Biostereometrics--a noncontact, noninvasive shape measurement technique for bioengineering applications.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to S Daly.
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We have examined the effect of mast cell growth factor (MGF), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and interleukin-3 (IL-3), singly or in combination, on the growth of normal and aplastic anemia (AA) bone marrow in clonogenic assay and long-term bone marrow culture (LTBMC). MGF stimulated colony-forming unit-granulocyte/macrophage (CFU-GM), burst-forming unit-erythroid (BFU-E), and mixed colony-forming unit (consisting of granulocyte-macrophage and erythroid elements) (CFU-GEM) colony formation from both normal and AA marrow. The three-factor combination stimulated the greatest number of colonies. Marrow from less severely affected AA patients was stimulated to produce the highest number of colonies, and a normal response was possible if progenitors were present. When added to LTBMC, MGF alone had little effect. GM-CSF and IL-3 stimulated increased numbers of progenitor cells harvested each week from normal and AA LTBMC. This resulted in normal colony numbers in some patients, the majority of whom were less severely affected than the patients who did not respond in LTBMC. The three-factor combination was additive for normal CFU-GM production. However, no further increases in AA LTBMC resulted from the addition of MGF to GM-CSF and IL-3. The partial correction in clonogenic assay with MGF in some AA patients raises the possibility of therapeutic benefit. We failed to demonstrate increased progenitor cell numbers in AA LTBMC, however. Further studies may overcome possible limitations to progenitor cell proliferation.
Growth inhibition and cell killing caused by sulphite were reduced in seven Saccharomyces cerevisiae sulphite-resistant independent mutants, compared to their parental strains. Genetic analysis showed that in the seven mutants resistance was inherited as a single-gene dominant mutation and that all the analyzed mutations were allelic, thus identifying a major gene responsible for sulphite resistance in S. cerevisiae. Two of the mutants, MBS20-9 and MBS30, were further characterized. 35S-sulphite uptake experiments showed that the ability to accumulate sulphite was markedly reduced in the two resistant strains. No difference between resistant and sensitive strains with respect to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase sensitivity to sulphite, or to intracellular glutathione content, were revealed. In contrast, the extracellular acetaldehyde concentration was higher in the resistant mutants, both in the presence and in the absence of sulphite.
In a prospective randomized double-blind trial, the efficacy and safety of cefotaxime and ceftriaxone were compared in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with serious infections requiring systemic antimicrobial therapy. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either cefotaxime 1 g i.v. t.i.d. or ceftriaxone 2 g every 24 hr. Clinical and bacteriologic assessments were made before treatment, at 48 hr and 5 days during treatment, and 48 hr after treatment. At the time of reporting, a total of 34 patients had been entered into the trial, 27 of whom were evaluable; 23 patients (85%) completed a minimum of 5 days antibiotic treatment. At the end of treatment, using current statistics 67% of cefotaxime and ceftriaxone patients demonstrated clinical cure or improvement. Bacteriologic responses appeared greater in the cefotaxime group (55% vs 42%). The incidence of adverse effects, which were usually minor, was similar in each group. From these preliminary results, it would appear that at the doses used in this study, cefotaxime and ceftriaxone are equally effective in the treatment of infections in the ICU.
Following myocardial infarction, early access to medical care is essential. In order to assess the ability to recognise and manage heart attack and its risk factors, 302 members of the public were surveyed. A surprisingly comprehensive knowledge base was revealed, together with apparently appropriate ideas about the management of myocardial infarction and its risk factors. The significance of this finding is discussed in the light of the well documented delays by members of the public in summoning help when they suspect heart attack.
Evidence exists that many of the victims of cardiac arrest due to ischemic heart disease can be resuscitated if cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation are made available in the minutes following collapse. In order to evaluate the ability of the general public in Dublin to perform CPR appropriately, 225 people were asked when CPR was indicated and how cardiac arrest was diagnosed and then asked to perform CPR on a mannequin. In the knowledge sections, 45% gave an appropriate indication for CPR and 34% gave appropriate criteria for diagnosing cardiac arrest. However, only eight participants were able to perform CPR correctly and only six (2.6%) had both the correct skills and knowledge. There is an urgent need to improve the public's knowledge of and ability to perform CPR as part of an overall strategy to decrease mortality from ischemic heart disease in Ireland.
Eighteen patients with perennial rhinitis were evaluated in this double-blind cross-over trial comparing beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) aqueous nasal spray with terfenadine tablets. Both treatments were effective in reducing symptom scores but BDP was significantly better than terfenadine in relieving running nose and sneezing (P less than 0.05). BDP also had a greater effect on reducing nasal inflammation than terfenadine. Although the clinicians and patients assessed both therapies to be equi-effective, significantly more patients preferred the BDP treatment (P less than 0.003). Overall, BDP therapy proved more beneficial than terfenadine therapy in this small group of perennial rhinitis sufferers.
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One hundred and ninety-nine elderly men and women were assessed for their pulmonary function and their mental ability. One hundred and twenty-one patients had a PEFR less than 70% of the predicted for their age and height. Reversibility tests showed that 82 patients had 15% or more improvement in their PEFR following 200 micrograms salbutamol. However, only 6% of the patients were receiving respiratory-related medication. Further analysis showed that there was no correlation between the patients' age, sex, amounts of sputum production, wheeze, breathlessness, smoking habits, chest expansion, hospitalization, mental function and airway reversibility. 'Reversible' patients did, however, have a high incidence of cough and a low pre-test PEFR value. The predominant symptom of 'reversible' and 'non-reversible' patients was cough. The study emphasizes the importance of routinely performing lung function tests in elderly patients and the use of reversibility tests to identify reversible airways obstruction. These results suggest that in old age potentially reversible airways obstruction is often overlooked or misdiagnosed.
A double-blind crossover study lasting 16 weeks was carried out in children with chronic extrinsic asthma to compare the clinical effects of regular inhalations of salbutamol and beclomethasone dipropionate from a combination inhaler and regular inhalations of the same two drugs used sequentially from separate inhalers. Eighteen patients entered the study and 16 completed both 8-week treatment periods. However, there was a large amount of missing data, with only 9 complete sets of paired data; efficacy analyses were performed on data from 10 patients on separate inhaler therapy and from 14 patients on combination inhaler therapy. There were no significant differences between daily peak flow rate measurements, symptom scores, additional symptomatic bronchodilator therapy, acute exacerbations of asthma or incidence of adverse events, demonstrating that both treatments were similarly effective in controlling the patient's asthmatic symptoms. There was, however, a trend for higher peak flow values and lower symptom scores on separate inhaler therapy in this small group of asthmatic children. Although the results suggest that regular therapy using a combination inhaler is as effective as sequential administration of salbutamol and beclomethasone dipropionate from separate inhalers, it is concluded that the study should be extended to a larger group of patients to determine whether there might be any statistically significant differences between the two regimens.
An open, crossover study lasting 8 weeks was performed to establish if a twice daily regimen of combined inhalation of salbutamol and beclomethasone dipropionate from a single inhaler was as effective in controlling asthma as the 4-times daily regimen. The results from these two treatment periods were compared with an initial 4-week baseline period when all patients received the same agents from separate inhalers on a 4-times daily dose schedule. Twenty stable asthmatics were entered into the study and 19 completed the three treatment periods. The clinic lung function data, symptomatic inhaler usage, requests for additional therapy and physician's subjective assessment of treatment showed that all three treatment regimens were similarly effective in managing the patients' asthma. There was no significant difference between the mean PEFR measurements taken 4 times each day between the two treatment regimens of the combination inhaler. However, except for PEFR in the afternoon, the mean values for both treatment schedules of the combination inhaler were significantly greater (p less than 0.05) than those during the separate inhaler baseline period. More than half the patients considered that both treatment schedules of the combination inhaler provided better control of their asthma than treatment with the separate inhalers, and the majority preferred the twice daily regimen to the 4-times daily regimen. The results, overall, showed that in stable asthmatics the combined administration of salbutamol and beclomethasone dipropionate from one inhaler provides significantly better therapy than the same agents from separate inhalers and that the twice daily dose schedule of the combination inhaler is equally as effective as a 4-times daily regimen.
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High school students' scores on a paper-and-pencil test of social anxiety were correlated with talking, eye contact and gesturing behaviors during a 10-min vidotaped interview. Results showed that high anxious subjects talked less while listening to instruction. They also held the gaze for less total time and in bouts of shorter duration while they were talking;while they were listening, they were significantly more variable in their average bout duration. Within-group variability suggested that non-verbal behaviour should be analysed according to individual rather than group differences.
The effect of various sulfhydryl-binding reagents on the release of glucagon from isolated secretion granules was studied. Secretion granules isolated from toadfish islet tissue by differential centrifugation in sucrose were incubated in the test medium, the granules were centrifuged down, and the supernatant was assayed for glucagon using a RIA. When the granules were incubated in isotonic saline, 16-18% of the total glucagon in the granules was released. Whereas the addition of various dithiol-binding reagents (Cd++, Hg++, AsO2-, and dichlorophenylarsine), an oxidizing agent (oxidized glutathione), a reducing agent (reduced glutathione), and an amino group-binding reagent reagent (trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid) had no effect, the addition of Co++ to the incubation medium decreased glucagon release and the addition of the monothiol-binding reagents, p-hydroxymercuribenzoate and diphenylchloroarsine, produced a 2- to 3-fold increase in glucagon release. These results suggest that sulfhydryl groups may be present in the glucagon secretion granules and that they may be involved in glucagon release.
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