Sickle cell crisis after discontinuation of periodic transfusion therapy. Case report.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to J Kruse.
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In order to help assess the risk to astronauts due to the long-term exposure to the natural radiation environment in space, an understanding of how the primary radiation field is changed when passing through shielding and tissue materials must be obtained. One important aspect of the change in the primary radiation field after passing through shielding materials is the production of secondary particles from the breakup of the primary. Neutrons are an important component of the secondary particle field due to their relatively high biological weighting factors, and due to their relative abundance, especially behind thick shielding scenarios. Because of the complexity of the problem, the estimation of the risk from exposure to the secondary neutron field must be handled using calculational techniques. However, those calculations will need an extensive set of neutron cross section and thicktarget neutron yield data in order to make an accurate assessment of the risk. In this paper we briefly survey the existing neutron-production data sets that are applicable to the space radiation transport problem, and we point out how neutron production from protons is different than neutron production from heavy ions. We also make comparisons of one the heavy-ion data sets with Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck (BUU) calculations.
Cell surface molecules have been implicated in cell interactions which underlie formation of the nervous system. The analysis of the functional properties of such molecules has profited from the combined use of antibodies and cell culture systems. It has been suggested that the interplay between these molecules modulates cell-to-cell interaction at critical developmental stages. In the mouse, N-CAM and L1 antigen have been shown to mediate Ca2+-independent adhesion among neural cells. N-CAM plays a role in fasciculation of neurites and formation of neuromuscular junction. L1 is apparently not involved in synaptogenesis, but in migration of granule cell neurones in the developing mouse cerebellar cortex. The two antigens are distinct molecular and functional entities which act synergistically in aggregation of neuroblastoma and early postnatal cerebellar cells. In view of a certain similarity in function between the two groups of molecules, it was not surprising to find that structural similarities are detectable by the monoclonal antibody L2. We show here that a carbohydrate moiety recognized by L2 and HNK-1 monoclonal antibodies, is present in mouse N-CAM and L1. The L2 epitope appears on all major neural cell types but not all N-CAM molecules express it. This heterogeneity points to a previously undetected molecular diversity which may have functional implications for modulating cell adhesion during development.
The neural cell adhesion molecules L1 and N-CAM share a common carbohydrate epitope that is recognized by the monoclonal antibodies L2 and HNK-1. The L2/HNK-1 epitope is also present on the myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) which is thought to mediate surface interactions between the axon and myelinating cell. Other, as yet unidentified, cell-surface glycoproteins are recognized by the two antibodies and are believed to belong to a family of neural cell adhesion molecules. To test this hypothesis, we have prepared polyclonal antibodies to a prominent member of the L2/HNK-1 family, the 160K (relative molecular mass (Mr)160,000) glycoprotein. Here we report that these antibodies, designated J1 antibodies, react with astrocytes and oligodendrocytes and interfere with neurone-astrocyte adhesion, but not with neurone-neurone or astrocyte-astrocyte adhesion. This result suggests the involvement of the J1 antigen in cell-cell interactions.
Most of patients with mental disorders are cared for in the primary care sector, rather than in the mental health sector. Self-report questionnaires can be used as screening instruments to identify mental disorders in primary care. The 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) is a widely used screening questionnaire for common mental disorders. Unfortunately, the GHQ-12 generates many false presumptive positives and forces the employer to expend resources on confirmatory testing. Therefore, the aim of the present report was to investigate a two-stage questionnaire screening design in a primary care setting. The GHQ-12 was used as an initial screening test followed by the Symptom Checklist (SCL-90-R). A randomly selected sample of adult outpatients (N = 408) from 18 primary care offices was screened using the two questionnaires. A structured diagnostic interview and an impairment rating were used as standards. Subjects were classified into true-positives and false-positives based on their GHQ-12 score and the clinical interview. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic analysis were performed to determine whether the SCL-90-R increased accuracy in screening for mental disorders by discriminating between true-positive and false-positive cases. The SCL-90-R subscales Depression, Obsessive-Compulsive, and Somatization were identified as factors associated with the GHQ-12 classification. Therefore, a significant improvement in screening performance of the GHQ-12 is obtained by combination of the test results. The approach may reduce artifact due to high scoring tendencies not associated with psychological disorder.
It had been suggested that the electrical impedance of a fluid-filled pressure monitoring catheter might be a function of applied 60 Hertz voltage. If so, the possibility of patient shock hazard might be increased. A variety of catheters were tested with several physiological solutions over a wide range of applied 60 Hertz voltages. No evidence was found to indicate that the resistance of fluid-filled catheters is a function of applied voltage.
BACKGROUND: Despite the common occurrence of intrauterine meconium passage and resultant meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS), controversies regarding the pathophysiology and use of appropriate preventive strategies abound. METHODS: Databases from MEDLINE, MD Consult, and the Science Citation Index were searched from 1964 to the present to find relevant sources of information. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Meconium passage occurs by three distinct mechanisms: (1) as a physiologic maturational event, (2) as a response to acute hypoxic events, and (3) as a response to chronic intrauterine hypoxia. Meconium passage might merely be a marker of chronic intrauterine hypoxia or can predispose to aspiration of meconium and resultant inflammatory pneumonitis, surfactant inactivation, and mechanical airway obstruction. Aspiration can occur in utero with fetal gasping, or after birth with the first breaths of life. Many cases of MAS can be prevented by the strategies addressed in this article, but some will occur despite appropriate preventive techniques. There is not enough evidence to support the use of amnioinfusion as a standard of care for all pregnancies complicated by meconium. Pharyngeal suctioning before delivery of the shoulders is an effective preventive intervention, as is the combination of pharyngeal suctioning followed by intubation and tracheal suctioning. Suctioning of the trachea may be done on a selective basis depending on fetal vigor and consistency of meconium.
Responses of national samples of 329 residency-trained family physicians and 237 obstetricians were studied to determine the attitudes of family physicians and obstetricians toward the practice of obstetrics by family physicians. The attitudes of obstetricians and family physicians varied greatly, and the attitudes of obstetricians toward obstetric care provided by family physicians tended to become less supportive following the time of the obstetricians' training. In particular, obstetricians felt strongly that family physicians were inadequately trained to provide uncomplicated obstetric care. These negative attitudes were reflected in obstetricians' opinions regarding hospital obstetric privileges for family physicians. From a list of 11 obstetric privileges, obstetricians indicated that residency-trained family physicians should be granted a mean of 2.2 privileges, while family physicians who currently practice obstetrics indicated a mean of 6.6 (P less than .001). Family physicians who felt well supported by obstetricians during their obstetric training were more likely to develop positive attitudes toward obstetric practice than those who were not well supported. Both obstetricians and family physicians indicated that the adequacy of maternity care in rural areas would decline if family physicians withdrew from maternity care. There was strong agreement that rising malpractice premiums may soon force family physicians to stop delivering babies. This study concludes that there are vast differences among obstetricians and family physicians in perceptions regarding obstetric practice by family physicians which may adversely affect such practice.
Adequate prenatal care as defined by timely initiation and completion of prenatal visits has been frequently associated with good perinatal outcomes. Health beliefs and other psychosocial and demographic variables were explored in a cohort of 255 rural recently delivered women to determine the important correlates with adequate prenatal care. Respondents' health beliefs relating to pregnancy and prenatal care were assessed with an instrument with acceptable construct validity and reliability. A prevention-oriented health belief score, tangible social support, and adequate health insurance were all positively associated with adequacy of care as defined above.
A shortened form of the 18-item multidimensional health locus of control scale was used in a study of locus of control and health-related behaviors during pregnancy in a population based cohort of 255 postpartum women. A powerful other locus of control orientation was found to be associated strongly with a variety of social and demographic characteristics, and with several health-related behaviors during pregnancy. No strong associations were found between fate locus of control or internal locus of control and behaviors that facilitate health during pregnancy.
The aim of this study was to identify factors influencing high-risk illness behaviour in patients with bronchial asthma. High-risk illness behaviour was defined as 1. non-compliance with antiasthmatic medication and 2. delaying or avoiding medical help when facing airways deterioration or severe attacks. 150 patients with bronchial asthma were investigated; 60 of them had participated in the structured Asthma Treatment and Teaching Programme (ATTP), 90 had not taken part in such a programme by then. Using structural equation models, lack of emotional support by a key figure, poor doctor-patient relationship, and a negative cortisone image were identified as predictors of high-risk illness behaviour in patients who had attended ATTP, while in patients without participation in a treatment and teaching programme, only a negative cortisone image was predictive of this criterion.