Computer database for palliative care.
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Computers↗
Biomedical subjects
M McDonnell
Publications and source records attributed to M McDonnell.
Pathophysiology of congenital diaphragmatic hernia. III: Exogenous surfactant therapy for the high-risk neonate with CDH.
Exogenous surfactant therapy (EST) in surfactant-deficient premature infants has been shown to improve lung compliance, decrease morbidity, and improve survival. Reports have demonstrated that newborns with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) have lung compliance, pressure-volume curves, and hyaline membrane formation resembling those changes seen in surfactant deficient premature newborns. We hypothesize that EST may also benefit infants with CDH. All high risk cases of prenatally diagnosed CDH at Children's Hospital of Buffalo from November 1988 to February 1991 were prospectively evaluated for EST. In those families who chose to participate, the surfactant preparation, Infasurf (100 mg/kg), was instilled into the newborn's lungs prior to the first breath. The remainder of the perinatal, neonatal, and surgical care was performed in a routine manner. Three high-risk prenatally diagnosed newborns with left CDH were treated with EST. All showed signs of decreased pulmonary compliance, but could still be adequately oxygenated and ventilated. Surgical correction was performed after stabilization and all required patch closures. Two of the three infants suffered no life-threatening episodes of pulmonary hypertension and all survived. These infants had many known indicators for poor outcome in CDH with an expected survival of less than 20%. We believe that EST in these neonates with CDH contributed to their survival with minimum morbidity. These results suggest that surfactant replacement for the high-risk neonate with CDH warrants further consideration and a randomized clinical trial is being planned.
Adult↗
Intravenous aminophylline and cerebral blood flow in preterm infants.
The effect of aminophylline on cerebral blood flow (CBF) was studied in 10 preterm infants who were receiving 6.2 mg/kg intravenously over 20 minutes followed by a maintenance infusion. CBF was measured intermittently using near infrared spectroscopy. Heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and transcutaneously measured carbon dioxide tension (TcPCO2) were recorded continuously. Aminophylline administration was associated with a fall in CBF from a median of 15.9 ml/100 g/min to 11.2 ml/100 g/min. Median fall in CBF was 4.1 ml/100 g/min (95% confidence interval 1.7 to 6.5). Heart rate rose and TcPCO2 fell in all infants, median fall being 0.66 kPa. The reduction in CBF was greater than would be expected on the basis of the modest fall in TcPCO2.
Aminophylline↗
New stoma stent applicable in long-term tracheostomy.
As long-term tracheostomy becomes a more common procedure, the need has arisen for a means of maintaining stoma patency. This article presents a new self-retained physiologic prosthesis intended for use as a stoma stent in long-term tracheostomy. It may also be applied in a wide range of short-term conditions. The concepts and techniques of long-term tracheostomy are highlighted. Experience in applying this stent in 75 patients with a followup of more than 28 months is presented.
Adolescent↗
P450IIB gene expression in rat small intestine: cloning of intestinal P450IIB1 mRNA using the polymerase chain reaction and transcriptional regulation of induction.
Intestinal cytochromes P450 (P450) may function in the "first pass" metabolism of drugs, the detoxification of xenobiotics, or the activation of carcinogens. However, little is known about the expression of specific P450 genes in intestinal mucosa. We have previously shown that a P450 mRNA that is homologous to rat liver P450IIB1 (P450b) is expressed in rat small intestine and is inducible by phenobarbital, polyhalogenated biphenyls, and organochlorine pesticides. However, there are multiple highly homologous genes in the IIB subfamily and, therefore, studies using liver-derived cDNAs or oligonucleotides based on those cDNAs cannot definitively establish the identity of the intestinal mRNA(s). The polymerase chain reaction was used to enzymatically amplify cDNA synthesized from intestinal and hepatic RNA, and the amplified segments were identified by Southern blot analysis. These studies demonstrated that the amplified segment of the phenobarbital-inducible P450 mRNA in intestine was identical to this same segment of the hepatic P450b mRNA; furthermore, this analysis showed that P450e was not expressed in intestine. To definitively establish the identity of the intestinal mRNA, the full coding sequence of the P450b mRNA was cloned from intestinal and hepatic RNA and sequenced. The sequences of the intestinal and hepatic cDNA were identical and coded for P450b; the deduced protein sequence in the F344 rat differed in one amino acid from the reported sequence in Sprague-Dawley rats and, thus, represents a different allele of the same gene. An increment in intestinal P450b mRNA was detected as early as 1 hr following a single intraperitoneal injection of phenobarbital; this prompt rise in mRNA suggested that transcriptional activation may be the primary mechanism for induction. Nuclear run-on experiments were performed using nuclei isolated from intestinal mucosa 3 and 6 hr following treatment with phenobarbital. The rate of transcription of the P450IIB1 gene was increased approximately 6-fold 6 hr following phenobarbital; this was very similar to the increment in P450b mRNA as measured by quantitative dot blot analysis. Therefore, the predominant mechanism for the induction of P450b mRNA in intestine in response to phenobarbital was an increase in gene transcription. These studies indicate that the same member of the P450IIB subfamily, P450IIB1 or P450b, is expressed and inducible by similar mechanisms in small intestine and liver. Although putative P450b mRNA and apoprotein have been identified in lung and testes, the capacity for induction by phenobarbital, and presumably other xenobiotics, is unique to liver and intestine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Amino Acid Sequence↗
More on oral iron and the Hemoccult test.
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Administration, Oral↗
The activity of the pneumococcal autolytic system and the fate of the bacterium during ingestion by rabbit polymorphonuclear leukocytes.
The extent to which autolytic microbial enzymes are involved in the fate of microorganisms ingested by phagocytes has not been determined. It is known, however, that activation of degradative enzymes occurs during certain microbicidal events. We examined the possible role of the pneumococcal autolytic enzyme (an N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanine amidase) in the loss of viability and degradation of pneumococci during phagocytosis by rabbit polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Three bacterial systems were compared: (a) wild type pneumococci with an active autolytic system; (b) wild type bacteria grown under conditions that block the endogenous autolytic activity and (c) a mutant strain defective in the major autolytic enzyme of this bacterium. No differences could be detected between the autolysis-positive and negative bacteria in the rate of killing and in the fate of macromolecular cell constituents during ingestion by rabbit peritoneal polymorphonuclear leukocytes.
Amidohydrolases↗
Coordinated incorporation of nascent peptidoglycan and teichoic acid into pneumococcal cell walls and conservation of peptidoglycan during growth.
Choline-containing pneumococcal cell wals are sensitive to autolysin, whereas ethanolamine-containing walls are not. Bacteria were labeled with radioactive peptidoglycan precursors while growing either in choline- or in ethanolaminecontaining media. Subsequently, the labeled cells were allowed to grow for four to five generations in nonradioactive medium supplemented with the alternative amino alcohol source (i.e. cells labeled in choline medium yields ethanolamine; cells labeled in ethanolamine medium yields choline). The autolysin sensitivity of the isotope label in cell walls prepared from such bacteria indicates that nascent peptidoglycan and teichoic acid units that are synthesized at the same time are attached to one another, incorporated into the cell surface at the cellular equator, and remain conserved during growth the division of the bacteria.
Alanine↗
The inside story: a simulation game on ethical, legal, and political decision making in health policy for nurse practitioners.
This game can be conducted with as many as 50 and as few as 15 players. The optimum size includes 4-5 Board members and 4-6 participants in each of the four small-group scenarios. The game takes about 11/2-2 hours to play. This includes a break between Part I and Part II. Existing state and national laws and policies are used in the game so that participants may understand their effects and limitations. The game has no winners or losers. Everyone gains if the decision markers are able to consider the needs of the individuals and the needs of the public, though some individuals may or may not benefit as much as others. This, however, is reality and is inherent in the policy-making process. In primary care, nurse practitioners (NPs) have a crucial responsibility to weigh the impact of their decisions on their clients and the community. The "Inside Story" integrates recommended NP curriculum content such as ethical decision making and health policy into a creative and powerful educational experience. This simulation game could be adapted for other topics with ethical, legal, and political implications such as issues regarding allocation of scarce resources. It could be played among students or professionals from many disciplines as part of their curriculum or in a continuing education offering.
Decision Making↗