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Biomedical subjects

J E Campbell

Publications and source records attributed to J E Campbell.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

A comparison of efficacy and tolerance of the short acting sedatives midazolam and zopiclone.

AIMS: To compare the efficacy and tolerance of midazolam, 15 mg and zopiclone 7.5 mg once daily for seven days in a prospective, double blind trial of 88 patients, aged 18 or over, with sleep disorders in general practice. METHODS: Efficacy was evaluated using the Leeds sleep evaluation questionnaire (LSEQ). Adverse reactions were recorded as volunteered. RESULTS: fifty-one patients completed all aspects of the trial without violation of the protocol. Patients taking zopiclone improved in all aspects of the Leeds questionnaire (p < 0.01). Patients taking midazolam improved in six out of 10 items (p < 0.01). Rebound insomnia was evident in the zopiclone group in five out of 10 items of the LSEQ. Rebound was not evident in the midazolam group. There were no significant differences between midazolam 15 mg, and zopiclone 7.5 mg, in comparison between groups. Thirty-eight patients suffered 49 adverse drug reactions and there were no differences between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Zopiclone 7.5 mg daily improved more items on the LSEQ than midazolam 15 mg daily but was associated with significant rebound insomnia. Adverse reactions were frequent with both drugs.

Adolescent

Performance assessment of radioactive waste repositories.

The current plans for permanent disposal of radioactive waste call for its emplacement in deep underground repositories mined from geologically stable rock formations. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have established regulations setting repository performance standards for periods of up to 10,000 years after disposal. Compliance with these regulations will be based on a performance assessment that includes (i) identification and evaluation of the likelihood of all significant processes and events that could affect a repository, (ii) examination of the effects of these processes and events on the performance of a repository, and (iii) estimation of the releases of radionuclides, including the associated uncertainties, caused by these processes and events. These estimates are incorporated into a probability distribution function showing the likelihood of exceeding radionuclide release limits specified by regulations.

Evaluation Studies as Topic

The management of children with spinal dysraphism.

Improvements in technology have dramatically increased the survival of children with spinal dysraphism. Because this complex condition affects multiple organ systems as well as the psychosocial functioning of the child and family, these children require care from a host of specialists in order to achieve optimum functioning. This article reviews the pathophysiology and discusses the current management of the medical and psychosocial effects of spinal dysraphism. It also briefly discusses strategies for intervention, long-term outcomes, and some controversies regarding care and screening.

Child

Basic trauma life support.

The impact of traumatic injuries on modern society in terms of morbidity, mortality, and economic cost is enormous. Studies have shown that both advanced life support skills and rapid stabilization and transport of the trauma victim have a beneficial effect on the patient's ultimate outcome. The Basic Trauma Life Support (BTLS) course was designed to provide pre-hospital care providers with the skills necessary to provide a thorough assessment, initial resuscitation, and rapid transportation of the trauma victim. Early studies suggest that the material is easily learned by prehospital care providers and that the on-scene time for trauma cases is reduced following training in BTLS. More widespread training in BTLS may have a significant effect on the mortality and morbidity associated with traumatic injuries.

Allied Health Personnel

Dietary habits of Asian diabetics in a general practice clinic.

Initial dietary advice for Asian diabetics attending a general practice diabetic clinic was given in Asian languages. Between 2 and 3 years later a questionnaire interview was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the advice given. Forty of the 59 Asian diabetic patients in the practice attended for interview. The majority continued to use sugar or 'gur' (jaggery), Asian sweets, and Asian snacks (which have a high fat content). Fat and oil consumption per person per month was also high. Failure to achieve dietary objectives seemed to result from lack of sufficient emphasis on the types of foods usually consumed and an inadequate understanding of eating and cooking habits of Asians. We conclude that for dietary advice to be successful, emphasis must be placed on specific types of food eaten together with an understanding of the sociocultural implications of eating practices in ethnic groups.

Adult

A role for nurse psychotherapists: primary prevention counseling for general hospital staffs.

Providing a counseling and consultation service to general hospital employees through contractual arrangements is beneficial, and is an appropriate function for nurse therapists. Employees willingly use the service, and as stresses increase in the workplace the service can have a favorable impact on both personnel functioning and retention, as well as on the delivery of patient services.

Contract Services

Guilt and shame.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Guilt

Renal pseudotumor due to gas-filled hepatic flexure.

Renal pseudotumors--both intrinsic and extrinsic--are numerous. On a recent urogram, performed with abdominal pressure and tomography, a mass lesion was simulated by the gas-filled colon. The problem was resolved with a combination of ultrasonography, nephrotomography, and barium enema examinations.

Aged

Radiologic, clinical and biochemical features of non-seminomatous testicular tumors.

Current therapy for metastatic non-seminomatous testis tumors is effective but toxic. Careful investigation is needed to select those who need treatment and yet avoid needless toxicity in patients who have no disease. Current radiographic investigations and measurement of two biochemical tumor markers (AFP & BHCG) provided accurate monitoring in 19 patients. Preoperative urography and lymphography correctly predicted the presence or absence of retroperitoneal metastases in 9 of 12 patients but did not show microsocpic metastases in 3. There was good correlation between the clinical, readiographic and biochemical evidence of disease progression and regression. Serial ultrasonography and tumor marker determinations were particularly useful in following asymptomatic abdominal metastases. Radiography and tumor marker determinations each have specific advantages which make them complementary.

Abdominal Neoplasms

Thermal resistance of Bacillus subtilis var. niger in a closed system.

The heat resistance of Bacillus subtilis var. niger has been measured from 85 to 125 degrees C using moisture levels of percent relative humidity (%RH) less than or equal to 0.001 to 100 in a closed system. Five curves have been presented to characterize the thermal destruction, using thermal death times defined as F values at a given combination of three moisture and temperature conditions. Reductions of 99.99% (4-log10 cycles) of the initial population were estimated for the three moisture conditions. At 110 degrees C, the expected time for a 4-log10 reduction was 1.1 h at %RH = 100, 3.1 h at %RH less than or equal to 0.1 and 54 h at %RH = 10.7. Goodness-of-fit tests to examine the adequacy of three polynomial models failed to indicate a trend. The linear model (from which estimates of D are obtained) was satisfactory for estimating the thermal death times (%RH less than or equal to 0.1) in the plate count range. The estimates based on observed thermal death times and D values for the %RH = 100 diverged so that D values generally gave a more conservative estimate over the temperature range 90 to 125 degrees C. Estimates of ZF and ZL ranged from 32.1 to 58.3 degrees C for the %RH less than or equal to 0.1 and 100. A ZD value of 30.0 was obtained for data observed at %RH less than or equal to 0.1. The ZF results were obtained from plotting observed log times to achieve a 99.99% reduction in the initial population versus temperature. Estimates of ZL and ZD were obtained by using linear estimates of L100 approximately equal to 4D and D values in a similar plot.

Bacillus subtilis

Collaborative study comparing the spiral plate and aerobic plate count methods.

The spiral plate count method is a semiautomated plating technique that greatly reduces manpower and material costs normally associated with the pour plating technique. In this collaborative study, 8 laboratories compared the spiral and pour plating techniques, using 4 samples each of 3 products: frozen pumpkin pie, frozen chicken pot pie, and shampoo. The results show that 10 of the 12 comparisons of means of the pour and spiral methods were not significantly different; 2 values were significant at alpha = 0.01. Overall, the components of variance were less than that of the current milk standard, and the replicate per cent coefficient of variation was satisfactory. This study indicates that the spiral plate method is an acceptable alternative to the pour plate method; the spiral plate method has been adopted as official first action.

Aerobiosis

"Brown tumor" of hyperparathyroidism induced with anticonvulsant medication.

A case history is presented of a 50-year-old epileptic receiving massive dose of phenobarbital and small doses of dilantin. Following a minor injury to her forearm a "brown tumor" of hyperparathyroidism and osteomalacia, both of which responded to vitamin D.A review of the literature is given; this is the second case reported which documents hyperparathyroidism under such circumstances, and the first to show radiographs of such changes. Radiologists should be aware of the possibility of these changes in patients on long-term anticonvulsants.

Anticonvulsants

Spiral plate count method for the examination of raw and pasteurized milk.

The spiral plate count method (SPLPC) was compared with the standard plate count (SPC) method by examining 201 samples of raw and pasteurized milk. Although the means of the two methods differed significantly at alpha = 0.01,the difference was less than 10% and was not considered to be of any practical importance. The pooled replicate variances of both methods were less than 0.003, indicating good agreement between duplicate plates, with the variance of the SPLPC slightly less than that of the SPC. We believe this study indicates that the SPLPC could be substituted for the SPC in the bacteriological examination of milk.

Animals

Urethral diverticula in the adult female.

Urethral diverticulum in the adult female is an uncommon lesion which is practically ignored in the radiologic literature. The important symptom is incontinence. Because there is such poor clinical differentiation between stress incontinence, urgency incontinence, and post-void dribbling incontinence, we feel that any patient with incontinence that is not classical stress incontinence or of a neurologic cause should be investigated for urethral diverticulum. Six such patients plus one patient with a false positive panendoscopic examination are presented. Our method of examination with cinefluorography and conventional spot filming is explained. The urethrographic examination was found to be more reliable than the panendoscopic examination. When a discrepancy occurs, further studies are indicated.

Adult

Relations between early dental calculus production and calcium and phosphate parameters of salivary fractions.

A pilot study was carried out to obtain an idea of the strength of the relations between early mandibular calculus production in humans and amounts and concentrations of bound calcium and phosphate in three salivary fractions. The salivary fractions were: (1) the spontaneous precipitate from incubated whole saliva, (2) the spontaneous precipitate from incubated centrifugal (20,000 X g) saliva supernatant and (3) the fresh centrifugal saliva sediment. Strong and highly significant correlations were found for the amount and concentration of calcium in the fresh sediment and whole saliva precipitate fractions. Although the correlations for the calcium parameters of the saliva supernatant precipitate were not significant, there were significant differences in these parameters between low and high calculus formers as determined by Student's t test. Relations between calculus production and amount and concentration of phosphate were weaker and not significant for all fractions. The data suggest that the amount or concentration of calcium in fresh saliva sediment is an important determinant of early mandibular calculus production.

Calcium