Biomedical subjects

T Carmichael

Publications and source records attributed to T Carmichael.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1993

Collaborative efforts: developing clinical experiences for nursing students in public sector settings.

In the present paper we described the Nurse Academic Collaboration Task Force, which was formed in 1989 by the Texas Mental Health and Mental Retardation (TXMHMR) Commissioner in order to facilitate linkages between academia and state facilities. These efforts have led to increased academic collaboration and linkage with facilities. The task force has identified areas of practice opportunities for all levels of student education programs as well as barriers to collaboration. Collaborative strategies may also lead to better nurse recruitment efforts by TXMHMR facilities. Finally, these educational experiences should prepare nurses in varied settings to provide care for individuals with mental retardation.

Communication Barriers↗

PubMed1991

Cortisol reduces plasticity in the kitten visual cortex.

We investigated the effect of elevated levels of cortisol on plasticity in the visual cortex of the cat. Animals were given daily injections of cortisol i.m. for 20 days starting around 35 days of age. After 10 days they were monocularly deprived, and after an additional 10 days recordings were made from the visual cortex to construct an ocular dominance histogram. The results were compared with those from normal animals of the same age, and with animals monocularly deprived for the same period but not treated with cortisol. Cortisol reduced the ocular dominance shift in a dose-dependent manner, but did not totally abolish it even at the highest doses used. Two other series of animals were recorded, one slightly later in the critical period and one slightly earlier, with care taken to give cortisol before the animals were exposed to light in the morning. In both cases, cortisol reduced the ocular dominance shift but did not abolish it. To interpret these results, we measured levels of plasma cortisol in normal cats of various ages. Average levels were fairly constant between birth and 12 months of age (0.5-1 microgram/dl), and increased slightly after that, but there was a large variation between animals. Thus elevated levels of cortisol can have a substantial effect on plasticity in the visual cortex of the cat, but the decline of the critical period for plasticity between 6 weeks and 3-5 months of age does not seem to be due to a rise in cortisol levels during this time.

2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate↗

PubMed1987

Myoelectric spectral analysis and strategies for quantifying trunk muscular fatigue.

Objective techniques for assessing trunk musculature with respect to fatigue-related characteristics do not exist. Based on work that relates frequency spectral shift in myoelectric signals to muscular fatigue at other body sites, a study was carried out to investigate and evaluate strategies for application of these techniques to the lumbar musculature. Through evolution of test administration procedures to reduce test time and discomfort as well as data interpretation methods to account for interindividual variability observed in data, an approach was developed for objective measurement of fatigue rate. While abdominal and lumbar muscle groups were assessed in 40 healthy subjects with results presented for 50% and 100% maximum voluntary contraction load levels, the methodology is discussed with emphasis on erector spinae results. The approach involves a normal function fatigue plot. The plot relates fatigue rate as measured by myoelectric spectral characteristics to muscle load normalized by body weight and is independent of the maximum voluntary contraction concept. This relationship forms the basis of comparison of the measured fatigue rate for a subject with questionable function to expected normal values determined from the plot, given the measured load level.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Carcinoma of the tonsillar fossa: a nonrandomized comparison of irradiation alone or combined with surgery: long-term results.

The results of therapy are reported in 296 patients with histologically proven epidermoid carcinoma of the tonsillar fossa; 127 were treated with irradiation alone (5,500 to 7,000 cGy), 133 with preoperative radiotherapy (2,000 to 3,000 cGy) or were initially planned for preoperative irradiation but treated with radiotherapy alone, and 36 with postoperative irradiation (5,000 to 6,000 cGy). The operation in all but 4 patients consisted of an en bloc radical tonsillectomy with ipsilateral lymph node dissection. Actuarial 5-year no evidence of disease (NED) was as follows: survival rates for patients with T1 tumors, 76%; T2, 54%; T3, 45%; and T4, 20%. Patients with no cervical lymphadenopathy or with a small metastatic lymph node (N1) had better relapse-free survival (60% to 70% at 5 years) than those with large or fixed lymph nodes (30% to 40%). Primary tumor recurrence rate in the T1-T2 groups was about 20% in patients treated with irradiation and surgery and 30% for those treated with irradiation alone (difference not statistically significant), 30% in patients with stage T3 lesions in all treatment groups, and 33% in patients with T4 disease treated with surgery and postoperative irradiation compared to 52% with irradiation alone (p = 0.03). The overall recurrence rate in the neck was about 20% for the N0 patients, 25% for N1, and 30% for those with N2 and N3 cervical lymph nodes in the 4 treatment groups. The incidence of contralateral neck recurrences was about 8% with the various treatment modalities.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗