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Biomedical subjects

P Wright

Publications and source records attributed to P Wright.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Audit of full blood count monitoring in patients on longterm gold therapy for rheumatoid arthritis.

The use of injectable gold in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is hampered by the high incidence of adverse reactions of which myelotoxicity is potentially the most serious. Regular full blood count (FBC) monitoring prior to each injection, a practice which requires much time and effort, has never been fully evaluated. Of 154 patients who were started on gold and followed by the lifetable method for up to 10 years, five patients were withdrawn from treatment because of myelotoxicity, thrombocytopenia in all cases: the two most serious cases occurred early at 3 and 7 months after starting treatment; three mild cases occurred at 17, 37 and 60 months, were of slow onset and reversed spontaneously. Clearly, FBC monitoring is justifiable in the first two years of treatment when the incidence of adverse reaction is highest. Further investigation is required to justify this practice after two years of uncomplicated treatment.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1992

The association of age with the activity of alcohol dehydrogenase in human liver.

Ethanol is principally oxidized in the liver by the cytosolic enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH). We have examined the effect of age and sex on alcohol dehydrogenase activities in human liver obtained from 16 healthy subjects, age range 45-88 years. There was no correlation between ADH activity, whether expressed as activity per mg cytosolic protein or per gram wet weight liver, and age. Activities were similar in men and women. These results suggest that, in common with activities of other hepatic drug metabolizing enzymes, age has no effect upon the activity of ADH in human liver.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Comparison of Pch313 (pTOM13 Homolog) RNA Accumulation during Fruit Softening and Wounding of Two Phenotypically Different Peach Cultivars.

Pch313 was isolated as a cDNA whose RNA accumulated during the softening period of peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch) fruit development. To better understand the role of the gene, we compared the amount of pch313-related RNA detected during fruit softening and tissue wounding between cultivars with different softening characteristics. The cultivar that softened faster, "Bailey," had a significantly higher amount of pch313-related RNA accumulate during softening than the slower-softening cultivar, "Suncrest." Pch313 was sequenced and found to be related to a tomato fruit cDNA clone, pTOM13, which has been shown to encode the ethylene-forming enzyme. The derived amino acid sequence of pch313 is 74 to 83% identical to the pTOM13-related sequences. A pch313-3' noncoding region probe was used to demonstrate that pch313 is related to both a wound-induced RNA transcript and the major fruit-softening transcript. The relationship of pch313 RNA accumulation and ethylene evolution was examined upon wounding and appeared to be both tissue and cultivar specific. When leaves were wounded, more pch313-related RNA was detected in Bailey and the rate of ethylene evolved was also higher in Bailey. When fruits were wounded, the levels of ethylene evolved were nearly identical but Suncrest accumulated more pch313-related RNA. Southern analysis of the DNA indicated a small number of related genes.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1992

Neuman systems model used as a guide for the nursing care of an 8-year-old child with leukemia.

The Neuman Systems Model (NSM) provides a framework for holistic pediatric oncology nursing practice. In this article, an overview of NSM is given. This model is applied to an 8-year-old child with leukemia for the comprehensive assessment, planning, and evaluation of nursing care. A comprehensive list of nursing diagnoses is categorized by primary and secondary prevention.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1991

Role of cell-mediated immunity to staphylococci in blepharitis.

We studied cell-mediated immunity to staphylococcal antigens in 116 patients with chronic blepharitis and eight normal subjects. Antibodies in tears and blood were measured. Enhanced cell-mediated immunity to Staphylococcus aureus was demonstrated in 46 of 116 patients (40%) in the absence of antibodies to teichoic acid but not among normal subjects. Symptoms of grittiness and morning stickiness were more frequent among patients without enhanced responses. Folliculitis occurred more commonly among patients with enhanced immunity. Marginal keratitis occurred equally among patients with and without enhanced systemic immunity, but patients with enhanced response more commonly required topical corticosteroid therapy. Desensitization to staphylococcal antigens could be investigated as a potential therapeutic approach in selected patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Lower pleasantness of palatable foods in nalmefene-treated human volunteers.

The involvement of endogenous opioids in control of human food intake and appetite was investigated in a double-blind placebo-controlled study using a single, 2.5 mg oral dose of the opioid receptor antagonist, nalmefene. Ratings of the pleasantness of the smell and the taste, but not the appearance, of a number of foods was significantly lower in nalmefene-treated subjects. The magnitude of this effect was greater in food items independently rated as highly palatable. Caloric intake of a buffet-style meal was 20% lower in nalmefene-treated subjects, with the proportional reduction in intake of individual food items also depending on their palatability. These results lend further support to recent suggestions that opioids are involved in reward-related aspects of ingestion.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Acoustic emission during the deformation of alpha-lactose monohydrate and anhydrous alpha-lactose monocrystals.

During the deformation of single crystals of alpha-lactose monohydrate and anhydrous alpha-lactose in a crushing strength rig, their acoustic activity was monitored using a portable activity meter. The acoustic parameters measured were the average signal level (ASL), count rates and total acoustic counts. Both types of lactose, even though deformed by fragmentation, differed fundamentally in the degree and nature of this fragmentation. Close correlation was observed between the ASL, count rate profiles and the force-displacement profiles. The monohydrate form is acoustically more active than the anhydrous form during deformation. Small internal fractures which were neither visually observed nor detected in the force-displacement profiles (in particular the anhydrous alpha-lactose) were detected by monitoring the acoustic signals during the deformation of these crystals. This work illustrates the potential of using the acoustic emission technique as an aid in the assessment of the deformation characteristics of pharmaceutical materials during single crystal compression studies.

Anhydrides↗
PubMed1991

Management information and self-governing NHS hospital trusts.

The proposal for self-governing hospital trusts within the NHS, announced in the White Paper Working for Patients on 31 January 1989 and enacted through passage of the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 last July, introduces free market incentives to NHS hospitals. Hospitals applying for self-governing status must first demonstrate that they have an information system appropriate to support decision making in the new context. An overall information systems flow and an approach to information systems development are recommended based upon the Freeman Hospital model. The Freeman Hospital is a national pilot site selected by the NHS Management Executive for development of information systems for NHS hospitals.

Budgets↗
PubMed1991

The effect of age on glucuronidation and sulphation of paracetamol by human liver fractions.

Glucuronidation and sulphation were studied in vitro in human liver samples from 22 subjects aged 40-89 years using paracetamol as substrate. There was no significant correlation with age for the activity of either enzyme pathway. These results provide further evidence that age per se does not have a major effect on the activities of hepatic metabolising enzymes.

Acetaminophen↗
PubMed1990

Effects of nalmefene on feeding in humans. Dissociation of hunger and palatability.

Effects of nalmefene on eating were investigated in two groups of ten male volunteers, in a double-blind placebo-controlled study. The nalmefene treated group ate 22% less, both in terms of absolute weight and caloric intake, of a standardised buffet-meal than did the placebo group. No differences in subjective ratings of hunger or satiety were found between the groups, suggesting that the reduced feeding was not a consequence of any change in motivation to eat. When analysed by nutrient content, nalmefene was found to reduce fat and protein, but not carbohydrate, intakes. Analyses of intakes of individual foods showed a differential effect of nalmefene on foods rated as highly palatable. Thus the apparent nutrient specificity of nalmefene appeared to be an indirect consequence of its effect on palatability. Nalmefene also caused slight increases in self-rated alertness, and decreases in ratings of tiredness and elation, although it was thought unlikely that these accounted for observed changes in eating behaviour. No other side-effects were detected, and performance on a choice reaction time task was unaffected. These results add weight to suggestions that endogenous opioids are involved in reward-related aspects of feeding associated with food palatability.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Microcomputer-based data acquisition system for clinical research.

We have described a computerized data acquisition system for clinical investigation that can record over fifty physiologic variables from up to twenty-four electronic monitors. The information is acquired by a personal computer using RS-232C serial communications and analog-to-digital conversion. In its present configuration the system records information from a Spacelabs 500 series physiologic monitor, Hewlett-Packard physiologic monitor with the Careport computer interface, SARA mass spectrometer, Nellcor pulse oximeter, Neurotrac processed EEG, Lawrence cardiac output monitor, Hewlett-Packard capnometer, and Bourns spirometer. The software can be easily modified to accommodate other physiologic monitors. The system records parameter or waveform information and writes the data into a file that can be accessed by commercially available graphical and statistical packages. The data acquisition system is easy to use, transportable, and inexpensive.

Humans↗