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Biomedical subjects

L Lipworth

Publications and source records attributed to L Lipworth.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Risk of fractures in an intermediate care facility for persons with mental retardation.

The epidemiology of fractures among 553 residents of an intermediate care facility for persons with mental retardation was examined. In a 10-month period, 61 fractures occurred among 55 residents; application of fracture rates in the United States revealed an expected number of 15 fractures among the 553 residents, p less than .001. Although 52% of fractures involved small bones of the hands and feet, elderly residents were more likely to fracture major bones and to suffer their fractures from a fall than were younger residents. The relationship between potential risk factors and fracture risk were examined and implications for preventive and rehabilitative measures discussed.

Accidental Falls

The clinical use of mindfulness meditation for the self-regulation of chronic pain.

Ninety chronic pain patients were trained in mindfulness meditation in a 10-week Stress Reduction and Relaxation Program. Statistically significant reductions were observed in measures of present-moment pain, negative body image, inhibition of activity by pain, symptoms, mood disturbance, and psychological symptomatology, including anxiety and depression. Pain-related drug utilization decreased and activity levels and feelings of self-esteem increased. Improvement appeared to be independent of gender, source of referral, and type of pain. A comparison group of pain patients did not show significant improvement on these measures after traditional treatment protocols. At follow-up, the improvements observed during the meditation training were maintained up to 15 months post-meditation training for all measures except present-moment pain. The majority of subjects reported continued high compliance with the meditation practice as part of their daily lives. The relationship of mindfulness meditation to other psychological methods for chronic pain control is discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological

Pharyngeal carriage rates of Haemophilus influenzae, type b and non-b, and prevalence of ampicillin-resistant Haemophilus influenzae among healthy day-care children in central Massachusetts.

Pharyngeal swabs were obtained from 832 children less than 14 years of age attending day-care centers and family day-care homes in central Massachusetts during a seven-week period beginning March 1, 1982. Colonization rates for Haemophilus influenzae and for H. influenzae type b were 60.7% and 15.1%, respectively. Nonwhite children were more likely to be carriers of non-b H. influenzae than white children (62.9% vs. 47.8%, p less than 0.025). Children in day care for more than six months were more likely to be carriers of non-b H. influenzae than children in day care for six months or less (52.9% vs. 45.5%, p less than 0.05). There was no association between colonization rates and age, sex, type of day-care setting, number of siblings, number sharing a bedroom, history of otitis media, or history of antibiotic use. The prevalence of ampicillin-resistant H. influenzae was 6.3% among all children and 10.3% among carriers of H. influenzae. The prevalence of ampicillin resistance was significantly higher among type b carriers than among carriers of other types (15.1% vs. 8.3%, p less than 0.05). Children who had taken ampicillin or amoxicillin within the past three months were much more likely to be colonized with ampicillin-resistant H. influenzae than were children who had not taken these antibiotics (13.5% vs. 4.8%, p less than 0.0005). These observations have important clinical implications for the management of children with H. influenzae disease.

Adolescent

Suppression of thyroid radioiodine uptake by various doses of stable iodide.

We studied the effect of various doses of sodium iodide on thyroid radioiodine uptake in euthyroid volunteers by giving single doses of 10, 30, 50, and 100 mg and then daily doses of 10, 15, 30, 50, or 100 mg for 12 days thereafter. All single doses above 10 mg suppressed 24-hour thyroid uptake of 123I to 0.7 to 1.5 per cent. Continued daily administration of 15 mg of iodide or more resulted in values consistently below 2 per cent. A small but statistically significant fall in serum thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) and a rise in serum thyrotropin (TSH) concentrations were observed after eight and 12 days of iodide treatment. These data suggest that the thyroid uptake of radioactive iodine can be markedly suppressed by single-dose administration of 30 mg of stable iodide and that suppression can be maintained with daily doses of at least 15 mg. This study provides guidelines for stable iodide prophylaxis in the event of exposure to radioactive iodine.

Adult

Characterization and experimental use of a monospecific antiserum to factor IX.

Purified human factor IX was used to develop xenogeneic neutralizing and precipitating antibodies. The final antiserum (R2) neutralized only factor IX and was equivalent to 220 Bethesda-inhibitory units. It showed two precipitating lines, one of which disappeared after absorption with human albumin. On immunodiffusion and Laurell immunoelectrophoresis, the albumin-absorbed R2 antiserum showed one precipitin line of identity, or one rocket respectively, with normal plasma, a Red Cross factor IX preparation (rich in factors IX, II and X), the original antigen, and Hemophilia-B antigen-positive plasmas. No line or rocket developed with normal plasma absorbed with aluminum hydroxide or with antigen-negative contained only factor IX neutralizing and precipitating antibodies. Experiments with various factor IX concentrates revealed that the majority contained excess factor IX antigen compared to their coagulant activity. In addition, crossed antigen-antibody electrophoresis uncovered differences in the migration of the factor IX of Konyne preparations, when done in the presence of EDTA or calcium. This monospecific antiserum to human factor IX was subsequently used to investigate a large population of hemophilia B patients and carriers.

Animals

Laboratory prediction of the carrier state in hemophilia B: role of replication of assays.

The authors studied the effect of averaging replicated assays of Factor IX coagulation activity and Factor IX antigen on each plasma specimen in improving the ability to detect carriers of hemophilia B. The improvement resulting from this procedure is particularly marked in tests depending on the linear regression of one characteristic on another to diagnose the carrier state. The effects of averaging assays on the ratio of Factor IX coagulation activity to Factor IX antigen were also explored. The benefits of averaging replications were not greatly increased by use of more than four replications.

Blood Coagulation Tests

Effect of starvation on hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid function in the rat.

Total starvation in the rat for 2 days did not alter the hypothalamic content of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), but did decrease both pituitary TSH content and serum TSH concentration. Five days starvation resulted in a significant decrease in serum TSH and a slightly enhanced serum TSH response to exogenous TRH, suggesting that the pituitary retains its sensitivity to TRH. Fasting for 5 days resulted in a decreased 1 and 4th, but an increased 24th thyroid 131I uptake. Other starvation-induced abnormalities of intrathyroid 131I metabolism were a consistent increase in the percent of organified 131I present as MIT and DIT and a decreased percent 131I labeled T4 AND T3. These alterations in the intrathyroid metabolism of 131I in the starved rat probably reflect both a decrease in serum TSH concentration and a decrease in urinary and fecal loss of administered 131I. The serum total and free T4 and total and free T3 concentrations were decreased following 2 and 5 days of starvation.

Animals