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Biomedical subjects

W F Collins

Publications and source records attributed to W F Collins.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

Experimental spinal cord trauma: potentiation by alcohol.

The effect of alcohol on the injured spinal cord in cats is assessed by use of a standardized trauma model at both nonparaplegic and paraplegic trauma forces. Prior administration of an intoxicant dose of ethyl alcohol resulted in a potentiation of the trauma response at the 100 gm-cm and 260 gm-cm contusion levels. No significant changes were noted at the higher trauma grades. The results suggest that alcohol acts synergistically with mechanical injury of the spinal cord to amplify the trauma response by increasing edema formation within the contused tissue. The mechanism by which this potentiation may occur ar possibly in the areas of antidiuresis and fluid retention from increased tissue hydration in alcohol-treated animals.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

A comparison of effects of bipolar and monopolar electrocoagulation in brain.

Controlled bipolar and monopolar coagulation lesions were generated in the cerebral cortex of cats. Higher output powers were associated with larger lesions, while the lesion size was independent of the mode of coagulation. When cortical vessels were mobilized and coagulated for hemostasis, bipolar mode was associated with more rapid coagulation and less damage to the underlying brain. Higher output powers were not associated with larger lesions, probably because coagulation was more rapid. The neural damage resulting from radiofrequency current appears to be of thermal origin, and the blood-brain barrier dysfunction is a more sensitive measure of this damage than the stainable cellular changes.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

A scale for evaluation of spinal cord injury.

A scale has been developed for assessment of the severity of spinal cord injury and the prognosis for recovery. Based on neurological examination, this scale employs numerical grading of selected functions below the level of the injury. The scale is adaptable to prospective as well as retrospective studies, and provides a reliable estimation of prognosis and, therefore, a means of comparing the effectiveness of differing treatment modalities. In relation to a group of 37 patients with cervical spinal cord injury treated under one protocol and assessed within 24 hours and again at 1 year from injury, a descriptive model of the patterns of recovery has been obtained. Relative recovery of the initial deficit measured as a "percentage recovery ratio" is presented as an analytical tool for comparison of effectiveness of different methods of therapy.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1981

Fulminant postsurgical Bacillus cereus meningitis: case report.

A 25-year-old woman presented with decreased level of consciousness, bilateral papilledema, and bitemporal hemianopsia. While receiving oxacillin prophylaxis, she underwent ventriculostomy and a transsphenoidal approach for the removal of a growth hormone- and prolactin-secreting adenoma of the pituitary. Within 4 days, fewer, symptoms of meningitis, and marked cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pleocytosis developed, associated with many large Gram-positive rods in the CSF, subsequently identified as Bacillus cereus. This case emphasizes the potential for Bacillus species to cause serious disease following surgery, including meningitis after intracranial surgery. Meningitis may be severe, and organisms are often resistant to standard surgical prophylactic regimens, which might include penicillin or cephalosporin derivatives. Isolation of Bacillus species from the CSF requires evaluation; these organisms should not be dismissed as contaminants or "non-pathogens," particularly when isolated from CSF of patients who have recently undergone neurosurgical procedures.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Evaluation of complicated migraine in childhood.

We report on 3 patients with complicated migraine of childhood. Family history was positive for migraine in each case, and all experienced the acute onset pf neurologic deficits in associated with throbbing hemicranium. Abnormalities of cerebral blood flow determinations, electroencephalograms and cerebral arteriograms in addition to persistent neurologic sequelae were demonstrated. We propose that complicated migraine of childhood is not an entirely benign symptom complex.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Meningitis and bacteremia caused by Pasteurella ureae. Report of a case following intracranial surgery.

An otherwise healthy 53-year-old woman underwent intracranial surgery for trigeminal neuralgia. One week later she developed meningitis and bacteremia caused by Pasteurella ureae and was treated successfully with antimicrobials. This organism is known to colonize the respiratory tract in certain individuals and is an extremely rare cause of meningitis or bacteremia. This is the first reported case of bacteremia in an adult.

Female↗
PubMed1978

Unilateral septal technique for transsphenoidal microsurgical approach to the sella turcica. Technical note.

A modification of the transseptal, transsphenoidal appraoch to the sella turcica is described; it consists of a unilateral separation of the nasal mucosa from the nasal septum. Experience with the technique in 215 cases has indicated that it is a useful, practical appraoch. The advantages are that the septum is spared, reoperation is made easier, and the procedure is quicker than the bilateral septal procedure. Asymptomatic nasal septal perforations (less than 3 mm) were seen in eight of 215 cases, and represented the only complication related to the operation.

Humans↗
PubMed1977

Norepinephrine levels in experimental spinal cord trauma. Part 1: Biochemical study of hemorrhagic necrosis.

Levels of norepinephrine (NE) in the spinal cord tissue of nontraumatized cats are highest in the cervical and lumbar enlargements. A rather uniform but slightly increasing concentration gradient from cephalad to caudad is observed in the thoracic segments. A 500 gm-cm trauma at the T-5 or C-7 spinal cord segment did not demonstrate any significant increase in NE levels measured sequentially over a 4-hour period after trauma. Dopamine levels could not be detected in the nontraumatized or traumatized cat spinal cords. Four traumatized cats treated with alpha methyl tyrosine, a tyrosine hydroxylase inhibitor, and followed clinically for 5 months showed no improvement in neurological function when compared to untreated traumatized cats. This study does not support the norepinephrine hypothesis of experimental spinal cord trauma.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Norepinephrine levels in experimental spinal cord trauma. Part 2: Histopathological study of hemorrhagic necrosis.

Alpha methyl tyrosine (AMT) or reserpine administered intravenously 24 hours before sacrificed in the nontraumatized cat resulted in significant reduction in tissue levels of norepinephrine (NE) tested at the T-5 spinal cord level. Phenoxybenzamine given 2 hours before sacrifice did not alter NE levels at T-5. Histological sections of spinal cord examined 1 hour after a 500-gm-cm trauma at the T-5 level in cats, pretreated 24 hours before trauma by a single dose of AMT or reserpine demonstrated no reduction of gray or white matter hemorrhages when compared tocontrols. In cats pretreated with phenoxybenzamine 2 hours before trauma there was a marked reduction of hemorrhages at 1 hour posttrauma when compared to controls. The animals treated with phenoxybenzamine had a 32% reduction of systemic blood pressure before trauma, demonstrated no pressor response to spinal cord trauma, and were severely hypotensive posttrauma. It is concluded that posttraumatic blood pressure has greater etiological significance in the pathogenesis of experimental spinal cord hemorrhages than tissue levels of NE.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

The effect of antifibrinolytic therapy in experimental spinal cord trauma.

The efficacy of antifibrinolytic therapy with epsilon aminocaproic acid (EACA) in experimental spinal cord injury is assessed by use of a standardized trauma model at both nonparaplegic and paraplegic trauma doses. Evaluation of neurologic parameters, cortical evoked response and histopathology of the injured spinal cord demonstrated that within the contusion range studied, EACA has no significant therapeutic effect. The ability of the animal to walk was the most reliable criterion indicative of functional recovery, and was closely paralleled by return of the cortical evoked response. Spinal cord cavitation in excess of 60% uniformly resulted in paraplegia. The data from this experiment show no evidence of a significant secondary injury occurring after spinal cord trauma that is amenable to posttraumatic antifibrinolytic therapy.

Aminocaproates↗