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Biomedical subjects

D Machin

Publications and source records attributed to D Machin.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Ear wax and otitis media in children.

A study was designed to find the prevalence of ear wax in children aged 3 to 10 years and to test the belief that large amounts of wax are unlikely to be seen when otitis media is present. Roughly a quarter of the children had appreciable amounts of wax, and there was a gradual decline in prevalence with age. The amount of ear wax appeared to decrease when otitis media was present. The results did not support removing wax when assessing children's ears in general practice.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1985

A randomized controlled trial of adjuvant portal vein cytotoxic perfusion in colorectal cancer.

In this randomized trial adjuvant cytotoxic portal vein perfusion in patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer without liver metastases was assessed to determine whether the incidence of metachronous liver metastases could be reduced and survival thereby improved. There were 127 control patients and 117 patients who received adjuvant perfusion. A further 13 patients were excluded following randomization because of cirrhosis in 1, liver metastases at laparotomy in 3 and technical problems with cannulation in 9. Dukes' staging and degree of differentiation were similar in the two groups. There were fewer liver metastases in the perfusion patients and overall survival was improved. However, the benefit appears to be greatest in patients with Dukes' B colon cancer.

Aged↗
PubMed1985

The effects of acupuncture versus placebo in the treatment of headache.

Forty-eight patients were entered into a placebo (mock TNS) versus acupuncture study to assess the effect of these therapies on headache. Treatment was evaluated by the use of patient diaries; each patient completed a daily diary for 4 weeks prior to treatment during 6 weeks of therapy and for 24 weeks of follow-up. Thirty-nine patients completed treatment and follow-up. At most acupuncture appears to be approximately 20% more effective than a placebo in alleviating headache but no statistically significant difference between these two treatments could be demonstrated. The implications of this result particularly with respect to determining treatment success and study method employed are discussed.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed1985

Myelodysplastic syndromes: a scoring system with prognostic significance.

141 patients with MDS were classified according to the FAB criteria and followed up for a period of 4-192 months. It was recognized that patients with RAEBT had a uniformly poor prognosis. However, there was a wide variation in survival among the other subgroups. A score of 1 was assigned to each of the following presenting haematological features: bone marrow blasts greater than or equal to 5%, platelets less than or equal to 100 X 10(9)/l, neutrophils less than or equal to 2.5 X 10(9)/l and Hb less than or equal to 10.0 g/dl. Therefore the score for each patient ranged between 0 and 4. There were no statistically significant differences between those patients who scored 0 or 1, or between those who scored 2 and 3. Therefore patients were put into three groups: Group A (score 0 or 1), Group B (score 2 or 3), Group C (score 4). The differences in survival between each of the three groups are highly significant (P less than 0.00001). This system further separates patients with RA, RAS, RAEB into good and bad prognostic groups. This study also confirms that deaths due to cytopenias are more common than those due to transformation to AML. The use of this scoring system in conjunction with the FAB criteria for MDS should serve as a prognostic tool on which to base treatment.

Aged↗
PubMed1985

Seasonality and breast cancer.

We have analysed the data of biopsy, tumour size, size, side and axillary lymph node status in a group of 866 patients presenting with breast cancer in Southampton from September 1975 to August 1981 and a group of 1424 women presenting with benign disease in the same period. The whole group showed a seasonal variation, with a peak presentation in June. The pre-menopausal age group account for almost all of this seasonality. The cause of the variation is not established and requires further investigation. The control group of benign breast disease cases did not show a seasonal variation.

Axilla↗
PubMed1985

Evaluation of breast self-examination teaching materials in a primary care setting.

A study was designed to determine the effectiveness of breast self-examination teaching materials in a primary care setting. The Women's National Cancer Control Campaign tape/slide programme and leaflets were displayed in a health centre, both independently and in combination. Women leaving the health centre were interviewed about breast cancer and the information on breast self-examination contained in the educational material.Both the leaflet and tape/slide programme, independently, increased knowledge about breast cancer and self-examination, but only to a small extent. They were more effective in combination, mainly in increasing knowledge of breast self-examination, rather than knowledge of breast cancer or breast abnormalities.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Focal lymphocytic thyroiditis in Southampton.

The presence of focal collections of lymphocytes within the thyroid gland has been associated with autoimmune thyroiditis. In a prospective study 197 thyroid glands were examined from post mortems performed in two Southampton hospitals over a 12 month period. The mean thyroid mass was 19.5 g in women and 22.2 g in men. Varying degrees of focal lymphocytic thyroiditis were present in 54 per cent of women and 24 per cent of men. Morphometry showed that on average less than 4 per cent of the gland was infiltrated by lymphocytes. There was no significant relationship with age. A possible association between focal lymphocytic thyroiditis and circulating thyroid autoantibodies has been shown.

Aged↗
PubMed1984

Metronidazole v ampicillin: differing effects on the postoperative recovery.

One hundred and eight adult patients undergoing appendicectomy (37 advanced appendicitis and 71 early appendicitis or normal appendices) were randomised into a trial comparing the effects of ampicillin (anti-aerobic) and metronidazole (anti-anaerobic) based regimes. Although there were less wound infections amongst those patients receiving metronidazole (14%) as compared to ampicillin (27%) this difference failed to reach statistical significance. However, ampicillin appears to be superior in shortening the length of postoperative fever, 3.0 compared to 3.5 d for those patients receiving metronidazole. There is some suggestion that this advantage is reversed amongst those patients with wound infections. Further study is required to clarify this point. Our study suggests further evidence of differing clinical action of these drugs in appendicectomy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Scoring system to improve cost effectiveness of open access endoscopy.

The introduction of an open access general practitioner endoscopy service may result in many unnecessary examinations being performed. In an attempt to prevent this, 235 patients attending for endoscopy were interviewed and the results analysed to determine which factors best discriminated between those with major disease (ulcers, cancers, oesophageal strictures; n = 48) and those without (n = 187). The six characteristics which best discriminated between the two groups were increasing age, history of vomiting, male sex, smoking, and a past history of peptic ulcer or hiatus hernia. With the use of these six features a scoring system was devised, designed to give an indication of the likelihood of finding such disease in an individual patient. This was assessed prospectively in a further 356 patients. The results showed that by utilising this scoring system it would be possible to reduce the number of examinations performed by 30% yet still detect 98% of serious disease. If confirmed in further prospective studies, this scoring system (or a modification) could more accurately assess individual priority for endoscopy and enable optimum use to be made of limited resources.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1983

Is the statistical assessment of papers submitted to the "British Medical Journal" effective?

A study was performed to judge the effectiveness of the statistical assessment scheme for papers submitted to the "British Medical Journal." Statistical criticism of the content of 200 submitted papers which had already been seen by a subject referee led directly or indirectly to 73 (37%) being rejected for publication. In most cases (53 out of 73) serious problems requiring more than minor revision were identified. A comparison of reports on subsequently unpublished and published papers showed that adverse statistical assessments--suggesting major problems--were more common in the papers that were not accepted for publication. Moderate, or less, revision was recommended for 63% of published papers but 39% of the remainder. A checklist of relevant questions was used in making a detailed comparison of 12 published papers, six of which had been statistically assessed and six of which had not. This comparison yielded little evidence that the papers that had been assessed were statistically more acceptable than those that had not been assessed but re-emphasised the subjectivity of refereeing and assessment.

Periodicals as Topic↗