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Biomedical subjects

R J Murphy

Publications and source records attributed to R J Murphy.

52 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1980

An assessment program to reduce drug use with the mentally retarded.

Growing concern over possible institutional drug abuse has made it extremely important to identify procedures to systematically evaluate the therapeutic effectiveness of drugs. The authors describe a two-phase drug assessment program that has permitted an intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded to reduce its reliance on psychoactive medication and to meet the mandates of accreditation and law. The first phase identified individuals who could effectively participate in treatment without medication. The second phase identified minimum effective dosages for those whose maladaptive behavior could not be controlled when medication was abruptly removed. Therapeutic benefits resulting from this individualized drug reduction program are discussed, as are the economic and programmatic benefits to the institution.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Establishment of controlled arm movements in profoundly retarded students using response contingent vibratory stimulation.

Because of recent legislation and litigation, profoundly retarded, multihandicapped individuals are now entering public school programs. These students are grossly underserved since systematic effort in providing individualized educational programs for them has had virtually no precedent. Various operant techniques utilizing contingent vibratory stimulation were demonstrated to be effective in establishing coordinated arm movement in seven such individuals. The practical significance of this finding was discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

Reduction of stereotyped behavior in profoundly retarded individuals.

High-frequency, stereotyped behavior may interfere with the acquisition of appropriate behavior. Through the use of a procedure involving access to vibratory stimulation and its response-contingent withdrawal, stereotyped behavior of two profoundly retarded students was virtually eliminated. A reversal design, employed in Experiment 1, demonstrated that the nonoccurrence and the occurrence of stereotypic hyperventilation was a function of the presence or absence of the intervention procedure. In Experiment 2, a multiple-baseline design provided evidence that the procedure repeatedly produced suppression of stereotyped mouthing across three settings in which it was employed. The observed level of suppression was similar to that typically achieved by contingent application of aversive stimulus procedures. In addition, the procedures seemed to be learned quickly by teachers and administered effectively by public school personnel.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1973

Heat illness.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Acclimatization↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Sternocleidomastoid tumor of infancy: CT manifestations.

A case of sternocleidomastoid tumor of infancy in a 1-month-old boy is presented. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy can be used to confirm the diagnosis and thereby avoid more invasive procedures. Early diagnosis and treatment are important factors in achieving a good clinical outcome.

Head and Neck Neoplasms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Heat illness in the athlete.

Heat illness is one of the most common causes of disability in American football and there are frequent deaths caused by heatstroke. A better understanding of the physiology of heatstroke has changed the manner of the approach to heat problems in the past 25 years. Sweating is the way the body dissipates the internal heat produced by muscular exercise. Since sweat is hypotonic, the result of excessive loss of weight through sweating is a water deficit in the body. The clinical disorders resulting from exercise in hot and humid environment are heat cramps, heat syncope, heat exhaustion, and heatstroke. Ways to prevent problems from heat illness include conditioning for the exercise, identifying the individuals who are most susceptible to heat problems, wearing proper clothing with as much skin as possible exposed to the air, evaluating the environmental conditions on the field, and providing adequate amounts of water on the field. Replacement of salt after practice through the use of electrolyte solutions and heavy salting of the food is important. However, the key to prevention of problems associated with environmental heat is to provide plenty of water before, during, and after the exercise.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Fetal outcome in narcotic-dependent women: the importance of the type of maternal narcotic used.

The records of 239 infants born to 228 women dependent on narcotic drugs were reviewed to determine if type of drug abused and adequacy of prenatal care would affect pregnancy and fetal outcome. Seventy-nine (33%) pregnancies occurred in women in supervised methadone maintenance, 78 (32%) in women on unsupervised methadone maintenance, 49 (21%) in women on street heroin, and 33 (14%) in women who were multiple drug users. Although the presence of withdrawal symptoms did not differ with respect to type of drug abused, the outcome was significantly better in those infants born to women on supervised methadone maintenance as compared to all other groups (p less than 0.001). There was no demonstrable relationship between the number of prenatal visits to the clinic and fetal outcome. A relationship could not be demonstrated between the maintenance dose during pregnancy and the presence of withdrawal symptoms in the infants born to women on supervised methadone maintenance. The findings of the study suggest that supervised methadone maintenance is compatible with an uneventful pregnancy and delivery. Neonatal complications, with the exception of withdrawal, do not appear to differ from that seen among infants born to nondrug dependent women.

Adult↗