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Biomedical subjects

S Beal

Publications and source records attributed to S Beal.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Specific dangers associated with infants sleeping on sofas.

AIM: A study was undertaken to examine specific circumstances that may lead to accidental asphyxial deaths in infants on sofas. METHODS: Coronial files in South Australia (Australia) from 1989 to 1998, and files at the Office of the Medical Examiner in San Diego County (USA) from 1991 to 1998 were searched for all cases of infant deaths occurring on sofas. RESULTS: A total of 10 cases with complete death scene descriptions were found. Four deaths were attributed to sudden infant death syndrome and six deaths to accidental asphyxia, of which four involved shared sleeping with an adult. Lethal circumstances involved infants being overlayed by an adult (n = 2), wedged between an adult and the back of a sofa (n = 1), sleeping with an intoxicated/sedated adult (n = 2), wedged between pillows and the back of a sofa (n = 1), and wedged into the back of a sofa (n = 1). CONCLUSIONS: Although shared sleeping of an adult with an infant on a sofa may result in accidental asphyxia, there is also the potential for wedging and accidental asphyxia of infants sleeping alone on a sofa. For this reason the use of sofas for both shared and solitary infant sleeping is discouraged.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Athetoid quadriplegia and literacy.

OBJECTIVE: To compare literacy levels in athetoid quadriplegic (AQ) patients born in the 1960s and 1970s with those born in the 1980s and 1990s. METHODOLOGY: Nine patients with AQ born between 1966 and 1972 were compared with eight patients born between 1983 and 1991. RESULTS: Reading difficulties were found in almost all patients with AQ, despite normal intellect. Those in the earlier period were for the most part functionally literate, while those in the later period were functionally illiterate. CONCLUSIONS: Specific and intensive reading education may be required in patients with AQ to obtain functional literacy.

Athetosis↗
PubMed1995

Unexpected infant death in association with suspended rocking cradles.

We report on the deaths of two infants aged 10 1/2 and 11 weeks who were found face down in the angle between the base and side of their frame-suspended rocking cradles. Locking pins designed to prevent tilting of the cradles were not in place in either case. Investigation of the two cradles associated with the infant deaths and six other similar rocking cradles available for purchase in South Australia revealed either marked angles of tilt or inadequate or nonchildproof locking devices in all cases. A study of live control infants placed in similar situations demonstrated support for the possibility of positional asphyxia. We consider that these cases represent another potentially lethal sleeping environment for infants and emphasize the importance of death scene examination in all cases of unexpected infant death.

Accidents, Home↗
PubMed1994

Potentially dangerous sleeping environments and accidental asphyxia in infancy and early childhood.

Infants and young children may be exposed to a variety of dangerous situations when left sleeping in cots, chairs, or beds. A review of 30 cases of accidental asphyxia occurring in infants and young children who had been left to sleep unattended was undertaken from the necropsy and consultation files of the Adelaide Children's Hospital. Causes of death included hanging from loose restrainers, clothing, or a curtain cord (12 cases), positional asphyxia/wedging from slipping between a mattress and bed/cot sides or wall, or from moving into a position where the face was covered and the upper airway occluded (16 cases), and suffocation from plastic bed covers (two cases). Cases of co-sleeping in bed with an adult and of non-accidental asphyxia were not included in this review. As the pathological findings were on occasion identical to those that are typically found in sudden infant death syndrome, adequate death scene examination was vital in several cases to allow identification of lethal sleeping environments and to enable steps to be taken to minimise the risk of future deaths due to similar situations. For example, two cases in which infants asphyxiated in rocking cradles led to the investigation of the cradles and to formulation of specific safety recommendations regarding the angle of tilt. Two infants who died after becoming wedged between the back of a couch and a co-sleeping parent in one case and cushions in the other, would indicate that this also represents a potentially lethal sleeping position. Other dangerous situations involved infant car seat restraints, seats with loose harnesses, cots with movable sides or projecting pieces, thin plastic mattress/pillow coverings, and beds with spaces between the mattress and cot side or wall. Lack of supervision at the time of death was a feature of each case.

Accidents, Home↗
PubMed1992

Apparent life threatening events with serious sequelae in infants and young children.

Between January 1982 and June 1989 in South Australia 19 infants under 2 years of age have had serious sequelae following an apparent life threatening event (ALTE) for which no cause could be identified. Thirteen of these children have died, four survive with severe hypoxic damage, one has normal psycho-motor development and epilepsy, and another has mental retardation and strabismus. Study of these infants suggests heterogeneity in the cause of both sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and ALTE, and occasional links between the two.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1991

Sudden infant death syndrome related to climate.

In Australia the single most important factor influencing the incidence of SIDS is the climate. The incidence in mid summer in South Australia is 0.7 per 1,000 live births, in mid winter in Tasmania it is 6.3 per 1,000 live births. It is predicted that if infants under 6 months of age in cold weather were tied into swaddling and placed supine to sleep as in Asia and Czechoslovakia, and older infants who may object to restriction of movement, had the cot made up with the infants' feet touching the lower end, warm clothing and no more than a single thin porous cover, the incidence of SIDS as in Asia and Czechoslovakia could be reduced to less than 1.0 per 1,000.

Australia↗
PubMed1990

The COMPLY computer program for demonstrating compliance with national radionuclide air emission standards.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed national radionuclide air emission standards for a number of source categories. One of these standards applies to Nuclear Regulatory Commission Licensees and non-Department of Energy facilities having the potential to release radionuclides to the atmosphere. Approximately 6000 facilities are subject to the standard, which limits the effective whole-body dose commitment to the maximally exposed individual from radionuclide releases to the atmosphere. A computer program to assist the regulated community in determining compliance has been developed by the EPA's Office of Radiation Programs. The computer program COMPLY calculates the dose to an individual residing outside the facility. The program considers dose from inhalation, ingestion of contaminated food, air immersion, and ground deposition. It is based on models developed by the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP). Compliance procedures provided in COMPLY are designed to reduce the burden on the regulated community. The approach begins with simple-to-use methods that are very conservative in determining compliance. The methods become progressively less conservative but more complicated at succeeding levels. Each higher level requires the input of site-specific information, but allows a more realistic estimate of dose. This paper describes the COMPLY program, and provides estimates of the work required and the degree of conservatism in the dose computed at each level.

Air Pollution, Radioactive↗
PubMed1990

Cholecystokinin sonography: lack of utility in diagnosis of acute acalculous cholecystitis.

It has been postulated that cholecystokinin sonography may be useful in the diagnosis of acute acalculous cholecystitis in the hospitalized patient. To evaluate this hypothesis, sincalide, a cholecystokinin derivative, was administered to 15 fasting trauma patients who had undergone laparotomy. No biliary or gallbladder disease was found in any patient. Sincalide was slowly administered intravenously, and the gallbladder was examined with ultrasound every 5 minutes for 60 minutes. The average decreases in length, height, and width of the gallbladder were 15%, 23%, and 21%, respectively. In only four of the 15 patients was there a decrease by more than 50% in any of these dimensions. The average decrease in gallbladder volume was 33% (range, 0%-97%), with no change in gallbladder volume in four patients. There is considerable variability in gallbladder response to administration of sincalide in the fasting hospitalized patient. Lack of contraction of the gallbladder after injection of cholecystokinin should not be considered a major criterion in the diagnosis of acute acalculous cholecystitis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1989

Sudden infant death syndrome in twins.

The incidence of sudden infant death syndrome is higher among twins than it is among singleton infants. Incidence of sudden infant death syndrome in twins in South Australia, is discussed, as well as some features of these twins and the health of the cotwins. The literature concerning the status of the cotwin is reviewed.

Diseases in Twins↗