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Biomedical subjects

R R Martin

Publications and source records attributed to R R Martin.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

Stuttering and oral stereognosis.

Two experiments were conducted to investigate oral stereognostic performance of stutterers. In Exp. I, stutterers and controls responded "same"--"different" to two oral forms placed successively on their tongues. In Exp. II, stutterers and controls underwent two procedures. For half the items, the task was the same as in Exp. I; for the other half, subjects were presented a single form and visually identified that form from among others on a placard. In both experiments, stutterers made significantly more oral stereognostic errors than did their matched controls.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Augmented polymorphonuclear chemiluminescence in patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism.

The effect of secondary HPT on PMN function, as assessed by CL, was studied in two groups of patients. Group 1 comprised seven patients with no clinical evidence of secondary HPT and mildly elevated levels of serum iPTH (mean 2.7 +/-0.9 microleq/ml), and group 2 had six patients with clinical and radiological evidence of secondary HPT and higher ( p < 0.001) levels of iPTH (mean 26 +/- 7 microleq/ml). PMNs from group 2 patients demonstrated 68% +/- 9 augmented CL in the presence of autologous serum. Cross-incubation studies showed that sera from group 2 patients induced augmented CL in normal PMNs. In contrast, PMNs from group 2 patients showed reduced CL in the presence of normal serum. The augmenting effect of group 2 sera did not correlate with the level of calcium, phosphorus, creatinine, or BUN in serum. After successful subtotal parathyroidectomy, evident by the decrease of serum iPTH levels, both the CL of group 2 PMNs and the ability of group 2 sera to induce augmented CL in normal PMNs decreased (p < 0.025). These results suggest that secondary HPT is directly or indirectly responsible for the altered leukocyte function in some patients with uremia, particularly those with marked elevation of iPTH.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Stuttering identification: standard definition and moment of stuttering.

Fifteen-second samples of speech were recorded from 20 adult stutterers. The samples were played to two groups (I and NI) of unsophisticated observers. The 18 observers in the NI Group were instructed to underline any word that was stuttered. The 18 observers in the I Group also were instructed to underline stuttered words, but these observers were given a "standard definition" of stuttering (Wingate, 1964); repetition of a sound, syllable, or one-syllable word; silent or audible prolongation; or both. On the average, observers who were given a definition of stuttering marked more words as stuttered than observers who were told only to mark stutterings. In addition, the observers for whom stuttering was defined also displayed significantly more variability in terms of the average number of words underlined. Both interobserver and intraobserver agreement were significantly higher for the NI Group than the I Group observers. The data from this and other identification studies were used to support the suggestion that the identification of stuttering is a threshold phenomenon.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Bronchodilatation: noncholinergic, nonadrenergic mediation demonstrated in vivo in the cat.

The composite vagus nerve was stimulated during intravenous infusion of 5-hydroxytryptamine in cats subjected to pharmacologic autonomic blockade with atropine, propranolol, and phentolamine. Bronchial caliber, as assessed by changes in pulmonary resistance, demonstrated a marked dilatation, and dilatation could still be demonstrated after preliminary treatment with reserpine. By stimulating the component branches of the vagus nerve, it was determined that the parasympathetic branch is responsible for this phenomenon.

Airway Resistance↗
PubMed1980

Asbestos body phagocytosis by human free alveolar macrophages.

Phagocytosis of asbestos bodies by human free alveolar macrophages (FAMs) was documented employing light microscopy. This process was more carefully studied utilizing scanning electron microscopy (SEM) which demonstrated morphological and surface membrane changes in FAMs following phagocytosis of asbestos bodies. FAM viability was also evaluated following 24--72-h incubation of cells with asbestos bodies at a final concentration of 250 micrograms/ml. Slight, but significant, cytotoxicity was observed following the initial 24-h culture period (P = 0.032, paired, 2-tailed t-test). No further cytotoxicity was observed, however, when cells were further incubated for 48-h and 72-h intervals (P greater than 0.05 in all instances). These studies demonstrate asbestos bodies are readily phagocytized by cultured FAMs, and are only slightly cytotoxic to these human lung cells.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Haemophilus parainfluenzae by a kinetic killing-curve method.

A kinetic killing-curve method, designed to mimic several aspects of clinical therapy in endocarditis, was used to test 10 strains of Haemophilus parainfluenzae against 28 antibiotic regimens. In an effort to simulate changing in vivo levels of antibiotic in serum, concentrations of three penicillins, three cephalosporins, gentamicin, and chloramphenicol were sequentially adjusted over a 12-hr period. Against six beta-lactamase-negative strains, gentamicin in combination with penicillin or cephalosporin invariably resulted in an additive or synergistic effect. Chloramphenicol and a penicillin or cephalosporin usually displayed an indifferent effect, but chloramphenicol was often antagonistic when combined with gentamicin. With four beta-lactamase-positive strains, variable responses were noted to penicillin-aminoglycoside combinations; cephalosporin-aminoglycoside combinations were usually synergistic. This dynamic approach to killing-curve studies may be more appropriate than a static system for in vitro examination of the effect of antimicrobial combinations against selected organisms.

Ampicillin↗
PubMed1980

Bacillus cereus bacteremia and hemolytic anemia in a patient with hemoglobin SC disease.

A patient with hemoglobin SC disease and cholelithiasis was found to have Bacillus cereus bacteremia. Hemolytic anemia developed, for which common causes of hemolysis were excluded, suggesting a relationship with the bacteremia. Following in vitro incubation, type O erythrocytes were hemolyzed by the culture, but not by a bacteria-free filtrate. This case confirms the association between sickle cell disorders and cholelithiasis with B cereus infections. In addition, it provides evidence for in vivo hemolysis with B cereus bacteremia, an organism not previously associated with hemolytic anemia.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Serial studies of leukocyte chemiluminescence: lack of effect of macrolide antibiotic therapy.

Antibiotics which affect protein synthesis have been reported to alter in vitro function of polymorphonuclear neutrophil leukocytes (PMNs). We studied chemiluminescence of PMNs from 30 healthy adults during phagocytosis of opsonized zymosan. Similar chemiluminescence values were obtained before, during, and after oral therapy with erythromycin, rosaramicin, or placebo. While macrolide antibiotic therapy did not alter this PMN function, we conclude that chemiluminescence is a reproducible technique which is well suited for serial evaluation of PMN activity.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Holder of record: A cooperative health sciences journal system in a hospital library network.

The cooperative acquisition and retention of health sciences journals by a group of small and medium-sized Veterans Administration hospital libraries is described. The "holder of record" system emphasizes a contractual agreement that has freed resources for expansion of the group's journal holdings and distributed responsibility for interlibrary loan among the libraries involved.

Interlibrary Loans↗
PubMed1979

Aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity in pulmonary alveolar macrophages and lymphocytes from lung cancer and noncancer patients: a correlation with family histories of cancer.

Aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) activity was measured in pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAMs) and peripheral blood lymphocytes from cigarette smokers with and without primary lung cancer. Frequency distribution analysis of AHH induction ratios for the two groups revealed an increased number of individuals in the lung cancer patient group with high lymphocyte induction values (P less than 0.05). A similar increase was not shown for high-PAM AHH values in lung cancer patients (P greater than 0.2). When individual PAM and lymphocyte AHH values were compared between noncancer and lung cancer patients, a positive correlation was observed for noncancer patients (r=0.195, P less than 0.001), but no correlation of these values was noted for lung cancer patients. The lung cancer patients were divided into three subgroups of patients showing (I) high PAM and low lymphocyte AHH levels, (II) low PAM and low lymphocyte AHH levels, and (III) low PAM and high lymphocyte AHH levels. When the incidence of family history of cancer was compared for these subgroups, no family cancer history was recorded for persons in subgroup II; however, individuals in subgroups I and III presented family cancer history incidence of 9.5% and 39.3%, respectively. Patients in group III averaged 6 years younger than those in group I. These data suggest that familial factors may be identified among lung cancer patients and that these factors appear to associate as either a cause of an effect with the capacity of pulmonary alveolar macrophages and lymphocytes to be induced for AHH. The data support the hypothesis that high AHH values may be characteristic of lung cancer patients but show that enzyme values determined from a single tissue, either PAMs or lymphocytes, may not be appropriate for showing whether high AHH inducibility is correlated with lung cancer.

Aryl Hydrocarbon Hydroxylases↗
PubMed1979

Ceforanide (BL-S786) in the treatment of community-acquired bacterial pneumonia.

Ceforanide (BL-S 786) is a new long-acting parenteral cephalosporin which has the major pharmacologic advantage of requiring only twice a day dosage. We treated 28 adult patients with community-acquired bacterial pneumonia using doses of 500 or 1000 mg every 12 hours. Twenty-four of 28 infections were due to Streptococcus pneumoniae and/or Hemophilus influenzae, and all pathogens were susceptible in vitro to both cephalothin and ceforanide. Patients were treated for a mean of 7.5 days, and all showed a good clinical and radiographic response with no mortality. Of the 13 patients with H. influenzae, the organism could still be recovered during therapy in 9/12 and post therapy in 3/8. One clinical superinfection (sepsis due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa) occurred during therapy. Side effects with therapy included thrombocytosis (15), asymptomatic eosinophilia (5), and mild elevation of the serum transaminases (3). These studies suggest that ceforanide is a safe and effective agent for the treatment of adult patients with bacterial pneumonia due to S. pneumoniae; further experience in therapy of H. influenzae is needed because of frequent failure of ceforanide to eradicate this organism from the sputum.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Voluntary changes in ventilation distribution in the lateral posture.

To determine whether voluntary changes in the pattern of inspiratory muscle contraction influence topographical distribution of ventilation in the lateral decubitus posture during tidal breathing, we studied 4 normal subjects who breathed either naturally (N) or preferentially with intercostal and accessory muscles (IC), or with enhanced motion of the diaphragm and abdomen (Ab). We performed N2 as well as 133Xe washouts (after equilibration) which were measured at the mouth while recording regional count rates by external scintillation detectors. Ventilation per unit volume (delta V/Vo) in the nondependent lung regions was 0.55 +/- 0.05 (mean +/- 1 SD) and 0.42 +/- 0.02 of that in the dependent regions during natural and sustained Ab breathing, respectively. In contrast, during IC breathing this ratio was 0.99 +/- 0.17. Although N2 washout curves obtained during IC breathing more closely approached a monoexponential than did those from N and Ab runs, a two compartment analysis of washouts at the mouth did not demonstrate significant differences between breathing patterns. We conclude that in the lateral posture voluntary relaxation of the diaphragm during tidal breathing distributes the gas preferentially to the nondependent lung regions. Conversely, during N and Ab breathing the preferential ventilation of dependent regions is due to contraction of the diaphragm.

Diaphragm↗
PubMed1979

Patterns of benzo[alpha]pyrene metabolism in normal human pulmonary alveolar macrophages.

Pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAMs) obtained by bronchopulmonary lavage from 6 normal non-smoking volunteers were incubated with [3H]-benzo[alpha]pyrene to ascertain the normal metabolism and conjugation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Through the use of a crude glucuronidase preparation, both glucuronic acid and sulfate conjugates were examined. Phenols and quinones were identified by high-pressure liquid chromatography as the principal free metabolites formed during 1 h incubation with benzanthracene induced PAMs. In addition, phenols and quinones were major substrates utilized by these cells for conjugation during the incubation period. The ranges of benzo[alpha]pyrene metabolites produced by PAMs from non-smokers were compiled and the variation in production as well as detoxification of proximate carcinogenic benzo[alpha]pyrene metabolites are presented.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Treatment of experimental nocardiosis in mice: comparison of amikacin and sulfonamide.

Recent in vitro susceptibility studies have shown that amikacin inhibits more than 90% of isolates of Nocardia. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of treatment with amikacin or sulfonamides on infection caused by Nocardia asteroides with the use of murine models. In an acute lethality model in which infection was induced by intraperitoneal injection, 13 (45%) of 29 mice that had been treated with amikacin survived, in comparison to zero of 39 untreated animals in the control group and one of 39 mice that had been treated with sulfadiazine (P less than 0.001 for amikacin). When infected with a strain of N. asteroides that was resistant to amikacin, all mice that were treated with amikacin and all untreated mice died. Drug therapy was also evaluated in a chronic infection model, in which abscesses were produced by an intraperitoneal injection of N. asteroides in saline. Treatment with either amikacin (P less than 0.001) or sulfonamide (P less than 0.02) for two to three weeks significantly increased the rate of resolution of these abscesses. These murine models demonstrate that amikacin has in vivo activity against Nocardia and may be potentially useful in the treatment of human disease.

Amikacin↗