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Biomedical subjects

P A Martin

Publications and source records attributed to P A Martin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Is it research?

Although the two important processes have many shared methods, they also have distinct features that need to be made explicit, especially when sharing findings in a public arena. Let nurses take the lead in forthright reporting of findings, by clearly identifying their origins and making recommendations for future investigations--both in research and organizational improvement projects.

Diffusion of Innovation↗
PubMed1995

Finding time for research.

If nurses wish to conduct research and there is no time, they can try these tools, and they probably will reclaim some time to do research. Make research activity a priority, find some collaborators, use opportunities to make one task meet multiple goals, and garner available resources to lighten the load.

Nursing Research↗
PubMed1995

Pancreatic pseudotumor arising in association with Sjögren's syndrome.

A case is presented of an elderly female who was found by imaging to have an enlarged pancreas with narrowed distal common bile duct, thought to be neoplastic. Resection revealed an inflammatory and fibrosing process of the pancreas, suggestive of autoimmune disease. Subsequently she developed dry mouth, enlarged salivary glands, and an enlarged lacrimal gland with typical histology of Sjögren's syndrome. Pathological review of the contralateral lacrimal gland excised 20 years earlier showed similar histology. This case is a rare, but not unique, example of pancreatic pseudotumor associated with Sjögren's syndrome. The increasing use of sophisticated abdominal imaging may result in an increased detection of such pseudotumors. Failure to recognize their real nature can lead to inappropriate surgery.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Perineal descent at defecography in women with straining at stool: a lack of specificity or predictive value for future anal incontinence?

OBJECTIVE: To determine (1) whether patients complaining of straining at stool have pelvic floor descent and anal abnormalities similar to those of patients with anal incontinence and (2) whether these patients are prone to develop anal incontinence. METHODS: To answer the first question we used defecography to study perineal floor position at rest, during maximal contraction of the anal sphincter and during straining, and we performed anorectal manometry in 46 women with straining at stool but without anal incontinence at the beginning of the study, and in 46 women with idiopathic anal incontinence, matched for age. To answer the second question, we performed a 5-year follow-up study to determine whether anal incontinence had developed in those women with straining at stool. RESULTS: Perineal floor position at rest, during maximal contraction of the sphincter and during straining, resting pressure in the upper part of the anal canal, maximal amplitude and duration of the voluntary contraction were similar in the 46 women with straining at stool and the 46 women with idiopathic anal incontinence. In the follow-up study, 24 of the 46 women with straining at stool were contacted. The incidence of anal incontinence after 5 years was higher among these 24 women than in a control group of 20 women (13 out of 24 versus three out of 20, for women with straining at stool versus controls respectively; P < 0.01). The 13 patients with straining at stool who became incontinent had, at the initial investigation, a lower maximal amplitude of voluntary contraction, greater perineal descent at rest and less elevation of the pelvic floor during maximal contraction of the anal sphincter than the other women (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Women with chronic straining at stool have perineal descent at rest and during straining similar to that of incontinent women. Women with chronic straining are also prone to develop anal incontinence, suggesting that perineal descent at defecography in women with straining at stool may predict future anal incontinence.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Responsibilities when a patient is a research subject.

Subject recruitment must be performed with attention to subject rights and research protocols. Subject retention is critical to a good study, but continued participation must be voluntary (Raudonis, 1992). Good communication and support can benefit both subjects and researcher. The RN must know the agency's policies and procedures that guide in caring for a patient who is also a research subject. Attention must be paid to improving communications with the researcher.

Communication↗
PubMed1994

Building a local research consortium.

Although state, regional, and national networking often are critical to the nurse researchers, local support that is broader than what is found in any single agency may be the foundation needed by clinicians who want "more" research than that prescribed by their current role. More formal consortiums have successfully implemented a variety of research projects and are another possibility to explore (Beaman & Strader, 1990; Bolton, 1991; Chenitz et al., 1990; Keefe et al., 1988; Thiele, 1989). Another option is some state nurses' associations that have formal research assemblies (eg., Ohio Nurses Association, Assembly of Nurse Researchers). However, forming a local, less formal group with a few expert advisors may supply the energy and momentum necessary for both using and conducting research at a grassroots level. The expert advisors should be research-trained nurses (almost always with a PhD or DNS) who are active group members. Although Fitzpatrick encouraged collaborative research and writing early in the history of Applied Nursing Research (Fitzpatrick, 1989), in 1993 approximately two thirds of the articles in Applied Nursing Research still were single authored. Nurses are not using collaboration to its fullest extent. An informal group in one community has been one way to release the scholarship that was latent in many nurses.

Nursing Research↗
PubMed1994

A formal method of determining the dietary amino acid requirements of laying-type pullets during their growing period.

1. The amino acid requirements of laying type pullets during the growing period can be estimated by measuring the growth of different components of the body and making use of nutritional constants that define the amount of each amino acid that is required for the production of the tissues being formed. 2. In this experiment, carcase analyses of each of three breeds of pullets were conducted at weekly intervals throughout the growth of the pullets, to 18 weeks of age. Measurements were made of body weight, gut-fill and feather weight, and chemical analyses consisted of water, protein, lipid and ash measurements of both the body and the feathers. Each age group comprised 10 birds of each breed. 3. Gompertz functions accurately estimated the growth of both body protein and feather protein, to 18 weeks of age, from which the rate of growth of these two components of the body could be estimated. The mature weight of pullets was overestimated by the Gompertz growth curve, which may indicate that a pullet ceases to increase in body protein content once sexual maturity has been reached. 4. Using allometric relationships between the chemical components of the body and of feathers, all the components of growth could be estimated from the growth of body protein and feather protein. These components were then added together to determine the growth rate of the body as a whole. 5. The daily amino acid requirements for 4 functions were calculated, namely, those for the maintenance of body protein and feather protein, and for the gain in body protein and feather protein. These requirements were then summed to determine the requirement of pullets on each day of the growing period. 6. Using the 'effective energy' system, the amount of energy required by these pullets was calculated for each day of the growing period, from which the desired daily food intake of the pullets could be predicted. By dividing the amino acid requirement by this daily food intake it was possible to determine the concentration of amino acids that would be needed in the diet in order to meet the requirements of a pullet. 7. The results indicate that the ratio between the requirement for lysine and for methionine and cysteine changes dramatically during the growing period, negating the concept of a fixed ratio between all the amino acids during growth.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1993

Effects of glucagon-like peptide-1(7-36)amide on the concentrations of insulin and glucose in sheep.

1. The effects of glucagon-like peptide-1(7-36)amide (GLP-1) and/or glucose on the concentration of insulin in fed and starved sheep were studied. Insulin concentrations in starved sheep increased with increasing doses of GLP-1 (0.23-2.27 nmol) when given together with glucose. 2. Hyperglycaemia was necessary for GLP-1 to stimulate increases in serum insulin but the level required was low (0.4 mmol/l or less). 3. In fed sheep hyperglycaemia alone caused an increase in serum insulin. 4. GLP-1 improved the ability of both fed and starved sheep to remove exogenous glucose from the circulation. 5. GLP-1 did not augment insulin secretion in response to other known insulin secretagogues.

Animals↗