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Biomedical subjects

J Harvey

Publications and source records attributed to J Harvey.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

Low back pain in young athletes. A practical approach.

Lumbar spine pain accounts for 5 to 8% of athletic injuries. Although back pain is not the most common injury, it is one of the most challenging for the sports physician to diagnose and treat. Factors predisposing the young athlete to back injury include the growth spurt, abrupt increases in training intensity or frequency, improper technique, unsuitable sports equipment, and leg-length inequality. Poor strength of the back extensor and abdominal musculature, and inflexibility of the lumbar spine, hamstrings and hip flexor muscles may contribute to chronic low back pain. Excessive lifting and twisting may produce sprains and strains, the most common cause of low back pain in adolescents. Blows to the spine may create contusions or fractures. Fractures in adolescents from severe trauma include compression fracture, comminuted fracture, fracture of the growth plate at the vertebral end plate, lumbar transverse process fracture, and a fracture of the spinous process. Athletes who participate in sports involving repeated and forceful hyperextension of the spine may suffer from lumbar facet syndrome, spondylolysis, or spondylolisthesis. The large sacroiliac joint is also prone to irritation. The signs and symptoms of disc herniation in adolescents may be more subtle than in adults. Disorders simulating athletic injury include tumours and inflammatory connective tissue disease. Often, however, a specific diagnosis cannot be made in the young athlete with a low back injury due to the lack of pain localisation and the anatomic complexity of the lumbar spine. A thorough history and physical examination are usually more productive in determining a diagnosis and guiding treatment than imaging techniques. Diagnostic tests may be considered, though, for the adolescent athlete whose back pain is severe, was caused by acute trauma, or fails to improve with conservative therapy after several weeks. Radiographs, bone scanning, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging may help identify, or exclude serious pathology. Fortunately, the majority of cases of low back pain in adolescents respond to conservative therapy. Immediate treatment of an acute injury, such as a sprain or strain, includes cryotherapy, electrogalvanic stimulation, anti-inflammatory medications and gentle exercises. Prolonged bed rest should be avoided since atrophy may occur rapidly. Strong analgesics are also usually contraindicated, except for sleep, since they mask pain and may allow overvigorous activity. Early strengthening exercises include the Williams flexion exercises and/or McKenzie extension exercises. Both exercise motions may often be prescribed. Athletes with an acute disc herniation, however, should only perform extension exercises initially. Athletes with spondylolysis, spondylolisthesis and facet joint irritation should initially be limited to flexion exercises.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adolescent↗

Phase I study of oral spirogermanium.

Thirty-three patients with advanced malignancy were treated with oral spirogermanium in a Phase I study to determine a maximum tolerated dose. Patients were entered in the study at doses of 100, 200, and 300 milligrams daily. The dose-limiting toxicity was gastrointestinal with moderate nausea and vomiting occurring with the 300 milligram dose. No myelosuppression or renal dysfunction was noted. Elevations of serum transaminase were seen in 41 percent of the patients at study entry. While abnormalities in hepatic function were recorded during the study, the relationship to spirogermanium could not be determined. No patient exhibited clinical hepatic dysfunction or elevation of serum bilirubin. It is recommended that future studies of oral spirogermanium incorporate careful monitoring of these parameters. Two patients with lymphoproliferative disorders had objective responses to therapy. A dose of 200 milligrams is recommended for further Phase II trials.

Administration, Oral↗

Clinical and laboratory findings in the Paul-Bunnell negative glandular fever-fatigue syndrome.

Forty-one patients with recurrent fatigue were studied for evidence of symptom clustering, abnormal laboratory findings and infection with novel viruses. Symptom enquiry and investigations were repeated 4 months later. Four patients were found to have diseases compatible with their symptoms. In those remaining, an initial acute onset of symptoms was associated with an intermittent course, tender glands and a raised number of T suppressor lymphocytes. Raised numbers of T suppressor lymphocytes at follow-up correlated with resolution of symptoms. Antibodies to human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) were found in 75% of the patients as compared to 53% of a control group and more patients than controls were strongly seropositive. Some patients with chronic fatigue have a pattern of illness which suggests glandular fever, although acute infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is not demonstrated. Primary or reactivation infection with HHV-6 may have a role in this syndrome.

Adolescent↗

Effect of magnesium citrate and magnesium oxide on the crystallization of calcium salts in urine: changes produced by food-magnesium interaction.

The effect of magnesium citrate and magnesium oxide on urinary biochemistry and on the crystallization of calcium salts was examined in 7 normal subjects and 4 patients with recurrent calcium oxalate nephrolithiasis. When magnesium citrate or magnesium oxide was administered on an empty stomach (10 mEq. 4 times per day or 486 mg. magnesium per day for 2 weeks) urinary magnesium increased by only 77 to 79 mg. per day and urinary citrate increased by 98 to 142 mg. per day. However, urinary calcium increased by 21 to 25 mg. per day. No significant changes were noted in urinary saturation of calcium oxalate or brushite or in the limit of metastability (formation product) of these salts. However, when magnesium salts were provided with meals there were more prominent increases in urinary magnesium (by 92 to 96 mg. per day) and in citrate (by 218 to 226 mg. per day). Moreover, urinary oxalate decreased. Owing to these changes the urinary saturation of calcium oxalate decreased and the formation product increased. If magnesium citrate and magnesium oxide are to be used in the management of recurrent calcium oxalate nephrolithiasis, they should be administered with meals.

Adult↗

Nitrendipine therapy in asthmatic subjects.

Nitrendipine was given to eight patients with chronic stable asthma prior to a histamine challenge study and compared in a double-blind cross-over fashion with placebo. There were no significant differences in either the bronchoconstrictor effects of histamine, or in oxygen saturation during the histamine challenges, suggesting that nitrendipine should be safely tolerated if used to treat hypertension in patients with airflow obstruction.

Adult↗

Isolation and identification of staphylococci from milk powders produced in Northern Ireland.

Milk powders (37 samples) from five different processing centres (A, B, C, D and E) were examined for total viable counts, total staphylococcal counts and staphylococcal enterotoxins. All powders from centres A, B and C contained low numbers of total viable bacteria and staphylococci but five from centres D and E had high total and staphylococcal counts. Nine different staphylococcal species were encountered in low count powders with a wide range of species occurring at each of the five centres. Three species (Staphylococcus capitis, Staph, saprophyticus and Staph. cohnii) were found whose natural hosts are humans. High count powders all contained added fat of various types and had a much more restricted staphylococcal microflora in which Staph. saprophyticus and Staph. cohnii predominated. None of 384 staphylococcal strains isolated were found to be Staph. aureus. In addition, no enterotoxins were detected.

Animals↗

A centromere map of the X chromosome from trisomies of maternal origin.

A centromere map is derived from XXX and XXY trisomies of maternal origin. Preliminary data suggest reduced recombination in the tetrads giving rise to mei I nondisjunction, but an excess of recombination in the pericentric region. As in Drosophila, multichiasmate tetrads may be more at risk of nondisjunction than nullochiasmate tetrads.

Animals↗

Paying organ donors.

Following an earlier paper in the journal in which Evans argued that it was commercial exploitation, not mere payment, that was morally objectionable about certain sorts of organ donation, this paper looks at the moral issues when commercial exploitation is eliminated from systems of paid organ donation. It argues that there are no conclusive moral arguments against such schemes for non-exploitative paid kidney donation.

Commerce↗

A linkage study of a large pedigree with X linked centronuclear myopathy.

Centronuclear myopathy (CNM) is a muscle wasting disorder that occurs in three distinct forms. Previous studies have shown linkage between the X linked form of the disease and the Xq28 probes ST14, DX13, and F8C. Our study on a previously unreported, three generation, X linked CNM family confirms linkage between these markers and the CNM locus (Z = 3.21, theta = 00). However, results from the laboratory of J-L Mandel (Samson and Hanover, personal communication) on a number of X linked CNM families exclude genetic linkage from the region Xq26-qter, suggesting genetic heterogeneity in this condition.

Cell Nucleus↗