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Biomedical subjects

A Coutts

Publications and source records attributed to A Coutts.

32 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

Aquagenic pruritus.

Three patients were studied in whom brief contact of the skin with water at any temperature evoked intense itching without visible changes in the skin. The patients were otherwise apparently healthy, and this chronic and disabling disorder tended to attract a "psychogenic" label. Pharmacological studies showed that the condition was associated with local release of acetyl choline in the skin, mast-cell degranulation, and raised blood histamine concentrations. It responded well to antihistamines in two of the three patients. Aquagenic pruritus is probably common, but it is generally unrecognised and may be misdiagnosed. Antihistamines may induce a good therapeutic response.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1981

Cholinergic urticaria with associated angio-oedema.

Three patients are described who developed angio-oedema and urticaria after a hot bath challenge and physical exercise. In one patient this was accompanied by a fall in peak expiratory flow rate. Blood levels of smooth muscle biological activity, measured using a bio-assay, increased in all patients after experimental challenge. The association of angio-oedema with cholinergic urticaria is emphasized and possible mechanisms discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Nevus oligemicus. A variant of nevus anemicus.

A man had a long history of a persistent, fixed area of livid erythema on the trunk. The distribution of hair, sweat, and sensation were normal as were the histologic findings in the affected skin. The involved area had a decreased total skin blood flow and a lower surface temperature compared with surrounding uninvolved skin, but showed normal responses to vasoconstrictor and vasodilator stimuli. Incomplete sympathetic blockade partially abolished the erythema. We suggest that the appearance of the nevus is caused by increased vasoconstrictor tone in the thermoregulatory vessels of the involved skin, leading to relative stasis in the superficial "nutritional" vasculature. This would seem to be a new example of a "pharmacological nevus" showing similarities to and differences from nevus anemicus.

Hemangioma↗
PubMed1980

Oxatomide: in vivo assessment of antagonistic activity, and effects on histamine release and enzymatic histamine degradation in skin.

The antagonistic activity of oxatomide, and its effects on evoked histamine release and histamine-N-methyl transferase activity in skin, have been studied. Oxatomide antagonizes H1 activity in a dose-dependent but non-competitive manner. It also shows some atropine-like activity. Oxatomide did not cause detectable inhibition of antigen-stimulated histamine release from skin slices of sensitized guinea-pigs although the possibility that oxatomide may cause weak inhibition could not be excluded. In the presence of low concentrations of histamine, oxatomide suppressed human skin histamine-N-methyl transferase, but in the presence of higher substrate concentrations it enhanced activity of this enzyme. These observations, which were limited by the poor solubility of oxatomide in aqueous media, should encourage further in vivo studies of oxatomide's histamine-suppressing properties in the human subjects.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Nutrition and the life cycle. 1: Maternal nutrition and pregnancy.

Babies who are smaller than average at birth are more likely to face health problems during their adult life. A major influence on the size of the baby is maternal nutrition. Maternal energy requirements are not greatly increased, but other nutrients have been shown to influence fetal wellbeing; these include folate, riboflavin and some polyunsaturated fatty acids. Other nutrients that may enhance fetal welfare are ascorbic acid, zinc, and magnesium, and there are probably many more. Nurses, midwives, and health visitors need to be aware of the nutritional needs of pregnant women, and of the need to assist women to meet these needs. This is the first in a series of articles reviewing nutritional needs to maintain health during progressive stages of the life-cycle. This article discusses issues surrounding nutrition in pregnancy. Subsequent articles will review nutritional needs in young children, school-age children, adults, and older adults.

Birth Weight↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Nutrition and the life cycle 2: infancy and weaning.

The first article in this nutrition and the life cycle series discussed nutrition in pregnancy (Vol 9 (17): 1133-8). This second article will concentrate on infancy and weaning. Weaning infants is an area that causes concern for parents. Health professionals need to be well informed about this aspect of childcare, as practices have changed recently. Babies should usually begin weaning between 4 and 6 months of age. Infant diets need to be high in lipid for energy, and for essential long-chain fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins. Their diets should also be rich in the micronutrients; infants are particularly at risk of deficiency for iron and zinc. Infants should be introduced to as many tastes and textures as reasonably possible, but foods likely to cause an allergic reaction should be avoided for as long as possible. Finally, all the family should enjoy mealtimes, and the pattern laid down for a life of healthy eating. The next article in this series will review nutrition in the school-age child.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Nutrition and the life cycle: nutrition and the school child.

This is the third in this series of articles examining nutrition and the life cycle. The first considered current thinking regarding nutrition in pregnancy (Vol 9(17): 1133-8), and the second discussed nourishing the infant, particularly in relation to weaning (Vol 9(21): 2205-16). This article considers nutrition and the older child. The school years are characterized by increasing independence from parents and exposure to values from outside the home. After being neglected for some years, childhood nutrition is again giving cause for concern. Some children are not eating enough, or not the right nutrients at the right time, while others are becoming overweight, with possible severe long-term effects on their health. Many of these problems are not related to poverty, but rather to changes in lifestyle. Some older children, however, are undernourishing themselves in an attempt to obtain a particular body shape. The last two articles in this series will review nutrition in adulthood and in older years.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Nutrition and the life cycle 4: the healthy diet for the adult.

The previous three articles in this series reviewed current nutritional advice to help maintain health during pregnancy (Vol 9(17): 1133-8), weaning (Vol 9(21): 2205-16) and in childhood (Vol 10(1): 26-310. This article reviews current thinking on what constitutes a health diet for the individual who has left childhood behind, but has not yet encountered many of the changes associated with old age. Most people enjoy food, and also believe that a good diet will improve their health. This article aims to review current thinking on what constitutes a healthy diet for the adult.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Nutrition and the life cycle 5: nutritional needs of older adults.

The previous four articles in this series on nutrition and the life cycle reviewed the nutritional needs during pregnancy (Vol 9(17): 1133-8), infancy (Vol 9(21): 2205-16), childhood (Vol 10(1): 26-31) and adulthood (Vol 10(6): 362-9). This article, the last in the series, will review the special nutritional needs of the older person. Older adults form an increasing proportion of our society, and it is important that nurses appreciate their special needs. The article concentrates on the health older adult, and reviews what nutritional advice nurses should be providing order to help them achieve maximal health.

Age Factors↗