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Biomedical subjects

P Cox

Publications and source records attributed to P Cox.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Impact of chickenpox on households of healthy children.

There is little information available regarding the impact of varicella among healthy children. A group of 137 households, identified by the County of Los Angeles Department of Health Services, were interviewed by telephone and yielded 247 cases of varicella. There were no hospitalizations for complications. Rates for physician visits and telephone calls to health care providers were 0.5 and 1.0 per case, respectively. School days lost by cases and work days lost by well adults in the households were 8.7 and 0.5 per case, respectively. Varicella had a measurable impact of economic significance on our survey population. Our observations need to be extended and included in cost-benefit analyses of varicella vaccine.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed1987

Insensible water loss and its assessment in adult patients: a review.

The nature, magnitude and factors influencing insensible water loss are discussed. A brief overview of the current practice of estimating insensible perspiration in Sweden is presented. Finally, a suggestion is put forward regarding a simplified formula for estimating insensible water loss in adult patients, based on information currently available in the literature.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Incidence, severity, and external causes of pediatric brain injury.

The number of fatal brain injuries and hospital admissions for brain injuries in children up to 15 years old in San Diego County, California, were ascertained from emergency room and hospital records, coroners' reports, death certificates, and nursing home and extended-care records for 1981. The annual brain-injury rate per 100 000 children was 185 (235 for boys and 132 for girls). The major causes of pediatric brain injury were falls (35%), recreational activities (29%), and motor vehicle crashes (24%). The case-fatality ratio was six deaths per 100 injured children. Of those children admitted to a hospital alive, 88% had a mild brain injury and 44% had no evidence of loss of consciousness. Two thirds of children with mild brain injuries and one third of those with serious brain injuries were transported to a hospital in private nonemergency vehicles.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1986

Variations in lipids in different layers of porcine epidermis.

Frozen cryosections, 8 microns thick, were cut parallel to the surface of porcine skin so as to provide separate samples representing various epidermal layers. These samples were dried, extracted with chloroform-methanol mixtures, and the lipids chromatographed on silica gel plates in different solvent systems. After spraying with sulfuric acid and charring, lipids were quantified using a scanning densitometer. It was thus possible to determine lipid concentrations in 12 consecutive epidermal layers, extending 96 microns into the skin. The phospholipids that were characterized all decreased in concentration toward the surface, whereas the neutral lipids and ceramides all increased. Glucosylceramide and acylglucosylceramide reached a peak concentration in the stratum granulosum and then decreased in the surface layers. Cholesterol sulfate reached a maximum concentration in the deeper stratum corneum and then abruptly decreased in the surface layer. These changes in patterns of lipid concentration are consistent with current theories regarding the formation of a water barrier in the stratum corneum that is composed mainly of neutral lipids, and with a possible function of cholesterol sulfate in cellular adhesion in the stratum corneum.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Enhanced penetration of nitrosonornicotine across oral mucosa in the presence of ethanol.

There is evidence for synergy between tobacco and alcohol in the etiology of oral cancer but the reason for such an effect is unclear. One possible explanation is that alcohol enhances the penetration of carcinogens through the oral lining. We measured the permeability in vitro of three regions of porcine oral mucosa to the tobacco associated carcinogen, nitrosonornicotine (NNN) alone and in the presence of 5% or 50% ethanol. 50% ethanol did not significantly alter the permeability of oral mucosa to NNN except for buccal mucosa, where it was reduced. However, there was a significant increase in the permeability of gingiva and floor of mouth mucosa (but not buccal mucosa) in the presence of 5% ethanol; this increase occurred after far shorter exposures for floor of mouth than for gingiva. These results accord well with studies showing that the floor of mouth is a "high risk area" for oral carcinoma and that there is an increased relative risk of oral cancer for heavy smokers and drinkers and, in particular, for those individuals who consume beverages with a low alcohol content.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

The relationship of family income to the incidence, external causes, and outcomes of serious brain injury, San Diego County, California.

Among residents of San Diego County, California the incidence and external causes of serious brain injury were related to the median family income of the census tract of residency. Low income tracts had high incidence rates--a finding not changed by adjustment for age and race/ethnicity. For those injured, the type of emergency transport, time from injury to treatment, and outcome of treatment were not related to the median income of the census tract of residency.

Brain Injuries↗
PubMed1985

Survival times and case fatality rates of brain-injured persons.

Survival time after injury (the time from injury to death) imposes an important constraint on the timing of the delivery of postinjury medical care. From a population-based study of brain-injured people, the survival times in 542 cases with fatal outcomes were studied. Prehospital deaths as well as hospital deaths were included. Survival times were considerably shorter for 95 people with untreatable injuries (Abbreviated Injury Scale level 6) than for the remaining 447 whose injuries were potentially treatable. For the former group, the median survival time was 10 minutes; for the latter, it was 2 hours. For those with potentially treatable injuries, the median time from injury to receiving medical assistance was approximately 30 minutes and 82% received medical assistance within 1 hour of injury. Short survival time was associated with prehospital death, young age, high Injury Severity Score, and having a nonbrain injury as the most severe injury. For patients who arrived alive at a hospital, intracranial surgery was associated with increased survival time.

Brain Injuries↗
PubMed1985

Nonspecific vaginitis following sexual abuse in children.

Nonspecific vaginitis, one of the most common causes of vaginitis in adults, is a polymicrobial infection in which vaginal anaerobes act synergistically with Gardnerella vaginalis. The diagnosis is made by examination of the vaginal secretions for clue cells, the development of a fishy odor after the addition of 10% KOH to vaginal secretions, and a vaginal pH greater than 4.5. To determine whether nonspecific vaginitis occurs in sexually abused children, we obtained vaginal washes from 31 abused and 23 nonabused children, 21/2 to 13 years of age. A child was considered to have definite nonspecific vaginitis if her wash contained both clue cells and odor; she was considered to have possible nonspecific vaginitis if her wash contained either clue cells or odor. We did not use vaginal pH as a diagnostic criterion because the normal range has not been standardized in prepubertal girls. Possible nonspecific vaginitis (odor only) was found in only 1/23 (4%) of nonabused children. This girl was asymptomatic and findings from her examination were normal. Only one of the 31 abused children had possible nonspecific vaginitis (odor) detected at the initial examination, less than 48 hours after the episode of abuse, whereas 4/31 (13%) developed definite, and 4/31 (13%) possible nonspecific vaginitis at the follow-up visit more than seven days after the episode of abuse or rape. Five of these eight girls developed either a new vaginal discharge or dysuria; three were treated with metronidazole with resolution of their symptoms and reversion of the vaginal wash to normal.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Monoclonal antibodies to stages of Trypanosoma cruzi: characterization and use for antigen detection.

Monoclonal antibodies to the amastigote and epimastigote stages of Trypanosoma cruzi were produced and characterized by immunoglobulin class and subclass. Of the 17 monoclonal antibodies, 14 were of the immunoglobulin M (IgM) class and 2 were of the IgG2 and 1 was of the IgG1 subclass of IgG. Five of the monoclonal antibodies recognized the antigens of amastigotes only, two recognized the antigens of epimastigotes only, and ten recognized an antigen(s) common to both stages of T. cruzi. By using an immunofluorescence test with monoclonal antibodies, it was possible to visually localize amastigote- or epimastigote-specific antigens and the antigens common to both. Antigens specific for epimastigotes were noted on the flagellum or in spots over the entire body of the parasite. The antigens common to both amastigotes and epimastigotes were on one of the extremities of the amastigotes and on the region of the flagellar pouch of the epimastigotes. Four of the monoclonal antibodies were capable of detecting T. cruzi antigen in serum from mice infected with the parasite and in the supernatant of infected cell cultures, suggesting that monoclonal antibodies may be useful for antigen isolation and diagnostic methods.

Animals↗