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Biomedical subjects

M McCue

Publications and source records attributed to M McCue.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Using peer helpers for tuberculosis prevention.

The authors report on a novel and effective peer helper program initiated by the University of Iowa Student Health Service (SHS) in fall 1992 to help prevent the development of active tuberculosis among foreign nationals attending the university. Before instituting the peer program, compliance with tuberculosis-prevention efforts for those students eligible for treatment was less than 5%. Since the peer program was initiated, compliance has risen to 50%.

Africa↗
PubMed1994

Stability and change in functional assessment of patients with geropsychiatric disorders.

OBJECTIVES: Functional assessments of patients with geropsychiatric disorders accomplished by self-rating, informant rating, and performance test were compared. METHOD: Fifty-eight inpatients with major depression or progressive dementia were evaluated on three occasions over 6 months with informant and patient versions of the Activities of Daily Living Scale of the Older Americans Resources and Services Multidimensional Functional Assessment (OARS-ADL) and with the Performance Assessment of Self-Care Skills (PASS). RESULTS: Patients' scores became significantly worse (p < .01) on the informant version of the OARS-ADL and the PASS. Self-ratings with the OARS-ADL did not worsen significantly (p > .05). CONCLUSION: Agreement between informant rating and performance test concerning functional status of patients with dementia was good. Elderly patients with depression may experience subtle deterioration that only becomes apparent on performance tests.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1988

Psychiatric and neuropsychological response to propranolol in Graves' disease.

We describe the endocrine, psychiatric, and neuropsychological assessments of 10 untreated, newly diagnosed Graves' disease subjects who were studied longitudinally at three stages: hyperthyroid (stage 1), after 2 weeks of propranolol treatment (stage 2), and after 6 months of antithyroid treatment (stage 3). Major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and hypomania were diagnosed at stage 1. Elevations on psychiatric symptom rating scales and in motor activity monitoring at stage 1 were significantly decreased at stage 2 and again at stage 3. Psychiatric improvements paralleled improvements in endocrine symptoms. Neuropsychological improvements were noted on the more challenging memory and attention tasks at stage 3, whereas propranolol treatment was not associated with changes on attention tests. Results are discussed in relation to catecholamine-thyroid hormone interactions, in particular, the beta-adrenergic system.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

A psychiatric and neuropsychological study of patients with untreated Graves' disease.

We studied 13 untreated Graves' disease subjects in a clinical research unit using endocrine, psychiatric, and neuropsychological assessments. We used SADS interviews, RDC, standardized symptom rating scales, and motor activity monitoring to update earlier studies and quantified psychiatric symptoms to elucidate any correlations between endocrine and psychiatric status. Nine of 13 subjects had major depression, 8/13 had generalized anxiety disorder, and 3/13 were hypomanic. Anxiety levels were much higher than in other hospitalized medical patients. Using a broad battery of neuropsychological testing, we found mild deficits in attention, memory, and complex problem solving that were consistent with previous studies of hyperthyroid patients. The severity of psychiatric symptoms could easily result in an inappropriate referral to a psychiatrist prior to the diagnosis of hyperthyroidism. The relationship between psychiatric symptoms and possible CNS effects of excess levels of thyroid hormone is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Effects of laughter and relaxation on discomfort thresholds.

Two experiments were conducted to test the proposal that laughter is a pain antagonist. In Experiment I, thresholds for pressure-induced discomfort of 20 male and 20 female subjects were measured after each subject listened to a 20-min-long laughter-inducing, relaxation-inducing, or dull-narrative audio tape or no tape. Discomfort thresholds were higher for subjects in the laughter- and the relaxation-inducing conditions. In Experiment II, 40 female subjects were matched for pressure-induced discomfort thresholds. Their discomfort thresholds were measured after they listened to a laughter-inducing, interesting narrative, or uninteresting narrative audio tape, completed a multiplication task, or experienced no intervention. Discomfort thresholds increased for subjects in the laughter-inducing condition. Laughter, and not simply distraction, reduces discomfort sensitivity, suggesting that laughter has potential as an intervention strategy for the reduction of clinical discomfort.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Effects of amantadine and trihexyphenidyl on memory in elderly normal volunteers.

Anticholinergic drugs impair one's ability to learn new material, even at routine clinically used doses. During the trihexyphenidyl phase of this double-blind crossover trial, elderly normal subjects complained of confusion and memory impairment and demonstrated a pattern of deficits in memory function compatible with that previously reported to result from anticholinergic drugs. The subjects neither complained of nor demonstrated memory impairment while taking amantadine, which is believed to exert its pharmacological effects upon extrapyramidal disorders via dopaminergic mechanisms and does not appear to be associated with memory impairment. Anticholinergic drugs should be avoided whenever possible in the elderly and especially in those suffering dementia.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1987

Replacement of chronically administered anticholinergic drugs by amantadine in outpatient management of chronic schizophrenia.

Anticholinergic drugs have been shown to impair new memory acquisition. In a double-blind study, 22 chronically schizophrenic patients had the anticholinergic drugs that they had been taking to control the extrapyramidal side effects (EPSE) of neuroleptic drugs discontinued and were randomly assigned to treatment either with benztropine (an anticholinergic) or with amantadine (which has little or no anticholinergic effect). The EPSE of five of the ten patients assigned to amantadine could not be adequately controlled with that drug alone, and these patients were withdrawn from the study prematurely. The five patients who completed the six-week trial on amantadine showed improved performance on tests of memory acquisition in comparison with patients treated with benztropine. Global inspection of the results showed that only 36% of the patients taking benztropine showed improvement in memory acquisition at the four- and six-week assessments, whereas 80% of the amantadine users showed improvement at the four-week assessment. Analysis of covariance, however, revealed that the performance of the latter group decreased almost to baseline at six weeks, as an additional two of the remaining patients developed distressing EPSE.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

The application of prolonged electroencephalographic monitoring and video recording to the diagnosis of epilepsy.

This study reports the results of the application of intensive monitoring by electroencephalogram (EEG) combined with video recording as an aid to the diagnosis of epilepsy. A group of 622 patients was investigated; useful information was obtained in approximately 50% of these patients. Ten per cent of the patients with suspected epilepsy had a seizure during the period of recording. The combined analysis of the video recording and the EEG provided valuable evidence in the analysis of complex partial seizures and highlights the high prevalence of pseudoseizures in patients who are suspected of having epilepsy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Pharmacokinetics of aztreonam in rabbit eyes.

Subconjunctival injection of 100 mg of aztreonam in rabbits with Pseudomonas aeruginosa endophthalmitis produced transiently high antibiotic concentrations in most intraocular sites. Concentrations of approximately 2.5 micrograms/ml were achieved in the vitreous humor 15 min after injection and persisted for 6 h. Repeated intramuscular injections in dosages of 25 mg/kg every 4 h resulted in drug concentrations in the vitreous humor of 2.4 micrograms/ml in infected eyes. These levels might be adequate for the treatment of intraocular infections caused by highly susceptible organisms. Direct intravitreal injection of 100 micrograms of aztreonam in normal rabbit eyes produced an estimated peak concentration in the vitreous humor of 62 micrograms/ml, with a half-life of 7.5 h, which declined to 6 micrograms/ml by 48 h. The pharmacokinetic indices suggest that, like other beta-lactam antibiotics, aztreonam is eliminated from the vitreous humor by the retinal route. This novel antibiotic warrants further study of its efficacy and toxicity to determine whether it may be a useful alternative to the aminoglycosides for selected cases of ocular infection.

Animals↗