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Biomedical subjects

Richard Smith

Publications and source records attributed to Richard Smith.

120 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

BMJ response to Dr. Gupta.

We sent a questionnaire survey to a random sample of 125 correspondents to the BMJ who had previously sent a letter which had been rejected. The objective was to evaluate the policy of sending on some unpublished letters to the authors of the articles to which they referred. There were 94 replies, a response rate of 75%. The key finding was that although most respondents agreed with the policy, a third thought it unconstructive. A quarter of the respondents said that the BMJ policy would discourage them from sending a letter to the journal for publication. This survey has led to a change of policy at the BMJ. Letters which are not published are not now sent on to the authors of the original articles.

Attitude↗
PubMed1990

Britain needs ELSI.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Advisory Committees↗
PubMed1986

Desipramine enhances opiate postoperative analgesia.

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study the analgesic efficacy of the combination of a tricyclic antidepressant and morphine was investigated. One of two tricyclic antidepressants (either amitriptyline, a relatively selective serotonin uptake inhibitor or desipramine, a relatively selective noradrenaline uptake inhibitor) or a placebo, was given for 1 week prior to surgery, followed by a single postoperative dose of morphine. Desipramine, but not amitriptyline, both increased and prolonged morphine analgesia. Neither tricyclic antidepressant reduced dental postoperative pain in the absence of morphine. We propose that desipramine enhances opiate analgesia by enhancing a noradrenergic component that contributes to endogenous opioid-mediated analgesia systems.

Amitriptyline↗
PubMed1981

Analgesic responses to morphine and placebo in individuals with postoperative pain.

The effects of placebo and varying doses of intravenous morphine were studied in 74 patients. All patients underwent extraction of impacted mandibular third molars. Two hours after onset of anesthesia all patients received a placebo (intravenous saline). One hour after the placebo administration each patient received either a second placebo or, 4, 6, 8 or 12 mg of morphine, double blind, via a hidden intravenous line. Pain level was evaluated 50 min after morphine administration using a visual analog scale. Pooled data from all patients produced a dose-response curve asymptotic by 8 mg. The mean pain relief following the second placebo was found to be between that obtained following hidden administration of 4 and 6 mg of morphine. When pain level reports for individuals were plotted two unexpected features appeared. First, no patient reported complete relief, even at the highest dose of morphine (12 mg). Second, pain level reports 50 min following each dose of morphine tended to be in two clusters. Within each cluster the average pain was independent of the dose of morphine administered. However, in groups receiving progressively higher doses of morphine, the percentage of patients within the low pain level cluster increased. These latter observations are most consistent with the concept that there is a step component for narcotic analgesia.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Perspective: a program to improve protein biomarker discovery for cancer.

Biomarkers for cancer risk, early detection, prognosis, and therapeutic response promise to revolutionize cancer management. Protein biomarkers offer tremendous potential in this regard due to their great diversity and intimate involvement in physiology. An effective program to discover protein biomarkers using existing technology will require team science, an integrated informatics platform, identification and quantitation of candidate biomarkers in disease tissue, mouse models of disease, standardized reagents for analyzing candidate biomarkers in bodily fluids, and implementation of automation. Technology improvements for better fractionation of the proteome, selection of specific biomarkers from complex mixtures, and multiplexed assay of biomarkers would greatly enhance progress.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A portable, 8-channel transcutaneous stimulator for paraplegic muscle training and mobility--a technical note.

This paper introduces an 8-channel transcutaneous neuromuscular stimulator, called ExoStim, which was designed and developed to provide stimulation to the lower-limb muscles of spinal cord injured individuals. The intended purposes of the ExoStim were to act as a skin-surface precursor to an implantable neuromuscular stimulator for the specific tasks of increasing paralyzed leg strength and endurance, enabling the performance of basic lower-limb functional tasks, and familiarizing patients with functional electrical stimulation training. The initial design specifications included portability (approximately 500 g), battery-powered output, constant current control (0-300 mA), 8 channels of biphasic stimulation (charge-balanced, constant current), and microprocessor control of all stimulation parameters. Various tests, including output power characteristics, environmental, mechanical, and battery life, were performed on three prototype units to validate our design specifications. Having successfully passed all tests, the ExoStim is now ready to be deployed to clinical trial sites for further evaluation with spinal cord injured subjects.

Electric Stimulation Therapy↗