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Biomedical subjects

J G Greene

Publications and source records attributed to J G Greene.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

The cross-sectional legacy: an introduction to longitudinal studies of the climacteric.

Hitherto the bulk of psychosocial and sociological research on the menopause has been based on cross-sectional studies, in which the research strategy has been to compare women of different ages and/or different menopausal status by reference to various parameters. This paper summarizes the main findings of these studies, which relate to a variety of countries. A consistent finding has been that much of the variance in the symptoms and complaints reported by women during the climacteric can in fact be accounted for by a number of different adverse sociodemographic and psychosocial factors. It is postulated that the mechanism whereby these factors exercise their effect can best be conceptualized in terms of a vulnerability model. Although cross-sectional studies, have obvious limitations, their findings have now been complemented by those from a number of ongoing longitudinal studies in which the same cohort of women is being followed through this transitional period of their lives.

Climacteric

Endobronchial epithelial papilloma associated with a foreign body.

Noninvasive papillary endobronchial lesions are among the least common of pulmonary neoplasms. We describe the occurrence of a papillary squamous tumor surrounding an aspirated sunflower seed foreign body, and briefly review the subject of endobronchial papilloma. This tumor should be a red flag for the presence of a foreign body, and foreign body removal may obviate the need for thoracotomy.

Bronchi

Design of an optimal ventilator.

When a patient is incapable of adequate ventilation by natural processes, mechanical assistance must be provided. Ventilation assures sufficient Oxygen delivery to the organs and tissues of the body and excessive amounts of Carbon Dioxide are not permitted to accumulate. Ventilators are employed continuously or intermittently to improve the ventilation of the lungs. The present work involves design of a ventilator that virtually eliminates any work done by the patients in their breathing process. Presently available ventilators approach this level of performance but they have a few reported shortcomings. These limitations include insufficiency of inspiratory airflow and rigidity of operating cycles. The new ventilator is built around an optimal controller and its performance is based on computational capability of microprocessors. Real time measurements of volume, flow rates and pressure are managed and processed by these devices for optimal determination of controlled parameters of the ensuing respiratory cycle. These measured parameters are used for estimating the lung characteristics such as lung compliance and airway resistance. An independent microprocessor system incorporating data acquisition and processing features with scope for a number of additional capabilities such as graphic output, database and communications functions can prove very useful in health care institutions.

Biomechanical Phenomena

Effects of alprazolam on respiratory drive, anxiety, and dyspnea in chronic airflow obstruction: a case study.

Alprazolam, an anxiolytic benzodiazepine, has a pharmacologic profile similar to that of diazepam. An intermediate half-life of 10-12 hours and a comparatively brief duration of activity relative to other anxiolytic benzodiazepines justified evaluation of a 0.5-mg test dose in an anxious patient with chronic obstructive lung disease. Subjective indexes, breath-by-breath respiratory drive response to hypercapnia, and blood alprazolam concentrations were determined before and after dosing. Subjective testing included a visual analog dyspnea scale, the state anxiety inventory, and subjective feelings visual analog scales (represented by alertness, calmness, and level of contentment). After dosing, the patient was better able to tolerate the rebreathing study technique. Statistically significant improvements in dyspnea (t - 10.20; p 0.0005), anxiety (t - 45.85; p less than 0.0001), alertness (t - 13.04; p less than 0.0001), cententedness (t - 12.27; p less than 0.0001), and calmness (t - 8.05; p less than 0.0001) occurred after alprazolam administration. Drive to breathe, as determined by mouth occlusion pressure and minute ventilation, was not statistically different before and after dosing. No adverse effects were reported or observed. Further study is warranted.

Alprazolam

The Scottish first episode schizophrenia study. VII. Two-year follow-up. Scottish Schizophrenia Research Group.

Of 49 schizophrenic patients followed up 2 years after their first admission to hospital, 37% were well, 47% had been readmitted to hospital at some time over the 2 years, and 38% showed schizophrenic symptoms at follow-up. A poor outcome at 2 years was associated with male sex, poor outcome after the first 5 weeks of the first admission, negative schizophrenic symptoms on first admission, and a diagnosis of definite or probable schizophrenia using the Feighner criteria. Only 23% were in employment. A small double-blind discontinuation study of maintenance antipsychotic medication during the second year found more relapses in those switched to placebo medication. Repeat psychometric assessment at 2 years confirmed modest improvements found at 12 months; that is, there was no evidence of intellectual decline. Relatives showed no more psychosocial distress than that found in a normal community sample; what distress there was correlated with patients' schizophrenic symptoms.

Clinical Trials as Topic

A comparison of esophageal and chest electrodes in studying the diaphragmatic EMG.

In exploring respiratory fatigue detection using the electromyograph (EMG), two EMG signals may be collected. One resulting from skin electrodes placed on the outside of the chest and the other from an esophageal electrode. The current trend in respiratory muscle fatigue detection is to use skin electrodes as the recipients of the diaphragmatic EMG signal. This eliminates the need of subjecting the person to a nasally inserted EMG electrode. Although it is more convenient to use this type of electrode, it does have several distinct disadvantages that must be overcome if accurate analysis is to take place. This paper compares the advantages and disadvantages of the two electromyograph detection methods and addresses the appropriate use of both.

Diaphragm

Evaluation of a psychological treatment programme for climacteric women.

A psychological assessment and treatment programme designed for a group of climacteric women with severe and varied psychological complaints and symptoms is described and evaluated. All the women were currently experiencing stressful psychosocial difficulties within their life situation. The treatment programme comprised an educational, a counseling and a behavioural component. By the end of the sixth session of therapy, most women showed a significant improvement in their main complaint, accompanied by improvements in general symptoms and personal adjustment. Two-thirds considered that they had benefited substantially from treatment. The outcome of the treatment was considered to be encouraging in what might otherwise be considered a potentially unresponsive group of women.

Adult

Control of exercise hyperpnea during hypercapnia in humans.

Previous studies have yielded conflicting results on the ventilatory response to CO2 during muscular exercise. To obviate possible experimental errors contributing to such variability, we have examined the CO2-exercise interaction in terms of the ventilatory response to exercise under conditions of controlled hypercapnia. Eight healthy male volunteers underwent a sequence of 5-min incremental treadmill exercise runs from rest up to a maximum CO2 output (VCO2) of approximately 1.5 l . min-1 in four successive steps. The arterial PCO2 (PaCO2) at rest was stabilized at the control level or up to 14 Torr above control by adding 0-6% CO2 to the inspired air. Arterial isocapnia (SD = 1.2 Torr) throughout each exercise run was maintained by continual adjustment of the inspired PCO2. At all PaCO2 levels the response in total ventilation (VE) was linearly related to exercise VCO2. Hypercapnia resulted in corresponding increases in both the slope (S) and zero intercept (V0) of the VE-VCO2 curve; these being directly proportional to the rise in PaCO2 (means +/- SE: delta S/ delta PaCO2, 2.73 +/- 0.28 Torr-1; delta V0/ delta PaCO2, 1.67 +/- 0.18 l . min-1 . Torr-1). Thus the ventilatory response to concomitant hypercapnia and exercise was characterized by a synergistic (additive plus multiplicative) effect, suggesting a positive interaction between these stimuli. The increased exercise sensitivity in hypercapnia is qualitatively consistent with the hypothesis that VE is controlled to minimize the conflicting challenges due to chemical drive and the mechanical work of breathing (Poon, C. S. In: Modelling and Control of Breathing, New York: Elsevier, 1983, p. 189-196).

Adult

A geriatric psychiatry day hospital service: a five-year review.

Psychiatric day hospitals for the elderly have been regarded either as an alternative to in-patient care or as a long-term supportive facility for patients with chronic psychiatric disabilities. In a five-year review of such a unit it was found that the unit's main function had become that of providing an immediate short-term supportive facility to demented patients, mainly in the 75-years-and-over age group, and to their relatives, until such time as beds in the long-stay psychogeriatric wards of the hospital became available. The implications of this change in role of day hospitals are discussed in the light of present facilities and the predicted increase in the size of this section of the population.

Aged