Biomedical subjects

N I Phillips

Publications and source records attributed to N I Phillips.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Web-based surgical educational tools.

This paper describes work being undertaken as part of the WebSET (Web-based Standard Educational Tools) project. The project is producing a standardised suite of interactive three-dimensional educational tools, delivered across the WWW. The major focus will be the use of open technology and standards, and the production of learning components that can be used as building blocks for further development in a wide range of application areas. Two learning disciplines have been selected for the development of the WebSET tools: surgical training, and physiological education. A high quality consortium from across Europe has been assembled with complementary skills in the technologies needed by the project. The project is partly funded by the European Commission.

Curriculum↗

PubMed2000

Affect of deep brain stimulation on limb paresis after stroke.

A deep brain stimulator was implanted in the periventricular grey matter of the third ventricle for pain after stroke in a man aged 48 years. As well as a beneficial analgesic effect, the patient reported improved function in the contralateral paretic arm, which was confirmed on formal testing.

Arm↗

PubMed2000

Web-based surgical simulation for ventricular catheterization.

We have used new developments in computer technology and the Internet to create a small program that simulates catheterization of the lateral ventricle. The program can run on most personal computers connected to the Internet. The program allows trainee surgeons to practice the technique with varying degrees of visual feedback--and no risk to the patient. It allows them to learn both the technique and the associated anatomy. The trainees can be assessed while performing the procedure. This is a small, early-stage application of virtual reality in surgical education. There is a demand for surgical training techniques that expose the patient to no risk; the use of computers is appropriate to meet this demand. The technique presented here requires further development; in particular, it needs a standardized assessment element that will allow it to be tested by established surgeons and trainees. The real test of a good training technique is how well it discriminates between trainee and trainer.

Cerebral Ventricles↗

PubMed1997

Osteomyelitis of the skull vault from a human bite.

We report a case of extensive osteomyelitis of the skull vault from a human bite. The presentation and surgical management of this unusual condition is described. The microbiological findings are comparable to known patterns of infection after human bites. Surgical management and prophylaxis after this injury are discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

Neurosurgery and the Internet.

The Internet is a global computer network which has recently become accessible for many reasons to the general public. The growth in its use for entertainment purposes is now being mirrored by its application to medical interests requiring rapid communication. Neurosurgery as a speciality has a tradition of adapting quickly to new technology and can benefit from these new communication techniques. The established methods used on the Internet to transfer information are discussed along with the medical applications of these methods. The ways in which the Internet is being used have important messages for the coming NHS wide network and the future potential of computer networks in neurosurgery and medicine.

Communication↗

PubMed1985

Purification and properties of rabbit brain and liver 4-aminobutyrate aminotransferases isolated by monoclonal-antibody immunoadsorbent chromatography.

The use of a monoclonal-antibody immunoaffinity column for the rapid isolation of 4-aminobutyrate aminotransferases (EC 2.6.1.19) from rabbit brain and liver is described. Homogeneous enzyme protein is eluted from the immunoadsorbent with 100mM-citrate buffer, pH5, and remains stable at 4 degrees C for several days. One such column (bed volume 8 ml) has been used 40 times in a 9-month period to isolate 10-15 units of enzyme activity (specific activity approx. 3.5-7.5 units/mg) per extraction. Kinetic and spectral analysis of the enzymes from the two tissues revealed a close similarity. Sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis showed the isolated enzyme to have a monomeric Mr of 52 000, and this was confirmed by h.p.l.c. gel exclusion at pH 5.0. The results of Sephadex G-100 chromatography at different pH values are taken to indicate that the enzyme behaves as a dimer at pH 7.0 and above, but as a monomer at pH 5.0. 4-Aminobutyrate aminotransferase isolated from the brain by the procedure of Fowler & John [(1981) Biochem. J. 197, 149-152] is more stable than the immunoaffinity-purified material, and has been shown to contain a contaminant protein of Mr 84 000 that exhibits succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase activity.

4-Aminobutyrate Transaminase↗

PubMed1985

A monoclonal antibody to rabbit brain GABA transaminase.

A monoclonal antibody of class IgG (subclass IgG1) has been prepared to rabbit brain GABA transaminase (GABA-T). This antibody reveals a single band of molecular weight 52,000 on a nitrocellulose filter blotted with purified GABA-T. On a filter blotted with unfractionated rabbit brain supernatant a major band of molecular weight 58,000 is revealed. An immunoaffinity column was prepared by coupling proteins from ascites fluid containing anti-rabbit GABA-T antibody to Bio-Rad Affi-Gel 15. This column bound purified GABA-T and extracted from unfractionated rabbit brain supernatant a protein of molecular weight 58,000, which was almost homogeneous and which had GABA-T enzyme activity. Using immunoaffinity chromatography, therefore, a high degree of purification of GABA-T may be achieved in a single step. Further, this technique may preserve an authentic form of the enzyme that is lost during the conventional purification procedure. The antibody inhibits GABA-T enzyme activity, up to a maximum of 35%.

4-Aminobutyrate Transaminase↗

PubMed1982

The effects of sodium valproate on gamma-aminobutyrate metabolism and behaviour in naive and ethanolamine-O-sulphate pretreated rats and mice.

Sodium valproate was injected acutely (400 mg/kg i.p.) into naive and ethanoloamine-O-sulphate chronically pretreated rats and mice, in an attempt to gain further insight into the effects of this anticonvulsant on GABA metabolism. Sodium valproate significantly enhanced the activity of GAD in the medulla and pons, cerebellum and midbrain regions of rats, and partially relieved the suppression of GAD activity caused by chronic GABA-transaminase inhibition in whole mouse brain. In combination with EOS, sodium valproate caused behavioural excitation in mice which was similar to that sometimes seen with high doses of some GABA-T inhibitors. Pretreatment with EOS potentiated the characteristic abstinence behaviour caused by sodium valproate in rats, though no further significant rise in cerebral GABA levels was observed. In view of the neuronal location of GAD, the elevation of cerebral GABA levels at least in part by potentiation of GAD activity could be involved in the mediation of the anticonvulsant activity of sodium valproate.

Animals↗

PubMed1980