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Biomedical subjects

Robert Jones

Publications and source records attributed to Robert Jones.

28 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Comparing the performance of various advanced oxidation processes for treatment of acetone contaminated water.

Removal of low levels of organic pollutants can be quite challenging to many water treatment processes. Ketones, such as acetone, are often found in groundwaters and wastewaters at levels too low for supporting a bioreactor, yet since acetone is so soluble, it does not adsorb onto activated carbon very well, nor does it volatilize from water influent using air stripping. This study was undertaken to evaluate three advanced oxidation processes for their comparative ability to remove acetone from aqueous media. Optimization of the oxidation processes was attempted via adjustments of oxidizer inputs. The results indicated that all of the AOPs tested showed promise for removing acetone from water; however, ozonated systems undergoing UV photolysis achieved the highest rate and extent of treatment observed.

Acetone↗

Posttreatment visual acuity in patients treated with episcleral plaque therapy for choroidal melanomas: dose and dose rate effects.

PURPOSE: To determine the relationship between the long-term visual function and the dose and dose rates delivered to critical ocular structures in patients with choroidal melanoma treated with 125I episcleral plaque radiotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 1987 to 1994, 63 patients underwent 125I episcleral plaque (Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study [COMS] design) application for the treatment of choroidal melanoma. The mean tumor height was 4.5 mm (range 1.7-8.3). Doses and dose rates at the tumor apex, macula, and optic disc were calculated. Forty-three records were scored to assess whether a decrease in visual acuity of >2 lines on a standard Snellen eye chart had occurred. Patient age and the presence of hypertension or diabetes were noted. Statistical analysis was performed to assess both the rate at which visual decline had occurred and the presence of significant factors that had contributed to this decline. RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 36 months, the 3-year actuarial survival rate was 93.6%. The 3-year actuarial local control rate was 86.9%. The median time to visual loss after therapy was 18.7 months. The 3-year actuarial rate of visual preservation was 40.5%. Multivariate analysis demonstrated higher macula dose rates (p = 0.003) to forecast visual decline. Macula dose rates of 111 +/- 11.1 cGy/h were associated with a 50% risk of significant visual loss. CONCLUSION: Patients in our series treated with 125I plaque brachytherapy for choroidal melanoma experienced favorable tumor control, but with a measurable incidence of visual decline. Higher dose rates to the macula correlated strongly with poorer posttreatment visual outcome. This information may be valuable in selecting the optimal dose rates to treat choroidal melanomas and to predict the risk of visual decline.

Adult↗

How to cook up a healthy summer camp.

This article is designed to help school nurses plan a children's summer camp. In many ways, it is like a recipe, filled with tried experiences leading to success. Many of the ideas in this article may help others to brainstorm about implementing a camp. The idea for this summer camp originated from an obesity study conducted during the school year. In that study, it was found a large number of students were obese, and the majority of them spent a considerable amount of time in sedentary activities. In addition, the study questionnaire findings indicated that the children were not eating enough fruits or vegetables and had diets with high carbohydrate and fat content. Therefore, the major objective for the summer camp was to introduce the children to structured exercise and nutrition classes. Evaluation indicated the children profited socially, physically, and intellectually from the camp's activities.

Camping↗

Arterial perforation during infrainguinal lower limb angioplasty does not worsen outcome: results from 1409 patients.

PURPOSE: To assess the prevalence and clinical significance of arterial perforation during lower limb angioplasty and determine the outcome of patients suffering this complication. METHODS: The radiology department records of 1409 patients (878 men; mean age 69.6 years) undergoing peripheral angioplasty in 1532 limbs between January 1996 and December 1998 were studied to identify patients with a perforated vessel. RESULTS: Fifty-two (3.7%) perforations occurred. Patients with a perforation were significantly older (median 74.8 years versus 69.6, p=0.03) and were more likely to be diabetic (p=0.01). The median age of a smoker with a perforation was 68 years versus 78 years for nonsmokers (p=0.02). Among the perforations, 29 resolved without intervention, 6 required temporary balloon occlusion, 15 were coil embolized, and 2 needed both balloon and coil treatment. Twenty-four (46%) of the 52 patients had a clinically successful angioplasty despite the perforation. No patient needed further urgent intervention. Seven patients underwent subsequent surgery to treat the underlying vascular disease that had prompted treatment initially; no one was treated for complications of the perforation. Due to the more extensive nature of the procedure, subintimal angioplasty was associated with an unsurprising increase in the rate of perforation (RR, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.19-3.56; p=0.01). In no case did the perforation prejudice the eventual outcome of the patient. CONCLUSIONS: Arterial perforation during angioplasty is more common in the elderly and in diabetics. The perforation itself does not influence the ultimate outcome of the case; rather, it is the underlying vascular pathology.

Aged↗

A close-up look at an implant fracture: a case report.

The authors report on the fracture of a standard endosseous dental implant 11 years after placement. It had been connected to a natural tooth using a nonrigid connector to compensate for the lack of a built-in antirotational system on the prosthetic abutment of the implant restoration. Scanning electron microscopy revealed striations on the fracture surface, suggesting a fatigue-associated failure.

Crowns↗

Brugada syndrome as the cause of syncope in a 49-year-old man.

We report the case of a 49-year-old man in whom a diagnosis of Brugada syndrome was made after he presented to the emergency department for evaluation of a syncopal episode. The diagnosis was made by ECG changes, after the characteristic findings of peculiar downsloping ST-segment elevation in leads V(1) and V(2) and QRS morphology resembling a right bundle branch block were identified. Emergency physician recognition of this syndrome and its ECG findings is essential, because without treatment the incidence of sudden cardiac death in these patients is high.

Adult↗

Microenvironment in Ventilated Animal Cages with Differing Ventilation Rates, Mice Populations, and Frequency of Bedding Changes.

The purpose of the study was to assess the microenvironment in separately ventilated mouse cages at differing ventilation rates, mice populations, and frequency of bedding changes. We monitored intracage temperature, relative humidity, and concentrations of ammonia and carbon dioxide during 3 experiments. First, the effect of ventilation rate on the microenvironment of cages housing adult male mice was evaluated at 30, 40, 60, 80 and 100 air changes/h. For all ventilation rates tested, ammonia concentration was less than 3 ppm, carbon dioxide concentration ranged from 840 to 3,300 ppm, relative humidity ranged from 42 to 65%, and temperature ranged from 23.2 to 25.3 C. Second, we monitored cage microenvironment continually in experiments during which changing of bedding was delayed. Male mice were used in the experiment, and cages were ventilated (60 air changes/h). Cages were allowed to accumulate soiled material for 26 days, during which time ammonia concentration and relative humidity did not exceed 10 ppm and 45%, respectively. Third, we tested ventilation rate and frequency of bedding changes in ventilated cages containing breeding trios (2 females, 1 male) and their pups. Ammonia concentrations remained at 25 ppm or less for 30, 60, and 100 air changes/h when bedding was changed weekly and for 100 air changes/h when bedding was changed every 2 weeks. We concluded that 30 air changes/h was sufficient to maintain a healthful microenvironment in cages that were housing adult male mice in which bedding was changed weekly. When frequency of bedding changes was reduced to every 2 weeks, 60 air changes/h was sufficient for cages housing adult males, but 100 air changes/h was necessary for cages housing breeding trios and pups.

Journal Article↗

An efficient implementation of a drug candidate database.

The recent advances in laboratory technologies have resulted in a wealth of chemical and biological data. The rapid proliferation of a vast amount of data has led to a set of cheminformatics and bioinformatics applications that manipulate dynamic, heterogeneous, and massive data. An example of such application in the pharmaceutical industry is the computational process involved in the early discovery of lead drug candidates for a given target disease. In this paper, an efficient implementation of a drug candidate database is presented and evaluated. This study shows that high performance data access can be achieved through proper choices of data representation, database schema design, and parallel processing techniques.

Computational Biology↗

Integrating routine HIV testing into a public health STD clinic.

OBJECTIVE: To integrate routine HIV testing into the services offered at a public health department STD clinic and document the rate of acceptance and rate of test positivity during the first 18 months. METHODS: Testing for HIV was added to the array of tests offered to all patients at the Maricopa County STD clinic. Patients were informed of this new option at registration and were provided with a consent form and instructions to read the form and sign it, unless they did not desire testing. STD clinicians were responsible for insuring that questions regarding testing were answered and that consent forms were signed. HIV prevention was integrated into the general STD preventive messages during the clinical encounter. RESULTS: Sixty-eight percent of patients accepted testing (12,176 of 17,875). Of these, 68 were HIV-positive, for a rate of 5.6 per 1,000. The positive rate for men was 8.6/1000 and for women 1.2/1,000. The rate for men who reported having sex with men (MSM) was 63.8/1,000. Fourteen of the HIV-positive MSM were co-infected with syphilis. Of the 68 who were HIV-positive, 58 (85.3%) were successfully located, informed of their test results, and referred for HIV treatment and support services. CONCLUSIONS: HIV testing can be included in the routine battery of tests offered at an STD clinic with high patient acceptance. Routine testing can discover those who are unaware of their HIV-positive status, providing an opportunity for early referral for treatment, counseling to avoid disease transmission, and notification of sexual contacts.

Adolescent↗