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Biomedical subjects

W B Smith

Publications and source records attributed to W B Smith.

100 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Specimen cross-contamination by a strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis lacking nitrate reductase activity.

An unusual strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis lacking nitrate reductase activity was isolated from specimens from five patients over a 2-week period. Two patients, a father (patient 1) and his son (patient 5), had pulmonary tuberculosis. Specimens from three other patients (patients 2, 3, and 4) processed on the same 2 days as those from patient 1 yielded only sparse growth (approximately five colonies each) of M. tuberculosis. These and other data strongly suggest that specimens from the latter three patients were contaminated during processing with the strain of M. tuberculosis from patient 1.

Bacteriological Techniques↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Antihypertensive effectiveness of intravenous labetalol in accelerated hypertension.

Labetalol, an antihypertensive agent that blocks both beta- and alpha-adrenergic receptors, was administered intravenously to 19 patients with accelerated hypertension who required rapid lowering of blood pressure. Systolic blood pressure was lowered from 209 +/- 4 to 143 +/- 2 mm Hg; diastolic blood pressure was reduced from 140 +/- 2 to 93 +/- 2 mm Hg. Side-effects were minimal and included nausea, epigastric burning, rhinorrhea, and premature ventricular contractions. One patient became hypotensive and required treatment. Overall, the study demonstrates labetalol to be a safe and effective agent for the emergency lowering of blood pressure, with demonstrated results comparable to other parenteral agents.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Family surveys: measuring more than just satisfaction.

A satisfaction survey can be beneficial to an agency if it is carefully planned and designed to facilitate quality feedback. The survey should be as short as possible and not appear to the respondent as an ominous task to complete. Care should be taken in developing the appropriate questions, asked in an objective manner that invites a positive or negative response. If possible, the capability should be developed to associate individual responses with the patient's demographic information. This linkage allows for further analysis and identification of characteristics of those who respond favorably and those who do not. Length of stay, patient days, a specific county, a staff team, or particular staff members are but a few examples of analysis criteria that might produce valuable information and possible focus for improvements.

Family↗