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Biomedical subjects

P Gilbert

Publications and source records attributed to P Gilbert.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

The Manitoba Project: a re-examination of the link between menopause and depression.

This paper re-examines the association between menopause and depression using data from a study in which 477 women were interviewed 6 times over a 3-year period. Menopause is examined as one of a series of factors which may increase the risk of depression for women in middle age, such as children leaving home, the death and illness of family members, the stresses of daily living, health and the onset of chronic disease. Rather than hormonal changes, it seems to be her health coupled with the shifts and stresses of family life in a woman's menopausal years which may trigger her depression.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Growth-rate-independent killing by ciprofloxacin of biofilm-derived Staphylococcus epidermidis; evidence for cell-cycle dependency.

Cell culture methods that allow culture of Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilms at controlled growth rates were used to examine susceptibility to ciprofloxacin. Changes in biofilm susceptibility, dependent upon growth rate, were compared with those for suspended populations grown in chemostat, and also for newly-formed daughter cells shed from the biofilm during its growth and development. Susceptibility increased for intact and resuspended biofilms, and also for planktonic cultures, with increases in growth rate. The dependence of susceptibility upon growth rate was greatest for slow growing cells (mu, 0.01-0.15/h). At any particular growth rate, biofilms appeared more susceptible than their planktonic counterparts. Newly-formed daughter cells were relatively tolerant to ciprofloxacin at all rates of growth. Lack of growth rate dependency for the newly-formed cells suggested a role for the cell-division cycle in determining resistance. This was confirmed by examining the susceptibility of S. epidermidis throughout batch cultures with cell division synchronized. Perfusion of various steady-state biofilms with ciprofloxacin demonstrated killing of the adherent population even at much reduced rates of growth.

Bacterial Adhesion↗
PubMed1992

Effect of biofilm culture upon the susceptibility of Staphylococcus epidermidis to tobramycin.

Biofilms of Staphylococcus epidermidis were cultured at various specific growth rates, and susceptibilities to tobramycin were compared with those of equivalent plank-tonic populations. In all instances, susceptibility increased significantly with increasing specific growth rate. However, resuspension of the biofilms increased susceptibility, suggesting some involvement of the glycocalyx in reducing antibiotic permeation of the biofilm. Cells that dispersed spontaneously from the biofilms at steady state were particularly susceptible to this agent. Since such cells correspond to newly-divided daughter cells, the relationship between tobramycin susceptibility and the phase in the division cycle was investigated. Susceptibility was enhanced in cultures dividing synchronously shortly before, during and shortly after cell separation. Perfusion of actively-growing S. epidermidis biofilms with tobramycin also demonstrated increased susceptibility with increasing growth rate, but also showed rapid recovery following removal of the agent.

Ciprofloxacin↗
PubMed1992

Changing perceived control in patients with physical disabilities: an intervention study with patients receiving rehabilitation.

Physiotherapy patients' perceptions of personal control over recovery (during rehabilitation) have been shown to be predictive of their progress. An experimental letter, consisting of the routine appointment letter plus some paragraphs designed to increase perceived control, was sent to 39 randomly selected patients prior to their first appointment. The remaining 32 control patients received the routine letter only. Approximately one week after each patient's first appointment, all patients were interviewed. The group to whom the experimental letter had been sent were found, on average, to have significantly higher levels of perceived control and tended to be more satisfied with information than the control group. There were no significant differences between groups on accuracy of expectations of physiotherapy. It is suggested that this type of communication given prior to treatment might lead to patients making better and faster progress with recovery. However, this possibility needs to be investigated by further study.

Persons with Disabilities↗
PubMed1992

Relationship between Legionella pneumophila and Acanthamoeba polyphaga: physiological status and susceptibility to chemical inactivation.

Survival studies were conducted on Legionella pneumophila cells that had been grown intracellularly in Acanthamoeba polyphaga and then exposed to polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB), benzisothiazolone (BIT), and 5-chloro-N-methylisothiazolone (CMIT). Susceptibilities were also determined for L. pneumophila grown under iron-sufficient and iron-depleted conditions. BIT was relatively ineffective against cells grown under iron depletion; in contrast, iron-depleted conditions increased the susceptibilities of cells to PHMB and CMIT. The activities of all three biocides were greatly reduced against L. pneumophila grown in amoebae. PHMB (1 x MIC) gave 99.99% reductions in viability for cultures grown in broth within 6 h and no detectable survivors at 24 h but only 90 and 99.9% killing at 6 h and 24 h, respectively, for cells grown in amoebae. The antimicrobial properties of the three biocides against A. polyphaga were also determined. The majority of amoebae recovered from BIT treatment, but few, if any, survived CMIT treatment or exposure to PHMB. This study not only shows the profound effect that intra-amoebal growth has on the physiological status and antimicrobial susceptibility of L. pneumophila but also reveals PHMB to be a potential biocide for effective water treatment. In this respect, PHMB has significant activity, below its recommended use concentrations, against both the host amoeba and L. pneumophila.

Acanthamoeba↗
PubMed1992

Venous surgery in erectile dysfunction. The role of dorsal-penile-vein ligation and spongiosolysis for impotence.

We report here on our surgical experience with venous leakage of the cavernous bodies. Out of 159 patients operated on, 134 were available for long-term follow-up. Depending on the cavernosographic findings, one of three different surgical procedures was carried out: ligation of the deep dorsal vein of the penis, spongiosolysis, or ligation of the crura. 18% of the patients undergoing ligation of the deep dorsal vein, postoperatively attained spontaneous erections, while 35% needed adjuvant corpus cavernosum autoinjection therapy. Spongiosolysis gave a more favourable result: spontaneous erections in 30% and vasoactive drug-dependent erections in 35%. Crural ligation did not prove successful. No serious complications were encountered postoperatively. Our data suggest that venous surgery should only be offered to a selected group of patients comprising young impotent men with venous leakage, maybe in combination with arterial disease, and patients suffering from distal venous leakage. Old age, neurogenic disorders causing erectile dysfunction, and diabetes mellitus should represent exclusion criteria for venous surgery.

Combined Modality Therapy↗
PubMed1992

[Lambert-Eaton syndrome. Apropos of 2 cases].

Lambert-Eaton syndrome is a myasthenia-like syndrome of paraneoplastic origin which is often associated with anaplastic small-cell lung cancer. It seems to be an autoimmune disease responsible for a deficit of acetylcholine ejection in the motor end plate. On the occasion of two recent cases, we review the clinical, physiopathological and diagnostic aspects of this paraneoplastic syndrome.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

[Interpreting hypereosinophilia].

The diagnosis of a blood hypereosinophilia requires a review of various disease processes such as blood dyscrasias, skin diseases, auto-immune diseases, asthma, parasitic infections, enteropathies, etc. A complete check-up including clinical, laboratory and radiological data allows the identification of an etiology in a majority of cases. Nevertheless, the etiology of hypereosinophilia remains obscure in some cases. Among these unexplained situations, the rare idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome requires special attention because of its fatal course due to cardiac involvement which can remain clinically silent for a long period of time. Therefore, the follow-up should include repeated echocardiograms. At the present time, the usual therapy for the most severe cases includes corticosteroids and hydroxyurea.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed1992

Involvement of cellular division cycle in the susceptibility of Escherichia coli to cold- and osmotic-shock.

Susceptibility of Escherichia coli to cold-shock, osmotic-shock and cold-osmotic-shock has been evaluated throughout the cellular division cycle for a variety of generation time. Two periods of sensitisation were detected. The first of these was towards cold-shock which occurred 60 min prior to cell division and might correspond to initiation of DNA replication. The second period of sensitisation was towards both cold-, osmotic- and cold-osmotic-shock and occurred immediately prior to and during cell division. Patterns and extents of sensitisation towards each of these three stresses during the second period were suggestive of a common sensitising event associated with constriction of the cell and separation.

Cell Cycle↗
PubMed1991

Renal failure due to bronchogenic adenocarcinoma metastatic to kidneys.

A case is presented of a fifty-eight-year-old woman with bronchogenic adenocarcinoma in whom renal failure developed manifested by hypertension and azotemia. Subsequent percutaneous needle aspiration biopsy confirmed metastatic renal involvement. No etiology other than renal infiltration due to metastatic bronchogenic adenocarcinoma was found to explain the renal failure. Literature review revealed no previous reported case of metastatic bronchogenic adenocarcinoma to the kidney presenting antemortem with renal failure.

Acute Kidney Injury↗
PubMed1991

Spongiosography: a valuable adjunct to the diagnosis of urethral strictures.

To obtain better information on fibrotic tissue damage in urethral strictures we performed spongiosography, that is opacification of the spongy body by injection of contrast medium, in 32 patients in whom the diagnosis had already been established by uroflowmetry, urethrography and urethroscopy. Another 18 patients with erectile dysfunction served as the control group. The investigation was well tolerated by all patients and no side effects or complications were encountered. Attenuation or even interruption of the contrast medium within the corpus spongiosum on spongiosography clearly revealed the fibrosis in urethral strictures. The extent of scarring was completely independent of the clinical symptoms and urethrographic findings. Accordingly, our decision on the appropriate surgical treatment was based mainly on the results of spongiosography. If used as an additional routine investigation in cases of urethral stricture spongiosography may help to decrease the recurrence rate in the future.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[Brucellosis-induced granulomatous non-puerperal mastitis--a case report].

An acute manifestation of a chronic brucellosis localised to the female breast is described. A granulomatous mastitis was identified on histological examination. To our knowledge, this is the first reported occurrence of this phenomenon. It is pointed out that it is clinically difficult to distinguish this type of infection from an inflammatory carcinoma of the breast.

Abscess↗
PubMed1991

Susceptibility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli biofilms towards ciprofloxacin: effect of specific growth rate.

Methods of cell culture which enable the control of specific growth rate and expression of iron-regulated membrane proteins within Gram-negative biofilms were employed for various clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa taken from the sputum of cystic fibrosis patients and of a laboratory strain of Escherichia coli. Susceptibility towards ciprofloxacin was assessed as a function of growth-rate for intact biofilms, cells resuspended from the biofilms and also for newly formed daughter cells shed from the biofilm during its growth and development. Patterns of susceptibility with growth rate were compared to those of suspended cultures grown in a chemostat. In all instances the susceptibility of chemostat cultures was directly related to growth rate. Whilst little difference was observed in the susceptibility pattern for P. aeruginosa strains with different observed levels of mucoidness, such populations were generally more susceptible towards ciprofloxacin than those of E. coli. At fast rates of growth P. aeruginosa cells resuspended from biofilms were significantly more resistant than chemostat grown cells. Intact P. aeruginosa biofilms were significantly more resistant than cells resuspended from them. This is in contrast to E. coli, where cells resuspended from biofilm and intact biofilms were, at the slower rates of growth, equivalent and significantly more susceptible than chemostat-grown cells. At high growth rates all methods of E. coli culture produced cells of equivalent susceptibility. For all strains, daughter cells dislodged from the biofilms demonstrated a high level of susceptibility towards ciprofloxacin which was unaffected by growth rate. This sensitivity corresponded to that of the fastest grown cells in the chemostat.

Bacteriological Techniques↗