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Biomedical subjects

M Rice

Publications and source records attributed to M Rice.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Virus and virus-like particles observed in the intestinal contents of the possum, Trichosurus vulpecula.

Intestinal contents derived from the Australian brush-tailed possum, Trichosurus vulpecula, were examined by negative stain electron microscopy for the presence of viruses. Out of 100 samples, 23 contained at least one type of vertebrate virus or virus-like particle. Adenovirus was identified in six samples, herpesvirus in two samples, coronavirus in four samples, and coronavirus-like particles in 14 samples. To date no viruses of the brush-tailed possum have been isolated in tissue culture but these results indicate that this species is probably host to several viral species.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

A 3-year follow-up of the intellectual and academic functioning of children receiving central nervous system prophylactic chemotherapy for leukemia.

This prospective study compared the intellectual and academic functioning of two groups of children treated for cancer over the 3 years after their diagnosis. One group consisted of children who received central nervous system (CNS) prophylactic chemotherapy, and the other group consisted of children with cancer who did not receive CNS chemotherapy. The results suggest that the children who received CNS chemotherapy experienced more adverse effects from their treatment in the area of academic functioning than the children who did not receive CNS chemotherapy. Although there were no differences in the academic functioning of the two groups of children immediately after their diagnosis, 3 years postdiagnosis, the CNS-treated children scored more poorly on academic tests of reading, spelling, and arithmetic than the non-CNS-treated children. The results suggest that CNS chemotherapy prophylaxis may impede academic achievement.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Life-threatening situations: supporting the child survivor and the family.

Children encounter life-threatening situations through trauma as well as acute and chronic illnesses. These life-threatening situations are not only potentially physically incapacitating but also emotionally scarring. Using Jillings' model for life-threatening illnesses, nurses are able to assess and intervene with child survivors and their families to insure optimum psychological and emotional outcomes.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1995

Oxidative metabolism in Rett syndrome: 1. Clinical studies.

The etiology of Rett syndrome (RS) remains a mystery. The clinical phenotype has similarities to that of patients with mitochondrial defects of oxidative metabolism. There is evidence of lactate and pyruvate elevations in blood and CSF in some patients. Over the last 10 years we have studied girls with RS looking for evidence of a defect in oxidative metabolism. We present data on lactate and pyruvate blood measurements in 30 patients with RS with repeated measurements performed over time in many. Taken as a whole the means of measurements of lactate and pyruvate fall within the control range, however, individual patients have marked elevation of both lactate and pyruvate with considerable fluctuation over time. Nine girls with typical RS were studied in detail using a clinical protocol designed to identify disorders of oxidative metabolism. These patients underwent fasting for 24 hours, glucose loading and alanine loading tests. Seven girls had skin and muscle biopsies performed. One patient admitted with particularly high blood lactate levels underwent hourly blood collections over a 24 hour period during which state of alertness was noted and respiratory monitoring was performed. In this patient serial blood sampling for lactate performed. In this patient serial blood sampling for lactate performed with oxypneumocardiogram recording demonstrated a fall in plasma lactate to normal levels during sleep when the respiratory pattern was normal. Such fluctuations of plasma lactate apparently correlated with sleep/wake state and respiration suggest that in some patients with RS lactate elevations may arise from respiratory abnormalities. Other positive findings included prediabetic glucose responses in three girls. Ammonia levels following alanine loading were normal in all patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Chlamydia infection in cats in New Zealand.

Conjunctival swabs collected in 1991-92 from 333 pedigree and non-pedigree cats were tested for the presence of Chlamydia spp. antigen using an ELISA antigen kit. Forty (18.4%) of the 217 samples from cats with conjunctivitis were positive. Seven (6%) of 116 samples from cats which were in contact with cats with conjunctivitis but which showed no clinical signs at the time of sample collection were positive. Positive-testing cats were frequently from multi-cat households. Chlamydia spp. is present and associated with conjunctivitis in cats in New Zealand. Infection may occur concurrently with viral diseases. Feline calicivirus was recovered from 27 (21 with conjunctivitis) of 37 cats tested in five catteries. Four cats (with conjunctivitis) were FIV-positive.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1995

A prospective study of the psychological adjustment of children with cancer.

PURPOSE: This paper describes the prevalence of emotional and behavioral problems and the social competencies of forty children with cancer immediately after their diagnosis and one year post-diagnosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: At both points of time the problems and competencies of the children with cancer were compared with the problems and competencies of a matched group of children living in the community. RESULTS: The results suggest that early in their illnesses, younger children with cancer experience more internalising problems than children in the community. However, the younger children with cancer improved significantly in these areas during the year after their diagnosis. As a result, one year after their diagnosis there was little difference in the prevalence of problems amongst the younger children with cancer and the children in the community. The older children with cancer did not appear to have more problems than children in the community at either the first or the second assessment. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study draw attention to possible differences in the prevalence of emotional and behavioral problems experienced by younger and older children with cancer. The results also suggest that amongst younger children with cancer the prevalence of problems declines during the year after their initial diagnoses.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Nursing research and nursing practice--teaching the inseparable duo.

This series of research courses provides (a) an initial emphasis on learning the content at the knowledge and comprehension levels; (b) sequential and continuous courses so that research is not seen as isolated, and therefore esoteric, knowledge; (c) an application component congruent with the clinical/practice needs and interests of students; and (d) low faculty-student ratios, at least some of the time. Teaching research so that it becomes a fundamental part of nursing practice is a goal that must be met. Reading and critiquing research provides an ideal avenue for stimulating and embellishing the critical-thinking abilities that are so basic to excellence in practice. The development of nursing science and the complexities involved in enhancing patient well-being depend on the promotion of nursing research and the clinical application of nursing research findings. Knowledge about nursing research must be taught; structuring teaching so that nursing research becomes a valued and inherent part of clinical practice from the beginning is the challenge for nursing educators.

Attitude↗
PubMed1994

The use of alternative therapies by children with cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the nature and prevalence of therapies used by children with cancer as alternatives to orthodox medical treatment. DESIGN: A descriptive study in which the parents of children with cancer completed a questionnaire describing the use of alternative therapies by their children. SUBJECTS: Children diagnosed with cancer, excluding brain tumours, at the Women's and Children's Hospital, South Australia, from July 1988 to July 1992. RESULTS: Approximately 46% of the children with cancer had used at least one alternative therapy. In general, parents reported that the therapies were used as an addition to orthodox medical treatment rather than as an alternative. Less than 50% of the parents had discussed the use of the alternative therapies with the children's doctors. CONCLUSIONS: A substantial proportion of children with cancer use alternative therapies and the use of these therapies is often not discussed with the children's medical practitioners. There is a continuing need to consider how to better provide, within the context of orthodox medical treatment, those elements of their children's care which parents currently seek from alternative therapies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Anabolic effect of human growth hormone: management of inherited disorders of catabolic pathways.

The effects of growth hormone treatment and dietary alanine supplementation, individually and in combination, were studied in five patients with organic acidemias. Three patients had propionic acidemia, one had 3-hydroxyisobutyric acidemia, and one had a defect in isoleucine metabolism. Two patients with propionic acidemia had decreased growth hormone secretion in response to provocative stimuli (intravenous L-arginine and oral levodopa or clonidine); the remaining subjects had sufficient growth hormone secretion. Three of four subjects in whom IGF1 was measured showed subnormal concentrations at baseline (including two with normal growth hormone secretory responses). All patients showed an increase in linear growth with growth hormone. In the four patients studied, all had a significant increase in nitrogen retention over baseline with alanine or growth hormone alone, or with the combination of growth hormone and alanine, with a much greater effect of growth hormone. Lean body mass and body fat composition tended to become normal with treatment. Protein tolerance increased, and when the patients' dietary protein intakes were increased between 20 and 60% they maintained positive nitrogen balance, without a significant increase in metabolite excretion. One patient with propionic acidemia expired during the time of the study, following a course of recurrent pancreatitis and an episode of acute basal ganglia infarction. All of the other subjects showed clinical improvement (decreased incidence of ketoacidotic episodes and decreased frequency of hospital admission and school absence) during treatment, and even the patient who expired remained metabolically stable up to and through the terminal event. We conclude that growth hormone may be of value in the management of patients with organic acidemia.

3-Hydroxybutyric Acid↗