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Biomedical subjects

P J Taylor

Publications and source records attributed to P J Taylor.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Measurement of dothiepin and its major metabolites in plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography.

This paper describes a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method which will simultaneously measure dothiepin and its three major metabolites (northiaden, northiaden-S-oxide and dothiepin-S-oxide) in plasma using trimipramine as internal standard. Sample preparation involved a basic extraction using diethyl ether followed by an acid back-extraction. The method we report is linear over the range 50-1000 ng/ml (r = 0.999), for all analytes. Total imprecision is less than 11% (coefficient of variation) and accuracy is greater than 94% (n = 20). Recovery of analytes varied considerably from 51.7% for northiaden-S-oxide to 90.2% for dothiepin-S-oxide.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗
PubMed1992

A comparison of ovulation suppression and ovulation stimulation in the treatment of endometriosis-associated infertility.

This study compares ovulation stimulation or suppression with the pregnancy rate among infertile couples with endometriosis. The design is a nonrandomized, prospective, multicentered cohort analytic study. Two hundred and ninety-seven couples with laparoscopy-proven endometriosis were analyzed: 68 received no therapy, 42 received clomiphene and 74 received danazol. Forty patients (22%) conceived and pregnancy rates were similar in each treatment group. The relative likelihood of pregnancy associated with clomiphene was 2.9 (95% confidence limits 1.2-7.1); the relative likelihood of pregnancy with danazol was 1.02 (95% confidence limits 0.5-2.3). This study suggests that pregnancy rates during clomiphene treatment could be superior to expectant therapy, while pregnancy rate after danazol is similar to no treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Genetic variation in the African rodent subfamily Otomyinae (Muridae). II. Chromosomal changes in some populations of Otomys irroratus.

Chromosome-banding studies have been carried out on 31 specimens of Otomys irroratus from six localities. Light-microscope preparations of chromosomes were obtained from cultures of fibroblasts, spleen lymphocytes, peripheral blood lymphocytes, and directly from bone marrow. Karyotypic variability, both numerical and morphological, was detected in three populations. Diploid numbers ranged from 2n = 23 to 2n = 32. Intrapopulation differences were chiefly caused by variation in the number of copies in two pairs of small, biarmed, partly heterochromatic autosomes suggestive of B chromosomes. A major morphological variation in the karyotypes involved the presence of seven pairs of biarmed autosomes with totally heterochromatic short arms in the populations distributed to the west of 26 degrees 57' E. To the east of this longitude, populations of this species exhibited mostly acrocentric autosomes. G-banding patterns of these karyotypes and those of a karyotype from a previous study (Robinson and Elder, 1987) were compared. A chromosome originating from a tandem fusion, possibly leading to partial reproductive isolation, was found in one population. Possible implications of these results for mechanisms of speciation are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Genetic variation in the African rodent subfamily Otomyinae (Muridae). III. Karyotype and allozymes of the ice rat, Otomys sloggetti robertsi.

Results of chromosome G- and C-banding studies on 12 specimens of the ice rat, Otomys sloggetti robertsi, from three localities and allozyme analyses of seven individuals from two localities are reported. The subspecies karyotype contains 42, mostly acrocentric, chromosomes. No chromosomal variation was detected among animals from these localities. Allozyme analysis tentatively suggested a limited gene flow between the two populations examined.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Dangerous behaviour preceding first admissions for schizophrenia.

Of 253 patients in their first schizophrenic episode, 52 behaved in a way threatening to the lives of others before their admission to hospital. These 52 patients were studied from data collected at the time of their initial presentation. Despite a history of illness in excess of 1 year in 24 cases, and evidence that violence was motivated by psychotic symptoms in 23 cases, fewer than half of the patients were admitted to hospital as a direct result of their dangerous behaviour. Life-threatening behaviour was more common where the patient had been ill for longer, and where there were delusions of being poisoned.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Characterization of subendometrial myometrial contractions throughout the menstrual cycle in normal fertile women.

The objective was to study the characteristics of ultrasonographically detected subendometrial myometrial contractions. The contractions were evaluated by 328 ultrasound scans throughout the menstrual cycle. Reproducibility of these findings were studied in consecutive cycles. Eighteen healthy ovulatory volunteers with proven fertility were evaluated for at least one complete menstrual cycle in the follicular, periovulatory, and luteal phases. Multiple cycles were studied in 10 volunteers. The results showed that the contractions increase in frequency, amplitude, and percentage toward the fundus throughout the follicular and periovulatory phases. The pattern is essentially reversed in the luteal phase. There is reproducibility of these patterns from cycle to cycle. We conclude that there is a definite identifiable pattern of subendometrial myometrial contractility that varies with the phases of the normal menstrual cycle and recurs in a similar fashion from cycle to cycle.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

The effect of cigarette smoking on ovarian function and early pregnancy outcome of in vitro fertilization treatment.

A retrospective analysis of the results of the first attempt at in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment in 447 couples was performed by chart review. In 124 couples the female partners smoked cigarettes, and in 236 couples they did not. A total of 69 pregnancies (19.2%) were achieved, 50 in nonsmokers (21.2% per cycle), and 19 in smokers (15.3% per cycle). There were no significant differences in these cycles between the two groups in peak estradiol level achieved, the number of eggs retrieved, fertilization rate, or implantation rate. The incidence of spontaneous abortion was higher in smokers (42.1%) than in nonsmokers (18.9%). Consequently, the delivery rate per cycle of IVF was significantly lower in the smoking group (11 of 124, 9.6%) than in the nonsmokers (40 of 236, 17.0%). There was no effect when only the husband was a smoker. From these data, smoking appears to significantly reduce the chances of successful pregnancy after IVF treatment.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗
PubMed1991

Non-steroidal antiandrogens. Design of novel compounds based on an infrared study of the dominant conformation and hydrogen-bonding properties of a series of anilide antiandrogens.

Antiandrogenic activity is observed in anilides containing a tertiary hydroxyl group, and these compounds are used to define a pharmacophore in terms of their physicochemical properties. Infrared spectroscopy shows that these anilides exist in a single conformation, which exerts a powerful influence on the hydrogen-bond donor ability of the hydroxyl group in a model system. Arguments are presented which suggest that hydrogen-bonding ability is an important contributor to biological activity. Compounds were synthesized that reproduced these properties in series not containing an amide bond. Such compounds were found to exhibit good antiandrogen activity. We suggest that quantitative information on hydrogen bonding might also be useful in other systems.

Androgen Antagonists↗
PubMed1991

Endometrial ablation to control excessive uterine bleeding.

The use of surgical techniques is described for the management of dysfunctional uterine bleeding by endometrial ablation as alternatives to hysterectomy. Current approaches include the neodymium yttrium aluminium garnet (Nd:YAG) laser and resection by electrosurgery using a ball-end electrode. Of 484 patients treated since 1985, 361 (74%) became amenorrhoeic with only occasional spotting 68 (14%) reported satisfactory results with 55 (12%) reporting an unsatisfactory outcome.

Electrocoagulation↗
PubMed1991

Hypersexuality, fetishism and multiple sclerosis.

Hypersexuality and fetishism appeared in a patient with multiple sclerosis whose MRI scan showed frontal and temporal lesions. The hypersexuality may have been the presenting symptom of the multiple sclerosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Sharing of information by students in an objective structured clinical examination.

Increasing numbers of medical schools are using Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) to evaluate students. An Objective Structured Clinical Examination employs a multiple-station format and standardized patients to document students' clinical skills. A lengthy format is necessary; testing an entire class often necessitates multiple repetitions of the same examination. This dictates a need to minimize sharing of information among students. We studied six administrations of an Objective Structured Clinical Examination designed to measure skills. Analyses were conducted to detect changes in scores over the administrations as well as over the 8.5 hours of each day of testing. An increase in either might indicate information sharing had occurred. No significant increase occurred. If information was shared, it had no significant effect on scores. Skills a student uses to approach a patient should not change even if the patient's complaints are known.

Clinical Clerkship↗
PubMed1990

Therapeutic donor insemination with frozen semen.

Although it is now accepted that cryopreserved semen must, on ethical and medicolegal grounds, be used for donor insemination many clinicians still believe that it has an unacceptably reduced fecundability rate as compared with fresh semen. We studied the outcome of 81 recipients who started therapeutic donor insemination (TDI) treatment during 1986 in a program that used exclusively cryopreserved semen; 55 had never undergone TDI and were receiving the first series (six cycles), 6 were receiving the second series (also six cycles), and 20 had achieved pregnancy through TDI previously and were starting the treatment again. Insemination with semen stored in 0.5-ml French straws was performed daily during the periovulatory period while the modified Insler score was 10 or greater out of 15. A total of 42 (52%) of the recipients became pregnant within six TDI cycles; 4 (10%) had a spontaneous abortion. An average of 4.8 straws were used per cycle among those who became pregnant and 5.1 per cycle among those who did not. On average 2.6 cycles were required to achieve pregnancy. The overall fecundability rate was 14.6%. We conclude that a TDI program involving exclusively frozen semen can be operated with a success rate comparable to rates achieved with fresh semen if a simple, established cryopreservation method and an uncomplicated clinical management protocol are used.

Adult↗