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Biomedical subjects

S L Scott

Publications and source records attributed to S L Scott.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

Thoracic epidural catheters via the caudal and lumbar approaches using styletted multiple port catheters in pediatric patients: a report of three cases.

Advancing catheters from the lumbar and caudal epidural spaces to the thoracic level has been reported to be an alternative to the direct thoracic approach. However, as children grow, the threading of catheters in the epidural space becomes increasingly difficult. This report describes three cases of thoracic epidural placement using a multiport catheter threaded from the caudal and lumbar spaces using electrical stimulation guidance. In the first case, a multiport catheter was threaded 22 cm from the lumbar space to T8 following a failed attempt with a single-port catheter in a 9-year-old boy scheduled to undergo a right nephrectomy. In the second case, a multiport catheter was threaded 26 cm from the caudal space to T9 in a 3-year-old girl undergoing fundoplication. In the last case, a multiport catheter was inserted at the completion of a fundoplication in a 2-year-old girl after it had been confirmed that the single-port catheter inserted prior to surgery had not advanced to the desired thoracic level. The multiport catheter was threaded 17 cm without resistance from the caudal space to T9. In all cases, electrical stimulation was used to confirm the location of the catheter tip at the time of insertion. The position of the catheters was later confirmed by X-ray. The multiport catheter incorporates a stylet, which extends to a closed distal tip, within a catheter body that ejects fluid from three lateral holes in a direction perpendicular to the advancing catheter. These properties may facilitate the reliable advancement of catheters in the epidural space.

Anesthesia, Epidural↗

Short communication: infrared thermography and visual examination of hooves of dairy cows in two stages of lactation.

Hooves of 16 lactating Holstein cows were examined twice for sole hemorrhages and underrun heels. Images of hooves were taken using infrared thermography to determine the temperatures of the coronary band and that of a control area above the coronary band. To adjust for skin (control) temperature, the difference (DeltaT) between the coronary band and the control area was calculated. Effects of stage of lactation, that is, 200 DIM, on temperature of the coronary band, DeltaT, and visual abnormalities were determined. Temperatures of the coronary bands of cows were greater for cows 200 DIM (6.1 +/- 0.8 vs. 3.3 +/- 0.9 degrees C). The DeltaT was greater for lateral claws than for medial claws (5.2 +/- 0.6 vs. 4.2 +/- 0.6 degrees C). Chi-square analysis revealed that the frequency of sole hemorrhages in hind lateral claws was significantly higher for cows 200 DIM. Increased temperatures of the coronary band and DeltaT in early/midlactation coincided with increased incidence of sole hemorrhages, but not to incidences of underrun heels. Because higher hoof temperatures occurred in cows <or=200 DIM compared with cows later in lactation, measurement of hoof temperatures among cows in early lactation may be useful in monitoring hoof health.

Animals↗

Factors affecting protein release from alginate-chitosan coacervate microcapsules during production and gastric/intestinal simulation.

A series of experiments was performed to evaluate the influence of a number of physico-chemical factors on the diffusion of a model protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA), from dried chitosan-coated alginate microcapsules. Diffusion of BSA was quantified during the microcapsule manufacture processes (gelation, washing, rinsing) and during incubation in conditions simulating the pH encountered during the gastric (0.1 N HCl; pH 1.5) and intestinal (200 mM Tris-HCl; pH 7.5) phases of digestion. Factors tested included alginate and chitosan concentration, calcium chloride (CaCl2) concentration in the gelation medium, loading rate, chitosan molecular mass and pH of the gelation medium. Microcapsule size and gelation time were altered in order to determine their effects on protein retention. Alginate and chitosan concentration significantly influenced BSA retention during microcapsule manufacture and acid incubation, as did calcium chloride concentration in the gelation medium (P<0.05). BSA retention during manufacture was not significantly altered by protein loading rate or pH of the encapsulation medium, however, protein retention during acid incubation decreased significantly with increasing protein loading rate and encapsulation medium pH (P<0.05). Microcapsules that were washed with acetone following manufacture demonstrated significantly increased protein retention during acid incubation (P<0.05). In microcapsules that had been acetone-dried to a point whereby their mass was reduced to 10% of that immediately following encapsulation, protein retention was over 80% following 24-h acid incubation vs. only 20% protein retention from non acetone-dried microcapsules. The presence of calcium in the neutral buffer medium significantly reduced BSA diffusion in a concentration-dependent manner (P<0.05).

Alginates↗

Preparation of new catalysts by the immobilization of palladium(II) species onto silica: an investigation of their catalytic activity for the cyclization of aminoalkynes.

Silica-immobilized palladium catalysts are readily prepared by treating partially dehydroxylated silica with solutions of the palladium(II) complexes, cis-[PdMeXL2] (X = Me, L2 = dmpe; X = Cl, L2 = dmpe, dppe, phen, bipy, 2PMe3), trans-[PdMeXL2] (X = Cl, NO3, OTf, L = PMe3; X = Cl, L = PPh3), or [PdPh(OH)L]2 (L = PPh3, PCy3), at room temperature. A chemisorption reaction is presumed to occur on the surface Si-OH groups, with elimination of 1 equiv of methane, benzene, or water and the initial formation of a covalent Pd-O bond to the silica surface. The amount of chemisorbed material is strongly dependent on the nature of the complex employed, and the Pd content of the materials, determined by ICP analysis, was found to vary widely (from 1.47 to 0.021 wt %). It appears that the complexes stabilized by more basic ligands undergo a more facile reaction with the surface. The catalytic activity of the materials was first tested in the cyclization of 6-aminohex-1-yne. Higher conversions were found for those catalysts containing more basic ligands, due to the higher loadings, and for those complexes containing more weakly coordinating anions. Silica/trans-[PdMe(NO3)(PMe3)2] was identified as the best catalyst and was used to test the generality of the catalytic cyclization method with two other alkynes, namely, 5-phenyl-4-pentyn-1-amine and 6-phenyl-5-hexyn-1-amine. The catalysts prepared here show rates comparable to, or greater than, those found for homogeneous late transition metal complexes, including their molecular precursors. Furthermore, the supported catalysts are only slightly air-sensitive and can be recycled, after filtration in air, with only moderate loss of activity.

Journal Article↗

Occurrence and documentation of low-level bacteremia in a community hospital's patient population.

To document the incidence of low-level bacteremia in the patient population of this study, two blood culture sets were collected from symptomatic patients weighing more than 80 pounds. Each blood culture set consisted of a lysis-centrifugation tube and three bottles containing different culture broths, each inoculated with 10 mL blood. Pathogens from 63 (26.4%) and 48 (20.1%) of the 239 culture-positive patients were recovered from only one and two of the eight culture devices, respectively, representing low-level bacteremia. Isolates from another 60 (25.1%) of the 239 patients were recovered from all eight of the culture devices, representing high-level bacteremia. Whether patients had low-level or high-level bacteremia, there were mostly insignificant differences in the types of species recovered, in the percentages of patients for whom therapy was initiated or changed following the laboratory's reports, and in the clinical signs, symptoms, and characteristics of the patients. Clinically documented, low-level bacteremia is relatively common in this community hospital's patient population. Culturing of up to 80 mL of blood was required for detection of all pathogens from patients weighing more than 80 pounds.

Bacteremia↗

Clinical comparison of isolator and thiol broth with ESP aerobic and anaerobic bottles for recovery of pathogens from blood.

The recovery of pathogens and the speed of their detection were determined for our conventional blood culture system (an Isolator [Wampole] and a 100-ml Thiol bottle [Difco]) compared with automated ESP aerobic and anaerobic bottles (80 ml each; Difco). Each of the four culture devices was inoculated with approximately 10 ml of blood from symptomatic patients weighing more than 80 lb (ca. 36 kg). From 7,070 sets of cultures for 2,841 patients, 607 clinically significant isolates were recovered: 456 (75.1%) from the Isolator, 353 (58.2%) from Thiol, 377 (62.1%) from ESP aerobic bottles, and 346 (57.0%) from ESP anaerobic bottles. Of the 607 isolates, 149 (24.5%) were detected only with the conventional system (Isolator and/or Thiol), and 65 (10.7%) were detected only with the ESP two-bottle system (P < 0.001). Our conventional system allowed for detection of significantly more isolates of members of the family Enterobacteriaceae (P < 0.001), Staphylococcus aureus (P < 0.01), Staphylococcus spp. (coagulase-negative) (P < 0.01), and Enterococcus spp. (P < 0.05), and ESP facilitated detection of significantly more isolates of S. pneumoniae (P < 0.01). When all four devices in a culture set were positive for the same isolate, no microbial species or group was detected significantly earlier ( > or = 24 h) by either blood culture system. The Isolator contamination rate (4.8%) was > or = 6 times the rate for any of the bottles. Of pathogens detected by the Isolator, 50% were recovered in counts of < or = 1.0 CFU/ml and 18% were recovered only as a single colony. The ESP system offered an automated, less labor-intensive blood culture system for which routine subcultures were not required, but the important considerations of culturing large volumes of blood and of obtaining at least two sets from each patient in our population were reemphasized.

Adolescent↗

The effect of a cold environment on protein and energy metabolism in calves.

Eleven Holstein bull calves 35 d of age were assigned to one of three treatment groups: (1) W72, warm environment (20 degrees), 72 g feed/kg body weight (BW)0.75 per d, (2) C72, cold environment (-5 degrees), 72 g feed/kg BW0.75 per d, or (3) C90, cold environment (-5 degrees), 90 g feed/kg BW0.75 per d. Fractional synthesis rates (FSR) of protein in the rumen wall, rumen papillae, omasum, duodenum, kidney, liver, heart, longissimus dorsi, biceps femoris and skin were determined following a continuous infusion of [3H]phenylalanine. Phenylalanine flux was elevated in both groups of cold-adapted calves. FSR of protein in the two muscles and skin were reduced along with N retention in the calves in the C72 group compared with the other two groups. Muscle protein degradation, estimated from urinary N tau-methylhistidine excretion, tended to be elevated in both groups of cold-adapted calves. Reduced protein synthesis and increased protein degradation in the C72 group contributed to reduced muscle protein gain. It appears that when feed intake is limited in cold-adapted animals, muscle and skin have a lower priority for nutrients than other organs and tissues, resulting in reduced protein synthesis. It seems unlikely that thermogenesis due to enhanced protein synthesis contributed to the increased heat production in the cold.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

Protein kinase C in astrocytes: a determinant of cell morphology.

Protein kinase C-like activity was found to be present in astrocytes prepared from rat neocortex and maintained in culture. Exposure to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) caused a redistribution of this kinase from the cytosol to the membrane fraction of these cells. Also PMA was found to cause a profound change in astrocyte morphology; cells were converted from flat, polygonal, undifferentiated cells to process-bearing cells.

Animals↗