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Biomedical subjects

R Byrd

Publications and source records attributed to R Byrd.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1993

Post-traumatic stress disorder and GI endoscopy: a case study.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be caused by experiencing or witnessing a variety of harsh traumatic events. Rape, burglary, war, torture, violence, and other catastrophic events have been known to precipitate flashbacks, nightmares, and inability to cope with the demands of daily life. The symptoms associated with PTSD can interfere with work, sleep, appetite, relationships, and health. In a Veterans Administration hospital population, PTSD is not an uncommon patient problem: it usually results from witnessing and/or participating in war or military service-related circumstances. This case study describes a 42-year-old man who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam. The form of torture his Vietnamese captors subjected him to presented a challenging situation when he required an endoscopic examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract. The purpose of this case study is to offer suggestions to the GI and endoscopy nursing staff who care for these patients, and to make GI health care providers aware of the special needs of this patient population.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Amiloride improves hemodynamics in patients with chronic congestive heart failure treated with chronic digoxin and diuretics.

Potassium-sparing diuretics have been reported to decrease the positive inotropic effect of digoxin. We studied the hemodynamic effects of amiloride in patients taking digoxin for chronic heart failure. Eleven men with a history of congestive heart failure were studied in a double blind, cross-over, placebo controlled trial with the patients on digoxin alternating placebo with amiloride. After 7 days on the trial drug, a Swan-Ganz catheter was placed in the pulmonary artery and measurements made at rest and with increasing degrees of supine bicycle exercise. Right-sided and pulmonary artery wedge pressures and systemic arterial pressures, as well as cardiac outputs, were measured. After a 7 day washout period, placebo (P) and Amiloride (A) were switched and after 7 days on the therapy, a second hemodynamic study at rest and varying degrees of supine bicycle exercise was repeated. At rest there were no significant differences in the right-sided, pulmonary arterial wedge pressure or cardiac outputs between the patients on Amiloride (A) versus placebo (P). During exercise there were significant differences between (P) and (A) at the 50 watt-second stage of exercise.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amiloride↗
PubMed1988

Energy-speed relationship of walking: standard tables.

The energy expenditure of level walking was measured in 260 normal male and female subjects walking around a 60.5m-circular outdoor track. Subjects were divided into four age groups (children, 6-12 years; teens; young adults, 20-59 years; and senior adults, 60-80 years). Oxygen consumption was measured with a modified Douglas Bag technique during the fourth and fifth minutes of each trial. Standard tables according to age and sex were derived for the average energy expenditure (rate of oxygen uptake, energy cost per meter, and heart rate) and for the gait characteristics (speed, cadence, stride length) at the subjects' customary slow, normal, and fast walking speeds. Statistical analysis was performed to determine the energy-speed relationship for the different age groups to derive normative tables for the rate of oxygen uptake throughout the range of customary walking velocities.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Narrowing resection margins for patients with low-risk melanoma.

Surgeons hesitate to accept lesser cancer operations for several reasons. Paramount, however, is the fear that they might jeopardize cure rates by inadvertently leaving residual tumor behind. In cutaneous melanoma, for example, wide excision of the primary tumor site, usually in combination with skin grafting, has been the standard for years. Recently, as the biologic characteristics of this neoplastic system have become better understood, a subset of patients has been identified who can be cured readily by surgical excision alone. It is in this low-risk group of patients that lesser margins of excisions have been advocated. To date, a majority of surgeons have not accepted this thesis. In an effort to study this further, one of us prospectively treated 45 patients with thin, low-risk melanomas by conservative excision of their primary tumor sites. The margins invariably were 2 cm or less, and two thirds of the patients were operated on as out-patients utilizing local anesthesia. After a mean follow-up period of 36 months, no recurrences of melanoma developed. Acceptance of this treatment appears appropriate in this subset of patients.

Ambulatory Surgical Procedures↗
PubMed1988

Bilateral transfer in mentally retarded children of ages 7 to 17 years.

The purpose of this study was to describe the effect of age on bilateral transfer of mildly mentally retarded girls (IQs of 70 to 90) after practice on a 45-rpm rotary pursuit task. Subjects were 96 girls from 7 to 17 yr. old. Each performed 14 trials on a rotary pursuit task (30-sec. trials, 10 sec. between trials), half performing the first seven trials with the nonpreferred hand, using the preferred hand on the next seven trials. The order was reversed for the remaining subjects. Nonsignificant differences between Trial 1 scores of the two groups indicated that the task was novel. Trial 1 scores of both groups were positively associated with age (r = 0.5). There was no transfer to preferred hand, with negative transfer occurring to the nonpreferred hand. It was concluded that, for the task used in this study, mentally retarded girls do not experience positive bilateral transfer as do normal, age-matched girls.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Bilateral transfer across ages 7 to 17 years.

The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of age on bilateral transfer. 96 girls, ages 7 to 17 yr., performed 14 trials on a rotary pursuit tracking task (45 rpm, 30-sec. trials, 10 sec. between trials). Half of the subjects performed the first seven trials with the preferred hand, using the nonpreferred hand on the subsequent seven trials. The order was reversed for the other subjects. There were no significant differences between groups in initial scores or in increases in time on target over the first seven trials, supporting the hypothesis that this was a novel task. There was an increase in time on target across ages and age influenced bilateral transfer, with older girls profiting more from the other-hand practice. Transfer was greater from preferred to nonpreferred than the reverse.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Late effects of treatment of cancer in children.

Over the past two decades, owing to advances in surgical techniques, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, there has been dramatic improvement in the survival of children with malignancies. Children cured of cancer will soon form a significant fraction of our adult population. As we follow such survivors, we have become more aware of long-term side effects of treatment. Therapy should not be withheld. Instead, careful follow-up of oncology patients is needed to document the adverse late effects, to identify the etiologic agents, and to alter treatment to give the least toxic therapy without sacrificing the quality or duration of survival.

Alkylating Agents↗
PubMed1983

Experience using two CT-guided stereotactic biopsy methods.

15 patients had intracranial CT-guided stereotactic biopsies. Biopsies were performed either with a Riechert-Mundinger stereotactic frame modified for use in the CT or by using the CT scan to establish the relationship of the intracranial lesion to identifiable bony landmarks, and subsequently performing the biopsy in a standard stereotactic frame. Both systems provided safe and accurate methods for obtaining intracranial tissue.

Adolescent↗