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Biomedical subjects

S D Watson

Publications and source records attributed to S D Watson.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

The effect of sulfide on alpha-glucosidases: implications for starch degradation in anaerobic bioreactors.

Membrane associated alpha-glucosidase activity was investigated in a methanogenic bioreactor (MR) and a biosulfidogenic bioreactor (SR). Temperature and pH optima studies showed temperature optima of 50 degrees C and pH optima of 8.0 for the alpha-glucosidases from both the MR and SR. Sulfide (at a concentration of 150 mg l(-1)) resulted in the complete loss of all alpha-glucosidase activity in both the MR and SR. beta-Glucosidase activities in our bioreactors were previously shown to be stimulated in the presence of sulfide. alpha-Glucosidases, in contrast, are inhibited by sulfide. This differential effect of sulfide on alpha-glucosidase and beta-glucosidase activities is highlighted and is of crucial consequence to the respective degradation and utilization of starch and cellulose substrates in natural anaerobic environments and anaerobic bioreactors specifically designed for the accelerated digestion of wastewater sludge under biosulfidogenic conditions.

Anaerobiosis↗
PubMed2002

Maxillary sinus hypoplasia.

Functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) is now a routine surgical procedure performed all around the world. A pre-operative computed tomography (CT) scan is considered mandatory in most countries where these are available but there are still some surgeons who question the need for imaging especially in patients due to undergo limited FESS or middle meatal antrostomy. There are excellent papers, describing how to read scans looking for anatomical abnormalities, but unfortunately their description of maxillary sinus hypoplasia and the associated uncinate process deformities are limited. This article describes two cases, one of unilateral and one of bilateral maxillary sinus hypopolasia (MSH) and discusses their implications. Awareness of these anatomical variants is crucial to avoid orbital complications.

Endoscopy↗
PubMed2002

Focal myositis of the neck with idiopathic orbital myositis.

Focal myositis (of Heffner) in the right trapezius and paraspinal muscles accompanied by a pseudotumour of the left orbit has not been reported previously. The clinical, pathological and radiological features of these unusual benign pseudotumours of the head and neck are discussed. Computerized tomography (CT) scan of the neck and orbital ultrasound were suggestive of an inflammatory process without an abscess formation. This was followed by fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), which confirmed the diagnosis. The patient was treated with intravenous steroids and antibiotics, that led to complete resolution of symptoms, and there was no recurrence at six months follow-up. This report highlights the importance of imaging in inflammatory neck swellings.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1993

Combined laparoscopic incarcerated herniorrhaphy and small bowel resection.

Laparoscopic femoral herniorrhaphy using a preperitoneal plug and patch appears to be a feasible laparoscopic approach to femoral hernia. A modified preperitoneal femoral hernia repair with mesh and resection of incarcerated small bowel has been successfully completed under laparoscopic guidance in a 64-year-old patient with incarcerated femoral hernia. To our knowledge, this is the first such case reported in the United States. With further experience, laparoscopic femoral herniorrhaphy could provide a viable alternative to the standard treatment of femoral hernia.

Hernia, Femoral↗
PubMed1988

Gangrenous ligamentum teres hepatis causing acute abdominal symptoms.

This unusual case of a gangrenous round ligament manifested by acute abdominal symptoms underscores the importance of the recent radiologic descriptions of the round ligament in computerized tomography and ultrasonography. The cause of the gangrenous process in this case remains unresolved.

Abdomen, Acute↗
PubMed1982

Sham feeding as a procedure for assessing the influence of diet palatability on food intake.

Most of the methods used to evaluate the role of taste factors on food intake are confounded by the postingestional consequences of the ingested diet which interfere with measurements of consumption based strictly upon the stimulus properties of the food. The present experiment examines the utility of sham feeding in the gastric fistulated rat as a means of isolating, and thereby evaluating, the contribution of hedonically positive (sweet) and hedonically negative (bitter) taste factors on the magnitude of food intake. Rats equipped with open gastric cannulae sham fed solutions varying in their sucrose or quinine concentrations. The results revealed that the magnitude of sham feeding in a fixed time period varied systematically with the taste properties of the food. It is concluded that sham feeding represents a useful technique for isolating the influence of diet palatability on food intake. Furthermore, the present data identify one of the parameters that influences the magnitude of the sham feeding response, information that is important for studies using this preparation as a means of examining oral sensory controls of food intake control systems.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Effects of atropine methyl nitrate on sham feeding in the rat.

The purpose of this experiment was to clarify the effects of administration of peripheral cholinergic blocking agents on sham feeding. Rats were implanted with chronically indwelling gastric cannulae and allowed to sham feed sucrose solutions varying in their degree of diet palatability. Prior to the sham feeding tests, rats received an intraperitoneal injection of either atropine methyl nitrate (250 micrograms/kg) or a control substance, physiological (0.9%) saline. The results indicated that atropine methyl nitrate inhibited sham feeding at all levels of diet palatability tested. This reduction in food intake level following drug administration was apparent from the initiation of the sham feeding bout and did not result from a more rapid cessation of feeding under the drug condition. Further, similar doses of AMN did not reduce sham drinking of water in water-deprived animals. The implications of these findings to a cholinergic involvement in food intake control systems are discussed.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Reality ignored: health reform and people with disabilities.

The current health system reform debate largely has omitted the impact of different proposals on people with disabilities. Yet this population has a profound impact on the health care system and vice versa. The perspective of people with disabilities is different from that of other consumers and should be included in any health reform plan.

Consumer Advocacy↗