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Biomedical subjects

P Rodgers

Publications and source records attributed to P Rodgers.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Pseudomembranous colitis revisited: spectrum of imaging findings.

In recent years there has been a marked increase in the incidence of pseudomembranous colitis (PMC). PMC is more common in patients over 65 years of age and can cause significant morbidity. The purpose of this article is to review the imaging features of PMC on plain radiography, sonography, computed tomography (CT), scintigraphy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It is important to recognize the imaging findings of PMC using different imaging methods and encourage urgent confirmation of the diagnosis serologically, as the differential includes other fulminant colitides for which colectomy may be the required. Awareness of the spectrum of imaging findings of PMC can help radiologists make the primary or incidental diagnosis of PMC.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

Spatial and temporal bacterial quality of a lowland agricultural stream in northeast Scotland.

Stream water concentrations of the faecal coliform group of sanitary indicator bacteria were monitored in the Newmills Burn, a small agriculturally intensive tributary of the River Don in Aberdeenshire. The results indicated that during its passage through the catchment, stream water became significantly contaminated with faecal coliform bacteria from the main agricultural land use inputs of livestock grazing and organic waste applications. Point sources of faecal coliform bacteria in terms of farmyard runoff, however, also appeared to be important in contributing to the spatial pattern of contamination. Significant temporal variation was observed in response to the hydrological behaviour of the catchment. Higher flows and more frequent washout of stored bacteria in winter and spring months led to lower faecal coliform concentrations than were detected during the summer. Maximum faecal coliform concentrations were measured during rainfall events and the varying responses associated with these helped to identify the importance of different sources of bacteria in the catchment and the mechanisms transferring them. The overall impact on the water quality of the Newmills Burn was considered as having a potentially serious threat to the health of downstream recreational users of the River Don, as well as to the large proportion of the local population who rely on private water supplies.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2003

A hypothesis: self-propulsion in a wheelchair early after stroke might not be harmful.

BACKGROUND: There is often strong clinical resistance to patients self-propelling a wheelchair post stroke as this is believed to produce immediate increases in abnormal posture and movement. Research to support this viewpoint is limited. OBJECTIVE: To begin investigation of the immediate effects of self-propulsion on symmetrical sitting. DESIGN: Replicated single-case studies ABABA. SETTING: Movement analysis laboratory. SUBJECTS: Four patients, a maximum of eight weeks post stroke and six age-matched healthy volunteers. INTERVENTIONS: Subjects sat in the wheelchair during the A phases and self-propelled forwards during the B phases. The Manchester Active Position Seat (consists of 68 force transducers which transmit data at 10 Hz) measured the magnitude of peak force and the position of peak force on both sides of the seat. The mean symmetry index and standard deviation for each study phase were calculated and graphed for each subject. Interpretation was by visual inspection. RESULTS: Only one stroke patient and one volunteer increased asymmetry of magnitude of peak force following the two periods of self-propulsion. Only one of the stroke patients increased asymmetry of position of peak force following self-propulsion compared with three of the healthy volunteers. CONCLUSIONS: These results raise the hypothesis that self-propulsion early post stroke might not produce immediate detrimental effects on seated symmetry.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Treating onychomycosis.

Onychomycosis accounts for one third of fungal skin infections. Because only about one half of nail dystrophies are caused by fungus, the diagnosis should be confirmed by potassium hydroxide preparation, culture or histology before treatment is started. Newer, more effective antifungal agents have made treating onychomycosis easier. Terbinafine and itraconazole are the therapeutic agents of choice. Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not labeled fluconazole for the treatment of onychomycosis, early efficacy data are promising. Continuous oral terbinafine therapy is most effective against dermatophytes, which are responsible for the majority of onychomycosis cases. Intermittent pulse dosing with itraconazole is as safe and effective as short-term continuous therapy but more economical and convenient. With careful monitoring, patients treated with the newer antifungal agents have a good chance of achieving relief from onychomycosis and its complications.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

External and middle ear effects on infant hearing screening test results.

This study investigated the relationship between external and middle ear factors and hearing screening results by automated auditory brain stem response (ABR) and transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions (EOAEs). The ears of 200 healthy newborns aged 5 to 48 hours underwent screening by ABR and EOAE, followed by otoscopic examination. The pass rates for ABR and EOAE were 91% and 58.5%, respectively. On otoscopic examination, 28% (112/400) ears had occluding vernix obscuring the view of the tympanic membrane. Cleaning of vernix was successfully performed in all but 2 ears that had occluding vernix. Cleaning of vernix significantly increased the pass rates of all 400 ears for ABR and EOAE to 96% and 69%. Decreased tympanic membrane mobility was found in 22.7% (90/396) of ears that were evaluated otoscopically. Decreased tympanic membrane mobility had a significant effect on EOAE screening; only 33.4% of ears passed EOAE testing. Decreased tympanic membrane mobility did not significantly affect pass rates for ABR screening; 95% of these ears passed the automated ABR screen. Implications for newborn hearing screening are discussed.

Cerumen↗
PubMed1992

Disposable jet nebulizers. How reliable are they?

We studied the frequency of malfunction, variability in rate of nebulization, and effect of this variability on aerosol particle size of eight disposable jet nebulizer models produced by six manufacturers. Four of eight models showed visual signs of malfunction, including spraying of large, individually visible droplets, leaking of nebulizer solution, and air leaks that completely prevented nebulization. Variability of nebulization rate within specific models ranged from 57 to 129 percent. The model with the largest variability of nebulization rate was also associated with an unacceptably large variability in particle size. In contrast, two models with smaller variability in nebulization rate had greater consistency of particle size. These results indicate poor quality control by some manufacturers in the disposable nebulizer industry. The data suggest that purchasing agents should consider reliability as well as cost before selecting a specific nebulizer model and that their evaluation should include physical testing of multiple units of each model under consideration.

Disposable Equipment↗
PubMed1990

Associated diagnoses (comorbidity) in patients with borderline personality disorder.

The authors administered the Diagnostic Interview Schedule to 21 patients with borderline personality disorder. The patients met criteria for various other DSM-III diagnoses, meeting exclusion criteria in some cases, and not in other cases. Frequency distribution of each diagnosis and the diagnoses of each individual patient, are presented. Affective disorder was the most common diagnosis (85%). Of these, 62% had primary major depression, and 23% had secondary depression. Other diagnoses include bipolar disorder, dysthymia, panic, agoraphobia, alcohol and Drug abuse, somatization disorder, and many others. The authors conclude that while borderline disorder may be a sub-affective disorder, a specific diagnostic profile for this disorder that accounts for the presence of other Axis I and Axis II syndromes has yet to be delineated.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Continuous versus intermittent epidural analgesia. A randomised trial to observe obstetric outcome.

A randomised study of 381 women was carried out to compare the obstetric outcome after epidural analgesia maintained by an intermittent top-up regimen or with a continuous infusion. The two groups were well matched with respect to age, parity, mode of onset of labour and indication for epidural. Maintenance of epidural analgesia by continuous infusion resulted in a significantly decreased need for top-up doses. A reduction in the incidence of hypotension, cardiotocographic evidence of intrapartum fetal hypoxia and Caesarean section was associated with this. It is concluded that the maintenance of epidural analgesia by continuous infusion is a safe and reliable method and may be more advantageous and less labour intensive than the traditional intermittent regimen.

Analgesia, Epidural↗
PubMed1988

Hemoglobin Brockton [beta 138 (H16) Ala----Pro]: an unstable variant near the C-terminus of the beta-subunits with normal oxygen-binding properties.

Hemoglobin Brockton [beta 138 (H16) Ala----Pro] is an unstable variant associated with a mild anemia. It has the same electrophoretic mobility as and cannot be resolved from Hb A. Oxygen affinity measurements of blood and hemolysate do not indicate biphasic oxygen saturation, showing that the functional properties of the variant are very similar to those of Hb A. This implies that the introduction of proline into the H-helix at position 138 does not disrupt the critical inter- and intrasubunit hydrogen bonds and salt bridges at the beta carboxyl-terminal dipeptide, since these polar interactions are essential for the normal oxygen-binding properties of hemoglobin. X-ray crystallographic data are consistent with these findings and show that the consequences of the beta 138 Ala----Pro substitution are almost entirely confined to the immediate vicinity of the mutation site. Instability probably results from the inability of a buried hydrogen bond to form between Pro 138 beta and Val 134 beta.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1988

EEG sleep, lithium transport, dexamethasone suppression, and monoamine oxidase activity in borderline personality disorder.

Twenty-one patients who met DSM-III criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD) and also scored at least 7 on the Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines (DIB) were assessed on four biological markers: electroencephalographic (EEG) sleep, in vitro lithium ratio, platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO), and dexamethasone suppression test (DST). REM latency averaged 58.66 (SD 14.39); platelet MAO averaged 21.74 (SD 10.33); and lithium ratio was 0.357 (SD 0.139) in the BPD patients. All of those values were significantly abnormal. Many patients had abnormalities on three or four measures. These patients in general had multiple Axis I diagnoses from the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS), and these Axis I diagnoses tended to produce patient clusters. Patients with a DIS diagnosis of schizophrenia, mania, hypomania, or schizoaffective mania had elevated lithium, low MAO, and normal EEG sleep, while those patients with coexisting major depression tended to have short rapid eye movement (REM) latency, high REM density, and normal MAO and lithium ratio. Only two patients were nonsuppressors on the DST, confirming recent reports of normal DST results in personality disorders.

Adult↗