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Biomedical subjects

B S Gupta

Publications and source records attributed to B S Gupta.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Evaluation of communication skills of physicians about asthma.

OBJECTIVE: Communication skills in medical practice are important. To assess the communication skills of physicians about asthma, we undertook this study. METHODS: One thousand four hundred and twenty one physicians attending the annual conference of association of physicians of India volunteered to participate in the study. They were divided into three categories. 'Teachers' group 1, (n = 131), 'Clinicians', group 2, (n = 951) and 'Students' group 3, (n = 339). Questionnaire containing ten most frequently asked questions by asthmatic patients were given to the physicians. A panel of three patients assessed the replies of these question and graded them as 'Convincing', 'Just convincing' and 'Not convincing'. RESULTS: Replies of only 2% of physicians were graded as convincing, 15.6% just convincing and 82.4 as not convincing. Among group 1 none gave a convincing reply while replies of 2.2% of group 2 and 2.4% of group 3 were graded as convincing. The difference in results was not significant statistically on comparing the three groups (p > 0.1). CONCLUSIONS: Communication skills are the integral part of patient care and management. Our study demonstrated lack of effective communication skills among physicians.

Asthma↗
PubMed2001

Lipid profile in rheumatoid arthritis and its relation to disease activity.

AIM OF THE STUDY: To ascertain whether--1. Serum lipids are altered in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and 2. Disease activity has any role in altering lipid profile. METHODOLOGY: Lipid profiles of 25 RA cases were compared with age and sex matched controls. RESULTS: Serum triglycerides (STG) and total cholesterol (TC) were found to be significantly lower in RA patients. In patients with very active disease, activity index (AI) > 80, STG, TC and low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) were significantly lower as compared to controls. For TG 'r' value of -0.483 indicated negative correlation between disease activity and TG values, though the correlation is not significant (p > 0.05). For TC 'r' value (-0.0551) indicates negative correlation between disease activity and serum TC.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1997

Biomechanics of human common carotid artery and design of novel hybrid textile compliant vascular grafts.

The mechanical properties and structure of a human common carotid artery were studied in order to develop criteria for designing and manufacturing compliant textile vascular grafts. The arterial wall comprised a composite of elastin and collagen fibers with the collagen fibers crimped. This structure led to a unique pressure-circumferential stretch ratio curve, the slope of which increased with an increase in strain. The increase in slope was particularly rapid at a stretch ratio above 1.4 or pressure above 120 mmHg. Based on the knowledge gained, a criteria for the design of biomechanically compliant arterial grafts was developed. An elastomeric prestretched polyurethane monofilament yarn with a low modulus of elasticity and a bulked polyester multifilament yarn with a high modulus of elasticity were combined and used as threads in the manufacture of grafts. Tubular structures of diameters in the range 4-6 mm were made by weaving. Transverse compliance and morphological and permeability properties of these grafts were determined and compared with those of a currently available woven commercial grafts and human carotid arteries. Results indicated that the compliance values of the hybrid grafts were comparable with those of the human carotid artery. Preliminary in vivo studies in dogs showed promising results: a thin, stable neointima developed within 6 months of implantation on the flow surface.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Effects of caffeine on perceptual judgment.

The present study examined the effects of caffeine on the estimation of felt width of blocks employing haptic presentation. Following a between-subject design, 160 male postgraduate students classified as high or low impulsives received either placebo or one of four doses of caffeine citrate (1, 2, 3 and 4 mg/kg body weight). A double-blind procedure was adopted for drug administration. Caffeine produced differential effects on the performance of high and low impulsives, facilitated performance (decreased error in perceptual judgment) in high impulsives but had no influence on the performance of low impulsives. The dose-response trends also followed different patterns in the two groups of subjects.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Serum, CSF, RBC & urinary levels of magnesium & calcium in idiopathic generalised tonic clonic seizures.

Serum, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and urinary levels of magnesium and calcium and RBC magnesium levels were studied in 100 patients of idiopathic generalised tonic clonic seizures and 95 healthy controls matched for age and sex. There was a significant reduction in serum, CSF and RBC magnesium levels and a rise in serum and CSF calcium levels in epileptic patients. The 24 h urinary excretion of calcium and magnesium in the epileptics did not differ from controls. Post ictal (within 24 h of seizure) serum and CSF magnesium levels were significantly lower and calcium levels significantly higher as compared to inter ictal levels (4 wk after seizure). There was no correlation between serum magnesium, serum calcium and CSF calcium levels and the frequency, control or duration of fits. Low CSF magnesium levels correlated with increased frequency, poor control and longer duration of fits. Patients with status epilepticus and those in the EEG abnormalities had low CSF magnesium levels.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Use of carbon dioxide laser in improving knot security in polyester sutures.

Knot slippage continues to be a serious concern in surgery. This study explored the possibility of improving knot performance by exposing it to radiation from a CO 2 laser. The specimens were mounted in a special device and exposed in a predetermined position for precisely controlled lengths of time. In the first set of experiments, the welding of ends was examined in nylon and polyester sutures. Although the welding was easily achieved, the joint was found brittle and its strength lower than that of a surgical knot. In the next set of experiments, the work was performed at a more fundamental level using oriented, high density, polyester films. The results showed that up to a certain level of exposure the tensile properties did not change, but beyond it a rapid decay took place. Shear tests on polyester sutures twisted together and then exposed to various levels of energy indicated that a bond of maximum strength developed at this exposure. Mersilene sutures of size 3/0 containing a two throw square knot when exposed to energy of this level produced optimal results. The knot strength increased by about 16% (from 13.4 N unexposed to 15.6 N exposed) and the slippage often known to occur in a two-throw knot was completely absent. This work performed under standard atmospheric conditions provided a direction for greatly enhancing the performance of a two-throw knot in terms of both the security and the strength.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Humans↗
PubMed1990

Caffeine differentially affects kinesthetic aftereffect in high and low impulsives.

The effects of caffeine on kinesthetic aftereffect (KAE) were examined. Following a between-subjects design, high and low impulsive male postgraduate students were administered placebo and four doses of caffeine (1, 2, 3 and 4 mg/kg body weight) in a laboratory situation. A double blind procedure was adopted for drug administration. The study supports the following conclusions: (1) caffeine reduces KAE in high impulsive subjects; (2) the larger dose of caffeine (4 mg/kg) enhances KAE in low impulsive subjects; (3) caffeine produces profound effects on the performance of high impulsives; (4) caffeine leads to different dose-response trends in the two groups.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Efficacy of enalapril in essential hypertension and its comparison with atenolol.

The effect of enalapril was evaluated in 67 patients with essential hypertension, and its therapeutic efficacy was compared with atenolol in a placebo run-in, single-blind, cross-over trial. Enalapril significantly reduced blood pressure in all grades of essential hypertension. As monotherapy it 'normalized' blood pressure in 88%, 50% and 25% of patients with mild, moderate and severe hypertension respectively. Optimal dose for most of the patients was 20 to 40 mg/day. Comparison with atenolol revealed almost parallel efficacy of the two drugs, although enalapril produced a significantly greater reduction in systolic blood pressure in patients with mild and moderate hypertension (P less than 0.01 in each group). No serious side effects were encountered with either drug. Enalapril, therefore, has a potent and slightly superior antihypertensive effect to that of atenolol, and may be used as a 'first-step' drug in the treatment of hypertensive patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Cerebrospinal fluid free N-acetyl neuraminic acid levels--a diagnostic and prognostic test in meningitis.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) free N-acetyl neuraminic acid (NANA) levels were estimated in 20 cases each of pyogenic and tubercular meningitis (TBM) and 10 controls. The levels of free NANA were significantly high (P less than 0.001) in pyogenic and partially treated pyogenic meningitis when compared to TBM. The CSF free NANA levels had direct correlation with severity of the disease, CSF sugar and protein levels in pyogenic meningitis. The CSF free NANA can even be a prognostic criterion in management of pyogenic meningitis. Higher the levels, poorer the prognosis.

Bacterial Infections↗
PubMed1987

Experience of a family clinic at Benghazi, Libya, and sociomedical aspects of its catchment population.

The article highlights the pioneering efforts towards establishment of a family clinic as a model for provision of primary health care to the community at family level in Libya. Home visits were undertaken by health teams to introduce the clinic and record demographic and sociomedical data. Families were invited to attend the clinic for a complete health examination. It was largely a young population with an average family size of 7.1. The houses were generally overcrowded. The majority of the heads of families had no formal education or skilled occupation but 98.1% had gainful employment. The vital statistics of the population, though comparable to the national figures, reflect a better health status. The infant mortality rate of the reference population was 25.9 per 1000 live births compared with 32.8 for the whole of Libya. Most reproductive age women (81.5%) breast fed their children for six months or more and 4% used contraceptives. The overall morbidity rate was 255 per 1000 population and the morbidity pattern, with a predominance of infections, was typical of a developing country. Each case diagnosed during the survey was appropriately treated and those with chronic diseases are being followed up. It is felt that such family based comprehensive health care units will go a long way in providing primary health care throughout Libya.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Effect of lubrication of frictional properties of sutures.

The results of this study have provided an insight into the behavior of sutures in the environment of fluids. It has been shown that friction could both increase or decrease with lubrication, depending upon the nature of the application. In tests on straight sutures, lubricants have generally led to an increase in friction. This was found in the present investigation as well as in another study which measured friction in sutures soaked in serum. These results are explained on the basis that higher friction is expected to arise if the lubricant formed a multilayer film between the sliding surfaces. In this instance, the resistance to shear flow by the lubricant becomes the governing factor. On the other hand, if only a small amount of lubricant, such as a monolayer film, is present between surfaces, as expected within the structure of a snugged surgical knot, the lubricant may play the role of decreasing adhesion and, thus, friction.

Lubrication↗
PubMed1985

Effect of suture material and construction on frictional properties of sutures.

The results overwhelmingly support the view that the coefficient of friction is not a material constant of the sutures but a function of several variables, including applied tension, suture construction and suture material. The coefficient of friction decreased with an increase in applied tension with the rate of change depending upon the suture material. Prolene and Ethilon had the highest frictional values among all sutures at low tension, but dropped to a position of lowest values at high tension. On an average, braided sutures gave higher frictional values than did the monofilament sutures. Sutures with special surface coatings (silicone or Teflon) generally gave lower values than did the sutures without any such coatings. Similar results were reported in other studies on coated materials. The differences in frictional profiles are governed by the differences in the viscoelastic nature of the suture materials. The unusual traces produced by Prolene were considered as being due to its high degree of stretch and elasticity. Others similarly found that Prolene behaved peculiarly due to a high degree of stretch. Finally, coefficient of friction is an important property of suture materials as it is expected to have a direct bearing on the security of knots. A careful study of this parameter under a variety of clinical conditions is essential to gain an understanding of the behavior of surgical knots in clinical practice. The present study gives detailed information on the frictional behavior of various types of surgical suture materials.

Sutures↗
PubMed1984

Dextroamphetamine and individual susceptibility to reinforcement in verbal operant conditioning.

The present investigation was designed to study the relationships between extraversion, d-amphetamine and modes of reinforcement in verbal operant conditioning. A factorial design involving two levels of extraversion (extraverts and introverts), two reinforcement conditions ('good' and 'electric shock') and three treatments (placebo and two doses, 7.5 and 12.5 mg, of d-amphetamine) with repeated measures on the last factor was used. Sixty postgraduate female students were individually subjected to Taffel's verbal conditioning procedure. The study supported the following conclusions: (1) under the placebo condition, the extraverted subjects condition better with the rewarding reinforcer while the introverted subjects condition better with the punishing reinforcer; (2) under the influence of d-amphetamine, the extraverted subjects condition better with the punishing reinforcer while the conditioning scores of introverted subjects decrease with the punishing reinforcer but are not influenced with the rewarding reinforcer.

Adult↗