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Biomedical subjects

T R Taylor

Publications and source records attributed to T R Taylor.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Effect of chronic nicotine treatment and withdrawal on rat striatal D1 and D2 dopamine receptors.

The effects on rat striatal dopamine receptors after chronic nicotine administration (3 and 12 mg kg-1 day-1), and after withdrawal from chronic nicotine (12 mg kg-1 day-1), were studied. After 21 days of continuous minipump infusion, the control (saline) and nicotine-treated rats were killed. The nicotine-withdrawal rats were killed on day 28, 7 days after pump removal. Radioligand studies were performed to determine D1 ([3H]SCH23390) and D2 ([3H]spiperone) striatal dopamine receptor affinity (Kd) and maximum binding (Bmax). Dopamine inhibition of antagonist binding at 3 concentrations and the effect of 0.3 mM GTP on binding affinity were examined. No statistically significant differences between control and nicotine treatment or withdrawal groups were noted in either D1 or D2 receptor Kd or Bmax. Although nicotine has been shown to affect nigrostriatal dopamine release, chronic treatment does not appear to alter overall striatal dopaminergic receptor binding parameters.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Effect of chronic caffeine administration on monoamine and monoamine metabolite concentrations in rat brain.

Caffeine was chronically administered in four doses (0, 10, 25, and 50 mg/kg/day) to rats via twice-daily intraperitoneal injections for 30 days. Concentrations of brain tissue monoamines, dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), and serotonin (5HT), and monoamine metabolites, dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), homovanillic acid (HVA), 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5HIAA), were determined. At the 10 mg/kg/day dose, no significant changes were found compared with controls. At 25 mg/kg/day and 50 mg/kg/day significant changes were observed within each monoamine system. In striatum, DA and 5HT were increased, while DOPAC was decreased. In frontal cortex, NE was increased. In cerebellum, 5HT and MHPG were increased.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

A systems perspective on clinical management.

A process-tracing descriptive approach is described which is aimed at understanding the clinical management of diabetes mellitus both from the physician's and the patient's perspective. Physician/patient pairs were interviewed about their views of diabetes management. Content analysis and statement classification were used to develop a four-stage model for clinical management which successfully classified 98% of physician statements and 97% of patient statements. Both four-stage models can be combined with a simplified systems description of clinical diabetes to form a unitary systems model for clinical management. Video recording of routine clinic visits with stimulated recall by physicians suggests this systems view of management has considerable heuristic and explanatory potential. A case analysis is presented to illustrate the explanatory value of the systems perspective on difficult management problems.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed1982

Community based studies of diabetes control: program development and preliminary analysis.

In this report are examined the patterns of control of diabetes mellitus achieved by practicing family physicians in small communities in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. The diabetic patients under study appear to be broadly similar to patients in tertiary care settings, where most studies of diabetes care have been carried out. Motivated, competent family physicians, knowledgeable about tight control of diabetes, appear to have considerable difficulty in maintaining even modest levels of biochemical control. Goals in this study for fasting plasma glucose levels for patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) averaged between 120 and 160 mg/100 ml. Glucose levels actually achieved ranged up to 360 mg/100 ml. A similar though lesser discrepancy was noted for patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), with achieved levels ranging up to 270 mg/100 ml fasting plasma glucose. There were wide individual differences among physicians in management styles and treatment policy, including wide discrepancies in emphasis on diet, use of oral hypoglycemic agents, and insulin use. This diversity is felt to merit further investigation. Collaborative studies of this type with community based physicians are feasible and academically rewarding. Significant research questions can be addressed and answered.U

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1976

The use of computerized patient management problems in a certifying examination.

The 1974 paediatric certification process of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada included four CPMPs, in addition to the conventional MCQs and orals. The CPMP's were successfully administered to 160 candidates in eight cities across Canada on the same day. The examination was judged by the candidates to be a better test of clinical skill than MCQs. The CPMP examination did not penalize French-speaking candidates, was economically feasible, and a good security risk. Correlations between MCQ, orals and CPMPs, indicated that each examination measured some aspects of paediatric competence not tested by the others.

Canada↗
PubMed1975

Individual differences in selecting patients for regular haemodialysis.

Eight clinicians in a renal dialysis unit were asked to classify the suitability of 100 cases (some real, some simulated) for regulat haemodialysis. Seven categories were used, ranging from "excellent prospect: accept without reservation" to "unequivocal rejection," based on 18 items of information previously agreed on as sufficient for the purpose. The ways in which they classified the cases different considerably; only six cases were placed in the same category by all eight clinicians, and this was the "unequivocal rejection" category. Analysis of the extent to which they made effective use of the items showed that between three and nine items were used to a sufficient extent to reach significance for the 100 cases.

Ethics, Medical↗
PubMed1971

Doctors as decision-makers: a computer-assisted study of diagnosis as a cognitive skill.

When viewed as a sequence of decisions clinical diagnosis becomes amenable to detailed investigation in terms of standard statistical concepts. A study of six clinicians diagnosing identical sets of cases of non-toxic goitre is used to illustrate an objective technique for studying the diagnostic process with the aid of a digital computer. Considerable variation in clinicians' routes to correct diagnosis is shown when these routes are compared in detail by five statistical measures related to the effective use of the information available to the clinicians. For rapid analysis of diagnostic skill two visual methods are presented. These can be developed for teaching undergraduates the interpretative skills involved in diagnosis and for studying such skills in experienced clinicians.

Computers↗