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Biomedical subjects

P M Dennis

Publications and source records attributed to P M Dennis.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Respiratory rate measurement in adults--how reliable is it?

Measurement of respiratory rate (RR) is essential in the evaluation of respiratory disorders. However, the variability in RR measurement in adults has never been adequately assessed. Respiratory rate was measured twice in 245 patients; the two measurements were performed by the same observer in 137 patients, by different observers in 58 patients and simultaneously by different observers in 50 patients. The mean (SD) difference between the first and second measurements was 0.03 (3); 95% limits of agreement-4.86-4.94 breaths min(-1), -5.7-5.7 breaths min(-1), and -4.2 to 4.4 breaths min(-1) for the same observer, different observer and simultaneous observer groups, respectively. The difference in RR measurements did not vary with RR. In conclusions on average, there is very good agreement between observers in RR measurement. Inter-observer variability may account for a difference of up to 6 breaths min(-1). This is relevant when applying clinical prediction rules based on threshold RR values.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Plasma concentration of ionized calcium in healthy iguanas.

OBJECTIVE: To measure plasma concentration of ionized calcium in healthy green iguanas. DESIGN: Prospective study. ANIMALS: 9 juvenile and 21 (10 male, 11 female) adult iguanas. PROCEDURE: Blood samples were obtained from each iguana, and plasma calcium, glucose, phosphorus, uric acid, total protein, albumin, globulin, potassium, and ionized calcium concentrations, aspartate transaminase (AST) activity, and pH were measured. Heparinized blood was used for measurement of ionized calcium concentration and blood pH. A CBC was also performed to assess the health of the iguanas. RESULTS: Significant differences were not detected among the 3 groups (juveniles, males, and females) with regard to ionized calcium concentration. Mean ionized calcium concentration measured in blood was 1.47 +/- 0.105 mmol/L. Significant differences were detected between juveniles and adults for values of phosphorus, glucose, total protein, albumin, globulin, and AST activity. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Ionized calcium concentration provides a clinical measurement of the physiologically active calcium in circulation. Evaluation of physiologically active calcium in animals with suspected calcium imbalance that have total plasma calcium concentrations within reference range or in gravid animals with considerably increased total plasma calcium concentrations is vital for determining a therapeutic plan. Accurate evaluation of calcium status will provide assistance in the diagnosis of renal disease and seizures and allow for better evaluation of the health status of gravid female iguanas.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2001

Morphologic and cytochemical characteristics of blood cells and hematologic and plasma biochemical reference ranges in green iguanas.

OBJECTIVE: To determine blood cell morphologic characteristics and hematologic and plasma biochemical reference ranges for iguanas housed in a warm indoor and outdoor environment with regular exposure to direct sunlight. DESIGN: Original study. ANIMALS: 51 clinically normal iguanas (18 males, 25 females, and 8 juveniles) housed in 3 Florida locations. PROCEDURE: Blood was collected from the coccygeal or ventral abdominal vein. Any samples that had obvious hemolysis or clot formation were not used. Leukocyte counts were determined manually; other hematologic values were obtained by use of a commercially available cell counter. Plasma biochemical values were determined by use of a spectrophotometric chemistry analyzer. Blood smears were stained with Wright-Giemsa and cytochemical stains for morphologic and cytochemical evaluation. RESULTS: Hematologic ranges were generally higher in this study than previously reported. Thrombocytes were variable in appearance between individuals and sometimes difficult to distinguish from lymphocytes on a Wright-Giemsa preparation. Concentrations of calcium, phosphorus, total protein, globulins, and cholesterol were significantly higher, and the albumin:globulin ratio was significantly lower, in healthy gravid females than in male or nongravid female iguanas. Nongravid females had significantly higher calcium and cholesterol concentrations, compared with males. The calcium:phosphorus ratio was > 1 in all iguanas. Gravid females had a calcium phosphorus product ranging between 210 and 800. Intracytoplasmic inclusions were identified within the erythrocytes of some iguanas. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Hematologic ranges for iguanas in this study are higher than those reported for iguanas. Sex and age of the iguana should be considered when evaluating biochemical values. Healthy ovulating and gravid females may have significantly increased electrolyte and protein concentrations, but maintain a calcium:phosphorus ratio > 1.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2000

Ureterotomy for removal of two ureteroliths in a parrot.

A 21-year-old male double-yellowheaded Amazon parrot was referred because of possible urolithiasis. The bird had strained to void since it was young, and recently, signs of depression and inappetence had appeared. Radiography revealed 2 mineralized opacities in the left caudal portion of the celomic cavity. A left lateral celiotomy revealed that the left ureter was dilated and contained a calculus, which was later determined to be composed of monosodium uric acid crystals and proteinaceous material. The second mineralized mass could not be located at that time, but was detected in the caudal aspect of the celomic cavity after surgery by use of radiography. Manual attempts to maneuver the uterolith from the ureter through the cloaca were unsuccessful. Five days after the initial surgery, the uterolith was removed by cloacotomy and ventral midline laparotomy. Excretory urography performed 10 and 31 days after surgery revealed that the left ureter was homogeneously opacified and gradually decreased to 3 to 6 mm in diameter. The bird remained healthy and seemed to strain less severely during voiding. Nonspecific signs associated with ureteroliths may result in delay in diagnosis. Surgical removal of ureteroliths may be an effective treatment for this uncommon condition, but it is complicated by certain anatomic features of birds and may result in ureteral stricture.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Intestinal volvulus and stricture associated with a leiomyoma in a green turtle (Chelonia mydas).

A previously stranded 30-kg female green turtle (Chelonia mydas) was referred to the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the University of Florida following a 2-mo history of anorexia, intermittent regurgitation, decreased fecal production, and positive buoyancy of the right side. Radiographs confirmed gaseous distension of bowel loops suggestive of intestinal obstruction. The coelom was surgically approached through a plastron osteotomy, and a 540 degrees volvulus of the small intestine was identified and derotated. An intestinal stricture was present at the site of the volvulus, and segments of bowel orad to the stricture were greatly distended. Following resection of abnormal bowel, the osteotomy was stabilized using self-tapping screws and figure-eight wire, and the defect was sealed with fiberglass cloth and fast-drying epoxy resin. A leiomyoma associated with the focal stricture was identified by histology. Appetite and defecation returned to normal. Six months after surgery, the turtle had regained normal buoyancy and showed no further clinical signs of gastrointestinal obstruction.

Analgesics, Non-Narcotic↗
PubMed1998

Chills and thrills: does radio harm our children? The controversy over program violence during the age of radio.

A review of the popular and scientific periodical for the 1930s and 1940s revealed that the controversy surrounding the radio "thriller" and its possible harmful effects on young listeners was one of radio's most highly publicized issues during its golden years of broadcasting. Many of the questions raised concerning this issue were similar to those asked later during the age of television. Relying heavily upon the psychoanalytic emphasis on emotion, catharsis, and intrapsychic dynamics, expert opinion voiced in various popular periodicals and newspapers of the day suggested that the violence and excitement portrayed in many of the crime and adventure programs was harmless, and perhaps beneficial, for most listeners. However, research in support of this conclusion was sparse, and psychologists evidenced little interest in the issue. Not until the advent of television, and the emergence of social learning theory in the early 1960s, did psychologists direct significant research effort towards evaluating the effects of media violence.

Child↗
PubMed1991

Factors associated with successful risk reduction after a community coronary risk factor screen.

Debate continues over the effectiveness of coronary risk factor screening as a strategy for the prevention of coronary heart disease in the community. We reviewed changes in risk factors one year after a community coronary risk factor screen and found highly significant reductions in the blood cholesterol (mean reduction of 0.6 mmol/l) and body mass index (mean reduction of 1.03 kg/m2) in those participants who at the initial screening were found to have elevated (greater than 6.5 mmol/l) blood cholesterol concentrations. Comparison of this group with a reference group not given health advice and a group of hypercholesterolaemic clinic attenders showed that the blood cholesterol reduction could not be accounted for solely by regression to the mean, and was as good as the blood cholesterol reduction achieved by regular clinic attendance. Although there were many factors that could account for these reductions, we found that participants who received risk factor measurement and counselling during the screening process and who sought medical follow-up after the screen had a greater reduction in risk factors.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Contributions to the history of psychology: LXXIX. Psychology's first publicist: H. Addington Bruce and the popularization of the subconscious and power of suggestion before World War I.

Between 1903 and America's entrance into World War I, journalist and psychologist H. Addington Bruce wrote numerous articles and books about psychology for the lay reader. At a time when widespread differences existed between psychologists as to subject matter and methods of study, he cultivated a decidedly Progressive image of psychology dominated by the concepts of the subconscious and power of suggestion. In contrast to the more hereditarian and materialistic assumptions embraced by most academic psychologists, Bruce's promotion of the importance of the environmentalistic and spiritualistic to psychology lent popular scientific credibility to a Progressive ideology and foreshadowed psychology's shift in the 1920s towards a greater emphasis on the environment and interest in the unconscious.

Canada↗
PubMed1989

Risk factors for coronary heart disease in a self-referred population compared with a general population.

Screening programmes for community coronary heart disease risk factors aim to identify persons who are at a high risk of the development of coronary heart disease by screening the population for the prevalence of smoking, obesity, high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol concentrations. The effectiveness of such screening programmes is dependent on a number of factors. The characteristics of individuals who attend such screening programmes voluntarily, and the prevalence of abnormal coronary heart disease risk factors that is detected, give a strong indication of the population reach and the potential benefits of the preventive strategy. In this study, persons who attended a self-referred risk-factor screening programme for coronary heart disease were compared with a random sample of the Australian urban population. A disproportionately high number of older persons and of women presented for the self-referred screening programme while smokers were underrepresented. In general, the risk-factor levels of those in the older age-groups who attended the screening programme were lower than were the corresponding measurements that were found in the random sample; the opposite was true for those in the younger age-groups. These results suggest that coronary heart disease risk-factor screening programmes in the community appeal more to those in the health-conscious older age-groups and to women. For heart disease prevention programmes to be more effective, it will be necessary to design screening programmes to attract more men, those in younger age-groups and smokers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Value of visual evoked response and oligoclonal bands in cerebrospinal fluid in diagnosis of spinal multiple sclerosis.

To assess the predictive value of prolongation of visual evoked response (VER) plus the presence of oligoclonal bands in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) in patients with isolated cord lesions, the false-positive rate for the two tests combined was determined by a prospective analysis of 42 patients with a structural spinal cord lesion. The false-positive rate for the combination of VER and CSF abnormalities was zero, but the individual false-positive rates were 10% for VER and 12% for CSF protein oligoclonal bands. According to Bayes' theorem, and taking into account the false-positive rates of the tests in the population studied and the prevalence of MS and the true-positive rates for the tests as derived from published reports, abnormalities of VER and CSF protein together gave a probability of MS of 100%. However, if only either the VER or the CSF were abnormal, the probability of MS was 44% or 49%, respectively. An abnormal result for both tests thus indicates a sufficiently high probability of MS to exclude myelography, but a positive result in only one test warrants the procedure.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Improved measurement of monoclonal paraproteins in serum using agarose gel electrophoresis.

Serum paraproteins can be accurately and precisely measured by means of agarose gel electrophoresis and densitometry at 520 nm after staining with Coomassie Brilliant Blue G. The results obtained for this method agree closely with the quantity of paraprotein recoverable from preparative agarose gel electrophoresis. The method is preferable to cellulose acetate electrophoresis stained with Ponceau S.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1984

Primary choriocarcinoma of the bladder evolving from a transitional cell carcinoma.

A 67 year old man presented with haematuria, which on investigation was shown to be derived from a bladder tumour. The tumour initially was a typical transitional cell carcinoma except for rare trophoblastic cells. Over the next year and a half it gradually evolved into a choriocarcinoma. Postmortem examination confirmed that this was a primary choriocarcinoma of the bladder with no other sites of derivation shown.

Aged↗
PubMed1983

Screening for alcohol intoxication by the osmolar gap.

Significant ethanol intoxication can be detected by measuring a large osmolar gap, i.e. a large difference between the measured and calculated plasma osmolality. In our laboratory, measurement of the osmolar gap with the application of a correction factor has been used as a screening test for alcohol intoxication and has been shown to be rapid and effective and to compare favourably with an accepted method for assaying ethanol (alcohol dehydrogenase). In only a few clinical situations is a more specific and accurate assay for ethanol required. In interpreting the result, it must be stressed that substances other than ethanol may occasionally cause a raised osmolar gap.

Alcoholic Intoxication↗