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Biomedical subjects

S Higgins

Publications and source records attributed to S Higgins.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Motor skill acquisition.

The purpose of this article is to provide a framework for understanding motor skill and the process by which it is acquired. A selective historical overview is presented to demonstrate how the study of movement is a necessary preliminary to the study of motor skill learning. The phenomenon of skill is explored as an inherent feature of goal-directed organisms whose effective functioning depends on achieving a degree of competence in solving problems that are encountered in the everyday world. The relationship between problems and solutions is discussed. Movement is examined as a problem-solving tool and as the means by which the individual expresses skill. Factors that influence the individual's level of skill are fully explored, along with the implications for functional behavior. The creative use of resources in problem solving is thoroughly examined, and tasks are discussed in terms of the demands imposed on the individual.

Growth↗
PubMed1988

Standardization for four protein analytes with the Behring Nephelometer.

Owing to the generally higher values observed in the initial establishment of immunoglobulins (Ig) G, A, and M assays with the Behring Nephelometer, we elected to verify five commercial protein calibrators. This initial verification was performed by standardizing the Behring Nephelometer with the World Health Organization (WHO) International Reference Preparation for Human Serum Immunoglobulins G, A, and M. The instrument was also standardized for immunoglobulins and transferrin with use of the Reference Preparation for Serum Proteins (RPSP II). Analytical recoveries of the commercial calibrators varied. Also, assigned protein concentrations in both the WHO and RPSP II preparations made them unacceptable to us as benchmark calibrators for the Behring Nephelometer. Individual proteins (IgG, IgA, IgM, and transferrin) were obtained and primary standards prepared. Both transferrin and IgG were successfully standardized. However, IgA and IgM primary standards lacked 100% antigenicity, requiring removal of nonreactive IgA and IgM or reassignment of the correct value. The problem remains to find appropriate purified materials for IgA and IgM standardization.

Blood Proteins↗
PubMed1987

High-dose corticosteroids in patients with the adult respiratory distress syndrome.

Corticosteroids are widely used as therapy for the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) without proof of efficacy. We conducted a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of methylprednisolone therapy in 99 patients with refractory hypoxemia, diffuse bilateral infiltrates on chest radiography and absence of congestive heart failure documented by pulmonary-artery catheterization. The causes of ARDS included sepsis (27 percent), aspiration pneumonia (18 percent), pancreatitis (4 percent), shock (2 percent), fat emboli (1 percent), and miscellaneous causes or more than one cause (42 percent). Fifty patients received methylprednisolone (30 mg per kilogram of body weight every six hours for 24 hours), and 49 received placebo according to the same schedule. Serial measurements were made of pulmonary shunting, the ratio of partial pressure of arterial oxygen to partial pressure of alveolar oxygen, the chest radiograph severity score, total thoracic compliance, and pulmonary-artery pressure. We observed no statistical differences between groups in these characteristics upon entry or during the five days after entry. Forty-five days after entry there were no differences between the methylprednisolone and placebo groups in mortality (respectively, 30 of 50 [60 percent; 95 percent confidence interval, 46 to 74] and 31 of 49 [63 percent; 95 percent confidence interval, 49 to 77]; P = 0.74) or in the reversal of ARDS (18 of 50 [36 percent] vs. 19 of 49 [39 percent]; P = 0.77). However, the relatively wide confidence intervals in the mortality data make it impossible to exclude a small effect of treatment. Infectious complications were similar in the methylprednisolone group (8 of 50 [16 percent]) and the placebo group (5 of 49 [10 percent]; P = 0.60). Our data suggest that in patients with established ARDS due to sepsis, aspiration, or a mixed cause, high-dose methylprednisolone does not affect outcome.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗
PubMed1987

Folate sensitive site at 10q23 and its expression as a deletion.

A patient is reported for whom initial chromosome analysis indicated 45,X/46,XX/46,XX,10q- mosaicism. The clinical findings included hypothyroidism and a low red cell folate estimation. The deleted chromosome 10 was subsequently shown to be an extreme expression of the folate sensitive heritable fragile site at 10q23, and a possible association between this and the in vivo folate status of the patient is suggested.

Chromosome Deletion↗
PubMed1985

Sequence organisation of rat seminal vesicle F gene: location of transcriptional start point and sequence comparison with six other androgen-regulated genes.

Seminal vesicle F gene, encoding an androgen-regulated serine-rich structural protein of the rat copulatory plug, has been sequenced together with 5' and 3' flanking regions. The intron/exon arrangement of the gene deduced from restriction maps was confirmed. The major and possible minor transcriptional start points were located by primer extension analysis and S1 nuclease mapping. A published nucleotide sequence for seminal vesicle S gene which also encodes an androgen-regulated protein of the copulatory plug has been extended to allow comparison of F and S genes. The considerable sequence homology between the two genes confirms their evolutionary relatedness. Homology is especially high in their promoter regions and their transcriptional start points are identical. They share several regions of dyad symmetry including one just upstream of the promoter. The upstream regions of F and S genes were compared with those of five other androgen-responsive rodent genes in an attempt to identify common sequence motifs that might be involved in hormonal regulation of gene expression.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Propranolol as an antihypertensive agent in children.

The antihypertensive effect of oral propranolol was studied in 9 children with hypertension. After treatment with propranolol, systolic blood pressure fell by an average of 26 mmHg (P less than 0.01). Diastolic pressure decreased by 20 mmHg on average (P less than 0.01). The mean propranolol dose was 2.5 mg/kg per day. Side effects included bradycardia and anorexia. There was no correlation between pretreatment plasma renin activity and fall in blood pressure. Propranolol is an effective and well tolerated antihypertensive agent in children.

Adolescent↗