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Biomedical subjects

A E Walker

Publications and source records attributed to A E Walker.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Keratitis, ichthyosis, and deafness (KID) syndrome: management with chronic oral ketoconazole therapy.

Extensive cutaneous mycoses have been described in patients with the keratitis, ichthyosis, and deafness (KID) syndrome. We present a case occurring in a 48-year-old woman where improvement in the ichthyosiform dermatosis, stabilization of her ocular disease, and apparent partial prevention of further cutaneous malignancies occurred in association with ketoconazole therapy.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1990

Long-term effects of severe penetrating head injury on psychosocial adjustment.

The long-term effects of severe penetrating head injury on adjustment levels were studied. Forty-one World War II veterans who suffered penetrating injury to the brain were interviewed 40 years after their initial injury using the Washington Psycho-Social Seizure Inventory (WPSI). The results support a comparable behavioral impact of right and left hemispheric lesions. Similarly, no significant relations were found between anterior and posterior locus of damage and psychosocial difficulties, although the results pertaining to the right-anterior group could be interpreted as suggestive of much greater maladjustment in all life dimensions assessed by the WPSI. Findings are discussed in terms of theoretical positions on hemispheric specialization and long-term expectancies that hold implications for planning rehabilitation programs for such patients.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Ca2+ transients are not required as signals for long-term neurite outgrowth from cultured sympathetic neurons.

A method for clamping cytosolic free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) in cultures of rat sympathetic neurons at or below resting levels for several days was devised to determine whether Ca2+ signals are required for neurite outgrowth from neurons that depend on Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) for their growth and survival. To control [Ca2+]i, normal Ca2+ influx was eliminated by titration of extracellular Ca2+ with EGTA and reinstated through voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels. The rate of neurite outgrowth and the number of neurites thus became dependent on the extent of depolarization by KCl, and withdrawal of KCl caused an immediate cessation of growth. Neurite outgrowth was completely blocked by the L type Ca2+ channel antagonists nifedipine, nitrendipine, D600, or diltiazem at sub- or micromolar concentrations. Measurement of [Ca2+]i in cell bodies using the fluorescent Ca2+ indicator fura-2 established that optimal growth, similar to that seen in normal medium, was obtained when [Ca2+]i was clamped at resting levels. These levels of [Ca2+]i were set by serum, which elevated [Ca2+]i by integral of 30 nM, whereas the addition of NGF had no effect on [Ca2+]i. The reduction of [Ca2+]o prevented neurite fasciculation but this had no effect on the rate of neurite elongation or on the number of extending neurites. These results show that neurite outgrowth from NGF-dependent neurons occurs over long periods in the complete absence of Ca2+ signals, suggesting that Ca2+ signals are not necessary for operating the basic machinery of neurite outgrowth.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

The fate of World War II veterans with posttraumatic seizures.

Of 244 men who, as the result of a brain wound sustained in World War II, had had one or more convulsive seizures, 101 have died. Except for men who succumbed in the first decade of complications of the wounding--infection, systemic or mental disease, status epilepticus, etc--the cause of death was similar to that of men of similar age in the general population. Of the men whose status is known, 74% have had no unconscious attacks in the past ten years or in the ten years before their death. The absence of seizures is not related to the continued ingestion of anticonvulsant medication. Approximately 25% of the men have had varying degrees of mental deterioration. The death rate of men with posttraumatic epilepsy is higher than that of normal men. Wounds of the right cerebral hemisphere seem to shorten the life span more than similar injuries of the left hemisphere.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1988

The evolution of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies.

To summarize this report, it seems that the neurosurgical family has grown up. The children have gone their several ways to elaborate upon the teachings of their mentors and the old folks are being put on the shelf out of the way of the hustling young nut crackers anxious to get to the operating room. If you doubt this conclusion, note that at the Toronto Congress, only 4 of the 37 officers--the old guard--were listed to present papers on the scientific program. One wonders if the experience and wisdom of the older members is not being lost. Is there not a place on the broadening program for invited presentations by senior members? Finally to those who have so unselfishly given of their services to lighten my task in the past dozen years, I extend my thanks and gratitude. To those members, credit is due for any service which the historian may have been able to render to the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies.

Congresses as Topic↗
PubMed1988

As I saw it.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

History, 20th Century↗
PubMed1979

The prediction of posttraumatic epilepsy. A mathematical approach.

Simple mathematical equations can be used to estimate the probability of posttraumatic seizures. Risk factors and time since the injury are taken into consideration in the calculations. The equations are based on a constant probability model derived from published data. When these formulae are applied to data from a variety of published studies, the predicted incidence of posttraumatic epilepsy based on the mathematical model agrees well with the incidence observed in the study groups.

Brain Injuries↗
PubMed1979

Clinical evaluation of long-term epidural monitoring of intracranial pressure.

Forty-two epidural sensors for measuring intracranial pressure were implanted in 38 patients over the last four years. The sensor is a passive device consisting of an inductance and a pressure sensitive capacitance resonant at about 50 megahertz. The study involved 17 cases of hydrocephalus, nine of pseudotumor cerebri, and the remainder included cases of cranial trauma, brain tumors, and aneurysms. Four of the sensors failed in patients and were removed. Two of these had to be replaced to continue the pressure monitoring. The intracranial pressure is still being monitored in 22 patients, while 15 have been lost to follow-up for various reasons. Fourteen patients have been followed for about a year, and four for two years. The baseline drift rate in most sensors is between 1 and 2 mm H2O per day, with a few having greater rates of drift. Calibration errors were found in some of the sensors after implantation. These errors were corrected by direct measurement of the cerebral spinal fluid pressure via lumbar puncture. The sensors have proven to be a valuable adjunct in the management and diagnosis of neurosurgical patients by simplifying the intermittent and continuous recording of intracranial pressure. This was so despite the presence of calibration errors and a drift which necessitated an occasional lumbar puncture for making corrections.

Brain Diseases↗