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Biomedical subjects

M Fletcher

Publications and source records attributed to M Fletcher.

103 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1980

A low dose regime of 1 alpha hydroxyvitamin D3 in the management of senile osteoporosis: a pilot study.

A comparison has been made between themetabolic consequences of daily administration for 6 weeks of 1.0 micrograms and 0.5 micrograms 1 alpha hydroxyvitamine D3 (1 alpha(OH)D3) in twenty patients with senile osteoporosis. There was no significant difference in the increase of calcium absorption which occurred in the two treatment groups between the beginning and end of the trial period. Serum and urinary calcium rose significantly in those receiving 1.0 micrograms 1 alpha(OH)D3 but not in the lower dosage group. Serum parathyroid hormone levels were suppressed in the higher dosage group only. There was a significantly greater rise of serum inorganic phosphate, and fall of serum magnesium, on the higher dosage, but no significant change in serum creatinine occurred in either group. It is, therefore, suggested that in long term therapy regimes for osteoporosis incorporating 1 alpha(OH)D3, 0.5 micrograms may be a more suitable daily dose than 1.0 micrograms 1 alpha(OH)D3.

Aged↗
PubMed1976

Impact of the new generation coronary care unit.

A 30-bed coronary care unit with facilities for fluoroscopy, haemodynamic monitoring, mechanical heart assistance, and long-term electrocardiographic monitoring operated at a reasonable cost over five years. Much of the work was entrusted to trained nurses, and there was close consultation with cardiac surgeons over those patients who needed catheterisation or surgery. New procedures greatly reduced the numbers of early deaths from cardiac arrest and cardiac failure but had less influence on late mortality. Hospital mortality for all 3353 patients was 6-8%, and for patients under 65 with definite infarction, who were admitted direct it was 5-7%.

Aged↗
PubMed1976

The effects of proteins on bacterial attachment to polystyrene.

Bovine serum albumin, gelatin, fibrinogen and pepsin impaired the attachment of a marine pseudomonad to polystyrene Petri dishes, apparently through adsorption on the dish surface. Serum albumin also appeared to affect the bacterial surface. The basic proteins protamine and histone did not markedly inhibit attachment. These findings are discussed in relation to comparative experiments using tissue cells.

Adsorption↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Schistosoma mansoni infection in a new settlement in Metekel district, north-western Ethiopia: morbidity and side effects of treatment with praziquantel in relation to intensity of infection.

A study of morbidity and side effects of treatment with praziquantel in relation to intensity of infection with Schistosoma mansoni was conducted in 406 infected individuals from a newly-settled village in Metekel, north-western Ethiopia. Each subject was submitted to a standardized medical history and abdominal palpation. The frequencies of hepatomegaly and splenomegaly were low, 2% and 3%, respectively. A positive association was found between egg load and a history of blood in the stool. Interviews on side effects were conducted on the day following treatment with praziquantel (40 mg/kg body weight). Positive correlations with egg load were found for several side effects, including abdominal pain, diarrhoea, headache, back pain, and vomiting. Unusual side effects involving swelling of various parts of the body confirm 2 previous reports from a different region in Ethiopia and should be investigated further.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Ontogeny of odor discrimination: a method to assess novel odor discrimination in neonatal rats.

Recent research using molecular and functional imaging techniques has demonstrated a highly precise spatial representation of odor quality in the rodent olfactory bulb, which is enhanced by extensive lateral inhibitory circuitry. Much of this olfactory bulb circuitry develops postnatally in the rat, leading to the prediction that behavioral discrimination of odor quality may also emerge postnatally. However, currently no behavioral paradigm has been identified to test this prediction. The present report describes the expression and habituation of odor-evoked heart rate-orienting responses in neonatal rats. The results demonstrate that odor-evoked-orienting responses can be observed at least as early as postnatal day 4 (PN 4), and in those animals showing orienting responses, habituation is constant throughout the postnatal period. Furthermore, the results suggest that examination of cross-habituation using this paradigm can be used to explore odor discrimination ability in neonates. These results lay the foundation for future studies of precise mapping of the ontogeny of novel odor discrimination.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Action of New World scorpion venom and its neurotoxins in secretion.

New World scorpion venom contains protein toxins specific for ion channels in the plasmalemma of excitable cells. The effects were examined of whole venoms from Tityus serrulatus, T. bahiensis and T. stigmurus, and some purified toxins in isolated nerve endings (synaptosomes) and pancreatic acinar cells. Both systems initiated exocytosis in a dose-dependent response to the venom or its bioactive protein toxins. Actions differed, however, such that pancreatic acinar cells required Ca2+ while cerebrocortical synaptosomes responded by a Ca(2+)-dependent mechanism, except in the case of one toxin, IV-5, that elicited a Ca(2+)-independent response. Membrane depolarization caused by scorpion venom toxins was measured via radioisotopic discharge of tetra[3H]phenylphosphonium bromide. The role of protein kinase C in second-messenger coupling in pancreatic acinar cells is favored over ion-exclusive routes characteristic of synaptosomes.

Animals↗