PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R G Robinson

Publications and source records attributed to R G Robinson.

At least 289 records · Page 16Linked to original sources

Intracortical 6-hydroxydopamine induced an asymmetrical behavioral response in the rat.

Doses of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) from 1 to 6 microgram injected into the right frontal cortex of rats led to spontaneous hyperactivity beginning 1 week after injection and lasting throughout the 30-day postoperative period. Identical left hemispheric injections did not elicit hyperactivity until a dose of 6 microgram was reached. Biochemical assays revealed that 6-OHDA injected into either hemisphere caused approximately the same amount of depletion of norepinephrine. These results suggest that the neural asymmetry which leads to hyperactivity may be post-synaptic to the cortical noradrenergic terminals.

Animals↗

Mood change following left hemispheric brain injury.

Eighteen patients with left hemispheric strokes were compared to 11 patients with traumatic brain injury for frequency and severity of depression, using several mood scales. More than 60% of the stroke patients had clinically significant depressions as compared with about 20% of the trauma patients, even though the two groups had comparable impairments in their activities of daily living and global cognitive functions. Analyses of brain CT scans revealed that the two groups had similar-sized lesions, but the areas of ischemic injury were more anterior than the traumatic lesions. When the results were controlled for lesion location, there were no significant differences in mood between the two groups. The severity of depression was directly correlated with the closeness of the lesion to the frontal pole. These results suggest that depression following left hemispheric brain injury may not be a nonspecific neurological or psychological response, but rather may be a symptom of injury to specific pathways, such as the catecholamine-containing ones, as they pass through the frontal cortex.

Aged↗

Bronchocentric granulomatosis.

The clinical and morphologic features in 15 patients with bronchocentric granulomatosis were reviewed. Patients were divided into two groups on the basis of the morphologic findings. Group I consisted of five patients with necrotizing granulomas containing abundant eosinophils in the areas of necrosis. Three of these patients were asthmatic, two had elevated blood eosinophil counts, and in one there were fungal hyphae within necrotizing granulomas. In another case a sputum culture was positive for Aspergillus. The findings in these cases support the contention that some bronchocentric granulomas associated with tissue eosinophilia may represent a hypersensitivity reaction to inhaled Aspergillus. Group II included 10 patients with bronchocentric granulomas showing many polymorphonuclear cells but few eosinophils. One of these 10 had asthma, and blood eosinophilia was found in only one patient. The etiology and pathogenesis of these bronchocentric granulomas in unclear. The differences in morphology and clinical symptomatology between the two groups suggest that these lesions may arise from more than one etiologic agent and pathogenetic mechanism. Follow-up information was available for 11 individuals. Corticosteroids were given to four patients and lesions were resected from five patients. Neither recurrence of bronchocentric granulomas nor death due to them was reported.

Adolescent↗

Continuous image recording using gray-tone, dry-process silver paper.

A method of recording continuous gray-tone images on dry-process silver paper from raster-scan video signals is described. The Tektronix 4634 image-forming module uses a fiber-optic faceplate cathode-ray tube to couple the light output onto the recording paper. The latent image is heat developed and presented in sheet form. An initial comparison between dry silver paper and conventional film for video-generated computed tomography and nuclear medicine examinations, shows little apparent difference in image quality. Considerable cost savings are possible when using dry silver paper. Additional cost savings are possible if multiple images can be recorded on each dry silver sheet.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗

The differential effect of right versus left hemispheric cerebral infarction on catecholamines and behavior in the rat.

Following right middle cerebral artery ligation in rats, there is a 2-3 week period of spontaneous hyperactivity. Concomitant with this hyperactivity catecholamine concentrations decrease in several areas of the brain including both cortical and subcortical regions. In marked contrast, there are no demonstrable effects of left hemispheric infarction on either spontaneous activity or brain catecholamine concentrations. This asymmetry of behavioral and biochemical response to cerebral infarction cannot be attributed to differences in the lesion size produced in either hemisphere. Feeding and drinking are not affected but the asymmetrical effect on activity can be demonstrated in either a home cage running wheel or an open field environment. It is uncertain whether these findings are the result of hemispheric asymmetries in either catecholaminergic or non-catecholaminergic neurons.

Animals↗

Differential antianxiety response to caloric intake between normal and obese subjects.

Obese subjects (N = 152) attending a weight reduction clinic and controls (N = 62) rated numerous aspects of their psychological state using analogue scales before and after a standard liquid meal. Prior to the meal, the only difference in psychological state between the groups was that the obese subjects had higher scores than controls on the questions relating to their self-perception of "fatness." Following the meal, the obese subjects, including some previously obese (now normal weight) subjects, reported a decrease in "anxiety" as reflected by significant changes in premeal to postmeal scores on 5 anxiety-related questions. Control subjects tested in two separate groups, one demographically matched and one nonmatched, did not experience this "antianxiety" effect, but reported postmeal increases in feelings of "fatness" and "sexual arousal" as compared with the obese subjects.

Adult↗

Comparative in vitro appraisal of piperacillin, including its activity against Salmonella typhi.

Piperacillin was evaluated in vitro against 711 clinical isolates of aerobic and anerobic gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, including 76 isolates of Salmonella typhi. Piperacillin minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) were compared with those of a range of beta-lactam, aminoglycoside, and other antimicrobial agents, and inoculum size effects were considered. The relationship between dilution and disk diffusion tests was studied by regression analysis. In addition, piperacillin was assessed in combination with aminoglycoside and other beta-lactam drugs. This investigation has confirmed the activity of piperacillin against a broad range of bacteria, including Pseudomonas, Enterobacteriaceae, Neisseria, beta-lactamase-negative Haemophilus influenzae, and Staphylococcus aureus as well as enterococci, Bacteroides fragilis, and other anaerobes. All strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were inhibited by </=32 mug/ml or less, demonstrating again the potential usefulness of piperacillin in the treatment of pseudomonal infections. S. typhi proved susceptible to piperacillin, all isolates being inhibited by 1 mug/ml. Inoculum size experiments showed that inocula of 10(8) CFU resulted in MICs and MBCs appreciably higher than those resulting from inocula of 10(6) CFU, and inocula of 10(2) CFU resulted in MICs and MBCs appreciably lower than those resulting from inocula of 10(4) CFU. Piperacillin was active against all gentamicin-resistant pseudomonads tested, but not against gentamicin-resistant klebsiellas and enterobacters. Combinations of piperacillin with tobramycin and amikacin were consistently synergistic against Pseudomonas and Serratia isolates. Less consistent results were shown when piperacillin was combined with aminoglycosides or cephalothin against Klebsiella and indole-positive Proteus isolates, although synergy was observed in most cases. Occasional antagonistic reactions were encountered with piperacillin-cephalothin or piperacillin-tobramycin combinations against the latter isolates.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Positioning of patients after metrizamide lumbar myelography.

This prospective study of 90 patients after lumbar metrizamide myelography indicates that the semiupright position at 45 degrees in bed or early ambulation reduces postprocedure vomiting but does not reduce the frequency of headache. Ambulatory patients have less frequent nausea than patients kept in bed.

Female↗

Parathyroid adenoma with coexistent sarcoid granulomas. A hypercalcemic patient.

A 56-year-old woman had hypercalcemia. Clinical symptoms and chest roentgenograms were suggestive of sarcoidosis. Results of laboratory studies, however, were compatible with primary hyperparathyroidism. At surgical exploration of the neck, a parathyroid adenoma was found. Microscopically, sarcoid-like granulomas were present within the adenoma. The association between hypercalcemic sarcoidosis and primary hyperparathyroidism is reviewed, and the importance of this finding is discussed.

Adenoma↗