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Biomedical subjects

A J Gibson

Publications and source records attributed to A J Gibson.

17 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

The geography of fundholding in southwest England: implications for the evolution of primary care groups.

Using postcode-ED linkage to calculate patient-weighted deprivation indices for 330 general practices in southwest England, this study examines whether the populations served by fundholding and non-fundholding practices varied with respect to socio-economic status. Little evidence is found of systematic socio-economic bias in the uptake of fundholding. However, a distinct spatial pattern to the distribution of fundholding is revealed in this article, urban practices having adopted the scheme more readily than their rural and mixed rural/urban counterparts. As practice-level fundholding is replaced by commissioning at the locality level, such geographical variation is likely to be expressed in the way in which primary care groups evolve.

Catchment Area, Health↗
PubMed1997

Anaesthesia for the management of distal radius fractures in adults in Scottish hospitals.

The objective of this study was to determine the methods of anaesthesia used for the reduction of distal radius fractures in adults in Scotland and to compare this with the UK situation. The method used was a telephone questionnaire of accident and emergency doctors in 25 Scottish hospitals dealing with trauma. Thirty-two per cent still use general anaesthesia routinely for these procedures despite its cost, complexity and need for admission in the majority of cases. Forty-four per cent now use the Bier's block technique of regional anaesthesia, with the attendant advantages of ease of use, rapid recovery and no need for admission in the majority of patients. Twelve per cent use intravenous sedation and 12% use haematoma blocks for manipulations. It is concluded that Bier's block may be the anaesthetic method of choice for the management of distal radius fractures both in efficiency and economic terms in Scotland. However, training for Bier's blocks needs to be standardized and improved.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Dermal fibroblasts convert to a myogenic lineage in mdx mouse muscle.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a primary muscle disease that manifests itself in young boys as a result of a defect in a gene located on the X-chromosome. This gene codes for dystrophin, a normal muscle protein that is located beneath the sarcolemma of muscle fibres. Therapies to alleviate this disease have centred on implanting normal muscle precursor cells into dystrophic fibres to compensate for the lack of this gene and its product. To date, donor cells for implantation in such therapy have been of myogenic origin, derived from paternal biopsies. Success in human muscle, however, has been limited and may reflect immune rejection problems. To overcome this problem the patient's own myogenic cells, with the dystrophin gene inserted, could be used, but this could lead to other problems, since these cells are those that are functionally compromised by the disease. Here, we report the presence of high numbers of dystrophin-positive fibres after implanting dermal fibroblasts from normal mice into the muscle of the mdx mouse-the genetic homologue of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Dystrophin-positive fibres were also abundant in mdx muscle following the implantation of cloned dermal fibroblasts from the normal mouse. Our results suggest the in vivo conversion of these non-myogenic cells to the myogenic pathway resulting in the formation of dystrophin-positive muscle fibres in the deficient host. The use of dermal fibroblasts may provide an alternative approach to the previously attempted myoblast transfer therapy, which in human trials has yielded disappointing results.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Bovine ceroid-lipofuscinosis: pathology of blindness.

Five Devon cattle with suspected ceroid-lipofuscinosis and aged between 19 and 39 months of age were humanely slaughtered and subjected to post-mortem examination. There was severe atrophy of the cerebrum, particularly of the occipital cortex. Microscopy also showed severe atrophy of the retina with complete loss of photoreceptor cells, even in the youngest animal examined. Histopathologically the disease was characterised by accumulation of a fluorescent lipopigment in neurones, including those of the retina and a severe astrocytosis. The disease, which is characterised by the accumulation of subunit c of mitochondrial ATP synthase, is similar to that extensively described in South Hampshire sheep except that the retinal lesions were more severe. In contrast, tremors were not noted in the cattle. The clinical history and similarity to the disease in sheep and other species indicated inheritance was as an autosomal recessive trait.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1991

Delayed hyperbaric oxygen therapy for carbon monoxide intoxication--two case reports.

The severity of signs and symptoms following carbon monoxide intoxication often does not relate to admission carboxyhaemoglobin levels. Two cases are presented with severe neurological impairment despite carboxyhaemoglobin levels of 2% and 1.7% on admission to hospital, who responded well to hyperbaric oxygen therapy. In one case, symptoms recurred several days later, but responded to further hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The role of and possible mechanism of action of late hyperbaric oxygen treatment in carbon monoxide intoxication are discussed.

Ataxia↗
PubMed1988

Neurovisceral ceroid-lipofuscinosis in blind Devon cattle.

Ten Devon cattle from a single property were affected with blindness from 14 months of age. Severe retinal degeneration progressing to atrophy was associated with widespread intracellular accumulation of pigment in the retinal ganglion cells, central nervous system and major organs. The pigment was consistent with ceroid-lipofuscin granules on histological, histochemical and ultrastructural examination. Although a familial relationship existed between affected individuals, a pattern of inheritance could not be established by examination of available breeding records. The disease is compared to similar disorders reported in man and other species.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

The prevalence of chronic psychiatric morbidity: a community sample.

Several studies have commented upon the false negatives which can result when the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) is employed as a community screening device for psychological distress. It would appear that some false negatives are the result of individual or cultural factors, whilst others result from the phrasing of the GHQ questions, which may mislead patients suffering from chronic disorders. This paper reports the use of additional questions, designed to detect such chronicity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Cognitive assessment of the elderly long-stay patient.

The revised Kendrick battery was used to assess level of cognitive functioning and subsequent cognitive change in a group of 40 long-stay elderly psychiatric patients. If it had been used for diagnosing organic dementia in this group, half would have been classified as dementing, although the clinical evidence was against such a diagnosis. It may therefore misclassify individuals who are functioning at a low cognitive level for other reasons. Alternative assessment procedures are now available for use with the elderly.

Aged↗
PubMed1979

The Revised Kendrick Battery: clinical studies.

The former Kendrick Battery--the Synonym Learning Test (SLT) and the Digit Copying Test (DCT)--has been revised. The new version comprises the Object Learning Test (OLT) and the DCT. The discrepancy between Mill Hill and WAIS Verbasl IQs as a diagnostic sign has been eliminated. The Revised Battery has been shown to discriminate between elderly dementing and non-dementing subjects, and also between normal, depressed, and dementing elderly subjects. Utilizing test-retest data it has been found possible to discriminate absolutely between dementing and non-dementing subjects. The reliabilities and validities of the Battery have been ascertained by examining a broad spectrum of elderly subjects: normal, depressed, dementing and institutionalized.

Aged↗
PubMed1978

Visual detection of commencement of aircraft takeoff runs.

Among other things, airport control towers should be sited so that controllers can readily detect whether an aircraft cleared for takeoff has commenced its takeoff run. The detection of movement is not well enough understood to enable confident prediction that a particular site for a tower will enable commencement of takeoff run to be easily observed. A field study was undertaken to establish detection times for commencement of takeoff run by groups of trained and trainee air traffic controllers and untrained observers. It was found that the mean response of observers occurs when the aircraft is displaced about 5' of arc, a value essentially independent of observer experience, observation distance, aircraft velocity, and the clarity with which the aircraft can be seen. Binoculars reduce the mean response time and response variability, although not as much as might be expected. Domains within which control towers can be located to enable detection of takeoff runs within 2 s and 4 s are defined.

Aerospace Medicine↗