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Biomedical subjects

J Sharp

Publications and source records attributed to J Sharp.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

An immunochemical method for fingerprinting Clostridium difficile.

The use of sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in association with electrophoretic transfer of proteins to nitrocellulose and subsequent probing with antisera appears useful as a method for fingerprinting Clostridium difficile. Thorough testing of the stability of the antigenic nature of isolates of the organism during subculture and antigen preparation has shown it to be remarkably stable both in vitro and in vivo. Minor differences in the method of antigen extraction do not markedly alter the immunoblot patterns produced. It has also been demonstrated that an individual may harbour more than one strain of the organism at any one time. Results show the possible usefulness of this technique in studying the epidemiology of diarrhoeal disease known to be associated with C. difficile. It is suggested that for any serious study several colonies should be subcultured from the primary isolation plate.

Antigens, Bacterial↗
PubMed1984

Association between leukocyte count and the presence and extent of coronary atherosclerosis as determined by coronary arteriography.

Angiographic evidence of coronary artery disease (CAD) was correlated with leukocyte count (WBC), red cell count (RBC), cigarette smoking, age, sex, and cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations in 573 patients who underwent coronary arteriography and who did not have evidence of infection or recent myocardial infarction. Smokers had a higher WBC (7,449 +/- 1,964 leukocytes/mm3 vs 6,533 +/- 1,557, p = 0.0001) and RBC (4.921 X 10(6) +/- 0.491 X 10(6) erythrocytes/mm3 vs 4.753 X 10(6) +/- 0.480 X 10(6) p = 0.0001) than nonsmokers. Patients with CAD had a higher WBC (7,280 +/- 1,926 vs 6,664 +/- 1,700, p = 0.0005) and RBC (4.903 X 10(6) +/- 0.488 vs 4.777 X 10(6) +/- 0.485 X 10(6), p = 0.0062) than those with normal coronary arteriograms. A positive correlation between WBC and the severity of CAD (sum of arterial diameter narrowing) was noted (r = 0.16, p = 0.0001). Multiple regression showed an independent contribution of WBC in predicting severity of CAD (F = 9.26, p = 0.0025), after accounting for the effects of age, sex, serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels. When smoking was entered into the equation, the contribution of WBC in predicting the severity of angiographic CAD became weaker (F = 4.46, p = 0.035). Similar relations were seen when only smokers were analyzed and when patients with history of remote myocardial infarction were excluded. In nonsmokers these associations became either insignificant or much weaker. Thus, the relation of WBC, and RBC with CAD is mainly due to the elevation of WBC and RBC and the increase of CAD risk induced by cigarette smoking.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Normal joint mobility in mitral valve prolapse.

Thirty-seven adults (19 male, 18 female) with mitral valve prolapse (MVP) were examined for evidence of joint hypermobility scored on a 0-9 scale. None of the patients had hypermobility scores exceeding 3, and comparison with 37 healthy age and sex matched controls recruited from hospital staff failed to show an increased prevalence of hypermobility in MVP. There was no evidence that the MVP syndrome is a forme fruste of a heritable disorder of connective tissue.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Trial of three-day and ten-day courses of amoxycillin in otitis media.

A randomised double-blind controlled trial compared three-day and 10-day courses of amoxycillin (25 mg/kg daily) in children with otitis media. Seventeen doctors from five centres admitted 84 children between the ages of 2 and 10 years. Symptoms and signs were measured on admission to the trial, on day 3, and on day 15. Mother's observations were recorded daily for 10 days. Audiograms were performed at four and 12 weeks after the end of the trial. The treatment groups showed little difference in the speed of resolution of symptoms and signs, the numbers of primary treatment failures, or the frequency of recurrent ear infections. There were no complications in either group. Most children with otitis media can probably be successfully and safely treated with no more than a three-day course of amoxycillin providing their progress is reviewed about the fifth or sixth day after treatment started. This policy could save over 1 million pounds annually in antibiotic costs.

Amoxicillin↗
PubMed1982

Bone and Joint tuberculosis in Greater Manchester 1969-79.

The records of 74 patients diagnosed as suffering from tuberculous (TB) bone or joint disease between 1969 and 1979 were analysed retrospectively. Most were resident in the Greater Manchester County. Thirty-eight patients were first-generation immigrants, and teenage males were particularly prominent in this group. In the indigenous patients the diagnosis was often delayed several months or years, and in a number of subjects there was a history of previous bone and joint tuberculosis. There was a wide range of affected sites, especially in the immigrant group, and evidence of nonarticular TB was found in only a minority of patients. Diagnosis is most satisfactorily based on open biopsy and submission of pathological material to culture and histology. British subjects were more likely to have to undergo remedial surgery for the disease, especially when weight bearing joints were involved. Antituberculous chemotherapy should be given for at least 1 year to prevent recurrence of the disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Rheumatoid cervical myelopathy.

The mode of presentation and the factors which influenced the diagnosis and outcome in 31 patients with rheumatoid cervical myelopathy were reviewed. The presenting features included paraesthesiae and /or numbness (23 cases) weakness (six) flexor spasms (five) and incontinence (two). Isolated sensory loss presenting in a glove and stocking distribution was often misdiagnosed as a peripheral neuropathy. Multiple neurological deficits were eventually present in all patients and included spastic quadriparesis (17), spastic paraparesis (seven), bladder disturbance (nine), and cranial nerve deficits (six). Twenty-seven patients had impaired light touch and pin prick sensation but the sensory level did not correlate with the presumed level of spinal cord compressions. Twenty-one patients had dissociation between loss of position and vibration sensation. All patients had one or more cervical luxations; five patients had atlanto-axial luxation alone, five had subaxial luxation alone and the remainder multiple luxations. Neurological improvement was more frequent and of longer duration in those treated by occipito-cervical fusion than in those treated conservatively but fitness for surgery may have selected a group with a better prognosis.

Aged↗
PubMed1975

The dietitian and credentialing.

The meaning and ramifications of credentialing and accreditation have direct and powerful implications for the professional dietitian. There is also intense interest on the part of the public, as it views each profession's role in providing health care, as to the quality and expense ot that care. Each dietitian's analysis of the direction our Association must take in accreditation and credentialing is mandatory to the growth of nutritional care and its responsiveness to the needs of the American people. Issues have been presented and reviewed in this article. Some proposals for change have been suggested. By no means is the issue of accreditation or credentialing static among the health professions. New studies are being started routinely. New ideas and issues are continually being proposed and analyzed. What is good today for the practitioner and the public may be non-functional tomorrow. However, it seems certain that changes are imminent. It is imperative that each member of The American Dietetic Association assume an active role in the decisions that will be made for the future of each of us.

Accreditation↗