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Biomedical subjects

G Brook

Publications and source records attributed to G Brook.

43 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1979

Echocardiography in infective endocarditis. Lack of specificity in patients with valvular pathology.

59 patients with suspected infective endocarditis on a natural valve were studied by M-Mode echocardiography to determine the specificity of the ultrasonic technique in detecting valvular vegetations. All echocardiograms were read independently by two observers who were unaware of the final diagnosis. Among 40 patients who later proved not to have infective endocarditis, two (5%) were diagnosed by echocardiography as having either possible or probably vegetation by at least one observer. Both patients with a false positive diagnosis of vegetation had pre-existing valvular pathology, the presence of which greatly complicated the interpretation of the echocardiogram. Inter-observer disagreement occurred in 5 of the 59 studies (8.5%). The results of this study suggest that caution should be exerted in the echocardiographic diagnosis of vegetation in patients with pre-existing valvular pathology.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of heparin on lipoprotein profile during parenteral fat infusions.

Long-term administration of Intralipid to infants raises the potential risk of cumulative hyperlipemia. The elimination of lipoproteins from the blood during 3 hours of Intralipid infusion (0.33 grams per kilogram per hour) was investigated in five term infants during two infusion periods without and with heparin. A single intravenous injection of heparin (100 micron per kilogram) preceded the period of Intralipid infusion. During the nonheparin periods levels of triglycerides (L-particles) rose progressively to 1320 +/- 133 milligrams per 100 milliliters plasma, whereas during the heparin periods levels rose more moderately and peaked at 636 +/- 197 milligrams per 100 milliliter plasma (p less than 0.001-0.05). The study suggests that the heparin effect is still apparent for a period of 6 hours and repeated bolus injections may keep triglyceride levels at approximately normal concentrations during constant Intralipid infusion (0.166 grams per kilograms per hour).

Amino Acids↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cholesterol removal by haemoperfusion of whole blood in vivo.

Familial hypercholesterolaemia is caused by genetic defects in the cellular metabolism of cholesterol (C) and is characterized by high levels of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and premature atherosclerosis. The C is carried in the plasma mainly as an LDL-C complex, and removal of the latter from plasma is highly desirable. This task can be achieved by selective haemoperfusion (HP), thereby eliminating the need for plasmapheresis. Agarose beads (2 per cent agarose, 0.85 to 1.4 mm in diameter) were prepared, and crosslinked with epichlorohydrin. Heparin and/or ethanolamine were subsequently attached. The beads thus obtained were found to be suitable for the removal of LDL-C from the whole blood of hypercholesterolaemic rabbits, using a simple HP technique. A single two-hour HP treatment with a 40 ml column packed with active agarose beads resulted in a 30 per cent decrease in the C plasma level in the experimental animals. Our previous, in vitro, studies with the plasma of hypercholesterolaemic patients showed a high selectivity of the beads for LDL. Yet when used with hypercholesterolaemic rabbits, a relatively high amount of HDL was also removed from the blood. This can be attributed to a significant difference between the structure of human hypercholesterolaemic lipoproteins and that of rabbits. Upon treatment of blood using the active agarose beads, no abnormalities in plasma and blood composition were detected, except for some prolongation of PT. It is to be hoped that this new system will replace the presently used and highly expensive plasmapheresis.

Animals↗