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Biomedical subjects

R Cash

Publications and source records attributed to R Cash.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Measurement of serum amyloid A in the neonatal foal using a latex agglutination immunoturbidimetric assay: determination of the normal range, variation with age and response to disease.

This paper describes the use of a latex agglutination assay to measure serum amyloid A (SAA) in the neonatal foal. The normal range and response to clinical disease was determined. This retrospective study evaluated SAA concentrations over the first 3 days postpartum of 226 Thoroughbred foals judged to be clinically healthy. The normal range for each day was determined; levels were found to be significantly highest on Day 2 (Day 1 vs. Day 2 P<0.0001). The 95th percentile for Days 1-3 was 27.1 mg/l. Clinical records of 133 foals, presented as first or second opinion cases, were evaluated. Foals were divided into 4 groups; septicaemia (S), focal infection (FI), failure of passive transfer (FPT) and noninfectious disease (NI). There was a statistically significant difference (P<0.0001) between SAA concentrations of control foals compared to Groups S and FI. There was no statistically significant difference between controls and Groups FPT and NI. When Group NI was compared to Groups S and FI, there was a statistically significant difference (P<0.0001). The authors suggest that SAA determined by this latex agglutination assay might be a helpful aid in the diagnosis of septicaemia and focal infection in neonatal foals; levels >100 mg/l are highly suggestive of infection in young foals.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1998

The innervation pattern of the radial nerve at the elbow and in the forearm.

Sixty paired cadaver forearms were dissected to examine the distribution of the radial nerve branches to the muscles at the elbow and forearm. Emphasis was placed on the innervation of the extensor carpi radialis brevis and the supinator muscles because of discrepancies in the literature concerning these muscles. The most common branching pattern (from proximal to distal) was to brachioradialis, extensor carpi radialis longus, superficial sensory, extensor carpi radialis brevis, supinator, extensor digitorum/extensor carpi ulnaris, extensor digiti minimi, abductor pollicis longus, extensor pollicis brevis, extensor pollicis longus and extensor indicis. The branch to extensor digitorum and extensor carpi ulnaris came off as a common stem often with the branch to extensor digiti minimi. The branch to the ECRB muscle was noted to arise from the posterior interosseous nerve in 45%, superficial sensory nerve in 25% and at the bifurcation of the posterior interosseous and superficial sensory nerves in 30% of specimens. The supinator had an average of 2.3 branches from the posterior interosseous nerve (range 1-6). The branches to the supinator showed a wide variability proximal to and within the supinator.

Elbow↗
PubMed1998

Sleep deprivation or postnatal depression in later infancy: separating the chicken from the egg.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the association between maternal distress and depression in the first years of a newborn's life and the child's sleeping behaviour and problems associated with this behaviour. To asses the effectiveness of an outpatient-based individualised behaviour modification programme to modify children's sleep behaviour and to decrease levels of maternal distress and depression. METHOD: Families were referred to an outpatient childhood sleep problems clinic. Intervention consisted of an individualised management programme including recognised modes of child sleep behaviour management ('controlled crying', 'cold turkey,' rewards) together with occasional use of short-term (less than 2 weeks) tapering dose sedating medication for the child. Two months after the initial contact with the clinic, families completed a second questionnaire collating similar data to that collected at time of enrolment. RESULTS: A total of 114 consecutive families referred to the clinic provided initial data. Follow-up questionnaires were returned by 70 (61%). Significant change was recorded in children's sleep parameters including reduction in mean number of night time awakenings (4.1-1.3, P < 0.001), proportion of children requiring longer than 30 min to settle at night (49% to 21%, P < 0.01) and in the proportion of children settling after 8 pm (51% to 33%, P < 0.01). Sleep problem rating on a 0-10 scale decreased from a mean of 8.1-3.1 (P < 0.001). On initial assessment, 40% of mothers had Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPNDS) scores greater than 12 (screening cut-off point). At repeat assessment, 4.3% had scores greater than 12. The mean score on the EPNDS fell from 11.2 to 5.8 (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: An outpatient-based individualised approach to modifying children's problematic sleep behaviour using recognised behaviour management techniques is effective. Modification of problematic childhood sleep behaviour is associated with significant improvement in maternal mood. Given the high incidence of childhood sleep problem and diagnosed postnatal depression, it is likely significant numbers of mothers being diagnosed as having postnatal depression are suffering the effects of chronic sleep deprivation. Management of postnatal mood disorder and childhood sleep behaviour must occur with due recognition to their close association.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

The attitudes of rural Minnesota family physicians toward nurse practitioners and physician assistants.

Increased use of nurse practitioners and physician assistants has been promoted as a possible solution to the shortage of primary care providers in rural locations. If the use of nonphysician providers is to be optimized in these areas, awareness and acceptance of their capabilities by rural family physicians is essential. This study surveyed the attitudes of rural Minnesota family physicians toward the use of physician assistants and nurse practitioners. Forty-six percent of the 600 rural family physicians surveyed responded to the questionnaire. Approximately 90 percent of responding physicians indicated a high degree of confidence in the abilities of nonphysician providers in the areas of preventive and routine care; some concern was expressed about the proficiency of nonphysician providers taking call, covering the emergency room, and doing hospital rounds--activities that involve a broader base of clinical knowledge and diagnostic skills. Other concerns were an increased workload for physicians due to their assumed supervisory roles, an increase in complexity of cases seen by physicians, increased physician liability, job competition between nonphysician providers and physicians, and the lack of educational opportunities and supervisory guidelines for physicians regarding collaborative relationships. Appropriate roles for family physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants are not well-defined in the minds of respondents, and it appears future acceptance and practice patterns will depend on how these roles are established and accepted.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1992

Childhood depression and conduct disorder: I. Behavioral, affective, and cognitive aspects of family problem-solving interactions.

We assessed the family interactions of depressed, conduct-disordered, mixed depressed-conduct-disordered, and nonclinic children, ages 7-14 years, during a standardized family problem-solving discussion in the clinic. The child's and the mother's problem-solving proficiency, aversive behavior, and associated affective behavior (depressed and angry-hostile) were observed. The child and mother also rated each other's affect during the interaction for the dimensions sad, angry, critical, and happy on Likert-type scales. The child's and mother's cognitive constructions about the interaction were assessed using video-mediated recall. Although all clinic groups had lower levels of effective problem solving than did nonclinic children, their deficiencies were somewhat different. Mixed and depressed children displayed high levels of depressed affect and low levels of angry affect, whereas conduct-disordered children displayed both angry and depressed affect. In addition, conduct-disordered children had lower levels of positive problem solving and higher levels of aversive content than did non-conduct-disordered children. Depressed and conduct-disordered children had higher levels of self-referent negative cognitions than did mixed and comparison children, and depressed children also had higher other-referent negative cognitions than did all other groups. The study provides support for theories and treatment that stress the importance of family problem-solving and conflict resolution skills in child psychopathology.

Affect↗
PubMed1991

Relationship between circulating tri-iodothyronine and cortisol in the perinatal period in the foal.

Pre- and post partum changes in plasma T3 have been examined in relation to plasma cortisol in 23 newborn foals (12 full term, 6 premature and 5 'twilight'), and in 5 fetuses catheterized in late gestation. Blood samples were collected daily from the fetuses and from the neonates at 30-min intervals for 2 h after birth; the plasma was assayed for T3 and cortisol by standard radioimmunoassay methods. In the full-term foals, plasma cortisol and T3 concentrations were high at birth (67.4 +/- 6.1 and 4.3 +/- 0.3 ng/ml respectively) and rose to a maximum during the following 2-h period to 141.0 +/- 8.8 ng/ml and 8.4 +/- 0.5 ng/ml. The corresponding changes in the premature foals over the same period were significantly lower (P less than 0.01; 17.2 +/- 2.2 to 27.0 +/- 4.3 ng cortisol/ml and 2.9 +/- 0.5 to 5.4 +/- 0.6 ng T3/ml). In the 'twilight' group, intermediate increases in both cortisol and T3 were observed. In the 5 chronically catheterized fetuses, both plasma cortisol and T3 were low in the last few weeks of gestation (7.0 +/- 1.1 ng/ml and 1.2 +/- 0.2 ng/ml respectively). In 2 fetuses there was little or no increase in plasma cortisol or T3 before induction of labour at about 320 days; one foal was premature and the other 'twilight'. Infusion of adrenocorticotrophic hormone for 4.5 days into the third fetus from 309 days led to an increase in both cortisol and T3 and the birth of a viable, full term foal. The 2 remaining fetuses were delivered spontaneously, one at term and one at 300 days (well before term). The latter was viable but dysmature; it showed a slight prenatal rise in plasma cortisol with little change in T3. When all the data were combined from both fetuses and neonates a significant positive correlation between plasma T3 and cortisol was found (P less than 0.001). These results demonstrate a relationship between circulating cortisol and T3 in the perinatal period and show that prematurity is associated with low concentrations of both hormones.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1987

Beta-adrenergic agonists reduce spontaneous motor activity through either beta 1 or beta 2 receptors.

In mice, the clenbuterol-induced decrease in spontaneous motor activity was antagonized by IPS-339 (beta 2 antagonist) but not by betaxolol (beta 1 antagonist), whereas the isoproterenol-induced decrease in spontaneous motor activity was completely antagonized by betaxolol and only partially by IPS-339. It can be concluded that the clenbuterol-induced decrease in spontaneous motor activity is of the beta 2-type, whereas that induced by isoproterenol is essentially of the beta 1 type. In addition, chronic treatment with clenbuterol induced a tachyphylaxis to the effect of clenbuterol but not of isoproterenol. After chronic administration of tricyclic antidepressants (imipramine and desipramine) the number of cortical beta 1 adrenergic receptors decreased without impairing the clenbuterol-induced decrease in spontaneous motor activity. We conclude that beta 2 adrenergic receptors mediate the clenbuterol-induced decrease in spontaneous motor activity and the tachyphylaxis to this effect after chronic treatment.

Adrenergic beta-Agonists↗
PubMed1987

Dopamine D-1 receptor and cyclic AMP-dependent phosphorylation in Parkinson's disease.

D-1 and D-2 receptor densities, evaluated respectively by [3H]SCH 23390 and [3H]spiperone binding, and DARPP-32 (dopamine and adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate-regulated phosphoprotein-32K) concentrations, were studied in the brains of control and parkinsonian subjects postmortem. D-2 receptor density was unchanged in the putamen of parkinsonian patients. D-1 receptor density was unchanged in the putamen and substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNR) of parkinsonian patients, but decreased by 28% in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNC). DARPP-32, which is localized in the same structures as D-1 receptors of which it is thought to represent the intracellular messenger, decreased by 45% in the putamen, 66% in the SNR, and 79% in the SNC. The decrease in D-1 receptors in the SNC may be due to degeneration of pallidonigral GABAergic neurons, but some of the D-1 receptors may be on the nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons themselves. The dissociation between the alteration of D-1 receptor densities and DARPP-32 concentrations in both the striatum and substantia nigra, which are of the same order in the two structures, may be an index of functional hypoactivity of D-1 neurotransmission.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

Parkinson's disease and dementia: norepinephrine and dopamine in locus ceruleus.

Norepinephrine, 3-methoxy 4-hydroxyphenylethyleneglycol and homovanillic acid levels were similar in the locus ceruleus of 13 controls and 8 parkinsonian patients with no intellectual deterioration, but were decreased in 7 demented patients. The concentration of dopamine was similarly diminished in non-demented and demented parkinsonians, and binding of 3H-desmethylimipramine and 3H-rauwolscine was not abnormal in parkinsonians. These data indicate that norepinephrine metabolism in the locus ceruleus is subnormal only in demented parkinsonians.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

Pitfalls in membrane binding sites studies in post-mortem human brain.

A number of neurotransmitter receptor sites have been characterized biochemically in post-mortem human brain from normal subjects and in several neurological and psychiatric diseases. Such studies are valid, however, only when appropriate pre-mortem and post-mortem conditions are controlled. The effects of age, pre-mortem agonic conditions, drug therapy and post-mortem delay on the characteristics of five binding sites (alpha-1, alpha-2 and beta adrenergic receptors, 5HT-2 serotoninergic receptors, imipramine binding sites) were studied. Age related changes in receptor number were found. Pre-mortem anoxia and hypovolemia had no influence on receptor characteristics. The drugs administered before death, in particular neuroleptics, were found to affect binding to some receptors in post-mortem tissue. A post-mortem delay up to 24 hours after death had no effect on binding sites. Experimental strategies (single point values or saturation curves) were also compared.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Cellular localization of adrenergic receptors in rat and human brain.

The localization of adrenergic receptors in the central nervous system was studied in two physiological conditions of noradrenergic denervation, a 6-hydroxydopamine-induced lesion of the locus coeruleus in newborn rat, and a pathological related degeneration of the locus coeruleus in man, Parkinson's disease. The localization of these receptors in the synapse has been studied with the technique of subcellular fractionation by differential centrifugation. In lesioned rats, an increase in the density of alpha 1 and beta 1 receptors was observed in several brain regions, in contrast to alpha 2 receptors which were not modified. Subcellular fractionation in lesioned rats showed an increase in alpha 1 and beta 1 receptors in synaptosomal fractions. Similar results were found in parkinsonian patients: alpha 1 receptors increased in the synaptosomal fraction; beta receptors increased in synaptosomal and microsomal fractions. These results suggest that alpha 1 and beta 1 receptors may be located on non-noradrenergic nerve terminals in mammalian brain. alpha 2 and beta 2 receptors may be situated on glial cells or neuronal elements unrelated to noradrenergic input.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Parkinson's disease: decreased density of 3H-imipramine and 3H-paroxetine binding sites in putamen.

The density of high-affinity 3H-imipramine and 3H-paroxetine binding sites (two serotonin-uptake blockers) was decreased in the putamen of parkinsonian patients. The correlation between serotonin levels and the number of 3H-imipramine and 3H-paroxetine binding sites suggests that they are located on serotoninergic nerve terminals and could be used to study serotoninergic innervation in the human brain. Since imipramine and paroxetine are powerful antidepressants, these results furthermore suggest that decreased serotoninergic transmission may be implicated in the pathophysiology of depression in Parkinson's disease.

Aged↗