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Biomedical subjects

S E Higgins

Publications and source records attributed to S E Higgins.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

In situ detection and quantification of bursa of fabricius cellular proliferation or apoptosis in normal or steroid-treated neonatal chicks.

Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is believed to be the mechanism for depletion of lymphocytes recognizing self-antigens following clonal expansion in the bursa of Fabricius. Although bursal apoptosis has previously been shown to increase following in vivo exposure to glucocorticoids, the microanatomical site of induced or normal apoptosis has not been unequivocally established. Presently, we adapted the existing terminal deoxynucleotidal transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay for use with neonatal bursae. Similar to previous reports, TUNEL revealed that normal apoptosis is preferentially, but not exclusively, ongoing in bursal follicular cortical cells. Administration of a single dose of a synthetic glucocorticoid (dexamethasone) or androgen (19-nortestosterone) did not significantly (P < 0.05) alter follicular lymphocyte numbers or apoptosis per unit of area at the time points evaluated post-administration (6 or 24 h). However, administration of 19-Nortestosterone increased the interfollicular epithelial thickness, a change usually associated with edema, within 6 h following treatment. Additionally, administration of the androgen 19-nortestosterone significantly decreased the number of proliferating cells as detected using mouse anti-proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) as a primary immunohistochemical antibody. In normal (control) bursal sections, occasional follicles consisting of predominantly apoptotic cells were observed (0.26% of follicles). Such follicles were consistently one-tenth the area of normal follicles. This incidental finding may suggest occasional occurrence of a common signal for deletion, such as a common integral or clonal mistake, viral infection, or an aberrant paracrine signal.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

The effective team member: avoiding team burnout.

This article outlines specific suggestions for team members designed to help ensure that team membership is a satisfying experience. The suggestions offered provide clear guidelines for the responsibilities individual health care providers must assume when working on teams. Your proactive engagement in addressing the suggestions provided is part of an integrated, holistic approach to teams.

Burnout, Professional↗
PubMed1999

Best-practice guidelines for utilizing facilitators.

It appears that the majority of hospitals and other health care organizations use facilitators in team development. While some organizations use facilitators more extensively than others, facilitators appear to serve pivotal roles for teamwork in most health care organizations. A review of the literature, however, suggests that there is no clear consensus regarding the best way to use facilitators. This lack of consensus is, in part, due to the lack of clear best-practice guidelines for utilizing facilitators in health care. The purpose of this article is to provide such guidelines.

Benchmarking↗
PubMed1999

A multiple-level analysis of hospital team effectiveness.

The purpose of this study was to identify factors at organizational, team, and individual levels that are most predictive of quality improvement team effectiveness. Numerous studies have been conducted on the use of teams in health care. The majority of these studies have focused on organizational-level issues. A few others have focused on team-level issues or individual-level issues. The authors believe that successful use of teams requires a more integrated approach. This study addresses this need by providing a multiple-level analysis of teams in three hospitals. Structured interviews were conducted with hospital administrators as well as quality improvement representatives and team leaders, and written questionnaires were administered to team members. Eight factors were related significantly to the effectiveness of team effort: frequency of team meetings, hours per week conducting team activities, willingness of members to serve on team, selection method of team members, communication of team plans, team member position/composition, team leader performance, and facilitator performance.

Chi-Square Distribution↗
PubMed1993

Reproducibility and variation of corneal thickness in different locations in the cornea as measured by an ultrasonic pachymeter.

Corneal thickness was measured in nine positions of nineteen normal eyes with an ultrasonic pachymeter. A standardized protocol was used to examine for intraobserver and interobserver variation, day to day variation, and time of day variation in the measurement of corneal thickness. No statistically significant difference was noted for most points in intraobserver, interobserver, day to day, or different time of day variation measurements. However, it was noted that central measurements of corneal thickness tended to be less variable (more reproducible) than paracentral (p = .0366) and peripheral (.0032) measurements. Paracentral measurements were less variable than peripheral measurements (p = .0323). While this was a small study, 95% confidence intervals were also calculated for each of the nine corneal positions where measurements were performed.

Confidence Intervals↗
PubMed1991

Management of contact lens associated Acanthamoeba keratitis.

Four patients with contact lens associated Acanthamoeba keratitis were treated at Wills Eye Hospital between 1987 and 1989. Two patients had used daily wear soft contact lenses and two had worn hard contact lenses. All four patients were treated with topical antibiotics (propamidine and neomycin), oral ketoconazole, and varying amounts of topical steroids. Two of these patients received topical clotrimazole. All four patients eventually required surgery for either control of their infection (three cases) or control of secondary disease (glaucoma and cataract). Medical therapy for Acanthamoeba keratitis remains problematic, and therefore prevention of this disease by avoidance of risk factors remains paramount.

Acanthamoeba Keratitis↗
PubMed1986

Direct polyclonal activation of human B lymphocytes by the acquired immune deficiency syndrome virus.

When B lymphocytes from normal human peripheral blood were incubated for 1 hour with the retrovirus that causes the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), the B cells showed marked proliferation and differentiation. Proliferative responses to the virus peaked on day 4 and appeared to be independent of accessory cells. This finding was repeated with three separate viral isolates, one of which was from a patient from Zaire. The magnitude of the observed responses was comparable to that seen with standard polyclonal B-cell activators. This phenomenon may be at least partially responsible for the polyclonal B-cell activation seen in patients with AIDS.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗