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Biomedical subjects

B Hunt

Publications and source records attributed to B Hunt.

54 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Trial of relaxation in reducing coronary risk: four year follow up.

On screening 192 men and women aged 35-64 were identified as having two or more of the following risk factors: blood pressure greater than or equal to 140/90 mm Hg, plasma cholesterol concentration greater than or equal to 6.3 mmol/l (243.6 mg/100 ml), and current smoking habit greater than or equal to 10 cigarettes a day. They were randomly allocated to a group for modification of behaviour or to serve as controls. Both groups were given health education leaflets containing advice to stop smoking, to reduce animal fats in the diet, and on the importance of reducing blood pressure. In addition, the treatment group had group sessions of one hour a week for eight weeks in which they were taught breathing exercises, relaxation, and meditation and about managing stress. It had previously been found that after eight weeks and eight months there was a significantly greater reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressures in the group taught to relax compared with the control group. After four years of follow up these differences in blood pressure were maintained. Plasma cholesterol concentration and the number of cigarettes smoked were lower in the treatment group at eight weeks and eight months but not at the four year follow up. At four years more subjects in the control group reported having had angina and treatment for hypertension and its complications. Incidence of ischaemic heart disease, fatal myocardial infarction, or electrocardiographic evidence of ischaemia was significantly greater in the control group. If the results of this study could be obtained in a larger study the financial and health care implications would be enormous.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Newly diagnosed cystic fibrosis in middle and later life.

Four patients with cystic fibrosis diagnosed in middle and later life are presented. All had chronic bronchopulmonary infection with a high sweat sodium concentration, and chest radiographic evidence of upper zone bronchiectasis. Two patients had pancreatic dysfunction. Sputum culture grew mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa in three patients and Haemophilus influenzae in one. Ages at diagnosis were 63, 42, 40, and 35 years. These patients confirm the possibility of occasional longevity in cystic fibrosis and emphasise the need to consider the diagnosis at all ages. They also provide encouragement for younger patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Medical conditions in patients with diabetic maculopathy.

Ninety-four patients with untreated diabetic maculopathy in at least one eye had their visual acuity and medical condition assessed and followed for 5 years. The mean patient age was 58 years (range 29 to 73 years) at the diagnosis of maculopathy, and they were predominantly non-insulin-dependent diabetics (NIDD). Thirty-two patients had maculopathy diagnosed at or within 2 years of the diagnosis of diabetes. Visual loss was severe, the mean final vision being 6/36 with 44 eyes blind. In addition to progression of the maculopathy, causes for loss of vision included complications of new vessels (vitreous haemorrhage and macular traction) often leading to complete blindness. Medical abnormalities were commoner than would be expected in a similarly aged normal population. Mean blood pressure was 163/90, 81 patients had degenerative vascular disease, 22 patients had nephropathy, and 35 had raised cholesterol levels. Twenty-six patients died during the study mainly from vascular disease and renal failure. No significant association was found between visual acuity loss and medical conditions, glucose control, type of therapy, age, diabetes duration, and mortality.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Fall in vital capacity with posture.

In a study of 147 subjects (50 normals, 50 with obstructive, and 47 with restrictive lung function), the mean reduction in forced vital capacity from standing to supine (delta FVC) was 7.5% (SD +/- 5.7), 11.2% (+/- 13.4), and 8.2% (+/- 7.7) respectively, with no significant difference between groups. The respective 95% upper confidence limits were 19%, 38% and 24%. We conclude that delta FVC greater than 25% associated with normal or restrictive lung function or greater than 35% associated with airways obstruction should be an indication for further study of diaphragm function.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Post-irradiation sensitization with the ADP-ribosyltransferase inhibitor 3-acetamidobenzamide.

In recent years several lines of evidence have indicated that nuclear ADP-ribosyltransferase (ADPRT) activity is involved in DNA repair, although the requirement of ADPRT activity for cell survival has only been demonstrated in certain cases. We have investigated further the possible role of ADP-ribosylation in the response of cells to ionizing radiation, using 3-acetamidobenzamide (3-AAB), a highly effective inhibitor of ADPRT. With this compound we have demonstrated that marked enhancement of cell killing is observed if ADP-ribosylation is inhibited to a sufficient extent during the post-irradiation repair period, using concentrations of 3-AAB which are not toxic towards unirradiated cells. The critical period within which the inhibitor was effective was the first 90 min post-irradiation, and the half life of the recoverable radiation damage involved was estimated as approximately 20 min. Treatment with 3-AAB slowed the rate at which DNA strand breaks were repaired but did not prevent the ultimate repair of breaks, within the limits of resolution of the alkaline unwinding method used to determine DNA strand breakage. Although the majority of breaks were ultimately repaired, the frequency of radiation-induced sister chromatid exchanges and chromosome aberrations was increased, indicating that more genomic rearrangement had taken place, possibly as a consequence of the persistence of breaks when ADPRT activity was inhibited by 3-AAB during the post-irradiation repair period. It is suggested that the increased frequency of transposition and recombination which these observations reflect is likely to be associated with an increased risk of lethal mutations, some possibly involving chromosomal aberrations.

Adenosine Diphosphate Ribose↗
PubMed1983

Aspirin and prostacyclin treatment of diabetic dogs.

Spontaneously diabetic dogs were treated initially (the first 1/2 yr) with i.v. prostacyclin and oral aspirin and then for 1 yr with varying doses of aspirin alone. At this time cataracts prevented visualization of retinae, and one eye of each animal was removed for examination of the vasculature of the trypsin digested retinae. Studies of the blood during the course of treatment showed an elevation of plasma cyclic adenylic acid and marked lowering of inordinately high platelet count and platelet aggregation. Treatment was stopped and after an additional 1/2 year the animals were euthanized and the fellow eye removed for retinal study. Although just three diabetic animals survived for binocular retinal histology, there were no discernible differences in the retinal vasculature in the fellow eyes of a given animal, and in only one of these three animals were there clear signs of diabetic retinopathy. We must conclude, therefore, that in spite of relative normalization of platelet function in the parameters measured during the course of treatment, we cannot yet claim a salutary effect of treatment on the diabetic retina. Cataracts prevented us from having better information on diabetic retinae prior to treatment and a redesigned study would have to include unilateral histological retinal examination before any treatment is started to determine if, indeed, improved platelet physiology slows or reverses changes in the diabetic retina.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Monitoring of plasma and milk progesterone for evaluation of postpartum estrous cycles and early pregnancy in mares.

Plasma and milk progesterone concentrations in 13 mares were determined 3 times a week for 5 months, beginning at parturition. The estrous cycle was divided into 2 phases. Estrus was considered to occur when the plasma progesterone concentration was less than 1 ng/ml, with diestrus occurring when plasma progesterone content was greater than or equal to 1 ng/ml. Based on this classification, the period of estrus averaged 8.9 days, diestrus averaged 13.9 days, and the estrous cycle averaged 22.8 days. During estrus, the progesterone concentration in plasma averaged 0.4 ng/ml and in milk averaged 2.2 ng/ml. During diestrus corresponding values were 6.8 and 6.9 ng/ml. In the early pregnant mare, the average progesterone concentration was 5.4 ng/ml for plasma and 4.7 ng/ml for milk. The progesterone pattern was similar in milk and in blood plasma, and the correlation between 362 paired values was 0.7 (P less than 0.01). It was concluded that the estrous cycle of the mare can be mapped accurately by measuring plasma or milk progesterone content at 2- to 3-day intervals. A breeding program based on monitoring blood progesterone was outlined.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Family planning during psychiatric hospitalization.

Ongoing experience with development of family planning programs in psychiatric hospitals suggests that models must be flexible to allow for varying structures and traditions of institutions and for special needs of specific patient populations. However some issues, particularly those related to patients' rights and to usefulness of particular contraceptives, are broadly applicable. Introduction of a family planning program for psychiatric patients is described.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Mutagen-induced Imm+ variants: the need for viable and cloned Imm+ variants for effective protection against a primary murine tumor and its metastases.

Immunogenic variants (Imm+) generated after the treatment of murine tumor cells with the mutagen N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) can produce a strong protective response against non-mutagenized parent tumor cells. The use of this methodology to treat human tumors is currently thwarted by technological difficulties in applying the findings obtained with murine models to human disease. Two of these difficulties are described in this study. The first is that Imm+ variants lose most of their immunogenicity after treatment with X-irradiation or mitomycin C. The second is that mutagen-treated tumor cells must be cloned so as to select for Imm+ variants, for the presence of as few as 0.001 per cent tumorigenic cells within the bulk population will result in the failure of the protective effect of the Imm+ variants. Because of these and other difficulties with mutagen-induced Imm+ variants, we have developed a different approach to producing such variants using transfection of tumor cells with foreign genes. In contrast to mutagen induced Imm+ variants, these variants have been shown to retain their immunogenicity after X-irradiation.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Lipoprotein(a) and accelerated coronary artery disease in cardiac transplant recipients.

High concentrations of serum lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) are associated with an increased risk of atherosclerotic vascular disease in the nontransplanted population. However, its relation with accelerated coronary artery disease (CAD) in cardiac transplant recipients has not been reported. We measured serum Lp(a) in 130 cardiac transplant recipients undergoing routine follow-up, which included annual coronary angiography. The median Lp(a) concentration in 33 patients with CAD was 71 mg/dl, which was significantly higher than the corresponding value of 22 mg/dL in the 97 patients without CAD (p = 0.0006). Multivariant analysis showed the serum Lp(a) value to be a higher significant risk factor for CAD irrespective of the other factors included in the regression analysis. Thus a high concentration of serum Lp(a) is an important, independent risk factor for the development of accelerated CAD in transplant recipients.

Coronary Artery Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Causes of death and risk factors in young and old diabetic patients referred to a retinopathy clinic.

The causes of death and associated risk factors are compared in young and old diabetic patients attending a retinopathy clinic. Mortality in those diagnosed under and over the age of 30 years is also examined in order to compare insulin-dependent with non-insulin-dependent patients. A defined cohort attending the Hammersmith Hospital Retinopathy Clinic was followed for an average of 11 years. Main outcome measures were standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) in different age/sex groups and relative hazard rates (RHRs) for possible risk factors related to mortality. The patients were divided into those aged under and over the age of 60 years at attendance at the clinic. The RHRs were smaller in the elderly for plasma urea [1.015 versus 1.107 (p < 0.01)]. Attenuation of risk was also suggested for systolic blood pressure (RHR of 1.005 in the elderly versus 1.015 in the younger patients) and for the effects of smoking [RHR of 1.17 (elderly patients) and 1.35 (younger patients)]. In those diagnosed under the age of 30 years, there were very high SMRs for renal disease, cerebrovascular disease (men only), ischemic heart disease, other heart disease, and respiratory disease (men only), but increased SMRs were also demonstrated in those diagnosed over the age of 30 years. The risk factors associated with poor survival were similar for those diagnosed over and under the age of 30 years: poor diabetic control, high systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and increased plasma urea. In conclusion, there was no evidence that blood sugar control or diastolic blood pressure were less important in older age groups. Plasma urea, systolic pressure, and being on insulin were less useful as predictors of mortality in the elderly, but were still important in patients diagnosed over the age of 30 years.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A stream depletion field experiment.

A field experiment was carried out to measure drawdowns in observation wells and stream depletion flows that occurred when water was abstracted from a well beside a stream. The field data is analyzed herein to determine the aquifer transmissivity, T, the aquifer storage coefficient, S, and a streambed leakage parameter, lambda, by comparing measurements with a solution obtained by Hunt (1999). The analysis uses early time drawdowns with a match-point method to determine T and S, and stream depletion measurements at later times are used to determine lambda. The final results are reasonably consistent for measurements taken in four observation wells. The advantages and disadvantages of this approach are discussed, and two alternative ways of estimating lambda are also discussed.

Environmental Monitoring↗