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Biomedical subjects

A Gower

Publications and source records attributed to A Gower.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

The clinical significance of femoral head culture results in donors after hip arthroplasty: a preliminary report.

The aim of this study is to determine whether a link exists between clinical wound problems and positive bacterial culture of the femoral head after primary hip arthroplasty. Clinical data were retrieved for 24 culture-positive and 26 culture-negative patients. Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus was the commonest pathogen, cultured in 19 of the 24 culture-positive femoral heads donated to a regional bone bank. Wound problems occurred in 2 of the patients from the culture-positive group and 4 of the patients from the culture-negative group. The relative risk of wound problems was 0.54 in the culture-positive group. Based on the available evidence in this preliminary short-term retrospective review, positive microbiology from donated femoral heads has no clinical implication in the donors. The practice of reporting culture-positive femoral heads should be continued.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Blood utilization in hip and knee arthroplasty: a cost-minimization study.

The non-utilization of crossmatched blood is an expensive waste of resources. We have audited blood utilization for all primary total hip and knee arthroplasty patients. We compared routine pre-operative crossmatching (Phase 1) with a policy of group, screen and save (G & S) only (Phase 2). The patient groups were similar in both phases. Pre- and post-operative haemoglobin results were not significantly different between Phase 1 and 2. No adverse transfusion reactions occurred. In Phase 1, 213 units were crossmatched pre-operatively, but only 127 (60%) were transfused. In Phase 2, 117 units were requested and all transfused. The G & S only policy proved to be a safe and practical option which improved the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of blood ordering. Based on a handling charge of 37.50 Pounds per unit of blood by the Regional Transfusion Centre, an estimated annual saving of over 8000 Pounds can be made in our directorate.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Spatial learning deficits in the aged rat: neuroanatomical and neurochemical correlates.

To assess neurochemical and neuroanatomical correlates of age and spatial learning, aged Sprague-Dawley male rats (20-22 mo) were divided into two groups based on their ability to locate a hidden platform in a Morris water maze. An "old good" group of rats acquired the task as rapidly as young (3-6 mo) animals, whereas an "old poor" group of rats failed to show improvement on subsequent testing days. Age-related changes included (a) a significant decrease in the number of choline acetyltransferase (CHAT) immunoreactive cells in the ventral cell group of the septal complex (28%); (b) a decrease in caudate dopamine levels (-11%); and (c) an increase in 5-HIAA levels in the n. accumbens (+25%) and hippocampus (+18%). Spatial learning related changes in aged rats included: (a) an increase in medial frontal cortex 5-HIAA levels (52%) in the old good learners but not old poor learners with (b) a decrease in medial frontal cortex dopamine levels (-24%) only in the old poor learners group and (c) a decrease in n. accumbens DOPAC (-22%) and HVA (-23%) in the old good learners group only. The present study demonstrates age-related but not spatial learning related decrease in CHAT immunoreactive cells in the ventral cell group of the septal complex. Therefore, either the cholinergic cell loss in the septum is unrelated to the acquisition of spatial learning measured by the Morris water maze, or it is a permissive effect along with specific alterations in forebrain dopaminergic and serotonergic systems, particularly in the medial frontal cortex and n. accumbens. The above findings are consistent with findings seen in Alzheimer's disease where both basal forebrain cholinergic nuclei and cortical projecting brainstem monoamine systems are affected.

Aging↗
PubMed1994

Carbon dioxide laser bronchoscopy--a review of its use in the treatment of malignant tracheobronchial tumours in 142 patients.

We report our experience over an 8-yr period, 1984-1991, of the use of the carbon dioxide (CO2) laser in the treatment of otherwise inoperable malignant tracheobronchial lesions. In that period 142 patients (84 male, 58 female; median age 63 years) underwent 278 procedures. The trachea was the site of treatment in 44 patients, the carina in nine, a main bronchus in 80 and a lobar bronchus in nine. All resections were performed under general anaesthesia via a rigid bronchoscope. Symptomatic relief was obtained in 103 of the 116 patients whose main complaint was dyspnoea. Overall there was a mean improvement in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) of 27%, in peak expiratory flow (PEF) of 22% and in forced vital capacity (FVC) of 7%. Most improvement in FEV1 and PEF was obtained by the treatment of tracheal lesions. Three patients died within 24 h of surgery and 30 day mortality was 18%. At a mean follow-up of 18.3 months the mean post-laser survival is 5 months. While the CO2 laser has limitations in the treatment of distal tumours when compared to the neodymium/yttrium aluminium garnet (Nd:YAG) laser, there was no higher incidence of complications. We have found CO2 laser bronchoscopy to be an effective palliation of inoperable malignant tumours particularly of the trachea and main bronchi.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

The pharmacological profile of Org 6906, a potential non-sedative antidepressant that combines monoamine uptake inhibition with alpha 2-adrenolytic activity.

(dl)-(5 alpha,8 alpha,9 alpha)-5,8,9,10-Tetrahydro-5,9- methanobenzocycloocten-8-amine hydrochloride (Org 6906) is a potential new antidepressant agent, with a neurochemical profile quite different from that of the classical tricyclic antidepressant drugs. The compound was found active in behavioural tests which are considered to be predictive for antidepressant activity, such as the muricidal test in the rat and the acquired immobility model. Neurochemical studies showed that Org 6906 was an inhibitor of the reuptake of monoamines both in vitro and ex-vivo without having appreciable anticholinergic, antihistaminergic or alpha 1-adrenolytic activity. The facilitatory effect on monoaminergic neurotransmission was confirmed by the reversal of hypothermia induced by reserpine. The drug Org 6906 appeared to have selective alpha 2-adrenolytic properties. It facilitated potassium-stimulated release of noradrenaline from slices of cortex, displaced [3H]rauwolscine and [3H]dihydroergocryptine from their binding sites but only weakly blocked alpha 1-adrenoceptors. The alpha 2-adrenolytic properties were also apparent in behavioural interaction models. The compound antagonized the sleep-inducing effects of clonidine in chicks and mice and it antagonized the mydriasis induced by clonidine in the rat. Finally, it was shown that the two enantiomers of Org 6906 contributed almost equally to the relevant neurochemical and behavioural properties.

Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists↗
PubMed1986

Characteristics of analgesias induced by brief or prolonged stress.

Some characteristics of the effects of brief and prolonged stress on tail-flick latency are described. The pharmacological profiles of the latency responses to 30 sec and 30 min footshock are strikingly different. Thus, the increase of tail-flick latency after 30 sec shock is unaffected by naloxone and enhanced by drugs which decrease 5HT or DA-dependent transmission, while the increase after 30 min shock is blocked by naloxone and also by the above drugs. The increased tail-flick latency after 30 sec shock only occurs if tail-flick latency is also determined before shock. This finding, together with the attenuation or enhancement of the post-shock response by drugs that similarly affect conditioned avoidance behavior, suggests that the increased latency after brief shock occurs through a mechanism that is related to passive avoidance learning. Finally, a new approach to the investigation of stress-induced analgesia is described in which neurochemical changes during prolonged immobilization stress are repeatedly monitored using cisternal CSF samples taken in parallel with tail-flick latency measurements.

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid↗