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Biomedical subjects

D W Thompson

Publications and source records attributed to D W Thompson.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

The medical technologist and the radiation-accident victim.

Radiation accidents may produce external or internal contamination with radionuclides, local or whole-body exposure to penetrating radiation, or a combination of these. Trauma and medical problems which require rapid diagnosis and treatment may accompany a radiation injury. The role of the medical technologist in the early post-injury period may include the use of precautions in handling of contaminated specimens, prompt and repeated determinations of the absolute lymphocyte count, establishment of baseline values of the cellular and chemical components of the blood, and urinalysis. Following significant whole-body exposure to penetrating radiation, laboratory tests are required to monitor the development of granulocytopenia and thrombocytopenia and to provide information necessary for the prevention, control, and treatment of infection and/or bleeding. Chromosome analysis may aid in dosimetry, and a procedure for collecting and shipping blood for analysis by experts in radiation cytogenetics is described.

Diagnosis, Differential↗
PubMed1977

The effect of freezing and the influence of isolation medium on the recovery of pathogenic fungi from sputum.

The primary objective of this study was to determine whether freezing sputa in dry ice had any effect on the recovery of pathogenic fungi. Sputa seeded with each of five fungi (Histoplasma capsulatum, Blastomyces dermatitidis, Cryptococus neoformans, Coccidioides immitis, and Aspergillus fumigatus) were frozen and stored for 24, 48, and 72 hours on dry ice. H. capsulatum was killed, and only a few colonies of B. dermatitidis and C. neoformans were isolated from these sputa. However, A. fumigatus and C. immitis withstood the effects of freezing. A second objective was to compare the recovery of all five fungi from seeded sputa stored at room temperature for 24, 48, and 72 hours, on yeast extract-phosphate agar with NH4OH and on Sabhi agar. The yeast extract-phosphate agar with NH4OH was superior to Sabhi agar, for the isolation of all fungi studied, except A. fumigatus.

Agar↗
PubMed1977

Laboratory-acquired sporotrichosis.

A case of laboratory-acquired sporotrichosis was diagnosed by immunofluorescence and by culture. The patient was then cured by treatment with oral potassium iodide. The need to handle cultures of Sporothrix schenckii with due caution is stressed.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Amniotic fluid tests for fetal maturity in normal and abnormal pregnancies.

Amniotic fluid creatinine, percentage of lipid-positive cells, and L/S ratio were determined on 285 samples from normal pregnancies and 222 samples from abnormal pregnancy states (Rh isoimmunization, diabetes, hypertensive disorders, intrauterine growth retardation, and hydramnios). In normal pregnancy the coefficient of correlation between true gestational age and estimated period of gestation (EPG) based on the three parameters was 0.94, in Rh isoimmunization 0.77, in diabetes 0.67, and in hypertensive disorders 0.59. In intrauterine growth retardation both the L/S ratio and creatinine were depressed, the coefficient was 0.61, and the EPG was consistently less than the true gestational age. The mean L/S ratio in pre-eclampsia was slightly below the normal mean and in diabetes the mean L/S ratio was also depressed. In 150 samples taken within 48 hours of delivery L/S ratios were accurate in assessing fetal pulmonary maturity although there was a 20 per cent incidence over all of false-immature values. There were no false-mature values except in diabetes (2/9).

Amniotic Fluid↗
PubMed1971

Percutaneous aspiration lung biopsy.

A total of 182 percutaneous trans-thoracic aspiration biopsies were performed in 164 patients over a three-year period. In malignant neoplasms arising in the lung the diagnostic accuracy rate was 84%. In the non-malignant localized parenchymal lesions the accuracy drops considerably unless the lesion is cystic or cavitary. Some patients with non-parenchymal lesions were selected to assess further the value of this procedure. It proved much less rewarding in lesions of the chest wall, diaphragm and also in diffuse parenchymal disease. These lesions may be more accurately identified by other methods of biopsy. Lesions presenting as a mediastinal mass are an intermediate group and in selected cases helpful information can often be obtained by small-bore needle aspiration, particularly if a pericardial, bronchogenic or thymic cyst is suspected. Recent reports have shown that the aspiration of pulmonary lesions can be utilized to obtain viable tumour cells for chemosensitivity testing. The aspiration of nodular pulmonary lesions should be considered when a diagnosis is not forthcoming from the usual investigative means, since there has been little morbidity and no mortality in the series.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1966

Occult carcinoma of the bronchus.

The term "occult carcinoma" is applied to those patients with carcinoma of the bronchus at an in situ or early invasive stage who have carcinoma cells in their sputum but have no recognizable evidence of tumour in the chest radiograph. In eight such patients at the Toronto General Hospital, the lesion was localized and treatment instituted. Our experience with these eight patients can be compared with that of 27 patients described in two similar studies. The lesions were commonly symptomatic. Localization, although sometimes difficult, was accomplished using information obtained during bronchoscopy and bronchography. The prognosis following adequate resection appeared excellent. No patient died of carcinoma during the post-treatment follow-up period, which was continued for a minimum of 18 months. Pathological evidence indicates that bronchial carcinoma at this occult stage can be diagnosed cytologically, is rarely multifocal and, as a localized neoplasm, is amenable to curative therapy.

Aged↗