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Biomedical subjects

J L Melvin

Publications and source records attributed to J L Melvin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1989

Habituation of optically evoked blink reflex in mentally retarded adults.

This study was done to record the difference in habituation patterns of optically evoked blink reflexes in mentally retarded and normal adults. Sets of photic stimuli with fixed interstimulus duration were utilized in normal volunteers and mentally retarded adults. The interstimulus duration decreased with each sequential set. The blink responses were recorded on fibreoptic recording paper. These electrophysiological methods show objectively that the blink responses to light which habituate in normal adults fail to do so in those who are mentally retarded.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Abdominal distention as an indication of post-polio ventilatory insufficiency. Clinical note.

Post-polio patients may experience episodes of recurrent respiratory insufficiency even after years of relatively stable pulmonary function. This patient's case was clearly documented with pulse oxymetry at night. Her major complaint, that of abdominal distension, was successfully addressed with the use of negative pressure ventilation. The likely cause of the abdominal distension was the excessive swallowing of air during episodes of ventilatory insufficiency. The goal of care for this patient was a safer, less stressful, more comfortable and restful nighttime routine with less daytime fatigue. The symptom of abdominal distention served as an indicator of a significant threat to her well being. Psychological support was a key element in her acceptance of the use of the ventilatory support equipment.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1988

Anorectal injuries incident to enema administration. A recurring avoidable problem.

Injuries to the anorectum have been described as having resulted from therapeutic enema use. We report three cases occurring in patients with premorbid perianal pathology. All extended hospitalization although each was managed nonoperatively. These accidents can be prevented by pre-enema rectal examination and attention to perianal anatomy and patient complaints of discomfort during the procedure.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Systematic distribution of muscle fiber types in the medial gastrocnemius of the laboratory mouse: a morphometric analysis.

Midbelly cross sections of the medial gastrocnemius muscle of young adult male laboratory mice were subjected to ATPase histochemistry with preincubation at pH 4.6. Through the use of a sampling grid and computer-assisted morphometric analysis, 26 to 35% of the total muscle fibers were sampled and classified as type I, IIa, or IIb. Photomicrographs (16 X 20 in.) of five muscles were divided into octants according to a standardized procedure. Total fiber counts and percent of fibers sampled were determined. Variability of sample size per octant was noted, but when averaged across entire muscles, it was in all instances greater than 33%. Fiber type frequency per octant was tested for goodness of fit to a random model by means of a chi-square statistic for equal expected frequencies. Deviation from random fiber type frequency was significant at the P = 0.001 level for every muscle. More importantly, when these data were pooled and again tested using the same method, the probability estimate was less than P = 0.001. This established that the variations in the fiber type proportions found in each mouse followed a common pattern. The systematic fiber type distribution confirmed by these morphometric and statistical methods supports the impression expressed by many muscle biologists that this muscle displays a consistent and complex intramuscular organization.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

A new era in acute care.

Acute care continues to be the primary place of employment for occupational therapists. It is a challenging environment that requires the skills of our most experienced practitioners. Because the acute care hospital is likely to remain an entry point for rehabilitative care, this area of practice warrants continued attention in our professional literature. We hope this issue will stimulate therapists to write more articles, conduct more research, and develop more programs in acute care occupational therapy.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1985

Electrical blink reflex habituation in mentally retarded adults.

Electrophysiological methods of studying the habituation of the blink reflex have been used, to document by objective means the lack of habituation of the blink reflex in mentally retarded adults. Habituation of the blink reflex to sets of stimuli with decreasing interstimulus duration, which is fixed in each set of stimuli, has been studied in normal human volunteers and mentally retarded subjects. Habituation of direct and indirect R2 has been poor or absent in the mentally retarded subjects. The habituation indices of mentally retarded subjects do not overlap the habituation indices of the normal volunteers. In significant numbers of retarded subjects no habituation of the indirect R2 (P less than 0.00001) and of direct R2 (P less than 0.0005) was noted. No significant difference in habituation of the direct R2 and indirect R2 is noted in normal volunteers.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Roles and functions of occupational therapy in hand rehabilitation.

Occupational therapy makes a major contribution to the practice and continued development of hand rehabilitation. The unique combination of training in physical, functional, psychological, social, and vocational aspects of physical dysfunction enables the occupational therapist to provide comprehensive treatment necessary to return the patient with hand dysfunction to a productive life style.

Curriculum↗
PubMed1984

Neuropathy in end-stage renal disease secondary to primary renal disease and diabetes.

A study was undertaken to critically observe electrophysiologic findings in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) secondary to primary renal disease (PRD) and to compare these with data recorded from patients with ESRD secondary to diabetes mellitus. Motor and sensory nerve conduction velocity studies were performed on 56 patients; 16 parameters were investigated and laboratory data recorded. Our findings reveal that diabetic uremics have more severe peripheral neuropathy electrophysiologically than nondiabetics, indicating that the diabetic component of neuropathy sustains its influence even in the presence of end-stage renal neuropathy. The sural latency and amplitude, median sensory latency and amplitude, H-reflex and facial latency were significantly involved parameters in nondiabetic and diabetic patients. The facial nerve was found to be a sensitive indicator of uremic neuropathy. In 28 nondiabetic uremic patients the mean facial latency was 3.8 +/- 0.5msec compared to 28 diabetic uremic patients with a mean of 5.0 +/- 0.4msec.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Relationship of hypercalciuria to diet and bladder stone formation in spinal cord injury patients.

We have investigated the effectiveness of a low calcium diet, low sodium diet, and hydrochlorthiazide to reduce urinary calcium excretion in ten spinal cord injured patients during the early phase of their rehabilitation. Five patients were given the regular hospital diet and low calcium diet (300 mg calcium/day diet) on a randomized cross-over design. The other five patients were given four treatment modalities: a. regular diet, b. low calcium diet, c. low sodium diet (2 gm sodium/day diet), d. low calcium diet plus hydrochlorthiazide 25 mg twice a day according to a cross-over randomized block design. Each treatment regimen lasted two weeks and 24-hour urinary calcium concentrations were determined weekly. The result indicated that low calcium diet, low sodium diet or low calcium diet plus hydrochlorthiazide reduced hypercalciuria significantly (P less than 0.01). Low calcium diet combined with hydrochlorthiazide was the most effective treatment for hypercalciuria. In retrospective studies, we found that recently injured patients developed hypercalciuria, however, there was no significant difference in the incidence of bladder stone formation in patients with hypercalciuria compared with those with normal urinary calcium excretion.

Adult↗