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Biomedical subjects

A Austin

Publications and source records attributed to A Austin.

31 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Impaired insulin mediated potassium uptake in adolescents with IDDM.

Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus is known to be associated with impaired ability of insulin to enhance tissue glucose uptake. However, no information is available whether or not this insulin resistance extends to insulin-mediated potassium (K+) uptake. Insulin-mediated decrease in serum potassium (K+) and in blood urea nitrogen (BUN) concentration was evaluated in 20 adolescents with IDDM and 10 matched controls during a 3-h hyperinsulinemic (1.7 mU/kg/min)-euglycemic clamp study. Insulin-mediated glucose disposal rate was lower in IDDM compared with controls (37.4 +/- 3.2 vs 63.8 +/- 5.4 mumol/kg/min, P less than 0.001). The decline in serum K+ concentration following hyperinsulinemia was significantly smaller in adolescents with IDDM than controls (0.29 +/- 0.06 vs 0.67 +/- 0.08 meq/liter, P = 0.002). Similarly the decline in BUN concentration was smaller in IDDM compared with control subjects (2.10 +/- 0.40 vs 3.70 +/- 0.56 mg/dl, P = 0.03), suggestive of decreased suppressibility of proteolysis. The changes in serum K+ and BUN concentrations were correlated (r = 0.64, P = 0.02) in controls but not in diabetics. Similarly, the decrement in serum K+ concentration showed a positive correlation with the rate of insulin-mediated glucose disposal (r = 0.68, P = 0.02) in controls but not in diabetics. The correlation of glucose disposal rate with the decline in BUN concentration did not reach a level of significance (r = 0.43, P = 0.1). These results indicate that adolescents with IDDM are resistant to the ability of insulin to stimulate in vivo K+ uptake and to suppress proteolysis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Immunological detection of NADH-specific enoyl-ACP reductase from rape seed (Brassica napus)--induction, relationship of alpha and beta polypeptides, mRNA translation and interaction with ACP.

An antibody has been raised against rape seed enoyl-ACP reductase. This recognizes both the alpha and beta polypeptides of the enzyme. Immunoblotting of fresh seed demonstrates that beta is not present in seed material, and that it is produced by proteolysis during isolation. It is thus deduced that rape seed enoyl reductase is an alpha 4 homotetramer. Leaf material from both rape and Arabidopsis have an enoyl reductase with a similar electrophoretic mobility to the rape seed enzyme when analyzed on SDS-PAGE. Quantitative immunoassay has demonstrated that the enzyme continually increases during lipid deposition, indicating that an increase in this enzyme is required to sustain high levels of lipid biosynthesis. In vitro translation experiments show that the enzyme is nuclear coded and synthesized as a precursor form. Immunogold electron microscopy has demonstrated that enoyl reductase is located in plastids. It is shown that ACP-Sepharose may be used as a matrix in the purification of enoyl-ACP reductase.

Acyl Carrier Protein↗
PubMed1988

Predicting abstainers in a smoking cessation programme administered by general practitioners.

Pre-treatment characteristics which predicted successful outcome in one hundred cigarette smokers participating in a general practitioner administered smoking cessation programme were identified. Successful outcome was assessed using three types of criteria: quit smoking by the end of treatment, remained abstinent for six months and remained abstinent for three years. Seventeen pre-treatment variables predicted immediate response to treatment, but this decreased to six variables for six months sustained abstinence and to only one variable (smoking when ill in bed) for three years sustained abstinence. Low cigarette dependence, no smoking related health problems, and a non-smoking social environment characterized subjects most likely to have stopped smoking at the end of treatment and to have remained abstinent for six months.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Subjective analysis of cross-sectional echocardiograms: reproducibility and sources of variability.

Subjective analysis of left ventricular segmental wall motion is widely used to assess regional left ventricular function and the effects of intervention in patients with ischaemic heart disease. To determine its reproducibility we studied 20 consecutive men with proven ischaemic heart disease and 10 age-matched control subjects. Standard parasternal, apical and subcostal views were attempted in all subjects by two echocardiographers, and echoes were reported by two analysers, each on two occasions. The left ventricle was subdivided into 5 segments, and segmental wall motion scored as normal, hypokinetic, akinetic, dyskinetic or inadequately visualised. The different sources of variability were evaluated. The echocardiographers contributed little variability, the frequency and reproducibility of reporting being the same for echoes produced by each echocardiographer. The only exception was for subcostal views in which one echocardiographer produced significantly more reportable segments than the other (42% vs 27%; P less than 0.001). Within and between analyser variability was large. Replicate analysis of the same segment showed within analyser agreement of 92% for one analyser but only 80% for the other. Between analyser agreement was 89% for some segments but only 63% for others and was best in those segments where both analysers infrequently reported abnormal wall motion. Reporting bias is thus an important variable. The subjective assessment of regional left ventricular function thus has major limitations for general applications particularly when being used in longitudinal studies.

Coronary Disease↗
PubMed1986

Three year evaluation of a programme by general practitioners to help patients to stop smoking.

A controlled study was undertaken to measure the effectiveness of general practitioners' use of an intensive programme to help patients to stop smoking. Two hundred cigarette smokers who attended a general practice were allocated to either a treatment (n = 100) or a non-intervention control (n = 100) group. After the initial visit treatment consisted of an educational consultation and four follow up visits. Smoking state was assessed biochemically at six months and three years. Thirty five patients in the treatment group were abstinent at three years compared with eight in the control group (p less than 0.001). Sixty four patients attended the educational consultation and first follow up visit; of these, 45 were not smoking at the first follow up visit, 30 maintained abstinence up to six months, and 22 were still not smoking after three years. Among the 37 patients who completed the treatment programme and attended all the follow up visits 57% were abstinent at three years. The results of this study suggest that general practitioners can help patients to stop smoking.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Work problems associated with suburban train driving.

Problems associated with metropolitan train driving were investigated in a questionnaire survey of 562 suburban train drivers. The major problems were safety issues (fatal train accidents, persons on the track, vandalism, sudden signal changes, no emergency communication system in the driver's cabin), the high demand for mental concentration, irregular working hours, and ear discomfort on entering tunnels. One-third of drivers had been involved in a train fatality. Near fatalities, vandalism, sudden signal changes and track maintenance workers were frequently encountered. Fifty-six percent of shifts involved some night work. Improvements in working conditions in these problem areas could lead to a safer and more pleasant working environment and could improve the health and personal well-being of suburban train drivers.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1982

Hypertension: comparison of drug and non-drug treatments.

Thirty-seven reports of the treatment of hypertension by non-pharmacological means were compared with the results of treatment by standard drug regimens. Treatment by drugs produced the greatest lowering of blood pressure. Treatment by weight reduction, yoga, and muscle relaxation each produced smaller, but appreciable, changes in blood pressure biofeedback, and salt restriction were inferior to those of the other regimens and were not significantly different to the effects of placebo treatment. Large comparative trials of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments are needed before definite conclusions can be made.

Biofeedback, Psychology↗
PubMed1981

M-mode echogram as a means of distinguishing between mild and severe mitral stenosis.

Fifty-two patients with pure mitral stenosis (27 with severe stenosis and 25 with mild stenosis) were studied to assess the ability of different M-mode echocardiographic measurements to separate mild and severe disease. Variables related to valve motion, for example diastolic closure rate, the mitral valve closure index, and the amplitude of valve motion, accurately divided patients with mitral stenosis from normal subjects but did not distinguish usefully between mild and severe disease. In contrast, variables dependent on left ventricular dimension change in diastole, for example the rapid filling period and the peak rate of left ventricular diastolic dimension change, accurately separated mild and severe disease. No patient with severe mitral stenosis had a rapid filling period, whereas 21 of the 25 patients with mild disease did have one. The peak rate of left ventricular diastolic dimension change was less than 10 cm/s or less than 2.4 cm/s per cm when normalised for left ventricular dimension in all patients with severe disease and in only six of the 25 patients with mild disease.

Echocardiography↗