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Biomedical subjects

R Norton

Publications and source records attributed to R Norton.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

The use of atenolol in the prevention of supraventricular arrhythmias following coronary artery surgery.

Sixty patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery were studied prospectively in order to investigate the effect of a cardioselective beta-blocker on the incidence of postoperative supraventricular arrhythmias. Patients with good left ventricular function were randomly divided into two groups: 30 patients treated with atenolol and 30 patients acting as controls. Atrial fibrillation was seen in 11 patients and frequent premature atrial extrasystoles were noted in one. Eleven (37%) patients in the control group experienced arrhythmias whilst atenolol significantly reduced this incidence to 3% (one patient), P = 0.001. There was no significant relationship between the development of supraventricular arrhythmias and the following variables: age, sex, severity of preoperative symptoms, previous myocardial infarction, extent of coronary artery disease, technique of myocardial preservation used, ischaemic time, number and site of saphenous vein grafts, endarterectomies performed and perioperative serum potassium levels. It is concluded that the use of atenolol (started 72 h before operation) is effective in reducing the incidence of supraventricular arrhythmias following elective coronary artery bypass operations in patients with good left ventricular function.

Angina Pectoris↗
PubMed1987

Alcohol consumption and the risk of alcohol related cirrhosis in women.

The risks in women of cirrhosis with a likely primary alcohol aetiology were estimated for various levels of alcohol consumption in a case-control study. Data were obtained from 41 women with a first diagnosis of cirrhosis who had no evidence of non-alcohol-related cirrhosis; three matched controls were interviewed for each case. Significant increases in the risk of cirrhosis were detected at levels of consumption between 41 and 60 g daily; above this level a dose-response relation was observed. The risk of cirrhosis did not appear to be influenced by other nutritional factors or history of liver disease or use of hepatotoxic drugs. One per cent of Australian women consume more than 40 g alcohol daily, yet more than 90% of women identified with cirrhosis consumed alcohol at this level. Preventive interventions to reduce alcohol consumption in the small group of women who consume more than 40 g daily have the potential to reduce substantially the incidence of alcohol related cirrhosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Health beliefs and rehabilitation after lumbar disc surgery.

Thirty per cent of patients fail to rehabilitate after back surgery. Pre-operative physical assessment cannot reliably identify these patients. A questionnaire assesses the health beliefs and extent of rehabilitation in 200 patients who have undergone a laminectomy. Objective medical data and ten subjective scales are analyzed, which correlate very highly with quality of rehabilitation. The questionnaire identifies 'at risk' individuals far better than objective physical findings, and it makes specific pathological attitudes clear. These attitudes can be used to direct existing post-operative care resources in an efficient way.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

The effect of buthionine sulfoximine, an inhibitor of glutathione synthesis, on hepatic drug metabolism in the male mouse.

Buthionine sulfoximine significantly reduced the hepatic non-protein sulfhydryl (NPSH) content of male B6C3F1 mice within 2 h after intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection. This treatment did not affect the activity of several hepatic microsomal and cytosolic enzymes responsible for xenobiotic metabolism. Pretreatment of mice with buthionine sulfoximine (2 mmol/kg) increased the hepatotoxicity of chloroform, but did not affect the hepatotoxicity of carbon tetrachloride. These findings suggest that buthionine sulfoximine can be a useful agent for studying the role of glutathione (GSH) in hepatic biotransformation of xenobiotics.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Inter- and intralaboratory variability in antibiotic susceptibility tests with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacteriaceae.

A two-phase collaboratice study was designed for definition of the extent to which results of disk diffusion tests can be reproduced. Two currently recommended techniques, the Kirby-Bauer method and the agar overlay method, were used. Of special concern were tests of Pseudomonas aeruginosa with moderate susceptibility to carbenicillin; gentamicin, tobramycin, polymyxin B, and colistin were also tested with P. aeruginosa as well as with Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, and Proteus species. The agar overlay method tended to give zones that were somewhat smaller than those given by the Kirby-Bauer method. Both disk methods demonstrated an excellent degree of reproducibility, being at least as reproducible as the standard agar dilution technique for measurement of minimal inhibitory concentrations. Slight changes in carbenicillin disk potency affected the zones of inhibition around P. aeruginosa more than those around susceptible E. coli. This fact suggests that a standard strain of P. aeruginosa would be advantageous for quality control of carbenicillin disk tests.

Carbenicillin↗
PubMed1976

Surface ultrastructure of silicone rubber aortic valve poppetts after long-term implantation. A scanning electron microscope study of four poppets.

The surface ultrastructure, demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy, is described in four implanted Silastic aortic valve poppets. Ball variance was discovered at necropsy in two patients and clinically in one in whom the poppet was replaced. The fourth patient underwent reoperation, but ball variance was neither suspected nor found. All four poppets were densely coated with biological debris and microthrombi. The 'coat' was soluble in a weak solution of sodium hydroxide. The true Silastic surface beneath the coat was little altered compared with unimplanted poppets, even after 10 years' implantation.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

Demonstration of erosive gastritis by the double-contrast technique.

The value of the routine pharmacologically-aided double-contrast examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract in demonstrating superficial gastric erosions was assessed. Ten cases of erosive gastritis were diagnosed during a six-month period. It appears that erosive gastritis is more common than generally believed. Diagnosis requires relaxation of the stomach and demonstration of fine mucosal relief by the double-contrast technique.

Barium Sulfate↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Analysis of base station morphine orders: assessment of supervising physician consistency.

Paramedic contact with a base station should gemerate consistent recommendations reflecting a consensus of base station physician care. In our urban EMS system, paramedics must contact a single base station to provide morphine sulfate (MS) for a patient with chest pain. We performed a retrospective cohort analysis of all prehospital MS requests for chest pain to determine the consistency of the circumstances for which the paramedic team was refused MS. These MS requests represented 123 of the 1,715 (7%) on-line physician consultations during the 6-month study. Only 15 of the 123 (12%) MS requests were refused. Neither the mean patient age, sex distribution, or presenting vital signs correlated with MS refusal. A maximum estimate of transport time to the hospital of less than or equal to 5 minutes was noted for 7 of 15 (47%) medication refusals compared to only 11 of 96 (11%) approvals with documented estimated transport times (P less than or equal to 0.005). A simultaneous request for nitroglycerin (NTG) was noted for 6 of the 15 (40%) medication refusals and 15 of the 108 (14%) approvals (P less than 0.05). We found refusal of MS administration to be uncommon. Supervising physicians tended to refuse MS when the transport time was short and when NTG was requested for concomitant administration. We also noted physician inconsistencies in refusal scenarios. These findings can guide physician consensus development to avoid sending mixed messages to paramedics.

Aged↗