PubMed HealthSearch

Biomedical subjects

T Clark

Publications and source records attributed to T Clark.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

An investigation of the relationship between self-report of memory functioning and memory test performance.

Memory complaints are some of the most common cognitive problems presented to clinical psychologists and neuropsychologists. However, the probable validity of memory complaints presented to a psychologist rarely has been validated by objective memory tests. Using the Memory Functioning Questionnaire (MFQ; Gilewski et al., 1983), 62 relatively young adults reported the extent to which they were experiencing various types of memory problems. These data were compared with findings of memory and non-memory tests on an expanded Halstead-Reitan test battery and with the MMPI/MMPI-2. Results showed that with the exception of persons with more than one MMPI/MMPI-2 evaluation, memory complaints were not related more to memory than to non-memory tests.

Adolescent

Conceptual data model for a central patient database.

This paper presents methods used to develop a conceptual model for a patient database forming the centerpiece of a clinical information system under development. Various modeling techniques are discussed using a simplified fragment of the model. A method for mapping the model onto a relational design optimized for single patient retrievals is described. The results section discusses a number of issues pertaining to the flexibility and usability of this architecture.

Databases, Factual

Hospital administrators' perceptions of pharmacy directors.

The results of a national survey of hospital administrators' perceptions of pharmacy directors are reported. A questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of 1000 hospital administrators nationwide. The questionnaire asked each administrator to rate the managerial skills of pharmacy directors in general and the pharmacy director at his or her institution on a 5-point scale. The value the administrator placed on clinical pharmacy services was investigated, as was the administrator's knowledge of the education of the pharmacy director and the reporting structure between administrator and pharmacy director. The net response rate was 47.8% (478 usable replies). The hospital administrators believed that pharmacy directors in general need to improve their relationship with the nursing staff, their basic managerial skills, and their communication skills. They believed that the pharmacy director at their own institution excelled at keeping up with progressive pharmacy practice, inventory management, and interacting with the pharmacy and therapeutics committee. The administrators indicated that it is very important for the pharmacy department to be involved in therapeutic drug monitoring and medication counseling and to be progressive in their offerings of services. Hospital administrators had a positive perception of the abilities of pharmacy directors but believed that there is still room for improvement.

Attitude of Health Personnel

[Distribution of linear accelerators in Great Britain. Use of fast electrons and their main applications].

The features of the electron beam that make it a unique therapeutic tool, are related to physical characteristic rather than to any special biological effectiveness. The advantages of the dose distribution pattern are greatest at low energies (under 20 MeV), suggesting the use of electrons for irradiation of superficial tumors with the sparing of underlying tissues. Modern clinical electron practice demands electron treatment beams offering a high degree of purity, uniformity and the steepest possible fall-off of dose beyond the treatment volume. There are approximately 135 Linacs installed in UK, and approximately half of them have electron capacity with range of energy between 4 and 15/20 MeV. Compared to photon beams, 10% of treatment load is for electrons with a maximum of 15% in very specialised centres.

Electrons

Antenatally diagnosed subdural haemorrhage in congenital factor X deficiency.

The presence of a subdural haemorrhage was observed in a fetus during antenatal ultrasound examination. The infant was found to be a homozygote for factor X deficiency. Prompt recognition permitted replacement treatment from an early stage. Inherited coagulation disorders should be suspected when intracranial haemorrhage is detected antenatally.

Cerebral Hemorrhage

Professional-development and continuing-education programs for pharmacists in large hospitals.

Pharmacy directors at large hospitals nationwide were surveyed to determine the status of professional-development and continuing-education programs for staff pharmacists at their institutions. An 18-item questionnaire was developed and mailed in July 1987 to pharmacy directors of 445 large (bed capacity of greater than or equal to 450) hospitals. The questionnaire was designed to elicit information about who holds responsibility for the professional-development programs, the programs' frequency and format, how attendance is documented, and the types of individuals who present the programs. A total of 327 (73.5%) of the questionnaires were returned, with 256 (78.3%) of the respondents indicating that their department had some form of developmental-training program. Only 45 (17.6%) of these respondents indicated that their department employed an individual whose job title was specific for education or training functions. Hour-long lectures and videotaped programs were the most popular formats; programs were most frequently presented by pharmaceutical sales representatives or clinical or staff pharmacists. Of 251 respondents, only 90 (35.8%) indicated that an educational needs assessment of pharmacists had been conducted in the 18 months before the survey. Of 252 respondents, 138 (54.8%) indicated that their departments had no annual budget for these programs. Although program attendance was documented by 248 (97.3%) of the 256 departments, 111 (43.3%) did not require any type of certification for some programs. Evaluations were required by only 127 (49.6%) of the 256 pharmacy departments offering these programs. Inhouse programs offer opportunities for professional development, but resource allocation, program organization, and incentives for participation such as standards of performance could be improved in many of the programs explored by this survey.

Certification

Hypovitaminosis A in feedlot cattle.

Hypovitaminosis A was diagnosed in a group of feedlot cattle that had been fed a diet low in carotene for 18 months. The primary signs of disease in the cattle were poor weight gain, ataxia, convulsions, night blindness, and total blindness. Serum vitamin A concentrations were used to confirm the diagnosis. The cattle were treated orally and intramuscularly with vitamin A, and the less severely affected herd members recovered rapidly.

Animals

The valence of dreams reported by type A-B college students.

The valences of the dreams reported by Type A (n = 39) and Type B (n = 42) undergraduates were examined. Consistent with the view that in part the manifest content of the dream may reflect attempts to manage stress, the Type A students were significantly more likely than the Type B students, to report disturbing dreams.

Adaptation, Psychological

Episodic abnormalities in transcutaneous oxygen (TcPO2) recorded during neonatal intensive care.

An automated TcPO2 data system was tested and used to: 1) quantitate the frequency and duration of hypoxemic and hyperoxemic events experienced during the first three days after birth by 25 very low birth weight infants, and 2) determine whether hypoxemic events were associated with the occurrence of periventricular-intraventricular hemorrhage. During the first three days after birth, infants experienced a median of 41 episodes with a TcPO2 less than 40 torr having a cumulative duration of 37 minutes, and a median of 28 episodes with a TcPO2 greater than 100 torr having a cumulative duration of 14 minutes. Most episodes were less than 30 seconds in duration, but in some infants the duration was longer. There was no association between the occurrence of periventricular-intraventricular hemorrhage and either the frequency or cumulative duration of episodes with a TcPO2 less than 40 torr. A major problem with automated TcPO2 data systems is the inability of currently available systems to recognize inaccurate TcPO2 data. Twenty-four per cent of the summary TcPO2 monitoring data collected in this study was contaminated with unreliable TcPO2 values. Before automated TcPO2 data systems can be recommended for widespread research use or for medicolegal documentation, the problem of data contamination must be resolved.

Blood Gas Monitoring, Transcutaneous

Salvage of lower extremities following combined orthopedic and vascular trauma. A predictive salvage index.

A retrospective review of 676 tibial-fibular fractures and 985 femoral fractures treated over a 71-month period yielded associated major vascular trauma in 12 (1.7%) tibial-fibular fractures and in five (0.5%) femoral fractures. Vascular trauma combined with orthopedic trauma was also identified in four other cases--two disruptions of the pubic symphysis and two dislocations of the knee without fracture. Nine (43%) of the 21 involved limbs were eventually amputated. Limb survival was not related to the temporal relationship of vessel repair to skeletal stabilization; the presence or absence of shock on admission; the presence of associated but repaired venous injury; or the presence of unrelated injuries. Limb survival was related to the interval from injury to arrival in the operating room; the level of arterial injury; and the quantitative degree of muscle, bone, and skin injury. By combining these variables a limb salvage index was established that identified lower extremities likely to require amputation after combined orthopedic and vascular trauma (sensitivity 78%, specificity 100%). Use of this predictive salvage index may prevent the trauma surgeon from attempting to salvage a doomed or useless lower extremity and may thus permit early prosthetic rehabilitation to follow definitive primary amputation.

Adolescent

Vascular smooth muscle caldesmon.

Caldesmon, a major actin- and calmodulin-binding protein, has been identified in diverse bovine tissues, including smooth and striated muscles and various nonmuscle tissues, by denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of tissue homogenates and immunoblotting using rabbit anti-chicken gizzard caldesmon. Caldesmon was purified from vascular smooth muscle (bovine aorta) by heat treatment of a tissue homogenate, ion-exchange chromatography, and affinity chromatography on a column of immobilized calmodulin. The isolated protein shared many properties in common with chicken gizzard caldesmon: immunological cross-reactivity, Ca2+-dependent interaction with calmodulin, Ca2+-independent interaction with F-actin, competition between actin and calmodulin for caldesmon binding only in the presence of Ca2+, and inhibition of the actin-activated Mg2+-ATPase activity of smooth muscle myosin without affecting the phosphorylation state of myosin. Maximal binding of aorta caldesmon to actin occurred at 1 mol of caldesmon: 9-10 mol of actin, and binding was unaffected by tropomyosin. Half-maximal inhibition of the actin-activated myosin Mg2+-ATPase occurred at approximately 1 mol of caldesmon: 12 mol of actin. This inhibition was also unaffected by tropomyosin. Caldesmon had no effect on the Mg2+-ATPase activity of smooth muscle myosin in the absence of actin. Bovine aorta and chicken gizzard caldesmons differed in several respects: Mr (149,000 for bovine aorta caldesmon and 141,000 for chicken gizzard caldesmon), extinction coefficient (E1%280nm = 19.5 and 5.0 for bovine aorta and chicken gizzard caldesmon, respectively), amino acid composition, and one-dimensional peptide maps obtained by limited chymotryptic and Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease digestion. In a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, using anti-chicken gizzard caldesmon, a 174-fold molar excess of bovine aorta caldesmon relative to chicken gizzard caldesmon was required for half-maximal inhibition. These studies establish the widespread tissue and species distribution of caldesmon and indicate that vascular smooth muscle caldesmon exhibits physicochemical differences yet structural and functional similarities to caldesmon isolated from chicken gizzard.

Actins

Antibody to mouse alpha/beta interferon abrogates Pichinde virus-induced liver lesions in suckling mice.

Infection of newborn C3HeB/FeJ mice with the arenavirus Pichinde resulted in stunted growth, severe liver cell degeneration, and death. Administration of sheep anti-mouse alpha/beta interferon globulin completely abrogated liver lesions in virus-infected mice, although it did not decrease the incidence of mortality. These results indicate that endogenous interferon may be responsible for some manifestations of viral disease.

Animals