Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to G Royle.
Steatocystoma multiplex is usually a minor cosmetic problem but rarely can be extremely disfiguring. Unfortunately, the very patients who would benefit most from treatment are usually regarded as having too may cysts for surgery. We report a case of extensive steatocystoma multiplex which was treated by a simple surgical technique under general anaesthetic.
Forty benign and 31 malignant breast tissues were examined using a one stage colloid-stabilising silver technique for argyrophilic nucleolar organiser regions (AgNOR). In 31 patients TNM staging was correlated to AgNOR score. There was a positive correlation with the T-stage and AgNOR score of the tumor (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient = 0.437). The N-stage and AgNOR score for breast cancers (n = 10) were inversely related, and there was a significant difference between the lymph node positive and negative groups (P less than 0.05). No significant relationship was identified between oestrogen receptor negative and positive groups and AgNOR score (P = 0.63). Mean regression analysis suggests that independent of the Bloom's grade, the AgNOR score is an indicator of tumour size.
Haemophilia B Leyden is characterized by severe factor IX deficiency during childhood with partial resolution at puberty or following the administration of anabolic steroids. The disorder has recently been associated with point mutations in the putative factor IX promoter region, which contains an imperfect direct repeat spanning a possible start site of transcription. We have identified a T to C transition at position +8 in the promoter region of a patient with the haemophilia B Leyden phenotype. A mutation at this site has not been previously reported and occurs within the repeat consensus sequence in the transcribed but untranslated portion of the gene. There is no family history of haemophilia and sequence analysis of his mother and other family members indicates that the mutation has arisen de novo in this patient. This observation provides further support for a causal relationship between point mutations in the presumptive promoter region of the factor IX gene and the Leyden phenotype.
Evidence from randomised clinical trials suggests that adjuvant cytotoxic liver perfusion with 5-fluorouracil following resection of colorectal carcinoma may improve survival in some patients. Various methods of cannulating the portal vein or a tributary at the time of surgery have been described. We describe a simple method of accessing the portal venous circulation via a tributary in the small bowel mesentery, employing a new type of polyurethane catheter. The technical details are discussed with reference to previous literature.
A total of 52 jaundiced elderly patients who had malignant obstruction of the distal common bile duct and who required palliative biliary decompression were randomized to receive either an endoscopically placed biliary endoprosthesis (10 French gauge) or conventional surgical bypass. Patients within the two treatment groups were well matched and 51 were followed until their death. Patients treated with endoprosthesis had a significantly shorter initial hospital stay than those treated surgically. In the long term, overall survival in the two groups was similar and jaundice was relieved in over 90 per cent of patients. Despite more re-admissions to hospital for those patients treated endoscopically, the total time spent in hospital still remained significantly shorter in this treatment group compared with those subjected to surgery. The endoscopically placed biliary endoprosthesis is a valuable alternative to conventional surgical bypass in the palliation of extrahepatic biliary obstruction.
A study of 1458 patients who had undergone breast aspiration cytology was conducted to determine the diagnostic accuracy of the technique. The effect of tumour histology and size on the unsatisfactory aspirate and false negative rate was examined. Seven hundred and thirty one patients (50%) had histological diagnoses. The sensitivity of aspiration cytology for malignancy was 64% for the first aspiration, but was 91% in patients who had had 3 aspirates. The specificity was 56%, this low figure was almost entirely due to inadequate or unsatisfactory cytological preparations. The positive and negative predictive values of aspiration cytology were 99.4% and 85% respectively demonstrating high diagnostic accuracy given a satisfactory aspirate. Invasive lobular carcinoma yielded a significantly higher unsatisfactory rate than invasive ductal carcinoma (P less than 0.001) and fibroadenoma yielded a significantly lower unsatisfactory rate than fibroadenosis (P less than 0.001). Mass size influenced the unsatisfactory rate for invasive ductal carcinoma (P less than 0.05) and fibroadenoma, but not for invasive lobular carcinoma or fibroadenosis. Only 2 of the 32 false negatives were due to misinterpretation, the remainder resulted from the aspiration needle missing the mass. We conclude that aspiration cytology is an accurate preoperative diagnostic procedure for the evaluation of breast masses. Unsatisfactory or negative aspirates should be regarded as 'non-results' if there is clinical or radiological suspicion of malignancy.
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The acute changes in concentrations of key blood metabolites and liver function tests were measured following intravenous infusion of Corynebacterium parvum in 9 healthy patients who had recently undergone resection of a colorectal cancer. The following results were obtained: 1) Blood glucose, lactate and ketone body concentrations significantly increased over a 5 hour study period; 2) blood alanine fell during the same period; 3) plasma bilirubin, GOT and urea were significantly elevated 24 hours after C. parvum 4) plasma albumin and cholesterol concentrations were significantly lower 24 hours after C. parvum. These changes are similar to the alterations in hepatic metabolism previously described in clinical bacterial infections, and indicate parenchymal cell damage and reduced synthetic activity. They are potentially important in relation to the treatment of cancer with combined modalities where drug metabolism or excretion may be affected.
Liver function and lactate metabolism were investigated in non-shocked, severely ill surgical patients. Fasting venous blood lactate concentration was increased and plasma liver function tests were abnormal in ill patients compared with controls. Ill patients were glucose-intolerant and blood lactate changes following intravenous glucose infusion were similar in both ill and control patients. Blood lactate half-life was increased in ill patients following a sodium L-lactate infusion, suggesting that the increased fasting lactate concentration may have been due to decreased hepatic removal rather than to increased peripheral production of lactate.
1. Galactose utilization after intravenous injection was measured in fed and fasted man together with changes in blood glucose, lactate and insulin. 2. Feeding did not alter blood galactose half-life. 3. The mean increases in blood glucose and lactate were greater in the fasted subjects but their concentrations reached similar values in both fed and fasted states. 4. Plasma insulin increased after galactose in the fasted state, but there was no change in the fed state, indicating that galactose is not insulinogenic. 5. After an intravenous galactose load in the fed state insulin appears to inhibit hepatic glucose release. 6. An intravenous galactose test might be a useful measure of hepatic glucose release under different physiological and pathological conditions.
1. Hepatic carbohydrate metabolism was studied by an intravenous galactose test in control patients, malnourished non-septic patients, patients with prolonged severe sepsis and patients after recovery from sepsis. 2. Blood galactose half-life was not significantly increased in the septic group despite abnormal liver-function tests, whereas it was approximately doubled in the malnourished patients. 3. The rise in blood glucose after galactose injection was less in both the septic and malnourished groups, as compared with that in the control subjects. 4. Fasting blood glucose, lactate and pyruvate concentrations were similar in all groups, whereas blood ketone bodies were increased in the malnourished and septic groups, and blood alanine was decreased only in the septic group. 5. The changes in hepatic metabolism and function were reversible on recovery from sepsis. 6. It is suggested that alterations in hepatic blood flow and the metabolic fate of galactose within the liver may explain the changes in the metabolic response to galactose observed in malnourished or septic patients.
Renacidin has been shown to dissolve small fragments of infected renal calculi in vitro. 34 patients with infected calculi have undergone pyelolithotomy and postoperative renal irrigation with Renacidin. 30 patients were women and Proteus was the commonest infecting organism. Renal irrigation appears to be safe if closely monitored and covered by antibiotic therapy. 24.4% of calculi had recurred at a mean follow-up of 42 months. The rate of recurrence or unilateral calculi was much less than that of bilateral calculi (15% vs. 40%). Persistent postoperative urinary tract infections later led to recurrent stone formation.
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A human skull is described in which the middle meningeal artery probably arose bilaterally from the lacrimal artery. The branches of the middle meningeal vessels, however, were normal both in their position and distribution. This anomaly is a rare occurrence and is of neurosurgical importance.
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