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Biomedical subjects

P C Thomas

Publications and source records attributed to P C Thomas.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Child preferences for post-tonsillectomy diet.

Dietary advice for children who have undergone tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (T&A) is divergent. We studied dietary preferences in 2 series of children who underwent T&A. The first group of 50 subjects was offered a variety of types of food the morning after surgery and they preferred liquids, followed by soft foods and were least likely to choose rough foods. When only liquids and soft foods were offered to a second group of 50 subjects, less food was wasted compared with the first group. A liquid/soft diet enhances food consumption and should continue to be advocated to facilitate recovery from T&A after surgery.

Adenoidectomy↗
PubMed1992

Quality assurance and continuous quality improvement: history, current practice, and future directions.

Quality Assurance (QA) provides opportunities for physicians and allied health professionals to improve patient care and disease outcomes. Its goals are increased efficiency and efficacy in healthcare. QA activities are based upon objective criteria and systematic review and make important contributions to the effectiveness of hospitals and other care facilities. Successful programs help to maximize health status of patients while minimizing resource utilization. Beginning in 1917, early QA efforts were often informal and subjective but now include standards for QA and strategies for monitoring and evaluating patient care. Central to its new "Agenda for Change," the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations has embraced the concept of continuous quality improvement (CQI). This moves the focus of review away from department- or practitioner-specific activities and toward a "systems" form of evaluation. CQI is rooted in patient-care realities, is easy to implement, is based upon scientific assessments, and solves practical problems in an incremental and ongoing fashion.

Delaware↗
PubMed1990

The effects of intraruminal infusions of urea on the voluntary intake and milk production of cows receiving grass silage diets.

Responses of dairy cows given silage diets to the intraruminal infusion of urea in progressively increasing doses were studied in four experiments, two with non-lactating cows and two with lactating cows. No clinical symptoms of NH3 toxicity were observed in any of the experiments. When urea was infused continuously, silage intake was depressed (P less than 0.05) when the total supply of N exceeded the equivalent of 250 g crude protein (CP)/kg DM in the total diet. However, when the urea load was administered twice daily, as opposed to continuously, intake depression (P less than 0.05) occurred at the equivalent of 170 g CP/kg DM. At the higher doses of urea, concentrations of NH3 in peripheral blood increased and were accompanied by increased concentrations of glucose and reduced levels of insulin in plasma. In general, responses of milk production followed those of silage intake but there was evidence of greater proportional reductions in the yield of lactose relative to that of fat and protein. It is concluded that the voluntary intake of high-protein silages may be depressed by factors associated with high rates of absorption of NH3 from the rumen.

Ammonia↗
PubMed1989

The contribution of metabolites to the rapid and potent down-regulation of rat cortical beta-adrenoceptors by the putative antidepressant sibutramine hydrochloride.

Sibutramine HCl is an inhibitor of the reuptake of monoamines with a pharmacological profile in rodents indicative of antidepressant activity. The secondary (BTS 54 354) and primary (BTS 54 505) amine metabolites of the tertiary amine sibutramine HCl exhibit similar in vivo pharmacological activity to the parent compound. Thus, each compound displays potent activity in acute behavioural models predictive of antidepressant effects and a comparable ability to inhibit the uptake of monoamines in vivo. In addition, BTS 54 354 and BTS 54 505 induce an equally rapid and potent down-regulation of cortical beta-adrenoceptors in the rat as sibutramine HCl. The secondary and primary amines are, however, considerably more active than sibutramine HCl as inhibitors of the uptake of noradrenaline, dopamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine in vitro. The potent inhibition of the reuptake of noradrenaline by the secondary and primary amine metabolites probably contributes to the rapid and potent down-regulation of beta-adrenoceptors in the rat, induced by the putative antidepressant sibutramine HCl.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

The pharmacology of sibutramine hydrochloride (BTS 54 524), a new antidepressant which induces rapid noradrenergic down-regulation.

1. Sibutramine hydrochloride (BTS 54 524) has been evaluated in a range of behavioural and biochemical models predictive of potential antidepressant activity. 2. BTS 54 524 exhibited potent activity in acute behavioural tests for detecting potential antidepressants. 3. BTS 54 524 rapidly and potently down-regulated rat cortical beta-adrenoceptors, being effective after only three days of oral administration. 4. BTS 54 524 showed very little activity in a range of experiments predictive of side-effect potential. 5. BTS 54 524 possesses a pharmacological profile which suggests that it may be a potent antidepressant with a rapid onset of action, and with a low potential for causing side-effects.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗
PubMed1986

Energy costs of simulated stair climbing as a job-related task in fire fighting.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the energy requirement of simulated stair climbing. Metabolic costs of climbing stairs in getting to the scene of a fire can be very demanding for fire personnel. Heart rate and oxygen consumption were measured on 17 fire fighters during each of three conditions: (1) stair climbing without fire-fighting uniform or equipment, (2) stair climbing with fire-fighting uniform and equipment, and (3) pedaling a bicycle ergometer in a graded maximal exercise test. These three conditions were designed to determine (1) baseline reference values, (2) actual work task measures, and (3) maximum reference values. Results showed that climbing stairs with an 8-inch rise at 60 steps per minute with fire fighter's uniform and equipment (86.5 pounds) for five minutes required heart rates to reach 95% (84 to 100) of maximum effort, and oxygen consumption measures were found to be 80% (63 to 97) of maximum. It was concluded for the personnel studied that the rate of energy cost of climbing a simulated staircase with uniform and equipment required an ability to consume at least 2.7 L of oxygen per minute and 39 mL/kg/min.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Program for increasing health and physical fitness of fire fighters.

In 1970 the Los Angeles County Occupational Health Service began a program to monitor the health status and to increase the physical fitness of its 1,800 fire fighters. By 1973 physical examinations including resting ECG and blood laboratory studies had been completed for all fire fighters. In addition, the oldest 998 fire fighters were tested for physical work capacity (PWC), job-related strength performance, and spine flexibility. Exercise prescriptions and health enhancement counseling were given by exercise physiologists at the time of testing, and one hour per shift was assigned for the exercise. Data were not kept to determine compliance with the exercise program but physical activity was evaluated by interview and the same physiological measurements were made at each examination. By 1982 departmental averages for PWC had increased 16%, with the oldest age group (older than 50 years) showing the most marked improvement. The percentage of habitual smokers decreased from 44% to 25%. High levels of PWC, strength, and flexibility were found to be inversely related to workers' compensation costs. Fire fighters with below-average PWCs subsequently experienced 2.6 times more myocardial infarctions than their above-average counterparts. While it is difficult to determine the influence of any one factor on the collective wellbeing of the fire fighters, it is logical to assume that this program has had an important beneficial effect on the maintenance of a healthy work force.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Milk protein.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1982

The inorganic constituents of milk. IV. Diffusible calcium and magnesium concentrations in goat's milk and the effect of starvation.

The concentrations of diffusible Ca and Mg in milk diffusates from 3 goats were determined before, during and after a 2-d period of starvation. Free Ca-concentrations were determined by a murexide method and compared with values calculated from a detailed model of the ion equilibria. It was shown that diffusible Ca increased as citrate increased during fasting and both decreased after refeeding, but there was a difference of about half a day in the response curves, with citrate following Ca. The difference was accounted for mainly by a change in free Ca2+ concentration which in turn was related mainly to changes in milk pH. Diffusible Mg underwent changes similar to those of diffusible Ca.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Micromorphology of the third ventricular ependyma and infundibular recess in the mud-eel Amphipnous cuchia (Ham.).

Ependymal cells of varied size and shape including tanycytes with long basal processes are encountered both in the third ventricle and infundibular recess of A. cuchia. The basal processes of the tanycytes may be branched or unbranched and often lie in contact with each other or even from loose bundles. They also terminate on, or maintain close contact with the neurons of the nucleus lateralis tuberis, blood vessels, axonal tract of the nucleus preopticus and other neuronal elements. Golgi-Cox technique is apparently selective in its impregnation of both neurons and tanycytes. Prominent apical processes of some cells project into the ventricle. Some supraependymal cellular elements have their entire cell body projecting into the ventricle. The ependymal cells react positively to alkaline phosphatase and ascorbic acid tests.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Hypothalamo-hypophysial neurosecretory system of the Indian mud-eel Amphipnous cuchia (Ham.) with a note on the regeneration of the pituitary stalk after hypophysectomy.

The nucleus preopticus (NPO) of Amphipnous cuchia is in the shape of an inverted-L-; the dorsal half of which constituted by the large neurons is the pars magnocellularis (PMC) and the ventral half formed of small cells is called pars parvocellularis (PPC). These cells are stained with aldehyde fuchsin, lead haematoxylin, chrome-alum-haematoxylin and alcian blue. The neurons of the NPO and nucleus lateralis tuberis (NLT) are positive to ascorbic acid test and axons could be traced into both anterior and posterior neurohypophysis. As the NLT neurons lie on the pathway of preoptico-neurohypophysial tract, they come in close contact with NPO axons. The axonal tract entering the pituitary ramifies into the adenohypophysis; more extensively in the pars intermedia where they have perivascular endings. Hypothalamo-hypophysial neurosecretory tract could be demonstrated with Golgi-Cox impregnation technique also. However, all the AF-positive axons do not seem to react positively to Golgi-Cox. In some cases, hypophysectomy is followed by the reorganisation of the proximal cut end of the stalk into a neurohypophysislike organ which is directed backwards. Occasionally some of the cut axons exhibited apparent uncontrolled growth. Hypophysectomy is accompanied by degeneration of some neurons in the PMC.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

The nutritive value of silages. Digestion of nitrogenous constituents in sheep receiving diets of grass silage and grass silage and barley.

1. Two experiments were conducted to study the digestion of nitrogenous constituents in the rumen, small intestine and caecum and colon of sheep given diets of grass silage or grass silage and barley. Three silages were used. One was made from first-harvest grass in the spring and the other from regrowth grass cut in either early autumn or late autumn. All were of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and were preserved with formic acid. 2. Expt 1 involved a comparison between the spring silage given alone (644 g dry matter (DM)/d) and the spring silage supplemented with barley (151 g DM/d). The intakes (g/d) of total nitrogen for the silage diet and for the supplemented diet were 14.89 and 17.36. Corresponding values (g/d) for N passage were 15.55 and 18.53 (P < 0.01) and the duodenum, 6.01 and 7.09 at the ileum and 5.06 and 5.52 in the faeces. The barley supplement had no significant (P < 0.05) effect on rumen ammonia-N concentration. 3. Expt 2 involved a comparison between the two autumn-cut silages each offered at a level of feeding of approximately 700 g DM/d. The intakes (g/d) of total N for the early-cut silage and for the late-cut silage were 21.67 and 15.62 respectively. Corresponding values (g/d) for N passage were 17.10 and 16.96 at the duodenum, 6.65 and 6.80 at the ileum and 4.5 and 5.22 in the faeces. The concentration of NH3-N in the rumen was significantly (P < 0.001) higher with the early-cut silage than with the late-cut silage. 4. In both experiments the rates of bacterial crude protein (N x 6.25) synthesis in the rumen, estimated using alpha, epsilon-diaminopimelic acid as a marker, were low, 142 and 161 g crude protein/kg organic matter apparently digested in the rumen for the spring silage and the spring silage and barley diets respectively, and 68 and 103 g crude protein/kg organic matter apparently digested in the rumen for the early-cut autumn silage and the late-cut autumn silage respectively. For all diets there was a relatively low contribution of bacterial crude protein to the duodenal passage of crude protein and the amounts of individual amino acids ingested in the diets had a marked influence on the amino acids passing to the duodenum and as a consequence on the mixture of amino acids taken up from the small intestine. 5. The results are discussed in relation to the nutritive value of silage N for ruminants.

Amino Acids↗