Transient neurologic toxicity after spinal anesthesia, or is it myofascial pain? Two case reports.
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Adult↗
Biomedical subjects
M Anderson
Publications and source records attributed to M Anderson.
Computer-assisted three-dimensional reconstruction of head and neck tumors.
OBJECTIVE: Because head and neck tumors reside in a complex area, having a three-dimensional (3-D) model of the patient's unique anatomical features may assist in the delineation of pathology. The authors describe a new computer technique of 3-D anatomical reconstruction from two-dimensional computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) data and discuss how it represents a step forward in the continuing evolution of 3-D imaging. STUDY DESIGN: The authors selected three patients with solitary head and neck tumors and reconstructed their anatomy in a 3-D format for study. The tumors represented locations in the nose and central skull base (patient 1), temporal bone (patient 2), and neck (patient 3). MATERIALS AND METHODS: MR and CT images from the individual patients were electronically transferred to workstations in the Surgical Planning Laboratory of the authors' institution. Registration (or fusion) was carried out between the MR and CT images. The desired anatomic components underwent segmentation (identification and isolation). Assembly of the segmented images was performed and the resulting structures were integrated to produce a 3-D model. RESULTS: 3-D models of the following were constructed and displayed in an interactive format on high-capacity computer workstations: 1) a skull base sarcoma with extension into the nasopharynx and nose; 2) an acoustic neuroma with internal auditory canal involvement; and 3) a metastatic recurrence of a tongue base squamous cell carcinoma in the posterior triangle of the right side of the neck with extension to the skull base. CONCLUSION: The authors' Surgical Planning Laboratory has developed a 3-D reconstruction technique that has several new features. The models provided a very good 3-D interactive representation of the tumors and patient anatomy. The need now exists to develop this method of 3-D reconstruction of head and neck tumors for potential applications in treatment, research, and medical education.
Adult↗
Identification and characterization of the Erwinia amylovora rpoS gene: RpoS is not involved in induction of fireblight disease symptoms.
The Erwinia amylovora rpoS gene, encoding the alternative sigma factor RpoS, has been cloned and characterized. Though highly sensitive to a number of environmental stresses, an E. amylovora rpoS mutant was not compromised in its ability to grow or cause disease symptoms within apple seedlings or in an overwintering model.
Bacterial Proteins↗
Endocrine function and emergency contraception: physiology and society.
Relating emergency contraception, commonly referred to as "the morning-after pill," to the menstrual cycle can be used both to teach endocrine function and to show how physiology relates to the world outside the undergraduate classroom. The menstrual cycle is an excellent topic for teaching many features of the physiology of the human endocrine system. Relating emergency contraception to the menstrual cycle makes this topic relevant to both male and female students, provides opportunities for discussions that require the students' understanding of endocrine functions, and illustrates how physiology is connected to social economic, and political issues. The overview of emergency contraception and literature survey provided here are meant to be adapted for use in a variety of teaching contexts. The depth of coverage and the extent of consideration of issues beyond physiology would depend on many factors including the level fo the course and the size of enrollment.
Contraception↗
Cognitive decline in Down syndrome: a validity/reliability study of the test for severe impairment.
The utility of the Test for Severe Impairment was studied with 60 older persons who had Down syndrome. Construct validity, test-retest reliability, and interrater reliability were established for the full study group and for subgroups based on degree of mental retardation and dementia status. There was no difference in scores by gender. There were some interesting findings for the group with moderate mental retardation and dementia and the group with severe mental retardation without dementia that may signal specific applications and limitations of the test for use with individuals who have Down syndrome. The internal consistency of the instrument was satisfactory. Results suggest that this test is a useful performance-based task for persons with Down syndrome.
Adult↗
Control of pests and diseases of Arabidopsis.
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Agriculture↗
Do magnitude estimation and lexical decision tap similar processes?
Young adults (n = 54 for Exp. 1, n = 50 for Exp. 2) and elderly adults (the same n = 40 in each experiment) participated in studies that required nonspeeded magnitude estimation scaling in response to words that varied in frequency and number of meanings. Across both experiments and across both groups, subject and item analyses indicated significant word frequency effects (low-frequency words were judged more difficult to process than high-frequency words) and significant word meaning effects (unambiguous words were judged to be more difficult to process than ambiguous words). Mean magnitude estimate values were significantly and positively correlated with mean lexical-decision task values obtained from the same subjects on the same stimuli based on data from a previous experiment. Results suggest that processes required for magnitude estimation are similar to those measured with the lexical decision task in word-recognition studies involving young and elderly adults.
Adult↗
Carbamazepine interference with an immune assay for tricyclic antidepressants in plasma.
BACKGROUND: Drug toxicological screening is commonly used as a diagnostic tool in patients with suspected toxic ingestion. False positive results due to cross-reactive compounds in drug assays may lead to misdiagnosis and mismanagement, especially when child abuse is suspected. CASE REPORT: Two of our patients with history of ingestion of carbamazepine were tested positive on screening with the tricyclic antidepressant immunoassay. The immunoassay's known cross-reactivity for carbamazepine is reportedly as low as 0.3%. Plasma samples of our patients were initially considered positive for tricyclic antidepressants because the cross-reaction of carbamazepine gave tricyclic antidepressant concentrations as imipramine equivalent sufficiently above the assay cut-off point (20 ng/mL). Later, confirmatory urine testing of both patients using high-performance liquid chromatography was negative for tricyclic antidepressants. CONCLUSION: This interference has significant clinical implications, and can be avoided on urine testing using a specific chromatographic assay such as high-performance liquid chromatography.
Adolescent↗
Sentinel events: policy & preparation.
Accreditation by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) is a sign of quality. Now JCAHO is increasing the stringency of its requirements by addressing sentinel events. Organizations--both home care providers and facilities--need to understand what a sentinel event is and how it affects accreditation status. Policies established to address these events will help home care providers maintain and/or improve the quality of the care they provide.
Accreditation↗
Grateful for help given, not disempowered.
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Breast Feeding↗
Removal of asymptomatic third molars: indications, contraindications, risks and benefits.
The removal of third molar teeth is one of the most common surgical procedures performed by dentists in the United States. Although prophylactic removal of third molars is supported by many to prevent disease, the removal of asymptomatic third molars should be based upon individual clinical and radiographic assessment of each patient. After educating the patient as to the indications, contraindications, risks, and benefits of removal of third molars, the patient and dentist should reach a mutual decision as to whether to proceed with surgery.
Contraindications↗
Early adolescents' perceptions of cigarette smoking: a cross-sectional survey in a junior high school.
Most adult cigarette smokers start smoking during adolescence. Since youths' perceptions of cigarette smoking may influence their decision to smoke, it is important to understand early adolescents' feelings about, and information sources regarding, smoking. In the present study, a cross-sectional survey, conducted in an urban junior high school, asked students in grades six to eight about their attitudes toward cigarette advertising, their perception of the harmful effects of cigarette smoking, and their sources of information. One hundred students completed the questionnaire, 12 of whom were current or former smokers. Approximately 27% believed cigarette advertising significantly influenced their classmates or themselves. Ninety percent recognized that cigarette smoking was seriously harmful. The source of this information was mainly teachers and parents. While 53% of the students identified their parents as the ones who taught them not to smoke, 47.8% of these parents were smokers themselves. Only 2% of the students indicated that they received information about the effects of smoking from health providers.
Adolescent↗
8 color, 10-parameter flow cytometry to elucidate complex leukocyte heterogeneity.
We developed the chemistry, instrumentation, and software technologies needed to measure, simultaneously and independently, eight different fluorescent molecules on individual cells. Conjugation of these fluorochromes to monoclonal antibodies is straightforward; all immunofluorescence staining is accomplished with direct stains only. We built a hybrid flow cytometer with eight fluorescence detectors and two light scatter channels, with excitation provided by three spatially separated laser beams emitting at 407 nm, 488 nm, and 595 nm. The fluorescence compensation required to make the data orthogonal is of sufficient complexity that it cannot be performed manually; thus, we use software to compensate the data post hoc, based on data collected from singly stained compensation control samples. In this report, we evaluate the 8 color staining technology. Of the seven fluorochromes other than fluorescein, six have a useful brightness at least as great as fluorescein. Three of the fluorochromes (phycoerythrin, allophycocyanin, and the Cy5 resonance energy tandem of phycoerythrin) are considerably brighter than fluorescein and are useful for detecting antigens expressed at low levels. Finally, we show the power and utility of the 8 color, 10-parameter technology using staining experiments on both human and murine immune systems.
Animals↗
Normal neurocognitive performance after extended practice in patients with schizophrenia.
This study evaluated new methods for improving the performance of patients with schizophrenia on specific neurocognitive tasks. Patients (n = 22) practiced sustained perceptual, memory and motor tasks 5 times/week for 10 weeks. Tasks were initially easy enough for patients to do well, but were made gradually more difficult over the 10 weeks. Patients received base pay and performance-based monetary supplements. No coaching or ongoing instruction was provided, and performance gains were assumed to depend upon implicit learning. High functioning healthy controls (n = 5) were given the same tasks at difficulty levels comparable to those achieved by patients after 10 weeks of practice. After 10 weeks of practice, 16 of the 22 patients performed as well or better than the best control on the perceptual and memory tasks, and 11 patients performed within the range of control subjects on the motor task. Half of the patients retested 6 months after training maintained supranormal performance, while the others showed marked performance declines. Patients with schizophrenia appear to have greater potential for neurocognitive improvement, and potentially for employment, than generally appreciated.
Adult↗
Homozygous deletions of human chromosome 3p in lung tumors.
Cytogenetic and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) studies have demonstrated that deletions of chromosome 3p occur at a high frequency in all forms of lung cancer. To clarify the role of 3p in lung tumorigenesis and to more precisely identify targets for positional cloning efforts, we have performed 3p deletion analyses (microsatellite and fluorescence in situ hybridization) in a series of lung cancer cell lines and uncultured tumor samples. Importantly, we identified homozygous deletions in four uncultured tumors and one cell line. Homozygous deletions were found in three squamous tumors within a region of 3p21 which had previously been described only in cell lines, a 1-2-megabase homozygous deletion in a small cell tumor at 3p12, and a 3p14.2 homozygous deletion in a non-small cell lung carcinoma cell line. The detection of homozygous deletions affecting these multiple regions in uncultured tumor cells substantiates the belief (previously based on deletions found only in tumor cell lines) that these sites contain important tumor suppressor genes. Along with previously reported homozygous deletions in a distal portion of 3p21.3, we now have evidence for four separate regions of 3p which undergo homozygous deletions in either uncultured lung tumors or cell lines.
Carcinoma, Small Cell↗
Analysis of prostate tissue DNA for the presence of human papillomavirus by polymerase chain reaction, cloning, and automated sequencing.
We have analysed the DNA from 24 prostate tissue biopsies, spanning a range of Gleason grading from benign to grade 5 and mixed randomly with cervical cancer samples of known human papillomavirus (HPV) status, for the prevalence of HPV DNA, in a double-blind study to ensure complete objectivity. Polymerase chain reactions (PCR) were performed using general E1 open reading frame primers for HPV under low stringency conditions, in addition to reactions containing primers specific for HPV16, E2, and E6 open reading frames under higher, more stringent PCR conditions. The presence of cellular DNA was verified by the use of primers for hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase. DNA bands were not detected in the prostate biopsies using the HPV16-specific primers under high-stringency PCR conditions, however a predominant band in the 400 bp region was observed in 15 of the prostate biopsies using the general primers and the low annealing temperature of 40 degrees C. This fragment was excised and cloned into the pT7 blue vector and the sequence of the insert determined. Although the cloned sequences initiated and terminated with the two authentic PCR primers, they did not contain a significant HPV-related open reading frame. Our results indicate that HPV type 16 and closely related types, as detected by the general primer pair, are unlikely initiators of prostate carcinogenesis within our population.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Frequency of Ha-ras-1 gene mutations inversely correlated with furan dose in mouse liver tumors.
Liver tumors were induced in infant male B6C3F1 mice by preweaning administration of furan, either as a single dose of 400 mg/kg body weight or six doses of 200 mg/kg body weight. Six doses of 200 mg/kg furan resulted in an increased incidence and multiplicity of liver tumors relative to the multiple-dose vehicle control group and the single-dose furan group. In the single-dose group, there was an increase in overall tumor multiplicity but not prevalence of liver tumors. After polymerase chain reaction amplification of isolated DNA, slot-blot oligonucleotide hybridization was used to screen for mutations at known mutational hot-spots in the first three exons of Ha-ras-1 (Hras1). The relative frequency of Hras1 activation was 82% in the 28 tumors analyzed from the single-dose group and 32% in the 28 tumors analyzed from the multiple-dose group. The lack of histomorphologic evidence of chronic cytotoxicity in the livers and the pattern of Hras1 activation suggest that a genotoxic mode of action is responsible for at least part of the hepatocarcinogenicity of furan in B6C3F1 mice. These findings confirm previously documented hepatocarcinogenicity of furan in B6C3F1 mice and provide evidence that carcinogen dose may influence the frequency of Hras1 activation in mouse liver tumors.
Adenoma↗
Nurses' attitudes towards suicidal behaviour--a comparative study of community mental health nurses and nurses working in an accidents and emergency department.
The purpose of this study was to explore and compare the attitudes towards suicidal behaviour of community mental health nurses (CMHNs) and registered nurses working in an accidents and emergency (A&E) department. The sample consisted of 80 nurses working in the same locality. An instrument was designed using statements from Domino's 'Suicide Opinion Questionnaire' (SOQ) and new statements based on a comprehensive survey of research in this area. The instrument contained four attitudinal categories consisting of; acceptability; morality and mental illness; professional role, work and care; and communication and attention. Results reveal that both groups of nurses held generally positive attitudes towards suicidal behaviour, contrasting with previous studies where more negative attitudes amongst nurses were found. A t-test showed no statistically significant differences between the two groups of nurses in any of the four attitudinal categories. Attitudes were significantly different in accordance with nurses' length of experience and age within both groups. Further research is needed in this area if nurses are to develop their role alongside other professionals working towards the objectives of suicide prevention policies.
Adult↗