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Biomedical subjects

K Matthews

Publications and source records attributed to K Matthews.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Which antidepressant?

The prescription of psychotropic drugs, and particularly the use of antidepressants, has received considerable attention in the medical literature, the media and from legislative bodies in recent years. Medical practitioners are faced with a bewildering array of apparently efficacious drugs from which they must choose when prescribing for a depressed patient. This paper discusses the main parameters which guide this choice, namely clinical efficacy, adverse effects profile, safety in overdose and monetary cost. It concludes by making some recommendations for the prescription of antidepressant drugs.

Antidepressive Agents↗
PubMed1990

Long-term lipid profiles with isradipine and hydrochlorothiazide treatment in elderly hypertensive patients.

Lipid profiles were determined in 56 elderly patients with benign essential hypertension during an open-label 1-year study of the safety and efficacy of isradipine, a new calcium antagonist, in controlling blood pressure. Patients with diastolic blood pressures between 96 and 115 mm Hg were titrated with isradipine (mean dose of 11 mg/day) to reduce blood pressure to less than 90 mm Hg. Ten of these patients received concomitant hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) 50 mg/day for additional control. Sera were analyzed using standard methods at the end of a 2- to 4-week washout period, and at the end of Months 6 and 12, for total cholesterol (CHOL) and HDL- and LDL-cholesterol. Changes in lipid values (mg/dl) from baseline to 12 months with isradipine alone (n = 38) were as follows: CHOL, -7.5; HDL, +3.9 (p less than 0.05); LDL, -6.2; CHOL/HDL, -0.6 (p less than 0.05). For patients receiving concomitant HCTZ (n = 9), the changes were as follows: CHOL, -4.9; HDL, +3.4; LDL, -16.8; CHOL/HDL, -0.4. In conclusion, isradipine alone was associated with significant improvements in HDL cholesterol and total CHOL/HDL ratio. Lipid profiles of patients receiving isradipine and HCTZ were minimally affected. Favorable lipid changes with isradipine suggest that it may have advantages in the treatment of hypertensive patients.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Endoscopic cholecystectomy: a new approach.

Many general surgeons who want to do this procedure must learn the laparoscopic technique, which has long been the procedure of gynecology surgeons. The benefits associated with the laparoscopic cholecystectomy make it a procedure of choice for patients, third party payers, and employers.

Cholecystectomy↗
PubMed1990

Endoscopic cholecystectomy.

An endoscopic procedure called laparoscopic cholecystectomy has put a whole new focus on methodology. Several hundred such procedures have been done in the United States and there have been few minor complications reported. The response has been favorable as physicians and the public become more aware of the benefits and fewer risks associated with laparoscopically performed cholecystectomies. They leave minimal scarring and the postoperative restrictions are similar to those for other laparoscopic procedures.

Cholecystectomy↗
PubMed1990

The other side of the phone. Sales representatives in the OR.

21. There are certain expectations that salespersons need to be aware of to have continued business, quality time, and an invitation to return to the surgery department. 2. It is important to know that even competitive institutions have their channels of communication open about products, equipment, and dependability of the sales representatives. 3. Not all companies offer appropriate training to prepare their sales representatives for the operating room. 4. Sales representatives need to remember that admission to the operating room is a privilege, not a right, and privileges can be revoked.

Commerce↗
PubMed1989

Reproductive history of women dying of sudden cardiac death: a case-control study.

Reproductive history events may be risk factors for sudden coronary death (SCD) among women. A retrospective case-control study of SCD among women aged 25-64 was conducted in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The present analysis focused on a description and analysis involving the childbearing and reproductive history of 67 ever-married female SCD cases and 73 ever-married neighbourhood controls with a mean age of 54.6 and 53.4 years respectively. Information included: age and number of years married, number of children, age at first birth, cardiovascular risk factors, obstetric and gynaecological history. Age and the risk factors, history of hypertension or diabetes, cigarette intake, death of significant other and psychiatric disease, were controlled for in the analysis. More cases than controls experienced their first birth before age 20 (14 of the SCD and 7 controls). However, after adjustment for cigarette smoking status, a strong predictor of sudden cardiac death, the effect of early childbearing did not remain significant for this population. In women less than or equal to 50 years of age, childlessness was not a risk factor for SCD (1 of 16 cases and 2 of 26 controls were childless). However in women greater than 50 years of age, childlessness was a significant predictor of SCD (OR = 6.7 (1.3-32] 12 of 51 cases were childless compared to 2 of 46 controls. After adjustment for aged and other coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors, the relationship of nulliparity with sudden cardiac death remained in this age group. There was no difference in hysterectomy or miscarriage history or in the total years married between cases and controls.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1989

A reliability assessment of the Psychotherapy Supervisory Inventory.

The authors investigated the reliability of the Psychotherapy Supervisory Inventory scales, which rate behaviors of supervisors on the basis of observation of supervision sessions. The scales assess focus on the therapist and the patient, intellectual and experimental orientation, number of clarifying and interpretive comments, intensity of confrontation, depth of exploration, verbal activity level of the supervisor, dominance of the supervisor and the therapist, comfort and tension levels, and empathy of the supervisor. Intraclass correlation coefficients were significant for all scales, indicating that trained observers can agree in distinguishing supervisory behaviors. These scales can be used in further research and for feedback to supervisors.

Dominance-Subordination↗
PubMed1989

Obesity, obesity-related behaviors and coronary heart disease risk factors in black and white premenopausal women.

Obesity is more common in black women than in white women in the USA, but there are few studies comparing black and white females on behaviors related to obesity or on the relationship between obesity and cardiovascular risk factors. We studied 490 white and 48 black premenopausal, nondiabetic, nonhypertensive women, aged 42-50 years, who were participating in the Pittsburgh Healthy Women Study. Black women had a higher BMI than white women and had a higher suprailiac:triceps ratio, suggesting a more central distribution of body fat. Weight gain since age 20 was greater in black women than in white women. Blacks and whites did not differ in caloric intake, smoking or alcohol consumption. However, there were marked differences in physical activity, with blacks reporting significantly less activity than whites. Differences in body fat distribution, weight gain since age 20 and activity remained after adjusting for education. Blacks also had higher blood pressure and poorer glucose tolerance than whites. The low activity level of black women should be considered when designing weight loss interventions.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1988

The NGF-inducible SCG10 mRNA encodes a novel membrane-bound protein present in growth cones and abundant in developing neurons.

We have characterized and sequenced cDNA clones corresponding to the neural-specific SCG10 mRNA. The predicted amino acid sequence is novel and not strongly homologous to that of any known polypeptide. The protein is encoded by two mRNAs that differ in their choice of polyadenylation site. Immunocytochemical localization experiments using an affinity-purified antibody (against an SCG10-TrpE fusion protein) reveal accumulations of punctate staining in the perinuclear cytoplasm, axons, and growth cones of cultured neurons. SCG10 levels are maximal in the embryonic CNS but are dramatically reduced in the adult. Preliminary cell fractionation experiments suggest that the protein is tightly associated with membranes but is not itself an integral membrane protein. The apparent localization and timing of expression of the SCG10 protein are reminiscent of GAP-43, but the sequences of the two polypeptides are unrelated. Cross-hybridizing mRNAs and antigenically related proteins are found in several nonneuronal cell lines that do not express SCG10.

Aging↗
PubMed1988

Pelviscopy. An endoscopic alternative to laparotomy.

Pelviscopy has positive aspects for the patient. The procedure reduces the amount of time the patient spends in surgery, the recovery period, and the amount of time the patient must be away from work. Much like other endoscopic procedures, pelviscopy incurs little or no bleeding, and reduces inflammatory tissue response.

Electrocoagulation↗
PubMed1988

Tryptophan repressor of Escherichia coli shows unusual thermal stability.

Differential scanning calorimetry demonstrates that the tryptophan repressor of Escherichia coli is unusually resistant to thermal denaturation. The dimeric protein undergoes reversible dissociative unfolding at pH 7.5 centered at about 90 degrees C. The thermal stability may be due in part to the unusual structure of the protein, which is composed of two identical intertwined polypeptide chains.

Calorimetry, Differential Scanning↗
PubMed1985

Desmopressin and bleeding time in patients with cirrhosis.

Desmopressin acetate 0.3 microgram/kg was given intravenously to nine patients with chronic liver disease and to a further six such patients in a double blind controlled study versus placebo. Desmopressin acetate significantly shortened the bleeding time compared with basal values in both groups and compared with placebo. There was also a significant decrease in partial thromboplastin time (but not prothrombin time) and significant increases in factor VIII and its components, von Willebrand factor and ristocetin cofactor activity, but not in factors VII, IX, X, XI, or XII. Increased fibrinolysis could be blocked by concomitant administration of tranexamic acid. No important side effects were seen. The multimer pattern of von Willebrand factor was studied for the first time in chronic liver disease. It was normal, but after administration of desmopressin acetate the percentage of multimers of higher molecular weight increased significantly. This may be an important mechanism in the shortening of the bleeding time in cirrhosis, as has been shown in uraemia and other conditions after administration of desmopressin acetate. Desmopressin acetate may be useful in correcting defects in primary haemostasis in chronic liver disease.

Bleeding Time↗