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Biomedical subjects

D J O'Reilly

Publications and source records attributed to D J O'Reilly.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

Clinical significance of concurrent hepatitis B surface antigen and antibody positivity.

Over a period of 30 months, 64 patients with concurrently positive hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibody (anti-HBs) were identified at two institutions. When all assays were considered, 23.9% of HBsAg-positive individuals exhibited anti-HBs. Both persistent HBsAg/anti-HBs positivity and variable changes in antigen or antibody status were observed among the 36 patients with follow-up beyond six months. When compared to a control group, these patients did not exhibit differences in risk factors for acquiring hepatitis B or in clinical and histological diagnoses. Concurrent HBsAg and anti-HBs was present at detection in 25 patients, while antibody appeared in the remaining 11 subjects. Subsequently, it was undetectable in seven of these 36 patients; no clinical changes occurred at the time of acquisition or loss of the antibody. The titer of the antibody was below 10 mIU/ml in 75% of these individuals. In 10 patients, the subtype of HBsAg was ad, while the anti-HBs was anti-y. Concurrent HBsAg and anti-HBs is a pattern frequently observed throughout the spectrum of hepatitis B-related events. The heterotypic antibody in these patients is of a low titer, and its appearance or disappearance is not associated with changes in the clinical course; simultaneous HBsAg/anti-HBs positivity does not appear to reflect a distinct clinical entity.

Adolescent↗

Portal-systemic shunting and the hemodynamic effects of nitroglycerin in the rat.

A hemodynamic response to oral nitroglycerin has been used recently to estimate the extent of portal systemic shunts in humans. We studied the hemodynamic effects of this drug in the rat with partial portal vein ligation, a model in which portal hypertension develops and the extent of portal-systemic collaterals can be measured. Two to ten days after the initial procedure, shunted and sham-operated controls received a continuous infusion of nitroglycerin into a jugular vein, the ileocolic vein, or intrajejunally. The response of systolic arterial pressure to intravenous nitroglycerin was similar in shunted and sham animals. The cumulative dose-response curve showed an earlier and more pronounced response in shunted rats receiving nitroglycerin intraportally, suggesting a marked increase in bioavailability. When the arterial response to nitroglycerin, infused intraportally at 1 microgram/kg X min, was compared to the extent of ileocolic shunting, measured with radioactive microspheres, a close correlation (r = 0.84) was seen; shunting values ranged from 0% (sham) to 97%. Additionally, in shunted rats a more pronounced response to intraportal, compared to intrajejunal, infusion suggested a contribution of the intestine to the first-pass elimination of the drug. The bioavailability of intraportal and intrajejunal nitroglycerin is influenced by the extent of portal systemic collaterals. A significant reduction in portal vein pressure in response to nitroglycerin seen in this animal model supports its testing as a therapeutic agent in portal hypertension.

Animals↗

Distribution of portal blood flow in the liver of the rat: a microsphere study.

We sought to determine whether streamlining of portal venous blood occurs in normal anaesthetized rats under basal conditions and with variations in hepatic blood flow. We catheterized the ileocolic vein and injected 15 micron microspheres labeled with 85Sr and 141Ce into this vein and into the spleen, respectively. The hepatic lobar distribution of microspheres was studied in a group under basal conditions and after hepatic blood flow was increased (infusions of nitroglycerin or glucagon) or decreased (infusion of vasopressin or ligation of the superior mesenteric artery); this blood flow was measured with a constant infusion of indocyanine green. Measured results (expressed as proportion of total liver counts per minute) were compared with a reference group in which the portal vein of rats had been partially ligated 10 days prior to study and in which similarly injected microspheres that lodged in the liver were assumed to be completely mixed with portal blood. No differences were seen within groups and between the reference and experimental groups. We conclude that under these experimental conditions, portal venous blood flow appears to be distributed homogeneously between hepatic lobes.

Animals↗

Heterotopic pancreas mimicking carcinoma of the head of the pancreas: a rare cause of obstructive jaundice.

A 61-year-old man developed obstructive jaundice and had ultrasonographic and cholangiopancreatographic findings consistent with carcinoma of the pancreas. However, pathologically the obstruction proved to be from heterotopic pancreatic tissue compressing the common bile duct. This patient and eight previously reported patients with a similar problem are the subjects of this report.

Adult↗