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Biomedical subjects

M Miles

Publications and source records attributed to M Miles.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Afghan children and mental retardation: information, advocacy and prospects.

The family and community situation of children with mental retardation (learning difficulties/disabilities) is discussed within the Afghan cultural heritage and the current realities of civil war and refugee villages. Some formal services are being developed for children with physical and visual impairments. Mental retardation and hearing impairments are comparatively neglected, as skills are lacking and progress tends to be much slower. Some casual integration occurs in ordinary schools and kindergartens, which should be supported. Experiences in family counselling can be developed and also extended by enlisting indigenous counsellors and healers. The major strategy for the foreseeable future will be support and enhancement of family resources.

Afghanistan↗
PubMed1995

JC virus DNA in cerebrospinal fluid of human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients: predictive value for progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy.

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a lytic infection of oligodendrocytes by the human papovavirus JC. Patients with defects in cell-mediated immunity are at risk for active disease: a usually lethal demyelination of the brain. PML develops in at least 4% of patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Definitive diagnosis currently requires brain biopsy. Previous attempts to detect JC virus DNA by polymerase chain reaction in cerebrospinal fluid of PML patients, particularly those with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection, have been of low sensitivity. In the present study, cerebrospinal fluid was assayed by polymerase chain reaction from 26 HIV-1-positive patients with PML, 114 HIV-1-positive control subjects, and 16 control subjects who were HIV-1 negative or were without risk factors for HIV disease. Polymerase chain reaction conditions were optimized to detect a single copy of viral DNA in 50 microliters of cerebrospinal fluid. Specificity of the polymerase chain reaction product was confirmed by size on gel electrophoresis and Southern blot hybridization. JC virus DNA was detected in 24 of 26 samples from patients with PML: 8 of 8 with tissue diagnosis and 16 of 18 with strong clinical and magnetic resonance imaging evidence of PML. Among control subjects, 11 of 130 samples were positive for JC virus: 10 of 114 samples from HIV-infected patients and one from an HIV-negative patient with risk factors for PML and an unexplained hemiparesis. Overall sensitivity was 92% (24/26); specificity was, at minimum, 92% (119/130). Treatments for PML are now in clinical trials.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1995

Neuromuscular dysfunction following eccentric exercise.

This study examined the effects of exercise-induced muscle damage on tremor and proprioception components of neuromuscular function. Six male and six female volunteers (aged 18-30 yr) performed 50 maximal eccentric muscle actions using the forearm flexors of the nondominant arm. Forearm flexor tremor and perception of voluntary force and joint position were monitored to assess changes in neuromuscular function. Data were analyzed using REANOVA. Serum creatine kinase activity increased from a baseline value of 68 +/- 13 IU.l-1 to 2849 +/- 852 IU.l-1 5 d after exercise (P < 0.05). This was accompanied by prolonged impaired joint range of motion (P < 0.01) and reduced maximum strength (P < 0.01). Muscle soreness peaked 3 d postexercise (P < 0.01; Wilcoxon test). Tremor amplitude was increased (P < 0.01) until 48 h after exercise, whereas the power frequency spectrum was unaffected. Perception of joint position at elbow angles of 1.57 rad (P < 0.01) and 2.09 rad (P < 0.05) and perception of force (P < 0.01) were significantly impaired when the control arm acted as the reference. Joint positions were more accurately reproduced when the experimental arm acted as its own reference. The increase in tremor amplitude and loss of proprioceptive function in the days after damage-inducing eccentric exercise suggest significant impairment of neuromuscular function.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Effective use of action-oriented studies in Pakistan.

Little formal research has been done in special education and rehabilitation in Pakistan because of a lack of basic groundwork and trained researchers. However, the absence of formal structures permits innovative approaches. Several low-cost, action-oriented participatory studies have been carried out at the Mental Health Centre, Peshawar. These have ranged from community survey exercises to more complex studies of attitudes towards disability, childhood developmental skills, trends in polio paralysis and casual educational integration. The studies were undertaken in collaboration with education and welfare authorities. Formal and informal channels were used to disseminate the study findings widely in Pakistan and many other countries, and to generate an on-going movement for policy development and service provision. This article summarizes results from some of these studies. It also considers problems associated with the dissemination of special education and rehabilitation research findings in developing countries like Pakistan.

Child↗
PubMed1990

Application of a capture enzyme immunoassay in an outbreak of waterborne giardiasis in the United Kingdom.

A capture enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for the detection of Giardia lamblia antigen was used to examine 136 fecal samples collected during an outbreak of waterborne giardiasis in a city in the UK. Six cases of Giardia lamblia infection were detected that had previously not been diagnosed by microscopy. The capture EIA provides an efficient means of processing large numbers of samples for prompt and accurate assessment of an epidemic. It may also facilitate rapid tracing of epidemic sources.

Antigens, Protozoan↗
PubMed1990

Simplified assay of amrinone in plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography.

An isocratic high-performance liquid chromatography method for the assay of plasma amrinone is described. Plasma amrinone is extracted using protein precipitation with an internal standard, separated with a reverse phase column, and detected using ultraviolet absorption. Each run is completed within 10 min. The assay can detect amrinone concentrations between 0.5 and 10.0 micrograms/ml, within the accepted therapeutic range. The assay has a within-day coefficient of variation of less than 5% and a day-to-day coefficient of variation of less than 10% in the therapeutic range of amrinone. This technique is an accurate, simple, and rapid method for the determination of amrinone concentrations in plasma.

Amrinone↗
PubMed1989

Information-based rehabilitation for Third World disability.

Rehabilitation and special education are usually conceived in terms of methods, gadgets, locations and professions. Generalist planners often have difficulty grasping the essentials of the field, while resource constraints in Third World countries severely limit the extent to which these four features may become widely available. Reconceptualization of the field as information-based rehabilitation opens new, low-cost possibilities for empowering disabled people and their families and communities. A basic approach is described from Pakistan, for methodical dissemination of appropriate information, with feedback, evaluation and on-going information systems. Some comparative merits of various media are discussed, together with the values inherent in information and some constraints on information-based rehabilitation.

Developing Countries↗
PubMed1989

Safety and efficacy of a low volume extradural test dose of bupivacaine in labour.

A low volume of bupivacaine has been recommended as a "test dose" before extradural injection of local anaesthetic in labour. In order to test the safety and efficacy of this test procedure, the effects of bupivacaine 1.6 ml given by extradural injection were compared with those following the same dose given by the intrathecal route. Various indices of motor, sensory and autonomic block were recorded after injection in two groups of 20 healthy pregnant patients. Complete inability to raise the foot from the bed by hip flexion with the knee held straight was the only definite sign of intrathecal injection. In 10% of patients the final diagnosis could not be made until 10 min after injection. In 25% of patients hypotension occurred within 5 min of intrathecal injection despite preload with 1 litre of fluid i.v.

Adult↗