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Biomedical subjects

S Reilly

Publications and source records attributed to S Reilly.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Lateral hyperstriatal lesions disrupt simultaneous but not successive conditional discrimination learning of pigeons (Columba livia).

In 2 experiments we explored the effects of lateral versus medial laminar lesions of the hyperstriatum in pigeons (Columba livia); medical lesions were largely confined to the hyperstriatum accessorium, and lateral lesions to the hyperstriatum dorsale and hyperstriatum ventrale. In Experiment 1, lateral, but not medial, lesions disrupted acquisition of a simultaneous conditional discrimination; both medial and lateral lesions disrupted reversal of the discrimination. The reversal deficits of the medial and lateral groups were quantitatively similar, and both groups showed exaggerated positional responding. In Experiment 2, neither medial nor lateral lesions disrupted acquisition of a successive conditional discrimination. We conclude that lateral hyperstriatal damage does not obtain a general disruption of conditional learning; we speculate that the lateral hyperstriatum may play a critical role in configural learning.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Parabrachial nucleus lesions and conditioned taste aversion: evidence supporting an associative deficit.

Three experiments examined the conditioned taste aversion (CTA) deficit that occurs following electrolytic lesions of the parabrachial nucleus (PBN). In Experiment 1, lesioned rats failed to avoid either a gustatory or an olfactory stimulus that had been paired with lithium chloride-induced toxicosis. In Experiment 2, however, all rats learned a conditioned flavor preference. Finally, in Experiment 3, all controls and 7 of the 12 lesioned rats learned a conditioned place aversion. Together, these results demonstrate that the disruption of CTA in lesioned rats cannot be ascribed to an inability to process either gustatory or visceral afferent information per se. Rather, the data suggest that PBN-lesioned rats are unable to form a specific association between gustatory and visceral cues.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Ibotenate lesions of the hippocampus enhance latent inhibition in conditioned taste aversion and increase resistance to extinction in conditioned taste preference.

In 2 experiments, the effects of axon-sparing lesions of the hippocampus on performance in aversive and appetitive taste conditioning tasks were investigated. In Experiment 1, hippocampally lesioned rats showed no impairment of conditioned taste aversion learning relative to control subjects, but they did display an increased sensitivity to latent inhibition (LI). In Experiment 2, the same hippocampectomized rats acquired a conditioned taste preference but failed to show any evidence of extinction. The influence of the neurotoxic lesion on LI is in the opposite direction to the effect typically found following hippocampal damage induced by traditional methods. Accordingly, the data present challenges for most current theories of hippocampal function.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Early treatment with parenteral penicillin in meningococcal disease.

OBJECTIVE: To measure the effect of parenteral antibiotics given before admission to hospital on mortality and on bacteriological investigations in meningococcal disease. DESIGN: Retrospective review of hospital notes and laboratory and public health medicine department records. SETTING: Three health districts in south west England. SUBJECTS: Patients with meningococcal disease in Gloucester district presenting between 1 January 1982 and 31 December 1991 (n = 190); patients with meningococcal disease in Plymouth (n = 118) and Bath (n = 73) districts presenting between 1 January 1988 and 31 December 1991 (total = 381). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Number of deaths from meningococcal disease. RESULTS: Parenteral antibiotic given by general practitioners was associated with a substantial reduction in mortality (from 9% to 5%; relative risk 0.6, 95% confidence interval 0.2 to 1.5); patients with a rash were more likely to be given parenteral antibiotics, and mortality was further reduced (from 12% to 5%; 0.5, 0.2 to 1.4). In a district where such treatment was regularly encouraged its use increased from 5% to 40% of cases over 10 years (p = 0.00001). Treatment with parenteral antibiotics before admission made isolation of meningococci from blood and cerebrospinal fluid less likely but did not affect nasopharyngeal cultures. CONCLUSIONS: General practitioners should carry benzylpenicillin in their emergency bags at all times and should administer it promptly, preferably intravenously, whenever meningococcal disease is suspected, unless the patient has had an anaphylactic reaction to penicillin. Specimens for culture should include a nasopharyngeal swab.

Humans↗
PubMed1992

Drug-drug heart rate conditioning in rats: effective USs when pentobarbital is the CS.

Injections of two drugs in sequence may be considered the Pavlovian pairing of one drug as a conditioned stimulus (CS) with a second drug as an unconditioned stimulus (US). If pentobarbital was the CS and d-amphetamine or nicotine sulfate the US, then after about four drug-drug pairings the pentobarbital CS produced a higher heart rate (HR) than control conditions. With the same pentobarbital CS, HR conditioning was not obtained with the following USs: atropine, caffeine, lithium chloride, continuous foot-shock, and intermittent foot-shock. Although amphetamine and nicotine are pharmacologically different, a common conditioning mechanism seems indicated because of striking similarities in their parametric effects as USs. There also were strong similarities in these two USs when the conditioned response was a reduced capacity of the CS drug to produce conditioned taste aversions.

Amphetamine↗
PubMed1992

Characteristics and management of feeding problems of young children with cerebral palsy.

The nature and extent of feeding difficulties associated with cerebral palsy was assessed in 12 infants with moderate to severe oral-motor dysfunction, compared with a control group. Data were gathered at the infants' homes by interview and by direct observation of mealtimes. The results revealed a range of long-standing problems, for which little management advice had been given. Most case infants were poorly positioned; specially designed seats were not used. The mean duration of mealtimes for case and comparison infants did not differ significantly. Case infants ate and were offered less food than the control infants. Feeding problems usually had persisted since birth and were associated with marked failure to thrive. Multidisciplinary assessments of the severe feeding difficulties of these children are indicated.

Cerebral Palsy↗
PubMed1992

Oral-motor dysfunction and feeding disorders of infants with Turner syndrome.

The oral-motor function of 10 infants with Turner syndrome and their age- and sex-matched controls were assessed during feeding. In addition to well-recognised dysmorphic features, including oral anomalies and high-arched palates, index infants had marked hypotonia of the cheeks and lips, dysfunctional tongue movements and poorly developed chewing skills. Their meal-times were significantly shorter than those of the controls and they weighed significantly less at six, 12 and 15 months. All mothers of infants with Turner syndrome complained of difficulties feeding their children and these problems often had been present since birth.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1991

The radiological appearances of 'Q' fever pneumonia.

The chest film findings in a series of 21 cases of serologically proven 'Q' fever with radiological evidence of pneumonia were reviewed retrospectively. Segmental opacities which were slow to clear, often with loss of volume and sometimes lobar consolidation, were the most usual findings. Lesions were occasionally multiple and sometimes became rounded during resolution. The appearances were not considered sufficiently distinctive to allow the diagnosis to be made in the acute phase of the illness, although the appearance of round pneumonias which are slow to resolve should alert the radiologist to this possible diagnosis. The findings are discussed in relation to previously reported series.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Dose effects on heart rate conditioning when pentobarbital is the CS and amphetamine is the US.

If sodium pentobarbital is injected into rats 30 min prior to d-amphetamine sulphate on four or five occasions, there is a learned effect of pentobarbital on heart rate. The conditioned response is a higher heart rate than found in rats with a control history of exposure to the same drugs. In Experiment 1, when the pentobarbital dose was 32 mg/kg throughout, this effect was obtained with amphetamine doses of 2, 4, 8, or 16 mg/kg. In Experiment 2, when the amphetamine dose was 12 mg/kg throughout, pentobarbital doses of 16 and 32 mg/kg yielded conditioning, while 8 mg/kg yielded equivocal results.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Q fever in Plymouth, 1972-88. A review with particular reference to neurological manifestations.

Between 1972 and 1988 we have serologically confirmed 103 Coxiella burnetii infections: 46 were acute, 5 were chronic, 52 represented past infections. Details of 61 cases are presented. Of acute cases 80% had respiratory involvement; at least 63% had pneumonias. The incidence (22%) of neurological complications was of particular interest; 40% of these patients had prolonged sequelae. One acutely ill patient died of fulminating hepatitis. Patients with pre-existing pathology or immunosuppression were especially susceptible to C. burnetii. In the absence of acute sera, the complement fixation test alone provided inadequate differentiation between recent and past Q fever: phase II titres persisted at greater than or equal to 80 for more than 1 year after the acute infection in 15 cases; maximum duration of persistence was 14 years. Three patients acquired high phase I titres. Only 5% of cases had chronic Q fever, but in view of the diverse sequelae observed in this series, we suggest that long-term serological and clinical follow-up of all cases of Q fever is fully justified.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1990

When pentobarbital is the conditioned stimulus and amphetamine is the unconditioned stimulus, conditioning depends on the type of conditioned response.

Injections of drugs into rats were used as conditioned stimuli (CSs) and as unconditioned stimuli (USs). With heart rate (HR) conditioning, the pentobarbital CS produces a higher HR than under control conditions. With avfail (aversion failure) conditioning, the pentobarbital CS loses much of its capacity to induce a conditioned taste aversion. HR conditioning was obtained with forward delays of up to 30 min and backward delays of up to 270 min, where the delays are defined by the interinjection interval. Avfail was obtained with forward delays of up to 270 min but not with backward delays. Neither HR conditioning nor avfail were context specific but could be demonstrated in a test apparatus after pairings that occurred in the home cage. This indicated that the external environment was not an important part of the effective stimulus complex. When HR conditioning was obtained, its latency and duration was not related to the delay between the CS and US injections or whether they were forward or backward.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Context extinction following conditioning with delayed reward enhances subsequent instrumental responding.

In Experiment 1, delayed reward generated low response rates relative to immediate reward delivered with the same frequency. Lister rats exposed to delayed reward subsequently responded at a higher rate in extinction if they received nonreinforced exposure to the conditioning context after instrumental training and prior to test, compared with animals that received home cage exposure. In Experiment 2, a signaled delay of reinforcement resulted in higher rates than an unsignaled delay. Nonreinforced exposure to the conditioning context elevated response rate for subjects in the unsignaled condition relative to a home cage group, but had no effect on response rates for subjects that had received the signaled delay. In Experiment 3, following an unsignaled reinforcement delay, groups receiving either no event or signaled food in the context responded faster in extinction than groups receiving no context exposure or unsignaled food.

Animals↗