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Biomedical subjects

P Wright

Publications and source records attributed to P Wright.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2002

Effect of ethanol on psychomotor performance and on risk taking behaviour.

Ethanol may increase the willingness to take risks, but this issue remains controversial. We used a risk-taking paradigm in which volunteers answered a series of general knowledge questions with numerical answers and were asked to judge the length of a line that would just fit into a given gap. A maximum score was given for an exactly correct answer. For answers that were less than the correct value, the score was reduced gradually to zero, while answers even slightly over the correct value were penalized considerably. Total points were rewarded by cash payments, so volunteers were taking real risks when making their responses. Performance was assessed in a two-period, double-blind crossover study, comparing ethanol (0.7 g/kg) with placebo in 20 female volunteers aged 19-20 years. Tests were carried out before and at 45 min after dosing. Mean (SD) ethanol blood alcohol concentrations were 65 (10.5) mg/100 ml. Ethanol impaired the skill/ability measure of the length estimation test (SD of difference between length of line and gap), which increased from 5.9 to 6.6 (p < 0.05), indicating a reduced accuracy of estimation. The risk measures in both tasks were not significantly affected. The skill/ability measure in the general knowledge task was not significantly affected. Other performance tests showed that ethanol produced the expected impairment of both speed and accuracy. These results suggest that risk-taking is not increased by ethanol at doses approaching the UK legal limit for driving.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Validating automated screening for psychological distress by means of computer touchscreens for use in routine oncology practice.

The aim of the study was to confirm the validity of using touchscreen computers for screening for clinically significant levels of distress among cancer patients in routine oncology practice. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), EORTC Quality of Life questionnaire (QLQ-C30), Mental Health Inventory-MHI5 and a Concerns Checklist were administered via touchscreen computer to 172 chemotherapy out-patients, twice, 2-4 weeks apart. A standard psychiatric interview (Present State Examination - PSE) was conducted within a week of the second assessment. On interview, 23% of patients were identified as 'cases'. Using the available data (questionnaires, sociodemographic details, self-reported past psychiatric history), the best screening strategy combined scores from MHI-5 and HADS from a single time-point with the following rules: if MHI-5 < 11 = non-case; if MHI-5 > or = 11 then use HADS; then, if HADS > or = 9 = 'case' (sensitivity 85%; specificity 71%; misclassification rate 26%; positive predictive value 47%). The computerized screening system enabled data to be collected, scored, collated and reported in real time to identify patients who warrant further clinical assessment. It offers the potential for improving 'case' detection in routine oncology practice while reducing the burden of questions put to 'non-cases'. Further work is needed to develop optimal choice of screening questions for this purpose.

Depression↗
PubMed2001

Synthesis and structural characterization of tin(II) and zinc(II) derivatives of cyclic alpha-hydroxyketones, including the structures of Sn(maltol)(2), Sn(tropolone)(2), Zn(tropolone)(2), and Zn(hinokitiol)(2).

Zinc(II) and tin(II) derivatives of maltol (Hmalt), ethylmaltol (HEtmalt), tropolone (Htrop), hinokitiol (Hhino), and kojic acid (Hkoj) have been prepared and characterized, and the crystal structures of M(trop)(2) (M = Zn, Sn), Zn(hino)(2).EtOH, and Sn(malt)(2) have been determined. The Zn(trop)(2) is a polymeric structure in which tropolone has both a bridging and chelating role; zinc(hino)(2) crystallizes as an ethanol adduct of which the structure is a dimeric fragment of the Zn(trop)(2) polymer and in which each metal is "capped" by a molecule of alcohol. The tin complexes are notably air-stable despite adopting monomeric pseudo-trigonal-bipyramidal structures (SnO(4)E; E is a stereochemically active lone electron pair) in which the ligands only chelate a single metal center.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Transmission disequilibrium analysis of HLA class II DRB1, DQA1, DQB1 and DPB1 polymorphisms in schizophrenia using family trios from a Han Chinese population.

Our goal was to evaluate the role of HLA in the risk of developing schizophrenia, in a Han Chinese population. In several Japanese studies, there is evidence of association with DR1 and schizophrenia. A variety of other associations have been reported in other populations, including negative associations with DQbeta(*)0602 and positive associations with DR1(*)0101. Using sequence specific oligonucleotides, we genotyped four HLA markers (DRB1, DQA1, DQB1 and DPB1) in 165 family trios, consisting of Han Chinese schizophrenic subjects and their parents. Individual markers were analysed for transmission distortion in the trios using the transmission disequilibrium test. Multiple haplotype transmission was performed using the program TRANSMIT v2.5. The four markers were in strong linkage disequilibrium with each other (P value from 0.002 to 0). There was no evidence of overall transmission disequilibrium for each of the four loci. For DRB1, we did not find transmission distortion for the DRB1(*)04 and DRB1(*)08 alleles, as reported previously, but the DRB1(*)03 allele was preferentially not transmitted (P=0.009), and the DRB1(*)13 allele was preferentially transmitted from parents to schizophrenic offspring (P=0.041). Using haplotypes of pairs of markers, a significant global P value of 0.019 was achieved when using DRB1 and DQA1, mainly as a result of the excess transmission of DRB1(*)13-DQA1(*)01 (P=0.012) and a deficit in transmission of DRB1(*)03-DQA1(*)05 (P=0.002). In summary, we did not confirm any of the specific HLA allelic associations reported previously in Japanese or other populations. However, our results are compatible with the view that this region of HLA might contain a susceptibility gene which is in linkage disequilibrium with DRB1 and DQA1 genes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Safety and immunogenicity of a canarypox-vectored human immunodeficiency virus Type 1 vaccine with or without gp120: a phase 2 study in higher- and lower-risk volunteers.

Live attenuated viral vectors that express human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antigens are being developed as potential vaccines to prevent HIV infection. The first phase 2 trial with a canarypox vector (vCP205, which expresses gp120, p55, and protease) was conducted in 435 volunteers with and without gp120 boosting, to expand the safety database and to compare the immunogenicity of the vector in volunteers who were at higher risk with that in volunteers at lower risk for HIV infection. Neutralizing antibodies to the MN strain were stimulated in 94% of volunteers given vCP205 plus gp120 and in 56% of volunteers given vCP205 alone. CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocyte cells developed at some time point in 33% of volunteers given vCP205, with or without gp120. Phase 3 field trials with these or similar vaccines are needed, to determine whether efficacy in preventing HIV infection or in slowing disease progression among vaccinees who become infected is associated with the level and types of immune responses that were induced by the vaccines in this study.

AIDS Vaccines↗
PubMed2001

Self-reported quality of life of individual cancer patients: concordance of results with disease course and medical records.

PURPOSE: To investigate the applicability of a standard quality of life (QL) questionnaire to individual cancer patients and to explore the potential for impact of QL information on the process of care by comparing at group level the QL results with the medical records. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred fourteen consecutive patients at the oncology clinics at St James's Hospital, Leeds, United Kingdom, completed the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ)-C30 on a touch-screen computer over a 6-month period. The QL results were compared with the corresponding medical records at individual and group level. RESULTS: For individual patients, the serial measurement of QL allowed recognition of patterns over time corresponding to disease course. At group level, a higher proportion of patients reported problems on EORTC QLQ-C30 than were mentioned in the medical records (McNemar paired test, P <.01). Most often clinicians mentioned pain (22% to 39%), and at the initial visit role (66%), and social issues (77%). For the rest of the symptoms and functions, the problems were recorded in between 1% and 25% of the notes, but 20% to 76% of the patients reported QL impairment. Problems that were not recorded in the medical notes tended to be of low severity, with a significant trend observed for pain, fatigue, nausea/vomiting, dyspnea, loss of appetite, and physical function scale (chi(2) test, 11.55 to 34.42, df = 1, P <.001). CONCLUSION: The QL data on individual patients was consistent with the clinical records, thus providing evidence for the validity of these measures in assessment of the individual. The QL profiles had more information on symptoms and particularly on functional issues, such as emotional distress and physical performance.

Disease Progression↗
PubMed2001

Schizophrenia and HLA: a review.

A number of reports of genetic association of human leucocyte antigens (HLA) and alleles with schizophrenia have recently been published. A schizophrenia locus on chromosome 6p near the HLA region has also been reported, on the basis of linkage studies. We have therefore reviewed the investigations of association of HLA with schizophrenia published from 1974 to date, and have also briefly reviewed the chromosome 6p linkage studies. Two or more groups of investigators have reported association of each of the following HLA antigens or alleles with schizophrenia - A9 or its A24 subspecificity, A28, A10, DRB1*01 and DRw6. However, these results may represent Type I errors caused by small sample size, inappropriate diagnostic, laboratory and/or statistical methodology, and/or incorrectly chosen comparison subjects. Hypothesis-driven negative associations of DRB1*04 and DQB1*0602 with schizophrenia have also been reported. Taken together, however, HLA association investigations provide only weak evidence for the existence of either resistance or susceptibility loci for schizophrenia close to the HLA region at the 6p21.3 band and, indeed, recently reported investigations that controlled for most of these confounders found no evidence of association. Linkage studies suggest that a susceptibility locus may exist and that it may be within the HLA region, but again the evidence is far from conclusive. Further HLA association investigations should employ operational diagnostic criteria, comparison subjects screened for illness and HLA genotyping, and should include both association studies of candidate alleles and transmission disequilibrium and haplotype relative risk studies.

Alleles↗
PubMed2001

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin induces apoptotic cell death and cytochrome P4501A expression in developing Fundulus heteroclitus embryos.

Fundulus heteroclitus embryos were exposed to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) during early development using nanoinjection or water bath exposure. TCDD caused developmental abnormalities that included hemorrhaging, loss of vascular integrity, edema, stunted development and death. The LC(50) and LD(50) of TCDD for Fundulus embryos were approximately 19.7+/-9.5 pg TCDD/microl (water bath) and 0.25+/-0.09 ng TCDD/g embryo (nanoinjection). To identify a possible cause for these developmental abnormalities we analyzed the effects of TCDD on apoptotic cell death and cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) expression in the embryos. TCDD exposure increased apoptotic cell death in several tissues including brain, eye, gill, kidney, tail, intestine, heart, and vascular tissue. CYP1A expression was also increased in the TCDD-exposed embryos predominantly in liver, kidney, gill, heart, intestine, and in vascular tissues throughout the embryo. There was co-occurrence of TCDD-induced apoptosis and CYP1A expression in some, but not all, cell types. In addition the dose response relationships for apoptosis and mortality were similar, while CYP1A expression appeared more sensitive to TCDD induction.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Comparison of pocket-computer memory aids for people with brain injury.

Two styles of pocket computer memory aid were compared as support for people who had sustained non-progressive, closed-head brain injury. A purpose-designed interface provided a diary with auditory alarms, a notebook and links between diary entries and specific notepages. One computer had a physical keyboard, the other did not. Twelve adult volunteers were loaned each computer for 2 months, with a 1 month gap between, in counterbalanced order. It was found that all participants could use the memory aids, and most (83%) found them useful. Little customizing was needed, but amount of use varied widely. Predictors of usage included use of other reminding systems before joining the project, and speed in calculator addition which may reflect working memory. High users preferred the computer with a physical keyboard; low users made more entries with the palm-size computer. These data highlight the need to distinguish ability to use from willingness to use.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2001

Evaluation for the design of experience in virtual environments: modeling breakdown of interaction and illusion.

New and emerging media technologies have the potential to induce a variety of experiences in users. In this paper, it is argued that the inducement of experience presupposes that users are absorbed in the illusion created by these media. Looking to another successful visual medium, film, this paper borrows from the techniques used in "shaping experience" to hold spectators' attention in the illusion of film, and identifies what breaks the illusion/experience for spectators. This paper focuses on one medium, virtual reality (VR), and advocates a transparent or "invisible style" of interaction. We argue that transparency keeps users in the "flow" of their activities and consequently enhances experience in users. Breakdown in activities breaks the experience and subsequently provides opportunities to identify and analyze potential causes of usability problems. Adopting activity theory, we devise a model of interaction with VR--through consciousness and activity--and introduce the concept of breakdown in illusion. From this, a model of effective interaction with VR is devised and the occurrence of breakdown in interaction and illusion is identified along a continuum of engagement. Evaluation guidelines for the design of experience are proposed and applied to usability problems detected in an empirical study of a head-mounted display (HMD) VR system. This study shows that the guidelines are effective in the evaluation of VR. Finally, we look at the potential experiences that may be induced in users and propose a way to evaluate user experience in virtual environments (VEs) and other new and emerging media.

Humans↗
PubMed2001

Enhancing an appointment diary on a pocket computer for use by people after brain injury.

People with memory loss resulting from brain injury benefit from purpose-designed memory aids such as appointment diaries on pocket computers. The present study explores the effects of extending the range of memory aids and including games. For 2 months, 12 people who had sustained brain injury were loaned a pocket computer containing three purpose-designed memory aids: diary, notebook and to-do list. A month later they were given another computer with the same memory aids but a different method of text entry (physical keyboard or touch-screen keyboard). Machine order was counterbalanced across participants. Assessment was by interviews during the loan periods, rating scales, performance tests and computer log files. All participants could use the memory aids and ten people (83%) found them very useful. Correlations among the three memory aids were not significant, suggesting individual variation in how they were used. Games did not increase use of the memory aids, nor did loan of the preferred pocket computer (with physical keyboard). Significantly more diary entries were made by people who had previously used other memory aids, suggesting that a better understanding of how to use a range of memory aids could benefit some people with brain injury.

Appointments and Schedules↗
PubMed2001

Double-blind, placebo-controlled comparison of intramuscular olanzapine and intramuscular haloperidol in the treatment of acute agitation in schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: The authors evaluated the comparative efficacy and safety of intramuscular olanzapine, intramuscular haloperidol, and intramuscular placebo for the treatment of acute agitation in schizophrenia. METHOD: Hospitalized patients with schizophrenia received one to three injections of intramuscular olanzapine, 10 mg, intramuscular haloperidol, 7.5 mg, or intramuscular placebo over a 24-hour period. Agitation was measured with the excited component of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and two additional scales. RESULTS: According to scores on the excited component of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, both intramuscular olanzapine and intramuscular haloperidol reduced agitation significantly more than intramuscular placebo 2 and 24 hours following the first injection. Intramuscular olanzapine reduced agitation significantly more than intramuscular haloperidol 15, 30, and 45 minutes following the first injection. No patients treated with intramuscular olanzapine experienced acute dystonia, compared with 7% of those who were treated with intramuscular haloperidol. No significant QT(c) interval changes were observed in any patients. CONCLUSIONS: Intramuscular olanzapine represents a rapid, effective, and safe treatment for acute agitation in schizophrenia.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2001

Exposure to passive smoke in a sample of children in North Western Ireland.

Passive smoke causes significant detrimental effects on the health of both children and adults. This study involved distributing a questionnaire to a sample of 265 school children aged between 12 and 17 years in North West Ireland. The aims were to establish the prevalence of passive smoking and to discern whether exposure to passive smoke takes place within or outside the home. Of the 262 valid questionnaires, 188 pupils (72%) classified themselves as non-smokers. Sixty-five pupils (25%) described their mothers as current smokers whilst sixty-one (23%) described their fathers as current smokers. Eighty-five pupils (32%) were exposed to smoke at home and 195 (74%) were exposed to smoke in the wider community, whilst 69 (26%) were exposed to smoke both at home and in the community. Two hundred and eleven pupils (81%) were therefore exposed to passive smoke at some location. Further measures are required to reduce the level of passive smoking. It is important that interventions should restrict smoking in public places in addition to promoting a smoke-free environment in the home.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Performance of the full-scale biological nutrient removal plant at Noosa in Queensland, Australia: nutrient removal and disinfection.

Stringent effluent quality guidelines are progressively implemented in coastal and sensitive areas in Australia. Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) plants are becoming a standard often including a tertiary treatment for disinfection. The BNR plant in Noosa - Queensland is designed to produce a treated effluent with less than 5 mg/l of BOD5, 5 mg/l of total nitrogen, 1 mg/l of total phosphorus, 5 mg/l of suspended solids and total coliforms of less than 10/100 ml. A flexible multi-stage biological process with a prefermentation stage, followed by sand filtration and UV disinfection was implemented to achieve this level of treatment. Acetic acid is added for phosphorus removal because: i) the volatile fatty acids (VFA) concentration in raw wastewater varies a lot, and ii) the prefermenter had to be turned off due to odor problems on the primary sedimentation tanks. An endogenous anoxic zone was added to the process to further reduce the nitrate concentration. This resulted in some secondary P-release events, a situation that happens when low nitrate and low phosphorus objectives are targeted. Long-term performance data and specific results on nitrogen removal and disinfection are presented in this paper.

Acetic Acid↗
PubMed2000

Significance of hyperintense vessels on FLAIR MRI in acute stroke.

OBJECTIVE: To describe hyperintense vessels sign (HVS) in patients with acute stroke on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) MRI and determine its clinical significance and utility. BACKGROUND: Enhancement of vessels on postcontrast MRI in patients with acute stroke is considered an indicator of early brain ischemia. Recently, the FLAIR technique has shown promise in earlier and better detection of ischemic brain parenchymal lesions. METHODS: Two observers retrospectively reviewed 304 MRI of patients with stroke and identified 30 patients with acute middle cerebral artery stroke and HVS on FLAIR obtained within 24 hours of symptom onset. These patients were evaluated with contrast-enhanced MRI (n = 9), MR angiography of carotid and intracranial circulation (n = 30), cerebral angiography (n = 8), transcranial Doppler (n = 17), and SPECT (n = 16). The extent of HVS was compared with final infarct size and NIH Stroke Scale score. RESULTS: HVS on FLAIR was seen in 10% of the patients with acute stroke. HVS was associated with large vessel occlusion or severe stenosis (>90%). Intravascular enhancement on contrast MRI was observed in vessels that were hyperintense on FLAIR. Both cortical and subcortical infarcts demonstrated HVS. MR angiographic and cerebral angiographic findings of large vessel occlusion or severe stenosis (>90%), slow flow, low velocities by transcranial Doppler, and hypoperfusion on SPECT correlated with HVS. HVS was the earliest ischemic change in three patients scanned within 3 hours of ictus. Final infarct size was smaller than the area showing HVS in all patients. CONCLUSION: HVS on FLAIR MRI is an indicator of slow flow and early ischemia as a result of large vessel occlusion or stenosis and inadequacy of collateral circulation. HVS does not mean that infarction has occurred but indicates brain tissue at risk of infarction. It should prompt consideration of revascularization and flow augmentation strategies.

Acute Disease↗