Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R Edwards

Publications and source records attributed to R Edwards.

At least 325 records · Page 18Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Maternal Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Even though maternal Guillain-Barré syndrome is very rare, there may be approximately a 6 percent chance of its development in a pregnant woman. There are still many unanswered questions as to why it develops during pregnancy. Although limited information is available for assistance to victims of maternal Guillain-Barré syndrome, the study of these cases is continuing.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

The ecology of antigenic variation.

A detailed molecular analysis using recombinant DNA technologies is extremely important to our understanding of the phenomena of antigenic variation in the African trypanosomes; however, by itself, it may not completely explain antigenic variation as it occurs in vivo. Several laboratories have demonstrated the ability of one variant population to replace another in vivo as well as the presence of heterogeneous populations of trypanosomes within an individual animal. These two phenomena do not permit us to explain antigen variation solely on the basis of the molecular regulation of variant antigen expression. In addition to studies in molecular biology, it will be necessary to define clearly the differences in growth rates of variant populations and the role of competition between these variants in a single anatomical site. It will also be necessary to determine the influence of various physiological environments on growth rates and the competition between the different variants of a single repertoire. It is concluded that the phenomenon of antigenic variation is a complex problem in ecology and population dynamics as well as molecular regulation. This paper is designated to examine a variety of the ecological parameters presumably involved in antigenic variation.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

How often does a CSF pleocytosis follow generalized convulsions?

Postictal pleocytosis is a transient and otherwise unexplained increase in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leukocytes occurring after repetitive generalized tonic-clonic seizures. We reviewed 98 episodes of seizures in 91 patients in whom the CSF was examined within 72 hours of the last seizure. Patients who had diseases associated with CSF pleocytosis were excluded. Two of the 98 initial CSF samples showed a pleocytosis, which subsequent examinations proved to be transient.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Synthesis of a spore-specific surface antigen during sporulation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Antisera raised against purified yeast ascospores caused agglutination of both ascospores and vegetative cells. A spore-specific activity was obtained by absorbing out anti-vegetative activity with vegetative cells. The anti-vegetative cell activity was directed against mannan, and was probably due to exposure of some spore coat mannan at the spore surface since concanavalin A and lentil lectin also caused agglutination of ascospores. The spore-specific activity was probably determined by a protein or proteins, since extraction of spores with a mixture of sodium dodecyl sulphate and dithiothreitol markedly affected their agglutination by the spore-specific serum. The spore-specific antigen was synthesized in a soluble form during sporulation several hours before the appearance of the spore surface and the pool of soluble antigen declined as the spore was assembled. Synthesis of the soluble antigen was inhibited by adding cycloheximide at all times up to its first appearance in the sporulating cell.

Antigens, Surface↗
PubMed1983

Investigation of human skeletal muscle structure and composition by X-ray computerised tomography.

In muscular dystrophy and metabolic myopathy there is wasting and replacement of the muscle bulk with fat and fibrous tissue. A method for estimating the fat content of muscle and the cross-sectional area from computerised tomography (CT) scans is presented. Data from the quadriceps muscle of fifty patients show the effect of fat replacement on muscle strength. The CT scans have shown that the pattern of wasting in individual muscle groups is characteristic of the type of myopathy. In Duchenne muscular dystrophy, hypertrophic and pseudohypertrophic muscle have hitherto been indistinguishable, but this method allows a clear distinction to be made. Quantitative CT offers a new approach to the investigation of muscle diseases and can also be of considerable value in selecting sites for needle biopsy of muscle.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1983

Statistics of response slopes.

Daubenspeck and Ogden in a recent paper recommended the use of directional statistics in the analysis of response slopes, and their advice has been followed by other workers. Their method is not valid, since it does not follow directly from their model. An efficient estimator of the slope (i.e., an estimator with minimum variance) is well known and is given here with a confidence interval for the true slope. They were also concerned with the two-sample problem to compare the slopes from two different samples. The method for this is more complicated but is summarized here. The likelihood ratio test and point and interval estimates are given. We discuss Daubenspeck and Ogden's example and the reason why, despite its invalidity, their method gave good results using their own data. Their data are also used to illustrate the methods described in this paper, and examples are given to highlight the practical differences between the two methods. Step-by-step procedures are included in the appendixes to enable readers to use these methods.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Failure of naloxone to reverse vascular neurologic deficits.

Naloxone failed to improve motor strength in any of 19 patients with acute stroke, even though 4 patients eventually demonstrated complete recovery. Two patients worsened, and sensory abnormalities increased in two others. Motor tone increased in eight patients. Naloxone amelioration of stroke deficits is therefore not common, and this treatment may not be entirely benign.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

The measurement of mathematics anxiety: the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale for Adolescents--MARS-A.

Describes the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale for Adolescents (MARS-A). Normative data on over 1,200 junior high and senior high students are reported. In addition, psychometric data that relate to reliability and construct validity for the MARS-A scale are discussed. Two factors were identified in the scale, a factor of numerical anxiety that appeared in 91% of the items and a factor of mathematics test anxiety that appeared in the remaining items. Results that show the association between high mathematics anxiety scale scores and low grade average in mathematics courses are reported on two samples of students.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Clinical pharmacy services in a pediatric ambulatory care clinic.

The implementation of pharmacy services in an ambulatory pediatric clinic has met with initial success in acceptance by the medical and nursing staffs, the administrator, and the patient population. Errors in medication dispensing and prescription labeling have decreased, and patient understanding of prescribed therapy has improved. The number of ER visits by clinic patients has been reduced since the implementation of our service. The importance of patients' understanding directions for use and of dispensing medications in childproof containers for the pediatric population cannot be overstressed. A future goal of our service is to expand the pharmacist's clinical role to allow further participation in pharmacokinetics, specialty clinics, teaching, and patient education. Further documentation of the value of such services is essential to the expansion of the pharmacist's role in patient care.

California↗
PubMed1981

Effect of warfarin on survival in small cell carcinoma of the lung. Veterans Administration Study No. 75.

In a controlled, randomized study, survival of patients with small cell carcinoma of the lung (SCCL) was prolonged on addition of warfarin sodium to combination chemotherapy plus radiation therapy. Median survival for 25 control patients was 24 weeks and for 25 warfarin-treated patients was 50 weeks. This difference could not be accounted for by differences between groups in performance status, extent of disease, age, or sex. The survival advantage associated with warfarin administration was observed both for patients with extensive disease and for those who failed to achieve complete or partial remission. The warfarin-treated group also demonstrated a significantly increased time to first evidence of disease progression. These results suggest that warfarin may be useful in the treatment of SCCL and also support the hypothesis that the blood coagulation mechanism may be involved in the growth and spread of cancer in man.

Antineoplastic Agents↗