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Biomedical subjects

D D Munro

Publications and source records attributed to D D Munro.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Oral terbinafine and erythema multiforme.

Two patients developed classical erythema multiforme while taking oral terbinafine. A case of Stevens-Johnson syndrome occurring after terbinafine therapy has recently been described, but there have been no published reports of an association with erythema multiforme until now.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1994

Effects of cyclopiazonic acid on [Ca2+]i and contraction in rat urinary bladder smooth muscle.

Cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) has been reported to inhibit the Ca(2+)-ATPase of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) in skeletal and smooth muscle. In the present study the effect of CPA on [Ca2+]i and force in rat urinary bladder smooth muscle was examined. The fluorescent Ca2+ indicator Fura-2 was used to monitor intracellular Ca2+, simultaneously with isometric force production. Addition of CPA to unstimulated muscles bathed in 2.5 mM Ca2+ containing Krebs solution resulted in a significant and sustained increase in [Ca2+]i from 99 +/- 7 to 273 +/- 51 nM. This increase in [Ca2+]i was dependent upon the presence of extracellular Ca2+ since when CPA was added to muscles in Ca(2+)-free media it produced only a small, transient increase in [Ca2+]i that was not sustained. Peak force levels produced by transmural stimulation, carbachol and high KCl solution were not altered by the presence of CPA, however, the increase in [Ca2+]i associated with these contractions was larger when CPA was present. In response to transmural stimulation, the times taken for both force and [Ca2+]i to rise to 50% of their peak values were attenuated in the presence of CPA. Conversely, there was no effect of CPA on the times taken for force or [Ca2+]i to fall to 50% of their stimulated values upon the cessation of stimulation. Under control conditions both carbachol and high KCl could initiate transient increases in [Ca2+]i and force in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. In the presence of CPA, the response to carbachol was virtually completely inhibited, however, the response to high KCl was only partially inhibited. The ability of CPA to inhibit the carbachol response in Ca(2+)-free media suggests that this response is due to release of Ca2+ from the SR. The incomplete inhibition of the response to KCl indicates other Ca2+ storage sites may also be mobilised by sarcolemmal depolarisation. Although the mechanism whereby CPA induces a large, sustained rise in [Ca2+]i remains unknown, the data lend support to the suggestion that depletion of intracellular Ca2+ storage sites may activate a Ca2+ entry pathway across the sarcolemma.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Canada's first human lung transplantation: the untold story, with an update.

This article recounts the clinical background and the legacy of tuberculosis chest surgery, the historical alliance of two McGill teaching hospitals, and the timing of and way in which a joint medical-surgical decision to attempt the first human lung transplantation in Canada was made. The experimental phase, involving the use of identical twin calves, was accomplished with the help of L'Ecole de médecine vétérinaire de Québec. The reasons are given for the universal failure of all the early cases, and an updated summary is provided of the remarkable results obtained in the last decade.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Contractile and metabolic properties of longitudinal smooth muscle from rat urinary bladder and the effects of aging.

Longitudinal smooth muscle strips taken from the urinary bladders of Sprague-Dawley rats, aged approximately 6 months and 24 months, were examined under a variety of conditions. Force development in response to electrical field stimulation and to cumulative addition of Ca2+ in the continual presence of 64 mM. KCl was the same in both adult and aged preparations. In response to cumulative additions of carbachol, however, it was observed that there was a shift to the right of the dose-response curve and a decrease in maximal force in the aged muscle strips. The maximal velocity of shortening was significantly lower in muscles from aged animals than in those from young adult animals. The metabolic tension cost during isometric contraction was, however, the same in both groups suggesting that the decline in Vus is largely due to factors not influencing energetic cost. The aged muscles also exhibited a lower basal metabolic rate and a reduced contribution of aerobic glycolysis to total metabolic energy production during both quiescence and stimulation under normoxic conditions than did muscles from young adult animals. They were, however, able to increase their rate of lactate production to the same levels as young adult muscles when stimulated under anoxic conditions.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1993

Immunoblotting of streptococcal antigens in guttate psoriasis.

Guttate psoriasis may be precipitated by acute streptococcal infection, usually of the upper respiratory tract. We have studied the immune response to streptococci in 26 patients presenting with a first or recurrent episode of acute guttate psoriasis (AGP), using immunoblotting. Eighteen of 26 patients studied had a demonstrable response to a wide range of streptococcal antigens using this approach, compared with 14 of 26 patients who demonstrated a response using more conventional antistreptococcal antibody tests. Patients with AGP had a significantly higher antibody detection score using immunoblotting than did control subjects (P < 0.005). We conclude that immunoblotting is a useful technique in studying this condition and may be of benefit in exploring the immunopathogenesis of AGP.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

A cutaneous B-cell lymphoma of novel immunophenotype.

A case of low-grade B-cell malignant lymphoma with a prolonged restriction to the skin is described. A rearrangement of the immunoglobulin heavy-chain gene was detected using molecular techniques. The histology showed many similarities to primary mucosal lymphomas and this may represent a skin counterpart of these tumours.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Langerhans-cell histiocytosis--excellent response to etoposide.

We describe an adult with progressive LCH who received oral etoposide as primary treatment. The response is documented and the strategical implications of this drug in Langerhans-cell histiocytosis discussed. Langerhans-cell histiocytosis (LCH) is the term recognized since 1987 for the group of diseases previously designated histiocytosis X. It is not now regarded as a malignant neoplastic process and there is some evidence to suggest that it is due to abnormal immunity, but cytotoxic drugs and steroids are still the mainstay of systemic treatment. Etoposide (VP16) is a semisynthetic epipodophyllotoxin derivative effective in the treatment of malignancies of the monocyte-macrophage lineage and used in resistant or relapsed childhood LCH. There are no previous reports of its use as firstline monotherapy in adults with LCH.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

"Wash leather scrotum" (scrotal dermatitis): a treatable cause of male infertility.

A group of 16 male patients with infertility had dermatitis of the scrotum and groins giving lichenified oedematous skin; the resulting thickening and loss of rugosity produced a characteristic appearance that we have termed wash leather scrotum. Treatment of the dermatosis resulted in an improvement in sperm count and motility in most patients, and 5 couples produced one or more pregnancies.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1989

Erythema induratum (Bazin's disease).

The clinical and histologic features of 26 cases of erythema induratum are reviewed. The characteristic cutaneous lesions on the legs of middle-aged women were violaceous, indurated nodules, 1 to 2 cm in diameter, which were painful, occasionally ulcerated, and could heal with scarring. The diagnosis was confirmed in all patients by a strongly positive Mantoux test result (1:10,000 dilution) and by clearing of lesions after antituberculosis therapy. The histologic features were varied but were predominantly those of a vasculitis with a paraseptal and lobular panniculitis. Although it was not possible to fulfill the required criteria for diagnosing tuberculosis in these lesions, we believe there is sufficient circumstantial evidence to support the hypothesis that erythema induratum is a true tuberculid.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Pharmacokinetics of small doses of methotrexate in patients with psoriasis.

The pharmacokinetics of methotrexate was studied in 23 patients with chronic plaque psoriasis. Ten patients received a single oral does and 13 patients a single intramuscular injection of 25 mg methotrexate. Serum methotrexate was measured for 24 hours following administration of the drug using a magnetizable solid-phase radio-immunoassay. The disappearance of methotrexate from the serum fitted a two-compartment model with a distribution phase half-life of 1.18 +/- 0.12 h and an elimination phase half-life of 5.35 +/- 0.62 h following the oral dose and 1.45 +/- 0.22 h and 4.71 +/- 0.32 h, respectively following the intramuscular dose. Peak serum methotrexate concentrations varied greatly between patients but the mean area below the curve for the two routes of administration did not differ significantly. In a further 18 psoriatic patients receiving long-term maintenance methotrexate therapy there was no consistent relationship between salivary and serum methotrexate levels.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1987

Surgery for thoracic hydatid disease: a North American experience.

The clinical course of 20 patients with 22 thoracic hydatid cysts operated on from 1957 to 1984, was reviewed. Follow-up extended to 27 years (mean, 11.6 +/- 1.5 years [+/- the standard error of the mean]) and was 90% complete. Most patients originated from countries in the Mediterranean region; 5 were native Canadians. The diagnosis was suspected in all but 3 patients preoperatively. Fourteen patients had 16 primary lung cysts, 4 had infected liver cysts with intrathoracic extension, 1 had synchronous unruptured liver and lung cysts, and 1 had a thymic cyst. Nine cysts were intact, whereas 13 had ruptured preoperatively. A variety of surgical procedures was performed, including eight wedge resections and nine lobectomies. There were no early deaths, and perioperative complications were infrequent. One patient with a hepatic cyst that had ruptured into the right pleural space and right lower lobe died at 7 months of massive echinococcosis of the liver and intraabdominal sepsis. There has been no evidence of thoracic recurrence in any of our long-term survivors, although 1 patient had undergone enucleation of a left lung cyst in Greece 15 years prior to her reoperation here for a lingular recurrence. We conclude that thoracic hydatid disease is a rare entity in northeastern North America. The prevalence of ruptured cysts and infected hepatic cysts involving the lung was higher than in most other series, thereby necessitating more aggressive surgical treatment. Nevertheless, morbidity was low, and recurrence of disease was uncommon in long-term follow-up.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Magnetic resonance imaging as a screening procedure for methotrexate induced liver damage.

Spin lattice relaxation time (TI) measured with a low field strength magnetic resonance imager in 51 patients with severe psoriasis did not correlate with the histological findings of liver biopsies taken during treatment with oral methotrexate. Liver TI measurement at low magnetic field is of no value as a screening procedure in monitoring methotrexate induced liver damage.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

The treatment of resistant mosaic plantar warts with aggressive cryotherapy under general anaesthetic.

Twelve patients with treatment-resistant mosaic plantar warts were treated with aggressive cryotherapy under a general anaesthetic. Seven patients (58%) had complete cure, two patients (16%) experienced substantial but incomplete clearing of their warts and the remaining three patients (25%) had no improvement. The procedure was well tolerated and post cryotherapy pain was acceptable to the patients.

Adolescent↗