Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

J Grace

Publications and source records attributed to J Grace.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Laterality differences in quantitative and qualitative Hooper performance.

The Hooper Visual Organization Test (HVOT) is a measure of visuospatial processing commonly employed in neuropsychological assessment. Despite the well-documented relationship between visuospatial abilities and right hemisphere function, the literature has not supported a right hemisphere association with HVOT performance. The current study was conducted to examine laterality differences in HVOT performance. Sixty-seven geriatric stroke patients (44 right CVAs, 23 left CVAs) were administered the HVOT and the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMS). Results revealed significant differences between CVA groups for total score, with right CVA patients performing more poorly. Qualitative error analyses revealed highest frequencies for part responses and don't know/no response errors. Between-group differences were seen for part and unformed/unassociated errors (higher right CVA rates), and language-based errors (higher left CVA rates). Findings are consistent with theories of brain lateralization and suggest that whereas HVOT performance predominantly involves right hemisphere functions, left hemisphere dysfunction may also lead to impaired performance, and the two can be discriminated by qualitative analysis of errors.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1996

Black breast milk due to minocycline therapy.

We report the unusual case of a 29-year-old female who developed black discoloration of breast milk 3 weeks after commencing oral minocycline therapy for acne vulgaris. Histochemical analysis of the breast milk revealed the presence of pigment particles within macrophages with iron staining characteristics. We propose that the pigment may represent an iron chelate of minocycline or one of its derivatives.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Folstein vs modified Mini-Mental State Examination in geriatric stroke. Stability, validity, and screening utility.

OBJECTIVE: Two studies were conducted with the Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination (MMS) and the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination (3MS) to examine whether the expanded version is a more useful screening tool in stroke populations. DESIGN: Clinical utility of screening tests (MMS and 3MS) was evaluated in reference to neuropsychological performance and functional outcome in rehabilitation. SETTING: Medical rehabilitation unit of university-affiliated hospital. PATIENTS: Two groups (n = 77, and n = 70) of patients who were admitted consecutively. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Neuropsychological performance and functional outcome (functional independence measure). RESULTS: The reliability, stability, and validity of the 3MS were established in the stroke population. Classification accuracy did not differ between the MMS and 3MS, although the 3MS had higher sensitivity. In detecting cognitive impairment when compared with the extended neuropsychological battery, both instruments were adequate in patients with left-sided cerebrovascular accidents and were ineffective in patients with right-sided cerebrovascular accidents. The 3MS correlated with some cognitive domains missed by the MMS, thus adding useful clinical information. Finally, the 3MS was a significantly better predictor of functional outcome than the MMS. CONCLUSIONS: The 3MS was found to be a reliable, valid, and stable cognitive screening instrument in the stroke population. Classification accuracy indicates that both screening instruments are not strong in their ability to detect cognitive impairment in patients with stroke, especially in right-sided cerebrovascular accidents. The 3MS does have some advantages over the MMS; the expanded version of the screen not only provides additional cognitive information but also allows for better predicting of functional outcome.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Deposition of fixed atmospheric nitrogen and foliar nitrogen content of bryophytes and Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull.

Atmospheric deposition of fixed nitrogen as nitrate and ammonium in rain and by dry deposition of nitrogen dioxide, nitric acid and ammonia has increased throughout Europe during the last two decades, from 2-6 kg N ha(-1) year(-1) to 15-60 kg N ha(-1) year(-1). The nitrogen contents of bryophytes and the ericaceous shrub Calluna vulgaris have been measured at a range of sites, with the objective of showing the degree to which nitrogen deposition is reflected in foliar plant nitrogen. Tissue nitrogen concentrations of herbarium bryophyte samples and current samples of the same species collected from the same sites were compared. No significant change in tissue nitrogen was recorded at a remote site in north-west Scotland where nitrogen inputs are small (< 6 kg N ha(-1) year(-1)). Significant increases in tissue N occurred at four sites ranging from 38% in central Scotland to 63% in Cumbria where nitrogen inputs range from 15 to 30 kg N ha(-1) year(-1). The relationships found between the estimated input of atmospheric nitrogen and the tissue nitrogen content of the selected bryophytes and Calluna at the sites investigated were found to be generally linear and fitted the form N(tissue) = 0.62 + 0.022 N(dep) for bryophytes and N(tissue) = 0.83 + 0.045 N(dep) for Calluna. There was thus an increase in total tissue nitrogen of 0.02 mg g(-1) dry weight for bryophytes and 0.045 mg g(-1) dry weight for Calluna for an increase in atmospheric nitrogen deposition of 1 kg ha(-1) year(-1). The lowest concentrations were found in north-west Scotland and the highest in Cumbria and the Breckland heaths of East Anglia, both areas of high atmospheric nitrogen deposition (30-40 kg N ha(-1) year(-1)). The implications of increased tissue nitrogen content in terms of vegetation change are discussed. Changes in atmospheric nitrogen deposition with time were also examined using measured values and values inferred from tissue nitrogen content of mosses. The rate of increase in nitrogen deposition is not linear over the 90-year period, and the increases were negligible over the period 1880-1915. However, during the period 1950 to 1990 the data suggest an increase in nitrogen deposition of 2 kg N ha(-1) every 10 years.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1995

Climate influences the leaf area/sapwood area ratio in Scots pine.

We tested the hypothesis that the leaf area/sapwood area ratio in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is influenced by site differences in water vapor pressure deficit of the air (D). Two stands of the same provenance were selected, one in western Scotland and one in eastern England, so that effects resulting from age, genetic variability, density and fertility were minimized. Compared with the Scots pine trees at the cooler and wetter site in Scotland, the trees at the warmer and drier site in England produced less leaf area per unit of conducting sapwood area both at a stem height of 1.3 m and at the base of the live crown, whereas stem permeability was similar at both sites. Also, trees at the drier site had less leaf area per unit branch cross-sectional area at the branch base than trees at the wetter site. For each site, the average values for leaf area, sapwood area and permeability were used, together with values of transpiration rates at different D, to calculate average stem water potential gradients. Changes in the leaf area/sapwood area ratio acted to maintain a similar water potential gradient in the stems of trees at both sites despite climatic differences between the sites.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1995

Effect of hearing enhancement on mental status ratings in geriatric psychiatric patients.

OBJECTIVE: This study looked at the impact of hearing deficits on the assessment of psychopathology in geriatric psychiatric patients. METHOD: Psychiatric functioning and speech discrimination were measured in 21 elderly psychiatric patients in a crossover design. RESULTS: Patients displayed less psychopathology when tested wearing a functioning hearing aid. CONCLUSIONS: Gradual hearing loss may confound the assessment of psychopathology in geriatric psychiatric patients.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Growth and photosynthesis of tropical forest tree seedlings (Bischofia javanica Blume) as influenced by a change in light availability.

Acclimation in seedlings of Bischofia javanica Blume, which are commonly found in canopy gaps in the moist forests of tropical Asia, to a change in light availability was examined in a controlled environment simulating forest shade and daylight. Seedlings were grown in a high (1000 micro mol m(-2) s(-1); red/far-red, 1.45) or low (40 micro mol m(-2) s(-1); red/far-red, 0.10) light regime and then transferred to the contrasting light environment for nine weeks. Control seedlings were maintained in the same light regime throughout the study. The availability of light influenced relative growth rate through morphological and physiological adjustments. Transferred seedlings retained the leaves that had been developed before transfer, and no leaf-shedding was observed till the end of the experiment. Leaves formed in the new light regime were physiologically and morphologically identical to those of the corresponding controls. High-light seedlings transferred to low light displayed significantly lower relative growth rate than the low-light controls because of a lower leaf area ratio carried over from the previous high-light environment. A reverse pattern of response with respect to relative growth rate was observed for the low-light seedlings transferred to high light compared to the high-light controls. The higher relative growth rate in the low-light seedlings transferred to high light was the result of higher net assimilation rate and higher leaf area ratio. The higher leaf area ratio in the low-light seedlings transferred to high light was the consequence of the effects of previous environment, and the relatively lower net assimilation rate in the high-light control seedlings was, at least partly, due to the effects of self-shading rather than to the photosynthetic capacity of the leaves. The results suggest that the species has a wide acclimation potential to a change in light availability that might occur in nature following gap creation or canopy closure.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1993

Malignant transformation of osteoblastoma: study using image analysis microdensitometry.

AIM: To determine if the malignant transformation, as perceived histologically, in a case of osteoblastoma from the right femur, was also expressed as a quantitative change in nuclear DNA during tumour progression over five months. METHODS: Nuclear DNA microdensitometry by computer image analysis was used to acquire relative DNA distribution patterns. Tissue had been removed on four separate occasions from a lesion in the right femur of an 18 year old man. Retrospective DNA analysis was performed on formalin fixed, paraffin wax-embedded tissue. RESULTS: The DNA profile of the initial biopsy specimen, which was histologically diagnosed as osteoblastoma, was euploid with a near diploid (2c) modal DNA. The second biopsy specimen taken one month later also resembled osteoblastoma but showed an aneuploid DNA profile with a diploid modal DNA and some nuclei with ploidy greater than 5c. The third biopsy specimen taken four months later showed histological evidence of osteosarcoma and a near pentaploid (5c) modal DNA with large number of nuclei exceeding 5c. CONCLUSIONS: DNA microdensitometry confirmed the initial and final diagnosis. The technique also seems to be capable of detecting aneuploidy before malignancy is morphologically evident.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Detection of aneuploidy and polyploidy in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma by computer video image analysis.

Thirty-six cases of histologically intermediate and low grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, classified according to the International Working Formulation, were examined using image analysis cytometry. Aneuploidy was detected in 21 cases (58%). No significant difference in either the incidence or extent of aneuploidy was seen for cases that entered remission when compared to cases that did not. Bone marrow examinations, by either aspiration or trephine biopsy, were conducted on 34 cases, with 11 showing lymphocytic infiltration. Aneuploidy was detected in 6 of the 11 cases having bone marrow involvement, while 5 cases with bone marrow infiltration were euploid. Polyploid cell distributions were detected in 3 cases, and the remaining 12 cases were diploid. The biologic significance of polyploidy among non-Hodgkin's lymphomas is not well understood, and its detection is limited to static techniques for DNA quantitation. With further investigation, awareness of its presence may reveal some insight into the clonal evolution of this neoplasm.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Application of low magnification image analysis cytometry to prostatic tissue.

Determination of the volume percentage of epithelial tissue present in prostatic tissue samples obtained by transurethral resection presents difficulties for high magnification (0.2-0.5 microns per pixel) measurement techniques due to the random orientation of tissue fragments when sectioned and the necessity of having to select "representative" areas for measurement. A low magnification (110 microns per pixel) image analysis technique was used to overcome these difficulties by allowing measurement of the epithelial tissue component to be made from the entire area of tissue available for microscopic examination. This technique which utilizes standard hematoxylin and eosin preparations was applied to 89 consecutive cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia, with measurement times of four mins per slide being obtained. Replicate measurement of 20 of these samples showed an average absolute difference between replicates of +/- 5.1 percent epithelial tissue. This method thus offers a simple, fast and practical alternative to high magnification methods of estimating the volume percentage of epithelial tissue when the selection of "representative" areas for measurement is complicated by specimen heterogeneity or when large numbers of specimens must be examined.

Epithelium↗
PubMed1992

Emotional dysfunction in a geriatric population: staff observations and patients' reports.

This study was designed to determine the following about a geriatric rehabilitation population: (1) the relationship between patients' self-reports of depression and anxiety and staff observations of compromised participation in treatment secondary to emotional dysfunction; (2) the relationship of observations among different disciplines; and (3) changes that may occur to staff observations during the patient's hospitalization. The Geriatric Depression Scale, the depression and anxiety subtests of the Brief Symptom Inventory, and the Modified Mini-Mental State Exam were administered to geriatric patients on admission to and discharge from two DRG-exempt acute rehabilitation units. In addition, day nurses, evening nurses, occupational therapists, and physical therapists rated the same geriatric patients on how frequently their emotional functioning interfered with rehabilitation. Significant correlations were obtained between staff observations and patients' reports of emotional dysfunction, with occupational therapists' ratings generally the most highly correlated with patients' reports. At admission, day and evening nurses reported significantly greater patient emotional dysfunction than did occupational therapists, who reported significantly greater emotional dysfunction than did physical therapists. These differences, however, were not evident by time of discharge. Thus, staff members can provide reliable information to mental health professionals in determining the effect of emotional functioning on rehabilitation participation. However, level of compromised participation secondary to emotional dysfunction reported by staff appears to be contingent on which rehabilitation discipline is asked and when during the patient's hospitalization the inquiry is made. Also, patients who generally participated less in treatment tended to be older, depressed women with less education and greater cognitive impairment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1991

Breast cancer diagnosis by screening mammography: early results of the Central Sydney Area Health Service Breast X-ray Programme.

The Central Sydney Area Health Service (CSAHS) Breast X-ray Programme is a pilot mammography screening project for breast cancer detection funded by the NSW Government. Screening by two-view mammography is carried out in a mobile van and is offered free to women aged over 45 years living in the CSAHS region, the inner western suburbs of Sydney. In the first 18 months of operation from March 1988, 7193 women were screened: 99 women underwent excision biopsy and 53 cancers were diagnosed. This is an overall detection rate of seven cancers per thousand women screened. Sixty per cent of the cancers were impalpable to the examining surgeon; 19% of all cancers were shown to have axillary node metastasis at the time of diagnosis. These results compare well with those of the major European screening studies.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Benign prostatic hyperplasia--video image analysis and its relationship to androgen and epidermal growth factor receptor expression.

Androgens are essential for the development and maintenance of the prostate. However, prostatic growth may be mediated by epidermal growth factor (EGF) and the expression of the EGF receptor (EGFR) may be influenced by the androgenic milieu. We have characterized the expression of cytosolic androgen receptor (ARc), nuclear salt extractable androgen receptor (ARn) and EGFR in 89 consecutive cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia, 84 of which were treated by transurethral prostatic resections. Image analysis morphometry was performed on the histological sections to determine the epithelial content of the gland. Our results indicate that there is a vast heterogeneity of receptor expression in benign prostatic hyperplasia. Expression of ARc ranged from zero to 1312 fmol/gm. tissue (mean +/- SD 265 +/- 290), ARn ranged from zero to 531 fmol/gm. tissue (mean +/- SD 145 +/- 98) and EGFR ranged from zero to 316 fmol/gm. tissue (mean +/- SD 121 +/- 76). A statistically significant association was found between expression of ARn and EGFR, and these were both significantly correlated with the epithelial content of the gland.

Cell Nucleus↗
PubMed1991

Primary renal carcinoid--case report.

Carcinoid tumour is a rare cause of a renal mass. Only fourteen cases have been reported since it was first described in 1966. This case illustrates most of the commoner features.

Carcinoid Tumor↗
PubMed1991

An unusual cutaneous lymphoma with B and T cell characteristics showing gallium-67 positive benign thymic hyperplasia following intensive chemotherapy.

This case illustrates two interesting features. Firstly it describes an unusual cutaneous lymphoma in an adolescent girl. This lymphoma showed features of B and T cell lineages with rearrangements of both immunoglobulin heavy chain and T cell beta chain genes. Secondly it describes the development of gallium-67 citrate (67Ga) scan positive benign thymic hyperplasia, 15 months after diagnosis and three months after cessation of intensive chemotherapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Factors associated with clinical and sub-clinical anal human papillomavirus infection in homosexual men.

OBJECTIVES: (I) to determine the relative sensitivities of clinical examination, cytology and HPV DNA hybridisation for the detection of anal human papillomavirus infection; and (ii) to examine various factors which may influence presentation of anal human papillomavirus infection in homosexual men. METHODS AND RESULTS: 112 unselected homosexual men attending a Sydney STD clinic for routine screening underwent a complete anogenital and physical examination, during which blood samples (for haematological, serological and immunological investigations), rectal swabs (for culture of anal pathogens) and anal scrapes of the dentate line (for cytology and HPV DNA hybridisation) were collected. Papanicolaou-stained anal smears were examined for cytological abnormalities, including those indicative of HPV infection or anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN). HPV DNA was detected by high stringency dot hybridisations using radiolabelled HPV 6, 11, 16 and 18 DNA probes. Visible anal condylomata, situated either externally or in the anal canal, were present in 26% of these men; 46% had cytological evidence of HPV infection, and 19% of the smears showed evidence of mild to moderate dysplastic changes (AIN I-II). Detectable HPV DNA was present in 40% of the anal scrapes. By combining these results, a total of 73 men (65%) were found to have at least one of the indicators of HPV infection. These data, together with that relating to HIV antibody, immune status and past or present infection with other STDs, was correlated with information obtained from a questionnaire administered to the patients at the time of their clinical examination. CONCLUSIONS: In this study cytology was found to be slightly more sensitive than HPV DNA dot hybridisation for the detection of HPV infection in the anal canal, providing the full range of HPV-associated cytological changes were accepted as a basis for diagnosis. Clinical anal lesions were more likely to be detected in young men, men who had symptomatic HIV infection and those with a history of past anal wart infection. The latter group also had a higher incidence of cytologically apparent HPV infection in their anal smears. There was a significant association between the detection of HPV 16/18 and the presence of anal dysplasia, but there were no significant correlations between HPV infection or anal dysplasia and HIV antibody, immune function status, sexual practices or history of other STDs.

Adolescent↗