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Biomedical subjects

S Curran

Publications and source records attributed to S Curran.

35 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

The impact of a media campaign on public action to help maltreated children in addictive families.

Developed because of the need to promote public understanding of the link between addictions and child maltreatment, a multimedia campaign helped to increase by 62% the average monthly number of people who called a telephone service for information about how to aid abused and neglected children. The campaign was supported by market research and professional experience that indicated the campaign should focus on easy action a citizen could take, avoid inducing fear or blame, and target third party helpers and younger families-at-risk. Campaign exposure was promoted through the support of corporate partners. A random household survey found that 61% of the general population had seen or heard the campaign slogan. The average monthly calls to the child maltreatment information service regarding alcohol and other drug abuse tripled and the requests regarding at-risk children almost doubled. An auxiliary project provided interprofessional education to increase the probability that people seeking help would get it when referrals were made. The project yielded several lessons for future public awareness campaigns: focus on helping action rather than the problem; use of client-based market research; a strategic plan to assure necessary exposure; reliance on public-private-nonprofit sector partnerships; preparation of the service system; promotion of personal ways of helping.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed1995

Effect of paroxetine on seizure length during electroconvulsive therapy.

This study reports the effect of paroxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, on seizure length during electroconvulsive therapy. Seven inpatients taking paroxetine were compared with 7 controls taking tricyclic antidepressants. The mean seizure length of the paroxetine group was approximately twice that of the control group.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Attachment site specificity and the tapeworm assemblage in the spiral intestine of the blue shark (Prionace glauca).

The parasite assemblage in the scroll-type spiral intestine of 24 specimens of the blue shark Prionace glauca collected off of Montauk, Long Island, New York was investigated. When opened with a longitudinal incision to the right of the ventral blood vessels, the internal mucosal spiral of the spiral intestine of the blue shark could be unrolled into a flat sheet of double-sided mucosal tissue. Attachment sites and parasite assemblages were studied on both sides of the sheet in 12 sharks and on either the inside or the outside of the sheet in 12 additional sharks. Assemblages within host individuals were composed of up to 4 species of tetraphyllidean cestodes including the onchobothriid Platybothrium auriculatum, and the phyllobothriids, Prosobothrium armigerum. Paraorygmatobothrium prionacis, and Anthobothrium laciniatum. Each individual shark hosted 1-4 tapeworm species (mean = 3.7 +/- 0.65). The 12 sharks in which both sides of the mucosal scroll were examined hosted 156-2,382 (mean = 929.1 +/- 818) individual tapeworms. The assemblage consisted of 4 core species. Sharks were not found to host all of the possible combinations of species in their assemblages; the most common combination (17 out of 24 individuals) was the occurrence of all 4 parasite species. A chi-square test revealed no evidence that the 4 species did not occur independently. Regression revealed a significant relationship between shark total length and spiral intestine area. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) revealed a significant difference between the surface areas of the 2 sides of the mucosal sheet when shark total length was taken into account.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1991

Pharmacodynamic effects of buspirone and clobazam.

1. The pharmacodynamic effects of buspirone and clobazam were compared in two volunteer studies. Acute doses of buspirone 5 mg, 10 mg and clobazam 10 mg were contrasted with placebo and a verum (lorazepam 1 mg), in a repeated measures design with 10 subjects assessed on a battery of psychometric tests at 1.5, 3.5, and 5.5 h post dose. For the combined results clobazam and the lower dose of buspirone (5 mg) were significantly contrasted with lorazepam on measures of subjective sedation, memory and choice reaction time (CRT). The higher dose of buspirone was not statistically different from lorazepam for all measures except memory; whilst contrasting significantly with placebo and clobazam on movement and total reaction time components respectively. Though failing to achieve significance, a similar trend was seen for critical flicker fusion (CFF) with buspirone 10 mg and lorazepam producing the lowest scores indicative of increased sedation. 2. Repeated doses of buspirone 5 mg twice daily, clobazam 10 mg twice daily, or placebo twice daily for 8 consecutive days were compared on the same battery of psychometric tests in a repeated measures design. Nine subjects were assessed on days 1, 3, and 8 of the study. Overall, memory performance significantly decreased with buspirone 5 mg in contrast to both clobazam and placebo whilst the opposite trend was seen with CFF. Clobazam significantly improved TRT in contrast to both placebo and buspirone. 3. These results indicate improved reaction time and memory performance with repeated dosing of clobazam in contrast to buspirone. Impairment following acute administration of buspirone appears limited to the higher (10 mg) dose.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Effects of topical administration of levocabastine on psychomotor and cognitive function.

The possible central nervous system effects of topical administration of levocabastine, a new H1-antagonist, were investigated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study using a battery of objective and subjective tests. These were carried out in 12 volunteers up to five hours postapplication. Neither the recommended (0.5 mg/mL) nor the four times higher (2.0 mg/mL) concentration level was found to be distinguishable from placebo, while the verum (triprolidine 10 mg) was significantly worse, on both objective and subjective measures.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1987

Plasma haloperidol and clinical response: a role for reduced haloperidol in antipsychotic activity?

Seventeen hospitalized psychotic patients were treated with a fixed oral dose of haloperidol, 5 mg twice daily for 28 days. Most were chronic schizophrenics with an acute exacerbation of their illness. All patients also received benztropine 3 mg twice daily during the last 11 days of the study, regardless of the presence or absence of extrapyramidal side effects. No significant linear or curvilinear relationship was found between steady state plasma levels of haloperidol and clinical response measured by total Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale score. At 28 days, the correlations between plasma levels and percent improvement were rs = 0.187 (not significant) for haloperidol and rs = 0.582 (p = 0.04) for the hydroxymetabolite, reduced haloperidol. The correlation for the sum was rs = 0.511 (p = 0.078). Metabolite levels were substantially higher than plasma haloperidol, on the average 2.7 times greater. Eleven days of benztropine treatment had no significant effect on haloperidol or metabolite plasma levels or on clinical status. At the end of the study, nine of 17 patients (53%) had recovered as judged by discharge readiness. Within the limitations implied by the small number of patients, these data suggest that reduced haloperidol is an important component of plasma antipsychotic activity and cannot be neglected in correlative studies, and that a substantial proportion of patients--about half--can be successfully treated with only 10 mg of haloperidol. The routine use of large doses is thus not necessary for many patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Ultrasonographic appearance of the bovine conceptus from days 10 through 20.

The bovine conceptus was monitored in 19 heifers by intrarectal ultrasonic imaging from the day an embryonic vesicle was first detected (mean, day 11.7 +/- 0.4; range, days 10 to 17) until detection of the embryo proper (mean, day 20.3 +/- 0.3). Fifteen heifers maintained the conceptus and 4 heifers apparently lost the conceptus. In the heifers that maintained the conceptus, 73% of the embryonic vesicles were classified as spherical (mean diameter, 2.8 +/- 0.2 mm) and 27% were classified as oblong (mean dimensions, 2.0 +/- 0.0 mm and 4.5 +/- 1.0 mm) on the day of first detection. All vesicles were in the uterine horn ipsilateral to the corpus luteum. The vesicles increased in length from the day of first detection. On the average, the vesicle occupied all of the ipsilateral uterine horn on day 16.9 +/- 0.6 and all of the contralateral horn on day 19.6 +/- 0.9. During elongation, the vesicle remained at an approximate height of 2 mm throughout its length, but developed a localized enlargement or bulge on mean day 19.7 +/- 0.2. The embryo proper was detected within the bulge in all 15 heifers. A heartbeat (mean, 188 +/- 4.8 beats/min) was detected on the first day of detection of the embryo proper (8 heifers) or on the following day (7 heifers). The mean length of the interovulatory interval in the 4 heifers that apparently lost the embryonic vesicle was not significantly different from that of nonbred heifers. The vesicles were lost (not ultrasonographically detectable) on days 17 (2 heifers) and 19 (2 heifers).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Ultrasonographic appearance of the bovine conceptus from days 20 through 60.

The ultrasonographic appearance of the conceptus on days 20 to 60 was determined by daily examinations in 15 heifers. The mean length of the embryo proper increased from the day of first detection (day 20.3 +/- 0.3; 3.8 +/- 0.3 mm) to day 60 (66.1 +/- 1.7 mm). The growth curve was quadratic, with an increasing growth rate after approximately day 50. The embryo initially had the appearance of a short, straight line and developed a C shape on day 25.4 +/- 0.8 and an L shape on day 32.7 +/- 1.1. The average day of first detection of various structures was as follows: allantois, 23.2 +/- 0.3; spinal cord, 29.1 +/- 0.5; forelimbs, 29.1 +/- 0.3; amnion, 29.5 +/- 0.5; optic area, 30.2 +/- 0.4; hindlimbs, 31.2 +/- 0.3; placentomes, 35.2 +/- 1.0; optic lens, 40.0 +/- 0.6; split hooves, 44.6 +/- 0.7; fetal movements, 44.8 +/- 0.8; and ribs, 52.8 +/- 0.5. Embryonic death, as indicated by cessation of heartbeats, occurred in one heifer on day 26. The embryonic mass increased in echogenicity and was maintained with a gradually decreasing fluid volume until the occurrence of estrus 17 days after death.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Isolation and partial characterization of the amino-terminal propeptide of type II procollagen from chick embryos.

The amino-terminal propeptide from type II procollagen was isolated from organ cultures of sternal cartilages from 17-day-old chick embryos. The procedure provided the first isolation of the propeptide in amounts adequate for chemical characterization. The propeptide had an apparent molecular weight of 18000 as estimated by gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate. It contained a collagen-like domain as demonstrated by its amino acid composition, circular dichroism spectrum, and susceptibility to bacterial collagenase. One residue of hydroxylysine was present, the first time this amino acid has been detected in a propeptide. The peptide contained no methionine and only two residues of half-cystine. Antibodies were prepared to the propeptide and were used to establish its identity. The antibodies precipitated type II procollagen but did not precipitate type II procollagen from which the amino and carboxy propeptides were removed with pepsin. Also, they did not precipitate the carboxy propeptide of type II procollagen. The data demonstrated th at the type II amino propeptide was similar to the amino propeptides of type I and type III procollagens in that it contained a collagen-like domain. It differed, however, in that it lacked a globular domain as large as the globular domain of 77-86 residues found at the amino-terminal ends of the pro alpha 1 chains of type I and type III procollagens.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1979

Habituation of infants' cardiac response to speech stimuli.

In an attempt to explore the relation between the amount of variability in a stimulus and rate of habituation to that stimulus, 4 groups of infants 4 1/2--5 1/2 months of age were presented with repeated speech stimuli which were synthesized exemplars of [baba], natural exemplars of [baba] or [kaba], or novel syllables of each trial. Infants' cardiac responses to the auditory stimuli were recorded, and the number of trials to a proportional criterion of habituation of the heart-rate decelerative response was determined. Infants were found to habituate most rapidly to the synthesized [baba] stimulus which remained constant across trials and least rapidly to the speech syllables which changed from trial to trial.

Female↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Carcinomatous features of cervical chordoma in a fine needle aspirate.

A cartilaginous tumor of the cervical spine in a 31-year-old man is described, with discussion of the differential diagnostic problems both in aspiration biopsy cytology and in histopathology. The tumor mass caused nasopharyngeal swelling and infiltrated the base of the skull and the spinal canal. Aspiration biopsy cytology of the tumor demonstrated mostly papillary epithelial groupings, causing differential diagnostic problems with thyroid and salivary gland carcinomas. Most of the tumor mass was resected, with postoperative radiation performed. Immunohistochemical staining for type II procollagen on the histologic sections confirmed the presence of cartilage. The epithelial components of the tumor appeared to be cytokeratin-positive. Immunohistochemical staining for laminin and type IV collagen revealed positivity only in the blood vessel walls. The diagnosis of cervical chordoma was established by the histologic examination. The patient is without symptoms two years after removal of the tumor.

Adult↗