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Biomedical subjects

J T Wilson

Publications and source records attributed to J T Wilson.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Cardiovascular effects of training for a marathon run in unfit middle aged men.

The effects of a 30 week exercise programme on serum lipid values, blood pressure, and cardiac function were assessed in a group of sedentary men aged 35-50 training for their first marathon. Mean serum cholesterol concentration (n = 33) fell by 12% from 6.54 (SE 0.18) to 5.76 (0.15) mmol/l (mean fall 0.78 mmol/l; 95% confidence interval 0.52 to 1.04 mmol/l), serum triglyceride concentration (n = 33) by 22% from 1.56 (0.17) to 1.21 (0.09) mmol/l (mean fall 0.34 mmol/l; 95% confidence interval 0.12 to 0.56 mmol/l), and mean blood pressure (n = 27) by 10% from 102 (2) to 92 (2) mm Hg (mean fall 10 mm Hg; 95% confidence interval 7 to 13 mm Hg). These changes were not explained by changes in body composition. Peak exercise left ventricular end diastolic volume (n = 16) increased with training; as a result of this and an increased exercise left ventricular ejection fraction peak exercise cardiac output increased from 19.9 (1.2) to 23.1 (3.0) l/min (mean rise 3.2 l/min; 95% confidence interval 1.5 to 5.0 l/min). Maximum oxygen consumption increased from 33.9 (1.6) to 39.0 (1.3) ml/kg/min (mean rise 5.0 ml/kg/min; 95% confidence interval 1.8 to 8.2 ml/kg/min). This study showed favourable effects on coronary risk factors and cardiac function and supports the place of regular exercise in coronary prevention programmes.

Blood Pressure↗

Interaction of simultaneous visual events.

Five experiments are reported in which a perceptual interaction between simultaneous brief events was investigated. Subjects judged whether a briefly presented stimulus was flickering or not. Performance was much more error prone when a similar unattended stimulus was presented at a relatively remote position in the visual field, thus confirming previous findings. Interference was obtained for stimuli presented both peripherally and centrally in the visual field. The effect was not confined to large stimuli, but the larger the interfering stimulus the greater the effect it had. Events in the auditory modality interfered with judgements made in the visual modality. Possible mechanisms for the interaction are discussed.

Attention↗

Gold 195m in the assessment of the cold pressor test by first pass radionuclide ventriculography.

First pass radionuclide ventriculography was performed with gold 195m in a sequential evaluation of left ventricular ejection fraction during cold pressor stimulation. We studied 10 normal controls, 10 patients with angina pectoris who had proven coronary artery disease and normal left ventricular function during contrast angiography and 10 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy with normal coronary arteries and impaired left ventricular function at contrast angiography. Mean resting ejection fraction was similar in controls and patients with coronary heart disease (57 +/- 2 vs 58 +/- 3) but was significantly lower in the cardiomyopathic subjects (27 +/- 4, P less than 0.001). After 30 seconds cold pressor stimulation, mean left ventricular ejection fraction fell in the normal controls (57 +/- 2 to 52 +/- 2, P less than 0.05) but was unchanged in those with coronary heart disease and dilated cardiomyopathy (58 +/- 3 to 55 +/- 3 and 27 +/- 4 to 24 +/- 4, both NS). No further significant change occurred after 2.5 minutes stimulation (53 +/- 1, 58 +/- 3 and 23 +/- 3, respectively). There was no difference in the pattern of left ventricular ejection fraction response between the groups. Six controls, 4 patients with coronary heart disease and 4 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy had a significant fall in left ventricular ejection fraction and 4, 5 and 6, respectively, developed a new or further deterioration in regional wall motion. Thus neither changes in regional wall motion nor left ventricular ejection fraction response distinguished either patient group from the normal controls. We do not recommend cold pressor stimulation as a diagnostic test for coronary heart disease.

Adult↗

Maintenance and stability of introduced genotypes in groundwater aquifer material.

Three indigenous groundwater bacterial strains and Pseudomonas putida harboring plasmids TOL (pWWO) and RK2 were introduced into experimentally contaminated groundwater aquifer microcosms. Maintenance of the introduced genotypes was measured over time by colony hybridization with gene probes of various specificity. On the basis of the results of colony hybridization quantitation of the introduced organisms and genes, all introduced genotypes were stably maintained at approximately 10(5) positive hybrid colonies g-1 of aquifer microcosm material throughout an 8-week incubation period. Concomitant removal of the environmental contaminants, viz., toluene, chlorobenzene, and styrene, in both natural (uninoculated) and inoculated aquifer microcosms was also demonstrated. The results indicate that introduced catabolic plasmids, as well as indigenous organisms, can be stably maintained in groundwater aquifer material without specific selective pressure for the introduced genotypes. These results have positive implications for in situ treatment and biodegradation in contaminated aerobic groundwater aquifers.

Arthrobacter↗

Clinical, haemodynamic, and antiarrhythmic effects of long term treatment with amiodarone of patients in heart failure.

Twenty two patients with heart failure were studied in a double blind crossover trial to compare amiodarone (200 mg/day) with placebo. Each agent was given for three months. Extrasystoles and complex ventricular arrhythmias were common during ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring and during exercise testing at entry to the study. Breathlessness and tiredness as assessed by visual analogue scores and duration of treadmill exercise did not become worse during amiodarone treatment. During the placebo and amiodarone phases of the study left ventricular ejection fraction and cardiac index determined by first pass radionuclide ventriculography were similar, both at rest and during upright bicycle exercise. Exercise induced ventricular tachycardia was abolished and simple and complex ventricular arrhythmias observed on 24 hour ambulatory monitoring were greatly diminished during amiodarone treatment. Three patients died, all suddenly, during the placebo phase. In two patients amiodarone was withdrawn after a further myocardial infarction in one and a worsening of symptoms of ventricular arrhythmia in the other. In contrast with other antiarrhythmic agents amiodarone is effective in suppressing ventricular arrhythmias in heart failure without causing adverse haemodynamic effects. Because frequent ventricular arrhythmias are known to be associated with a poor prognosis in heart failure, these data suggest that amiodarone may improve the poor prognosis in patients with heart failure.

Adult↗

Pharmacologic factors contributing to variance in the milk to plasma ratio for acetaminophen in the goat.

A single-point estimate of the milk to plasma (M/P) drug ratio presupposes an invariant ratio. This may lead to erroneous conclusions about the amount of drug excreted in breast milk. A variance of the M/P ratio with regard to time has been shown for acetaminophen under standardized biologic conditions in the lactating goat. This ratio is potentially confounded by such factors as route of administration, dose amount and duration of exposure to the drug. Each factor was evaluated by computer simulations of the M/P ratio and by derivation of a ratio from empirical data in the goat. Route of administration was found to influence both the pattern and magnitude of the M/P ratio after acetaminophen dosing in the goat. Similar, but less, effects were found for duration of dosing. Dose itself did not influence the ratio. A temporal basis exists for each confounding factor. We thus propose that the M/P ratio is fundamentally variant with time under a standard set of biologic conditions. The contributing variance of confounding factors must be assessed if drug in milk dosing of the infant is to be accurately evaluated by use of the M/P ratio.

Acetaminophen↗

The effect of Hb F and alpha-thalassemia on the red cell indices in sickle cell anemia.

This study examines the effect of different levels of fetal hemoglobin (Hb F) and the presence or absence of genes for alpha-thalassemia on the red cell indices and degree of anemia among 102 patients with homozygous sickle cell disease (S/S) between the ages of 15 and 62 years. Patients were divided into those with an average Hb F of less than 10 gm/L ("low" Hb F group) and those with greater than 10 gm/L ("high" Hb F group). alpha-Thalassemia was assessed by restriction enzyme analysis of DNA by the Southern blotting technique. Homozygosity for the beta(s) gene was confirmed by restriction enzyme analysis of DNA using the enzyme Mst II. There were 51 patients with four alpha-globin genes, 28 of whom had "high" and 23 "low" Hb F levels. Fifty-one patients had alpha-thalassemia, 38 of whom were heterozygous and 13 homozygous for the 3.7 kb alpha-thalassemia deletion. Nine had "high" and 31 had "low" Hb F. Irrespective of alpha-globin genotype, patients in the high Hb F group had a higher mean Hb, Hct, MCV, and MCH than those in the low HB F group. In patients without alpha-thalassemia Hb F was positively correlated with MCV and MCH (p less than 0.001), patients with high Hb F levels having macrocytosis confirmed by microhematocrit studies. Patients with alpha-thalassemia had a lower MCHC than patients with four alpha-globin genes and this was not significantly affected by the level of Hb F. The combination of alpha-thalassemia and high levels of Hb F appears to result in a distinctive S/S phenotype that is similar to the type of S/S disease described in Southern India.

Adolescent↗

An external automatic device to detect ventricular fibrillation.

An analysis of a micro-processor-based system to detect cardiac arrest rhythms was made in a series of 84 cardiac arrests in 78 patients. The ECG was sensed using 2 external ECG/defibrillator pads applied to the chest wall. In 5 arrests, the initial rhythm was continuous electrical pacing in addition to the cardiac arrest and these were not included in the analysis. Of the remaining 79 arrests there were 15 in which the initial rhythm was ventricular fibrillation and 14 were correctly detected by the system (sensitivity 93%). In the remaining 64 arrests the initial rhythm was not ventricular fibrillation and 62 were correctly identified (specificity 97%). A high specificity is required in any device employing automatic detection of ventricular fibrillation. Continuous electrocardiographic recordings of the cardiac arrests were analysed every 8 to 18 s: of 223 sections showing ventricular fibrillation, 165 were correctly determined by the system, i.e. sensitivity 74%, where the rhythm was not ventricular fibrillation, of the 5002 sections 4953 were correctly detected by the system, i.e. specificity 99%. The percentage accuracy of detection of ventricular fibrillation varied from 25-100% (mean 81%) and for detection of non-ventricular fibrillation from 57-100% (mean 99%) in every 8 to 18 s section of ECG tracing per cardiac arrest episode. Thus the automatic detection of cardiac arrest rhythms is feasible with a high degree of accuracy.

Adolescent↗

Automatic detection of cardiac arrest rhythms prior to automatic external cardiac defibrillation.

The detection and correction of ventricular fibrillation at the earliest time after its onset is essential to ensure long-term survival. During successive cardiac arrests the rhythms occurring were sensed by using disposable pre-gelled ECG defibrillator pads placed in the anterior-anterior position. Simultaneously with the treatment, the arrest rhythms were analyzed continually every 8 to 18 seconds by a microprocessor system. This system sampled digitally the electrocardiogram, and the algorithm looked for absence of the isoelectric segment, irregular energy density spectrum, and irregular wave shape. The analysis was displayed visually as ventricular fibrillation (VF) or non-VF, and simultaneously the ECG and system's analysis were recorded on tape. Later, the system's interpretation of the rhythm was compared with the ECG record. There were 46 males and 32 females. Their ages ranged from 14 to 85 years, with a mean of 63 years. Twenty-nine patients had sustained an acute myocardial infarction. In the remaining 49 patients, there were a variety of causes for cardiac arrest, including heart failure, vasovagal syncope, cardiomyopathy, and postoperative cases. We report in detail the process and results.

Journal Article↗

Epidemiologic and immunologic studies in processors of the king crab.

Following the report of ten cases of respiratory illness in processors of frozen king crab, we investigated the conditions of work and the pulmonary and immunologic status of the workers in three crab-processing and one fish-packing (control) plant. Pulmonary function was measured before and after work, and skin tests were performed in subgroups matched for age, sex, and duration of current employment. The antibody response to king crab antigens was examined in sera from the subgroups and another (unrelated) control group. Extracts of crab meat, shell, and processing dust were used for skin testing and precipitin detection. FEV1, FVC, and MEFR decreased during the day in two crab processors, and precipitins were evident in sera from nine, but findings were normal in the fish packers. Crab meat elicited the strongest response, with multiple precipitin bands in some cases. Control sera showed no reaction. There was correlation between serology, results of skin tests, and symptoms. It is concluded that the inhalation of aerosolized crab antigen(s) may cause respiratory symptoms and can cause immunologic effects similar to those caused by other occupational respiratory allergens. We recommend preplacement and periodic medical examination of workers in crab-processing plants, improved ventilation in processing areas, and programs to discourage smoking.

Adolescent↗

Absence of a pharmacokinetic interaction between chloramphenicol and acetaminophen in children.

The pharmacokinetics of chloramphenicol (CAP; administered intravenously as chloramphenicol succinate, CAPS) was studied in 26 acutely ill febrile children 3 to 58 months of age who either did (n = 18) or did not (n = 8) receive acetaminophen (APAP) for antipyresis. CAP pharmacokinetics were evaluated after the first dose and at steady state. CAP serum levels were quantitated by high-performance liquid chromatography. There were no significant differences between groups (APAP vs non-APAP) or between first dose and steady-state evaluations for the elimination rate constant, serum half-life, apparent volume of distribution, and serum clearance of CAP. Likewise, there were no statistically significant differences when the APAP group was evaluated according to the presence or absence of APAP in serum before the first dose of CAP. Elimination of CAP in subjects with serum CAPS level less than 1 microgram/ml was similar in the first dose and steady-state evaluations and in the APAP and non-APAP groups. The presence or absence of CAPS or APAP did not affect the estimation of CAP elimination. Thus a pharmacokinetic interaction between CAP and APAP was not demonstrated in acutely ill febrile children during concomitant therapy.

Acetaminophen↗

Osteomas in OF-1 mice: no alteration in biologic behavior during long-term treatment with cyclosporine.

During the course of a long-term oral study in OF-1 mice for the assessment of any carcinogenic potential of the immunosuppressive agent cyclosporine (CS-A), a high incidence of osteomas was found in all treatment groups as well as in controls. The incidences of osteoma-bearing mice were 20% in control male and 30% in control female mice; the respective incidences in all treated mice were 14.7% for males and 38% for females. The osteomas were found to occur in multiple sites in 70% of control males, in 73.3% of control females, and from all treated groups in 54.5% of males and 64.9% of females. The pelvis and sacrum were most frequently involved (42%), followed by the hindlimbs (32%), the skull (14.5%), the vertebral column (6.5%), the forelimbs (4%), and the sternum and ribs (1%) in control animals. The distribution of osteomas was similar in treated mice and did not differ significantly from controls. Histologic and ultrastructural analysis confirmed benign osteomas with abundant C-type viral particles. Thus a previously unobserved spontaneous high incidence of osteomas was reported in OF-1 mice. Immunosuppressive treatment with CS-A did not change the incidence or the biologic behavior of these osteomas.

Animals↗