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Biomedical subjects

J James

Publications and source records attributed to J James.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Community involvement towards community objectives.

The World Health Organisation "Health for all children by the year 2000" declaration presents an exciting yet timely challenge. If these aims are to be achieved, the role of the health worker must be broadened. There must be a recognition that families will determine the true health of their children--physical, mental and social. Families must be able to identify and realise their aspirations, to satisfy their needs and to cope with and adapt to their environments. Only by advocacy, by forming a partnership with families, and by empowering families to exercise greater control over their health and their environment, will health workers begin to see positive change in the community. There is a need to collect and collate data from the community in order that the true needs of families are met. New outcome measures which address "quality of life" must be developed; these will accord closely with the WHO aims, and will enable communities to set the high standards that must be achieved for our children. "Health", interpreted in its broadest meaning, should lead to health professionals concentrating on the promotion of a healthy lifestyle and the attainment of "quality of life". There must be a move away from the "medical model" of care to the empowerment of parents who are responsible for the care for their children and the need to work towards better community resources.

Child↗
PubMed1992

Distribution of xanthine oxidoreductase activity in human tissues--a histochemical and biochemical study.

Localization of the activity of both the dehydrogenase and oxidase forms of xanthine oxidoreductase were studied in biopsy and postmortem specimens of various human tissues with a recently developed histochemical method using unfixed cryostat sections, poly-(vinyl alcohol) as tissue stabilizator, 1-methoxyphenazine methosulphate as intermediate electron acceptor and Tetranitro BT as final electron acceptor. High enzyme activity was found only in the liver and jejunum, whereas all the other organs studied showed no activity. In the liver, enzyme activity was found in sinusoidal cells and both in periportal and pericentral hepatocytes. In the jejunum, enterocytes and goblet cells, as well as the lamina propria beneath the basement membrane showed activity. The oxidase activity and total dehydrogenase and oxidase activity of xanthine oxidoreductase, as determined biochemically, were found in the liver and jejunum, but not in the kidney and spleen. This confirmed the histochemical results for these organs. Autolytic rat livers several hours after death were studied to exclude artefacts due to postmortem changes in the human material. These showed loss of activity both histochemically and biochemically. However, the percentage activity of xanthine oxidase did not change significantly in these livers compared with controls. The findings are discussed with respect to the possible function of the enzyme. Furthermore, the low conversion rate of xanthine dehydrogenase into xanthine oxidase during autolysis is discussed in relation to ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Modulation of fibrinogen content in cryoprecipitate by temperature manipulation during plasma processing.

In routine blood bank production of single-donation cryoprecipitate, the introduction of a 16-hour hold at 4 degrees C, with the frozen plasma units packed into polystyrene containers, resulted in plasma prethaw temperatures of -4 degrees C to -8 degrees C. This in turn resulted in cryoprecipitate fibrinogen levels that were 214 percent of those obtained when units were thawed immediately after removal from -30 degrees C storage. In scale-model production of factor VIII concentrate, plasma warmed from -30 to -10 to -15 degrees C over 18 hours before pooling and thawing yielded cryoprecipitate fibrinogen levels that were 66 percent of those found in plasma warmed to -2 to -5 degrees C over the same period. Processing -30 degrees C plasma without a warming period led to cryoprecipitate fibrinogen levels that were 40 percent of those obtained from plasma warmed to -2 to -5 degrees C. These differences were accentuated after purification of the cryoprecipitates to an intermediate-purity factor VIII concentrate. These results suggest that simple modifications in production methods allow the fibrinogen content of cryoprecipitate to be tailored to specific uses.

Blood Banks↗
PubMed1992

Red cell and platelet concentrates from blood collected into half-strength citrate anticoagulant: improved maintenance of red cell 2,3-diphosphoglycerate in half-citrate red cells.

This study confirms previous work suggesting equivalent in vitro properties in blood components prepared from donations collected into half-citrate preservative (HCPD) compared to components derived from donations collected into standard citrate-phosphate-dextrose (CPD) preservatives. In addition, red cell products harvested from HCPD donations showed significantly improved maintenance of pH over storage, and this was reflected in improved maintenance of intracellular 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG). This effect was observed in whole blood and in red cells suspended in a phosphate-containing additive solution (Tuta AAS). Collection into HCPD also improved 2,3-DPG maintenance in red cell concentrates processed following an 18-hour hold at 22 degrees C. These improvements were less pronounced in red cells suspended in a non-phosphate-containing medium (Fenwal Adsol) in which a higher pH was maintained even in units collected in CPD. Platelets harvested from HCPD blood and suspended in plasma showed equivalent quality to platelets from standard donations. Some deterioration of platelet properties was observed when HCPD platelets were stored in a non-citrate synthetic medium. Together with data indicating improved coagulation factor stability, these results suggest that collection into HCPD improves stored blood quality and may also allow logistical benefits in blood component preparation.

2,3-Diphosphoglycerate↗
PubMed1992

Improving the diet of under fives in a deprived inner city practice.

This paper reports the introduction of a programme of dietary education to a selected group of young mothers living in a deprived inner city area. The programme was devised by a general practitioner and practice health visitors in collaboration with two hospital dietitians. A diary was used to provide data on diet, food choice, shopping habits, eating together, and planning and frequency of meals. These were included in a list of twelve 'desirable' food groups and three organisational skills, thus providing an individual syllabus for teaching, and a means of assessing the intervention. At the start of the study milk, fruit, vegetables and protein containing iron were common dietary omissions. However, the results show that these foods were an established part of the children's diets following the intervention. The dietary diaries provided a successful means of analysis, and the teaching programme is continuing in this practice. The limitations of such a small study are acknowledged, and a long-term controlled study is suggested.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Morphologic changes of extrahepatic bile ducts during obstruction and subsequent decompression by endoprosthesis.

The morphologic changes of the extrahepatic biliary tract during obstruction and the effects of biliary decompression by means of an endoprosthesis on the bile duct wall were studied by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Common hepatic duct biopsy specimens and bile cultures were obtained during surgery from 30 patients with a distal common bile duct obstruction caused by a tumor. Thirteen patients had obstructed bile ducts of 3 weeks' duration (group A). Seventeen patients had had jaundice for a period of 4 weeks and had subsequently undergone preoperative endoscopic biliary stenting for a period of 4 weeks (group B). Three autopsy specimens from patients without hepatobiliary disease served as controls. The results showed that the initial dilatation and thickening of the obstructed ducts in group A were associated with a mild inflammation, a moderate degree of fibrosis, and local epithelial disintegration. The presence of an endoprosthesis, however (group B), induced severe inflammatory changes with considerable fibrosis and ulcerative lesions, resulting in markedly thickened ducts with lumina approximating the diameter of the stent. Three of 13 (24%) bile cultures in group A were positive and 14 of 17 (82%) in group B were positive.

Bile Duct Neoplasms↗
PubMed1991

Improved in-vitro quality of platelet concentrates stored in a dextrose-free synthetic medium.

The licensed balanced salt solution Plasma-Lyte, buffered with a clinical solution of sodium bicarbonate, was evaluated as a suspending fluid for platelet concentrates. Platelets suspended in this medium showed better pH maintenance over 5 days of storage compared to platelets stored in plasma (7.0 vs 6.45, P < 0.001). This was reflected in improvements in in-vitro indicators of platelet viability-hypotonic shock response (79 vs 48%, P < 0.05), aggregation to paired agonists (86 vs 62%, P < 0.05); and platelet size distribution (104 vs 119%, P < 0.001). Dissolved bicarbonate measurement showed less depletion of bicarbonate in the synthetic medium compared to plasma, which suggests a lower rate of lactate formation. A synthetic medium containing dextrose showed inferior platelet storage characteristics when compared to the plasma-lyte/bicarbonate medium in a paired study (Day 5, pH 6.53 vs 6.9, P < 0.05). The results suggest that utilization of substrates other than dextrose allows platelets to metabolize without the accumulation of lactate that leads to pH drops during storage in plasma, and continue to support the feasibility of storing platelets in a non-plasma environment.

Bicarbonates↗