PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Andrew G Nicholson

Publications and source records attributed to Andrew G Nicholson.

59 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed2002

Cystic lung lesions in the pediatric and adult population: surgical experience at the Brompton Hospital.

BACKGROUND: Cystic lung lesions are found in the adult and pediatric populations. We present our 19-year experience with such lesions from a single institution. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed our experience with such lung pathology, comparing the pediatric and adult populations with regard to their spectrum of pathology, presentation, surgical procedures, and postoperative morbidity and mortality. RESULTS: Forty-six operations were performed on 44 patients (24 children and 20 adults). Cystic adenomatoid malformation was the most common pathology in the pediatric group (53.9%), followed equally by simple cysts and sequestrations (15.4%). In three of the pediatric patients malignant features were identified after resection; bronchoalveolar carcinoma in 2 patients with cystic adenomatoid malformation and pleuropulmonary blastoma in 1 patient with bilateral cystic disease. In the adult population the most common pathology was simple cysts in 8 (40%), followed by cystic adenomatoid malformation in 5 (25%) and sequestrations in 2 patients (10%). The majority of the children, 16 (61.5%), required operation because of expanding or infected cysts, recurrent cysts, or chest infections; 4 were operated on as an urgent basis. In contrast, the majority of adults 11 (55%) were asymptomatic or had no specific symptoms, and all operations were elective. A larger number of major resections (65.4% versus 55%) were necessary in the pediatric group, possibly due to differences in the pathology. However, morbidity was comparable in the two groups with no mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Operation for cystic lung disease is safe. Asymptomatic cysts in children should be resected to avoid later complications of the cysts, which could make operation more difficult. Patients should be evaluated for associated congenital anomalies. Conservative anatomic resections should be attempted to salvage functional lung tissue. Careful histologic examination of the resection specimen is mandatory to identify occult malignancy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Quantitative analysis of mycobacterial and propionibacterial DNA in lymph nodes of Japanese and European patients with sarcoidosis.

The cause(s) of sarcoidosis is unknown. Mycobacterium spp. are suspected in Europe and Propionibacterium spp. are suspected in Japan. The present international collaboration evaluated the possible etiological links between sarcoidosis and the suspected bacterial species. Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded sections of biopsy samples of lymph nodes, one from each of 108 patients with sarcoidosis and 65 patients with tuberculosis, together with 86 control samples, were collected from two institutes in Japan and three institutes in Italy, Germany, and England. Genomes of Propionibacterium acnes, Propionibacterium granulosum, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis, and Escherichia coli (as the control) were counted by quantitative real-time PCR. Either P. acnes or P. granulosum was found in all but two of the sarcoid samples. M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis was found in no sarcoid sample. M. tuberculosis was found in 0 to 9% of the sarcoid samples but in 65 to 100% of the tuberculosis samples. In sarcoid lymph nodes, the total numbers of genomes of P. acnes or P. granulosum were far more than those of M. tuberculosis. P. acnes or P. granulosum was found in 0 to 60% of the tuberculosis and control samples, but the total numbers of genomes of P. acnes or P. granulosum in such samples were less than those in sarcoid samples. Propionibacterium spp. are more likely than Mycobacteria spp. to be involved in the etiology of sarcoidosis, not only in Japanese but also in European patients with sarcoidosis.

Actinomycetales Infections↗
PubMed2002

Histopathological approach to patterns of interstitial pneumonia in patient with connective tissue disorders.

It is well established that some patients with connective tissue disorders will suffer from pulmonary disease at some stage in their disease progression. This article concentrates on the interstitial pneumonias, seen in association with most types of connective tissue disorder, particularly in the ligh of non-specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) being recognised as a distinct histological pattern. Most published articles on this subject precede recognition of NSIP and, as such, the relative incidence of patterns of interstitial pneumonia, as defined by the International Consensus Classification Committee for Interstitial Lung Disease (ICCILD), as well as the clinical and prognostic significance of these patterns is undergoing further scrutiny. In this review, the recognised histological patterns, namely usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP), non-specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP), diffuse alveolar damage (DAD), organising pneumonia (OP), reactive pulmonary lymphoid hyperplasia, desquamative interstitial pneumonia (DIP) and respiratory bronchiolitis-associated interstitial lung disease (RBILD) are reviewed systematically in relation to the various subgroups of connective tissue disorders. As yet, there are few published studies, but current evidence suggests that many cases previously classified as fibrosing alveolitis are likely to show a pattern of NSIP rather than UIP, particularly in relation to systemic sclerosis. The histological pattern of usual interstitial pneumonia, the most frequently seen pattern in biopsies from patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis/cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis, appears to be comparatively rare. Furthermore, any biopsy showing a combination of histological patterns, a pattern of non-specific interstitial pneumonia or a pattern of lymphoid interstitial pneumonia/follicular bronchiolitis should be thoroughly investigated for a background connective tissue disorder, if previously unsuspected. Finally, the recently published prognostic data relating to these histological patterns in idiopathic disease should not be extrapolated to patients with connective tissue disorders.

Connective Tissue Diseases↗
PubMed2002

The importance of complete screening for amyloid fibril type and systemic disease in patients with amyloidosis in the respiratory tract.

BACKGROUND: Patients with symptomatic thoracic involvement by amyloidosis are virtually all of AL-type, and have historically been divided into systemic and localised disease, a subdivision that helps predict outcome and aids management. Assessment and classification of amyloid has evolved in recent years to include a variety of tests, including radiolabelling of the serum amyloid P component (SAP scan) to assess anatomical distribution and immunohistochemical studies to assess fibril subtypes. Furthermore, CT scanning is now a frequent investigation for the diagnosis of thoracic disease. We wished to determine the value of these investigations on the management of such patients with amyloidosis. METHODS: Clinicopathological data, including immunohistochemical analysis, CT scans and SAP scan results, were retrospectively reviewed from patients presenting with amyloidosis in the respiratory tract. These were then analysed to determine their impact on classification and prognosis. RESULTS: Seventeen patients over ten years were identified, one case being related to metastatic medullary carcinoma of the thyroid. Of the remaining 16 cases, one was shown to have hereditary amyloid of transthyretin-type (TTR) on immunohistochemistry, altering management. The remaining 15 cases were AL-type, with 6 cases being classified as localised and 9 cases as systemic, after evaluation for serum and/or urine monoclonal products, cardiac involvement via echocardiography, plasma cell abnormalities on bone marrow examination, CT scan and SAP scan. 3/3 patients with localised AL-type disease had a negative SAP scan, whilst 3/5 patients with systemic AL-type disease had a positive scan. SAP scan of the patient with TTR-type disease provided information on extent of disease and supported the diagnosis by the pattern of distribution. Using CT scans to discriminate between localised and systemic disease showed a significant association with mortality at 2 years (p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Although the majority of symptomatic patients with pulmonary amyloidosis have AL-type disease, immunohistochemical confirmation is necessary in order not to miss rarer subtypes with completely different treatment regimes. Furthermore, a comprehensive evaluation, including SAP scan and CT scan of the thorax, in conjunction with echocardiography, bone marrow, serum and urine studies, needs to be undertaken in order to achieve maximum accuracy with regard to localised and systemic disease.

Aged↗