Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

L Grant

Publications and source records attributed to L Grant.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis antigens in urine as an alternative to swabs and cultures.

By using commercially available spectrophotometric and immunofluorescent immunoassays, Chlamydia trachomatis antigens were detected in first-void urine (FVU) sediments from 224 men attending a sexually transmitted disease clinic at a frequency of 81.6%-86.8% compared with 86.8% (33/38) positive by urethral swab culture (P less than .05). Endocervical cultures from 228 women attending a gynecology clinic yielded 92.3% (12/13) positive compared with 61.5%-76.9% for urine samples in three antigen-detection assays. Culturing urine from either gender yielded low positivity rates (23.7% for men, 15.4% for women). Defining truly infected patients as positive by culture or by any two of the three antigen tests, all assays were 100% specific. Immunodiagnostic testing of male FVU sediment appears to be a reliable, rapid, nontraumatic method for diagnosing chlamydia infection.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Watch for pitfalls when analyzing lease options.

Seemingly minor provisions included in leases of major equipment can substantially increase a healthcare organization's expenses. When reviewing lease bids, financial managers should beware of commitment fees, progress payment interest, residual value, and other variables in the agreement. On the whole, the costs of leasing options should be viewed for their effects on a hospital's cash flow at various points during the rental period.

Capital Expenditures↗
PubMed1989

Diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis genital infections by cell culture and two enzyme immunoassays detecting different chlamydial antigens.

The enzyme-amplified immunoassay IDEIA (CellTech Diagnostics), which measures lipopolysaccharide antigen, and Chlamydiazyme (Abbott Laboratories, North Chicago, Ill.), which measures several antigenic components of Chlamydia trachomatis, were compared for specimens from urethral swabs from 235 men attending a clinic for sexually transmitted diseases (culture prevalence of 14.9%) and 458 endocervical swabs from women attending planned parenthood and obstetrics-gynecology clinics (culture prevalences of 5.9 and 7.7%, respectively). Compared with cell culture, the percent sensitivites, specificities, and positive and negative predictive values for IDEIA were 62.5, 99.5, 95.2, and 94.3%, respectively, for specimens from men and 96.3, 97.9, 74.3, and 99.8%, respectively, for specimens from women; results for Chlamydiazyme for specimens from men were 81.8, 99.5, 96.4, and 97.1%, respectively, and for specimens from women, results were 85.2, 99.3, 88.5, and 99.1%, respectively. Although the specificities of IDEIA and Chlamydiazyme were comparable, the sensitivity of IDEIA appeared higher for women (96.3%) than for men (67.5%), while the sensitivities of Chlamydiazyme were similar for men (81.8%) and women (85.2%). Western blot (immunoblot) analysis of the detector reagents from the two immunoassays indicated that the differences in performance observed for the two immunoassays may be due to measurement of different antigens.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

State Medicaid reimbursement for ICF-MR facilities in the 1978-1986 period.

Medicaid policies for Intermediate Care Facilities for the Mentally Retarded (ICF-MR) are important because of rapid expenditure growth. Our study of 1978-1986 state Medicaid ICF-MR reimbursement policies showed massive shifts from traditional retrospective reimbursement methods, paralleling changes in reimbursing skilled nursing facility and ICF care. Meanwhile, Medicaid per diem ICF-MR reimbursement rates increased about 67%. Regression analysis showed that personal income, population percentage in poverty, unionization, and percentage of ICF-MR beds in government facilities influenced rates positively, whereas prospective class and combination reimbursement methods negatively affected rates. Thus, within the context of economic factors, government involvement in care and the reimbursement methodology are policies found to affect rates.

Humans↗
PubMed1988

Bicarbonate-based dental powder, fluoride, and saccharin inhibition of dental caries associated with Streptococcus mutans infection of rats.

The effects of NaHCO3-based dental powder containing NaF and sodium saccharin on dental caries and Streptococcus mutans recoveries in rats were studied. Weanling specific-pathogen-free Osborne-Mendel (SPFOM) rats were inoculated with S. mutans NCTC-10449S. Four infected groups were topically treated with either demineralized water (DW), a dental powder suspended such that there was 1 part solid per 2 parts DW, 0.073% NaF, or a combination of 0.073% NaF and 0.5% Na-saccharin (Nas). NaF-supplemented DW (at 10 ppm F-) was provided to a 5th group of infected rats as a positive treatment control, but this group was otherwise untreated. A sixth but uninfected group was topically treated with DW. All topical treatments were given once for 1 min daily per rat, for 5 days per week. Animals' teeth were swabbed for recovery of 10449S and total recoverable flora. Recoveries of 10449S were lower from powder-treated rats than from DW-treated rats. This difference approached but did not reach statistical significance. Total caries scores were 51% lower for the dental powder, 36% lower for the topical NaF, 34% lower for the combined NaF-Nas, and 54% lower for the NaF-supplemented drinking water group, all p less than 0.001. While all of the treatments inhibited smooth-surface caries, the dental powder effects, like those for the combined NaF-Nas, and NaF drinking water, were evident in fissure tooth surfaces as well.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Study of pressure of the normal anterior tibial compartment in different age groups using the slit-catheter method.

Using the slit-catheter method, the pressure of the anterior tibial compartment was studied in thirty volunteers, whose ages ranged from seventeen to eighty-five years, at rest and during and after exercise. The average resting pressure was +5.1 millimeters of mercury. There was a wide variation between subjects, although 95 per cent of them had a resting pressure of less than twelve millimeters of mercury. This pressure was not consistently or significantly affected by age. The pressure increased with exercise, but in an average of 3.4 minutes after the exercise was stopped it returned to within one millimeter of mercury of the resting pressure. The resting pressure was also found to be affected by the positions of the lower extremity and the trunk during measurement. To reduce this effect, it is recommended that for measurement of pressure in the lower extremity the patient should be lying supine and the big toe should be pointing vertically upward.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Effects of bicarbonate-based dental powder, fluoride, and saccharin on dental caries and on Streptococcus sobrinus recoveries in rats.

The effects of NaHCO3-based dental powder containing NaF and sodium saccharin on dental caries and Streptococcus sobrinus recoveries in rats were studied. Weanling specific-pathogen-free Osborne-Mendel (SPFOM) rats were inoculated with S. sobrinus 6715-13WT. One of six infected groups was topically treated with either demineralized water (DW), a dental powder suspended such that there was 1 part solid per 2 parts DW, 0.073% NaF, 0.5% Na-saccharin (Nas), or a combination of NaF and Nas at the same concentrations. NaF-supplemented DW (at 10 ppm F-) was provided to the 6th group of infected rats as a positive treatment control, but this group was otherwise untreated. A seventh but uninfected group was topically treated with DW. All topical treatments were given once for one min daily per rat, for five days per week. Animals' teeth were swabbed for recovery of 6715-13WT and total recoverable flora. At 37 days after start of treatment, S. sobrinus recoveries were lower only for those rats topically treated with the dental powder (p less than 0.05) by comparison with recoveries from the infected, topical DW-treated group. Caries scores, however, were 42% lower for the groups receiving the dental powder (p less than 0.005), 30% lower for those treated with the combined NaF-Nas (p less than 0.005), and 47% lower for the NaF-supplemented drinking water group (p less than 0.005). The dental powder effects, like those for the combined NaF-Nas and NaF drinking water, were evident on both smooth and fissure tooth surfaces. Both the 10 ppm F- drinking water and the dental powder significantly (p less than 0.005) reduced fissure caries scores below the level elicited by the indigenous mutans-free flora in the DW-treated uninfected rats; however, these reduction were not significantly different from one another. Thus, the 10 ppm F- drinking water and the dental powder equally inhibited not only the S. sobrinus-attributable component of caries but probably also the component of caries attributable to the indigenous oral flora.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1986

Abdominal distension in Kaufman-McKusick syndrome.

A female infant with Kaufman-McKusick syndrome redeveloped respiratory distress and abdominal distention at 5 weeks of age. Ultrasonography demonstrated recurrence of peritoneal cysts and hydrometrocolpos. It is postulated that refluxing vaginal secretions may contribute to the abdominal distention seen in many infants with Kaufman-McKusick syndrome.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1986

Combined premedical-medical programmes: programme structure and student outcomes at four universities.

Many American universities now support combined premedical-medical programmes which shorten and integrate the education of doctors. This paper reviews combined baccalaureate-MD programmes at four institutions: Boston University, the City College of New York, The University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City. In comparison to most US medical schools, the combined programmes have admitted and educated larger portions of women students. In addition, some have had large proportions of graduates choosing primary-care careers.

Boston↗
PubMed1985

A double blind placebo controlled trial of ascorbic acid in obesity.

A double blind placebo controlled trial of ascorbic acid was carried out in 41 severely obese subjects. 38 patients completed the 6 week trial. 19 received 3g of ascorbic acid per day, 19 received placebo. The weight loss during the trial was small in both groups but was significantly greater in the ascorbic acid treated group.

Ascorbic Acid↗
PubMed1984

Hydrocephalus: an overview and update.

Hydrocephalus is a chronic disease process and one of the most prevalent conditions in pediatric neurosurgery. At Oklahoma Children's Memorial Hospital, the neurosurgery department treats approximately 200 cases of hydrocephalus annually. This volume of patients has caused us to revise our diagnostic and operative protocols in order to more effectively meet the needs of our patients. At the current time, a shunting procedure is the most effective way to treat chronic long-term hydrocephalus. However, shunts are not without associated problems and it is these difficulties that have served as encouragement to continue our research into new and more improved methods of treatment.

Cephalometry↗
PubMed1977

St. Louis encephalitis in southern Ontario: laboratory studies for arboviruses.

The first reported outbreak of St. Louis encephalitis in Canada occurred in the summer of 1975 in southern Ontario -- in the Windsor-Sarnia-Chatham area, the Niagara region and the city of Toronto. Hemmagglutination inhibition and complement fixation testing of serum samples collected during the outbreak confirmed that St. Louis encephalitis virus was the etiologic agent. Furthermore, this virus was isolated from brain tissue of a patient who died. This outbreak was probably an extension of the outbreak that occurred in the United States that summer. It was the first outbreak of arbovirus encephalitis in the province of Ontario.

Antibodies, Viral↗