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Biomedical subjects

A M Williams

Publications and source records attributed to A M Williams.

98 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
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Phantom limb pain: elusive, yet real.

Phantom limb pain is reported by almost all people who have had an amputation and by others who have dysfunction of their afferent nervous system pathways. Those who experience it indicate that the pain is real and that it is the body part that is "phantom." Although this phenomenon is widely recognized, it is not well understood. The seeming incongruence of pain in a missing body part, combined with the difficulty of successfully treating this pain, result in severe chronic pain in a majority of people who have had an amputation. Treatment with drugs that reduce the number of functional sodium channels has been tried with success, as have various neurophysiological manipulations. This article addresses issues related to sensory experiences associated with phantom body parts and the treatment of pain associated with those experiences.

Humans↗
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Effects of attentional strategies and anxiety constraints on perceptual-motor organisation of rhythmical arm movements.

Effects of anxiety on perceptual-motor organisation of rhythmical forearm movements were examined using an interrupted time series design with staggered baselines. Participants were exposed to repeated baseline sessions interrupted with two anxiety-inducing sessions. Results showed that under moderate levels of anxiety, determined from CSAI-2 and heart rate data, phase relations between oscillating forearms became more stable in in-phase (0 degrees ) and anti-phase (180 degrees ) modes, although these patterns were not maintained in baseline sessions following the anxiety manipulation. Data were consistent with participants employing a strategy of allocating greater attentional effort in stabilizing preferred co-ordination patterns under anxiety-inducing conditions. Results suggest that anxiety can temporarily act as a source of behavioural information, leading to the re-parameterisation of participants' intrinsic dynamics.

Activity Cycles↗
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Nutrition during and after cancer treatment: a guide for informed choices by cancer survivors.

Many studies have been conducted about dietary interventions aimed at preventing cancer. The American Cancer Society has published guidelines on diet, nutrition and cancer prevention, which are updated periodically as new evidence emerges, and other groups, too, have issued statements or guidelines about nutritional strategies to prevent cancer. Much less is known, however, about optimal nutrition for cancer survivors. This report looks at the different phases of cancer survivorship, from active treatment to advanced disease, and presents existing evidence from which informed decisions can be made regarding dietary choices. Popular complementary and alternative methods related to dietary intervention are reviewed. Nutrition information is also provided according to common cancer sites. As this is an area that requires survivors and health care providers to communicate effectively, a special section on "frequently asked questions" is provided for use as a patient education handout.

Body Weight↗
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Therapeutically conducive relationships between nurses and patients: an important component of quality nursing care.

The relationship between nurses and patients was identified as an important component of quality nursing care in two grounded theory studies carried out concurrently in Perth, Western Australia. Interviews with 22 nurses and 23 patients provided the primary sources of data. Analysis was performed using the constant comparative method. Comparison of the findings of these two studies focussed on aspects of the nurse-patient relationship and revealed additional information concerning the establishment of relationships, the association with quality nursing care, as well as factors influencing relationship development. This research demonstrated that the overriding contextual condition needed for relationship development was the availability of adequate time.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
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Prostatic growth rate determined from MRI data: age-related longitudinal changes.

Men with prostatic enlargement are at highest risk of developing symptomatic lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and related outcomes, such as acute urinary retention. The study of prostatic growth rate can identify the age range at which prostate growth peaks. Evaluation of the natural course of prostate growth requires repeated intraindividual volume measurements at time intervals sufficient to document growth. Our objective was to examine age-stratified prostate growth rates from men taking part in a longitudinal study of aging using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the prostate. Sixty-four men (ages 30-71 years) enrolled in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) who had T2 pelvic MRIs taken approximately every 2 years were studied. Men were age stratified into four groups: <45, 45-55, 56-65, and >65 years old. Whole prostate and central gland (anatomically referred to as the transition zone) volumes were determined from the MRI images by a semi-automated image analysis program. Peripheral gland volumes were calculated as the difference between whole prostate and central gland volumes. Growth rates (cc per year) were calculated as change in volume divided by the time interval. On the basis of measurements from the T2 images (n = 128), we observed a linear trend between prostate volume and age. The overall prostate growth rate was 2.36 +/- 3.52 cc per year. Age-stratified growth rates revealed that prostate growth increased with age, peaked at 4.15 +/- 4.98 cc/year for the 56-65-year-old age group and then declined rapidly for the older-aged men. The central gland growth rates followed a trend similar to total prostate volume. These data suggest that there is an age-related increase in prostate growth rate that peaks in men ages 56-65 and then declines. Identification of this trend in prostate growth may aid physicians in targeting men for early diagnosis of LUTS and for possible early intervention. Future studies with a larger sample size are necessary to substantiate these findings.

Adolescent↗