PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A Blight

Publications and source records attributed to A Blight.

28 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Ammonia levels in paediatric ureterosigmoidostomy patients: a screen for hyperammonaemia?

Hyperammonaemia in the urological patient is a rare and potentially grave condition. It has been reported most frequently in association with ureterosigmoidostomy, where clinical neurological symptoms have developed abruptly in association with markedly elevated plasma ammonia levels. The purpose of this study was to determine whether ureterosigmoidostomy patients might have subclinically elevated plasma ammonia levels, which would put them at risk of subsequently developing hyperammonaemic encephalopathy. Both urine and plasma ammonia levels were assayed in 10 asymptomatic paediatric urological patients with ureterosigmoidostomy. Ten paediatric colocystoplasty patients served as controls. Urine pH and urine ammonia levels were significantly higher in the ureterosigmoidostomy group. There was no significant difference in plasma ammonia levels between ureterosigmoidostomy and colocystoplasty patients. In none of the patients was the plasma ammonia level elevated, but 1 ureterosigmoidostomy patient had an exceedingly high urine ammonia level. It was concluded that an annual serum ammonia level in an asymptomatic ureterosigmoidostomy patient is probably not a valuable screen for subclinical hyperammonaemia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Inhibition of human fibroblast growth in vitro by a snake oil.

The inhibitory effects of boa constrictor fat (BCF) oil on the growth kinetics of keloid and normal dermal fibroblasts were tested in fibroblasts cultures. BCF significantly (p less than 0.0001) inhibited the in vitro growth of both keloid and normal dermal fibroblasts. Although the active ingredient(s) in this snake oil is not yet determined, it is postulated that fatty acids which are the main constituents of the oil may in part account for this observed in vitro effect.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Hyperammonemic encephalopathy: a complication associated with the prune belly syndrome.

Hyperammonemic encephalopathy in the urological patient is a rare but grave condition. In the pediatric urological population it has been associated with massively dilated upper tracts and urinary infection with urea-splitting organisms. We report 2 cases of hyperammonemic encephalopathy in association with the prune belly syndrome. Both patients presented comatose with markedly elevated serum ammonia levels and Proteus mirabilis urinary tract infection. Intravenous antibiotics and catheter drainage resulted in dramatic reversal of the encephalopathy. The pathophysiology of hyperammonemic encephalopathy in association with the prune belly syndrome and a review of the literature are presented.

Ammonia↗
PubMed1989

Parathyroid hormone-related proteins in cultured epithelial cells.

The distribution and molecular characteristics of parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTH-rP) in conditioned media and cell extracts of cultured human keratinocytes, and in media from a variety of both normal and transformed epithelial and non-epithelial cell cultures were studied. PTH-rP of Mr 20,000 was observed in keratinocyte-conditioned media, and a larger form, Mr 29,000, in the keratinocyte cell extract. PTH-like bioactivity was also detected in media from 12 out of 17 epithelial cell cultures, but was not present in media from 14 cell cultures of non-epithelial origin. The molecular size of the PTH-like protein present in the epithelial cell media was approximately 20,000, corresponding with the PTH-rP in keratinocyte-conditioned medium. These observations may explain why hypercalcaemia is most commonly associated with tumours of epithelial origin.

Biological Assay↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Mechanical factors in experimental spinal cord injury.

Reliable animal models of spinal cord injury are essential for studying pathological mechanisms and for laboratory testing of experimental treatments. The normal unpredictability of neurological outcome following experimental injury results partly from variations in the mechanics of both apparatus and tissue. Weight drop contusion models have been used extensively, and often effectively within a given study, but direct comparison between studies is usually made impossible by differences in the experimental parameters. The most important differences include the weight-height combination, the mass of the interface between weight and cord, and the support given to the cord from below. There are also important dimensional and physiological variables intrinsic to the biological material, which are usually ignored. A morphometric study of contusion injuries of the cat thoracic cord indicates that the major determinant of axon disruption is the extrusion of tissue from the impact site, due to viscoelastic distortion of the parenchyma within the meningeal tube. Direct compression and shear do not appear to play an important role in this kind of injury, where a brief compression of the cord occurs at an initial velocity of about 1.5 m/sec. The pathology produced by slower compression rates may vary, but the pattern of central necrosis, expected to be produced by extrusion, is common to most types of experimental lesion and to a large proportion of human injuries.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A single consultation cerebrovascular disease clinic is cost effective in the management of transient ischaemic attack and minor stroke.

AIM: We examined the cost effectiveness of a single consultation strategy to manage patients referred with TIA or stroke to our cerebrovascular disease (CVD) clinic, where all relevant investigations (blood tests, CT brain scan and carotid Dopplers) were obtained prior to the clinic appointment. DESIGN: Retrospective study of patients referred to the CVD clinic at St George's Hospital, London between October 1995 and 1996. RESULTS: Of 211 new patients seen in the clinic, 73% had CVD; 146 (68%) patients had imaging studies prior to clinic attendance. Of these, 132 (90%) were managed with a single consultation. This strategy cost 5,700 Pounds less than if these patients had been followed up. CONCLUSION: Performing all relevant investigations prior to clinic attendance allowed a fully informed discussion with the patient at a single consultation and was cost effective.

Aged↗