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Biomedical subjects

R J Arthur

Publications and source records attributed to R J Arthur.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Ventriculitis in congenital rubella: ultrasound demonstration.

A female infant with proven congenital rubella infection was referred for cranial ultrasound examination. Intraventricular strands and debris with periventricular echogenic foci were demonstrated. These findings, typical of ventriculitis, have not previously been reported in congenital rubella. Mental retardation is the rule in symptomatic cases and therefore early recognition of central nervous system involvement is of benefit in assessing the long-term neurodevelopmental outcome.

Cerebral Ventricles↗

Percutaneous nephrostomy in paediatrics.

Percutaneous nephrostomy has been performed on 18 kidneys in 16 children with an age range of 1 day old to 14 years. The indications and techniques for percutaneous nephrostomy are described, the results are documented, and the effects of the procedure on the management of these patients are discussed. It is shown that percutaneous nephrostomy in paediatrics is a safe and reliable method for draining renal collecting systems in order to relieve obstruction, to assess renal function and to drain pyonephroses.

Child↗

Melioidosis in intensive piggeries in south eastern Queensland.

The epidemiology of melioidosis was investigated in 8 intensive piggery units which used water from the same river in south eastern Queensland. In 3 consecutive years cases of disease followed heavy rainfall and flooding. Although Pseudomonas pseudomallei was not isolated from water or soil samples the water supply was suspected as the source of infection. Affected pigs were detected at slaughter by the presence of abscesses most commonly in the bronchial lymph nodes (40%) and spleen (34%). One hundred and fifty nine cases were observed at slaughter from a total of 17,397 animals at risk. Infection by inhalation of water aerosols derived from nipple drinkers, hose sprays and a water misting cooler was considered to be responsible for the bronchial lymph node lesions. These outbreaks occurred outside the area in which melioidosis is generally regarded as being endemic.

Animals↗

The distribution and prevalence of stephanofilariasis in cattle in Queensland.

A total of 10,543 cattle from 1,386 farms throughout Queensland was examined at abattoirs and the presence of stephanofilarial lesions was related to property of origin, sex, breed, and age of the slaughtered cattle and season of slaughter. The mean prevalence was 38% and within the infected area this varied from less than 5% in south east Queensland to 95% on Cape York Peninsula. The prevalence of lesions was higher in bulls than in steers [corrected] and was least in cows [corrected]. Bos indicus animals had a lower prevalence than B. taurus. Prevalence increased with age. The distribution of the disease closely matched that of the buffalo fly, Haematobia irritans exigua.

Animals↗

Pre-natal diagnosis: how useful is it?

Dilatation of the fetal urinary tract can now be detected by ultrasound imaging in pregnancy. Forty-six cases of pre-natally diagnosed dilatation were analysed to assess the contribution of this information to subsequent urological management. Positive pre-natal scans proved accurate. Dilatation was confirmed by neonatal ultrasound imaging or by autopsy in 24 of 25 consecutive inborn neonates and two aborted fetuses. Forty-four live births were studied. Twelve neonates had physical signs at birth which rendered the pre-natal diagnosis unnecessary. In 32 neonates (73%) the urinary tract anomaly was identified solely as a result of pre-natal imaging and would otherwise have remained undetected. However, in seven neonates the information was of doubtful value (mild unilateral dilatation), in 16 it was of probable value (confirmed unilateral PUJ obstruction, multicystic kidney, etc.) and in only nine neonates (20%) was it of definite value (treatable conditions affecting both kidneys or a solitary kidney, e.g. urethral valves, PUJ obstruction in a solitary kidney, etc.). Pre-natally detected bilateral dilatation (18 infants) carried a poor prognosis--33% mortality and 56% incidence of coexistent abnormalities. No infants in our series had undergone intra-uterine drainage, but the numbers of survivors and their renal function was comparable to the published results for fetal intervention.

Dilatation, Pathologic↗

A meatworks survey of bovine hydatidosis in southern Queensland.

A meatworks survey was undertaken in 1981-82 to define the distribution and prevalence of hydatidosis in beef cattle in southern Queensland. Hydatid cysts, mostly degenerate, were found in 14.6% of the 22,916 animals examined. The endemic area was to the east of a line approximating the 500 mm isohyet. Prevalence varied with age and origin of cattle, but not sex. Prevalence increased linearly with age, at least up to 4 years. Prevalence on the east coast ranged from 4.3% in yearlings to 52.2% in 4-year-old cattle. At the western limit of the endemic area, the prevalence ranged from 1.4% in yearlings to 10.8% in 4-year-olds. On the Darling Downs, prevalence was highest in areas where cattle raising is the main industry. On the south western Downs, where sheep-farming predominates, the prevalence in cattle was much lower, probably because of fewer dingoes. Livers only were affected in 46.5% of infected cattle, lungs only in 17.7%, and 35.8% of infected animals had both organs affected. Infection in other organs was uncommon. A detailed study of 133 infected cattle showed that 3.8% had lesions misdiagnosed as hydatid cysts at slaughter.

Abattoirs↗

A survey of fascioliasis in beef cattle killed at abattoirs in southern Queensland.

The overall prevalence of fascioliasis in beef cattle found in an abattoir survey completed in May 1983 in southern Queensland, was 1.1%. Prevalence was 36% in the Stanthorpe Shire, varied from greater than 1 to 10% in 12 shires and was 1% or less in 24 shires. Fascioliasis was not recorded from the other 46 shires in the area of the survey. Prevalence was less than 1% in female cattle of all ages. In males, prevalence increased with age from 0.6% in 17-month-old cattle to 4.7% in 4-year-old cattle. The differences in sex-specific prevalences may be due to differences in susceptibility to the parasite between sexes, differences in susceptibility to the parasite between sexes, differences in management between sexes, or artefacts associated with sampling for a disease of very low prevalence. The presence of the exotic snail species, Lymnaea columella and L. viridis was confirmed in southern Queensland in 1977. These snails are suitable intermediate hosts for Fasciola hepatica and may widen the endemic area for liver fluke because of their more aquatic character and greater tolerance to high temperatures than L. tomentosa, the traditional snail host in Queensland. We suggest that introduced snails have not yet had a substantial impact on the importance of fascioliasis to the beef industry of southern Queensland. The survey provides baseline data for the future monitoring of this potentially important parasitic disease.

Abattoirs↗

Prevention of intraventricular haemorrhage by fresh frozen plasma.

Seventy three preterm infants weighing less than 1500 g or less than 32 weeks' gestation, or both, were allocated randomly to treatment (fresh frozen plasma 10 ml/kg on admission and at 24 hours of age) or control groups. Fifteen (41%) out of 37 control patients sustained intraventricular haemorrhage compared with five (14%) of 36 patients receiving treatment (X2 = 5.24, P = 0.022). No difference was found in coagulation factors measured at birth or at 48 hours of age in both groups. Fresh frozen plasma appears to have a beneficial effect in the prevention of intraventricular haemorrhage.

Blood Coagulation↗

Psychosocial events and subsequent illness--a review.

The public readily accepts the relationship between psychosocial events and illness and acknowledges that stress is important in the acquisition of disease. However, scientific documentation of these relationships has not been convincing and many clinicians remain skeptical. In this review we survey selected studies from socioepidemiologic, psychologic and physiologic research, chosen for their methodologic rigor, that help clarify the relationship between psychosocial events and illness. We conclude (1) though difficult to prove, available data support a positive relationship between psychosocial events and illness, and (2) psychologic well-being is important for good physical health.

Disease↗

Barium meal examination of infants under 4 months of age presenting with vomiting. A review of 100 cases.

One hundred barium meal examinations performed on infants of less than 4 months of age are reviewed. All the infants presented with vomiting as a major symptom and the diagnosis remained in doubt following the initial clinical assessment. Fifty seven per cent of the examinations showed an abnormality of which 45% were thought to be significant. Hypertrophic pyloric stenosis was demonstrated in 23 infants. Other abnormalities included hiatus hernia, gastro-oesophageal reflux, and duodenal abnormalities. The value of barium meal examinations in this group of infants is emphasised.

Barium Sulfate↗

Serum gastrin and the family environment in duodenal ulcer disease.

The study investigated the relationships between specific demographic, psychosocial, and physiological variables and the severity of duodenal ulcer disease in a population of patients with proved duodenal ulcer. Intercorrelations between psychosocial and physiological variables were also studied. The study design was cross sectional and retrospectively assessed life change units and DUD severity during the previous 6 months in 39 male ulcer clinic outpatients. Anxiety, depression, life change units, the family environment, ABO blood type, secretor status, serum pepsinogen, and serum fasting gastrin were evaluated. A DUD severity score was calculated from self-reported ulcer pain symptoms and ulcer complications. Gastrin levels correlated significantly with three Family Environment Scale (FES) subscales, including: (a) independence, (b) achievement orientation, and (c) expressiveness. Duodenal ulcer disease severity scores correlated with Zung SDS scores, but not with state or trait anxiety, life change units, or the FES.

Achievement↗

Life change and illness studies: past history and future directions.

A selected review of life changes and illness studies is presented which illustrates both the diversity of samples that have been tests in these studies and the generally positive results which have been obtained. Although early (retrospective) work in this field led to simplistic explanations, later (prospective) studies have begun to document the several intervening variables which occur between subjects' recent life change experiences and their subsequent symptomatology and disease. A life change and illness model is presented to illustrate key intervening variables. The authors believe that future research in the field of life change and illness should concentrate on further delineations of these intervening variables--an effort necessitating active collaboration between social and medical scientists.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Reflections on military psychiatry.

The need for psychiatrists in the military was recognized for the first time during World War I, which involved millions of men in unusually protracted warfare. The policy of treating psychiatric casualties close to the from and returning soldiers to their military units as quickly as possible proved of great significance in the U.S. war effort. During World War II, the Korean conflict, and the war in Viet Nam, military psychiatry made great contributions and learned many lessions, both at home and abroad. The lessions learned by military psychiatry have important applications for the rest of medicine, especially in the fields of stress, crisis therapy, and community psychiatry.

Community Psychiatry↗

Brief group therapy following myocardial infarction: eighteen-month follow-up of a controlled trial.

Sixty post-myocardial infarction (MI) subjects have been followed for up to eighteen months' time following their MI. Thirty-eight of these subjects completed a brief series of four to six group therapy sessions during their early rehabilitation phase; the others received no group therapy. Both groups were placed on otherwise identical schedules of outpatient follow-up. Group therapy patients have, to date, experienced significantly fewer cardiac complications than controls. Only one death has occurred, and that one patient was in the control group. A coronary heart disease teaching evaluation questionnaire was given to a sample of group therapy patients, a sample of controls, and a comparison group of men without MI. Following their group therapy sessions, these men demonstrated significantly greater knowledge of their disease and its optimal rehabilitation than did control or comparison subjects. Control patients' questionnaire results proved to be insignificantly different from those of the comparison group.

Adult↗