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Biomedical subjects

N Akhtar

Publications and source records attributed to N Akhtar.

81 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Report on evaluation of hydron film as burn wound dressing.

Hydron Burn Dressing, an amalgam of Polyethylene Glycol-400, and Polyhydroxyethyl methacrylate formed directly on the burn wound has been used in 50 cases with comparable control areas on the same patients which were managed by Polybactrin spray and exposure. The 4-layer film was found to be easily applicable in indoor patients and was pain-free during application and reduced pain after application in superficial burns. It was found to be translucent, pliable, less liable to crack and did not peel off once dried. The rate of infection was found to be 12.5 per cent more than the controls but the healing time was shorter by 2.8 days. Patient's comfort and compliance was better than the scab of the control areas.

Adolescent↗

Hemodynamic effect of dobutamine in patients with severe heart failure.

Dobutamine, a derivative of dopamine, was infused at a rate of 10 mug/kg per min in 15 patients with severe congestive heart failure. Cardiac output increased from an average of 3.1 to 5.6 liters/min (P less than 0.001) with no change in mean arterial pressure (93.3 to 98.2 mm Hg) and only a slight increase in heart rate (98.5 to 105.2 beats/min) (P less than 0.02). Pulmonary wedge pressure was decreased from an average of 27.4 to 21.1 mm Hg (P less than 0.001). In seven patients a dose of 5 mug/kg per min also produced a significant increase in cardiac output but the effect was less than with the 10 mug/kg per min dose. No side effects were observed during the infusion. Dobutamine therefore is a potent inotropic drug with limited chronotropic and peripheral vascular effects and deserves therapeutic trial in the short-term management of low output heart failure.

Adult↗

Insecticide-induced changes in secretory activity of the thyroid gland in rats.

The present study was conducted to examine the effect of organochlorine (Heptachlor, Benzene hexachloride (BHC)), organophosphorus (Malathion, Monitor) and pyrethroid (Karate, Talstar) insecticides on the thyroid secretory function in rats. Heptachlor (0.5 mg per rat), BHC (0.66 mg per rat) Malathion (0.06 mg per rat), Monitor (0.2 mg per rat), Karate (0.2 mg per rat), Talstar (0.5 mg per rat) were orally administered to young adult rats for 21 days. Serum concentrations of triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4) and thyrotrophin (TSH) were determined by using specific radioimmunoassays. Body weight was not affected by treatment with any insecticide except Talstar (P < 0.01). Among organochlorine and organophosphorus insecticides, treatment with BHC and Malathion, respectively, led to a significant decrease (P < 0.01) in serum concentration of T3 and T4. Administration of BHC and Malathion also increased (P < 0.01) TSH secretion. Treatment with both of the pyrethroid insecticides similarly induced significant suppression (P < 0.01) of serum T3 and T4 levels, and concomitant stimulation (P < 0.01) of TSH concentrations. The T4/T3 ratio was decreased (P < 0.05) in rats treated with Karate but not with any other insecticide. These data indicate that immense care is warranted in the use of insecticides, because they not only affect the liver, kidney and other organs but also may alter the activity of the endocrine glands.

Animals↗

Learning words through overhearing.

Recent research indicates that toddlers can monitor others' conversations, raising the possibility that they can acquire vocabulary in this way. Three studies examined 2-year-olds' (N = 88) ability to learn novel words when overhearing these words used by others. Children aged 2,6 were equally good at learning novel words-both object labels and action verbs-when they were overhearers as when they were directly addressed. For younger 2-year-olds (2,1), this was true for object labels, but the results were less clear for verbs. The findings demonstrate that 2-year-olds can acquire novel words from overheard speech, and highlight the active role played by toddlers in vocabulary acquisition.

Age Factors↗