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Biomedical subjects

E Amer

Publications and source records attributed to E Amer.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Marked tachypnea in siblings with chronic beryllium disease due to copper-beryllium alloy.

Two biological sisters working at the same factory for > 9 years developed chronic beryllium disease (CBD) from a copper-beryllium alloy. Both had marked tachypnea (36 breaths/min and 45 breaths/min at rest, respectively), persisting over 8 years. Ventilation during exercise (assessed in one sibling) was grossly excessive (57 L/min, expected 23 L/min) with a respiratory rate of 64 breaths/min even with normal baseline routine pulmonary function tests. Blood beryllium lymphocyte transformation test and lung biopsies confirmed the diagnosis. No other cases of CBD have been reported from this plant among about 120 workers. These cases support the genetic basis for berylliosis and illustrate the marked tachypnea that may accompany this disease.

Alloys↗
PubMed2000

Assessment of microbial community structure changes by amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA).

Amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) is a simple method based on restriction endonuclease digestion of the amplified bacterial 16S rDNA. In this study we have evaluated the suitability of this method to detect differences in activated sludge bacterial communities fed on domestic or industrial wastewater, and subject to different operational conditions. The ability of ARDRA to detect these differences has been tested in modified Ludzack-Ettinger (MLE) configurations. Samples from three activated sludge wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) with the MLE configuration were collected for both oxic and anoxic reactors, and ARDRA patterns using double enzyme digestions AluI+MspI were obtained. A matrix of Dice similarity coefficients was calculated and used to compare these restriction patterns. Differences in the community structure due to influent characteristics and temperature could be observed, but not between the oxic and anoxic reactors of each of the three MLE configurations. Other possible applications of ARDRA for detecting and monitoring changes in activated sludge systems are also discussed.

Aerobiosis↗
PubMed1995

Long-term cyclosporin A treatment in adults with refractory nephrotic syndrome.

Patients with refractory nephrotic syndrome (NS) are at risk of infections, thrombosis, renal failure, or inherent side effects of immunosuppressive therapy. In the present study we investigated the efficacy of cyclosporin A (Cy A) in treatment of adult patients with steroid-refractory NS. Fifteen patients were included, 13 of whom were steroid resistant. Initial renal histology showed minimal-change glomerulonephritis (MCGN) in 3 patients, focal segmental glomerulonephritis (FSGN) in 6 patients, and membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN) in 6 patients. Two steroid-dependent patients (one with MCGN and the other with FSGN) were included due to severe steroid side effects. Complete remission (CR) was achieved in those 2 patients, while in the steroid-resistant patients remission was only partial response (PR) and occurred in about half of the patients in each histological subgroup. In patients who responded to Cy A treatment, two attempts were made to taper off the drug, after 6 and 24 months. Unfortunately, both attempts were unsuccessful and NS relapsed. Except for hypertension in those with advanced renal insufficiency, the drug was well tolerated on long-term usage. A second kidney biopsy was carried out in patients in whom renal failure progressed despite Cy A therapy, and who did not show evidence of Cy A toxicity. These findings are in favor of Cy A for treatment of patients with refractory NS. Treatment with Cy A should be maintained for a minimum period of 3 months before considering its failure. The drug was found to be superior to steroid and conventional immunosuppressive drugs in treatment of steroid-refractory NS; however, the response was partial and was limited to only one-half of the patients in the different subgroups.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1981

Pulmonary core biopsy by percutaneous needle aspiration.

Percutaneous aspiration needle biopsy for pulmonary lesions has been practised for many years but has not until recently gained popularity. Further proof of its simplicity, safety and accuracy for both central and peripheral lesions is given in this retrospective study of 181 biopsies performed in a community hospital. The diagnostic yield was higher in neoplastic (87.5%) than in nonneoplastic (68.4%) lesions and higher in malignant (91%) than in benign (58.3%) neoplasms. The larger the lesion the higher was the success rate--95.6% if the lesion was larger than 3 cm. The complication rate was low (14.9%) and there were no deaths. There was no difference in the success rate or the incidence of complications between biopsy done for central or peripheral lesions. The complication rate did not differ between large and small lesions, localized or diffuse. The sample could be used for cell block histologic sectioning, which gave the same diagnostic accuracy as cytologic examination. There were no false-positive cytologic diagnoses. During the procedure the operator (a radiologist in all cases) was able to predict the diagnosis in cases of hamartoma and neurofibroma.

Adult↗