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Biomedical subjects

J M Fitzgerald

Publications and source records attributed to J M Fitzgerald.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Chronic cough and gastroesophageal reflux.

We reviewed the charts of 20 patients with chronic cough of unknown cause who had been referred to a tertiary care respiratory centre from 1980 to 1984 to determine whether gastroesophageal reflux (GER) was a contributing factor. Fifteen of the patients complained of symptoms suggestive of GER: radiologic investigation of the upper gastrointestinal tract revealed hiatus hernia and GER in four, hiatus hernia alone in three, GER alone in two, decreased esophageal peristalsis in one and normal findings in four. Fibreoptic bronchoscopy in the four former smokers and one nonsmoker showed diffuse mucosal erythema. A chest x-ray film in one patient showed an infiltrate at the base of the right lung; transbronchial biopsy revealed vegetable material, which confirmed pulmonary aspiration. A 3-month course of medical antireflux treatment (dietary and lifestyle changes, elevation of the head of the bed and administration of cimetidine, antacid and metoclopramide) relieved the chronic cough in 14 of the 20 patients. Of the remaining patients one was lost to follow-up and five had GER confirmed by means of esophagoscopy, esophageal motility testing and long-term intraesophageal pH monitoring; four of the five patients underwent fundoplication and were asymptomatic 3 months after surgery. Antireflux therapy should be considered in patients with chronic cough when other causes have been ruled out, even if there are no GER symptoms. If the treatment fails, full investigation for GER is recommended; if GER is confirmed, surgery should be considered.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Use of oxygen therapy for adult patients outside the critical care areas of a university hospital.

To obtain data on oxygen use among hospital inpatients criteria for instituting, monitoring, and stopping oxygen therapy were formulated. The records of 90 consecutive patients who had been started on oxygen therapy outside the critical care areas of a university hospital were then examined. By the criteria, 79% of patients were deemed to have required oxygen therapy, 14.5% had been adequately monitored, and only 12% had had therapy terminated on the basis of appropriate physiological measurements. Prospective studies are required to validate monitoring recommendations and establish their cost-benefit ratio in terms of patient comfort and health-care costs.

Heart Arrest↗
PubMed1986

Tuberculous peritonitis in Lesotho.

Tuberculous peritonitis, although a common cause of ascites in Africa, previously was rarely diagnosed in Lesotho. We evaluated prospectively 105 consecutive patients admitted with ascites: tuberculosis accounted for 42% of the cases. Clinical differentiation from other causes of ascites proved to be difficult: signs and symptoms commonly associated with this disease were non-specific and often absent. The majority of our patients were elderly, male and alcoholic. Mortality was 26% despite treatment, and was highest among the aged and those who abused alcohol.

Aged↗
PubMed1985

Laparoscopic diagnosis of ascites in Lesotho.

In a prospective study of 98 consecutive patients with undiagnosed ascites examined by laparoscopy a correct immediate diagnosis was made in 76 (78%) and a final diagnosis in 92 (94%) of those who underwent laparoscopy. Visual diagnosis was highly accurate in patients with tuberculous peritonitis but only moderately accurate in those with carcinomatosis and liver disease. When the laparoscopic findings were compared with histological and microbiological results visual diagnosis was found to be the most accurate diagnostic method. Laparoscopy may readily be used in rural hospitals for diagnosing ascites.

Ascites↗
PubMed1984

Autobiographical memory across the life-span.

The processes of autobiographical memory were studied in four groups with mean ages of 12.7, 19.1, 44.5 and 67.2 years. Participants provided memories of specific events in response to single-word prompts. Analyses of response time and age of memories indicated response time remains stable during adulthood, whereas average event age increases. Analyses of retention function, however, indicated little difference in the retrieval of memories from recent intervals. Imagery value and meaningfulness correlated with response time for all age groups but only correlated with age of memories for college students. The data suggest similarity of memory systems across age for the level of functioning associated with the encoding of daily events.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Inhibition of ovine gastric acid secretion by intraduodenal long-chain fatty acids.

Effects on ovine gastric function of procedures that increase intestinal unsaturated fatty acid content are unknown, and the present aim was to compare the effects of duodenal unsaturated and saturated fatty acids on gastric secretion in conscious sheep. During the maximal gastric secretory response to a meal, 10 ml gallbladder bile alone or with myristic, palmitic, and stearic acids and oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids were infused into the duodenum at a rate of 5 g fatty acid . h-1 for 1 h. Compared with control 154 mM NaCl (100%), acid output was reduced to 4-7% of control with infusion of oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids and myristic acids plus bile. Reductions in acid secretion persisted for up to 5 h from the end of infusion. In contrast, the infusion of palmitic and stearic acids with bile caused mean maximal reductions in acid output, respectively, to only 64 and 55% of control, and levels returned to control within 1 h of the end of infusion. Bile infusion alone caused no reduction in acid secretion. Under the conditions used, C18 unsaturated fatty acids and myristic acid were potent inhibitors of ovine gastric acid secretion. The lesser effects of palmitic and stearic acids were probably related to their reduced solubility and absorption.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Actual and perceived sex and generational differences in interpersonal style: structural and quantitative issues.

This study investigated the validity of using the Interpersonal Checklist in self-ratings by older individuals and under across generation instructional sets by college students. Effects of sex of target and sex of rater were also investigated. Qualitative evaluation of correlation matrices indicated construct validity for the instrument for self-report instructions among the aged but that the matrices obtained under across generation instructions differed from the expected model. The implication for the heteroperception methodology is that dimensional or trait comparisons should be interpreted with caution. The quantitative results indicated significant generational differences and significant misperceptions of older adults by students. These findings suggest a hypothesis of interpersonal conflict between the generations with interpersonal dominance as a possible central issue.

Adult↗