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Puerperal febrile complications and cervical flora following elective manual exploration of the uterus.

Two hundred patients who underwent vaginal delivery were randomly divided into two groups on arrival to the case room in labor. After delivery was completed the uteri of 100 patients were manually explored; the remainder of the patients served as a control group. Aerobic and anaerobic cultures of the endocervix were taken from 50 patients in each group, during labor and on the fourth postpartum day. There was no difference in the number of puerperal febrile complications between the groups. Endocervical cultures showed a marked increase in the incidence of Escherichia coli and anaerobic bacteria after delivery. This increase occurred in both groups in similar proportions and was not affected by manual exploration.

Bacterial Infections↗

Surgical exploration in asymptomatic hypercalcemia.

The use of the serum auto-analyzer (SMA-12) has resulted in a marked increase in the diagnosis of hyperparathyroidism. Seventy-five patients with asymptomatic hypercalcemia were explored: sixty-eight with solitary adenomas, six with multiple adenomas, and one with diffuse hyperplasia. Postoperatively, all patients reverted to normocalcemia. Surgical exploration of asymptomatic hypercalcemia is advocated to reduce surgical morbidity and mortality and to prevent the development of renal and osseous complications of hyperparathyroidism.

Adenoma↗

Mesolimbicocortical dopamine terminal fields are necessary for normal locomotor and investigatory exploration in rats.

Rats explore a novel open field or novel object less after denervation of mesolimbicocortical dopaminergic terminal fields produced by bilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) microinjections into the anterolateral hypothalamus after pretreatment with desmethylimipramine (DMI). These behavioral deficits were correlated with complete or nearly complete loss of fluorescent dopaminergic (DA) terminals in the nucleus accumbens, olfactory tubercle, dorsal bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, lateral septal nucleus and the deep layers of the frontal and piriform cortices. There were also fewer A10, medial A9, and A8 DA fluorescent cells after the 6-OHDA-DMI injections; this suggests retrograde degeneration of the cells of origin of the mesolimbicocortical DA system. When the DMI pretreatment was omitted, identical bilateral 6-OHDA microinjections also produced severe loss of norepinephrine (NE) fibers in the neocortex, hippocampus, lateral hypothalamus and ventral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. The addition of this noradrenergic damage did not change the exploratory deficits observed after mesolimbicocortical DA denervation alone. Systemic administration of the DA agonist apomorphine, but not the adrenergic agonist clonidine, to the 6-OHDA-DMI rats repaired the deficits in exploration of a novel open field or novel object. The increased locomotion in a novel open field and investigation of a novel object produced by apomorphine in 6-OHDA-DMI rats were blocked by the DA antagonist, pimozide. This is evidence that apomorphine restored exploratory responses by stimulating dopaminergic receptors. The exploratory responses produced by apomorphine were also blocked by testing rats in a familiar open field or with a familiar novel object. This is evidence that apomorphine facilitates exploratory responding to novel stimuli by 6-OHDA-DMI rats, but that the same dose of apomorphine does not increase activity when 6-OHDA-DMI rats are confronted by familiar stimuli. We conclude: (1) that mesolimbicocortical dopaminergic terminals are necessary for normal exploratory behavior in rats; and (2) that DA released by these terminals may facilitate optimal sensorimotor integration in these terminal fields during spontaneous exploratory behavior.

Animals↗

Role of the medial septum and hippocampal theta rhythm in exploration-related synaptic efficacy changes in rat fascia dentata.

Animals transferred from their home cages to a different environment exhibited an increase in exploratory behavior which was accompanied by a substantial increase in perforant path-evoked population excitatory postsynaptic potentials and decreases in both the areas and the onset latencies of population spikes. As reported previously, these changes substantially outlasted the exploratory behaviors that induced them. Electrolytic lesions of the medial septum severely attenuated the theta rhythm of the hippocampal EEG, but had no significant effect on the exploration related changes in the synaptic and postsynaptic components of the evoked response. In urethane-anesthetized animals, long trains of hippocampal theta produced by sensory stimulation failed to affect the amplitude of evoked responses. These results show that the information critical for the exploration-related alterations in dentate evoked responses does not originate in or pass through the medial septum, and that the changes are not linked to hippocampal EEG states.

Animals↗

Haptic classification of common objects: knowledge-driven exploration.

In Experiment 1, haptically available object properties that would be diagnostic for constrained common object classification at the basic and subordinate levels were elicited in a questionnaire. The results are considered in terms of the nature of the haptically derived representations of common objects. Initial data are also presented regarding knowledge of the natural co-occurrence of properties in haptic object perception. In Experiment 2, the hand movements executed during haptic classification of manipulable common objects were examined. Manual exploration consisted of a two-stage sequence, an initial generalized "grasp-and -lift" routine, followed by a series of more specialized hand-movement patterns strongly driven by knowledge of the property diagnosticity for the specific object (obtained in Experiment 1). The current results may guide computational models of human haptic object classification and the development of perceptual systems for robots equipped with sensate dextrous hands, capable of intelligent exploration, recognition, and manipulation of concrete objects.

Adult↗

Labelling and exploration of the active site of enkephalinase (EC 3.4.24.11) in kidney membranes with [3H]thiorphan as ligand.

[3H]Thiorphan, a potent inhibitor of enkephalinase (EC 3.4.24.11), was used to label the enzyme in membranes from rat kidney cortex an to explore its specificity at the active site. [3H]Thiorphan binding occurred reversibly, with low non-specific binding and to a single class of sites. The dissociation constant, determined by either kinetics or saturation studies was approximately 0.4 nM. The ratio of the maximal velocity of enkephalinase with enkephalins as substrates to the maximal binding of [3H]thiorphan was consistent with the catalytic constant of the enzyme. Enkephalinase inhibitors competed with [3H]thiorphan and had inhibitory constants in agreement with the corresponding values derived from measurement of the enzyme catalytic activity, whereas inhibitors of other metallopeptidases were ineffective. The inhibitory potencies of a series of systematically varied oligopeptides regarding [3H]thiorphan binding and enkephalinase activity were also highly correlated. Structure-activity relationships among competitors indicated that the main subsites of enkephalinase are: (1) the hydrophobic pocket in P'1, the requirements of which are best satisfied by aromatic amino acid side chain residues (2) the P'2 subsite, the requirements of which are best satisfied by amino acids with a short, uncharged side chain and a free terminal carboxyl group. This novel binding assay should facilitate the exploration of the active site of enkephalinase and the development of new inhibitors.

Amino Acids, Sulfur↗

Penetrating neck wounds: is evidence of chest injury an indication for exploration?

A total of 94 patients who sustained a penetrating wound in the neck had evidence of chest penetration. Using a policy of selective management 19 were explored. All patients with important vascular injury were hypotensive on admission or had an expanding haematoma. There were no complications in the 75 patients who were managed conservatively. Penetration of the chest is not an indication for exploration in neck wounds.

Blood Vessels↗

Studies exploring self-care for the person coping with cancer treatment: a review.

Individuals living with an illness such as cancer and receiving chemotherapy must often meet a new set of demands, that are not amongst their usual repertoire of skills and knowledge. Little is known about how patients manage the illness of cancer and in particular what self-care actions they develop and perform to cope with the side-effects of treatment. This paper outlines Orem's theory of self-care and describes its utilization in the design of a number of research studies in the cancer patient population. In particular, work which has explored the role of self-care in relationship to the control of chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting is reviewed. The role of manipulating food and fluid intake, exercise and sleep and diversionary activities are explored; self-care is considered a vital part of the battle against combating nausea and vomiting induced by chemotherapy and further studies are urged.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Operationalisation of an observation instrument to explore nurse performance.

This paper explores the operationalization of an observation instrument to explore actual situated behaviour in the clinical setting. Challenges encountered during this process and strategies employed to address these difficulties are discussed. This work formed part of a comparative study of outcomes of pre-registration nurse education programmes commissioned by the English National Board for Nursing, Health Visiting and Midwifery.

Clinical Competence↗

Unilateral enlargement of the testis in childhood: does it need exploration?

Unilateral testicular enlargement in the pubertal boy is not an indication for exploration and biopsy, if the clinical features and investigations show no evidence of malignancy. In the prepubertal boy, unilateral testicular enlargement is not necessarily an indication for exploration if there are no clinical or investigational grounds for suspicion of neoplasia. Close follow-up is essential.

Biopsy↗

Ocular space exploration in the dark and its relation to subjective and objective body orientation in neglect patients with parietal lesions.

Eye movements of neglect patients with right parietal lesions were recorded during ocular searching for a (non-existent) target in complete darkness. With respect to the objective orientation of the sagittal midplane, ocular exploration was biased toward the ipsilesional side. However, in relation to the patients' subjective localization of the sagittal midplane in space, exploratory eye movements were symmetrically distributed to the subjective "left" and "right" as observed in non-brain-damaged controls. The present results further support the hypothesis that the essential aspect leading to spatial neglect is a disturbance of those cortical structures that are crucial for computing egocentric, body-centred coordinates that allow use to determine our body position in space and that are necessary for visuomotor coordination and exploration of space. In neglect patients the central coordinate transformation seems to work with a systematic error resulting in a deviation of the spatial reference frame to the ipsilesional side. Consequences of this deviation are a displacement of subjective localization of body orientation and--to the same degree--of the spatial area in which motor behavior (here exploratory eye movements) is executed.

Aged↗

Technical innovation: transfacial approach for infraorbital nerve exploration and orbital-maxillary surgery.

A transfacial approach for infraorbital nerve exploration and maxillary surgery has been developed, allowing for good visual access as far posteriorly as the foramen rotundum and anterior maxillary region. This allows for infraorbital osteotomies, peripheral nerve grafting, neurolysis procedures, or combined maxillofacial-neurosurgical procedures with gasserian ganglion exploration and/or grafting. The procedure affords maximum surgical accessibility with good postoperative healing and minimal concerns about potential oral contamination.

Bone Transplantation↗

Restricted daily exposure to environmental enrichment increases the diversity of exploration.

The temporal parameters of environmental enrichment have been examined in two ways. The first is by limiting the total duration of environmental exposure. The effects of this procedure are well documented for both physiology and behavior. The second method is by restricting the daily exposure to environmental enrichment while keeping the days of exposure constant. The physiological effects of this procedure have been documented, but the behavioral effects which have been observed are equivocal. The purpose of the present study was to address this issue. Male rats were individually housed at 44 days of age. They were then randomly assigned to either an enriched environment or an impoverished environment. The enriched animals (EC) were exposed to the enriched environment for 2 hours daily for 30 days while the impoverished animals (IC) were handled daily but not exposed to the enriched environment. Animals were then tested on an object exploration test. The results indicate that 2 hours of daily environmental exposure is sufficient to produce object exploration effects similar to those produced by 24 hours of daily environmental exposure.

Animals↗

The rat's right-left preference during free exploration of a multiple Y-maze.

The right-left preference of Wistar, Sprague-Dawley, and Long Evans rats of both sexes was investigated in a multiple Y-maze in which the animals had to perform three consecutive right-left choices in order to go from the common starting point to one of the eight goal arms. The rats were free to explore the maze without being subjected to punishments or rewards. Care was taken to minimize inhibitory influences on exploration (low illumination, no handling to return the rats to home cage). The statistical analysis of the total right-left choices performed by the rats showed that three groups (Wistar females, Sprague-Dawley females, and Long Evans males) exhibited a preference for the right. This preference was not related either to sex or strain, but was possibly a species characteristic.

Animals↗

The effects of CCKA and CCKB antagonists on activity in the black/white exploration model of anxiety in mice.

In view of evidence suggesting that cholecystokinin (CCK) may have a role in the mediation of human panic disorders, it was predicted that CCK receptor antagonists may have anxiolytic-like activity in an animal model of anxiety, the black/white exploration test. Data revealed that, in mice, the CCKA receptor antagonist, devazepide (formerly L-364,718, MK-329), produced a clear anxiolytic-like profile with an inverted U-shaped dose-response curve centered around 5 micrograms/kg. Similarly, L-365,031, a specific, but less potent, CCKA antagonist, also produced a profile consistent with weak anxiolysis but only at 5 micrograms/kg. By direct contrast, the potent and specific CCKB antagonist L-365,260 had no robust anxiolytic-like effects in this test. Therefore, these data suggest that devazepide has the greatest effects in this model, that L-365,031 is only marginally active, and that L-365,260 is without influence. These results suggest that CCKA receptor mechanisms are involved in the mediation of anxiolytic-like effects in the black/white model of exploration in mice.

Animals↗

Changing pattern of scrotal exploration for testicular torsion.

A total of 201 urgent scrotal explorations for unilateral painful testis was performed over a six-year period. Seventy-two (36%) testicular torsions were identified. Fifty-seven (79%) testes were salvaged and fifteen (21%) orchiectomies were done. Although the annual number of scrotal explorations increased over the years of study, no benefit in terms of increased testicular salvage could be identified.

Cryptorchidism↗

Are central cholinergic paths involved in habituation of exploration and distraction?

Experiment 1 tested the generality of Carlton's hypothesis that central muscarinic cholinergic pathways are involved in habituation of exploration. The effects of 3 muscarinic antagonists were tested in a holeboard, under 2 test conditions, i.e. with objects absent or present. Both the frequency and the duration of head-dipping were used as measures of exploration. Scopolamine prevented habituation only of the frequency of head-dipping, and only when objects were present. Atropine and benzhexol did not impair the habituation of either frequency of duration of head-dipping in either test condition. The impairment of habituation seemed therefore to be specific to scopolamine, and to the more complex test condition, and thus there was little to justify the suggestion that central cholinergic paths were generally involved. Experiment 2 investigated the effects of muscarinic antagonists on habituation of distraction. None of the drugs affected the distraction to tones, nor the subsequent habituation to these stimuli. Central cholinergic paths do not therefore seem to be involved in habituation of this behavioral response.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

Patterns of exploration in rats distinguish lisuride from lysergic acid diethylamide.

In order to further validate a previously proposed animal model of the effects of LSD in humans, doses of 5, 15, 30 and 60 micrograms/kg lisuride (a non-hallucinogenic congener of LSD) were studied using a behavioral pattern monitor (BPM). The BPM provided both quantitative measures of crossovers, rearings, and holepokes and qualitative measures of spatial patterns of locomotion. A holeboard chamber connected to a homecage provided two test situations. Rats were tested either with (free exploration) or without access to the homecage (forced exploration). In both situations, lisuride exhibited a biphasic dose-response curve for horizontal locomotion (low dose suppression and high dose enhancement), while rearing was significantly reduced at all doses. Lisuride also produced a dose-dependent increase in the perseverative quality of locomotor patterns. A comparison of these results with our previous studies with lysergic acid diethalmide (LSD) indicate that, with the exception of rearings, lisuride fails to mimic LSD's characteristic effects on exploratory activity. Rather, lisuride exhibited many similarities to the dopamine angonist apomorphine.

Animals↗