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Biomedical subjects

A M Dunn

Publications and source records attributed to A M Dunn.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1990

Anatomic basis for species differences in peripheral lung strip contraction to PAF.

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is a very potent contractile agonist in guinea pig peripheral lung strips but is without effect on rabbit peripheral lung strips. Histological examination of guinea pig peripheral lung strips revealed a layer of smooth muscle cells in the visceral pleura that is not present in rabbit peripheral lung strips. Removal of the pleural surface of the guinea pig peripheral lung strips eliminated the ability of these tissues to contract to PAF, and the (removed) thin pleural strip contracted to PAF in a manner similar to that of intact strips. Removal of the pleural surface did not prevent these tissues from contracting to histamine or leukotriene D4 (LTD4), although potency of these agonists was somewhat reduced. The pleural smooth muscle cell layer is present throughout the pleural lining of the guinea pig lung but is thicker in lower than in upper lobes. PAF contractility is also reduced in upper compared with lower lung lobes. Thus we suggest that the pleural smooth muscle is the critical contractile element for PAF contraction of guinea pig peripheral lung strips, whereas other agonists such as histamine and LTD4 contract additional elements in these tissues.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Community as client: appropriate baccalaureate- and graduate-level preparation.

This article focuses on the theoretical concept of community as client and its application in community health nursing education and practice. Although the concept of community as client has been widely accepted, it was observed that care to individuals and families within community settings constitutes the bulk of current community health nursing practice. The argument is made that undergraduate nursing students should be prepared as generalists to provide care within community settings. Undergraduate nursing students should be introduced to the concept of community as client, with an emphasis on understanding the relationship between individual or family needs and community needs. It is also argued that graduate nursing students should be prepared at the specialist level, focusing primarily on providing care to the community as client. An example of undergraduate and graduate levels of preparation in one university nursing program is described.

Community Health Nursing↗
PubMed1988

Immunoglobulin E anaphylaxis in rabbits: mechanisms of pulmonary resistance and compliance changes.

Factors causing changes in pulmonary resistance and dynamic compliance with immunoglobulin (Ig) E anaphylaxis in spontaneously breathing rabbits were assessed in ventilated rabbits using tantalum bronchography and wet-to-dry wt ratios. Ventilated rabbits demonstrated changes in resistance and compliance similar to spontaneously breathing rabbits. Chlorpheniramine pretreatment prevented increases in resistance but not decreases in compliance. Anaphylaxis constricted small (less than 1 mm) airways 20.9 +/- 16.0% (mean +/- SD) and intermediate (between 1 and 3 mm) airways 21.8 +/- 19.8%. Chlorpheniramine (10 mg/kg) prevented small airway changes and attenuated those in intermediate airways. Chlorpheniramine prevented histamine-induced constriction of small (23.6 +/- 15.7%) and intermediate (17.6 +/- 15.0%) airways. Lung wet-to-dry wt ratios were unchanged. Changes in resistance and compliance during rabbit IgE anaphylaxis are not due to changes in tidal volume or frequency. Histamine, via H1 receptors, is the principal mediator of pulmonary resistance increases but not dynamic compliance reductions. Chlorpheniramine-sensitive increases in resistance are caused by constrictions of intermediate and small airways, whereas the chlorpheniramine-resistant decrease in compliance is not caused directly by constriction of the smallest measurable airways (0.25 mm) or changes in lung water.

Airway Resistance↗
PubMed1987

The bedfast.

Many geriatric beds are occupied by bedfast patients. Most were immobile from the time of admission and many were admitted from other hospital departments or residential care. More are discharged home than remain in hospital or are transferred to any other institution. Although a small minority of admissions become long-term bedfast inpatients this group require a disproportionate resource commitment. Reduction in the number of bedfast inpatients is more likely to be effected by changes in unit policy than by improvement in clinical practice.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

The responsiveness of rabbit bronchial rings to antigen, AGEPC and histamine.

Rings of intrapulmonary bronchi isolated from rabbits producing anti-horseradish peroxidase IgE antibodies contracted when exposed to antigen. The contractile response had a lag period of about 1 min, reached a peak at 6 min and then subsided. Bronchi from rabbits with detectable levels of specific IgG (in addition to IgE) antibodies did not differ in response from those with undetectable specific IgG levels. Histamine also contracted rabbit intrapulmonary bronchi with an EC50 of 10 micro (SD 1.29). The response to antigen was completely inhibited with chlorpheniramine (30 microM). In contrast to intrapulmonary bronchi, responsiveness of mainstem bronchi to antigen was observed only occasionally, whereas histamine was equipotent on both mainstem and intrapulmonary bronchi. Thus, the amount of antigen-induced mediator release may be less in the mainstem bronchi. Acetyl glyceryl ether phosphorylcholine, in concentrations up to 10 microM, did not contract either mainstem or intrapulmonary bronchi. This study indicates that histamine is the major mediator of (and acetyl glyceryl ether phosphorylcholine does not significantly participate in) antigen-induced contraction of isolated bronchi from IgE-producing rabbits. The results provide a likely mechanism for the increase in pulmonary resistance observed in IgE anaphylaxis in this species.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Pneumococcus-specific immunoglobulin E in cigarette smokers.

A relationship between elevated serum immunoglobulin E levels and smoking has been demonstrated in epidemiological studies. Allergy skin test data suggest that the excess immunoglobulin E of smokers is not specific for aeroallergens. It is possible that the excess immunoglobulin E is specific for microorganisms that often infect the lower respiratory tract of smokers. To investigate this possibility we utilized a radioallergosorbent test assay for detecting serum immunoglobulin E specific for Streptococcus pneumoniae, an organism commonly isolated from the respiratory tract of smokers with chronic bronchitis. We assayed sera of thirty smokers and thirty nonsmokers for immunoglobulin E specific for Streptococcus pneumoniae. Individual sera were considered positive for pneumococcus-specific immunoglobulin E if the binding was at least twice the non-specific binding at the total immunoglobulin E concentration of the particular serum. Eleven of the thirty sera of smokers and two of the thirty nonsmokers were positive for pneumococcus-specific immunoglobulin E. By chi-square analysis of these data, the prevalence of pneumococcus-specific immunoglobulin E was significantly greater in the smoking group compared with the non-smoking group (P less than 0.02). These results suggest that the excess immunoglobulin E of smokers is, at least in part, specific for microorganisms that infect the airways.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Participation of platelets in the physiologic alterations of the AGEPC response and of IgE anaphylaxis in the rabbit. Effects of PGI2 inhibition of platelet function.

To further clarify the platelet dependence of acetyl glyceryl ether phosphorylcholine (AGEPC) physiologic activity and of IgE anaphylaxis in the rabbit, PGI2 was employed as an inhibitor of in vivo platelet function. Intravenous infusion of PGI2 (1 to 2 micrograms/kg/min) inhibited the AGEPC-induced decrease in dynamic compliance, increase in total pulmonary resistance, and transient decrease in tidal volume, but the right ventricular hypertension, bradycardia, and apnea were unaffected. Although PGI2 itself produced a marked systemic hypotension, AGEPC still induced a bimodal hypotensive response. Documentation that platelet function was inhibited by PGI2 included partial inhibition of AGEPC-induced thrombocytopenia, abrogation of platelet secretion (as assessed by plasma platelet factor 4 levels), and inhibition of ex vivo platelet aggregation. The AGEPC-induced leukopenia was not affected. In another group of rabbits, chlorpheniramine pretreatment inhibited the lung mechanical changes induced by AGEPC but did not affect the ventilatory or circulatory alterations, indicating that the lung mechanical alterations (but not any of the other alterations) are mediated by platelet-secreted histamine acting via H1 receptors. In IgE-producing rabbits intravenously challenged with antigen, PGI2 had no effect on any of the physiologic alterations, despite substantial inhibition of platelet secretion. From these results, together with previous platelet depletion studies, we conclude that AGEPC may be a significant mediator of the circulatory alterations and apnea of rabbit IgE anaphylaxis by platelet-independent mechanisms, but neither AGEPC nor platelets appear to be important in mediating the anaphylactic lung mechanical alterations.

Anaphylaxis↗
PubMed1985

An evaluation of the foot pump as a driving source for nebulizer solutions.

The foot pump was used to drive a 'Minineb' nebulizer for 10 minutes with 2 ml of solution. It was found that when the operator employed a rate of his own choosing the output varied from 0.9 to 1.9 ml and the oxygen uptake doubled. With a stroke rate of 30/min the output was 1.2 ml and at 60/min 1.4 ml. At 60 strokes/min the average flow rate is 9.1 litres/min which would give a suitable particle size for administration of bronchodilator therapy. It is concluded that the foot pump is useful for occasional use in emergencies as the energy expenditure necessary limits its value in regular therapy and that a fixed stroke rate should be employed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Effect of specific IgG on IgE-induced systemic anaphylaxis in the rabbit.

Immunization of rabbits as neonates and periodically thereafter has been shown to induce the long-term preferential production of specific IgE antibodies. Specific IgG antibodies are not detected in the majority (greater than 70%) of rabbits when classical immunological detection techniques are used, including heterologous PCA in guinea-pig skin. Nevertheless, in this study we demonstrate that all rabbits neonatally immunized to the antigen horseradish peroxidase (HRP) do produce low levels of specific IgG antibody detectable by an ELISA technique. Serum levels of anti-HRP IgG were found to be log normally distributed, with a geometric mean for the heterologous PCA-negative sera of 31.6 X/divided by 2.69 micrograms/ml. Serum anti-HRP IgE levels (log2 homologous PCA titres) are bimodally distributed. Specific IgG and IgE levels in individual rabbits have a significant direct relationship. Six heterologous PCA-negative and seven heterologous PCA-positive rabbits were challenged intravenously with HRP. All of the respiratory and circulatory alterations typical of IgE anaphylaxis occurred in every challenged rabbit. Regression analysis of percentage changes in the physiological variables vs log specific IgE level indicated that none of the changes was either directly or inversely related to the specific IgG levels. Also the mean changes of the heterologous PCA-positive vs negative rabbits did not differ significantly. Thus, we could find no evidence for either a blocking or enhancing effect of the specific IgG antibodies (range 10-529 micrograms/ml serum) on the IgE-induced anaphylactic reaction.

Anaphylaxis↗