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Biomedical subjects

S Sheppard

Publications and source records attributed to S Sheppard.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

A bolus dose of esmolol attenuates tachycardia and hypertension after tracheal intubation.

Forty-five patients of ASA physical status I and II undergoing a variety of non-cardiac surgical procedures were studied to determine the effect of bolus administration of esmolol, a new short-acting beta blocking drug, on heart rate and blood pressure responses to induction of anaesthesia and tracheal intubation. Subjects were allocated randomly to receive placebo, 100 mg or 200 mg of esmolol IV as part of an anaesthetic induction technique. The differences in heart rate between the placebo group and both the 100 mg and 200 mg groups were significant prior to intubation (95 +/- 7.9, 82 +/- 9.7, 80 +/- 7.3 beats per min respectively), and also at 0.5 min and 1.5 min following intubation for the 200 mg group. In the 200 mg group there was a significant decrease, compared with placebo, in systolic blood pressure at 0.5 min (144 +/- 32.1 vs 165 +/- 18.7 mmHg) and 1.5 min (154 +/- 25.0 vs 170 +/- 19.5 mmHg) after intubation. In this study, adequate haemodynamic control was obtained following administration of 200 mg of esmolol.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed1990

Quality estimation of click-evoked oto-acoustic emissions.

The Fsp statistic used by Elberling & Don (1984) as a quality estimator for averaged ABR recordings has been applied to averaged click-evoked oto-acoustic emissions. This statistic is akin to signal-to-noise ratio. The sampling distribution of Fsp under the null hypothesis that no signal is present has been determined by using no-stimulus trials. A determination by multiple replications in three normally-hearing adults demonstrated significant inter-subject variation, leading to a larger experiment in 58 children. From the latter experiment, the sampling distribution across subjects allowed the setting of a criterion value for Fsp of 2.0 which was only exceeded on 1% of trials. Thus, values above this criterion would indicate the presence of a signal in the average with a probability of Type I error below 1%. When two consecutive average both exceeded an Fsp of 1.6 the probability of Type I error was also below 1%.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Prevalence of neural tube defects in the Yorkshire Region.

The birth prevalence of neural tube defects (NTD) in the Yorkshire Region was determined for 1985 and 1986 by ascertainment of cases in live-and stillborn babies and of pregnancies terminated for NTD. Sixty-seven cases of anencephaly, 82 of spina bifida and 11 others were identified, a prevalence of 1.54 per 1000 total births. Eighty-eight per cent of pregnancies associated with anencephaly and 48 per cent of those with spina bifida were terminated.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗
PubMed1989

Onset and severity of hearing loss due to congenital rubella infection.

Of 111 children born in 1978-82 with congenital rubella infection, confirmed by the detection of rubella specific IgM shortly after birth, 68 were reported to be hearing impaired when notified to the National Congenital Rubella Surveillance Programme (NCRSP). The average age at which the diagnosis of hearing impairment was confirmed was 11.6 months. Recent audiograms showed a hearing loss that was usually uniform across all frequencies, equal in both ears and severe, averaging 93 dB across the range 250-4000 Hz. Despite the early diagnosis of congenital rubella and the known risk of deafness, only eight of 57 infants had been tested for auditory evoked responses in the first 6 months of life; all eight had severe hearing loss. Evidence of progressive hearing loss was found in only one of the 57 children. Definitive hearing tests (as distinct from screening tests) were frequently delayed until after the first birthday. Newborn babies identified as being at high risk of congenital deafness should have a full audiological assessment in early infancy.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1989

Neural tube defect recurrence after 'partial' vitamin supplementation.

A total of 227 mothers enrolled for periconceptional multivitamin supplementation because of previous neural tube defect (NTD) births took vitamins for less than the recommended minimum period (at least 28 days before conception until two menstrual periods have been missed). Of 213 examined infants/fetuses born to these partially supplemented mothers, two had NTD, one of whom followed four previous NTDs. The observed NTD recurrence rate is similar to that observed in fully supplemented mothers. A further 14 mothers started supplements before the second missed period but after the normal time of neural tube closure. Three of their offspring had NTD. The significance of this apparently high recurrence rate is discussed.

Ascorbic Acid↗
PubMed1989

Differential diagnostic potential of otoacoustic emissions: a case study.

An 11-year-old boy was identified as having a profound sensorineural hearing loss accompanied by clear click-evoked otoacoustic emissions. Further diagnostic testing by means of electrocochleography and auditory brainstem responses indicated a predominantly retrocochlear disorder with good cochlear function. However, radiological investigation ruled out the presence of any material space-occupying lesion. This case illustrates the contribution that can be made by otoacoustic emission testing to differential diagnosis.

Child↗
PubMed1989

The IHR-McCormick Automated Toy Discrimination test--description and initial evaluation.

McCormick's Toy Discrimination test allows a skilled audiologist to obtain word discrimination thresholds in quiet from children with mental ages of 2 years and above. A semi-automatic version of the test has been developed and evaluated by testing the hearing of 46 children and five adults. The equipment for the new version of the test both produces the stimuli and scores the responses, thereby reducing the burden on the tester. It is reliable and allows greater sensitivity than the manual test as well as solving problems of standardization and calibration.

Auditory Threshold↗
PubMed1988

In vivo 13C NMR spectroscopy of the human prostate.

The metabolism of the normal and hyperplastic human and rat prostate differs from that of other tissues in that this organ supports and secretes high concentrations of citrate. During the dedifferentiation process that is characteristic of neoplasia, the ability of the prostate to maintain these high citrate levels is markedly diminished. We undertook a natural abundance 13C NMR study of the human and rat prostate in vitro and the human organ in vivo in order to determine whether the amounts of citrate in the nonmalignant prostate were sufficiently high to be detected. We report here our success at detecting citrate via 13C NMR in all three of these systems.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Temporal relations between maternal rubella and congenital defects.

The Time relations between maternal rubella infection in pregnancy and the presence and type of defects in the children were determined from the records of 422 children with confirmed congenital rubella, registered in the National Congenital Rubella Surveillance Programme. In the 106 children born after laboratory-proven maternal infection, no defects were recorded following infection after the 17th week of pregnancy, but in the remaining 316 children defects followed infection reported to be as late as 33 weeks. The striking difference underlines the importance of serological investigation of pregnant women who present with a rash or a history of contact with rubella. With proven infection later than the 16th week the risk of fetal damage seems to be very small. Of 148 children followed up to school age, 40 (27%) attended normal schools.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed1986

Recurrent neural tube defects, risk factors and vitamins.

Data from our trial of periconceptional vitamin supplementation for the prevention of neural tube defects have been analysed to assess the influence of various factors on recurrence rates of neural tube defect. Our data suggest that the risk of recurrence of neural tube defect is influenced by the number of previous neural tube defects, area of residence, immediately prior miscarriage, and interpregnancy interval. None of these factors, however, contributed any significant differential risk between supplemented and unsupplemented mothers. Hence we conclude that the highly significant difference in recurrence rates of neural tube defect between supplemented and unsupplemented mothers was due to vitamin supplementation.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗
PubMed1986

The consequences of antenatal rubella testing.

During 1983, 3,199 women attending an antenatal clinic were rubella serotested and 117 (3.7%) found to be non-immune. Only 76 (65%) were vaccinated post-partum. Although non-compliance and contra-indications to vaccination contribute to the reasons why patients were not immunized, the major factor was communication failure between the hospital and general practitioner. Recommendations are made to improve the uptake of vaccine by this group of susceptible women.

Female↗
PubMed1985

Ultrastructural immunocytochemical distribution of VIP-like immunoreactivity in dog ileum.

The electron-immunocytochemical protein A-gold technique was employed to study the subcellular localization of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-like material in dog ileum. The vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-like immunoreactivity was found within a population of large granular vesicles similar in structure in nerve varicosities of the myenteric plexus, the deep muscular plexus, the submucous plexus, the longitudinal muscular layer and the mucosa; none was found in nerve cell bodies. In the myenteric plexus, submucous plexus, the mucosa and the longitudinal muscular layer, varicosities containing similar large granular vesicles consistently remained unstained suggesting that within these plexuses morphologically indistinguishable by our technique large granular vesicles are not necessarily biochemically identical. In the deep muscular plexus, nearly all varicosities with large granular vesicles contained immunoreactivity for vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, but these varicosities often contained a few unstained large granular vesicles. This suggests that vasoactive intestinal polypeptide may share the same varicosity or the same vesicle with other neuropeptides present in this plexus (e.g., substance P or enkephalins) and that this plexus is a site where vasoactive intestinal polypeptide exerts its control over motility.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Psychosocial enhancement of immunocompetence in a geriatric population.

This study assessed the enhancement of immunocompetence by relaxation and social contact in 45 geriatric residents of independent-living facilities. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of three protocols: relaxation training, social contact, or no contact. Subjects in the relaxation and social-contact conditions were seen individually three times a week for a month. Blood samples and self-report data were obtained at baseline, at the end of the intervention, and at a 1-month follow-up. At the end of the intervention, the relaxation group showed a significant increase in natural killer cell activity, and significant decreases in antibody titers to Herpes simplex virus and self-rated distress; the other two groups showed nonsignificant changes. There was a general increase in the T-lymphocyte response to phytohemagglutinin stimulation at the end of the intervention, with greater change at lower mitogen concentrations. These data suggest that cellular immunocompetence may be enhanced by psychosocial interventions.

Aged↗