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Biomedical subjects

M Taylor

Publications and source records attributed to M Taylor.

At least 667 records · Page 37Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Hand grip dynamometry as a predictor of postoperative complications reappraisal using age standardized grip strengths.

A mechanical hand grip dynamometer was used to derive age- and sex-related standard grip strengths from 247 healthy volunteers between 16 and 95 yr old. Preoperative grip strength was measured in 90 patients and related to postoperative complication rates. A grip strength of 85% standard for age and sex was found to be the most effective cut-off for prediction of postoperative complications in terms of sensitivity and specificity, predicting 74% of the complications (p less than 0.05). Specificity is improved over previously published standards related to sex alone especially when assessing the elderly patient (50% vs 21%). A grip strength below the recommended cut-off for age and sex suggests that the patient is in a high-risk group and demands further investigation of nutritional status. Studies of pre-operative nutritional support for the at risk group need to be undertaken.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Detrusor myopathy in young beagle dogs.

Hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections of urinary bladder were examined microscopically from 449 male and female beagle dogs after 2- to 4-week toxicology studies. Degenerative lesions (detrusor myopathy) of the urinary bladder muscular tunic were present in 59 of 449 (13%) dogs. Myopathic lesions consisted of focal to multifocal areas of smooth muscle fiber atrophy with cytoplasmic basophilia and vacuolation, individual cell necrosis, enlarged smooth muscle nuclei and nucleoli, and occasional mitotic figures. Adjacent areas of arteritis and periarteritis were present in 10 of 59 (17%) beagles with detrusor myopathy suggesting a possible ischemic pathogenesis of the smooth muscle lesions. There was no significant difference in prevalence of myopathy in beagles administered vehicle or various test compounds. Prior urinary catheterization procedures appeared to augment the prevalence of myopathy; some lesions were adjacent to minor, iatrogenically traumatized urinary bladder mucosa. Muscle lesions were not observed in urinary bladders from mongrel dogs, monkeys, cats, rats, or microswine. When compared to crossbred dogs and other laboratory species, the beagle dog thus appears to be sensitive to development of detrusor myopathy.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A new model for Project 2000 students in theatres.

Changes in nurse education have brought into focus the status of the student nurse in the operating department. This article outlines some of the historical perspectives of the role of student nurses undertaking their operating department experience and describes a new model for preparing students for this part of their preregistration education as piloted by one college of health studies after the implementation of Project 2000.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Viral and chemical tracer movement through contrasting soils.

Land treatment of animal or human waste can result in chemical and microbial contamination of shallow ground water and/or water-ways. We investigated the fate of a host-specific Salmonella bacteriophage and a nonreactive chemical (Br-) tracer when applied to large intact lysimeter soil cores (500 mm diam. by 700 mm high). The soils included a poorly drained Gley Soil and well-drained Pumice, Allophanic, and Recent Soils. A depth of 30 mm of water containing the bacteriophage and Br- was applied to the soil at a rate of 5 mm h(-1) followed by up to about 1.8 pore volumes of simulated rainfall. Resulting leachates, collected continuously over at least one pore volume were analyzed for the bacteriophage and bromide (Br-) tracers. Bromide moved uniformly through the Pumice and Allophanic Soils with peak concentrations at about 1 pore volume, while the bacteriophage was detected only at trace levels or not at all. In contrast, both Br- and bacteriophage tracers moved rapidly through Gley and Recent Soils, appearing early in the leachate and then tailing off. Such flow patterns in the Gley and Recent Soils are indicative of bypass flow. Coarse soil structure in the Gley Soil, and finger-flow due to water repellency in the sandy Recent Soil are considered responsible for the observed bypass flow in these two soils. Allophanic and Pumice Soils have finer, more porous soil structure leading to a predominance of matrix flow over bypass flow. This study suggests vertical movement of viruses varies significantly with soil type.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Approaches to the construction of a medical informatics glossary and thesaurus.

In a project concerned with establishing a glossary and thesaurus for the medical informatics domain, various approaches to the task have been investigated. The developers take the view that a glossary should be a coherent system of terms, reflecting a coherent system of concepts that underlies a body of knowledge about a domain. A framework for the conceptual analysis of the concepts/terms underlying the domain has been developed. The emphasis of this framework is on how the concepts relate together. This work has given an important insight into how the practical task of establishing well-structured vocabularies for a field can be better achieved. An eclectic approach to term selection was adopted. Criteria for assessing what constitutes good definitions for concepts in a field were examined. Using all these approaches glossaries, thesauri and domain models of the medical informatics field are being developed. Another aspect of our work of particular interest is the development of attributed definitions from which inheritance patterns can be defined.

Data Collection↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Total parenteral nutrition (Part 1).

If administered safely and effectively, total parenteral nutrition (TPN) can be a life-saving intervention for many patients. Where skill, knowledge or due care are lacking, however, it can be life-threatening. So what is TPN, and why is it still viewed somewhat sceptically by certain members of the medical profession? In two articles, the author aims to answer these questions. Next week, she looks at the metabolic, pharmacological, mechanical, infection-control and psychological issues that influence the administration of TPN. In this article, she describes TPN's controversial history and outlines the essential principles of safe practice.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Total parenteral nutrition (Part 2).

Last week, the author described the controversial history of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) and offered brief guidelines for safe and effective administration (1). She now concludes her overview of TPN by describing the metabolic, pharmacological, mechanical, infection control and psychological considerations which have such an important effect on the therapy.

Cross Infection↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cost effectiveness of Streetworks' needle exchange program of Edmonton.

OBJECTIVE: To conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis of the Edmonton Streetworks needle exchange program, in terms of the additional cost per HIV infection averted. The main outcome measures were needle use with and without Streetworks, HIV cases averted, and program costs. METHODS: We conducted interviews and HIV saliva tests on a sample of street-involved intravenous drug users (IDU) who are regular Streetworks' clients. Outcomes were used in a cost-effectiveness model. RESULTS: It is projected that the program has a cost-effectiveness of $9,500 (Canadian) per HIV infection delayed for one year. CONCLUSIONS: The discounted cost per case averted is less than the cost of a case of AIDS. Continuing the program is a dominant strategy.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Simultaneous vaccination with BCG and measles vaccine: results of a controlled trial].

The main purpose of the controled assay on a combination of B.C.G. and measles vaccine was to ascertain whether these two vaccines could be administered on young children in simultaneous injections, in two different parts of the body and on the same day, and whether in that case they led to rates of haemagglutination inhibitory antibodies against measles on the one hand, and induration diameters of Mantoux's intradermoreactions against B.C.G. on the other, not inferior to rates and diameters obtained when using the same vaccines separately. This survey, carried out in Cameroon, involved one thousand individuals. It confirms the suggestion that the two vaccinations may be carried out simultaneously when circumstances require an early and total protection of a child population with minimum sanitary stress.

BCG Vaccine↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The hormone continuum: accrual of women's health benefits.

The hormone continuum is a treatment strategy that advocates maintaining hormone continuity, from the reproductive years into menopause and beyond. This entails the use first of oral contraceptives (OCs), which confer well-known health benefits--especially reductions in ovarian and endometrial cancers--besides effective contraception, and later, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which provides relief of perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms and protects older women from (a) decreasing bone mineral density; (b) cardiovascular disease, according to several studies; and (c) Alzheimer's disease, as suggested by a number of studies. In perimenopause, use of OCs declines by about one-half, and then by a further four-fifths up to menopause. This is unfortunate, because in these later reproductive years women are subject to unintended pregnancy, which in 65% of cases is terminated by abortion. Furthermore, women are thereby deprived also of alleviation of dysmenorrhea and even vasomotor symptoms that often characterize the perimenopause. After menopause is well established, a "seamless" transition to HRT can be made, often with the same progestin that was contained in the OC. This paper discusses risks as well as benefits of hormone therapy, especially of HRT, with an emphasis on patient counseling and individualizing of therapy.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The sequence of the preparative procedures affects the success of cryostorage of cassava somatic embryos.

Cassava primary somatic embryos were prepared for cryostorage using both physical drying and cryoprotectant application stages. The effects of the sequence by which these preparative events were applied to the material was investigated. The drying of the somatic embryos before the application of the cryoprotectants resulted in a significantly higher viability after cryostorage than when the material was first exposed to the cryoprotectants and then dried. The impact of these preparative procedures on sub-cellular detail was monitored by means of transmission electron microscopy.

Cryopreservation↗
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Influence of three-day antimicrobial therapy and lactobacillus vaginal suppositories on recurrence of urinary tract infections.

Forty-one adult women with acute lower urinary tract infections (UTI) were randomly treated for three days with norfloxacin or trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX). Infection was eradicated in 100% of norfloxacin-treated patients and in 95% of TMP/SMX-treated patients. UTI recurred in 29% of patients treated with norfloxacin and in 41% of those treated with TMP/SMX. Post-therapy vaginal administration of lactobacillus suppositories resulted in a recurrence rate of UTI of only 21%, while in patients given sterilized skim-milk suppositories the recurrence rate was 47%. This study indicates that lactobacillus vaginal suppositories are safe and may be effective in reducing the recurrence of UTI following antimicrobial therapy.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The importance of the elastic and plastic components of strain in tensile and compressive fatigue of human cortical bone in relation to orthopaedic biomechanics.

The longevity, success, or failure of an orthopaedic implant is dependent on its osseointegration especially within the initial six months of the initial surgery. The development of strains plays a crucial role in both bone modelling and remodelling. For remodelling, in particular, strains of substantial values are required to activate the osteoblastic and osteoclastic activity for the osseointegration of the implant. Bone, however, is subject to "damage" when strain levels exceed a certain threshold level. Damage is manifested in the form of microcracks; it is linked to increased elastic strain amplitudes and is accompanied by the development of "plastic" (irrecoverable, residual) strains. Such strains increase the likelihood for the implant to subside or loosen. The present study examines the rates (per cycle) by which these two components of strain (elastic and "plastic") develop during fatigue cycling in two loading modes, tension and compression. The results of this study show that these strain rates depend on the applied stress in both loading modes. It also shows that elastic and plastic strain rates can be linked to each other through simple power law relationships so that one can calculate or predict the latter from the former and vice versa. We anticipate that such basic bone biomechanics data would be of great benefit to both clinicians and bioengineers working in the field of FEA modelling applications and orthopaedic implant surgery.

Aged↗