Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Touch”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 361 records · Page 20Linked to original sources
PubMed2006

Touch-screen versus paper-and-pen questionnaires: effects on patients' evaluations of quality of care.

PURPOSE: The aim of the paper is to compare the computer administration method (touch-screen) with the original paper-and-pen approach when measuring patients' perceptions of care quality. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The study group consisted of 199 patients who responded to touch-screen and 219 who responded to paper-and-pen questionnaires, receiving care between January and March 2003 at two out-patient clinics in one county in Sweden. The response rate was 75 per cent. A modified version of the quality from the patient's perspective questionnaire was used. FINDINGS: Two main findings emerged: first, both methods yielded almost identical results in quality of care ratings, and second, the touch-screen method was perceived to be easier to use and to take less time to complete. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The paper shows that both methods are acceptable, but the touch-screen method appears to be preferred by patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Touch sensitivity of the eyelid margin and palpebral conjunctiva.

Using a slit-lamp biomicroscope mounted Cochet-Bonnet aesthesiometer, the touch sensitivity of the eyelid margin and palpebral conjunctiva was determined for both upper and lower lids in 30 subjects. Thresholds for the occlusal surface of the lid, the marginal angle and the middle of the tarsus were measured centrally. A significantly higher touch sensitivity was found for the marginal zone compared with the occlusal surface, and tarsal conjunctival sensitivity was substantially the lowest. The occlusal and marginal zones of the lower lid displayed a significantly higher touch sensitivity than the upper lid but the tarsal sensitivity of the two lids was similar. The sharp peaking of sensitivity at the leading edge of each eyelid provides a mechanism for the detection of superficial foreign bodies and presumably augments the protective role of the cornea. A large inter-subject variation in marginal touch sensitivity was found which may explain individual variation in contact lens adaptation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Randomised controlled trial comparing effectiveness of touch screen system with leaflet for providing women with information on prenatal tests.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of touch screen system with information leaflet for providing women with information on prenatal tests. DESIGN: Randomised controlled trial; participants allocated to intervention group (given access to touch screen and leaflet information) or control group (leaflet information only). SETTING: Antenatal clinic in university teaching hospital. SUBJECTS: 875 women booking antenatal care. INTERVENTIONS: All participants received a leaflet providing information on prenatal tests. Women in the intervention arm also had access to touch screen information system in antenatal clinic. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Women's informed decision making on prenatal testing as measured by their uptake of and understanding of the purpose of specific tests; their satisfaction with information provided; and their levels of anxiety. RESULTS: All women in the trial had a good baseline knowledge of prenatal tests. Women in the intervention group did not show any greater understanding of the purpose of the tests than control women. However, uptake of detailed anomaly scans was significantly higher in intervention group than the control group (94% (351/375) v 87% (310/358), P=0.0014). Levels of anxiety among nulliparous women in intervention group declined significantly over time (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The touch screen seemed to convey no benefit over well prepared leaflets in improving understanding of prenatal tests among the pregnant women. It did, however, seem to reduce levels of anxiety and may be most effective for providing information to selected women who have a relevant adverse history or abnormal results from tests in their current pregnancy.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed2001

Telomerase activity in touch-imprint cell preparations from fresh prostate needle biopsy specimens.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether it is possible to detect telomerase activity in cells exfoliated from prostate biopsies immediately before fixation. METHODS: A total of 115 transrectal biopsies of prostate tissue from 49 patients were touch-imprinted on an RNase-free microscope slide and then fixed. Touch imprints were immediately frozen and used to extract telomerase. Telomerase activity was determined by a telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) using a PCR-ELISA method. Inflammation and epithelial cells in each biopsy were quantitated by image cytometry. RESULTS: A total of 90/115 extracts had a proteic content suitable for analysis. Telomerase activity was detected in 18/26 (70%) carcinomas, 2/9 (22%) low-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) lesions, and 1/3 (33%) high-grade PIN lesions. In 4 of 7 patients with telomerase-positive tumors, telomerase activity was also found in a distant site devoid of morphologically detectable cancer cells. Telomerase activity was detected in touch imprints from fragments with less than 1 mm(2) of epithelial tissue, and was not associated with the extent of inflammation. CONCLUSIONS: From the technical stand point, the touch-imprint method may provide a useful adjunct for telomerase detection in prostate biopsies. With this procedure the bioptic fragment is left intact for histological examination. Diagnostically, the presence of telomerase activity in sites distant from the original tumor might suggest the presence of tumor cells that are morphologically undetectable.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Human saphenous vein and coronary bypass surgery: ultrastructural aspects of conventional and "no-touch" vein graft preparations.

Coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) is routinely used to restore blood flow to diseased cardiac muscle due to coronary artery disease. The patency of conventional grafts decreases with time, which is due to thrombosis and formation of neointima. A primary cause of graft failure is the mechanical damage inflicted to the graft during harvesting, including removal of surrounding tissue accompanied by high pressure saline distension to overcome vasospasm (both causing considerable mechanical trauma). The aim of this study was to compare the ultrastructural features of human saphenous vein (SV) grafts harvested conventionally and grafts prepared using an atraumatic 'no-touch' harvesting technique introduced by Souza (1996). The results of this study showed a better preservation of the lumenal endothelium and medial vascular smooth muscle (SM) in 'no-touch' versus conventional grafts. A 'fast' (within 30 min) response of SM cells to conventional harvesting was noted where features of both SM cell division and apoptosis were observed. It is concluded that the 'preserved' nature of the 'no-touch' aortocoronary SV grafts renders them less susceptible to thrombotic and atherosclerotic factors than grafts harvested conventionally. These features are suggested to contribute to the improved early patency rate described using the no-touch technique of SV harvesting.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Precision and accuracy of two blood glucose meters: FreeStyle Flash versus One Touch Ultra.

PURPOSE: The precision and accuracy of two blood glucose meters were evaluated using finger and forearm blood samples. METHODS: Duplicate blood glucose measurements on the same forearm and finger as venipuncture were performed with the FreeStyle Flash and the One Touch Ultra. Accuracy was assessed by error-grid analysis and the number of values within 10% of the laboratory reference value. Precision was determined by calculating the absolute mean percent differences in glucose values between the first and second fingers and forearm test results. Forearm testing success was defined as an accurate glucose reading obtained with one lance. RESULTS: A total of 100 patients completed the study; 93% had diabetes and 53% were female. Patients' mean +/- S.D. age was 63 +/- 12 years, and glucose measurements ranged from 69 to 354 mg/dL. All finger-stick samples fell within error-grid zones A and B; 72% and 57% of FreeStyle Flash and One Touch Ultra values fell within 10% of the laboratory reference values, respectively (p = 0.027). Forearm samples were successfully obtained in 99 and 74 patients using the FreeStyle Flash and One Touch Ultra (p < 0.001), with 64 and 36 samples, respectively, falling within 10% of the laboratory reference values (p = 0.035). There was no difference in meter precision. CONCLUSION: The FreeStyle Flash and the One Touch Ultra are precise glucose meters; however, the FreeStyle Flash was associated with greater accuracy. Success rates of forearm glucose sampling were significantly greater when the FreeStyle Flash meter was used.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

[Management of corneo-conjunctival malignant melanoma with "no touch technique" surgical excision and corneoscleral lamellar keratoplasty].

OBJECTIVE: To study the management of "no touch technique" surgical excision and corneoscleral lamellar keratoplasty in the treatment of corneo-conjunctival malignant melanoma. METHODS: Surgical excision for corneo-conjunctival malignant melanoma in six cases, from October 1989 to January 2004 in Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, were performed. The entire tumors were removed in one piece without touching the tumor (no touch technique). The incision was outlined 4-6 mm outside the pigmented conjunctival mass, and 2 mm outside the corneal component. Dissecting deep enough without any tumor cell left to yield a tumor-free bed. After surgical incision, the host eyeball defect was covered with partial or total corneoscleral lamellar graft from fresh donor, and the conjunctiva defect was covered with or without amniotic membrane transplantation. All the patients were followed up to 6 months. RESULTS: The tumors in the remaining conjunctival margins were completely removed by local dissection combined with cryotherapy in the six cases. Three cases were treated with partial corneoscleral lamellar keratoplasty, two cases with total corneoscleral lamellar keratoplasty and one case with total corneoscleral lamellar keratoplasty plus amniotic membrane transplantation. All cases were subsequently treated with 0.01% thiotepa eyedrops and supplemental dacarbazine chemotherapy. At the average 43.5 months follow-up time (14.6 years to 6 months), no evidences of local recurrence of malignant melanoma or distant metastasis were observed. CONCLUSION: The clinical study suggests that using surgical excision of "no touch technique" to remove tumor in whole piece with corneoscleral lamellar keratoplasty is effective in the treatment of corneo-conjunctival malignant melanoma.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Touching the cornea enhances pharmacologic dilation of the pupil, mainly in the dark iris.

Adequate pupillary dilation is often difficult to achieve in darkly pigmented persons when using standard dilating drops. To quantify the degree to which mild corneal disruption could enhance this dilation, we touched the cornea of one eye and then placed dilating drops in both eyes of darkly pigmented and lightly pigmented subjects. The touch was either standard Gold-mann applanation tonometry or corneal reflex testing using a cotton-tipped applicator. Pupil diameter was measured using a video infrared pupillometer. The mean difference in pupil diameter between the touched and the control eye at 30 min was six-fold greater in darkly pigmented, compared to lightly pigmented, subjects. Touching the cornea by the method described herein appears to be a safe, useful technique for routinely enhancing pharmacologic dilation of the pupil in persons who have dark irises.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Touch preparations in the rapid intraoperative diagnosis of central nervous system lesions. A comparison with frozen sections and paraffin-embedded sections.

Cytologic preparations provide a rapid, simple method for intraoperative diagnosis of central nervous system (CNS) lesions. Details of cellular morphology are defined sharply, avoiding artifacts often introduced by the frozen section technique. In 100 neurosurgical biopsies performed between 1984 and 1986, touch preparations and cryostat (frozen) sections were made at the time of surgery for preliminary intraoperative diagnosis. To assess the accuracy of each of the diagnostic methods used independently, slides obtained with each of the two techniques were later reviewed retrospectively with appropriate clinical and radiological data, but without knowledge of the final neuropathological diagnoses. When compared with the final diagnoses, intraoperative diagnoses were confirmed in 95 cases. The diagnoses based on cytologic and frozen section techniques were compared with the final diagnoses based on paraffin sections. Touch preparation diagnosis was confirmed by paraffin sections in 76 cases; in 18 additional cases a clinically useful, but nonspecific diagnosis (benign versus malignant, glial versus nonglial) was established by touch preparation. In five cases with firm or rubbery tumors, insufficient cells were imprinted for reliable evaluation, and no definitive diagnoses could be made. Specific cryostat diagnoses were confirmed by paraffin sections in 88 cases; nonspecific diagnoses were made in 11 cases. A single incorrect diagnosis was obtained with each technique. When the two techniques were used together, a specific and accurate diagnosis was achieved in 95 cases. Touch preparations were superior to frozen sections for evaluating soft or highly cellular tumors and for preliminary diagnosis from a minute surgical specimen (i.e., stereotactic biopsy).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Central Nervous System Diseases↗
PubMed1977

Touch smear cytology for endoscopic diagnosis of gastric carcinoma.

A retrospective study was made on the accuracy of histology and touch smear cytology of the specimens obtained by endoscopic target biopsy. Sixty-five cases of small size excavated-type gastric carcinoma, including 27 cases of early carcinoma were studied. By histology alone, 89% of cases (58 cases) were diagnosed accurately, 85% (55 cases) by touch smear cytology alone and 95% (62 cases) by combined examination. By touch smear cytology, 10 out of 16 specimens were diagnosed as positive, although extensive necrosis of the specimens prevented histologic study. The study demonstrated that the floor as well as the edge and margin of the excavated lesion is an important target site for biopsy. Touch smear cytologic technic is an aid to the diagnosis of gastric malignancy.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1998

The usefulness of touch preparation cytological evaluation and prostatic capsule involvement in prediction of prostate cancer recurrence.

PURPOSE: Touch preparation cytology has been used in oncology as a technique to assist in predicting local tumor recurrence. We prospectively investigated the relationship between this cytological evaluation and the standard histological method of assessing specimens, measuring the distance from the tumor to the various anatomical boundaries and disease recurrence in radical retropubic prostatectomy patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a prospective study of 91 consecutive clinical stages T1c and T2 cancer cases radical retropubic prostatectomy touch preparation cytology was performed intraoperatively in an anatomical fashion (apex, posterior, lateral right and left, and base). A single blinded cytopathologist reviewed all prostate touch preparation specimens and categorized them as malignant, benign or atypical cells. Benign or atypical cells were classified as negative cytology. Detailed histological margin analysis of the surgical specimens was also done in which distances between the tumor front, and prostate capsule (inner and outer edge) and surgical margins (apex, posterior, right and left lateral, and base) were measured. All specimens were re-staged by the same pathologist. Median followup was 38 months. Disease recurrence was determined biochemically (prostate specific antigen), and with bone scans, prostatic fossa biopsies and digital rectal examinations. RESULTS: Of the 91 specimens 25 were excluded from study because distance measurements could not be made for technical reasons. Multivariate analysis was performed on the remaining 66 patients based on the variables of stage, age, cytology status, distance from tumor to the inner prostatic capsule, distance from tumor to the surgical margin and postoperative Gleason sum. The only variable with independent prognostic value was postoperative Gleason sum (p = 0.04). Cytology status was not statistically significant (p = 0.07) nor were distance data to the inner capsule (p >0.05) and surgical margin (p >0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Although touch preparation cytology does not enhance prognostic information already provided by Gleason sum, it does correlate highly with postoperative Gleason sum. Other gross macroscopic variables, that is pathological stage, margin status and distance measurements, although lacking in independent predictive value, correlated with postoperative Gleason sum. The constancy of Gleason sum leads us to believe that the key to predicting prostatic cancer behavior lies not on the macroscopic but on the molecular or cellular level. Of the various factors analyzed in this study postoperative Gleason sum remains the most powerful predictor of recurrence risk.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Touch-plate and statolith formation in graviceptors of ephyrae which developed while weightless in space.

Ultrastructural studies of the statocysts and touch-plates of graviceptors (rhopalia) of Aurelia ephyrae revealed that (1) touch-plate hair cells are present; and (2) cytoplasmic strands from the hair cell bases extend from the neurite plexus to touch similar strands from the lithocytes. This close association of hair cell neurites and statocysts may have important implications regarding the transmitting and processing of positional information with respect to the gravity vector. Graviceptors of ephyrae which developed while weightless in microgravity were compared with controls at the ultrastructural level. We found that hair cells of ephyrae which developed in microgravity had fewer lipid droplets in the large spaces near their bases as compared with 1 g controls. In the ephyrae from the first microgravity experiment, hair cells had more large apical vacuoles with filamentous content than were found in hair cells of ephyrae from the second experiment and controls. The neurite plexus and the network of cytoplasmic strands extending to the statocysts were not different in microgravity-developed ephyrae from controls. Behavioral differences in swimming and orienting in ephyrae in microgravity and controls (reported earlier) were not explained by morphological differences in the hair cells of the touch-plates or the statocysts, although functional differences apparently occurred.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Axonal domains within shared touch domes in the rat: a comparison of their fate during conditions favoring collateral sprouting and following axonal regeneration.

Low-threshold mechanosensory nerves in the adult rat differ both from their counterparts in lower vertebrates and from high-threshold nociceptive nerves in mammals in that they appear not to undergo collateral sprouting into adjacent denervated skin, although they will clearly regenerate into it after they are damaged. We have now studied the growth capabilities of the low-threshold nerves supplying touch domes, the visible mechanosensory structures scattered throughout the hairy skin. Touch domes in the rat are often multiply innervated. A serendipitous observation on such domes allowed us to investigate the possibility that a functional collateral sprouting of their nerves can indeed occur, but only to a spatially very restricted extent, e.g., within the confines of a partially denervated dome. We used a "prodder" with a tip diameter of 16 micron to examine the mechanosensory profile across single domes that were preselected as being supplied by only two axons, one running in each of two adjacent dorsal cutaneous nerves (DCNs). Simultaneous recordings were made of the afferent discharges evoked in these nerves when the prodder was applied at about 17 or more locations on a selected dome; the spatial resolution was better than 55 micron. We found that within such a shared dome, one axon can supply a discrete territory (its "domain"), which may or may not overlap with the corresponding domain of the other axon. In a preliminary electron microscopic study, we found no evidence for a sharing of single Merkel cells, which are the specialized sensory cells in touch domes, even in the regions of a shared dome where two domains overlapped; each innervated Merkel cell appeared to be contacted by a single nerve ending, implying that in a shared dome each axon probably supplies an exclusive subpopulation of the Merkel cells. We tested for functional collateral sprouting by eliminating one nerve to a shared dome, and at a selected time thereafter mapping the domain of the remaining axon to see whether it had enlarged. The result was the same whether the two domains initially had a region of overlap or not; no expansion of the surviving domain occurred over postoperative periods up to 4 months (an expansion of the domain by 55 micron would have been detected). Thus functional collateral sprouting had failed to occur.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The use of therapeutic touch with rehabilitation clients.

Therapeutic touch is a holistic nursing strategy that can be incorporated as an adjunctive therapy in rehabilitation nursing practice. Therapeutic touch is a derivative of "laying on of hands" that is based on doctoral nursing research and involves the intentionally therapeutic interaction of energy between the nurse and client. Research has demonstrated its effectiveness in eliciting the relaxation response. In this article, specific case studies are used to illustrate when therapeutic touch may be used, how it is implemented as an adjunctive therapy in a nursing process framework, and how it is documented in the nursing care plan.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Nonphysical touch: modes of containment and communication within the analytic process.

Psychoanalysis has struggled with issues of touching and being touched, and of holding and being held, since Freud's early essays toward "taking hold" of elusive thoughts through various means. More recently, observations of early dyadic interchanges between caretaker and child have illuminated how facets of the analytic process, such as the quality of gaze, tone, or empathic resonance, affect feelings of "being held" within the object world. These studies interplay with other analytic depictions and the work of affect theorists to show how meanings become represented and manifested over time through verbal versus nonverbal means. The author uses this literature to explore how our capacity to receive and transmit information cross-modally creates an interpenetration of meanings between self and other in the absence of actual physical contact. Clinical illustrations explore some of the meanings and uses of nonphysical modes of touch within the analytic environment.

Communication↗
PubMed1978

The caudal ganglion of the leech, with particular reference to homologues of segmental touch receptors.

The caudal ganglion of the leech, which provides sensory and motor innervation to the posterior sucker, represents the fusion of seven embryonic segmental ganglia. Although fused, each of the seven contributing ganglia ("subganglia") of the caudal ganglion can be distinguished morphologically and functionally. The roots from each subganglion carry the axons of mechanoreceptors homologous to "touch" cells found in the segmental ganglia and the subesophageal compound ganglion. The receptive fields supplied by the touch cells of the caudal ganglion are uniquely arranged and reveal the modified segmentation of the circular posterior sucker. Extensive overlap of sensory innervation occurs between adjacent segments of the sucker, beyond the overlap characteristic of the homologous cells of body segments. It thus appears that the touch receptors of the caudal ganglion are less restricted than receptors of the segmental ganglia with regard to their territories of innervation. The caudal ganglion has additional unique properties that establish it as a distinct integrative center of the leech CNS.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Effects of Tellington touch in healthy adults awaiting venipuncture.

Many natural-healing modalities administered by professional nurses are provided without adequate scientific scrutiny. Tellington touch (TTouch), a form of gentle physical touch originally developed for the calming of horses, is an emerging nursing intervention. However, the safety and efficacy of human TTouch has not yet been established. The purpose of this study, which used a pretest, posttest repeated-measures control group design, was to identify patterns of mean blood pressure (MBP), heart rate (HR), state anxiety (SA), and procedural pain (PP) in healthy adults receiving a 5-min intervention of TTouch (n = 47) just before venipuncture versus a no-touch control group (n = 46). There were statistically and clinically significant decreases in the TTouch group in MBP and HR. There were no significant differences between groups in SA and PP. Further research is essential to determine the safety and efficacy of this modality for acutely or critically ill patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

The effects of cold, touch, and chemical stimulation of the anterior faucial pillar on human swallowing.

Cold stimulation of the oropharyngeal mucosa, including the faucial pillar region, is used a specific technique for the treatment of swallowing disorders. The physiological mechanisms underpinning this clinical technique are unclear. Thermal (cold), chemical (saline, glucose and water), mechanical (light touch) and feigned stimulation of the faucial pillar were assessed for their effects on the latency to swallow and the repetitive frequency of swallowing. There was no significant difference between these variables following light stimulation of the faucial pillar with a metal probe warmed to body temperature compared with feigned stimulation. However, cold touch stimulation evoked a significant increase in swallowing latency and repetitive frequency compared to feigned stimulation. The results suggest the existence of thermo-sensitive receptors in the faucial pillars that evoke swallowing when stimulated by cold touch. The clinical and physiological importance of these findings are discussed.

Adult↗