Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

P Ryan

Publications and source records attributed to P Ryan.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Nature, nurture, nutrition: interdisciplinary programs to address the prevention of malnutrition and dehydration.

Malnutrition and dehydration are common problems in nursing home patients. One explanation for this may be the large number of patients requiring feeding assistance. The Dysphagia Team at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Miami, Florida served as the primary source in the expansion of a nutritionally supportive environment to assist in the prevention of malnutrition and dehydration in patients with feeding/swallowing disorders. "Silver Spoons," a program in which volunteers provide supervised feeding, "Happy Hour," a time each day during which an atmosphere is provided that encourages socialization and hydration, and "Second Seating," during which lunch is provided for patients who require modification of eating style, food texture, or timing are described. Analysis of the program's outcomes show it to be timely, pleasing to patients, and cost-effective.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Distribution of heavy metals in Gove Harbour, Northern Territory, Australia.

The concentration of four metals in waters and eight metals in oysters and sediments from Gove Harbour, Northern Territory, were determined during the dry season of 1987. The measured concentrations of zinc, cadmium, copper and lead in unfiltered waters were: 1.10-7.28, 0.10-2.20, 0.25-3.45 and 0.15-2.87 micrograms l-1, and zinc, cadmium, copper, lead, aluminium, nickel, manganese and iron in oysters, 60.1-970, 0.14-4.07, 3.77-30.67, ND-0.46, 6.50-1123.0, 0.02-0.44, 0.24-2.04 and 4.28-981.3 micrograms g-1 wet weight, and in sediments, 0.09-22.24, ND-0.45, ND-5.95, ND-2.98, 229.98-16053.5, 0.21-7.70, 13.77-50.24 and 759.5-2659.6 micrograms g-1 dry weight. Concentrations of zinc, aluminium and cadmium were higher in the oysters. The level of cadmium exceeded the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) recommended limit. In general, levels of these and other metals were higher near a bauxite treatment plant.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Acute respiratory illness in Adelaide children. II: The relationship of maternal stress, social supports and family functioning.

In a community-based study we investigated the relationships between maternal stress, maternal social supports, family functioning and proneness to acute respiratory illness (AR1) in childhood. 'Prone' and 'not prone' children were identified from the responses to a mail questionnaire sent to the addresses of a randomly selected group of Adelaide children who had been born in 1983. 'Prone' children (n = 255) were defined by a respiratory score (based on frequency and severity of reported symptoms in the preceding 12 months) in the top quintile of the distribution, while 'not prone' children (n = 227) were defined by a score in the bottom 20% of the range. Further information was obtained from a questionnaire administered at a home visit. Maternal stress levels were determined from a combination of major life events, minor life events and psychological distress. Maternal stress was significantly associated with respiratory proneness in a stepwise multiple logistic regression (adjusted odds ratio/high versus low = 3.8; 95% confidence interval 2.0-7.2; p = 0.000), while controlling for the effects of maternal smoking, group child care, early chest illness, number of siblings, breastfeeding, occupation, sex, age, home heating, birthweight and parental history of respiratory illness. Family dysfunction was associated with respiratory proneness in bivariate analyses but not after adjustment for the effects of other psychosocial factors in multivariate analyses. Lack of maternal social support was not associated with having a child who was prone to respiratory illness. These findings raise a number of questions about the nature and direction of the relationship between parental psychological status and child health.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1989

Pax chirurgica--the surgical peace.

Peace is a time for planning and building. It is not merely the absence of war, the destroyer. Surgery has been seen as a war against disease, which must be cut out. Even during peace, trauma is a war of epidemic proportions. Medical professionals now believe prevention is better than cure, and in surgery, much attention is paid not merely to excision, but to repair, reconstruction, and transplantation. Only when there is global peace is it possible for international scientific societies to flourish. Peace provides the opportunity for clinical trials on a large scale and for the exchange of scientists, surgeons, and surgical trainees. The Society has established a Secretariat, a central bureau where requests about acquisition of new skills or details of research opportunities may be directed, advertised, and relayed.

Colorectal Surgery↗
PubMed1989

Combined epidural and general anesthesia versus general anesthesia in patients having colon and rectal anastomoses.

Three retrospective studies were conducted at St. Vincent's Hospital to compare the outcomes of colorectal anastomoses, with and without resections, with respect to anesthetic technique. Operations were performed upon patients anesthetized with either combined regional (epidural) and general anesthesia (CRAG) or general anesthesia alone (GA). Postoperative pain relief was achieved with either continuous epidural analgesia (CEA) in the CRAG group or with postoperative narcotics in the GA groups (GA/PN). In one group, a different regimen was introduced: combined epidural and general anesthesia with postoperative epidural morphine (CRAG/EDM). Overall, anastomotic leak rates and death rates were lower in the CRAG group, and the lowest incidence of anastomotic leak was reported in the patients receiving CEA. Thus the reduced leak rate was associated more with the postoperative analgesia regimen than with the anesthetic technique. An increased incidence of wound dehiscence occurred with postoperative epidural morphine analgesia.

Analgesia, Epidural↗
PubMed1988

Endotoxemia produces an increase in arterial but not venous lipid peroxides in sheep.

Our purpose was to determine the effect of an endotoxin-induced lung injury on circulating lipid peroxides. We measured both malondialdehyde (MDA) and conjugated dienes (as optical density at 233 nm) in aortic and venous plasma and lung lymph in 10 unanesthetized sheep given 1 microgram/kg of Escherichia coli endotoxin. Total lipids and prostanoids 6-ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha and thromboxane B2 were also measured. Six control sheep were also studied. Animals were monitored for a 12-h period and then killed, and lung tissue MDA was determined. A two-phase endotoxin response was noted with an initial pulmonary hypertension followed by a steady-state increase in protein-rich lung lymph flow (QL) between a 3- and 6-h period. Aortic plasma MDA was significantly increased from a base line of 4.8 +/- 1.4 to 8.9 +/- 1.6 and 7.5 +/- 1.3 nmol/ml at 1 and 4 h post-endotoxin. Aortic plasma conjugated dienes increased in all 10 sheep post-endotoxin. Venous levels of both MDA and conjugated dienes were not significantly increased. Lung QL increased two- to three-fold. Lung lymph MDA increased significantly at 1 h post-endotoxin. Lymph conjugated dienes decreased. Plasma and lymph lipid peroxide levels returned to base line by 12 h in most animals. However, tissue MDA remained significantly increased in all sheep from base line of 45 +/- 9 to 85 +/- 14 nmol/g tissue. We conclude that both MDA and conjugated dienes are transiently released into aortic plasma during endotoxin-induced oxidant lung injury.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

6-Ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha↗
PubMed1987

The effect of an oral calcium load on plasma ionized calcium and parathyroid hormone concentrations in osteoporotic postmenopausal women.

Plasma ionized calcium (IC) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentrations were measured in 31 osteoporotic postmenopausal women at hourly intervals for 5 hours after a 1 g oral calcium load. Fifteen subjects had normal radiocalcium absorption and 16 subjects were malabsorbers of calcium. IC rose and PTH fell after the calcium load in both groups with a plateau at 3-4 hours, and the rise in IC was greater (P less than 0.01) in the normal absorbers. There was a nonsignificant trend for the fall in PTH to be greater in the normal absorbers. In the group as a whole the mean increase in IC (above baseline) at 4 hours was directly related to calcium absorption (P less than 0.025) and the mean change in PTH was inversely related to calcium absorption (P less than 0.05). These results demonstrate that in subjects with postmenopausal osteoporosis the responses of IC and PTH to an oral calcium load are a function of calcium absorptive status.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1987

Lupoid thrombocytopenia.

Lupoid thrombocytopenia is herein defined as a disorder in which patients with thrombocytopenia have a positive Hep 2 antinuclear antibody. Although these patients may have other clinical or laboratory findings consistent with systemic lupus erythematosus, they do not satisfy the revised diagnostic criteria set down by the American Rheumatism Association (1982). In all other respects they have similar findings to patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. Six patients are described with their clinical and laboratory features. It is proposed that this disorder should be distinguished from other forms of autoimmune thrombocytopenia including that associated with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Adult↗