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Biomedical subjects

D P Hall

Publications and source records attributed to D P Hall.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Preventive mental health interventions in peacekeeping missions to Somalia and Haiti.

Mental health interventions of the 528th Combat Stress Control unit to limit the numbers of psychiatric casualties on recent peacekeeping missions are discussed. Similarities and differences in the mental health support of Operation Restore Hope (Somalia) and Operation Uphold Democracy (Haiti) are reviewed. The mission to Somalia was marked by unexpected combat casualties. The mission to Haiti was marked by unexpected self-inflected casualties. Lessons learned by mental health officers serving on these missions are discussed. Recommendations for prevention of psychiatric casualties on future missions are presented.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1996

Stress, suicide, and military service during Operation Uphold Democracy.

The initial weeks of Operation Uphold Democracy were marked by a high rate of major axis I disorders among soldiers presenting for treatment at the 528th Combat Stress Center. The mission to Haiti was also marked by three suicides during the first 30 days. The author explores psychodynamic sources of stress that may have contributed to the high level of psychiatric acuity observed during that first month. Then, distinctions are made between psychiatric conditions that present in combat and those that occur on peacekeeping missions.

Combat Disorders↗
PubMed1995

Helping the helper: 528th Combat Stress Center in Somalia.

Seventy-three Rangers were injured and 18 were killed after an ambush in Somalia. Members of the 46th Combat Support Hospital provided nearly continuous care to the wounded soldiers over the subsequent 36 hours. Members of the 528th Combat Stress Center provided psychological support to hospital personnel. Those who provide emergency services to trauma victims are often neglected in terms of the emotional trauma they experience in caring for the injured. This article describes the use of critical incident stress debriefings as a means to reduce distress in the wake of mass-casualty care.

Combat Disorders↗
PubMed1995

Stress and arousal in deployment of a combat support hospital.

Two hundred thirty-nine soldiers from the 28th Combat Support Hospital were evaluated for stress and arousal during deployment preparations for Operation Uphold Democracy. We measured stress and arousal using the Stress Arousal Checklist and found increased levels of arousal in officers and older soldiers. We also found higher levels of arousal in soldiers reporting a greater number of hours of sleep during the preceding 24 hours. We found no significant difference in stress scores for several demographic and coping behavior groups. Based on lower arousal scores, younger, sleep-deprived, and enlisted soldiers may be at the highest risk for accidents during deployment preparations.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1992

Frontal lobe cerebral aneurysm rupture presenting as psychosis.

A 23 year old male with acute onset of blunted affect, looseness of associations and auditory hallucinations presented to a tertiary care hospital 10 days after development of symptoms. Before transfer, the patient received a diagnosis of schizophreniform disorder and treatment with haloperidol was started which resulted in moderate improvement. Examination led to detection of a ruptured cerebral aneurysm in the left frontal lobe. Evacuation of the haematoma and repair of the aneurysm resulted in nearly complete resolution of symptoms. The rare incidence of acute aneurysm rupture, presenting in the case described, demonstrates the importance of a complete neurological examination in the evaluation of acute mental status changes.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Identification and characterization of greater mood variance in depression.

OBJECTIVE: The authors sought to assess the quantity and quality of mood variation in depressed persons. METHOD: Using a visual analogue scale, they compared variation of mood in a group of patients (N = 9) with a DSM-III-R diagnosis of depressive disorder and in a group of nondepressed subjects (N = 9) over 12 consecutive hours. To quantify mood variation for each subject, the authors computed the standard deviation of each subject's 13 mood ratings on the visual analogue scale. To characterize the quality of mood variation within each subject, they plotted each subject's mood ratings as a function of time and applied complex demodulation to confirm cyclical patterns of mood variability (ultradian cycles). RESULTS: The depressed group demonstrated greater mood score variability over the course of the day. Both groups demonstrated ultradian cycles and circadian trends; however, the depressed group demonstrated ultradian cycles of significantly greater amplitude than the nondepressed group. CONCLUSIONS: Repeated assessments of mood at different times of the day may be necessary to obtain an accurate impression of a patient's mood state. Further, the mechanism of depressive disorders may include a deregulation of a normal oscillatory mood variation pattern.

Activity Cycles↗
PubMed1985

Exposure to nicotine enhances the behavioral stimulant effect of nicotine and increases binding of [3H]acetylcholine to nicotinic receptors.

Rats were given daily injections of nicotine sulfate in doses ranging from 0.1 to 0.4 mg/kg. The behavioral effect of these injections was measured as locomotor activity in photocell cages. Repeated administration of the same dose to each rat resulted in an enhancement of the stimulant effect of nicotine. This enhanced behavioral effect was quite pronounced within 5 days of repeated injection. Tissue from the cerebral cortex of these rats, exposed to nicotine for 5 days, was assayed for binding of [3H]acetylcholine to nicotinic receptors. These relatively small doses of nicotine resulted in 18-26% increases in cortical nicotinic receptors, compared to saline-treated rats. Rats exposed to 0.2 mg/kg of nicotine for 5 days and then given saline for 7 days still showed an enhanced behavioral response to nicotine on the eighth day after exposure, and nicotinic binding in the cortex was still elevated. However, 21 days after exposure to nicotine both the behavioral response to nicotine and the binding values had returned to the same values as those of saline-treated rats. These data imply that increased binding of [3H]acetylcholine to nicotinic sites and the enhanced behavioral effect of nicotine are functionally linked.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1985

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty: an update on indications, techniques, and results.

Despite continued efforts at disease prevention, coronary artery disease remains accountable for more than 500,000 deaths per year in the United States. Surgical intervention has assumed a well-deserved role over the past 16 years in disease palliation and receives wide application. More recently, PTCA has emerged as a proven technique for coronary revascularization that can be applied to a large group of patients with coronary artery disease. Clearly complementing bypass surgery, percutaneous dilatation offers certain advantages such as reduced emotional pain and suffering, sizable economic savings, and reduced time lost from work. As diagnostic technology continues to improve, the goal of early disease recognition and gentle nonsurgical resolution may well be accomplished in many individuals suffering from coronary artery disease.

Angioplasty, Balloon↗
PubMed1985

High-affinity binding of [3H]acetylcholine to muscarinic cholinergic receptors.

High-affinity binding of [3H]acetylcholine to muscarinic cholinergic sites in rat CNS and peripheral tissues was measured in the presence of cytisin, which occupies nicotinic cholinergic receptors. The muscarinic sites were characterized with regard to binding kinetics, pharmacology, anatomical distribution, and regulation by guanyl nucleotides. These binding sites have characteristics of high-affinity muscarinic cholinergic receptors with a Kd of approximately 30 nM. Most of the muscarinic agonist and antagonist drugs tested have high affinity for the [3H]acetylcholine binding site, but pirenzepine, an antagonist which is selective for M-1 receptors, has relatively low affinity. The ratio of high-affinity [3H]acetylcholine binding sites to total muscarinic binding sites labeled by [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate varies from 9 to 90% in different tissues, with the highest ratios in the pons, medulla, and heart atrium. In the presence of guanyl nucleotides, [3H] acetylcholine binding is decreased, but the extent of decrease varies from 40 to 90% in different tissues, with the largest decreases being found in the pons, medulla, cerebellum, and heart atrium. The results indicate that [3H]acetylcholine binds to high-affinity M-1 and M-2 muscarinic receptors, and they suggest that most M-2 sites have high affinity for acetylcholine but that only a small fraction of M-1 sites have such high affinity.

Acetylcholine↗