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Biomedical subjects

M F Baker

Publications and source records attributed to M F Baker.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1986

Experience with external pneumatic calf compression in neurology and neurosurgery.

This report reviews our experience with external pneumatic compression (EPC) therapy in preventing clinically evident deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary emboli (PE) in neurological and neurosurgical patients. A total of 523 patients admitted to the Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital from December 1980 through January 1984 are included. The incidence of DVT despite EPC use was 2.3%. The incidence of PE diagnosed by lung scan and usually confirmed by angiography was 1.8%. In conjunction with previously published reports of the incidence of DVT and PE, these data suggest that EPC may be efficacious in decreasing the incidence of DVT but may not prevent PE in neurological and neurosurgical patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Management of symptomatic deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism on a neurosurgical service.

The authors present a retrospective analysis of the management of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) in neurosurgical patients at the Massachusetts General Hospital from January, 1978, through June, 1982. There were 44 cases of DVT and 13 cases of PE. Management modalities included observation only, femoral vein ligation, inferior vena cava clipping, transvenous placement of an inferior vena cava filter or umbrella, and anticoagulation therapy. Six (75%) of eight patients with symptomatic DVT who were managed by observation alone had subsequent pulmonary emboli, and three (38%) died. Femoral vein ligation was followed by PE in one of four cases and led to significant leg swelling in two others. Neither observation alone nor femoral vein ligation can be recommended as routine management options. Partial inferior vena cava interruption with a De Weese clip, Kim-Ray Greenfield filter, or Mobin-Uddin umbrella all successfully prevented pulmonary emboli. The major problem associated with these methods was leg edema, which occurred in 47% of patients with clip placement, 25% with filter placement, and 21% with a Mobin-Uddin umbrella. Anticoagulation therapy was associated with a complication rate of 29% and a mortality rate of 15%. Fatal PE and paradoxical hypercoagulability with gangrene of a lower extremity were the causes of death. In one patient, hemorrhage into a glioblastoma occurred following discontinuation of anticoagulation therapy when the coagulation parameters were normal. The authors conclude that: 1) management with observation alone of patients with symptomatic DVT places the patient at risk for the development of life-threatening pulmonary emboli; 2) the safety and timing of therapeutic anticoagulation in postoperative neurosurgical patients or patients with tumors is unclear; and 3) partial interruption of the inferior vena cava with a transvenous filter successfully prevents PE and may represent a safer alternative to anticoagulation therapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

The effects of a well older adult clinical experience on students' knowledge and attitudes.

Is a planned learning experience with well older adults a positive influence on a nursing student's attitude, level of gerontological knowledge, and willingness to work with older adults after graduation? Students in a baccalaureate program were divided into treatment or control groups based on their attitudes on the Kogan's Attitude Toward Old People Scale. Knowledge was measured by the Palmore's Facts on Aging Quiz (Palmore, 1977). Half of the students were given experiences with well elderly while the other group had no experience with this population. Differences in pre- and post-test scores were compared by analysis of variance. All students, regardless of planned experience with older adults, increased their knowledge. Students who initially had negative attitudes significantly improved their attitudes regardless of the type of clinical experience. The investigation failed to support the idea that experiences with well elderly would make a difference on attitude and knowledge base. This project suggests knowledge and attitude changes are not dependent upon a particular type of clinical learning activity.

Aged↗
PubMed1980

Flock infection and transport as sources of salmonellae in broiler chickens and carcasses.

Cultural monitoring was used to determine the incidence and sources of salmonellae in a 4160-bird broiler flock raised on litter in 32 pens. Twenty-five of the pens remained apparently free of salmonellae during the 49-day growing period. Salmonella johannesburg, first detected in the meat meal component of the starter ration, was recovered from the litter of seven pens and from the intestines of dead or culled chicks from two pens. Salmonella alachua was also recovered from two of these pens. Culture of swabs collected from the plastic crates used to transport this flock for processing showed that 97/112 (86.6%) were contaminated with salmonellae (15 serovars) before the birds were loaded. The crate washer at the plant did not remove salmonellae from these crates: 97/132 (73.5%) crates sampled after washing yielded salmonellae. Eleven serovar were recovered, including S. johannesburg and S. alachua introduced by the infected flock. Twelve of 31 chickens (38.7%) collected when the birds were unloaded at the processing plant were intestinal carriers of S. johannesburg and/or S. alachua and 29 (93.5%) were external carriers. Salmonella johannesburg, S. alachua and four other serovars were isolated from the feathers of these birds. Eleven of 25 (44%) carcasses tested from this flock yielded salmonellae. Salmonella johannesburg or S. alachua, first isolated from the infected flock, were recovered from five carcasses and S. haardt and S. Typhimurium, first isolated from the transport crates were recovered from six carcasses.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Sources of salmonellae in an uninfected commercially-processed broiler flock.

Cultural monitoring was used to study the incidence and sources of salmonellae in a 4160 bird broiler flock during the growing period, transport and processing in a commercial plant. No salmonellae were isolated from any of 132 litter samples of 189 chickens cultured during the seven-week growing period, even though nest litter samples from four of the eight parent flocks yielded salmonellae and Salmonella worthington was isolated from the meat meal component of the grower ration. On arrival at the plant, 2/23 birds sampled carried S. infantis on their feathers, although intestinal cultures failed to yield salmonellae. Three of 18 processed carcasses samples yielded salmonellae (S. infantis, S. heidelberg, S. typhimurium var copenhagen). The most likely source of these salmonellae was the plastic transport crates, since 15/107 sampled before the birds were loaded yielded salmonellae (S. infantis, S. typhimurium). The crate washer at the plant did not reduce the incidence of Salmonella-contaminated crates, since 16/116 sampled after washing yielded salmonellae (S. infantis, S. typhimurium, S. heidelberg, S. schwarzengrund, S. albany).

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Competence for genetic transformation in pneumococcus depends on synthesis of a small set of proteins.

In bacterial genetic transformation the uptake of DNA and its integration into the resident chromosome is dependent on a special cellular state, termed competence. In those species where appearance of competence has been studied, specific (but often poorly defined) growth conditions lead to a simultaneous development of competence in a substantial fraction of the cells in a culture. In Bacillus subtilis, and in Haemophilus species, competence appears in the stationary phase of growth or in certain other growth-limiting conditions. Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is perhaps unusual in that virtually all cells of a culture become competent, for a short period at a specific cell density during logarithmic growth, without perturbing the growth rate. The synchronous appearance of competence in pneumococcal cultures results from an autocatalytic effect of a small protein released by the cells that induces competence. The response to competence factor has been shown to require protein synthesis. We report here additional information on the nature of competence in pneumococcus: pulse-labelling studies show that for the brief period of competence protein synthesis is restricted to a few specific polypeptides.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1975

Pathogenic leptospiras isolated from Malaysian surface waters.

Pathogenic leptospiras (1,424) isolated from natural waters and wet soils in Malaysia comprised 29 different serovars (synonym serotypes). All except two of the serovars had been found previously in Malaysia. The exceptional serovars were werrasingha, an Autumnalis serogroup member originally isolated in Ceylon, and a new serovar designated evansi. Serovar evansi had serological affinities with serovar ranarum which was isolated from the kidney of a frog in Iowa. The large variety of serovars found in jungle areas was consistent with similar previous findings of diverse serovar infections in troops who had operated in Malaysian jungles.

Agglutination Tests↗