improved, this correlation being most highly significant against the Group 1 and P scores. The ratio of 7OHPCZ to SOCPZ increased significantly only in the case of Group 1 and P scores. This indicates a preferential shift of CPZ metabolism towards the formation of the active 7OHCPZ during the period of clinical improvement.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1977

The molecular defects of alpha-thalassemia in the Filipino.

Molecular hybridization with synthetic radioactive DNA (cDNA) complementry to alpha globin mRNA sequences shows that, as in most other Southeast Asian populations, the alpha globin structural genes are deleted in Filipinos affected by the alpha-thalassemia syndromes. Thus, all 4 alpha-globin structural genes are deleted in homozygous alpha-thalassemia with hydrops fetalis, 3 and 2 structural genes are deleted in hemoglobin H disease and alpha-thalassemia-1 respectively.

DNA↗
PubMed1976

Return to work after a myocardial infarction: evaluation of planned rehabilitation and of a predictive rating scale.

This paper reports the first recorded controlled trial of cardiac rehabilitation after myocardial infarction in men of working age, viewed as a team intervention effort to facilitate the patient's return to normal work. Our results show that this intervention is helpful in returning to jobs which they can handle successfully men who would otherwise be at risk of remaining unemployed. A previously developed rating scale for predicting return to work after myocardial infarction was used and reevaluated. Employment and occupational level at admission to hospital, work history, availability of the previous job, educational level, family and social stability, age at which regular cigarette smoking commenced, and level of anxiety and depression on a personality scale proved highly predictive.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗
PubMed1976

Visual cells in the pontine nuclei of the cat.

Two hundred and thirty-two visually activated neurones were recorded in a small area of the rostral pontine nuclei of cats. The location of visually activated neurones was coextensive with the input from visual areas of cat's cortex as determined by degeneration studies. 2. Pontine visual cells could only be driven by visual stimuli. Cells responsive to somatosensory or auditory stimuli were also found in different regions in rostral pontine nuclei. They too responded to only one modality. 3. 96% of the cells were directionally selective. 4. Pontine visual cells were responsive to a wide range of stimulus speeds. Some cells responded to targets moving as fast as 1000 degrees/sec without losing directional selectivity. No pontine visual cells gave a clearly sustained response to a stationary stimulus. 5. Exact stimulus configurations were not critical. Large fields containing many spots were the most effective stimuli for 50% of the cells. Inhibition of responses depending upon stimulus dimensions, direction of movement, or location in the visual field was found for many cells. 6. Receptive field dimensions were large, ranging in size from 3 degrees X 4 degrees to more than an entire hemifield. 7. 94% of the cells had receptive fields which were centred in the contralateral hemifield. 8. 98% of the cells could be driven from both eyes. 9. The properties of the pontine visual cells suggest a corticopontocerebellar pathway sensitive to a wide range of speeds and directions of movement, but not sensitive to precise form.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1975

Genetic polymorphism in the bladder campion, Silene maritima.

A survey of protein variability has been made in wild populations of Silene maritima, a perennial outcrossing coastal plant. In the most extensively studied populations, at Beesands, six out of 21 loci were polymorphic, and the average heterozygosity was 0.153. Four polymorphic loci were studied on an extensive shingle beach at Dungeness. Three loci showed no frequency cline with distance from the sea; a fourth locus, that for adenylate kinase, showed a barely significant cline, which was not confirmed by a repeat study in the same place a year later. Five polymorphic loci were studied at Beesands along a strip of shingle beach and up a contiguous cliff. No frequency difference between the two habitats was observed. There are significant differences in allelic frequencies between localities. It is concluded that the data fail to show an association between habitat and gene frequency, although they were collected in such a way as to be capable of demonstrating such an association if it existed.

Acid Phosphatase↗
PubMed1975

Plasma concentrations of L-dopa and 3-methoxydopa and improvement in clinical ratings and motor performance in patients with Parkinsonism treated with L-dopa alone or in combination with amantadine.

Six patients with idiopathic Parkinsonism were treated with a combination of amantadine and L-dopa and after 12 to 24 weeks amantadine was replaced by placebo for a six week period in a double-blind trial. Although there was a tendency for clinical disability ratings and scores on objective ratings of motor skills to deteriorate initially after amantadine removal, there was no significant deterioration in clinical improvement or motor performance during the period of amantadine withdrawal. Amantadine withdrawal also failed to cause any significant change in plasma concentrations of L-dopa or its metabolite 3-methoxy-dopa in these patients. In a group of 27 patients seen regularly as outpatients measurements of plasma L-dopa failed to correlate significantly with either oral dose or with clinical improvement scores. The plasma concentration of 3-methoxy-dopa, however, was on average 2.8 times higher than that of L-dopa, and there was a significant correlation between plasma levels of this metabolite and clinical improvement. It is suggested that 3-methoxy-dopa may contribute significantly to the therapeutic actions of L-dopa in Parkinsonism.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1975

The measurement of regional ventilation during tidal breathing: a comparison of two methods in healthy subjects, and patients with chronic obstructive lung disease.

Regional ventilation has been measured in 17 healthy volunteers, and 24 patients with chronic obstructive lung disease during tidal breathing using 133-Xe. The wash-in and wash-out of 133-Xe were recorded by a gamma camera interfaced to a small digital computer. Regional ventilation was calculated as the distribution of tidal volume per unit lung volume-a measure of relative ventilation--and from the wash-out curves as the fractional exchange of air per second. Determination of the regional fractional exchange of air showed a significant difference between the patients with chronic obstructive lung disease and normal subjects for all regions. The distribution of tidal volume per unit lung volume did not effect such a clear separation. Significant correlations were found between the whole-lung fractional exchange of air in the patients with chronic obstructive lung disease and their FEV1 r equal 0-70, MMFR r equal 0-70, FVC r equal 0-56 and FEV1/FVC r equal 0-57. It is suggested that measurement of regional ventilation as the fractional exchange of air is more realistic than methods that determine relative ventilation or only make use of the early part of the wash-out 133-Xe.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

Human lymphoproliferative reaction to food products. Possible role in periodontal inflammation.

Extracts of corn and some nuts were found to ubiquitously stimulate both adult and newborn cord blood lymphocytes to transform and produce a factor chemotactic for monocytes. This indicates that corn and nuts contain a mitogen and are potential stimulators of the cellular immune response. The exposure of lymphocytes to this mitogen in vivo might trigger a destructive inflammatory reaction in the surrounding tissues. These findings, therefore, suggest that foods such as corn and nuts may be responsible for some periodontal abscesses and may be contributing factors to the development of intrabony alveolar lesions and chronic periodontitis.

Cell Division↗