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Biomedical subjects

M J Bennett

Publications and source records attributed to M J Bennett.

At least 289 records · Page 16Linked to original sources
PubMed1979

Binocularity in kittens reared with optically induced squint.

The effects of conflicting visual images were studied without the confounding influences of oculomotor abnormalities: strabismus was simulated by rearing kittens with ophthalmic prisms before the eyes. After the animals had matured, the response properties of neurons in the visual cortex were studied. The proportion of binocularly excited neurons decreased; however, the extent of the ocular dominance alterations was related to the amount and direction of the prism-induced deviation.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1979

Antenatal screening in Oxford for fetal neural tube defects.

Between May 1975 and the end of 1977, 6443 antenatal patients were screened mainly between 16 and 22 weeks of pregnancy for neural tube defects (NTDs) at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, by maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) measurement; a take-up of 72 per cent. Seventeen out of 18 (94 per cent) patients with open NTD pregnancies (9 out of 9 with anencephaly and 8 out of 9 with open spina bifida) had positive screening tests, and all except one were offered and accepted a termination of pregnancy. Two hundred and forty-five (3.8 per cent) patients with unaffected pregnancies also had positive screening tests, although only 1.4 per cent had an amniocentesis. Following ultrasonography, about 50 per cent of patients with unaffected pregnancies with positive screening tests were not offered an amniocentesis because they had a multiple pregnancy or their gestational age had been underestimated. The odds of having a fetus with an NTD among the women who had an amniocentesis was about 1 to 6 (1 to 11 for open spina bifida alone). Two apparently normal pregnancies were terminated. A survey of the acceptability of the screening programme among a consecutive sample of 73 patients who knew that they had a positive screening test revealed that all except one had no objection to screening in general, and 68 (93 per cent) wanted to be tested again in a future pregnancy. The approximate direct cost of the programme was 2 pounds to 3 pounds per patient screened, or about 1000 pounds per NTD detected (about 2200 pounds per open spina bifida detected).

Amniocentesis↗
PubMed1979

Continuous psychotherapy within an HMO.

The authors describe the long-term psychotherapy program developed by the Harvard Community Health Plan, focusing on its planning, implementation, and monitoring. The inclusion of coverage for chronic conditions in an HMO practice led to the development of a range of extended treatment services, exploratory as well as supportive, and to the enhancement of short-term methods. The control of utilization and cost is effected through the willingness of the provider group to adapt treatment methods to patient needs, rather than through the benefit structure. With the broad range of treatment methods available in this plan, only 1%-2% of patients require long-term continuous psychotherapy.

Chronic Disease↗
PubMed1979

The crisis group--an outcome study.

The authors describe the day-to-day functioning and outcome of an 8-session, active, crisis-oriented outpatient psychotherapy group. Symptoms of anxiety and depression improved significantly in participants of the crisis group; these changes were even more positive at 1-year follow-up. The authors speculate that the success of the crisis group can be attributed to the felicitous characteristics of the patients and to the group structure and function, which provided an excellent vehicle for crisis intervention management.

Adjustment Disorders↗
PubMed1979

Multiple probe frequency acoustic reflex measurements.

Acoustic reflex impedance measurements are made on forty-seven normal and two otosclerotic ears using fixed probe frequencies from 220 to 2000 Hz. In general, the reflex increases the middle ear impedance up to 700 Hz probe frequency and decreases it thereafter. It is postulated that this characteristic is related to removal of the cochlear fluid resistance due to stapes decoupling. At one probe frequency in the range 500--900 Hz, the reflex of 50% of the normal ears has either a diphasic pattern or shows no change in the impedance vector length. The accompanying phase change is always monophasic. In the otosclerotic ear the diphasic reflex is present for every probe frequency. These factors should be taken into account when probe frequencies greater than 220 Hz are used for reflex measurement.

Acoustic Impedance Tests↗
PubMed1979

Trials with the auditory response cradle. 1--Neonatal responses to auditory stimuli.

The Auditory Response Cradle enables physiological response measures to be recorded from the neonate. Auditory responses are detected in the form of head rotation, startle, body activity and respiration changes. This paper reports the results of trials with 203 neonates using 250 and 1000 Hz pure tone and broad band noise stimuli. Response criteria are determined and spontaneous control 'responses' compared with those resulting from stimulus presentation. The response rate is correlated with the measured intra-meatal sound pressure level. Clear response thresholds are determined for all three stimuli. The sharpness of these motor thresholds is discussed and found to have significant implications for cost-effective neonatal auditory screening.

Head↗
PubMed1979

Adult mental health services in a health maintenance organization.

The authors describe an adult mental health service within a health maintenance organization and present information on the department's setting, staffing patterns, programs, and philosophy. They believe that the emphasis on brief focal psychotherapy, the staff of mental health care providers who are committed to this type of setting, and the thorough integration of the program into the larger HMO system all contribute to the provision of high-quality services at a reasonable cost.

Boston↗
PubMed1978

Some problems of alpha-fetoprotein screening.

In two years of a routine screening programme for the detection of neural-tube defects over 6000 women had serum-alpha-fetoprotein (A.F.P.) measured. As a result, 80 women carrying live singleton fetuses were offered amniocentesis under ultrasound control. All neural-tube defects detected at birth were recorded and necropsies were done routinely on abortuses, thus permitting evaluation of the screening programme in terms of false negatives and false positives. 16 amniotic-fluid A.F.P.s were abnormal, 1 for an unaffected fetus; and 2 others were normal for fetuses which had closed lesions. At the serum-A.F.P. stage, 3 lesions were missed. The detection-rate compares favourably with those of other series. However, in a pilot study, routine ultrasonic assessment of gestation yielded a substantial proportion of cases where a serum-A.F.P. deemed normal or abnormal when gestation was assessed clinically would have been misleading. Loss of normal fetuses subsequent to amniocentesis (5 in this series) also has to be taken into account.

Abortion, Therapeutic↗
PubMed1978

Circulating levels of alpha-fetoprotein and pregnancy specific beta1 glycoprotein in pregnancies without an embryo.

Ten patients with depressed serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels at 14 to 15 weeks gestation were found to have no embryo on ultrasonography: two patients had hydatiform moles and the remainder had anembryonic pregnancies (blighted ova). The pregnancy specific beta1 glycoprotein (SP1) levels in serum were measured in all these ten patients. Seven of the eight patients with anembryonic pregnancies and one of the two patients with molar pregnancies had low serum SP1 levels. These observations suggest that the measurement of AFP and SP1 may provide biochemical evidence of pregnancy without an embryo.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗
PubMed1978

Removal of intra-abdominal intrauterine contraceptive devices.

Thirteen cases of misplaced intrauterine contraceptive devices removed from the abdominal cavity over a two year period at the Chelsea Hospital for Women, are reviewed. Five of the six plastic devices were removable laparoscopically but all the copper containing devices required a laparotomy for removal because of an omental or peritoneal reaction.

Abdomen↗