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Biomedical subjects

M Farrell

Publications and source records attributed to M Farrell.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Replication of an RK2 miniplasmid derivative in vitro by a DNA/membrane complex extracted from Escherichia coli: involvement of the dnaA but not dnaK host proteins and association of these and plasmid-encoded proteins with the inner membrane.

A DNA/membrane complex extracted from a miniplasmid derivative of the broad host range plasmid RK2 cultured in Escherichia coli capable of synthesizing new plasmid supercoiled DNA in vitro was treated with antibodies that were made against or reacted with the dnaA and dnaK host-encoded proteins, respectively. Anti-dnaA protein antibody inhibited total plasmid DNA synthesis significantly and the synthesis of supercoil plasmid DNA almost completely. In contrast, anti-dnaK protein antibody and nonimmune serum had little or no effect on total plasmid DNA synthesis. Both proteins were found to be present in the inner but not outer membrane fraction of E. coli. A variety of miniplasmid-encoded proteins which had previously been found in the DNA/membrane complex have also been localized to the inner but not outer membrane fraction. These include an essential initiation protein of 32 kDa (and an overlapping protein of 43 kDa coded for by the same gene), as well as a 30-kDa protein that may be linked to incompatibility functions. Various extraction methods were used to distinguish between the associated and the integral nature of the plasmid-encoded proteins. The results demonstrated that the essential replication proteins (32 and 43 kDa) as well as the 30-kDa protein was tightly bound to the inner membrane. Computer analysis of the amino acid sequence of the 32 (and 43)-kDa protein revealed a hydrophobic region that is only half that normally required to span the membrane. Other interactions are discussed with respect to attaching this protein to the membrane.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗
PubMed1989

A controlled study of type A behavior and psychophysiologic responses to stress in anorexia nervosa.

Adolescents and young adults meeting DSM-III criteria for anorexia nervosa (n = 13) and atypical eating disorders (n = 7) were compared with weight-recovered anorectics (n = 6) and normal weight controls (n = 11) using a type-A structured interview and a computerized stress procedure. Heart rate, blood pressure, and electrocardiographic changes were monitored. Anorexia nervosa subjects demonstrated significantly more type-A characteristics than controls. The emaciated and weight-recovered anorectics had elevated hostility scores on the type-A interview, which has been shown in recent studies of type-A behavior to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. This pilot study is the first to demonstrate a significant relationship between anorexia and the type-A behavioral pattern. Also the anorectic subjects showed significantly more cardiovascular reactivity than controls as measured by failure of stressed anorectic subjects to lower their systolic blood pressure to baseline levels as controls did. These results support the importance of monitoring stress reactions and personality traits as well as traditional biological measures.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Parents of critically ill children have their needs too! A literature review.

Children are very special people in the lives of their parents. Much of the life of the parents is concerned with meeting the needs of the children, giving them nurturance, love, protection and support. A child's parents will be the dominant factor in providing that environment in which the child develops and comes to understand his/her self, role in the family unit and relationship with the world at large. This process of understanding and development is a process that continues throughout the life of the child. Given that parents can exercise particular influence upon the child, the way in which parents interpret and relate any experience or situation which affects the child may influence the child's adaptation and understanding to this situation. It would, therefore, be reasonable to suggest that if the parents are able to relate the positive aspects of any given situation to a child (particularly the positive aspects of adverse situations) then the child's adaptation to and understanding of this situation may be facilitated. This unique influence and understanding implicit in the parental role has important implications for health care workers, for in their care of hospitalised children the involvement and co-operation of the parents is essential if adverse reactions to hospitalisation are to be minimised. However the parents will only be able to assist the health care team to meet the needs of the child if their own needs are also acknowledged and satisfied. With this in mind this review of the literature will focus upon the needs of parents whose children have been admitted into a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Humans↗
PubMed1989

Dying and bereavement. The role of the critical care nurse.

The critical care units of today are environments totally dedicated to implementing life saving and life supporting measures. The development of the critical care unit is such that now many critical care units offer specific specialised disease/surgical management e.g. the cardiothoracic unit, transplant centres. As the ability of the critical care units to offer extensive life supportive measures continually improves, the fact is that there is still an increased potential for death to occur in the critical care unit, more than in other acute areas. While the prime function of the critical care staff will always be to support and sustain the life of their patients for whom they care, they also have a responsibility to offer a caring and compassionate level of care to the dying critically ill patient and to ensure that they support the dying patients' relatives in every way that they can. The prospect of death (for the patient), and the actual loss of the patient (for the relatives/medical and nursing staff) can present a number of difficulties for all those involved. These difficulties, which will be identified in the course of the article, may if unresolved predispose to a poor and traumatic bereavement process for the relatives, while the critical care staff may experience possible feelings of frustration, helplessness and low morale. (Caughill, 1976). It is therefore the aim of this article to examine the role of the critical care nurse in caring for the dying patient in the intensive care areas.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Bereavement↗
PubMed1989

In-patient psychiatric care: the patient's view.

Little attention has been paid to psychiatric patients' views on their treatment in the medical literature. We carried out a consumer survey of 99 in-patients at an inner London psychiatric hospital. Patients were asked to rate 10 non-treatment and treatment items. Most highly regarded was being free to leave the ward. Of the treatment items, talking to a member of staff was found to be most helpful. The relationships between different items and patient variables such as voluntary versus involuntary status, age and diagnosis are discussed. Sex and number of previous admissions exerted only minor effects. The results are compared with other studies and more work in this area is recommended in order to improve hospital care.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Search performance without eye movements.

Visual search performance (with sets chosen to elicit both serial and parallel search patterns) under two conditions that precluded saccades was compared to the typical situation in which visual inspection of the array is possible. In one condition, the display duration was so brief that any saccades that were executed would be too late to bring the targeted portion of the array into the fovea. In the other, the display remained present until the subject's response, but eye position was monitored and trials with shifts in fixation were excluded from analysis. The latter condition produced search latencies that were nearly identical to those with free inspection. Brief exposure, in contrast, did not produce the pattern typical of serial search, presumably because of strategies induced to deal with the rapid decay of the visual array. It is concluded that saccadic eye movements play little role in the patterns of performance used to infer serial and parallel search, and that brief exposure is not a satisfactory technique for exploring the role of saccadic eye movements in visual search.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Is the ex vivo rat gastric chamber model suitable for studying the gastrotoxicity of refluxed duodenal contents? Initial results using deoxycholic acid.

Duodenogastric reflux has been implicated in the pathogenesis of gastric mucosal disease but the relative toxicities of its constituents are not known. The suitability of the ex vivo rat gastric chamber model for systematic studies of bile acid gastrotoxicity was assessed using deoxycholic acid (DCA 0.2-5.0 mmol/l). Acute challenge with 5.0 mmol/l DCA produced significant loss of gastric transmucosal potential difference (delta PD = 25.9 +/- 3.3 mV: mean +/- SEM; p less than 0.01) compared with saline challenge (1.5 +/- 0.5 mV). Significant delta PD values were produced by DCA concentrations down to 0.5 mmol/l (16.0 +/- 2.8 mV). Challenge with 5.0 mmol/l DCA also caused significant increases in chamber fluid concentrations of nucleic acid (2.8 +/- 0.3 micrograms/ml; p less than 0.05) and acid phosphatase (130 +/- 23.4 microU/ml; p less than 0.01). This study demonstrates DCA gastrotoxicity at concentrations comparable to human intragastric total bile acid concentrations and the suitability of this model for studying the toxic components of refluxed duodenal contents.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Multiple purpose central venous access in infants less than 1,000 grams.

The use of central venous catheters in low birthweight infants has been associated with a high rate of infectious and mechanical-related complications. We reviewed our experience with multipurpose central venous catheters in infants less than 1,000 g to determine the rate of catheter-related sepsis and mechanical catheter malfunction. From October 1981 to August 1984, 20 infants (average weight 778 g) underwent placement of 22 central venous Broviac catheters. In addition to parenteral nutrition, antibiotics, aminophylline, and replacement fluids were infused. Total catheter days were 961, with an average of 44 days per catheter. Primary catheter sepsis occurred with two catheters (9%). Mechanical complications occurred with six catheters (exposed cuff, 1; catheter break, 2; catheter reposition, 1; catheter thrombosis, 1; dehiscence of cutdown site, 1). The incidence of catheter-related sepsis was acceptably low. The high incidence of mechanical catheter malfunction (6/22, 27%) resulted in minimal morbidity to the infant and could have been avoided by better operative technique, proper positioning intraoperatively, and meticulous care of the catheter post-operatively. We conclude that multipurpose long-term central venous access can be safely utilized with the Broviac catheter in infants less than 1,000 g.

Catheterization, Central Venous↗
PubMed1986

A prophylactic bolus of thiopentone does not protect against prolonged focal cerebral ischaemia.

Barbiturate coma is still recommended for brain protection during periods of temporary focal ischaemia such as during carotid endarterectomy. We tested the hypothesis that a single dose of barbiturate given before a period of protracted severe focal ischaemia would protect against focal cerebral infarction. Sixteen cats had the proximal left middle cerebral artery (MCA) occluded. Eight cats received halothane alone titrated to keep their pulse and blood pressure within the normal range. Eight cats received, in addition to halothane, a bolus of thiopentone sufficient to produce an isoelectric EEG immediately prior to MCA occlusion. Six hours after the occlusions the animals were sacrificed and the brains scored histologically to assess both size and severity of ischaemia. There was no statistically significant difference in the size or severity of the infarcts between the groups. We conclude from this study that the extent of the histological injury was not reduced by a single prophylactic bolus of thiopentone given before prolonged focal cerebral ischaemia.

Animals↗