Biomedical subjects

S E Connor

Publications and source records attributed to S E Connor.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1998

Safety standards for stab-resistant body armour: a computer tomographic assessment of organ to skin distances.

The protective properties of knife-resistant armour are quantified by the distance a test blade penetrates beyond a test sample into clay at a given energy. At present there are two proposed standards: penetration to 5 mm and penetration to 20 mm. Armour made to the higher standard specification (5mm) is necessarily heavier as it offers more protection. To determine the safety of these standards a retrospective review of 71 consecutive computerised tomographic (CT) scans was made. The minimum distance from the skin to the vital organs was measured. No organ would have been breached at 5 mm of knife penetration deep to body armour. 41% of pleurae, 61% of livers, 64% of femoral arteries, 25% of spleens and 6% of hearts would have been breached at a depth of 20 m of knife penetration. There was no significant difference in the minimum skin to organ distances between male and female subjects. The 20 mm standard does not offer adequate protection against knife attacks.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

General practitioner requests for upper abdominal ultrasound: their effect on clinical outcome.

Many radiology departments offer direct access upper abdominal ultrasound (US) scanning to general practitioners (GPs). We aimed to examine the influence of the scan results on the subsequent management and clinical outcome of these patients. A retrospective review was performed on all the patients referred for primary upper abdominal US (n = 82) from a single Birmingham GP practice, of 10,000 patients, between 1991 and 1996. The follow-up period from US was mean 27.9 months, SD 18.2 months. 79 referrals complied with published guidelines. 77 referrals were for suspected gallstone disease. 23 (28%) patients had clinically relevant positive findings. 18 of the positive scans. 16 of whom had gallstones, were subsequently referred to hospital. Of those with gallstones, 15 underwent cholecystectomy, of whom 12 had no further upper abdominal symptoms. Of the 59 negative scans, eight cases (14%) were subsequently referred to hospital. Treatment was changed as a result of review and investigation in only two of these eight cases. The remaining 51 were diagnosed solely on history and clinical examination. 28 of the 51 had self-limiting symptoms which required minor or no treatment. In conclusion, direct access upper abdominal US is considerably reducing the requirement for hospital outpatient referrals from GPs. Positive scans are generally followed by referral to secondary care services with good clinical outcome.

Abdomen↗

PubMed1997

Patient counseling--a focus on maintenance therapy.

Pharmacist counseling of patients receiving long-term medications for chronic diseases is discussed. Patient counseling should be viewed as one component of the overall drug-use process. Pharmacists counseling patients prescribed long-term medications need to understand the lifestyle effects of chronic illness, particularly the different types of "work" the chronically ill patient must undertake. Pharmacists need to go beyond traditional sender-message-receiver communication models in counseling patients and to adopt a problem-solving approach through which each patient's needs and level of understanding are taken into account. Patients should be actively involved in their therapy decisions. Patients will be at varying stages in terms of making any behavioral changes needed to maximize therapeutic outcomes, and counseling must be adapted to fit the stage of change. The Indian Health Service (IHS) model of counseling uses open-ended questions to determine patients' knowledge of their disease and medications; this enables the pharmacist to fill in any gaps and review specific points. The health communication model provides strategies for enhancing patient compliance and recall and complements the IHS model. In practice, the techniques used will depend on whether the patient is a new-prescription patient or an established patient. The models can be adapted to counseling care-givers and can be complemented by compliance aids. The demand for pharmacist counseling of patients with chronic illnesses is likely to increase, and, to effectively counsel patients about long-term medication use, pharmacists need to appreciate the personal impact of chronic illness beyond the direct effects of the biomedical disease itself, and must understand modern communication models.

Chronic Disease↗

PubMed1997

Intravenous contrast media: are they being administered safely in radiology departments?

A recent Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) publication is entitled Advice on The Management of Reactions to Intravenous Contrast Media. This study aims to determine whether radiology departments are adhering to the essential points, covered in the guidelines, regarding prevention, early recognition and prompt treatment of adverse reactions, and whether they are adequately equipped for the proposed contrast media reaction management protocols. A questionnaire was formulated and sent to the superintendent radiographers of 295 radiology departments in the United Kingdom of whom 233 (79%) replied. This was specifically directed at the use of intravenous contrast media in intravenous urography. In almost all departments there was provision for basic life support training, regular checking of equipment and drugs, and prompt access to emergency medical help. Certain "first line" drugs and monitoring equipment were not instantly accessible in the majority of institutions. Most departments did not adequately supervise post-injection patients and did not conform to the guidelines referring to the administration of intravenous contrast to children. Certain areas of the guidelines are being neglected by many radiology departments and there is still much to be done to improve the safety of intravenous contrast medium injection.

Contrast Media↗

PubMed1995

Synthesis of carbon-11-, fluorine-18-, and iodine-125-labeled GABAA-gated chloride ion channel blockers: substituted 5-tert-butyl-2-phenyl-1,3-dithianes and -dithiane oxides.

A series of substituted 5-tert-butyl-2-phenyl-1,3-dithianes and 5-tert-butyl-2-phenyl-1,1,3,3-tetraoxo-1,3-dithianes was synthesized as ligands for the GABAA receptor complex-associated neuronal chloride ion channels. The in vitro binding affinities of these compounds for the GABA-gated chloride ion channel were determined by their ability to compete with [3H]TBOB for binding to rat brain slices. Of the eight compounds tested, trans-5-tert-butyl-2-(4-cyanophenyl)-2-methyl-1,1,3,3-tetraoxo+ ++-1,3-dithiane, 9b, trans-5-tert-butyl-2-(4-fluorophenyl)-1,1,3,3-tetraoxo-1,3-dithian e, 10, and trans-5-tert-butyl-2-(4-iodophenyl)-2-methyl-1,1,3,3-tetraoxo-1,3- dithiane, 11, showed moderately high binding affinities (Ki = 41, 180, and 105 nM, respectively). Four radioligand candidates from this series, 5-tert-butyl-2-(4-cyanophenyl)-2-[11C]methyl-1,3-dithiane, [11C]6, 5-tert-butyl-2-(4-[18F]fluorophenyl)-1,3-dithiane, [18F]7, 5-tert-butyl-2-(4-[18F]-fluorophenyl)-1,1,3,3-tetraoxo-1,3- dithiane, [18F]10, and 5-tert-butyl-2-(4-[125I]iodophenyl)-2-methyl-1,1,3,3- tetraoxo-1,3-dithiane, [125I]11, have been successfully prepared for evaluation as in vivo imaging agents useful for positron emission tomography and single photon emission computed tomography. Preliminary in vivo studies indicate significant uptake into mouse brain for [18F]7, [18F]10, and [125I]11.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

The relation of exercise habits to health beliefs and knowledge about osteoporosis.

The relation of exercise habits of 113 female college students to their knowledge about osteoporosis and their health beliefs was investigated, using the health belief model to determine why some people participate in self-care preventive actions but others do not. Age was positively correlated with the level of osteoporosis knowledge, awareness of personal susceptibility, and motivation for general health behaviors. Older participants, however, perceived more barriers to exercise as an osteoporosis-prevention measure than did the younger respondents. The authors' conclusions support the importance of early osteoporosis education and lifetime physical activities to prevent osteoporosis.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Low immunogenicity of therapeutic rat CD45 antibodies when used for pre-treatment of donor organs for transplantation.

Immunoassays for the measurement of human anti-immunoglobulin responses against the CD45 specific rat monoclonals, YTH 24.5 and YTH 54.12, have been developed. The assays are based on a 'double antigen' ELISA system and are reproducible with coefficients of variation of less than 15%. The assays were used to measure anti-immunoglobulin responses in sera from 40 patients who had received kidneys pre-treated with the pair of anti-CD45 monoclonals YTH 24.5 and YTH 54.12. Only two patients elicited a weak human antimurine antibody (HAMA) response.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

A comparison of algorithmic and teacher-directed instruction in dosage calculation presented via whole and part methods for associate degree nursing students.

The accurate calculation of drug dosages is a critical skill for nurses. This study compared two different treatments, algorithmic-based instruction (ABI) and teacher-directed instruction (TDI), as ways of providing instruction in dosage calculation. The ABI treatment relied exclusively on the use of a written study guide with algorithms, whereas the TDI treatment utilized lecture. Both treatments included an equal number of practice sessions structured via a whole or part method. The sample included 55 nursing students who were randomly assigned to either the whole or part method, and to TDI or ABI treatment. Initial learning and retention were measured by the use of two post-tests. Analysis of covariance indicated that neither of the treatments nor methods were statistically different for initial learning or retention. Both treatments, however, were found to be effective. The ABI treatment, moreover, was very efficient since it eliminated 75 minutes of instruction presented by a lecturer. Implications of this finding are considered.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Using algorithms to teach dosage calculation.

The study of mathematics and specifically dosage calculation can be difficult for both student and instructor. The authors describe how algorithms can be effectively used to reduce instructional and learning time, serve as a performance aid for students, help students understand the logic of mathematical operations, and allow students independent practice. The application of an algorithm is illustrated through the inclusion of a sample lesson on the calculation of intravenous drip rates.

Algorithms↗