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Biomedical subjects

B Wood

Publications and source records attributed to B Wood.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Hominid palaeobiology: have studies of comparative development come of age?

It is 70 years since Adolf Schultz urged his colleagues to consider how studies of primate growth and development could help them interpret the course of human evolution. This paper considers the evolutionary context of comparative growth studies. It compares and contrasts aspects of the ontogeny of living modern humans and chimpanzees, and considers whether relatively simple models of heterochronic change can account for the modifications which have taken place during the course of human evolutionary history.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Human evolution.

The common ancestor of modern humans and the great apes is estimated to have lived between 5 and 8 Myrs ago, but the earliest evidence in the human, or hominid, fossil record is Ardipithecus ramidus, from a 4.5 Myr Ethiopian site. This genus was succeeded by Australopithecus, within which four species are presently recognised. All combine a relatively primitive postcranial skeleton, a dentition with expanded chewing teeth and a small brain. The most primitive species in our own genus, Homo habilis and Homo rudolfensis, are little advanced over the australopithecines and with hindsight their inclusion in Homo may not be appropriate. The first species to share a substantial number of features with later Homo is Homo ergaster, or 'early African Homo erectus', which appears in the fossil record around 2.0 Myr. Outside Africa, fossil hominids appear as Homo erectus-like hominids, in mainland Asia and in Indonesia close to 2 Myr ago; the earliest good evidence of 'archaic Homo' in Europe is dated at between 600-700 Kyr before the present. Anatomically modern human, or Homo sapiens, fossils are seen first in the fossil record in Africa around 150 Kyr ago. Taken together with molecular evidence on the extent of DNA variation, this suggests that the transition from 'archaic' to 'modern' Homo may have taken place in Africa.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

John L. Gwinn, MD.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

History, 20th Century↗
PubMed1996

Semistructured child sexual abuse interviews: interview and child characteristics related to credibility of disclosure.

This study provided the first empirical description of child and interviewer behaviors occurring within semistructured assessment interviews with children suspected of being victims of sexual abuse. Specifically, relationships between child and interviewer characteristics and interview credibility were examined. Using the Child Abuse Interview Interaction Coding System (CAIICS, Wood, 1990), 55 videotaped interviews of high-risk sex abuse cases seen at a multidisciplinary assessment center were behaviorally coded. Support was found for the interrater reliability and criterion related validity of the CAIICS was found. Results also revealed that children were initially rated as relaxed and displayed few emotional behaviors. Thus, the assumption that a credible disclosure of abuse must necessarily include the display of emotion by the child was not supported. Second, several behavioral differences between preschool and school-aged children were identified: however, no meaningful gender differences were found. Third, supporting evidence was found for both age and gender effects in judgments of interview credibility, with girls and school-aged children judged as more credible. Fourth, while the interviewer did engage in so called leading behaviors, these behaviors were not found to be related to rating of interview credibility. However, interviewer behaviors may have affected interview credibility through an intervening variable. Finally, implications, for further use of the CAIICS for examining interviewer-child interactions, evaluating standards of practice, and assisting with interviewer training are discussed.

Child↗
PubMed1996

Multiple medicament allergies in two patients with chronic leg ulceration.

Medicament allergies in patients with chronic leg ulcers is well recognized. In the past, topical antibiotics, rubber additives and wool alcohols have been the most common reported allergens. Allergy to topical corticosteroids has been reported. We document two cases of multiple corticosteroid allergy in patients with chronic leg ulceration.

Administration, Cutaneous↗
PubMed1995

Comparison of secondary structures in water of chondroitin-4-sulfate and dermatan sulfate: implications in the formation of tertiary structures.

Chondroitin-4-sulfate (CS4) and dermatan sulfate (DS) were examined in D2O solution, with or without NaCl, by NMR at 300 MHz, to investigate the physicochemical consequences of epimerization of glucuronate (GlcUA in CS4) to iduronate (IdoUA in DS). Nuclear Overhauser effects (NOEs) and spin-lattice relaxation times following selective and nonselective inversion were measured at up to 70 degrees C. (1) NOEs confirmed 4C1 conformations of sugar rings in N-acetylgalactosamine and GlcUA, and 1C4 or 2S0 in IdoUA. Conflict between NMR data and periodate oxidation kinetics over IdoUA conformations is resolvable by postulating conversion of monodentate periodate-1C4 complexes to conformations in which periodate oxidation can procede. (2) Pairs of glycosidic protons in CS4 and DS showed strong NOEs, implying that stretches of 2-fold helix were present, with carboxylate and acetamido groups close to each other on the same side of tapelike molecules, extending previous work in dimethyl sulfoxide solution. CS4 and DS have large hydrophobic patches in this configuration, similar to those in keratan sulfate and hyaluronan. (3) Selective and nonselective inversion-recoveries implied similar segmental and backbone mobilities and hence flexibilities in CS4 and DS. This is discussed in terms of intrinsic flexibility of glycosidic conformations, modified by hydrogen-bonded arrays. (4) We postulate that hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding drives DS self-aggregation. Stronger self-aggregation of DS compared with CS4 is attributed to increased intermolecular hydrogen-bonding in DS, secondary to decreased intramolecular hydrogen-binding. This is partly because the axial OH groups in 1C4 IdoUA cannot hydrogen-bond to neighboring sugars as can the equatorial OH groups in GlcUA of CS4.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Presentation of acute Wernicke's encephalopathy and treatment with thiamine.

Thirty two cases of acute Wernicke's encephalopathy were observed in a period of 33 months, and prior to the mandatory thiamine enrichment of Australian bread-making flour in 1991. These cases were carefully assessed by multiple tests at specified intervals prior to, and following thiamine administration until discharge from hospital. Structured scoring of neurological signs and symptoms, CT scans, psychometry, nutritional measurements, and liver biopsies were performed. There was variation in the presentation and severity of clinical signs and symptoms and in response to treatment. All patients had alcohol-related liver disease, and the results indicated that fatty liver was important in presentation and in response to treatment with thiamine. Other forms of alcohol related brain damage were present in these patients, most of whom were in the 4th or 5th decade of life and had been drinking beer to excess for more than 20 years.

Alcoholic Intoxication↗
PubMed1995

Symptomatic fluid retention in patients on continuous peritoneal dialysis.

The clinical features, pathogenesis, management, prognosis, and predictors of symptomatic fluid gain (SFR) were analyzed for 71 episodes occurring in 66 patients on continuous peritoneal dialysis, 94.4% on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) and 5.6% on continuous cycling peritoneal dialysis. Compared with a control group of 149 CAPD patients, the SFR group had a higher percentage of diabetics (64 versus 46%) and a higher frequency of noncompliance with fluid restriction (76 versus 22%), salt restriction (74 versus 23%), and performance of dialysis (30 versus 7%) (all at P < or = 0.015). Peripheral edema (100%), pulmonary congestion (80%), pleural effusions (76%), and systolic (83%) and diastolic (66%) hypertension were the most common manifestations of SFR. The annual hospitalization rate for SFR was 4.1 +/- 5.8 days per patient. SFR resulted in the discontinuation of CAPD in 10 patients and death in 1 patient. Serum sodium concentration was not different between dry and maximal weight in the SFR group. Thirty-eight (58%) of SFR and 61 (41%) of control patients were evaluated by peritoneal equilibration tests (PET). SFR patients had lower PET drain volume (2.08 +/- 0.47 versus 2.54 +/- 0.23 L) and a higher frequency of high peritoneal solute transport (32.2 versus 2.4%). In this group, logistic regression identified dietary noncompliance, low PET drain volume, and young age as independent predictors of SFR. Response to management and preventive measures was inconsistent. The best results were obtained by the use of short dwell exchanges with hypertonic dialysate in compliant patients with high peritoneal solute transport. SFR has serious consequences in CAPD. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Diet, Sodium-Restricted↗
PubMed1995

A new device for pleural drainage in newborn infants.

OBJECTIVE: We tested a chest tube device and insertion technique designed to reduce complications and expedite effective thoracostomy tube placement. METHODOLOGY: This is a case series study. We placed chest tubes using this device in 25 infants ranging in weight from 425 to 3500 g. This investigation was performed in a regional referral center neonatal intensive care unit. RESULTS: Using this device, chest tube insertion was safe and effective. No complications were identified. CONCLUSION: We believe percutaneous placement of small-bore pigtail catheters using this technique represents a useful alternative to the standard approach of thoracostomy tube placement in small infants. SYNOPSIS: To reduce complications during thoracostomy tube placement and to expedite tube insertion, we modified a chest tube device for use in premature infants. This technique and device facilitates quick and accurate placement. We placed chest tubes using this device in 25 infants ranging from 425 to 3500 g. Using this device, chest tube insertion is quick, easy, and safe. No complications were identified. We believe percutaneous placement of small-bore pigtail catheters using this technique represents a useful alternative to the standard approaches of thoracostomy tube placement in small infants.

Birth Weight↗