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Biomedical subjects

S R Harris

Publications and source records attributed to S R Harris.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Instability of the intelligence quotient-motor quotient relationship.

The authors evaluated the stability over one- and two-year periods of the relationship between a cognitive measure (McCarthy General Cognitive Index) and a motor measure (McCarthy Motor Scale) to examine whether the cognitive-motor relationship changed significantly over time and whether children remained in the same service eligibility category, based on the cognitive referencing model. Results indicated substantial changes in the cognitive-motor relationship. Over a two-year period, more than 42 per cent of children changed their cognitive-motor relationship by at least 16 points. Children's eligibility for service, based on the cognitive referencing model, also fluctuated substantially over time. The authors conclude that the cognitive referencing model of triage is not an effective means of determining who should receive physical and occupational therapy services. Alternative methods are suggested.

Child↗
PubMed1992

Metabolism of calcium antagonist Ro 40-5967: a case history of the use of diode-array u.v. spectroscopy and thermospray-mass spectrometry in the elucidation of a complex metabolic pathway.

1. The calcium antagonist, Ro 40-5967, is metabolized to a multitude of products by the rat and drug-related material is excreted predominantly via the bile. 2. Diode-array u.v. spectroscopy, following reverse phase h.p.l.c. separation of the partially purified metabolites, has been used to classify these compounds into six spectral classes which have been correlated with different metabolic reactions. 3. Connection of a mass spectrometer directly to the h.p.l.c. equipment by a thermospray interface, produced useful mass spectra. These, together with the u.v. spectra, enabled the structures of many metabolites to be elucidated. 4. Confirmation of structural assignments was provided by n.m.r. spectra of the major metabolites. 5. Major metabolic pathways included N-demethylation (16% of the biliary metabolites), hydrolysis of the ester side-chain (32%), hydroxylation at 4- (19%) and 5- (29%) positions of the benzimidazole ring, aromatization of the tetrahydronaphthyl system (26%), loss of the benzimidazole (15%) and glucuronidation of hydroxyl groups (81%).

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Joint mobilization for children with central nervous system disorders: indications and precautions.

Because clinicians are introducing joint mobilization into treatment programs for children with cerebral palsy, we felt that a review of the procedure and its scientific basis would be timely. The goals of the introductory section of this article are to define joint mobilization as it has been used for adults with musculoskeletal disabilities, to discuss various rationales for its effects, to describe contraindications and precautions for its use, and to discuss its efficacy as reported in the research literature. The latter part of the article deals with the use of joint mobilization for children with central nervous system (CNS) disorders. In an effort to understand precautions for the use of joint mobilization in children, musculoskeletal development will be described both for typically developing children and for children with spastic cerebral palsy. Indications for using joint mobilization techniques in children with spasticity will be outlined. Specific neurodevelopmental disabilities for which joint mobilization would be strongly contraindicated will be listed. Finally, future research directions in evaluating reliability of assessment of joint dysfunction and efficacy of joint mobilization in children will be discussed.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMed1991

Development of a clinical measure of postural control for assessment of adaptive seating in children with neuromotor disabilities.

The primary purposes of this article are to review the literature on seating assessment and to describe the development of a clinical evaluation scale, the Seated Postural Control Measure (SPCM), for use with children requiring adaptive seating systems. The SPCM is an observational scale of 22 seated postural alignment items and 12 functional movement items, each scored on a four-point, criterion-referenced scale. A secondary purpose of this article is to report the reliability of the seven-point Level of Sitting Scale (LSS). Interrater and test-retest reliability of the SPCM items and the one-item LSS were evaluated on a sample of 40 children with developmental disabilities who sat with and without their seating systems. Kappa values of .75 or higher were considered excellent, .40 to .74 as fair to good, and less than .40 as poor. The interrater reliability tests for the two seated conditions and the two test sessions conducted 3 weeks apart yielded overall item Kappa coefficient means of .45 for the alignment section and .85 for the function section. Test-retest results for the SPCM items were less satisfactory, with item Kappa coefficient means for the two seating conditions and raters of .35 and .29 for alignment and function, respectively. Reliability results did not appear to be consistently better among seating conditions, raters, or test sessions. Kappa coefficients for the LSS were fair to good for both interrater and test-retest reliability. Plans for future development of the SPCM and LSS are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Interrater reliability of therapists' judgements of graphed data.

Increased emphasis on the use of single-subject designs in physical therapy research suggests the need to examine whether therapists can meaningfully interpret the results of such research as part of the clinical decision-making process. With this goal in mind, the interrater reliability of therapists to make visual judgments from graphed data that included a trend line was examined. Thirty therapists were presented with 24 graphs of single-subject data from AB (baseline-treatment) designs. Each graph included a trend line calculated using the split-middle method of trend estimation. The trend line was computed using the baseline data and then extended into the treatment phase to "predict" patient performance. The analysis, using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), revealed low interrater agreement, with ICC values ranging from .37 to .55 for the entire sample. Evidence is presented that the statistical backgrounds of some raters positively influenced interrater reliability. No statistically significant relationship was found between interrater agreement and visual components of the graphed data, such as changes in slope or variability.

Humans↗
PubMed1991

Movement analysis--an aid to early diagnosis of cerebral palsy.

The purpose of this article is to review research related to the use of clinical analysis of movement as an aid to the early diagnosis of cerebral palsy. A historical perspective of clinical techniques used by physicians and physical therapists in the early diagnosis of cerebral palsy will be presented first, including recent research findings on clinical signs that were most predictive of this movement disorder. Predictive neuromotor behaviors common across several recent studies will be highlighted. Future trends in the use of movement analysis, including digitized kinematic analysis of term and preterm infants and fetal ultrasound techniques, will be discussed as well.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMed1991

Test-retest reliability of isokinetic knee extension and flexion torque measurements in persons with spastic hemiparesis.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the test-retest reliability of isokinetic torque measurements in the involved and uninvolved knee musculature of 20 subjects with spastic hemiparesis. An isokinetic dynamometer was used to measure maximal voluntary knee extension and flexion at 60 degrees and 120 degrees/s. Peak torque (PT) and average peak torque (APT) data were collected from five repetitions on two separate occasions. Average peak torque was defined as the mean of the PT values obtained during each of the five repetitions. Spasticity was measured in the involved knee musculature prior to isokinetic testing using the Ashworth Scale. Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficients and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were high (greater than or equal to .90) for both knees for PT and APT at both angular velocities. No clinically meaningful differences were found between the Pearson correlation coefficients and the ICCs of the involved versus the uninvolved knee for any testing conditions. We concluded that isokinetic evaluation of torque, as measured by PT and APT in subjects with spastic hemiparesis, can yield reliable results in both extremities.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Complement C5a receptor assay for high throughput screening.

The complement C5a receptor on U937 cells, a human histiocytic lymphoma cell line, stimulated with dibutyryl-cAMP have been stabilized for at least 3 months at a dilute, ready to use concentration. [125I]-Bolton Hunter labeled C5a, (recombinant, human) has been prepared by reverse phase HPLC to 2200 Ci/mmol. Using a filtration binding assay the Kd from receptor saturation analysis is 10-40 pM and there are 50,000-100,000 receptor sites per cell. These reagents have permitted the development of a reliable, reproducible and convenient drug screening assay, in kit format, for compounds acting at the C5a receptor.

Complement C5a↗
PubMed1989

Early diagnosis of spastic diplegia, spastic hemiplegia, and quadriplegia.

A retrospective study examined early neurodevelopmental behaviors of children with spastic diplegia, spastic hemiplegia, and quadriplegia (spastic, athetoid, or mixed) who had been followed up longitudinally in a high-risk infant follow-up clinic. Compared with peers with normal outcomes, children with all three types of cerebral palsy had significantly lower scores on the Bayley Mental Scale at 4 months of age; children with hemiplegia and quadriplegia also scored significantly lower on the Bayley Motor Scale. On the Movement Assessment of Infants at 4 months of age, the children with hemiplegia and quadriplegia showed significantly higher risk scores than the nonhandicapped group. The Movement Assessment of Infants was more than three times as sensitive as the Bayley Motor Scale in detecting motor abnormalities in 4-month-old infants with diplegia and more than twice as sensitive in detecting early abnormalities of hemiplegia. At 1 year of age, however, the Bayley Motor Scale was extremely sensitive in picking up motor deficits in children with all three types of cerebral palsy.

Cerebral Palsy↗
PubMed1989

Calmodulin loss in vascular smooth muscle following Triton X-100 or saponin skinning.

The calmodulin (CaM) content of intact and chemically skinned strips of rat caudal artery was measured using a 125I-CaM radioimmunoassay. The total CaM measured following homogenization of arterial tissue with EGTA and EGTA/Triton X-100 was 2.58 mumol/kg wet tissue. Based on a smooth muscle volume of 40%, this value corresponds to a cellular CaM concentration of 6.5 microM. Approximately 97% of total CaM was soluble and approximately 3% was EGTA-nonextractable. Permeabilization of the plasmalemma with 0.15 mg/ml saponin or 0.5% Triton X-100 caused significant detergent-dependent loss of CaM. At the end of a 1 h skinning period, tissues exposed to saponin lost 30% of total CaM. By comparison, tissues skinned under the same conditions with Triton X-100 lost 50%. During a subsequent 4 h exposure to relaxing solution, total tissue CaM continued to decline. The exponential loss over the 5 h period was described by a first order model having diffusible and nondiffusible CaM components. The diffusible CaM component of saponin skinned tissue (59%) was significantly less than the diffusible component of those skinned with Triton X-100 (88%); however, the rate coefficients for CaM diffusion (0.78 h-1 and 0.91 h-1, respectively) did not statistically differ. The nondiffusible component of CaM was significantly larger in saponin treated strips (42%) than in Triton X-100 permeabilized tissue (12%). Arterial strips skinned with Triton X-100, which were subsequently exposed to relaxing solution for up to 22 h, lost significantly more CaM than those retained in Triton X-100 skinning solution for a comparable duration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Concentration uniformity of extemporaneously prepared ranitidine suspension.

The concentration uniformity of an extemporaneously prepared ranitidine suspension was studied. To prepare the ranitidine suspension, 36 150-mg tablets were pulverized and suspended in 180 mL of distilled water. This mixture was diluted with simple syrup to a total volume of 360 mL, resulting in a final ranitidine concentration of 150 mg/10 mL. Samples from each of three bottles that had been filled with 60 mL of the suspension were assayed for ranitidine content by high-performance liquid chromatography. The sedimentation of suspended ranitidine tablet particles was studied by visual observation of the setting process in 10-mL samples from the same batch. The overall mean concentrations (in milligrams per milliliter) of ranitidine were 14.53, 15.25, 13.92, 12.67, and 12.72 at 0, 3, 7, 14, and 21 days, respectively. Compared with baseline, the difference in the ranitidine concentration was not significant over days 0-7. The ranitidine concentration was significantly reduced during the following time intervals: days 0-14, days 0-21, and days 7-21. In the settling experiments, the mean time (+/- S.D.) for sediment to first appear on the test tube bottom was 14.67 +/- 5.35 seconds. Approximately 40-50% (mean level = 3.2 mm) of the total sedimentation level (mean level = 7.3 mm) was observed one minute after shaking. The uniformity of ranitidine suspensions compounded according to procedures described in this report possibly could be improved with sonication. The ranitidine suspension should be well shaken, the dosage should be measured immediately after shaking, and the suspension should be used within seven days of compounding.

Chemistry, Pharmaceutical↗
PubMed1988

Elements of theory presentations in Physical Therapy.

The sustained growth of physical therapy as a profession depends on continual examination of its body of knowledge. Theory articles present and critique this body of knowledge. One mechanism for advancing theory in physical therapy is presented.

Periodicals as Topic↗
PubMed1988

Effects of 'tone-reducing' vs. standard plaster-casts on gait improvement of children with cerebral palsy.

The relative effects of 'tone-reducing' (inhibitive) and standard casts on the gait patterns and functional motor activities of two children with cerebral palsy were examined in a repeated measures (single-subject) design. Both children's stride length improved in the tone-reducing casts, compared with standard casts, but there were no significant difference between the two casts in step length ratio, base of support or foot progression angle. From videotapes, clinicians noted mildly improved gait and function over baseline levels for one child during the tone-reducing cast phase. They also consistently rated this child's performance as being better with the tone-reducing casts than with the standard casts. Parents and therapists also favoured the tone-reducing casts. However, further evidence is needed for the efficacy of tone-reducing casts in the management of children with cerebral palsy.

Casts, Surgical↗
PubMed1988

Accepted and controversial neuromotor therapies for infants at high risk for cerebral palsy.

Neuromotor therapies are prescribed frequently for infants at high risk for cerebral palsy or other central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Based on the concept of early CNS plasticity, neuromotor therapies are important components of early intervention programs. The purposes of this review article are (1) to describe five neuromotor therapies commonly used in the United States, Europe, and the Far East; (2) to briefly present research results of efficacy studies using these various therapies; (3) to discuss similarities and differences among the various approaches; (4) to highlight controversies surrounding some of these approaches; and (5) to present suggestions for future research on examining efficacy of early neuromotor therapy.

Cerebral Palsy↗
PubMed1987

Relationship between infant neuromotor assessment and preschool motor measures.

The purpose of this retrospective study was to examine the relationship between early neuromotor findings, as assessed by the Movement Assessment of Infants (MAI), and later gross and fine motor outcomes, as measured by the Peabody Developmental Gross Motor Scale and the Frostig Eye-Motor Coordination Subtest. The sample consisted of 77 children who had been identified in infancy as biologically at risk and who had 4-month MAI scores and 4.5-year motor evaluation scores. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients between the MAI scores and the two motor outcome measures yielded no clinically significant relationships. These findings suggest that therapists should use the MAI as a reflection of an infant's performance at the time of testing rather than as an indicator of future potential.

Apgar Score↗
PubMed1987

Measuring infant movement. Clinical and technological assessment techniques.

Assessment of infant movement patterns is an important evaluation component in the early identification and management of high-risk and handicapped infants. Differences in infant movement patterns may provide early clues to the diagnosis of cerebral palsy and other developmental disabilities. The ultimate goal of early identification of movement disorders is the provision of early intervention services, such as developmental physical therapy. Qualitative analysis of infant movement differences can assist the clinician in developing treatment strategies aimed at facilitating normal movement patterns during the critical period of early central nervous system plasticity. This article presents four measurement strategies for quantifying such qualitative differences. Three clinical assessment tools--the Movement Assessment of Infants, the Bayley Motor Scale, and the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales--are described. Finally, new technological advances for kinematic analysis of infant movement are presented.

Child Development↗
PubMed1987

Efficacy of two treatment approaches to reduce tongue protrusion of children with Down syndrome.

Five children with Down syndrome aged between 21 and 31 months, all of whom demonstrated habitual tongue protrusion, were randomly assigned to receive either oral-motor treatment or behavior modification. Tongue posture of all three children who received oral-motor treatment improved. For two of these the improvement leveled off after treatment had ended, but the third continued to show improvement. One of the two children receiving behavior modification showed improved tongue posture during treatment and maintained the improvement, but for the second there were insufficient data points to draw firm conclusions. Both forms of treatment appear to be effective, but further study is needed before definite conclusions can be made.

Behavior Therapy↗