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Biomedical subjects

J Owens

Publications and source records attributed to J Owens.

126 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1979

Retrograde catheterisation of left atrium.

Retrograde catheterisation of the left atrium using a no. 8 F pigtail catheter introduced percutaneously via a femoral artery was successfully accomplished in 48 out of 50 patients undergoing diagnostic cardiac catheterisation. There was one episode of ventricular fibrillation requiring cardioversion (without sequelae), and one episode of ventricular tachycardia which was self-terminating, but no other complications and no deaths. The average fluoroscopy time was four minutes.

Blood Pressure↗
PubMed1978

Semi-closed basket extraction of ureteral calculi.

A method is described for ureteral stone extraction using a partial closure of the Dormia stone dislodger. Of 97 attempted extractions 89 (91.8 per cent) were successful. No major complications occurred. The over-all morbidity rate was 3 per cent. The technique is especially useful in removing larger ureteral calculi.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

2'(3')-O-L-(O-methyl-3-phenyllactyl) adenosine. A potential analog of 2'(3')-O-aminoacyl ribonucleosides.

The title compound and the corresponding diacyl derivative has been prepared by the reaction of 5'-O-(4-methoxytrityl)adenosine with L-(O-methyl-3-phenyl)lactic acid in the presence of dicyclohexylcarbodiimide in pyridine and subsequent detritylation in 80% acetic acid. Neither compound accepted the N-acetyl-L-phenylalanyl residue from N-acetyl-L-phenylalanyl-tRNA in an Escherichia coli ribosomal system nor did either inhibit the puromycin reaction in the same system.

Adenosine↗
PubMed1975

Acute psychotic reaction to procaine penicillin.

A case of a 23-year old black female admitted for treatment of an acute psychotic episode 48 hours after being treated with i.m. procaine penicillin G is reported. Literature reports of nonallergic psychotic responses to i.m. injections of aqueous procaine penicillin G are reviewed. Possible mechanisms for the reaction are discussed. Recommended drugs for treatment of the reaction include phenobarbital and chlorpromazine.

Adult↗
PubMed1970

Plasma insulin in pancreatic disease.

Pancreatic exocrine function tests and plasma insulin curves after a glucose load have been performed in 74 patients, 32 with no significant pancreatic disease, 31 with various disorders of the pancreas, and 11 with postmature diabetes mellitus. Exocrine function was impaired in all patients with chronic pancreatitis and chronic relapsing pancreatitis, whereas insulin production was defective in seven of 10 of those with chronic pancreatitis, and in one of seven with chronic relapsing pancreatitis. The findings in other examples of pancreatic disease are mentioned. Two out of four patients presenting with diabetes mellitus, who were found to have a flat plasma insulin curve, proved on investigation to have chronic pancreatitis. The results of plasma insulin response curves in this series are discussed in relation to pancreatic disease and their possible value in diagnosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Distance analysis helps to establish characteristic motifs in intron sequences.

Computer-assisted sequence analysis was applied to detect the most apparent nonrandom sequence motifs in eukaryotic introns. We describe in detail a method, which we call distance analysis, that we applied to the extensive study of 405 eukaryotic intron sequences. We observed very strong two-base periodicities for almost all tetranucleotides that are tandem repeats of nonhomopolymeric dinucleotides (the exception was GCGC and CGCG). We also observed, by using a fixed-point alignment method, that these periodic sequence motifs belong to large clusters of dinucleotides repeated tandemly as many as 15-35 times, which corresponds to the cluster lengths of 30-70 bases. We did not observe two-base periodicity of tetranucleotides in the collections of either 262 spliced eukaryotic exons or 107 bacterial genes. Instead, these sequences displayed strong three-base periodicity of some other tetranucleotides. These findings suggest that introns and exons display distinct sequence properties that can be used for mapping purposes.

Base Sequence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

123Iodo-MK-801: a spect agent for imaging the pattern and extent of glutamate (NMDA) receptor activation in Alzheimer's disease.

Glutamate, and the NMDA glutamate receptor, may be involved in Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Reductions in NMDA receptors are found in AD, possibly contributing to memory deficits. However the NMDA receptor is involved in excitotoxicity, which may play a role in cell death and the production of neurofibrillary tangles in AD; although with lower levels of glutamate than occur in cerebral ischaemia. Therefore reductions in the NMDA receptor may worsen memory deficit in AD, but increased stimulation of the receptor may contribute to the progress of the disease. MK-801 has been used to image excessive glutamate activation following ischaemia in rats. However, it is unclear how effective MK-801 is in conditions with lower levels of glutamate release. This study attempts to gain insight into the utility of the tracer in these conditions, exploring glutamatergic mechanisms in AD. It describes the retention and elimination of 123iodo-MK-801 in five AD and five control subjects, comparing this to regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). The initial uptake of 123I-MK-801 is dominated by delivery of the ligand. However, despite significant reductions in rCBF in the AD patients, there is no significant difference in the uptake of 123I-MK-801. This suggests increased retention of 123I-MK-801 in the AD patients. In addition the washout of 123I-MK-801 was less in the AD patients, again suggesting increased retention, although this only reached significance in one region. Theses data hint at possible increases in NMDA activation in AD but ultimately 123I-MK-801 does not provide a sufficiently accurate measurement to demonstrate this conclusively. Further NMDA ligands are now at a late stage of development and may provide more conclusive answers to the role of glutamate in AD.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cocaine-induced wide complex dysrhythmia.

Cocaine is a local anesthetic with the potential to induce dysrhythmia due to direct myocardial sodium channel antagonism similar to class I antidysrhythmic drugs. The hallmark of myocardial sodium channel poisoning is wide complex dysrhythmia, and the current accepted treatment is intravenous bicarbonate. Wide complex dysrhythmio due to cocaine in the absence of myocardial infarction is rare, and optimum management is undefined. We report three cases of acute cocaine intoxicating during which patients developed wide complex dysrhythmia consistent with sodium channel poisoning. In one case, wide complex tachycardia resolved without direct treatment. In the other cases, wide complex dysrhythmia resolved following intravenous bicarbonate therapy directed at reversing sodium channel blockade.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Psychosocial variables are associated with atherosclerosis risk factors among women with chest pain: the WISE study.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated associations between atherosclerosis risk factors (smoking behavior, serum cholesterol, hypertension, body mass index, and functional capacity) and psychological characteristics with suspected linkages to coronary disease (depression, hostility, and anger expression) in an exclusively female cohort. METHODS: Six hundred eighty-eight middle-aged women with chest pain warranting clinical investigation completed a comprehensive diagnostic protocol that included quantitative coronary angiography to assess coronary artery disease (CAD). Primary analyses controlled for menopausal status, age, and socioeconomic status variables (income and education). RESULTS: High depression scores were associated with a nearly three-fold risk of smoking (odds ratio (OR) = 2.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.4-5.7) after covariate adjustment, and women reporting higher depression symptoms were approximately four times more likely to describe themselves in the lowest category of functional capacity (OR = 3.7, 95% CI = 1.7-7.8). High anger-out scores were associated with a four-fold or greater risk of low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration (<50 mg/dl; OR = 4.0, 95% CI = 1.4-11.1) and high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration (>160 mg/dl; OR = 4.8, 95% CI = 1.5-15.7) and a larger body mass index (OR = 3.5, 95% CI = 1.1-10.8) after covariate adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate consistent and clinically relevant relationships between psychosocial factors and atherosclerosis risk factors among women and may aid our understanding of the increased mortality risk among women reporting high levels of psychological distress.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Reflective writing: a strategy to foster critical inquiry in undergraduate nursing students.

Whilst nursing has recognised the importance of reflective practitioners, few strategies designed to achieve this outcome are currently apparent in nursing education literature. Writing, forwarded as one way to enhance the development of critical thinking and reflection in undergraduate nursing students, is the focus of this article. The article describes a project undertaken to explore the ways writing could be incorporated into an undergraduate curriculum as a strategy to enhance and extend personal and professional meaning-making. It examines a number of strategies utilised in the project and offers some insightful understandings developed by the team.

Curriculum↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Communication between GPs and psychiatrists.

The aim of this study was to investigate the quality of GP referral letters to Specialist Psychiatric Clinics. Ninety one referral letters from 24 GPs were analysed. A schedule based on key items of information previously identified as being of importance to Psychiatrists was used in the analysis. The study revealed that these key items were frequently omitted. In addition, information on social history and medical history was inadequately supplied. Poor letter format and quality of notepaper were also identified. Liaison between GPs and Psychiatrists and Vocational Training Programmes would be helpful in addressing these issues.

Communication↗