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Biomedical subjects

K Baker

Publications and source records attributed to K Baker.

141 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Practice variations in biochemical screening for Down syndrome.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has recommended that when using biochemical screening for Down syndrome, the cut-off selected for counseling the patient should be consistent with the Down syndrome risk at which the obstetrician routinely offers prenatal cytogenetic diagnosis on the basis of maternal age alone. They also state that multiple marker testing in women over the age of 35 years cannot be recommended for routine Down syndrome screening as an equivalent alternative to offering prenatal cytogenetic diagnosis. The American College of Medical Genetics has issued similar statements. We wanted to determine current practices in regard to these suggestions. A questionnaire was mailed to members of the Society of Perinatal Obstetricians asking: (1) At what maternal age do they offer counseling/amniocentesis? (2) Do they adhere to the Colleges' recommendations with regard to counseling/amniocentesis? (3) Do they change the risk for women age 35 years or over based on serum screening? Results showed that (1) Most members currently identify attaining the age of 35 years as a separate risk factor. (2) There were wide variations in the risk quoted for women 35 years old. (3) Many members used a different risk for their biochemical screening cut-off. (4) 74% of the members would increase the age-related risk for women over 35 years based on serum screening and 49% would decrease this risk based on serum screening. Among members, there were wide variations in the risks quoted; the biochemical screening cut-off used; and the use of serum screening in women over the age of 35 years.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Married mothers' perceptions of their premature or term infants and the quality of their relationships with their husbands.

Twenty-eight mothers of premature infants and 37 mothers of term infants were examined for their perceptions of their infants and of their relationships with their husbands at two to four postpartum days and at six to eight postpartum weeks. The mothers tended to perceive their infants positively, whether or not the infants were born prematurely. Preterm mothers who compared their infants to an average premature infant were more positive than term mothers who compared their infants to an average term infant. An association was not found in either group between mothers' perceptions of their infants and of the quality of their relationships with their husbands. However, mothers with negative perceptions of their infants also tended to have difficult marriages.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Initial results of the use of a drug-interaction system.

Dentists' knowledge about drug interactions, particularly in medically compromised older patients, may not be adequate. An on-line drug interaction system was tested for 4 months in a dental clinic to ascertain its usefulness in training students. Characteristics of high-risk patients are described, as well as opinions of users about the applicability of information presented and its relation to patient care. Approximately 3% of the patients seen were at risk of trauma from drug interactions, half of which were considered likely to occur. Implications of drug interaction data are also discussed in relation to treatment planning.

Dental Care for Persons with Disabilities↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The aging voice: a review, treatment data and familial and genetic perspectives.

This paper will provide a review of aspects of vocal aging within the context of general body aging and describe two data sets related to the aging voice. Data will be presented which document pre- to posttreatment improvement in select voice characteristics (sound pressure level, subglottal air pressure, thyroarytenoid laryngeal muscle activity and voice quality) following application of an intensive voice treatment program (the LSVT) to 3 individuals with aged voice. Additionally, physiological data (forced expiratory volume, visual accommodation, bone density, taste discrimination, white blood count and resting heart rate) and select perceptual (perceived age) and acoustic measures (reflecting both cycle-to-cycle and longer-term intensity and frequency stability) from 67 subjects will be reviewed from the work of Gray and colleagues to document the differential impact of the global aging process across organ systems including the aging voice.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Combined use of labetalol and nifedipine in controlling the cardiovascular response from ECT.

Serious cardiac complications have been reported to occur in elderly depressed patients during a course of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). As a result, cardiac medications are being used more often to dampen the cardiovascular response that occurs during an ECT treatment. Specifically, labetalol (a mixed alpha- and beta-blocker) has been shown to effectively control the heart rate during ECT. However, on occasion, patients may still exhibit sustained elevations of blood pressure during ECT when receiving labetalol. The optimum clinical management of these patients is unclear. The authors report on the safety and efficacy of combining nifedipine with labetalol to control blood pressure during ECT in ten elderly patients whose blood pressures were not adequately controlled by labetalol alone. No adverse effects were noted, nor did nifedipine appear to shorten seizure duration.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

HIV and AIDS: an overview.

Despite a decrease in deaths due to AIDS in industrialised nations, there is still much confusion surrounding HIV and AIDS. The authors provide an up-to-date overview.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Unit-based clinical nurse specialist: redesigning nursing services.

At the Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Medical Nursing Services redesigned its delivery of direct patient care to include nurse managers, staff nurses, nursing support technicians, and unit-based clinical nurse specialists (CNSs). The CNS role proved efficacious to both nursing staff and nurse managers.

Baltimore↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The cortical activity in experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Based on a new subarachnoid hemorrhage model in rabbits, the electrocortical activity was evaluated over a period of one week following two successive whole blood injections in the cisterna magna. A second group was injected with artificial cerebrospinal fluid, while a third group with hemolyzed autologous blood. All the other procedures being the same, it became evident that elevated intracranial pressure (CSF injection) is not able by itself to induce true epileptiform activity; however, it releases phenomena of brainstem reflexes. During whole blood injection, the cortical activity showed a peak in true epileptogenic discharges 5 days after the first injection. Almost identical polyspikes and slow wave complexes were reproduced immediately after the injection of hemolyzed blood. The possible mechanisms involved in the appearance of these phenomena are further discussed.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Sertoli cell-conditioned medium affects nucleoside utilization in vitro.

Rat Sertoli cell-conditioned medium (SCCM) or low molecular weight filtrate of SCCM (< 1,000 Da molecular weight) inhibited the uptake of [3H]thymidine into cells in culture; [3H]thymidine is incorporated into DNA by means of a salvage pathway. The incorporation of radioactivity into DNA from [14C]N5,N10-methylene-tetrahydrofolate, required for the thymidylate synthetase reaction, was not inhibited by SCCM and reflected the increase in cell number. SCCM specifically inhibited the incorporation of pyrimidines ([3H]uracil, [3H]thymidine) with no effect on the transport or incorporation of [3H]adenosine. Inhibition of thymidine uptake by SCCM could have occurred by a direct competition, i.e., the secretion of thymidine into the medium by the Sertoli cells, or by an indirect mechanism that would result in an inhibition of transport. The activity was partially purified by membrane ultrafiltration, ion exchange chromatography, and sequential extraction. Addition of SCCM filtrate (< 1,000 Da molecular weight) to growth-arrested cells cultured in the presence of inhibitors of dihydrofolate reductase resulted in cell proliferation, suggesting that the factor is involved in thymidine biosynthesis. This activity may play a role in the regulation of nucleoside biosynthesis and/or utilization in the testis.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Management of constipation in the critically ill patient.

Teamwork and a well-known problem-solving technique are used to give a flexible solution to the problem of bowel management in the critically ill patient. A literature review of constipation is linked to treatment of the critically ill patient. General and specific factors are discussed including nasogastric feeding pharmacology. Design and implementation of a protocol for bowel management for patients in the intensive care field of nursing are demonstrated.

Algorithms↗