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Biomedical subjects

F Miller

Publications and source records attributed to F Miller.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

The effect of platelet activating factor on different phases of murine in vitro fertilization.

PURPOSE: Our purpose was to examine the effect of platelet activating factor (PAF) in different phases of mouse in vitro fertilization and optimal parameters that would enhance the fertilization rate. DESIGN AND SETTINGS: Various PAF concentrations (10(-7) to 10(-5) M) were selected to investigate its effect on three phases of mouse in vitro fertilization (i.e., sperm capacitation, sperm/oocyte coincubation, and preimplantation embryo growth) in three experimental groups: (I) with PAF treatment in the first phase, (II) with PAF treatment adopted in the first and second phases, and (III) with PAF treatment implemented in all three phases. RESULTS: The improvement of the fertilization rate in PAF treatment groups over the control group ranges from 6.5 to 19.0% (P < 0.05-P < 0.001). The highest enhancement of fertilization rate was achieved under the condition of PAF treatment (10(-6) M) through sperm capacitation and sperm/oocyte coincubation phases. CONCLUSION: The PAF concentration of 10(-6) M in sperm capacitation and sperm/oocyte coincubation yielded the greatest improvement in fertilization. However, continuing PAF treatment after sperm/oocyte coincubation had no beneficial effect on fertilization and preimplantation development.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

ras and c-myc protein expression in colorectal carcinoma. Study of cancer-prone patients.

This study was performed to determine the correlation of tumor ras and c-myc oncogene expression with clinical and prognostic variables in patients prone to develop colorectal cancer. One hundred eighteen patients with colorectal cancer were studied; mean age was 40 years. Fifty-three were young patients (age 40 or less), 49 had ulcerative colitis, and 16 had multiple polyposis coli. Immunoperoxidase stains of paraffin-embedded cancer sections were performed for the c-myc and ras proteins. ras staining was found to correlate with Dukes stage and prognosis. Patients with tumors negative for ras protein stain had an actuarial five-year survival of 61 percent versus 44 percent for those tumors with a positive stain (P less than 0.05). This correlation was not seen with the c-myc stain. Positive ras oncogene stain appears to be a useful indicator of advanced stage and poor prognosis in colorectal cancer occurring in cancer-prone patients.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1992

Evaluation of maternal fluid dynamics during tocolytic therapy with ritodrine hydrochloride and magnesium sulfate.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to observe and compare the effects of ritodrine hydrochloride and magnesium sulfate on maternal fluid dynamics. STUDY DESIGN: Fourteen women in preterm labor were prospectively studied during tocolytic therapy with either ritodrine hydrochloride or magnesium sulfate. The cardiovascular and renal effects of a pretreatment crystalloid infusion were compared with those observed during tocolytic therapy. Profile analysis and repeated measures of variance were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Ritodrine hydrochloride was associated with decreased colloid osmotic pressure, hematocrit, and serum proteins and increased maternal and fetal heart rates. Arginine vasopressin levels increased during the first 2 hours of therapy, then returned to baseline. Sodium excretion was reduced and there was marked fluid retention. Intravenous magnesium sulfate also resulted in a reduction of colloid osmotic pressure, but hematocrit, serum protein concentration, arginine vasopressin, maternal and fetal heart rates, and mean arterial pressure were minimally affected. Sodium excretion increased to a maximum at 6 to 8 hours of treatment, then returned to baseline. A positive fluid balance was also noted in magnesium sulfate-treated patients but to a lesser degree than with ritodrine. CONCLUSIONS: Sodium retention appears to be the primary cause of plasma volume expansion in ritodrine-treated patients, whereas volume expansion during magnesium sulfate therapy is probably related to intravenous overhydration. In the absence of risk factors for pulmonary capillary membrane injury, available evidence supports volume overload as the principal mechanism for pulmonary edema during tocolytic therapy.

Arginine Vasopressin↗
PubMed1992

Height measurement of patients with neuromuscular disease and contractures.

Patients with neuromuscular diseases frequently have joint contractures, which preclude standard measurements of standing height. Standing height, arm-span, forearm and ulnar-segment measurements were taken of 116 normal children without contractures. Measurement of the forearm segment had the highest correlation with standing height, but it requires a special ruler. Arm-span measurement had good correlation with standing height, although this cannot be used if elbow or shoulder contractures are present; in such patients ulnar segment measurement can be used, but it has the lowest correlation with standing height.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Spinal fusion in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Sixty-eight patients from a clinical population of 183 patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy underwent posterior spinal fusion with instrumentation for progressive spinal deformity. Pulmonary complications were the most common postoperative problem, occurring in 17 per cent of the patients. A 35 per cent normal forced vital capacity was a reliable indicator of pulmonary complication risk. The patients with surgically stabilized spines were more comfortable in the later years of life and easier to care for, but deteriorating pulmonary function was not affected by the spinal fusion. The average age at death for the 29 boys who underwent spinal fusion was 18.3 years, which was similar to that of the 58 boys with scoliosis. Factors that improved the patients' quality of life included segmental instrumentation, fusion from T2 to the pelvis, correcting or balancing scoliosis, creating normal sagittal plane alignment and correcting pelvic obliquity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Postoperative heterotopic ossification in the child with cerebral palsy: three case reports.

Three children with cerebral palsy and mental retardation showed irritability after surgical procedures. They were subsequently diagnosed as having heterotopic ossification. Heterotopic ossification developed around the hip in all cases--two after bilateral adductor releases at the operative site and the third after spinal fusion at a site unrelated to the surgery.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

DNA ploidy of colorectal cancer and synchronous polyps in polyposis coli.

Sixteen patients with polyposis coli and cancer were studied retrospectively to determine the incidence of DNA ploidy abnormalities in the tumors and synchronous polyps. Six patients (37 percent) had nondiploid tumors. Nondiploid tumors were more likely to be advanced and had a significantly worse prognosis (17 percent vs. 76 percent 5-year survival; P less than 0.01). Only 4 of 20 polyps studied were nondiploid. There was no association between tumor and polyp ploidy. All nondiploid polyps were found in patients with synchronous diploid cancers. Patients with nondiploid polyps were more likely to be older and have more advanced tumors than those with diploid polyps. DNA ploidy abnormalities seem to occur with the same frequency in polyposis coli as in the nonpolyposis population, and tumor ploidy correlates with prognosis.

Adenomatous Polyposis Coli↗
PubMed1991

Prediction of treatment response in bipolar, manic disorder.

We examined the records of 53 patients with a diagnosis of bipolar affective disorder, manic. Thirteen patients were refractory to lithium carbonate treatment. Clinical variables hypothesized to have value in predicting response including the presence of elation, grandiosity, paranoia, irritability, delusions and hallucinations did not predict treatment response.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1991

Retroperitoneal fibrosis as host response to papillary renal cell carcinoma.

A case of papillary renal cell carcinoma associated with retroperitoneal fibrosis is described. This type of fibrosis has not been previously reported to be associated with renal cell carcinoma. The case is of additional interest in that it implicates an immune phenomenon in the pathogenesis of the fibrosis, involving both putative tumor antigens and antigens associated with tumor growth but unrelated to tumor cells.

Antigens, Neoplasm↗
PubMed1991

The neuromuscular pathology of the Eosinophilia-Myalgia syndrome.

The Eosinophilia-Myalgia Syndrome (EMS) is a recently reorganized disorder in patients ingesting pharmacologic doses of L-tryptophan. We studied the lesions of skeletal muscle, peripheral nerve and skin in 12 cases of EMS. Perimyositis was severe in four, moderate in two, mild in three and absent in three cases. The lesions contained many eosinophils, T-helper cells, mast cells and activated macrophages. Type 2 myofiber atrophy was present in five cases and in one, this was the only pathologic finding. Severe epineurial inflammation was seen in the three sural nerve biopsies. Indirect evidence for peripheral neurologic involvement in three other cases consisted of inflammation surrounding intramuscular nerve twigs (two cases) and neurogenic atrophy (one case). Phlebitis accompanied the connective tissue inflammation in five cases and endarteritis in one. Fasciitis was present in three of four skin biopsies and dermal fibrosis in one.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Evidence for keratin proteins in normal and abnormal human meibomian fluids.

Hyperkeratinization of meibomian glands has been postulated to cause gland dysfunction. Recent investigations on rabbits show that keratin proteins are indeed present in the meibomian fluids of these animals. In this report we present our findings on the presence of these water-insoluble proteins in human meibomian secretions. 6 anti-cytokeratin antibodies, CK8, 18, 19, CK7, CK8, CK14, CK19 and AE1/AE3 were used against the keratin proteins expressed from the human meibomian fluids. Using the immunoblotting (dot blot) technique, abnormal waxy meibomian fluids obtained from subjects diagnosed to have meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) were compared to normal clear meibomian fluids. The results show that keratins are present in a higher concentration (10%) in the abnormal human meibomian excreta as compared to the normals. Even though the presence of protein markers for keratinization in the abnormal meibomian excreta were not shown, the increased presence of keratin proteins in the abnormal meibomian fluids suggests that, in MGD patients, hyperkeratinization of ductal epithelium may have taken place. More keratin proteins (possibly those of higher molecular weights) were produced in addition to the keratin proteins normally produced by the duct epithelium. The increased amount of keratin proteins in the abnormal meibomian fluids may be explained by the susceptibility of duct epithelium to undergo the process of hyperkeratinization as postulated by other researchers.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗