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Biomedical subjects

P Walsh

Publications and source records attributed to P Walsh.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Hearing loss--an underestimated public health problem.

Estimates of hearing loss in Australia, collected over the last decade and a half, have reported a prevalence rate ranging from 0.1 to 7 per cent. This survey of a random sample of South Australians provides, depending upon definition, two estimates of 15 and 19 per cent. These data suggest that hearing loss has been underestimated as a public health problem. The need for an epidemiological study which measures actual hearing impairment, which can be used to develop an appropriate public health response, is discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Typical absence seizures in adults: clinical, EEG, video-EEG findings and diagnostic/syndromic considerations.

Eighteen women and five men had typical absences. These included 10% of a consecutive hospital series of 200 adult patients with epileptic disorders. The absences began between the ages of seven and 46 years and varied in type and severity. Twenty patients also had generalised tonic-clonic seizures, ranging in frequency from one in a lifetime to one per month. Myoclonic jerks of the limbs occurred in 11 patients but were not associated with the absence attacks. Eyelid myoclonus consistently occurred with absence attacks in four patients and perioral myoclonus in two patients. Absence status occurred in five patients. Absence seizures were frequently unrecognised or misdiagnosed as complex partial seizures. Satisfactory control was achieved with sodium valproate. Electroencephalography, particularly video-electroencephalography, was invaluable in the diagnosis, but focal abnormalities in seven patients might have been erroneously interpreted as indicating partial seizures. This series showed that clinical and EEG manifestations are often syndrome-related and that there are more epileptic syndromes with typical absences than those presently recognised.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Colour duplex flow imaging in carotid arterial disease: correlation with intra-arterial digital angiography.

Colour duplex flow imaging is a highly accurate form of non-invasive assessment of the extra-cranial carotid circulation. This method is precise in characterising the degree of carotid stenosis, when compared with intra-arterial digital subtraction angiography. The accuracy of colour duplex in defining mild (1-30%), moderate (31-70%) and severe (71-99%) stenosis was 96%, 95% and 98%, respectively. Sensitivities and specificities were greater than 90% in each category, while positive and negative predictive values ranged from 96% to 100%.

Angiography, Digital Subtraction↗
PubMed1989

Variation in cadmium content of caribou tissues from northern Québec.

Samples of kidney, liver, skeletal muscle, heart, mesentery and rumen wall were collected during 1985-1986 in northern Québec from 121 caribou belonging to the Rivière George herd. Significant seasonal variations were found for cadmium concentration in kidneys, liver and skeletal muscles, the level being higher in winter than in autumn. The concentration in liver and kidneys increased with age, while the effect of this factor was complex in skeletal muscles. Sex-related differences were found in muscle and liver levels of cadmium. According to season, sex and age, mean dry-weight concentrations varied between 5.6 and 51.3 micrograms g-1 in kidneys, 1.7 and 4.0 micrograms g-1 in liver and 0 and 0.27 microgram g-1 in skeletal muscles. Season and sex-related differences could be explained by seasonal variation in cadmium intake and by the annual weight cycle exhibited by caribou kidneys and liver. Because of the relatively high cadmium content, it was recommended not to consume liver and kidneys of free-ranging caribou in Québec; this restriction did not apply to meat, heart, mesentery or rumen wall that contained limited concentrations of this heavy metal.

Aging↗
PubMed1989

Papular protothecosis of the chest. Immunologic evaluation and treatment with a combination of oral tetracycline and topical amphotericin B.

A 65-year-old woman presented with cutaneous, pruritic papules of the upper part of her chest. Histologic findings and culture of a biopsy specimen confirmed that these papules were caused by an infection with Prototheca wickerhamii, an achloric alga that rarely infects humans. Natural killer cell activity in this patient was significantly depressed before initiation of therapy. Reevaluation following successful treatment with oral tetracycline hydrochloride and topical amphotericin B cream revealed an improvement in natural killer cell activity. This patient is presented to demonstrate a rare clinical presentation of protothecosis; to document that cutaneous protothecosis can be successfully treated without the risk of toxic side effects associated with systemic antifungal agents; and to illustrate that although most patients with cutaneous protothecosis are immunosuppressed, infection with this alga appears to be at least partially responsible for the immunosuppression.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1987

Evaluation of a monoclonal immunoradiometric assay for prostate-specific antigen.

We evaluated the analytical performance of a new monoclonal immunoradiometric assay ("M-PSA") for prostate-specific antigen ("Tandem"; Hybritech Inc.) in comparison with a monoclonal immunoradiometric assay ("M-PAP") for mass measurement of prostatic acid phosphatase ("Tandem") and with a conventional enzyme-activity assay ("E-PAP") for prostatic acid phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.2). For M-PSA, the CVs were 1.3-3.0% within-run and 3.0-4.9% between-run. The minimum detectable mass concentration was 0.10 microgram/L, and linearity extended to 100 micrograms/L. The reference interval for M-PSA in 178 healthy men was 0-2.8 micrograms/L. Serum specimens from men with prostatic disease (primarily prostatic carcinoma and benign prostatic hypertrophy) were assayed by the three methods. Correlation was best between mass measurement (M-PAP) and enzyme activity (E-PAP) for prostatic acid phosphatase (r = 0.958). Results for PSA did not correlate well with those for either M-PAP (r = 0.629) or E-PAP (r = 0.387). PSA was increased in a higher percentage of specimens from men with earlier (clinical stage B) prostatic carcinoma than were results from either assay for PAP.

Acid Phosphatase↗
PubMed1978

Early somatosensory evoked potentials.

The early somatosensory evoked potential secondary to median nerve stimulation in the human had an onset latency of 9--12 msec when recorded from scalp electrodes at vertex-to-mastoid, vertex-to-inion or at the base of the skull. Similar latencies were observed from responses recorded over the cervical dorsal columns during neurologic surgery. A latency difference of 1.5 msec was observed between the early response and the responses recorded from the junction of medial lemniscus and nucleus ventralis posterior lateralis of the thalamus during human stereotaxic surgery. Cervical cord transections and transection at the midpontine levels of the monkey showed that the evoked potential was due to generators between these levels. Depth recording of the monkey indicate that the early evoked potential originates in the region of dorsal column nuclei, while the later components are secondary to generators in cerebral cortex.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Evaluation of job applicants: the effects of age versus success.

177 participants evaluated female job applicants on the basis of a transcript of a job interview. One-half of the participants were told that the applicant was 63, one-half that the applicant was 24. Success or failure in obtaining the job was also manipulated. In addition, participants' scores on an attitude scale were compared to their assessment of the job applicants. There were no clear differences in evaluation of young and old applicants. Scores on the attitude scale were also unrelated to these evaluations. However, female participants rated the older applicants more positively than did males. In addition, knowledge of the outcome of the interview affected ratings. Regardless of age, people who were hired were rated more positively than those who were not. These results are disucssed in terms of implications for future studies of attitudes toward the elderly.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Comparison of biofeedback pulse wave velocity and progressive relaxation on essential hypertensives.

In a study undertaken to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of two behavioral treatments for essential hypertension (biofeedback on arterial pulse-wave velocity and progressive relaxation) 24 hypertensive subjects were randomly assigned to either a relaxation or biofeedback treatment group for 5 weekly sessions. In a second stage of the study 16 of the original subjects received both biofeedback and relaxation treatments during 5 additional weekly sessions. Results indicated that biofeedback and relaxation were equally effective in initial lowering of blood pressure in hypertensives. Although biofeedback training lead to superior reductions at the 3-mo. follow-up point, after 1 yr. the blood pressures of both groups were not only equal but well below those presented at the beginning of the study.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Accuracy of in-vivo assessment of prostatic volume by MRI and transrectal ultrasonography.

More accurate noninvasive estimation of prostate size is important in therapeutic trials for benign prostatic hyperplasia. The accuracy of MRI and transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) in assessing prostate weight was evaluated in 48 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy for stage A or B cancer. The volume derived from the wet weight of the freshly excised specimen was used as a reference. We compared that volume with volume estimates derived from the three-axis linear dimension measurement by MRI and TRUS using a tissue density of 1.05 g/cc and the standard formula for an ellipsoid object. Prostate and seminal vesicle volumes were also computed by contouring T2-weighted 5 mm thick contiguous MR images using a semiautomatic edge detection program and pixel summation. Three-axis volume MRI method versus volume from wet weight has slightly less scatter than TRUS three-axis method (r = 0.85 vs r = 0.81). Contoured MR volume method has the least scatter r = 0.93, statistically better than the linear axis method. Contoured MRI volumetric analysis appears superior to linear MRI or TRUS methods in estimating true prostate volume.

Adenocarcinoma↗