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Biomedical subjects

R S Wilson

Publications and source records attributed to R S Wilson.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

Right ventricular function and pulmonary hemodynamics during dopamine infusion in burned patients.

Right ventricular (RV) function and pulmonary hemodynamics were studied in burned patients during dopamine infusion. The dopamine dose varied between 0 to 9.0 +/- 0.7, (mean +/- Se) micrograms/kg/min. No significant improvement in RV hemodynamics was observed as measured by RV end-diastolic volume index and RV ejection fraction. However, with infusion of dopamine, significant elevation in mean pulmonary artery pressures were noted, particularly in patients with pulmonary artery hypertension. Dopamine, in the doses administered, does not improve RV or systemic hemodynamics; in some burned patients, dopamine may have deleterious effects on the pulmonary circulation.

Adult↗

Encephalopathy in chronic renal failure responsive to deferoxamine therapy. Another manifestation of aluminum neurotoxicity.

We describe a patient undergoing chronic hemodialysis who developed a neurologic syndrome consisting of seizures, progressive myoclonus, and mild dementia and who responded to chelation therapy with deferoxamine mesylate. Neither her serum nor bone aluminum concentrations indicated aluminum toxicity. However, the presence of a positive deferoxamine-infusion test was suggestive of an elevated body burden of aluminum. Treatment with deferoxamine resulted in marked clinical improvement in her neurologic status within two months. The utility of using the deferoxamine-infusion test rather than serum aluminum levels in evaluating aluminum toxicity in chronic renal failure is suggested.

Aluminum↗

Multimethod assessment of temperament in twins: birth to six months.

The predictive relationship between neonatal behavior and temperament at 6 months was assessed in 62 pairs of twins. The neonatal assessment evaluated irritability, resistance to soothing, reactivity, and activity level across various activities. Temperament at 6 months was appraised by a laboratory assessment, ratings on the Infant Behavior Record, and a questionnaire completed by the mother. Examination for temperament consistency from the neonatal period to 6 months indicated that neonates rated by an examiner as irritable and difficult to soothe were reported by the mother to be more negative, irritable, and slower to adapt at 6 months; neonates rated as more irritable and active were more attentive and responsive during mental testing at 6 months; there was no relationship between the neonatal measures and the laboratory ratings, possibly reflecting methodological problems influenced by maturation and vegetative processes at 6 months. Analyses for patterns of concordance within the various data sets for MZ and DZ twins indicated that there was no pattern of differential concordance favoring MZ twins for the temperament measures at birth or at 6 months. It was concluded that a modest predictive relationship between temperament variables had been demonstrated from birth to 6 months, but no specific genetic effects were detected at these early ages.

Attention↗

Rapid, reliable diagnosis of chlamydial ophthalmia by means of monoclonal antibodies.

The use of fluorescein-conjugated monoclonal antibody (Syva, UK) provided a rapid reliable diagnostic test for Chlamydia trachomatis in conjunctival samples from 100 adults with acute follicular conjunctivitis and seven babies with suspected chlamydial ophthalmia neonatorum. Elementary bodies (EBs) were seen in smears from 11 of the adults, and culture confirmed C. trachomatis infection in nine of them. Both tests were positive with specimens from four of the neonates. No specimens from either group of patients produced a negative result in the smear test but a positive result by culture. However, the two adult patients with chlamydial ophthalmia who had negative cultures but were EB-positive had both had prior topical tetracycline therapy.

Adult↗

An evaluation of the foot pump as a driving source for nebulizer solutions.

The foot pump was used to drive a 'Minineb' nebulizer for 10 minutes with 2 ml of solution. It was found that when the operator employed a rate of his own choosing the output varied from 0.9 to 1.9 ml and the oxygen uptake doubled. With a stroke rate of 30/min the output was 1.2 ml and at 60/min 1.4 ml. At 60 strokes/min the average flow rate is 9.1 litres/min which would give a suitable particle size for administration of bronchodilator therapy. It is concluded that the foot pump is useful for occasional use in emergencies as the energy expenditure necessary limits its value in regular therapy and that a fixed stroke rate should be employed.

Adolescent↗

Twins and chronogenetics: correlated pathways of development.

Developmental processes in infant twins are considered from the standpoint of how closely synchronized the twins are for growth spurts and lags, and whether the course of mental development follows the same trajectory as physical growth. The episodes of acceleration and lag may be independent for the two domains, so than an infant who is precocious in physical growth may not necessarily be advanced in mental development. The phasing of maturational episodes appears to depend upon timed gene-action systems which unfold in sequential order, and which promote new behavioral capabilities as well as physical growth. Data are reported from a large sample of MZ twins that were followed from 3 months to 6 years of age, with measures made of height and mental development. The measures were analyzed separately for the degree of twin concordance over ages, as an indicator of how closely the twins' growth spurts were synchronized. Then the measures were correlated to determine whether the episodes of acceleration and lag occurred at the same time for height and mental development, or were out of phase. The results showed only a low-order correlation among measures, indicating that the episodes of rapid growth and lag were essentially independent for the two domains. By contrast, the twin concordance was very high for each measure separately. The results are interpreted in the broader context of timed gene-action systems of extraordinary precision which initiate and regulate the episodes of growth.

Age Factors↗

A comparison of beclomethasone dipropionate aqueous nasal spray and beclomethasone dipropionate pressurized nasal spray in the management of seasonal rhinitis.

Forty patients with seasonal rhinitis and a proven sensitivity to pollens were studied for 2 weeks during the pollen season of 1982. The study was carried out according to a double-blind, double-dummy design. All patients received 100 micrograms beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) into each nostril twice daily (400 micrograms/day) on a randomized basis, from either the aqueous nasal spray or the pressurized nasal spray (Beconase Nasal Spray). Analysis of patients' symptom scores, additional symptomatic medication and physicians' assessment indicated that both treatments were equally effective in controlling the symptoms of seasonal rhinitis. Any adverse events reported were considered to be clinically insignificant. BDP aqueous nasal spray was therefore found to be an effective and acceptable therapy in the management of seasonal rhinitis.

Administration, Intranasal↗

Jet nebulisers.

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Aerosols↗

Human behavioral development and genetics.

Behavioral development during childhood is examined in relation to recent concepts and data from evolutionary theory and developmental genetics. The epigenetic framework of Waddington is proposed as a powerful tool for analyzing the progressions in behavior, particularly for recognizing that development involves coordinated pathways of change over time. Many of these pathways appear to depend upon the activity of timed gene-action systems that switch off and on according to a predetermined plan. Behavioral development thus gives expression to the dynamics of preprogrammed change; and in this perspective, behavioral discontinuities may be as strongly rooted in the epigenetic ground plan as the continuities are. The present paper aims to pull together some common themes from different areas that bear on the central issues of behavioral development--the neural foundations, the time course followed, the interplay of maturation and experience, the extent of preorganization furnished by the genetic program, and the adaptive significance of such behaviors in an evolutionary perspective. The final section touches on some hypotheses drawn from developmental neurobiology and developmental genetics that may enrich the analyses of human behavioral development.

Biological Evolution↗

Word frequency effect and recognition memory in dementia of the Alzheimer type.

Normal persons show better recognition memory for rare than for common words. In the first experiment, we examined this word frequency effect in 17 patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) and 20 normal controls of equivalent age and education. The DAT patients showed a normal tendency to false alarm to common words but failed to show the normal rare word advantage in their hit rate. In a second experiment, we examined normal memory immediately and after a delay of 1 week when it is approximately equivalent to that of DAT patients. There was no attenuation of the usual rare word advantage. These findings suggest that DAT patients fail to encode the featural and intrastructural elements of to-be-remembered verbal information and that this processing deficit may contribute to their impaired recognition memory performance.

Adult↗