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Biomedical subjects

M Finn

Publications and source records attributed to M Finn.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Prevalence and characterisation of Cryptosporidium species in cattle faeces and on beef carcases at slaughter.

Cattle are known reservoirs and asymptomatic excretors of Cryptosporidium, a protozoan parasite that causes severe and protracted diarrhoea in people. The incidence of Cryptosporidium was investigated in 288 matched samples taken from beef carcases of 1 g samples of faeces retrieved immediately after de-legging, 25 cm2 samples of beef excised from the rump of uneviscerated carcases, and 25 cm2 samples of beef excised from the brisket area of eviscerated carcases. Cryptosporidium species were detected in 21 of the faecal samples after salt flotation and immunofluorescent microscopy. The species isolated from the positive samples were identified by restriction fragment length polymorphism and PCR as Cryptosporidium andersoni (54.5 per cent) and Cryptosporidium parvum genotype 2 (45.5 per cent). In the faecal samples, there was a significantly higher prevalence of the parasite in samples taken in summer (May to July) and winter (November to January) than in spring or autumn. No Cryptosporidium species were recovered from any of the beef samples.

Abattoirs↗
PubMed2004

Q2 evolution of the neutron spin structure moments using a 3He target.

We have measured the spin structure functions g(1) and g(2) of 3He in a double-spin experiment by inclusively scattering polarized electrons at energies ranging from 0.862 to 5.058 GeV off a polarized 3He target at a 15.5 degrees scattering angle. Excitation energies covered the resonance and the onset of the deep inelastic regions. We have determined for the first time the Q2 evolution of Gamma(1)(Q2)= integral (1)(0)g(1)(x,Q2)dx, Gamma(2)(Q2)= integral (1)(0)g(2)(x,Q2)dx, and d(2)(Q2)= integral (1)(0)x(2)[2g(1)(x,Q2)+3g(2)(x,Q2)]dx for the neutron in the range 0.1< or =Q2< or =0.9 GeV2 with good precision. Gamma(1)(Q2) displays a smooth variation from high to low Q2. The Burkhardt-Cottingham sum rule holds within uncertainties and d(2) is nonzero over the measured range.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

Q2 evolution of the generalized Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn integral for the neutron using a 3He target.

We present data on the inclusive scattering of polarized electrons from a polarized 3He target at energies from 0.862 to 5.06 GeV, obtained at a scattering angle of 15.5 degrees. Our data include measurements from the quasielastic peak, through the nucleon resonance region, and beyond, and were used to determine the virtual photon cross-section difference sigma(1/2)-sigma(3/2). We extract the extended Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn integral for the neutron in the range of four-momentum transfer squared Q2 of 0.1-0.9 GeV2.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

The use of seclusion in the year 2000: what has changed?

This study was undertaken to examine the perceptions of nurses working in three psychiatric settings regarding the effect and use of seclusion. It also aimed to identify current practices at these sites in the metropolitan area of Western Australia. A total of 78 nurses specialising in mental health care participated in the study by completing the 'Attitude towards seclusion survey'. The findings of this study indicate that nurses perceive seclusion as an accepted patient management strategy. The results also showed that the decision to seclude the patient was made by a senior mental health practitioner and that one hour was the average time a patient spent in seclusion. It is important to ensure that punishment, paternalistic attitudes or punitive actions are not part of clinical judgment regarding the use of seclusion. The study has provided evidence of nurses' perceptions concerning seclusion and the results highlight the need for staff to continue to explore and evaluate issues that lead to seclusion in order to facilitate the use of other management strategies that encourage a less restrictive environment.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2001

Types of patients in a psychiatric intensive care unit.

OBJECTIVE: This paper reports the findings of a descriptive study of a patient population over a three-month period on an eight bed psychiatric intensive care unit (PICU) in Western Australia. The report provides a quantitative insight into the profile of patients in PICUs. It provides information on patients' diagnoses, presenting signs, symptoms and/or behaviours, legal codes assigned to patients, treatment interventions and management. METHOD: Data were collected prospectively from August to October 1999. A total of 122 patients were admitted to the PICU during the review period. Data were entered into an Access program then exported to SPSS (Version 9 for Windows) for analysis and frequency distributions were obtained. RESULTS: The results confirmed that the majority of patients admitted to the PICU were assessed as a high level of risk or needed containment. This finding is in line with the admission criteria developed by staff working in the PICU. It also supports the view that staff working in these units require expertise and confidence to communicate with and manage potentially aggressive and highly aroused patients. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the importance of ongoing evaluations of patient populations in promoting best practice initiatives in psychiatric care.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Epidemiology and ecology of enterococci, with special reference to antibiotic resistant strains, in animals, humans and the environment. Example of an ongoing project within the European research programme.

The objectives of the present study are to generate knowledge of the ecology and epidemiology of enterococci in the food chain by studying the following: (1) the population structure (in measures of abundance, number of vancomycin resistant strains, antibiotic resistance patterns, diversity, and stability) among enterococcal populations in different geographical regions and in different links of the food chain (2) possible transmission of strains through the food chain and between hospital environments and the food chain (3) the association between vancomycin resistance and individual strains of enterococci and (4) the diversity of the drug resistance genes in enterococci. So far, 1578 samples have been collected from different countries within the EU (Sweden, Denmark, UK and Spain), and from different habitats (pig farms, carcasses in slaughter houses, soil, manure, water, sewage, and humans). Total and vancomycin resistant enterococcal populations in each sample have been enumerated and more than 12000 isolates have been characterised by phenotyping. Representative isolates are further species identified and characterised by genotyping and MIC determination and from antibiotic resistant isolates the resistance genes are characterised.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

The role of ventrolateral striatal acetylcholine in the production of tacrine-induced jaw movements.

The anticholinesterase tacrine induces tremulous jaw movements in rats, and considerable evidence indicates that this response is dependent upon ventrolateral striatal mechanisms. Three experiments were conducted to study the relation between ventrolateral striatal acetylcholine and the production of tremulous jaw movements. In Experiment 1, intracranial microinjection of the acetylcholine synthesis inhibitor hemicholinium-3 into the ventrolateral neostriatum reduced tremulous jaw movements induced by 5.0 mg/kg tacrine. Microinjection of hemicholinium into a cortical site dorsal to striatum (Experiment 2) was without significant effect upon tacrine-induced tremulous jaw movements. In Experiment 3, rats were implanted with dialysis probes in the ventrolateral striatum to measure extracellular levels of acetylcholine during tacrine-induced jaw movements. Tacrine (2.5-5.0 mg/kg) increased both extracellular acetylcholine and tremulous jaw movements. The 5.0 mg/kg dose of tacrine produced a substantial increase in ventrolateral striatal acetylcholine levels (324% of baseline within 30 min). Across all tacrine-treated rats there was a significant linear correlation between tremulous jaw movements and acetylcholine levels (r = +0.56) during the first 30-min postinjection period. This correlation was largely due to the group that received 5.0 mg/kg tacrine; within this group, there was a very high correlation (r = +0.87) between tremulous jaw movements and acetylcholine levels in the first sample after injection. These data are consistent with the notion that tremulous jaw movements induced by tacrine are mediated by ventrolateral striatal acetylcholine. Moreover, these results suggest that dialysis methods could be used to monitor the relation between striatal acetylcholine and tremulous movements induced by a variety of different conditions.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1998

Temporal measures of human finger tapping: effects of age.

A computerized finger-tapping test was used in which nonclinical subjects were asked to tap a telegraph key with their index finger as rapidly as possible during five 10-s trials. Comparisons were made between young (mean age = 18 years) and aged (mean age = 75 years) subjects. Consistent with previous findings, aged subjects performed significantly fewer taps than younger subjects. Computerized analysis of finger-tapping patterns in the present study allowed for the determination of novel temporal parameters of tapping responses. Response initiation time was defined as the time from the offset of one finger tap until the onset of the next finger tap. Aged subjects had significant and substantially longer response initiation times than younger subjects. Response duration times also were measured: this parameter was defined as the time from the onset of one finger tap until the offset of the same finger tap. Although the magnitude of the effect was small, aged subjects had significantly longer response duration times than younger subjects. Thus, although the deficit in response rate of a voluntary repetitive response in aged subjects was largely due to impairments in response initiation times, the response duration also contributes to the overall deficit in responding. Using these methods it is possible that greater insight into aging or extrapyramidal motor disorders, such as parkinsonism, may be obtained; it is also possible that these data may be useful as a research tool to aid in drug development and evaluation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Effects of clozapine, thioridazine, risperidone and haloperidol on behavioral tests related to extrapyramidal motor function.

Evidence indicates that the antipsychotic drug clozapine has a low propensity for the induction of extrapyramidal motor symptoms, and also that clozapine has therapeutic effects in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease. Because tacrine-induced tremulous jaw movements in rats have been suggested as a possible model of extrapyramidal motor dysfunctions, including parkinsonian tremor, the present work was undertaken to investigate the effects of clozapine on tremulous jaw movements. Clozapine decreased tacrine-induced tremulous jaw movements in a dose-related manner, with an ED50 of approximately 3.3 mg/kg. In order to determine the relative potency of this effect compared to other behavioral effects of clozapine, suppression of lever pressing was also studied. Clozapine reduced lever pressing in a dose-related manner, with an ED50 of approximately 5.4 mg/kg. This indicates that clozapine suppressed jaw movements at or below the doses required for suppression of lever pressing. In contrast, the typical antipsychotic drug haloperidol failed to suppress tacrine-induced tremulous jaw movements in doses up to 1.0 mg/kg, which is about 11-fold higher than the ED50 for suppression of lever pressing with that drug. Thioridazine and risperidone also suppressed tremulous jaw movements in roughly the same dose range at which lever pressing was reduced. It is possible that the suppression of tacrine-induced tremulous jaw movements by clozapine in rats is related to the unique behavioral and motor effects of clozapine. The ratio of potencies of these effects (i.e., suppression of tremulous jaw movements versus suppression of lever pressing) could be used as a behavioral procedure for assessing clozapine-like activity in novel compounds.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Involvement of pallidal and nigral GABA mechanisms in the generation of tremulous jaw movements in rats.

Four experiments were conducted to investigate the role of pallidal and nigral GABA in the generation of tremulous jaw movements in rats. In these experiments, tremulous jaw movements were induced by i.p. injections of the anticholinesterase tacrine (5.0 mg/kg). Previous work has shown that the tremulous jaw movements induced by cholinomimetics and dopamine depletion are dependent upon striatal mechanisms. Thus, the present study investigated potential striatal output pathways that could be involved in the generation of these movements. Because there are GABAergic projections from neostriatum to entopeduncular nucleus (medial globus pallidus) and substantia nigra pars reticulata, the GABA agonist muscimol was injected directly into these structures to study the effects of GABA stimulation on tacrine-induced jaw movements. Injections of muscimol into the entopeduncular nucleus (25-100 ng) failed to have any significant effects on tacrine-induced vacuous jaw movements. However, injections of muscimol (12.5-50 ng) into the substantia nigra pars reticulata blocked the jaw movements induced by tacrine. In the third experiment, it was again demonstrated that 25.0 ng of muscimol injected directly into the substantia nigra pars reticulata blocked the jaw movements induced by tacrine; in addition, it was shown that injections of this dose 2.0 mm dorsal to the substantia nigra pars reticulata failed to affect tacrine-induced tremulous jaw movements. It was shown in the fourth experiment that injections of muscimol into a more medial portion of the substantia nigra pars reticulata also reduced tacrine-induced tremulous jaw movements. These results indicate that stimulation of GABA(A) receptors in substantia nigra pars reticulata can block tacrine-induced tremulous jaw movements. This finding is consistent with the notion that striatonigral GABA projections are involved in the generation of tremulous jaw movements. It is also possible that striatonigral GABA mechanisms are involved in human clinical phenomena such as parkinsonian tremor.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Sensitization of the locomotor response to psychostimulants after repeated opiate exposure: role of the nucleus accumbens.

The following experiments were performed to ascertain the role of the nucleus accumbens in opiate-dopamine interactions using measures of locomotor activity. Three separate experiments were carried out. In Experiment 1, rats received systemic morphine (10 mg/kg IP) or saline (1 ml/kg IP) every other day for 5 days, followed by systemic amphetamine (1.5 mg/kg) 48 hours following the fifth injection. Animals in the morphine pretreatment group exhibited a sensitized locomotor response to amphetamine. In Experiment 2, animals received the same systemic pretreatment and were subsequently given intraaccumbens saline, amphetamine (2.5 micrograms/0.5 microliter) or cocaine (7 micrograms/0.5 microliter), each separated by 48 hours. Morphine-pretreated animals showed enhanced motor activity in response to intraaccumbens microinfusion of the psychostimulant drugs. Finally, in Experiment 3, multiple microinjections of morphine (0.5 microgram/0.5 microliter) directly into the nucleus accumbens resulted in a potentiated locomotor response to intraaccumbens amphetamine (2.5 micrograms/0.5 microliter). These data indicate that the nucleus accumbens may contribute to both the development and expression of opiate-stimulant cross-sensitization. The neural basis of this sensitization is hypothesized to be a common intracellular pathway affected by both classes of drugs, such as the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (AMP) system.

Amphetamine↗
PubMed1997

Microsporidia (Encephalitozoon cuniculi) in wild rabbits in Australia.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of infection with Encephalitozoon cuniculi in wild rabbit populations in Western Australia, and to isolate the organism from seropositive rabbits. DESIGN: Serological screening of wild and clinically affected domestic rabbit populations. SAMPLE POPULATION: Eighty-one wild rabbits from south-western Western Australia and 29 laboratory rabbits. PROCEDURE: Indirect immunofluorescence antibody technique and in-vitro amplification of parasite isolates in fibroblast cultures. RESULTS: Of the 81 wild rabbits and 29 laboratory rabbits, 20 and 22 respectively, had antibodies to E cuniculi. E cuniculi from the urine of one seropositive laboratory rabbit and from brain and kidney tissues of eight and five seropositive laboratory and wild rabbits respectively were isolated in fibroblast cultures. CONCLUSION: E cuniculi infection has been shown for the first time to be prevalent in wild rabbits in Australia. Techniques have been developed for the isolation and culture of the causative agent. Comparative studies can now be undertaken to determine risk factors for clinical disease in domestic rabbits and the relationship among E cuniculi isolates from wild and domestic rabbits.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Jealousy, general creativity, and coping with social frustration during the menstrual cycle.

Sensitivity to feelings of jealousy in women (n = 16) at three phases of their menstrual cycle differing in serum hormone concentrations (menses, preovulatory phase, midluteal phase) was investigated. Nonspecific electrodermal activity indicating sympathetic excitation was measured while subjects listened to stories and imagined situations inducing (i) nonsexual jealousy (the partner forms a deep emotional attachment to another woman), (ii) sexual jealousy (the partner has sexual intercourse with another woman), and (iii) no jealousy (social interaction lacking intense emotionality). Subjective ratings of the intensity of jealousy during both stories of jealousy were also assessed. In addition, changes in cognitive coping abilities, in general, and in the context of socially frustrating events, were assessed by tests of divergent thinking (creativity) and the Rosenzweig Picture Frustration Test. Frequency of nonspecific electrodermal reactions was generally enhanced during the preovulatory phase. This increase was particularly strong when the women listened to stories inducing nonsexual jealousy, i.e., a story characterized by cues of a complete loss of the partner's investment. Rated jealousy tended to be enhanced during the ovulatory phase, especially after the story of nonsexual jealousy. These changes in emotionality were paralleled by an improved divergent thinking performance and less aggressive coping with socially frustrating events around the time of ovulation.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1995

Prototype instruments for endoscopic microsurgery: technical note.

The authors describe a concept of converting microsurgical instruments into endoscopes and demonstrate prototype devices. These instruments combine the benefits of microsurgery (multiple instruments, tactile feedback, bimanual manipulation, magnification) with those of endoscopy (minimally invasiveness, indirect line of vision).

Animals↗