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Biomedical subjects

M Herbert

Publications and source records attributed to M Herbert.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1982

Mother-to-infant bonding.

The concept of maternal 'bonding', i.e. rapid mother-to-neonate attachment, appears frequently in psychiatric, paediatric and social work discussions of childhood psychopathology and child abuse. 'Bonding' is used as a diagnostic concept, and one which has to bear the weight of important explanatory, descriptive and predictive statements. In turn, it is related aetiologically to post-partum contact and separations of mother and infant. The authors present a critical review of the concept, exploring its empirical basis, and the implications (logical and illogical) that flow from its application in practice. They conclude that the usage of the term 'bonding' is often misleading, because of a tendency to reify and simplify attachment phenomena; in addition, there are no indications from animal investigations and no evidence from human studies which directly support the notion of a 'sensitive period' in the formation of mother-to-infant attachments. They also describe the negative and pessimistic implications of using this concept in social work and clinical practice. Alternative ways of conceptualising these early parent-child events are suggested.

Adoption↗
PubMed1980

The effect of deprenyl, a selective monoamine oxidase B inhibitor, on sleep and mood in man.

The effect of (-)-deprenyl, a rapidly acting selective monoamine oxidase (MAO) B inhibitor, on the sleep and mood of six healthy young male adults was investigated. The drug was administered double-blind in a balanced cross-over design. The dose (5-10 mg/day for 3 days) was chosen to cause complete inhibition of MAO, a process which usually takes 1-2 weeks with conventional MAO inhibitors. The inhibition was monitored by measuring platelet MAO activity and phenylethylamine excretion. Urinary phenylethylamine concentration was raised in all subjects. Subjects were unaware of any sleep disturbance due to the drug although the electroencephalogram (EEG) showed increased wakefulness. The onset of rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep was delayed and the total amount reduced; the amount of stage 2 sleep was increased. The only effect of the drug on mood was to decrease the level of alertness prior to sleep. There was a slight but significant increase in the pre-sleep systolic blood pressure. There were no effects due to drug withdrawal.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Prevention of effects of alcohol intoxication by naloxone.

In a double-blind, cross-over study of twenty male volunteers intravenous injection of 0.4 mg naloxone prevented the impairment of psychomotor performance induced by low levels of blood alcohol. The possibility that alcohol produces intoxication by stimulating the release of endogenous opioid peptides should be investigated.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Factor analysis of analogue scales measuring subjective feelings before and after sleep.

A series of 18 visual analogue scales was used to report the subjective feelings of 38 healthy subjects on 732 occasions during experiments concerned with the quality of sleep. Factor analysis of scores from these scales, both for all subjects combined and within each of four subjects separately, yielded two factors consistently -- 'alertness' and 'tranquillity'. Scores derived from the first factor indicated that, in the laboratory setting levels of immediately after waking in the morning were reduced, in relation to those before falling asleep on the previous night.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

Development and intracellular distribution of enzymes of the oxidative pentose phosphate cycle in radish cotyledons.

Developmental and compartmentation studies were used to evaluate the relative roles of the oxidative pentose phosphate cycle, the Calvin cycle, and the glycolysis in cotyledons of radish (Raphanus sativus L.).Glucose-6-P dehydrogenase, 6-P-gluconate dehydrogenase, glucose-6-P isomerase, and the NAD-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-P dehydrogenase were present in high activity in ungerminated seeds, increased about 2-fold during germination in the dark, and were slightly enhanced by light. In contrast, NADP-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-P dehydrogenase was developed to only a small degree in the dark, but increased severalfold in continuous white or far red light. The activity of phosphofructokinase was low throughout germination.The separation of cell compartment-specific isoenzymes showed that, except in ungerminated seeds, the plastid enzyme accounted for 40 to 45% of the total activity of 6-P-gluconate dehydrogenase and for 15 to 20% of glucose-6-P isomerase. The remaining activity was due to the cytosolic isoenzymes. The presence of glucose-6-P dehydrogenase and 6-P-gluconate dehydrogenase in plastids was also established by their presence in the isolated organelle. The NAD-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-P dehydrogenase was mostly due to the cytosolic isoenzyme, whereas the NAD-dependent activity associated with the NADP-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-P dehydrogenase was very small.The data indicate that the enzymes of the oxidative pentose phosphate cycle are present in the cytosol throughout germination. In the plastids these enzymes already became fully developed during early germination in the dark, whereas enzymes of the Calvin cycle increased only in the light. Glycolysis seemed to be of minor importance.

Journal Article↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Case study. Erythropoietin for anaemia in a preterm Jehovah's Witness baby.

An infant born at 24 weeks gestation to Jehovah's Witness parents was made a Ward of Court and treated against their wishes with blood products. Erythropoietin was used without obvious benefit, but the child did well. The parents did not reject the child and maintained a good relationship with medical and nursing staff. We present this case in the light of current discussions on child welfare and recent reform of the law relating to child protection and highlight the many difficult dilemmas faced by the medical team.

Anemia, Neonatal↗