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Biomedical subjects

A Parkes

Publications and source records attributed to A Parkes.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Needle electromyography of the diaphragm.

A method is described for performing needle electromyography of the diaphragm which is safe and causes little discomfort. It provides valuable information concerning neuropathies and myopathies which may affect the diaphragm, and complements information derived from phrenic nerve conduction studies. Firing patterns of motor unit potentials during spontaneous respiration identify upper motor neurone disorders causing respiratory insufficiency.

Action Potentials

Increased urinary transferrin excretion in exercising normoalbuminuric insulin-dependent diabetic patients.

The median rate of urinary transferrin excretion is greatly increased by exercise in subjects with uncomplicated type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes. This increase is proportionally far greater than that seen in urinary albumin excretion rate after the same exercise. Non-diabetic control subjects showed no rise in urinary transferrin excretion rate following exercise. N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase excretion rate was higher in diabetic than control groups but did not rise with exercise. Our results suggest that patients with apparently uncomplicated diabetes have abnormal renal function. In this group an elevated urinary transferrin excretion rate appears to be a more sensitive indicator of altered renal function than is elevated albumin excretion rate. The mechanism underlying exercise-induced urinary loss of transferrin remains to be elucidated.

Acetylglucosaminidase

Abnormal blood pressure response to exercise in normoalbuminuric insulin dependent diabetic patients.

Eight male normoproteinuric Type I (insulin dependent) diabetic patients and eight age- and sex-matched non-diabetic control subjects were studied for their response to exercise. Systolic blood pressure showed an exaggerated response to exercise in the diabetic group (median 123, range 98-151 mmHg, pre-exercise vs. 187, 163-217 mmHg, immediately post exercise P less than 0.01) compared to the control group (median 112 (100-145) pre-exercise, 153 (138-178) post exercise). Resting noradrenaline levels were lower in the diabetic (D) compared with the control (C) group (D: 1.66, 0.55-3.92 nmol/l vs. C: 2.96, 2.04-4.49 nmol/l, P less than 0.02). Levels rose during exercise by 79% (25-307%) and 43% (4-90%) respectively (NS). Resting urinary sodium was raised in the diabetic group and fell during exercise (P less than 0.05) (D: 146, 74-244 mumol/min, C: 108.5 (83.4-151.0) pre-exercise vs. D: 73, 48-264 mumol/min, C: 81.7 (23.0-92.0) post exercise). Resting atrial natriuretic peptide levels were lower in the diabetic group (D: 10.1, 4.3-16.9 pmol/l vs. C: 16.0, 9.5-22.9 pmol/l, P less than 0.02) and levels rose significantly in both groups during exercise (D: 25.9, 5.2-38.9 pmol/l vs. C: 28.6, 17.3-47.2 pmol/l, P less than 0.05). We conclude that exercise provokes an exaggerated rise in systolic blood pressure and decrease in urinary sodium excretion in normoalbuminuric diabetic patients. These findings may reflect increased sensitivity to the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. Reduced atrial natriuretic peptide levels may stimulate sodium retention and increased blood pressure in early diabetes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Albuminuria

Recording sound from human skeletal muscle: technical and physiological aspects.

In order to examine technical factors that influence muscle sound recording, single twitches of muscle were utilized since their waveforms were likely to be reproducible. We observed that satisfactory recordings could be made with either Archer air interface, or Hewlett-Packard direct contact sensor, microphones. Firm contact and stability between the microphone and the skin surface were particularly important. Frequencies below 20 Hz, the lower limit of the human auditory range, must be recorded, since they account for at least 90% of the power of the muscle sound wave. The chief frequencies were below 4 Hz. The sound wave produced by a maximal twitch of human thenar muscle induced by median nerve stimulation at the wrist is maximal in amplitude over the center and recedes to near zero at the margins of the muscle. It is preceded by the muscle compound action potential and is followed by the force curve, recorded with a strain gauge attached to the thumb. The sound resembles force in total time course, and it increases with increasing strengths of nerve stimulation. However, it differs in its latency, phase relationships, and response to nerve stimulation at different frequencies. Some of the features of muscle sound suggest it relates to both the active contractile and the parallel elastic components of muscle during a twitch contraction, but not the series elastic component.

Adult