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Biomedical subjects

A T Williams

Publications and source records attributed to A T Williams.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

Serum osteocalcin in the management of myeloma.

We have measured serum osteocalcin, a vitamin K-dependent glycoprotein synthesised by osteoblasts in 62 patients, 49 with myeloma, 26 at presentation and 23 previously treated, 7 with Waldenstrom's macroglobulinaemia (WM), and 6 with monoclonal gammopathy of uncertain significance (MGUS). Osteocalcin levels were normal in WM and MGUS. High values were found in 5/26 (19%) patients with myeloma at presentation. There was no relationship between serum osteocalcin and stage of disease. Osteocalcin was normal in all patients in plateau phase, falling to low levels in relapsed patients who failed to respond to further treatment. Serum osteocalcin may be a useful indicator of bone metabolism in myeloma.

Adult

Concurrent benign teratoid medulloepithelioma and pineoblastoma.

Teratoid medulloepithelioma of the ciliary body is a rare tumor usually occurring in young children. Primary tumors of the pineal gland are also quite rare and have a similar age distribution. We report the case of a 2-year-old girl who had a leukocoria of the right eye. Cataract surgery was performed; however, the patient developed a total retinal detachment refractory to treatment. She eventually developed early changes of phthisis bulbi and underwent an evisceration. Histopathologic examination revealed a benign teratoid medulloepithelioma containing islands of hyaline cartilage and rhabdomyoblasts. During the course of her evaluation, a pineoblastoma was discovered and surgically excised. While the association of pineal tumors with retinoblastomas has been well established, no such association has been reported for medulloepitheliomas. To our knowledge, this is the first recorded case of a benign teratoid medulloepithelioma occurring concurrently with a pineoblastoma.

Brain Neoplasms

Prevalence of alcoholism in a Sydney Teaching Hospital: some aspects.

This paper presents some preliminary findings from an epidemiological study of inpatients in Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in 1977. The sample included 457 patients. Of these, 15% were found to have alcohol-related reasons for admission to hospital, and 33% had concomitant alcohol problems. The drinking habits of 30% of males and 9% of females placed them at risk. Some commonly used laboratory tests are evaluated.

Adolescent

Osseous choristoma of the choroid simulating a choroidal melanoma. Association with a positive 32P test.

We report the clinical and histopathologic features of an osseous choristoma of the choroid that appeared in a 26-year-old woman. Her diagnostic evaluation included a radioactive phosphorus (32P) uptake test, which was 270% positive and led us to believe that the lesion was an atypical malignant melanoma. The extent of true ossification within this tumor, seen microscopically, explains the false-positive uptake of radioactive phosphorus by this benign tumor; it is well known that bone avidly accumulates radioactive phosphorus. We recommend that all "atypical choroidal melanomas" be studied for the presence of bone, with bone-free roentgenograms, ultrasonography, and possibly, computerized tomographic scans before 32P testing or enucleation. This, to our knowledge, is the second histopathologically proved case of an osseous choristoma of the choroid to be reported in the literature.

Adult

Changes in retinal correspondence following surgery for intermittent exotropia.

An intermittent exotrope of 54delta had harmonious anomalous correspondence when squinting and normal correspondence when bifoveally fixating. Measures of the angle of deviation (H) and angle of anomaly (A) were made at the first postoperative dressing 6 hr after surgery (H = 8--14delta esotropia, A = 0--54delta exo) and at several times over a 2.5-mo period during which a second operation was performed. The final result was 3delta of exophoria with normal correspondence when fusing and harmonious anomalous correspondence (A = 3delta exo) when fusion was disrupted. The change in angle of anomaly created by the surgery cannot be explained by changes in fusional vergence. Halldén's "sensory-fusion" mechanism, which is based on diplopia resulting from stimulation of disparate retinal points, is more useful in explaining the obtained results.

Adult

The O'Connor cinch revisited.

The modified O'Connor cinch operation is a useful, but little used, adjustable resection operation. For increased understanding of its shortening and adjustment characteristics, a standard cinch was performed in animals and patients with strabismus. Animal studies showed that, as each strand of the cinch was removed, a small, relatively equal release of the cinch effect occurred. Measurement of the shortening obtained in patients with strabismus showed a consistent resection effect of about 4 mm. Review of 17 cases in which the cinch was used as part of the surgical treatment showed the technique to be adjustable by reducing the overcorrection in 6 cases. Ten to 20 prism dioptres of reduction in the deviation was obtained with adjustment of the cinch on the first postoperative day. All 17 cases had satisfactory adjustment. The largest residual deviation was 12 prism dioptres.

Adolescent

A fluorescence detector for high-pressure liquid chromatography.

We describe a fluorescence spectrophotometer adapted with a micro quartz flow cell to record the output of modern liquid chromatographs. The optical system is double beam in that the light source variations are cancelled out by a second photomultiplier, thus enhancing the sensitivity of the technique. The emission spectra may be scanned by stopping the flow in the chromatographic column and scanning the fluorescence detector. Many specific applications have been studied: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, several vitamins, porphyrins, methyl anthranilate, etc. These are studied in natural samples and it is shown that the specificity of the fluorescence detector frequently obviates the need for sample preparation. The sensivitity available with the fluorescence detector for fluorescing compounds is often much greater than is available with variable-wavelength ultraviolet spectrophotometers. We report picogram-level detectability in real samples for many of the compounds that we have studied.

Animals