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Biomedical subjects

D Donaldson

Publications and source records attributed to D Donaldson.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Do antidepressants cause folic acid depletion? A pilot study.

Chronic administration of tricyclic antidepressants is common; folic acid depletion is a potential consequence adversely affecting the mental state. In a pilot study prior to research in the community, serum and red cell folate and serum vitamin B (12) levels were measured in the following elderly psychiatric inpatients: 14 controls (patients not receiving any drugs with known antifolate activity), 11 receiving tricyclic antidepressants, 13 receiving antipsychotics (phenothiazines) and four receiving an anticonvulsant (carbamazepine). Patients on prolonged treatment with carbamazepine or phenothiazine drugs had lower concentrations of folate in serum and erythrocytes compared with controls; the decrease was statistically significant for the effect of phenothiazines on serum folate levels. Tricyclic antidepressants, which are in widespread use in the community, did not cause folate depletion during the first two years of treatment.

Aged↗
PubMed1984

Albumin Redhill, a human albumin variant.

Albumin Redhill, a variant human albumin with the same C-terminal amino acid as albumin A but with arginine at the N-terminus has been isolated by chromatofocusing from the sera of an English family. Albumin Redhill appears to contain two sites of mutation in its protein chain and is probably a proalbumin. The ability of albumin Redhill to bind Ni(II) or Cu(II) ions is considerably less than that of albumin A.

Aged↗
PubMed1983

First-year experience with a performance simulation system.

Providing a preclinical learning environment for the undergraduate dental student that is realistic and representative of the clinical setting has been a concern to dental teachers. This article describes a system that provides consistency in the optimal relationship of the operator and patient while emphasizing a balanced postural position. The dental simulator provides an approach that is transferable to all aspects of clinical dental treatment. The student is involved in a learning experience that serves as a basis for future behavior that is consistent with comfort and efficiency in the delivery of dental care.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed1982

Anxiety: its management during the treatment of the adolescent dental patient.

Surveys indicate that the adolescent, in particular, suffers from acute anxiety in relation to dentistry. This anxiety is promoted by the general opinion they form of dentists and dentistry through portrayal by their peers and the media. In addition, their own attitude to dentistry, both positive and negative, is influenced to a large extent by the dentist himself. This patient-dentist relationship is, therefore, especially important when treating the adolescent and this should be emphasized in the dental undergraduate curriculum. Psychological methods can be effective in overcoming anxiety but they may be time-consuming. The technique of rapid induction analgesia, using hypnosis by indirect suggestion, may be the most practical modality in this field. Pharmacological techniques remain the principal method of stress reduction. The oral sedative-hypnotic of choice has progressed from the barbiturates to the benzodiazepines mainly due to the selective action of the latter on the limbic system coupled with their high therapeutic index. The newer benzodiazepines combine a more rapid onset with accelerated recovery. Nitrous oxide remains a safe and predictable agent for sedation but its ability to reinforce post-hypnotic suggestion has not been fully realized in the past. Intravenous sedation has evolved from a general anaesthetic technique to a predictable conscious sedation technique with the benzodiazepines again dominating the field. The advent of newer benzodiazepines with much shorter half-lives will improve their properties further. With the combination of the psychological and pharmacological techniques available, anxiety for the adolescent in dentistry may be overcome.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Combined therapy with ascorbic acid and calcitonin for the relief of bone pain in Paget's disease.

In a short trial, 24 patients with Paget's disease of the bone were treated for 2 weeks with either ascorbic acid and calcitonin in combination, or with calcitonin alone. Pain relief was then assessed subjectively by the patients and classified as nil, some, or a marked reduction in pain. There were 11 patients in the group on combined therapy and 73% of them experienced pain relief, compared with 85% of the 13 patients in the group on calcitonin alone. In the patients who experienced pain relief, however, 62% of those on the ascorbic acid and calcitonin combination claimed a marked relief of pain compared with only 36% of the patients who responded to calcitonin alone. These results indicate that when calcitonin and ascorbic acid are used in combination they may provide an increase in the extent of pain relief, but do not increase the total proportion of patients actually obtaining relief. Urinary hydroxyproline excretion was reduced in the calcitonin treated group, but there was little change in the patients on the combined therapy.

Ascorbic Acid↗
PubMed1980

Systemic complications with intravenous diazepam.

There are few published reports of complications following intravenous diazepam administration. However, more than 200 cases were reported to the United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare during a 7-year period. The systemic complications have been categorized by the authors, and common contributing factors are emphasized. The information obtained from these reports provides further knowledge of both the avoidance and the treatment of such complications and emphasizes the importance of reporting the adverse effects of any drug to a central body.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Folic acid and mental symptoms in children with epilepsy.

312 children resident at a hospital school received a neuropsychiatric examination and information was provided on their IQ status. Children with a fall in their IQ were identified. Serum and red cell folate values were estimated and the relationship between neuropsychiatric disturbances and folate disturbances explored. Patients with a fall in IQ, neurotic disturbance and depression all had significantly lower serum folic acid levels than the rest of the population, and the children with neurotic disturbances and depression had significantly lower red cell folate values. The relationship between folic acid metabolism and the neuropsychiatric disturbances is discussed in the light of these findings.

Child↗
PubMed1979

Specificity of chromatin transcription in vitro. Anomalies due to RNA-dependent RNA synthesis.

In the presence of Mn2+, globin mRNA can be transcribed into a partial RNA copy by Escherichia coli RNA polymerase. This process also occurs when the mRNA is transcribed together with chromatin. A fraction, at least, of the newly synthesized RNA copy (anti-globin RNA) can serve as a template for the synthesis of globin sequences of the same polarity as the original mRNA. This process is sufficient to explain the specific synthesis of a subset of the globin RNA on mouse foetal liver chromatin. It also accounts for the synthesis of double-stranded RNA sequence by E. coli RNA polymerase, on chromatin as well as on pure mRNA. Results are presented suggesting that the poly(A) tract of the mRNA could be preferentially transcribed. In the presence of Mg2+, the RNA-dependent transcription is strongly inhibited, as well as the synthesis of double-stranded RNA. Under these conditions, the transcription on chromatin appears to be largely DNA dependent, and the synthesis of globin sequences is completely asymmetric. Spermine (0.3 mM) seems to improve the specificity of transcription. The transcription of chromatin in vitro is thus largely dependent on the nature of the divalent cation present in the in the incubation mixture.

Animals↗