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Biomedical subjects

D Patton

Publications and source records attributed to D Patton.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Toxicity equivalency factors for PCBs?

In December 1990 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sponsored a workshop to discuss the applicability of an interim "toxicity equivalency factor" (TEF) approach to assessing risks posed by exposures to complex mixtures of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The group concluded that application of the TEF approach to PCBs would be less straightforward than it was in the case of chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (CDDs/CDFs). It appears that "dioxin"-like properties of some PCB congeners are amenable to a TEF treatment that is compatible with that used for CDDs/CDFs. Such a scheme also seems to have utility in assessing risks to wildlife. Other non-"dioxin"-like toxic endpoints (e.g., neurotoxicity) appear to have a different structure-activity-related mechanism-of-action that requires a separate TEF scheme. The workshop identified data gaps in toxicology and analytical chemistry that hinder adoption of proposed TEF schemes for PCBs at this time.

Benzofurans↗
PubMed1990

Standardized portrait photography for dental patients.

Photography is becoming an increasingly important tool in the dental profession. But documentation of orthodontic or orthognathic treatment with pretreatment and posttreatment photographs can be misleading if features on one or both photographs are distorted. The dental photographer must be constantly aware of the importance of standardizing photographic variables when documentation of change is important. Although total reproducibility may not be practical, the photographer can establish a reasonably standardized approach to photographing patients. In this article the authors present the major considerations for frontal and profile facial photographs. Lens selection, camera position, subject distance, and position are all variables to be understood and controlled if accurate reproduction is desired. Numerous frontal and lateral photographs were made with head position, camera position, jaw position, and lens focal length changed to allow assessment of their contribution to the final picture. Using easily recognized facial landmarks, dental photographers can standardize frontal and lateral portraits for more consistent comparison.

Dental Records↗
PubMed1990

Evaluation of a new method for verifying truth of diagnosis in clinical research.

Having a good methodology for establishing truth of diagnosis would be invaluable to researchers in radiology. A protocol to verify the truth of diagnosis of clinical images to be used in radiologic research has been proposed that specifies six classes, depending on how the diagnosis is verified. In this paper it was evaluated. The protocol was applied to sixty-nine liver-spleen scans. Using five of the possible six classes of the protocol, 42% of the scans were verifiable. Twenty-eight per cent of the cases could be verified by non-physicians using the first four classes of the protocol. In 96% of a sample of these cases, their diagnosis matched that of the physicians. Radiologists are needed for the last two classes. However, using three radiologists to investigate Class V protocol procedures only eight (16%) more cases were clearly classifiable. Class VI was not investigated. The protocol met its objectives of reducing physician involvement and developing a detailed methodology. The difficulties inherent in verification of diagnosis are also discussed, and suggestions for improving the protocol are proposed.

Diagnosis↗
PubMed1990

The etiology of nonpsychotic emotional illness.

Two hundred and fifty couples in the general population completed self-report questionnaires which measured life events, personality, marital intimacy, and symptoms of nonpsychotic emotional illness. Path analysis was utilized to explain the development of symptoms of nonpsychotic emotional illness. Personality traits of neuroticism and extroversion explained most of the variance of symptoms of nonpsychotic emotional illness. Life events played a much smaller but significant role and marital intimacy was a nonsignificant factor. The data support a proneness model for the etiology of nonpsychotic emotional illness.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1989

Radioscintigraphic demonstration of unsuspected urine extravasation.

Three cases of unsuspected urine extravasation first detected by radionuclide scintigraphy are presented with subsequent confirmation by CT and, retrograde pyelograms. A renal study done to rule out acute transplant rejection demonstrates gallbladder uptake which was initially thought to be consistent with urine extravasation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Psychomotor skills laboratories as self-directed learning: a study of nursing students' perceptions.

Fifty-nine baccalaureate nursing students were surveyed regarding their preferred method of learning psychomotor skills necessary for clinical practice. In addition, 12 faculty members were also asked to express their opinions of the best way for students to learn psychomotor skills. The use of a self-directed clinical laboratory was supported by both students and faculty in this study. Hands on and visual pre-clinical experiences with adequate equipment were the major factors influencing the students' requests for clinical laboratories. Faculty expressed the same concerns about equipment and human resources, but their support of the laboratory was tempered and based on the presence or absence of adequate human resources and equipment available to students in the clinical setting.

Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate↗
PubMed1988

Pulmonary fungal infections after bone marrow transplantation.

Of 319 pediatric patients treated with bone marrow transplantation (BMT) during a 10-year period, 27 developed pulmonary fungal infections (PFI). Only 2 patients (7%) survived. Twenty-three patients (85%) had been treated with systemic antifungal therapy immediately before or at the time of diagnosis. Nineteen patients (70%) were neutropenic, and 4 of the 8 patients who were not neutropenic were being treated with systemic steroids for graft vs. host disease (GVHD). Seven patients (26%) died within 7 days of diagnosis. The diagnosis was made ante-mortem in 9 patients (33%). Radiographic abnormalities were variable. At the onset of chest X-ray (CXR) change, the pulmonary infiltrates were unilateral in 14 patients (52%) and, at diagnosis, bilateral in 18 (66%). At diagnosis the infiltrates were interstitial in 3 patients (11%), alveolar in 20 (74%) and mixed in 4 (15%). Six patients (22%) developed cavitary lesions. The infecting agents were Aspergillus in 21 patients (78%), Candida in 7 (26%), Mucormycosis in 3 (11%), and Fusarium in 1 (4%). Five patients (19%) had mixed fungal infections and 7 (26%) had concurrent cytomegalovirus (CMV) pulmonary infections. Although the radiographic changes are often nonspecific in PFI, alveolar or nodular infiltrates in neutropenic patients or in those being treated for GVHD should strongly suggest a fungal etiology.

Aspergillosis↗
PubMed1988

Bilateral Warthin's tumor.

A case report of bilateral mixed Warthin's tumors with nonuniform uptake demonstrated by Tc-99m pertechnetate imaging is presented. The findings are compared to CT, surgical, and pathology results.

Adenolymphoma↗
PubMed1988

Thrombophilia: new ideas about old problems.

Patients with recurrent thrombosis may have one of the thrombophilias described in recent literature. These clotting disorders may involve abnormalities in platelets, fibrinogen, plasminogen, protein C, protein S, or antithrombin III. There is usually a family history of clotting disorders, since most of these are inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Types of marital intimacy and prevalence of emotional illness.

Epidemiological research has demonstrated that married individuals generally experience better emotional health than the single, divorced and widowed. The married populations in these studies were not evaluated on the basis of the quality of their marital relationships. Research on the interpersonal quality of marital relationships in the general married population has rarely been reported in the psychiatric literature. A sample of the general married population (n = 250 couples) completed a self-report questionnaire which measures the quality and the quantity of intimacy in marriage. Four types of marital patterns were operationally defined by total intimacy score, pattern of scale profile, and social desirability scores. The relative frequencies of these types of marriages are reported. The prevalence of symptoms of non-psychotic emotional illness in one or both spouses in the four categories of marriage is reported. Thirty-one percent (31%) of the couples report marriages with absent and/or deficient intimacy. Couples with "absent and/or deficient" marital intimacy had a significantly higher proportion of spouses with symptoms of non-psychotic emotional illness. This study suggests that previous research may have confounded the variables of marital status and marital quality in the study of psychiatric disorder. These studies may have under-estimated the positive effect of an "optimally" intimate relationship.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1986

An abnormal plasma distribution of protein S occurs in functional protein S deficiency.

Protein S is a natural anticoagulant present in the plasma that serves as a cofactor for activated protein C. Patients deficient in protein S are subject to recurrent venous thrombotic disease. Protein S deficiency differs from other plasma protein deficiencies in that deficient patients often have normal or only mildly reduced levels of protein S in their plasma as detected by conventional immunologic methods but have markedly reduced functional protein S levels. This apparent discrepancy is due to the presence of two forms of protein S in plasma. The protein S is present free and in a complex with C4b-binding protein. The free form is functionally active, whereas the bound form is not. Examination by crossed immunoelectrophoresis of 31 functionally protein S-deficient individuals from seven families reveals that 29 of the 31 have all or most of their protein S complexed to C4b-binding protein with little or no free protein and have correspondingly low levels of protein S functional activity (type I deficiency). Two related protein S-deficient individuals show a different type of distribution with little or no protein S, either bound or free (type II deficiency). The detection and classification of protein S-deficient individuals requires the application of both a functional assay and an assessment of protein S distribution between bound and free forms.

Carrier Proteins↗
PubMed1985

Sex and marital intimacy.

The quality of sex and marital intimacy may be related to each other in ways which are not clearly understood. Some theorists have suggested that they vary positively with each other. Others have suggested an independent relationship. Two hundred and fifty couples in the community completed the Waring Intimacy Questionnaire (WIQ). Included in the WIQ is a qualitative assessment of sexual communication and fulfillment in the marriage. Weak positive correlations between sex and total intimacy were found for both husbands (r = .41) and wives (r = .39). A principal components factor analysis revealed separate factor structures for husbands' and wives' data. For the women, a single factor (intimacy) included strong loadings from all facets of intimacy defined. Their degree of sexual fulfillment was included in this factor. For husbands, on the other hand, a second factor (sexuality) accounted for 12.7% of the variance. These results suggest that discrepancies between previous studies may be a function of clinical populations being investigated, or an effect of averaging husbands' and wives' data. The results are discussed in terms of their clinical implications.

Communication↗