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Biomedical subjects

J Carr

Publications and source records attributed to J Carr.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Reduction in the length of the intravesical ureter associated with pyelonephritis in the adult pig.

The ureterovesical junction of pigs with cystitis and pyelonephritis was examined. There was significant shortening of the intravesical portion of the ureter in sows with pyelonephritis. In cases associated with acute pyelonephritis the ureteric orifice was found to be significantly wider than that found in the normal population. The ratio of the intravesical length to the ureteric orifice diameter was also significantly reduced. It is postulated that these changes to the ureterovesical junction originate or are caused by the disease processes in the bladder and may allow vesicoureteric reflux to occur, leading to ascending pyelonephritis.

Animals

A holistic approach to vaso-occlusive pain crisis in children with sickle cell disease.

A significant number of children with sickle cell disease suffer from episodes of acute recurrent vaso-occlusive pain crisis. Unfortunately, very limited published information is available about specific pain management practices used for these patients. There is even less information available on the use of an interdisciplinary approach for management of sickle cell crisis pain. The purpose of this article is to review the genetic cellular pathophysiology, the sickling process, vaso-occlusive crisis, and management of pain associated with sickle cell disease in children. The article further examines an interdisciplinary approach for the management of vaso-occlusive pain crisis.

Anemia, Sickle Cell

Use of non-orthodox and conventional health care in Great Britain.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the characteristics of patients using non-orthodox health care and their pattern of use of conventional health care with respect to a particular problem. DESIGN: Postal survey of all 2152 practitioners of acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathy, naturopathy, and osteopathy identified from 11 national professional association registers. Patients attending a representative sample of 101 responding practitioners completed questionnaires covering demographic characteristics, presenting problems, and use of the health service. SETTING: Practices of practitioners of non-orthodox health care in England, Scotland, and Wales. SUBJECTS: Qualified, non-medical practitioners of non-orthodox health care working in Great Britain and 2473 patients who had attended one of the sampled practitioners in an allocated time period between August 1987 and July 1988. RESULTS: An estimated 1909 practitioners were actively practising one of the study treatments in Great Britain in 1987. Of the estimated 70,600 patients seen by this group of practitioners in an average week, most (78%) were attending with a musculoskeletal problem. Two thirds of the patients were women. Only 2% were aged under 16, but 15% were aged 65 or over. One in three patients had not received previous conventional care for their main problem; 18% were receiving concurrent non-orthodox and conventional care. Twenty two per cent of the patients reported having seen their general practitioner for any reason in the two weeks before the surveyed consultation. CONCLUSIONS: Patients of non-orthodox health care, as provided by this group of practitioners, had not turned their backs on conventional health care. Non-orthodox treatment was sought for a limited range of problems and used most frequently as a supplement to orthodox medicine.

Adolescent

The pattern of care in families of adults with a mental handicap: a comparison between families of autistic adults and Down syndrome adults.

The pattern of care in 39 families with a mentally handicapped adult member, 20 with Down syndrome, 19 with autism, was studied. There were no significant differences between the mothers, the fathers, or the siblings of Down syndrome and autistic adults in the amount of help offered with physical care, domestic tasks, and supervision duties. However, the brunt of caring fell upon the mothers, with fathers helping mainly with supervision rather than physical care or domestic tasks. Siblings offered less help than fathers. The autistic subjects exhibited significantly more behavior problems. Methods of coping with problems differed: Parents of autistic adults were more likely to "give in" and less likely to tell the handicapped person to stop than parents of Down syndrome adults.

Activities of Daily Living

Age and health perceptions among elderly blacks.

1. By the year 2000, minority group members will comprise 20% of the total elderly population. Three million blacks will be 65 years or older by that time. 2. Many health-care providers have limited knowledge, experience, or understanding of the minority perspective as it relates to those decisions that influence the health and illness behaviors of this underserved group. 3. A person's self-perception of his physical and mental abilities, as well as his own health status, will influence his willingness to seek and accept help. 4. Interacting with the black elderly about age and health perceptions can allow nurses to demonstrate personal interest, obtain pertinent health-related data, and gain insights into the coping strategies that these individuals have successfully used for long periods.

Black or African American

Facial myokymia in syringobulbia.

A patient with a 2-year history of progressive ataxia and tingling in the right hand had prominent facial myokymia. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed syringomyelia and syringobulbia. After successful syringosubarachnoid shunting, the patient died of massive pulmonary embolism. Postmortem examination revealed a syrinx involving the spinal cord and lower half of the medulla; neither the facial nucleus nor facial nerve fibers were directly involved. We hypothesize that interruption of aberrant corticobulbar fibers in the medulla produced disinhibition of a rhythmic neural generator in the facial nucleus.

Adult

HTLV-I viral-associated myelopathy after blood transfusion in a multiple trauma patient.

This may be the first documented case in the United States and in the orthopedic literature of transfusion-transmitted human T-cell leukemia virus Type I (HTLV-I)-associated myelopathy (HAM). Progressive myelopathy occurred in a 58-year-old white man with serologic and molecular evidence of HTLV-I infection after multiple trauma and subsequent transfusion with multiple units of banked blood products. Symptoms of myelopathy occurred 15 months after the transfusions. Myelopathy from HTLV-I infection simulates a disorder of orthopedic interest. Physicians should be aware of the symptoms of HAM and unexplained myelopathy.

HTLV-I Antibodies

Lymphatic metastasis of tumour; persistent transport of cells.

A model of lymphatic metastasis established by injecting Walker rat carcinoma cells into the rat footpad was used to study the output of tumour cells from the footpad. The lymphatic efferent from the footpad was cannulated in a group of rats with advanced neoplasm; it was shown that the output of tumour cells was continuous over periods up to 90 min and ranged from 10(2)-10(5) cells/min.

Animals

Mill effect and dose-response relationships in byssinosis.

Four hundred and eighty-six textile workers in three cotton mills and one wool/synthetic mill were studied for symptoms and functional effects of workroom exposure to dust. Byssinosis was found in 5.7% of 386 cotton workers, with an apparent threshold level of 0.5 mg cotton dust/m3 of air. Mean post-shift functional declines were greater in workers exposed to greater than or equal to 0.2 mg/m3. Workers with byssinosis were unequally distributed, however, with respect to job category and mill; and these variables, rather than current dust exposure levels, accounted for the observed distribution of byssinosis prevalence rates. Variation in biological potency of different samples of cotton dust could be responsible for 'mill effect', the residual variation in response rates by mill after controlling for variation due to dust exposure. A number of other potential influencing variables that are likely to be distributed unequally by mill should also be considered. Mill effect should be assessed in large-scale studies of byssinosis, most of which have analysed biological response rates by combining mill and other variables to examine first-order effects of dust dosage. In such analyses, much of the observed variability may be due to factors other than dust dosage.

Air Pollutants, Occupational

Successful use of a left ventricular assist device in cardiogenic shock from massive postoperative myocardial infarction.

A 41-year-old man underwent an uneventful aorta-coronary bypass for unstable angina pectoris. Four hours later, a massive anterior wall myocardial infarction resulted in cardiac arrest. Conventional resuscitative means were not effective. A left ventricular assist device (LVAD) was successfully employed for 94 hours. The patient is alive and well 8 months postoperatively.

Adult

Respiratory health and dust levels in cottonseed mills.

Four cottonseed mills in the southern United States contained high levels of total and respirable dust. A survey of 172 workers showed low prevalences of byssinosis (2-3%) and chronic bronchitis (4%). Mean baseline (out of dust) lung function values were normal. Mean functional declines over the working shift were present on Monday and absent on Friday, indicating an acute bronchoconstrictor response. Despite limitations in translating measured dust levels into estimates of individual exposures, the overall dose-response relationship seems to differ from that found in the cotton textile industry.

Adult

Peripheral arterial disease: assessment by arteriography and alternative noninvasive measurements.

In most centers arteriography is the sole method used to investigate peripheral arterial disease. In view of the availability of other noninvasive techniques, this practice must be reappraised. Among 3,000 patients with peripheral arterial disease, 40% of those undergoing arteriography were found unsuitable for reconstructive arterial surgery primarily because of poor arterial runoff. Noninvasive assessment techniques are discussed, including sequential arterial scanning with Doppler ultrasound. In a single-blind comparison of Doppler ultrasound scanning and arteriography, findings by ultrasound were confirmed by arteriography in 265 of 267 examinations. Blood pressure measurements in the limbs as well as fluorescence and radioisotope clearance studies also provide valuable information. It is recommended that a more rational approach to the assessment of peripheral arterial disease be considered, particularly in elderly patients, to safeguard against undue discomfort and risk. Arteriography should be reserved for patients undergoing reconstructive surgical procedures.

Aged