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Biomedical subjects

J Corbett

Publications and source records attributed to J Corbett.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Induction of heat-shock proteins enhances myocardial and endothelial functional recovery after prolonged cardioplegic arrest.

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of heat-shock proteins after heat-shock stress on the post-ischemic recovery of cardiac mechanical and endothelial function following a prolonged cardiac arrest. Isolated working rat hearts were subjected to a cardioplegic arrest for 4 hours at 4 degrees C. Three groups (n = 8 in each) were studied: (1) control, (2) sham-treated, and (3) heat-shocked rats. Postischemic recovery of cardiac output and endothelial function (as percent of preischemic control values) was 57.8% +/- 2.8% and 20.8% +/- 3.9% in group 1, 50.9% +/- 4.0% and 26.3% +/- 5.9% in group 2, and 74.0% +/- 2.4% and 51.2% +/- 8.0% in group 3, respectively. Both postischemic myocardial and endothelial function were improved by heat stress.

Animals↗

Community ownership and program continuation following a health demonstration project.

Community ownership and maintenance of heart health programs was a major study goal of the Minnesota Heart Health Program (MHHP), a community-based National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute (NIH)-funded demonstration project. A partnership between the University of Minnesota and three Upper Midwest intervention communities was initiated in 1981. Local citizen boards were instrumental in planning, implementing and incorporating programs. Through an 8 year process of community organization, training and volunteer involvement, MHHP educational program responsibility was transferred to existing community-based groups and organizations. In 1989, when federal funding was withdrawn, 70% of all heart health intervention programs initiated by MHHP were being continued by local sponsors and supported by local funds. By 1992, maintenance of programs had decreased to an average 60%. Differential results of program incorporation among the three intervention communities are presented including findings on community sectors that most frequently sponsored programs. Factors that facilitate or impede local ownership are discussed. Research on longer-term maintenance of heart health programs in the three communities continues.

Community Health Services↗

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension in children: the Iowa experience.

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension is an uncommon condition in children and is seen only about once a year in a large referral hospital. Sex incidence is equal, and obesity is a feature in about one third of patients. This article reviews the 30-year experience in an institution where idiopathic intracranial hypertension in adults has been extensively studied. Symptomatic causes of intracranial hypertension and both medical and surgical therapeutic options are reviewed.

Adolescent↗

Clinical experience with iodine-123-iodophenylpentadecanoic acid.

Initial research in dogs and later research in normal volunteers and patients with coronary artery disease indicated that 123I-iodophenylpentadecanoic acid (IPPA) can provide valuable diagnostic information. This agent compared favorably to 201Tl in detecting stenosed coronary arteries and identified reversible lesions with greater frequency. Testing with both 201Tl and IPPA before and after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty produced similar results, supporting the notion that IPPA deserves inclusion among the diagnostic tools used to evaluate coronary heart disease.

Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary↗

Reduced transferrin binding in Down syndrome: a route to senile plaque formation and dementia.

Plasma transferrin binding in Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease is significantly reduced compared with age matched controls and it was thought this may help elucidate a pathological time sequence for the onset of dementia in Down syndrome. In Down syndrome, there was a reduction in gallium and aluminium transferrin binding both with age and the onset of dementia. Non-transferrin bound gallium species were identified as non-transportable phosphate or silicate. Thus, the route of entry of metals into the brain must be via a transferrin mediated complex only. A clear sequence of pathological events has been demonstrated in Down syndrome which shows the pathway to development of plaques and dementia and this is believed to have an immunological origin.

Adolescent↗

Self-injurious behavior in Rett syndrome: interactions between features of Rett syndrome and operant conditioning.

Operant and biological theories of the cause of self-injurious behavior (SIB) in people with a mental handicap are often viewed as mutually exclusive. In this single case study, interactions between features of Rett syndrome and operant conditioning as determinants of SIB are examined. Functional analysis by analog methodology indicated different functions for two forms of SIB shown by the subject: automatic reinforcement by sensory stimulation and escape from social interactions. It is suggested that features of Rett syndrome established conditions under which operant conditioning of self-injurious responding was maximized. The implications of this interaction between features of syndromes and operant conditioning for the conceptualization of the cause of SIB are discussed and it is proposed that the notion of a unitary cause of SIB is inappropriate. It is more productive to consider operant conditioning as the process that maintains responding against a background of predisposing and mediating factors which may be biologically determined.

Child, Preschool↗

Behaviour and emotional problems in three-year-old children of Asian parentage.

Three-year-old Asian children in inner Birmingham were found to have a similar prevalence of behaviour and emotional disturbance to white English children. The Asian children had fewer sleep problems than the white and their mothers had less difficulty in controlling them. There was a difference in parental attitude to difficult behaviour between the two groups and also several differences in associated social variables. In both groups there was a high level of psychological distress in the mothers of the children with behaviour problems and to a lesser extent the fathers. Implications for service provision are discussed.

Child Behavior Disorders↗

Emotional and behavioural aspects of Rett syndrome.

A survey of 107 families of children with Rett syndrome was conducted to further define the behavioural phenotype. There was a high prevalence of behavioural and emotional problems, including episodes of anxiety (76 per cent), low mood (70 per cent) and self-injurious behaviour (49 per cent). Although there was no significant difference across the age-ranges studied, there was a tendency towards a reduction in these problems with increasing age, suggesting that the behavioural phenotype in Rett syndrome varies with age. Epilepsy occurred in over half the children, but there was no clear association with behavioural and emotional problems. A number of families had established strategies for coping with their child's anxiety and mood changes.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Role of catalase and heat shock protein on recovery of cardiac endothelial and mechanical function after ischemia.

The aim of this study was to investigate the roles of heat shock proteins and catalase after heat shock stress in the recovery of cardiac mechanical and endothelial function following a prolonged ischemic, cardioplegic arrest. Isolated working rat hearts were subjected to an ischemic cardioplegic arrest for 4 hours at 4 degrees C. Six groups, each of 6 hearts, were studied: control; control treated with 3-aminotriazole, an inhibitor of catalase; sham; sham + 3-aminotriazole; heat-shocked rats; heat shocked rats + 3-aminotriazole. Postischemic recovery of cardiac output and endothelial function (as % of preischemic control values) were respectively 54.6 +/- 1.9 and 21.2 +/- 3.0 in the control group; 52.3 +/- 2.9 and 19.1 +/- 3.9 in the control + 3-aminotriazole group; 72.2 +/- 2.7 and 54.2 +/- 7.6 in the heat shocked group; and 68.0 +/- 4.0 and 21.0 +/- 5.8 in the heat shocked + 3-aminotriazole group. SDS PAGE and western blotting showed induction of heat shock proteins in the heat stressed animals. Measurement of catalase activity showed significant inhibition in the 3-aminotriazole treated groups. It is concluded that, following heat shock stress, the enhanced endothelial recovery after prolonged ischemic cardioplegic arrest is dependent on catalase activity but that this does not apply to the recovery of mechanical functional.

Amitrole↗

Psychometric assessment of psychiatric disorders in people with learning difficulties (mental handicap): a review of measures.

Instruments designed to assess psychiatric disorders in people with learning difficulties (mental handicap) were critically reviewed from a psychometric perspective. Major trends were found in the assessment of psychopathology related to DSM-III and depressive disorders although research in other areas was patchy. Although some psychometrically sophisticated measures were identified the area was characterized by an absence of important psychometric data for many measures. Future research should attend to developing assessments of schizophrenia, psycho-sexual disorders, adjustment disorders and the validation of screening procedures and instrument formats. Future studies should include more people with severe and profound learning difficulties.

Humans↗

Defective gallium-transferrin binding in Alzheimer disease and Down syndrome: possible mechanism for accumulation of aluminium in brain.

The plasma distribution of gallium (as an analogue of aluminium) was investigated in patients with Alzheimer disease, Down syndrome, or stroke dementia, in subjects on haemodialysis for chronic renal failure, and in healthy controls. Gallium-transferrin binding was significantly lower in the Alzheimer (mean [SEM] 7.9 [1.1]%) and Down syndrome groups (6.9 [0.7]%) than in the controls (17.1 [1.6]%), whereas stroke dementia and haemodialysis patients had normal binding. There were no differences among the groups in plasma citrate concentration. The plasma transferrin concentration was slightly lower in the Alzheimer and Down syndrome groups than in the controls, but even lower in stroke dementia patients (1.74 [0.14] g/l vs 2.98 [0.18] g/l in controls). Transferrin iron saturation was higher in the Alzheimer (58.9%) and Down syndrome groups (81.6%) than in the controls (39.0%) or stroke dementia patients (33.4%). This deficiency of gallium/aluminium binding would leave more unbound aluminium which could move readily into the brain, where it has neurotoxic effects.

Adult↗

Regression of left ventricular hypertrophy in hypertension. Effects of prazosin therapy.

Left ventricular hypertrophy is a common consequence of chronic hypertension. Although the hypertrophic response can be considered an adaptive mechanism in the initial stages, its progression is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality rates. Therefore, reversal of left ventricular hypertrophy may provide considerable clinical benefits to hypertensive patients. Although treatment of hypertension per se is important, blood pressure alone may not explain the course of the hypertrophic process. Not all antihypertensive drugs cause a reversal of hypertrophy, though they may produce equal effects on blood pressure. Factors other than the severity of blood pressure may play a role in the genesis of left ventricular hypertrophy. Adrenergic inhibitors cause its regression, whereas direct vasodilators may promote progression. In this study, therapy with the alpha-adrenergic inhibitor prazosin resulted in significant regression of left ventricular hypertrophy in a group of patients with moderate-to-severe hypertension. This study utilized a new technique--[123I]phenylpentadecanoic acid myocardioscintigraphy--to measure the left ventricular mass. In this study, it was shown that monotherapy with prazosin produced significant relative reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, along with significant reductions in left ventricular mass.

Blood Pressure↗