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Biomedical subjects

S Hodges

Publications and source records attributed to S Hodges.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Survival and place of treatment after premature delivery.

In a one year prospective study in the Trent region we examined the short term outcome (survival to discharge) of all infants who required admission to a baby care unit. Infants of less than or equal to 28 weeks' gestation who received all their perinatal care in one of five large centres (each providing more than 600 ventilator days/year) showed significantly better survival rates than infants electively treated throughout their entire course at one of the 12 smaller units (34 survivors from 65 infants (52%) compared with eight survivors from 37 infants (22%). These differences occurred despite the elective transfer of many of the sickest infants from the smaller units to the larger. Differences in survival between more mature infants were not significant. These results support the policy that there should be a more centralised neonatal service for those infants at or below 28 weeks' gestation.

Birth Weight↗
PubMed1991

Autoimmune chronic active hepatitis in a family.

A positive family history of autoimmune disease is common among patients with autoimmune chronic active hepatitis, but usually autoimmunity is directed at organs other than the liver. We document for the first time the multiple occurrence of autoimmune chronic active hepatitis in a family. Out of a sibship of seven, three sisters developed this, one sister developed coeliac and autoimmune thyroid disease, one sister showed serological signs of autoimmunity, while the two brothers were well with no signs of autoimmunity. HLA typing showed that in association with the female sex DR3 seems to be more important than B8 in conferring susceptibility to autoimmune chronic active hepatitis, at least in this family.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Reappraisal of thyroxine treatment in primary hypothyroidism.

The optimum daily dose of thyroxine was calculated for 13 children aged 3-16 years with primary hypothyroidism by titrating their doses at monthly intervals. The condition of the thyroid was assessed by sensitive assay of thyroid stimulating hormone concentrations, as well as measurement of total and free thyroid hormone concentrations and systolic time interval ratios. Serum thyroid stimulating hormone concentration was found to be the most responsive to small changes in thyroxine. The calculated optimum daily replacement dose of thyroxine (102 micrograms/m2 or 3.5 micrograms/kg) was fractionally lower than that previously recommended, and was more closely related to surface area (coefficient of variation 8.2%) than to body weight (coefficient of variation 16.2%). Our results suggest that though monthly may be the optimal time interval for increases in the dose of thyroxine, any reduction in the dose should be made more gradually.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

The demand for neonatal intensive care.

In a one year prospective study within the Trent Regional Health Authority the demand for neonatal intensive care was estimated to be 1.1 cots per 1000 births. Intensive care level 1 (as defined by the British Paediatric Association and British Association for Perinatal Paediatrics) was determined by two separate techniques, which showed close agreement. Intensive care level 2 could not be measured directly, as the definition was too subjective. This aspect of demand was therefore estimated by using data derived from the treatment of babies transferred for intensive care. These findings represent a minimum estimate of need, as the data were obtained from a service constrained by having facilities well below the estimated level (roughly 60% of estimated demand). In the future other factors such as increased survival of extremely preterm infants will be likely to increase demand still further.

Bed Occupancy↗
PubMed1989

A radioimmunoassay program for Lotus 1-2-3.

Spreadsheet programs have become very popular as convenient ways of performing mathematical operations, as well as entering and organizing data. This paper describes how Lotus 1-2-3 can be used to calculate the results of a radioimmunoassay, a widely used technique in biomedical laboratories.

Mathematical Computing↗
PubMed1989

Cellobiose: mannitol differential permeability in small bowel disease.

Cellobiose and mannitol absorption were studied in patients with suspected abnormal function of the small bowel mucosa. The urinary cellobiose:mannitol ratio was increased in subtotal villous atrophy, iron deficiency anaemia, and small intestinal Crohn's disease. The test seems a sensitive indicator of the integrity of small bowel mucosa.

Anemia, Hypochromic↗
PubMed1988

Effects of bromocriptine and ectopic pituitary transplants on pituitary and hypothalamic nuclear androgen receptors in the male hamster.

Nuclear androgen receptors (ARN) were measured in the pituitaries and hypothalami of adult male golden hamsters which had been injected with a long-acting preparation of bromocriptine or had pituitaries from adult females transplanted under the renal capsules. Treatment with bromocriptine markedly reduced pituitary ARN and plasma prolactin levels without altering plasma testosterone levels or hypothalamic ARN. Ectopic pituitary transplants did not affect ARN in either the pituitary or the hypothalamus. These findings suggest that normal rates of prolactin synthesis and/or secretion may be required for maintenance of ARN in the pituitary of adult male hamsters.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Dietary carbohydrate deficits and hypoglycaemia in the young diabetic on holiday.

On two British Diabetic Association Educational Holidays, 67 children aged 6-9 years had their diabetic management analysed and hypoglycaemic episodes recorded. The average pre-camp carbohydrate prescription of the children was found to be 44 g below minimal recommended values. Hypoglycaemic episodes were more frequent in those with greater carbohydrate deficits and morning insulin doses in excess of 0.7 U/kg. The management of the young diabetic at camp should include a pre-camp analysis with appropriate adjustment of diet and insulin to minimize hypoglycaemic crises. Guideline figures are proposed for average age-related carbohydrate intake.

Blood Glucose↗
PubMed1986

Bio-availability and dissolution of three phenytoin preparations for children.

A study of bio-availability of three drug companies' brands of phenytoin preparations (50mg capsule/tablets) was undertaken on 30 children with tonic-clonic or complex partial seizures. Eight children were excluded because of non-compliance and three because of abnormally high serum levels. Phenytoin capsules (Parke Davis) and tablets (Boots) produced significantly higher serum-level profiles than phenytoin tablets (Evans). Seizure frequencies did not differ significantly with the three brands of phenytoin. Dissolution of the three preparations tested in vitro was different. As a result of this study the authors recommend that children remain on the same manufacturer's brand of phenytoin throughout their treatment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Prolactin (PRL), follicle-stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone are regulators of testicular PRL receptors in golden hamsters.

The ability of PRL, FSH, and LH to regulate testicular PRL receptors in golden hamsters was evaluated using a variety of experimental protocols. Exposure to a photoperiod of 5 h of light and 19 h of darkness (5L:19D) for 11 weeks precipitated a 94% reduction in content (femtomoles per testes) of testicular PRL receptors and, concomitantly, a decrease (P less than 0.05) in plasma PRL, but not LH or FSH. One pituitary gland under the kidney capsule in 5L:19D-housed hamsters increased (P less than 0.05) both the concentration (femtomoles per mg protein) and content of PRL receptors, as well as those of plasma PRL and FSH. Similar treatment in 14L:10D-housed hamsters produced comparable changes in plasma PRL and FSH without affecting PRL receptors. Injections of L-dopa for 7 days into hamsters housed in 5L:19D for 11 weeks significantly elevated serum FSH concentrations, had no measurable effect on serum PRL and LH, and induced a greater than 2-fold increase in PRL receptor levels. In a separate study, hamsters housed in 5L:19D for 12 weeks were injected for 3 days with 250 microgram ovine (o) PRL, 25 microgram oLH, or 5 microgram oFSH, and results were compared with vehicle-injected, 5L:19D- and 14L:10D-housed controls. Injections of oPRL and oLH increased (P less than 0.05) PRL receptor concentration and content, with PRL being more efficacious. No anti-oPRL antibodies were produced by oPRL injections. In this study, injections of oFSH were without effect on PRL receptors. To ascertain the effects of each hormone in the absence of other trophic influences, experiments were conducted in hypophysectomized hamsters injected daily for 3 days (2-4 days posthypophysectomy) with one of the following: 5 or 25 microgram oLH; 10, 50, or 250 microgram oPRL; or 1 or 5 microgram oFSH. Hypophysectomy reduced the concentration and content of PRL receptors by 85%, and treatment with 50 or 250 microgram oPRL increased (P less than 0.05) these low levels almost 3-fold. Again, no anti-oPRL antibodies were induced. Injection of 5 microgram oLH or 25 microgram oFSH also induced increases (P less than 0.05) in PRL receptors. Hypophysectomy reduced basal and hCG-stimulated in vitro testicular testosterone production (nanograms per testes/4 h) to levels less than 20% of control values. None of the hormonal treatments affected (P less than 0.05) basal testosterone production in vitro.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1982

A two-part study of the aetiological role of rotavirus in intussusception.

The aetiology of intussusception is ill-defined, with viruses being incriminated as one of many possible aetiological agents. A two-part study was performed by us to investigate the aetiological role of rotavirus in intussusception. Retrospective epidemiological data revealed a negative correlation between the incidence of rotaviral gastroenteritis and the incidence of intussusception. A prospective investigation employing electronmicroscopy, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and immunofluorescence studies of faeces and fluorescent antibody studies of sera demonstrated evidence of rotavirus infection in only 2 of 24 children with intussusception. No evidence was forthcoming in this study of an aetiological role of rotavirus in intussusception.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1980

Platelet pathology in patients with idiopathic scoliosis: Ultrastructural morphometry, agrregations, x-ray spectrometry, and biochemical analysis.

The fundamental similarity between platelets and muscle, suggested the possiblity of a shared defect in idiopathic scoliosis, a genetic disease with lateral deformity of the spine in which there is an elevation of calicum concentration in muscles and platelets. A variety of platelet tests revealed the following abnormalities: (1) Electron microscopic x-ray analysis and x-ray fluorescence spectrometry showed a 2- to 3-fold increase in calcium and phosphorus in whole cells and in individual dense bodies. (2) Electron microscopy morphometry revealed an increase in electron-opaque bodies in air-dried cells; granules and microtubules were unchanged. There were more large cells and membranous complexes. (3) Aggregations with epinephrine and ADP were depressed in some patients. (4) Proteins (total and contractile) and myosin. ATPase activity in centrifuged fractions of platelets were decreased in the cytosol and increased in the fraction containing membranes and granules. The correlated findings suggest that platelets in idiopathic scoliosis have a mild calcium transport defect related to membrane and/or contractile protein metabolism. This investigation also shows that platelets may be used to advantage in diagnosis and research of muscle diseases.

Actins↗