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Biomedical subjects

J French

Publications and source records attributed to J French.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Iliac vein approach to permanent pacemaker implantation.

Since July 1980, 90 patients have had 95 permanent pacemakers implanted via an iliac vein approach. An incision is made superior to the inguinal ligament and the iliac vein is cannulated with a single lead for the ventricle or two leads for the atrium and ventricle. The pulse generator is placed in the subcutaneous tissue of the abdomen lateral to the umbilicus via a second incision. Overall 28 pacemaker implants were for atrial pacing, 53 for ventricular pacing and 14 were dual chamber. Nine (21%) of the atrial leads displaced and required repositioning and 5 (7%) of the ventricular leads dislodged and required revision. Lead dislodgement, especially in the atrium, remains a major weakness of the approach, and decreases its utility. Eleven percent of the last 19 atrial leads have dislodged. Nevertheless, the method is simple to perform and is presented as an alternative to the usual pectoral implantation site.

Follow-Up Studies↗
PubMed1989

Development of positive feelings in primiparous mothers toward their normal newborns. A descriptive study.

Though mothers' development of positive feelings about their newborns is the first step in maternal attachment, little research has described factors which may influence the process. This descriptive study reports normative data for primiparous mothers with normal newborns. The authors interviewed 100 primiparous mothers on the postpartum ward within 72 hours after delivery at a community hospital to ascertain factors associated with the development of positive feelings. Over one third (39%) of mothers studied reported their first positive feeling during the prenatal period, 42 percent during birthing or the first day and 19 percent on the second or third day. A majority of mothers (70%) described their strong positive feelings toward their newborns (i.e., "love") as a sense of caring, commitment and concern. Several demographic, biological and environmental factors were associated with the development of first positive feelings in primiparous mothers. One half of mothers who planned to become pregnant developed positive feelings prenatally, while 57 percent of mothers who did not plan to become pregnant reported their first positive feelings during birth or the first day. Delay in first positive feelings until after the first day was associated with labor longer than 8 hours, disappointment with the "bonding" experience, breast-feeding, and high depressive symptoms.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Further observations on the effects of subhypnotic doses of midazolam in normal volunteers.

Our studies on the effects of subhypnotic doses of midazolam in healthy adult volunteers have been extended with special emphasis on clinical electrophysiological endpoints of sedation and attention coupled with various tests of memory. We measured the many components of the P300 event-related brain potential to infrequent (rare) tones. Midazolam HCl was given in a dose of .02 mg/kg i.v. three times at approximately 15-minute intervals after obtaining baseline electrophysiological recordings and memory test results. Marked individual variation was observed with these small doses of midazolam. Some subjects were markedly sedated, whereas others showed relatively little sedation. Electroencephalogram (EEG) beta activity increased while alpha activity decreased following midazolam. Even though the subjects given midazolam were awake, there was a striking attention deficit that correlated well with the accuracy of counting rare tones and the alterations in various components of the late auditory event-related brain potential.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Knee orthoses for valgus protection. Experiments on 11 designs with related analyses of orthosis length and rigidity.

Recent years have seen the introduction of a great many knee orthosis designs prescribed for protection against ligamentous injury or reinjury of the knee. The configurations and materials incorporated in these designs vary greatly, but all claim to be very effective. A leg model and 11 different commercially available knee orthoses were tested with static loading to obtain objective data on the relative effectiveness of the 11 designs to protect the knee from externally applied valgus moments. From these data, the effectiveness of each orthosis was calculated in terms of the rigidity contributed to the leg/orthosis combination. At a static valgus loading of 78 Nm, there was an eightfold variation in the rigidities contributed by the various knee orthoses, ranging from a low of 0.9 Nm per degree valgus to a maximum of 7.2 Nm per degree. The authors related analyses of two aspects of knee orthosis design (orthosis length and orthosis rigidity) to effectiveness in protecting against knee valgus overload injuries. Correlations were found between design inadequacies noted theoretically and efficacy problems evident from the laboratory tests. Orthosis length and orthosis rigidity must both be adequate, or the orthosis will not be biomechanically effective.

Humans↗
PubMed1988

Invitation to attend a health check in a general practice setting: comparison of attenders and non-attenders.

A sample of 1570 men and women aged 20-45 years registered with an inner-city Cardiff practice were offered the opportunity by their general practitioner to have a health check at the surgery. The demographic characteristics, attitudes, beliefs and preventive health behaviour and past contact with the practice were compared for a sample of 259 non-attenders and 216 attenders. The results showed that attenders were generally better educated, better motivated to look after their health, had fewer ties and commitments, performed more healthapproved practices, had had more recent contact with their own practice and accepted the legitimacy of a general practitioner's interest in his patients' lifestyle. Offering cohorts of patients additional screening services is unlikely to be efficient or effective since it is the low-risk people already known to the doctor who are most likely to attend. The onus lies on primary health care to provide services in a way which permits appropriate screening of the high-risk groups as they attend for other reasons.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Extracellular calcium alters frequency modulation of [3H]acetylcholine release from rat hippocampal slices.

The concentration of extracellular Ca2+ has been shown to enhance or attenuate [3H]acetylcholine (ACh) release subsequent to a conditioning stimulus in rat brain hippocampal slices. Slices were incubated in vitro in [3H]choline solution. Subsequently the slices were subjected to two consecutive electrical stimulations separated by 15 or 30 min at 0.25, 1, 4 and 16 Hz and [3H]ACh release was assessed. It was found that a conditioning stimulus may reduce [3H]ACh release during a second stimulation. This phenomenon is frequency related and disappears when the two stimulations are 30 min apart. High extracellular Ca2+ (4.0 mM) further attenuated [3H]ACh release during the second stimulation, whereas low Ca2+ (0.32 mM) abolished the decrease in [3H]ACh release following the second stimulation in all frequencies tested.

3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethy↗
PubMed1986

Situational factors related to rural adolescent alcohol use.

Factors and situations associated with alcohol use in a sample of rural junior and senior high school students are examined. Much research has shown that age, gender, grade in school, religiosity, socioeconomic status, and involvement in extracurricular activities are all related to adolescent alcohol use. The present paper looks at the relationship between these factors and situations which might be conducive to drinking (e.g., driving around in a car, before going to a party, etc.) to determine whether the factors make it more likely that an adolescent will drink in such situations. The amount of time spent in social activities was positively related to alcohol use in all situations examined except drinking at home or at dinner. The amount of time spent studying and the frequency of attending religious services were negatively related to alcohol use in the various situations. Females were also less likely to drink in the situations discussed. Policy implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Patterns of alcohol use among rural and small-town adolescents.

Much research has indicated that age, gender, grade in school, religiosity, socioeconomic status, and involvement in extracurricular activities are all related to adolescent alcohol use. However, most of such research focuses on urban youth. The present study examines patterns of rural adolescent alcohol use and factors associated with such use. The Student Alcohol Inventory was administered to 650 students in grades 7-12 in a small, middle-Atlantic town and surrounding county. The survey contained sections addressing demographic data, attitudes regarding students' alcohol use, and their parents' use. Along with standard SES measures, items were included on unemployment and receipt of government assistance. The dependent variables included age at first drink, frequency of drinking, amount of drinking, and a composite heavy-drinking index. Eighty-three percent of the respondents indicated that they had drunk alcohol and 57% had had their first drink by age 12. Gender and grade in school were significant predictors of alcohol use for all four dependent variables. Time spent in social activities was significant in predicting all but age at first drink. Religiosity was a significant predictor for only one dependent variable--age at first drink. The SES measures were also weak predictors of drinking behavior. Policy implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Achievement↗
PubMed1986

The drug abuse-delinquency connection revisited.

Ninety-one delinquent adolescents were interviewed with respect to their personal and family drug use and criminal behavior. No significant gender differences with respect to drug use were found. Females, however, committed more crimes against property than did males. The drug use-delinquency association was explored and findings indicated that subjects saw a stronger causal relationship between drug use and subsequent criminal behavior than was found in the current study or past research. A multifactorial association between drug abuse and delinquency behaviors as part of a spectrum of sociopathic personality development was supported.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

13C- and 31P-NMR studies of the conformation of carcinogen-modified nucleic acid dimers.

The effect of the carcinogen acetylaminofluorene (AAF) on nucleic acid structure was examined using 13C- and 31P-NMR spectroscopies. Conformational effects were compared in two AAF-modified dinucleoside monophosphates (ApG and GpA) and two AAF-modified deoxydinucleotides (dpApG and dpGpA). Changes in adenine 13C chemical shifts on formation of the AAF-adduct and as a function of temperature provided evidence of base stacking. Differences in fluorene 13C chemical shifts between the AAF-modified dimer and AAF-modified monomer provided evidence of fluorene stacking. The effect of forming the adduct on the phosphate backbone was examined using 31P-NMR. A correlation was demonstrated between the degree of adenine-fluorene stacking on one hand and the change in conformation of the backbone conformation on the other.

2-Acetylaminofluorene↗
PubMed1984

Descriptive epidemiology of mortality in New Jersey due to combinations of codeine and glutethimide.

A review of records of the Toxicology Laboratory of the New Jersey State Medical Examiner's Office yielded a total of 36 deaths attributable to overdose of "hits," an oral combination of codeine and glutethimide, during 1980-1981. During the same period, 126 deaths due to heroin overdose and 46 deaths due to methadone overdose occurred. The majority of hits cases (77.8%) occurred in the Newark vicinity. Demographic features of persons who died of the three agents are presented, and some explanations are advanced for the unexpectedly high mortality due to the oral narcotic combination.

Adult↗