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Biomedical subjects

B H Stack

Publications and source records attributed to B H Stack.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1987

Meningioma in a chronic schizophrenic.

A patient with a 27 year history of schizophrenia is described. Post-mortem revealed the presence of a right sided parietal meningioma. It is possible that this lesion caused the schizophrenic symptoms and that earlier investigation might have led to removal of the lesion.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Short duration combination chemotherapy in the treatment of small cell lung cancer.

Ninety five patients (57 with limited disease and 38 with extensive disease) with previously untreated small cell lung cancer were entered into a study of short duration combination chemotherapy with intravenous cyclophosphamide (750 mg/m2) on day 1, adriamycin (40 mg/m2) on day 1, and etoposide VP-16 (100 mg/m2) on days 1, 2, and 3, with the addition on day 10 of methotrexate 50 mg/m2 with folinic acid rescue and vincristine 2 mg. The treatment was repeated on day 22 and only three courses were given. No maintenance chemotherapy was given, though patients with a complete response received radiotherapy (30-40 Gy (3000-4000 rads] to the primary site in most cases. Forty nine patients (86%) with limited disease achieved a response, with 26 (46%) complete remissions. Twenty five patients (66%) with extensive disease had a response, but only eight (21%) had a complete response. Actuarial survival analysis for the whole patient population showed a median survival of 13 months for patients with limited disease and seven months for those with extensive disease. The median survival was 14 months for those patients with limited disease who achieved a complete response, but only 10 months for non-responders. Myelosuppression was the major expression of toxicity. There were three deaths related to treatment and seven patients had febrile episodes during neutropenia that required antibiotics. Mucositis, which was usually mild, occurred in 49% of patients. The primary site was the main site of initial relapse in 56% of the patients who relapsed. Among patients with limited disease who achieved a complete response, relapses at the primary site were less common in those who received radiotherapy (five out of 12) than in those who did not (all eight). The results indicate that this short duration chemotherapy in small cell lung cancer gives response rates and the potential for long term survival similar to those obtained in other series while allowing patients the maximum time free from treatment.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1986

Bowel adenocarcinoma in a patient with cystic fibrosis.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an autosomal recessive condition affecting one in 2,000 live births in the UK. There are few reports of malignant tumours in this condition probably because, until recently, the majority died before the age of 30 years as a result of recurrent and chronic bronchopulmonary infection with impaired growth and development and resistance to infection due to pancreatic malabsorption. We describe an adult male with CF who died from an adenocarcinoma affecting the ileocaecal region of the bowel.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1985

Bronchioloalveolar cell carcinoma: a 21-year retrospective study of cases at the Western Infirmary, Glasgow.

A 21-year retrospective autopsy study of bronchioloalveolar cell carcinoma in the Western District of Glasgow is presented which includes a detailed review of the case notes and post-mortem pathology of 18 patients. Aspects of the histogenesis of the tumour and its prognosis are included in the discussion. It is concluded that bronchioloalveolar cell carcinoma is a valid term which describes a disease entity that is amenable to successful surgical resection when at a limited stage but that in pathological terms it represents a heterogeneous population of tumours.

Adenocarcinoma, Bronchiolo-Alveolar↗
PubMed1985

Cystic fibrosis--a review of 26 adolescent and adult patients.

Twenty-six patients, mean age 20.5 years (range 11-33 years) at last assessment or death, attended an adult cystic fibrosis clinic between 1975 and 1983. Twenty-one presented in infancy, and 5 later (3-17 years). Most morbidity was due to recurrent respiratory infection and 5 of the 7 deaths were from respiratory failure. Cor pulmonale occurred in 4 patients, pneumothorax in 3 and severe haemoptysis necessitating lobectomy in 2. Declining spirometric values and persistent isolation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from sputum samples were associated with a poor prognosis. Minor gastrointestinal symptoms were common (19 patients). Four patients developed intestinal obstruction. Six patients had abnormal liver function tests and one patient died from hepatic cirrhosis. Diabetes was diagnosed in 3 patients and 9 patients experienced joint pains. The prognosis and quality of life for patients with cystic fibrosis appear to be improving, and all but 2 of the patients attending the clinic are at school, university or are employed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Cell-mediated immunity in operable bronchial carcinoma: the effect of injecting irradiated autologous tumour cells and BCG.

In 52 patients undergoing tests of cell-mediated immunity before surgical resection of bronchial carcinoma a positive tuberculin test result was found in 71% compared with 68% of age- and sex-matched controls. Sensitisation to DNCB occurred in 52% of 37 patients but in 78% of controls. There was depression of lymphocyte transformation by PPD in 19 patients compared with controls (P=0.001), but there was no difference in lymphocyte transformation by PHA or pokeweed mitogen between 34 patients and controls. In a pilot study patients were randomly allocated to autograft (eight) or non-autograft (seven) groups. The autograft group were given an intradermal injection of a suspension of irradiated autologous tumour-cells mixed with intradermal BCG on the day of operation. Tests of cell-mediated immunity were repeated two weeks after operation. Five patients in each group received a course of radiotherapy to the mediastinum three weeks after operation. There was a rise in cutaneous tuberculin reactivity (P=0.08) and total leucocyte count (P=0.09) in the autograft group postoperatively with a fall in total lymphocyte and T lymphocyte counts in the non-autograft group (P less 0.05). These differences, however, were not followed by any difference in the frequency of tumour recurrence or the survival rate two years after operation. The results show that the immunological surveillance mechanism is impaired even in patients with early bronchial carcinoma and that it is possible to overcome postoperative immunological depression with specific immunotherapy combined with BCG. This treatment did not produce any clinical advantage in this small number of patients and the skin lesions caused the patients considerable discomfort.

Aged↗
PubMed1979

Cystic fibrosis in adolescents and young adults.

With the early diagnosis of cystic fibrosis and the better management of these patients in childhood increasing numbers are surviving to adult life. The main problem requiring continuous medical care in the older cystic fibrosis patient is persisting and often progressive chest disease. For this reason the cystic fibrosis clinic for adolescents and young adults was started in the Western Infirmary in 1975. This paper presents our observations on 13 patients who had attended between 1975 and 1977. Eleven patients are alive and well and have shown no evidence of deterioration over this period. Ten are at school or in regular employment. With optimum medical supervision it is possible to give young adults with cystic fibrosis a worthwhile existence.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Thyroid function in lung cancer.

Thyroid function was assessed at the time of initial diagnosis in 204 patients with lung cancer and compared with that of age and sex-matched patients with non-malignant lung disease. Abnormalities in thyroid function were found in 67 patients (33%). The most prevalent abnormality was a low T3 concentration; this was not associated with other clinical or biochemical evidence of hypothyroidism, but the short-term prognosis of these patients was worse than that of matched patients with lung cancer having normal T3 concentrations. Primary hypothyroidism occurred in three patients, low T4 concentrations and free thyroxine index (FTI) with normal thyrotrophin (TSH) concentrations in four patients, and moderately raised TSH with normal thyroid hormone concentrations in six patients; nine patients had a raised FTI with or without raised T4 concentration as the sole abnormality.Overall, the pattern of thyroid hormone metabolism in lung cancer was a tendency towards reduced T3 concentrations with significantly increased T4/T3 ratios and modestly increased 3,3',5'-triiodothyronine (rT3) concentrations. The altered T4/T3 ratio was particularly noticeable in patients with anaplastic tumours of small ("oat cell") and large cell types, but was not apparently related to detectable extrathoracic metastases.These data suggest that thyroid hormone metabolism is altered in patients with lung cancer by decreased 5'-monodeiodination of T4. The resulting low T3 concentrations and altered T4/T3 ratio may be partly responsible for the reduced ratio of androsterone to aetiocholanolone observed in lung cancer, which is known to be a poor prognostic sign.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed1978

Pulmonary infection and rheumatoid arthritis.

Five of eleven patients with bronchiectasis and/or cystic fibrosis developed a polyarthritis with positive tests for rheumatoid factor. Possible mechanisms of this complication are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Serum biochemical markers in lung cancer.

The prevalence of elevated serum levels of 5 potential tumour-associated antigens was determined in patients with lung cancer sampled at the time of initial presentation, using age- and sex-matched patients with benign lung disease as controls. Elevated levels (greater than upper 95th centile of controls) were found as follows: carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), 17%; pregnancy-associated alpha-macroglobulin (PAM), 16%; casein 14%; human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) 6%; alpha-foetoprotein (AFP), 1.5%. The prevalence of elevated CEA levels (but not other markers) was higher in patients with evidence of extra-thoracic tumour spread (23%) mainly due to anaplastic tumours and adenocarcinomas. A degree of concordance of elevated marker levels occurred with CEA, HCG, casein and AFP, but there was a striking discordance of elevated CEA and PAM levels. Simultaneous assays of CEA and PAM will detect the majority of patients with elevations of any of the markers studied, and are likely to be the most useful biochemical markers in following the response of lung tumours to therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Pulmonary thromboembolism after travel.

Pulmonary thromboembolism developed in eight patients shortly after travel. Preexisting vein disease was present in this group. Possible prophylactic measures are suggested.

Adult↗
PubMed1971

Diagnosis of tuberculosis in a general hospital.

In a survey of 71 new cases of tuberculosis diagnosed in a general hospital the average interval between admission and diagnosis of tuberculosis (the diagnostic interval) ranged between 10 days for intrathoracic tuberculosis and 20 days for genitourinary tuberculosis. The average diagnostic interval was 10.9 days when tuberculosis was included in the initial differential diagnosis, and 22.8 days when other diagnoses were made. Undue delay in diagnosis occurred in 17 patients (24%). In eight this was due to failure to include tuberculosis in the initial differential diagnosis. Earlier diagnosis might have saved three of the five patients who died.In 21 patients (30%) a history of predisposing factors or associated illness was obtained. Ten of these had suffered from previous tuberculosis.The vital factor in diagnosis of tuberculosis in general hospital patients is consideration of this condition in the diagnosis of any unexplained illness, especially where a history of previous tuberculosis or a recognized predisposing factor is obtained.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1969

Measurement of blood and iron loss in colitis with a whole-body counter.

Estimation with a whole-body counter of the fall in total body radioactivity due to loss of parenterally administered (59)Fe has been used to measure blood loss in 17 patients with ulcerative colitis. It was shown that blood loss was related to the activity of disease as judged by sigmoidoscopic changes and less obviously to the extent of involvement of the colon. Blood losses of 50 to 150 ml per week were observed when the patient saw no blood in the stools and the rectal mucosa did not appear haemorrhagic. Some patients lost more than 0.5 g iron during the few weeks following an exacerbation of ulcerative colitis suggesting that repeated replacement of the body's iron stores is often necessary in this disease.

Adult↗