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Biomedical subjects

J M Dennis

Publications and source records attributed to J M Dennis.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Long-term impact on a closed household of pet cats of natural infection with feline coronavirus, feline leukaemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus.

A closed household of 26 cats in which feline coronavirus (FCoV), feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) were endemic was observed for 10 years. Each cat was seropositive for FCoV on at least one occasion and the infection was maintained by reinfection. After 10 years, three of six surviving cats were still seropositive. Only one cat, which was also infected with FIV, developed feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). Rising anti-FCoV antibody titres did not indicate that the cat would develop FIP. The FeLV infection was self-limiting because all seven of the initially viraemic cats died within five years and the remainder were immune. However, FeLV had the greatest impact on mortality. Nine cats were initially FIV-positive and six more cats became infected during the course of the study, without evidence of having been bitten. The FIV infection did not adversely affect the cats' life expectancy.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

One-year audiologic monitoring of individuals exposed to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.

This longitudinal study evaluated subjective, behavioral, and objective auditory function in 83 explosion survivors. Subjects were evaluated quarterly for 1 year with conventional pure-tone and extended high-frequencies audiometry, otoscopic inspections, immittance and speech audiometry, and questionnaires. There was no obvious relationship between subject location and symptoms or test results. Tinnitus, distorted hearing, loudness sensitivity, and otalgia were common symptoms. On average, 76 percent of subjects had predominantly sensorineural hearing loss at one or more frequencies. Twenty-four percent of subjects required amplification. Extended high frequencies showed evidence of acoustic trauma even when conventional frequencies fell within the normal range. Males had significantly poorer responses than females across frequencies. Auditory status of the group was significantly compromised and unchanged at the end of 1-year postblast.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

One-year vestibular and balance outcomes of Oklahoma City bombing survivors.

This multisite investigation assessed subjective, behavioral, and objective balance function in 30 blast survivors. Subjects with vertigo, dizziness, or imbalance were screened (n = 6) or evaluated (n = 27) during 1 year. Tests included a questionnaire, electronystagmography (ENG), and computerized dynamic posturography (CDP). Ninety-seven percent of subjects were located inside a building during the blast, and 63 percent of subjects experienced dysequilibrium within 48 hours. Forty-three percent of symptoms could not be attributed to head injury. Sixty percent of subjects had abnormal ENG and/or CDP; ENG abnormalities mostly were peripheral or nonlocalizing, whereas CDP patterns were "vestibular," "surface dependent," and "physiologically inconsistent." At 1-year postblast, 55 percent of initially abnormal CDP results were normal, and 72 percent of subjects said symptoms were unchanged or occurred intermittently. A serial, test battery approach is recommended to assess symptoms. Blast-related dysequilibrium had clinically significant manifestations and should be considered a valid component of aural blast injury.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

The effects of New York state's ban on multiple listing for cadaveric kidney transplantation.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effectiveness of a 1990 ban by New York state on entry to more than one waiting list for a cadaver kidney transplant, and the impact of the ban on equity in access to transplantation. DATA SOURCES: (1) Waiting list files from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, (2) the Health Care Financing Administration's Medicare Program Management and Medical Information System, and (3) U.S. Census Public Use Files. STUDY DESIGN: Multivariate hazard models were used to estimate the impact of the ban of the overall odds of multiple listing and on the odds of multiple listing at in-state and out-of-state transplant centers. After estimating the relationship between multiple listing and subsequent transplantation, we used simulation techniques to estimate the effects of a complete multiple listing ban on group waiting time differentials. Independent variables included demographic/socioeconomic characteristics, measures of ESRD severity, general transplantation suitability, measures that affect the likelihood of finding a good donor organ, and measures of the productivity of the transplant/dialysis center. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The ban was associated with a 66 percent reduction in the rate of multiple listing for New York patients, and multiple listing at in-state transplant centers declined by 87 percent. Simulation results suggested that even a completely effective ban would produce only small, mixed equity effects. CONCLUSIONS: While the ban was effective in reducing the proportion of patients who registered at multiple transplant centers, taken together the results suggest that banning multiple listing is not likely to result in large improvements in equity in access to transplantation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Basic hearing tests.

This article contains a discussion of pure-tone and speech audiometry as these measures relate to primary audiologic evaluation of hearing. The scientific foundation underlying the development of stimulus-specific standards for normal hearing, test materials, and methods for basic tests are included. A rationale for test administration, masking, and interpretation of results is presented.

Audiometry, Pure-Tone↗
PubMed1984

Identification of hearing loss in the neonatal intensive care unit population.

A protocol was designed to evaluate babies in neonatal intensive care units by means of the auditory brain stem response (ABR) audiometric technique during their hospitalization. This article presents the results obtained from 200 babies. Twenty-three infants failed the ABR test. Fifteen babies were followed. Ten of these infants had significant sensorineural hearing loss. Three had unilateral involvement and seven had bilateral impairment. The seven bilaterally affected infants were fitted with appropriate hearing aid amplification and enrolled in audiologic habilitation programs. Continued follow-up of these babies has confirmed the hearing loss diagnosis. These data estimate that 5 percent of babies in neonatal intensive care units have some degree of hearing loss. The findings encourage the use of the ABR technique as a means of identifying hearing loss in the neonatal intensive care unit population.

Audiometry↗
PubMed1982

Nutritional myopathy in a cat.

A case of nutritional myopathy in a cat primarily caused by vitamin E deficiency is described. The animal which had been fed a diet consisting almost entirely of boiled Norwegian coley, was presented with swollen muscles in both the hind and fore legs. Sections of biopsy material revealed chronic, severe myositis, with normal muscle tissue undergoing a series of degenerative changes. Correct dietary management, with multivitamin and mineral supplementation, led to a complete clinical recovery, the cat regaining full use of its legs within 14 days.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Absolute and relative reliability of several response parameters used in vestibular assessment.

This experiment investigated the reliability of five indices used to express the magnitude of induced vestibular nystagmus. The investigation was undertaken because information concerning the reliability of the various response parameters when caloric testing is repeated on the same subject is limited. Electronystagmographic assessments of the nystagmus response to the Fitzgerald-Hallpike test were obtained from 16 subjects on three occasions with equal intervals of time between occasions. The data were statistically treated with an analysis of variance technique that allows the generation of correlation coefficients. The findings showed that speed of the slow phase, total beats, culmination frequency, and total amplitude reliably express the magnitude of induced nystagmus on repeated tests. Duration of the induced reaction was not as reliable as the other indices on repeated testing. In addition, difference scores were more repeatable than absolute scores and the caution that must be maintained when using correlation coefficient analyses to estimate reliability is highlighted.

Adolescent↗