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Biomedical subjects

M T Watts

Publications and source records attributed to M T Watts.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

A dBASE III surgical pathology reporting and encoding microcomputer system.

The authors have developed a menu-driven dBASE III system for surgical pathology reporting and encoding in Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine (SNOMED). The system requires no knowledge of dBASE and is readily installed on any IBM-standard personal computer equipped with a fixed disk. The use of dBASE memo fields provides the integration of word processing and database functions. Preliminary gross examination reports are automatically accompanied by data from former cases on the same patient. Patient demographics, SNOMED codes, and final diagnoses are stored on the fixed disk; complete reports are saved on floppy diskettes. Cases can be retrieved by patient name, surgical number, or SNOMED codes. Daily work lists, frozen section-final diagnosis correlations, turnaround time reports, and listings of incomplete cases are easily obtained. Cytologic results can also be entered, allowing automatic correlation with surgical cases.

Humans↗
PubMed1990

The effect of sodium chloride concentration, water content, and protein on the gas chromatographic headspace analysis of ethanol in plasma.

The authors used gas chromatographic headspace analysis to study the sodium chloride concentration dependence of the partitioning of acetonitrile, ethanol, n-propanol, and t-butanol from water and plasma to headspace vapor. Increasing the sodium chloride concentration caused logarithmic increases in the partitioning. At 25 degrees C the slopes (log10[peak height]/mol sodium/L) obtained with the use of water or plasma were as follows: acetonitrile, 0.064 (0.059); ethanol, 0.126 (0.125); n-propanol, 0.152 (0.149); and t-butanol, 0.200 (0.183). Differences in water content between the two liquids may contribute to the small differences in the regression data. More importantly, saturation with sodium chloride at 25 degrees C produced solutions with different sodium molarities: 5.2 mol/L for water and 4.8 mol/L for plasma. This difference in salt concentration at saturation and the volatile dependent slopes can account for a large part of the error in plasma ethanol concentrations when measured with the use of aqueous external standardization and internal standardization with any of the other volatiles. Deproteinization of the plasma abolished the liquid phase-dependent differences in saturated salt concentration and partitioning.

1-Propanol↗
PubMed1990

Ocular involvement in giant cell arteritis.

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a systemic disease with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations. Severe visual loss is the most frequent serious complication. This article reviews current ideas about GCA and in particular its ocular manifestations.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed1989

The flash stimulated VEP in the diagnosis of glaucoma.

The Visual Evoked Potential using pattern stimulation has been used in recent years as an attempt to make an early diagnosis of glaucoma. However because of the macular dominance of responses obtained by this method, only diseases involving the papillomacular bundle reveal abnormality; such conditions do not occur in glaucoma. In this study we report the use of the early component (P1) of the flash stimulated visual evoked potential in the diagnosis of primary open angle glaucoma. It appears to provide an objective, accurate and repeatable screening technique. The size of P1 correlates well with the size of optic disc cupping, and field loss. The relationships between systemic vascular disease, P1 reductions, and glaucoma, lend support to the ischaemic origins of the disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Retention of iris supported intraocular lenses at the time of penetrating keratoplasty for pseudophakic corneal oedema.

The long-term follow-up of patients undergoing penetrating keratoplasty for pseudophakic corneal oedema is reported. The cause and frequency of corneal decompensation following intracapsular cataract extraction with insertion of an iris supported lens was assessed and found to be unrelated to the implant in the majority of cases. The most common cause of decompensation was endothelial touch during the cataract extraction. In all eyes the intraocular lens was retained at the time of penetrating keratoplasty. The hazards of removal of the lens are discussed and the recommendations made that lenses be retained when penetrating keratoplasty is undertaken for pseudophakic corneal oedema, other than in exceptional cases.

Cataract Extraction↗
PubMed1989

Is padding necessary after cataract extraction?

The results of a prospective study to assess the value of padding eyes following cataract surgery are reported. A group of eyes dressed with a petroleum jelly mesh, gauze pad, and cartella shield were compared with a group dressed only with a cartella shield. Study of the eyes and lids before and after operation, including the taking of lid margin and fornix swabs for culture, suggested that there was no significant difference in the bacterial presence between the two groups. The eyes dressed with a cartella shield alone appeared less prone to discharge. The relative merits of different types of dressing are discussed.

Bandages↗
PubMed1989

The use of a new design irrigator for the emergency treatment of chemical eye injuries in an accident and emergency department.

The introduction of a hand-held drench hose into a district general hospital accident and emergency department, for the emergency irrigation of chemically injured eyes is reported. The hose is described, together with the technique of irrigation. The advantages that a high-flow, low pressure system affords over conventional irrigation methods are discussed. The system appears to offer a simple, immediately available, effective tool for emergency eye care, which is suitable for use by a variety of personnel.

Burns, Chemical↗
PubMed1988

Day-case cataract surgery.

The results of a series of 40 cataract extractions with lens implantation performed on day-case patients under local anaesthesia are reported. The ways in which modern surgical techniques have rendered this a safe procedure are described, and the potential benefits of day-case intraocular surgery are discussed.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Implantation of a disc lens in the capsular bag.

We report a series of 65 cataract extractions with implantation of a rigid, posteriorly vaulted, disc-shaped lens in the capsular bag. Eight-nine percent achieved 20/40 vision or better, and 54% achieved 20/20 vision or better. The lens remained well centered in all cases. The method is described, and the practical and theoretical advantages of implantation of a lens approaching a natural shape are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

The effect of biologic specimen type on the gas chromatographic headspace analysis of ethanol and other volatile compounds.

Gas chromatographic analyses of 37 degrees C headspace vapors above liquid phases saturated with sodium chloride demonstrated that the partitioning of isopropanol, n-propanol, and t-butanol from blood, plasma, or serum to headspace vapor was greatly reduced relative to that observed with the use of water as the liquid phase. The partitioning of ethanol and acetone was moderately reduced with these specimens relative to water, while no effect was seen with methanol or acetonitrile. Normal urine only slightly affected relative partitioning, and vitreous humor had no effect. The partitioning reductions observed with blood were not affected by changing the equilibration temperature to 25 degrees C, by lengthening the equilibration time to three days, nor by changing the concentration of the volatiles in the liquid phase. The use of saturated sodium sulfate enhanced the differences in partitioning observed between water and blood. Only with substantial dilution (5:1) of blood specimens was the effect abolished.

Acetone↗
PubMed1986

Serum drug fluctuations after administration of two sustained-release oral theophylline preparations in asthmatic children.

Serum theophylline levels produced by two bands of sustained-release theophylline tablets, TheoDur and Respbid, were compared in a double-blind crossover study in 13 asthmatic children. The children, aged 9 to 17 years, remained involved in their daily school activities throughout the study. Each patient took 250 mg every 12 hours of one brand of anhydrous theophylline for five days and the other preparation for the remaining five days of the ten-day study. Trough and peak theophylline levels at steady state were measured on the fifth and tenth days of the study. Results indicated no significant differences between peak and trough with either preparation and no difference between the two preparations in mean theophylline concentrations.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1985

Use of commercially prepared control sera as quality control materials for spectrophotometric bilirubin determinations in amniotic fluid.

The visible absorption spectra of dilutions of commercially prepared chemistry control sera closely mimic those of jaundiced amniotic fluids in cases of fetal rhesus isoimmunization. The authors have assessed the use of these materials for the quality control of net absorbance measurements at 450 nm on amniotic fluids. The authors conclude that they are excellent quality control materials because of their ready availability, low cost, long-term stability, wide range of bilirubin concentrations, and their close resemblance to jaundiced amniotic fluids with respect to light absorption and scattering, sensitivity to light, and pigment extractability into chloroform. Their spectra also contain a maximum at 410 nm, so these materials can also be used as controls for net absorbance measurements at 410 nm, a determination that indicates the extent of heme or meconium pigment interference with net absorbance measurements at 450 nm. These materials both supplement and complement the requisite spectrophotometric performance checks of wavelength calibration and photometric accuracy.

Amniotic Fluid↗
PubMed1982

Determination of thiabendazole and 5-hydroxythiabendazole in human serum by fluorescence-detected high-performance liquid chromatography.

We have developed a rapid, sensitive and precise high-performance liquid chromatographic method using fluorescence detection for the simultaneous determination of thiabendazole and unconjugated 5-hydroxythiabendazole in serum. Sample pretreatment consists only of protein precipitation with acetonitrile containing the internal standard, 2-methylindole. Detection limits were found to be 0.1 microgram/ml serum for thiabendazole and 0.4 microgram/ml serum for 5-hydroxythiabendazole. Between-day analytical precision coefficients of variation for serum-based controls were 7% and 11% for thiabendazole levels of 1 and 5 micrograms/ml, respectively; and 43% and 8% for 5-hydroxythiabendazole levels of 6 and 60 micrograms/ml, respectively. We also devised a microenzymatic method for the conversion of the glucuronide and sulfate esters of 5-hydroxythiabendazole using beta-glucuronidase [EC 3.2.1.31] and sulfatase [EC 3.1.6.1]. Thus, quantitation of the separate metabolites was possible. We also utilized a special adaptation of the chromatographic procedure for the determination of the 5-hydroxythiabendazole metabolites in the sera of uremic patients, which can contain large amounts of interfering fluorescent substances. The method should be particularly useful for monitoring thiabendazole therapy in patients unable to eliminate the potentially toxic metabolites.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗