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Biomedical subjects

C H Harris

Publications and source records attributed to C H Harris.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Teaching by the nurse: how important is it to patients?

Few studies address patients' perceptions of the importance of education by a nurse and how this relates to their view of quality care. This article reports on a secondary data analysis that examined the influence of demographic and background characteristics and health status on the importance of teaching to patients (n = 239) in ambulatory care. Health education by nurses was important to patients, some more than others. Teaching for health promotion was more important to men than to women (t = 2.51, p = 0.01) and more important to Blacks than to Whites (t = 3.43, p = 0.001). As patients' educational level increased, it was less important to have a nurse in ambulatory care teach them about their illness and treatments and about health promotion. Patient education and being able to call a nurse with questions were significantly more important to patients with lower incomes and lower mental and emotional health scores.

Ambulatory Care↗
PubMed1997

Prostatic asymmetry as a risk factor for prostatic carcinoma: serial prostate-specific antigen monitoring and cancer detection.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the rates of cancer detection in men with a normal, asymmetric, or suspicious prostate on digital rectal examination (DRE) initially and after 3 years of serial monitoring of prostate specific antigen (PSA) level. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Prostatic 'asymmetry' was defined as asymmetric growth of the lateral lobes of the prostate without induration or nodules, as assessed by a DRE. The study included 963 men with no clinical evidence of prostate cancer and whose serum PSA levels were monitored at 4 month intervals. Prostatic biopsy was recommended if the PSA level became persistently abnormal (> 4ng/mL) or increased by > 20% after having been initially abnormal. Cancer detection rates were compared among groups categorized by the initial DRE findings and serum PSA level. RESULTS: On comparing groups with suspicious and normal DREs, and abnormal with normal PSA levels both, as expected, were associated with a statistically significant increase in cancer detection. However, an asymmetric prostate did not carry an increased risk of detecting prostate cancer when compared with a normal prostate, regardless of PSA level. CONCLUSIONS: An asymmetric prostate does not appear to be an independent risk factor for detecting prostate cancer. Therefore, an asymmetric prostate with no abnormality in PSA level should not mandate prostatic biopsy, or even an increase in monitoring frequency above the presently recommended annual interval.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

Prospective longitudinal evaluation of men with initial prostate specific antigen levels of 4.0 ng./ml. or less.

PURPOSE: We evaluated the 3-year longitudinal changes in serial serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels in men with an initial PSA of 4.0 ng./ml. or less and no suspicion of prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 760 men with an initial PSA of 4.0 ng./ml. or less plus a normal or suspicious digital rectal examination and a benign prostate biopsy was enrolled into an every 4-month PSA monitoring study. RESULTS: Of the 559 men with an initial PSA of 2.0 ng./ml. or less only 3 (0.5%) had a persistently abnormal PSA for 3 years and 1 cancer (0.2%) was detected, and 48 men had a PSA velocity of 0.8 ng./ml. per year or more at year 1 but only 1 (2%) had a persistent rate of increase (2.4 ng./ml. per year) at 3 years. Of the 201 men with a PSA of 2.1 to 4.0 ng./ml. 85 had an abnormal PSA but only 37 (43%) met the criteria for biopsy. Only 8 of 23 biopsies (35%) revealed cancer. Of the 201 men 24 had a PSA velocity of 0.8 ng./ml. per year or more at year 1 but only 4 had persistence for 3 years. All 4 men had cancer but they were identified as at high risk by PSA criteria. CONCLUSIONS: Men with a PSA of 2.0 ng./ml. or less are at low risk for an abnormal PSA or cancer within 3 years and annual monitoring may not be necessary. However, annual monitoring is clinically useful in men with an initial PSA of 2.1 to 4.0 ng./ml. Also, serial monitoring with interval testing in men whose PSA becomes greater than 4.0 ng./ml. is beneficial in identifying a high risk group requiring biopsy. Finally, PSA velocity did not add further to cancer detection in this population.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Toxic neurofilamentous axonopathies and fast axonal transport. V. Reduced bidirectional vesicle transport in cultured neurons by acrylamide and glycidamide.

Fast axonal transport deficiencies as mechanisms of action of acrylamide in producing axonal degeneration are under evaluation. The current study determines the effects of acrylamide and several analogues on the number of vesicles moving within the neurite processes of cultured rat embryonic neurons. Acrylamide produced severe, concentration-dependent (0.25-1.0 mM) and time-dependent (0-60 min) reduction in the quantity of vesicles translocated in both the anterograde and retrograde directions. Glycidamide, a potential neurotoxic metabolite of acrylamide, produced a time-dependent but not a concentration-dependent (in the 0.25-1.0 mM range) reduction in bidirectional transport. Based on inhibition at 60 min, glycidamide was estimated to be 4 times more potent than acrylamide in altering transport. Propionamide, a C1-C2 saturated nonneurotoxic acrylamide analogue, had no effect on axonal transport. While a tendency for methylene bisacrylamide (MbACR) to reduce vesicle transport was noted, at the concentration used no statistically significant differences from control were observed. The data support the correlation between toxicant-induced fast anterograde and retrograde axonal transport reductions and axonal degeneration produced by acrylamide and its analogues.

Acrylamide↗
PubMed1993

Canine IgA glomerulonephropathy.

Three young intact male dogs housed together in a canine blood donor facility developed immune complex glomerulonephropathy within 2 years of each other. All three had membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis with varying clinical presentation and progression. Two dogs had subendothelial, and one dog subepithelial, electron microscopic dense deposits. Immunoperoxidase staining indicated that the primary antibody involved in the glomerular disease of these three dogs was IgA. The nature of the electron dense deposits was further studied by eluting and identifying immunoglobulin from affected kidneys of one dog. The primary antibody identified had a molecular weight greater than 300,000 Da and was determined to be IgA. Although IgA glomerulonephropathy is a common cause of glomerular disease in humans, this study represents the first documentation of the clinical syndrome of IgA glomerulonephropathy in the dog.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

CGRP-immunoreactive primary afferent nerve fibers in the rat urinary bladder: effects of dorsal rhizotomy and MK-801.

A transection lesion of the suprasacral spinal cord results in a decreased density of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-immunoreactive (I) primary afferent nerve fibers in the rat urinary bladder. The fiber density can be restored by postsurgical treatment with the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist MK-801. We are attempting to determine the level of the primary afferent neuron at which MK-801 might have a restorative effect on CGRP immunostaining. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine if MK-801 had a similar restorative effect on immunostaining for CGRP in bladder nerves after a direct lesion of the sacral afferent system, i.e., rhizotomy of the L6 and S1 dorsal roots. To assess the effect of the lesion, the mean length and number of bladder CGRP-I nerve fibers, as well as the number of CGRP-I perikarya in the L6 and S1 dorsal root ganglia (DRG), were measured following bilateral L6 and S1 dorsal rhizotomies. Both the mean length and the numbers of CGRP-I bladder fibers were significantly decreased by the lesion. However, the number of CGRP-I primary afferent perikarya in the L6 and S1 DRG was unchanged from control values. Rats which received rhizotomies and subsequent treatment with MK-801 did not exhibit restoration of the density of CGRP-I bladder fibers nor an alteration in the number of CGRP-I primary afferent perikarya. These data suggest that MK-801-induced restoration of bladder CGRP-I primary afferent nerve fibers may rely on an intact central process.

Afferent Pathways↗
PubMed1991

Family involvement: help and frustration.

DK continues on hemodialysis and has been relatively stable. His interdialytic weight gains remain excessive at times but with support, he has been able to moderate his fluid intake. His intradialytic weight loss is still restricted to 1 kg/hr. in the absence of profound objective signs of congestive heart failure. His sons have been as cooperative as they feel is possible at this time and attempt to allow him some degree of independence. They have not yet agreed to a family conference with the health care team. Although the desired behavioral changes have come slowly and in small increments, we believe that our plan is a good one. Caring for the chronically ill is always an iterative process that requires great patience and persistence.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1990

MK-801-induced sprouting by CGRP immunoreactive primary afferent fibers in the dorsal spinal cord of the rat.

In the present study, rats received daily injections of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, MK-801, over 30 consecutive days. The effects of MK-801 on the distribution of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-immunoreactive fibers in the dorsal spinal cord of the rat were subsequently examined. In addition to the normal immunostaining pattern in laminae I, II and lateral V, a dense network of CGRP-immunoreactive fibers was observed along the medial border of the dorsal horn and within the dorsal grey commissure. This marked increase in immunoreactivity was virtually eliminated following dorsal rhizotomy. These observations suggest that MK-801 induces intraspinal sprouting by CGRP immunoreactive primary afferent fibers in vivo.

Afferent Pathways↗
PubMed1987

Selecting the most effective filtration media for HPLC analysis of saccharides.

Saccharides of known standard solutions of high purity are analyzed on a carbohydrate high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) column. Standards filtered through membranes with wetting agents and other additives have different compositional results from those filtered through membranes without additives. The selection of a filter membrane to remove insolubles from the sample prior to HPLC analysis of saccharides is an important consideration of the analysis.

Carbohydrates↗
PubMedDate not supplied

CGRP immunoreactivity and NADPH-diaphorase in afferent nerves of the rat penis.

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-immunoreactive afferent nerve fibers are abundant in the rat penis. In addition, NADPH-diaphorase, which stains for nitric oxide synthase, has been localized within both autonomic and sensory dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and may be part of an important biochemical pathway involved in penile tumescence. The purpose of this study was: 1) to examine the circuitry of afferent nerves that are CGRP immunoreactive from the L6 DRG, 2) to examine the possibility that there are NADPH-diaphorase-positive afferent fibers from the L6 DRG to the rat penis, and 3) to examine the localization and colocalization of CGRP and NADPH-diaphorase within L6 DRG afferent perikarya. Calcitonin gene-related peptide immunostaining in the penis was eliminated following a bilateral transection of the pudendal nerves, but was unchanged following a bilateral transection of the pelvic splanchnic or hypogastric nerves. The NADPH-diaphorase staining was not altered by any of the nerve transections. Injection of the retrograde axonal tracer fluorogold (FG) into the dorsum penis labeled perikarya in the L6 DRG. Although the majority of FG-labeled perikarya contained neither CGRP nor NADPH-diaphorase, small subpopulations of perikarya contained either CGRP immunoreactivity, NADPH-diaphorase, or both. A unilateral pudendal nerve transection virtually eliminated (> 99%) FG labeling in the ipsilateral L6 DRG. These data suggest that NADPH-diaphorase and CGRP are present, either together or separately, within a subpopulation of penile afferent perikarya. In addition, CGRP-immunoreactive afferent nerve fibers reach the penis primarily via the pudendal nerves. Finally, NADPH-diaphorase-positive penile afferents may be another important source of nitric oxide (NO) for penile tumescence.

Afferent Pathways↗