Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R B Berry

Publications and source records attributed to R B Berry.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Effect of hyperoxia on the arousal response to airway occlusion during sleep in normal subjects.

The effect of hyperoxia on the arousal response to airway occlusion during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep was studied in six normal male subjects with a mean age (+/- SD) of 23.5 +/- 8.7 yr by testing the response to the occlusion of a face mask covering the nose and mouth. Occlusion trials while the subjects breathed room air (room air condition) were alternated with trials in which subjects breathed a mixture of room air and oxygen adjusted to maintain a sleeping baseline arterial oxygen saturation of 98% (hyperoxic condition). The time to arousal (mean +/- SEM) was significantly longer during oxygen administration (4.1 +/- 4.5 versus 28.9 +/- 4.6 s; p < 0.002). The maximal deflections in airway pressure were measured at a supraglottic location during airway occlusion to reflect the degree of inspiratory effort. The maximal airway suction pressure preceding arousal did not differ between the room air (27.4 +/- 5.4 cm H2O) and hyperoxic conditions (26.6 +/- 5.9 cm H2O). Conversely, the rate of increase in inspiratory effort (maximal pressure) during occlusion was decreased by oxygen administration. We conclude that hyperoxia prolongs the time to arousal after airway occlusion by decreasing the rate of increase in the magnitude of inspiratory efforts, but it does not change the arousal threshold.

Adolescent↗

The effect of triazolam on the arousal response to airway occlusion during sleep in normal subjects.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of triazolam (0.25 mg) on the arousal response to airway occlusion during nonrapid eye movement sleep in normal subjects. Six male subjects (mean age +/- SD, 28.1 +/- 7.1 yr) had their arousal response tested by occluding a mask covering the nose with the mouth sealed. After an adaptation night, subjects were studied on two consecutive nights. They ingested triazolam (0.25 mg) or placebo one-half hour before bedtime in a randomized double-blind crossover manner. Mask occlusion was performed 1 to 4 h after triazolam/placebo ingestion while the subjects breathed a mixture of air and oxygen adjusted to produce an arterial oxygen saturation of 98%. The maximal deflections in airway pressure were measured at a supraglottic location during airway occlusion to reflect the degree of inspiratory effort. The time to arousal (mean +/- SEM) was significantly longer on triazolam nights (32.0 +/- 5.2 versus 22.6 +/- 3.2 s, p < 0.01). The maximal airway suction pressure preceding arousal was higher on triazolam nights (26.5 +/- 2.0 cm H2O versus 20.0 +/- 1.2 cm H2O, p < 0.02). Conversely, the rate of increase in inspiratory effort (maximal pressure) during occlusion was not decreased by triazolam. We conclude that triazolam prolongs the time to arousal following airway occlusion by increasing the arousal threshold.

Adult↗

Metabolism during normal, fragmented, and recovery sleep.

Average metabolic data (O2 uptake and CO2 output) were obtained for each 3-min period during consecutive nights of normal, experimentally fragmented, and recovery sleep in a group of 12 normal young adult males. Naturally occurring arousals and awakenings resulted in a characteristic increase in metabolism on the baseline night. The placement of brief frequent experimental arousals on the following night resulted in significantly increased metabolism throughout the night and significantly decreased sleep restoration as measured by morning performance, mood, and alertness tests, even though total sleep time was minimally reduced. Metabolic variables were significantly decreased compared with baseline on the nondisturbed recovery night that followed the sleep fragmentation night. The data cannot be used to infer that increased metabolism during sleep causes nonrestorative sleep, but the direction and time course of metabolic change accompanying arousal are consistent with that hypothesis.

Adolescent↗

Effect of theophylline on sleep and sleep-disordered breathing in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

To investigate the effect of theophylline on sleep and sleep-disordered breathing in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), we studied 12 male nonhypercapnic subjects with a mean +/- SEM age of 62.8 +/- 2.5 yr and a FEV1 of 1.36 +/- 0.11 L using a randomized double-blind crossover protocol. Sustained-action theophylline (250 mg three times or four times a day) or placebo was administered for 2 days, and the alternate drug was administered on the following 2 days. Sleep studies were performed on Nights 2 and 4 with spirometry at 9:00P.M. and 7:00A.M. Two puffs of metaproterenol or albuterol were administered at 10:00P.M. on both study nights. A theophylline level, drawn at bedtime (10:00 to 11:00P.M.), was 14.2 +/- 0.78 micrograms/ml on the theophylline nights and less than 2 on placebo nights. The morning FEV1 was significantly better during theophylline administration (1.27 +/- 0.12 versus 1.00 +/- 0.11 L, p less than 0.001). The mean arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) and transcutaneous carbon dioxide pressure (PCO2) were also better during NREM sleep on theophylline nights. Neither the mean SaO2 and transcutaneous PCO2 during REM sleep nor the apnea plus hypopnea index (events per hour of sleep) differed between placebo and theophylline nights. Theophylline administration did not impair the amount or architecture of sleep as neither total sleep time nor the fraction of time spent in Stages 1, 2, and 3/4 and REM differed between the two regimens. The number of arousals per hour of sleep was slightly less on theophylline nights (19.9 +/- 1.7 versus 24.9 +/- 2.7, p less than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Arousal↗

Effect of ethanol on the efficacy of nasal continuous positive airway pressure as a treatment for obstructive sleep apnea.

The effect of ethanol ingestion on the efficacy of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nasal CPAP) as a treatment for the obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome was studied in ten obese male subjects undergoing this therapy. On the first night of polysomnography, the lowest level of CPAP that maintained airway patency was determined (critical level). On the second (control) night (C), subjects slept the entire night on this level of CPAP. On the third night (E), subjects ingested either 1.5 ml/kg (part A, N = 6) or 2.0 ml/kg (part B, N = 4) of 50 percent ethanol (100 proof vodka) over one half-hour starting 1 h before bedtime. A serum ethanol level was obtained at bedtime (part A: 63.7 +/- 17.3 mg/dl; part B: 108.6 +/- 20.6 mg/dl), and subjects were monitored on the critical level of CPAP. Comparison of nights C and E for parts A + B showed no difference in total sleep time (TST) or the amount of different sleep stages as an absolute time or a percentage of TST except that there was more stage 2 (as a percent of TST) on E nights. The apnea + hypopnea index and C and E nights did not differ and was quite low (3.6 +/- 3.7/h vs 1.9 +/- 2.7/h). Similarly, ethanol ingestion did not increase the number of desaturations to at or below 90 and 85 percent, or lower the mean arterial oxygen saturation in NREM or REM sleep. Analysis of parts A and B separately also showed no differences with respect to the apnea + hypopnea index or the number of desaturations on control and ethanol nights. We conclude that acute moderate ethanol ingestion does not decrease the efficacy of an optimum level of nasal CPAP.

Adult↗

Effect of age on changes in flow rates and airway conductance after a deep breath.

The effects of aging on changes in maximal expiratory flow rates and specific airway conductance after a deep breath were evaluated in 64 normal subjects. Flow rates (Vp) on partial expiratory flow-volume curves (PEFV), initiated from 60-70% of the vital capacity (VC), were compared with those (Vc) on maximal flow-volume curves (MEFV), initiated from total lung capacity (TLC), at a lung volume corresponding to 25% of VC on the MEFV curves. Specific airway conductance was measured before (sGaw) and after a deep inspiration (sGawDI). Bronchodilation after inspiration to TLC was inferred by Vp/Vc less than 1 and sGaw/sGawDI less than 1. The mean Vp was less than Vc. However, the ratio Vp/Vc increased significantly with age (r = 0.75, P less than 0.001). Specific conductance also increased after a deep inspiration (sGaw less than sGawDI). The ratio sGaw/sGawDIj increased slightly but significantly with age (r = 0.28, P less than 0.02). Measurement of lung elastic recoil pressures before and after a deep breath in a subgroup of patients (n = 14) suggested that the age-related increase in Vp/Vc was secondary to a decrement in the ability of a deep breath to decrease the upstream airway resistance. These findings suggest that even though changes in airway size after a deep breath as measured by sGaw/sGawDI have minimal age dependence, aging diminishes expiratory flow rates of MEFV curves relative to PEFV curves because of a decrease in the ability of a deep breath to increase the size of the peripheral airways.

Adolescent↗

Effects of thoracic gas compression on maximal and partial flow-volume maneuvers.

Airway hysteresis can be evaluated by comparing maximal (MEFV) and partial (PEFV) expiratory flow-volume curves. The maneuvers are often obtained from pulmonary function systems that are subject to gas-compression artifacts. Because gas-compression artifacts might differentially affect PEFV vs. MEFV curves, we simultaneously obtained MEFV and PEFV curves by use of a spirometer and a volume-displacement plethysmograph (a method not subject to gas-compression artifacts) in normal and asthmatic subjects. Plethysmographic flow rates exceeded spirometric flow rates on all MEFV and PEFV maneuvers. When maximal flow exceeded partial flow (or vice versa) in the plethysmograph, the same result was virtually always observed for spirometric measurements. Alveolar pressure (PA) was higher on MEFV than on PEFV maneuvers in asthmatic subjects; comparisons between PA (on PEFV and MEFV maneuvers) in normal subjects varied at different lung volumes. Ratios of Vmax on PEFV maneuvers to Vmax on MEFV maneuvers (Vmax-p/Vmax-c) obtained from a volume-displacement plethysmograph differ quantitatively from ratios determined in systems subject to gas-compression artifacts; qualitatively, however, failure to account for thoracic gas compression ordinarily will not influence the ability to identify airway hysteresis (or lack thereof) by use of Vmax-p-to-Vmax-c ratios.

Adult↗

Nebulizer vs spacer for bronchodilator delivery in patients hospitalized for acute exacerbations of COPD.

This double-blind crossover study compared the efficacy of two methods of delivery (MDI-spacer and nebulizer) of inhaled albuterol to patients hospitalized for an acute exacerbation of COPD. Within 24 h of admission, 20 subjects (mean age, 69 years) with severe airflow obstruction (mean FEV, 0.69 L) were subjected to a treatment with an MDI-spacer (0.36 mg of albuterol or placebo) followed by treatment with a nebulizer (2.5 mg of albuterol or placebo). Active drug was given by only one device (randomly assigned in a double-blind manner), and the entire sequence was repeated in 4 h, with active drug given in the alternate device. Spirometric data and the Borg dyspnea score were obtained before and 1 h after each sequence of treatments. Treatment resulted in significant improvements in the FEV1, FVC, and Borg score. The percent improvement in the FEV1 was slightly larger after treatment with the nebulizer (16.7 percent vs 13.4 percent). Improvements in the Borg score were slightly larger after treatment with the MDI-spacer (-1.08 vs -0.73). However, these differences were not statistically significant. This study suggests that the MDI-spacer system is an effective method of sympathomimetic delivery in this setting, provided patients are able to master the technique.

Administration, Inhalation↗

Time dependence of airways and lung parenchymal recoil hysteresis.

Hysteresis of airways and lung parenchymal recoil was examined in normal subjects by measuring specific conductance (sGaw) and lung elastic recoil (Pst,L) before and 5, 10, 15, and 30 s after deep inspiration (DI). Routine lung function tests were normal before and after inhaled metaproterenol. sGaw increased significantly for 10 s after DI. Also, sGaw(DI) was greater than sGaw in 11 of 12, 8 of 12, 7 of 12, and 6 of 12 subjects at 5, 10, 15, and 30 s, respectively, after DI. The response of sGaw to DI and metaproterenol correlated significantly with each other (r = 0.82, P less than 0.001). However, after metaproterenol, sGaw(DI) did not exceed sGaw. Pst,L decreased significantly for 15 s after DI, with the lowest measured Pst,L(DI) values occurring 5 s after DI (P less than 0.01-0.001). Both sGaw(DI) and Pst,L(DI) values returned to base line (preinspiration) in a time-dependent exponential manner, with time constants of 9.2 +/- 4.9 and 11.3 +/- 6.1 s, respectively; these time constants were not significantly different from each other. We conclude that airways hysteresis is the predominant finding in normal subjects (even without prior pharmacological bronchoconstriction) before but not after metaproterenol; Pst,L decreases after DI and, in normal individuals, returns to base line in a time-dependent manner; and the time-dependent behavior of airways and lung parenchymal hysteresis have opposite (and unequal) effects on airway caliber.

Adult↗

Transcutaneous oxygen tension as an index of maturity in hypertrophic scars treated by compression.

Sixteen patients undergoing compression treatment for scar hypertrophy were included in a study to evaluate physical indices of scar maturity. The results show that while thermographic measurements of scar temperature were not clinically valuable, rising levels of transcutaneous oxygen tension in treated scars correlated well with a reduction in scar thickness assessed both clinically and by ultrasound. It is postulated that low levels of tcpO2 in immature scars result from low oxygen diffusibility through scar tissue rather than from rapid metabolic consumption of oxygen by scar tissue.

Adolescent↗

Partial and maximal expiratory flow-volume curves in normal and asthmatic subjects before and after inhalation of metaproterenol.

The effects of deep inspiration upon expiratory flow rates and response to inhaled metaproterenol were studied in normal and asthmatic subjects using partial (PEFV) and maximal (MEFV) expiratory flow volume curves. Routine pulmonary function tests and specific conductance were also measured. Prior to administration of metaproterenol, 18 of 24 normal subjects and 11 of 24 asthmatic subjects (p 0.05) had higher flow rates on MEFV than on PEFV curves. The 11 volume history responsive asthmatic subjects showed better lung function and more density-dependence of expiratory flow than the other 13 asthmatic subjects; furthermore, the effect of lung inflation was significantly larger in the volume history responsive asthmatic subjects than in the volume history responsive normal subjects. Responses to inhaled metaproterenol were much larger on PEFV than MEFV curves; nevertheless, differences between normal and asthmatic subjects in metaproterenol responsiveness were less using PEFV curves. Thus, the use of PEFV curve measurement did not facilitate the detection of individual asthmatic responses to inhaled metaproterenol.

Adult↗

Positive nasal airway pressure eliminates snoring as well as obstructive sleep apnea.

Nine men who were habitual snorers were studied during a control and a treatment night (in random order) to assess the effect of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on snoring, sleep-disordered breathing, and nocturnal oxygen desaturation. Four subjects had symptoms suggestive of the sleep apnea syndrome, but the other five were asymptomatic. Polysomnography and recordings of snores were obtained on both nights. On the treatment night, the subjects wore a customized infant anesthesia mask over their noses, and CPAP was applied and adjusted upward from 4 cm H2O to a level that obliterated snoring. Nasal CPAP (range 4 to 13 cm H2O) reduced the mean number of snores per night from 1,015 per subject to 23 per subject (p less than 0.01). Mean numbers of episodes of apnea, hypopnea, and desaturation were also significantly reduced. Analysis of sleep structure showed no significant differences in sleep period time, total sleep time, or the percentages of stages 3 and 4 sleep. The percentage of stages 1 and 2 was significantly greater on control nights, and the percentage of REM sleep was greater on treatment nights. On the control nights, snoring was common in stages 3 and 4 and least common during REM sleep.

Adult↗

Desmoplastic malignant melanoma: the first British report.

A case report from Louisville, Kentucky was recently published in this Journal describing a patient with a desmoplastic malignant melanoma of the cheek (Man et al., 1981). Reference was made in that report to 15 previously described cases of this tumour, all from the United States of America. We wish to report a recent patient of ours with a tumour that was histologically consistent with a desmoplastic malignant melanoma but showed several atypical clinical and histological features. This is, as far as we know, the first recorded occurrence of the tumour outside the USA.

Aged↗

A comparison of spring and CO2- powered needleless injectors in the treatment of keloids with triamcinolone.

A comparison has been made between the traditional needle and syringe technique of injection and two differing types of needleless injector in the intralesional treatment of keloids with triamcinolone. This most reliable method of delivering a known quantity of drug into a keloid is by syringe and needle. However, the CO2-powered injector is far more reliable than the spring-powered injector in the reliability of the dose administered and its intralesional penetration and distribution.

Carbon Dioxide↗

The late results of surgical treatment of pressure sores in paraplegics.

The findings are presented of a retrospective survey of paraplegic patients who underwent surgical repair of pressure sores between 1973 and 1977. Forty-one patients with 56 sores were studied. The recurrence rate of repaired sores was 47 per cent. In an analysis of the data the only factor associated with a good long term result was a return home rather than chronic hospitalization following surgery. This finding applied to bedridden but not to sitting patients.

Adolescent↗