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Biomedical subjects

H M Prichard

Publications and source records attributed to H M Prichard.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

The role of the expert witness: an update.

As in the past, the principle role of the scientist in the courtroom is to assist attorneys, judges, and jurors in understanding the complex scientific and technical issues before them. In the last decade, however, changes in the law and the increasing technical complexity of many disputes have introduced new factors that influence the preparation and presentation of expert testimony. The most significant change in the law regarding expert testimony is arguably the 1993 Supreme Court ruling in Daubert vs. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals. Under Daubert, scientific evidence may be submitted to the jury if the judge finds that it rests on a reliable foundation and is relevant to the task at hand. Reliability and relevance replace the older requirement of "general acceptance by the scientific community," although "general acceptance" remains a factor in the consideration of reliability. The tests of reliability and relevance and their impact on the preparation of expert opinions are discussed in the context of increasingly complex radiation cases, with emphasis on cases involving teams of experts.

Expert Testimony↗
PubMed2000

Impact of noninvasive imaging on increased incidental detection of renal cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of non-invasive imaging, specifically ultrasound imaging and computed tomography, on the incidental detection of renal cell carcinoma during two consecutive time periods, one prior and one subsequent to the acquisition of imaging equipment. METHODS: All located patient charts (83% of 207) of renal cell carcinoma cases (n = 172) were reviewed, and categorized by presentation method as 'incidental' or 'nonincidental' cases, based on defined criteria. Clinical information was recorded, cases were staged, and survival estimates were calculated. RESULTS: More than a third of the 172 cases were categorized as incidentally detected, most of which (82.5%) were detected during the latter time period. Either ultrasound or CT imaging was credited with detecting over 80% of the incidentally detected tumors. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound and CT imaging have contributed to the incidental detection of renal cell carcinomas during the two time periods. Stage significantly predicted survival (p<0.001) in a Cox proportional hazard model that also controlled for presentation, sex, and age.

Carcinoma, Renal Cell↗
PubMed1990

A surveillance system for assessing health effects from hazardous exposures.

A statistical procedure for monitoring the health status of a community potentially exposed to a hazardous environment is presented. It utilizes two levels of investigation. Level I studies monitor routinely collected vital statistics and routes of community exposure whereas level II studies require additional data collection and are further distinguished by their design and duration. In a level I study, routine vital statistics for specified end points over a specified period of time are monitored, and the observed number of events is compared with the expected number of events for a given population. The statistical model used with this procedure employs a two-step decision rule based on the standardized mortality ratio for the study community. An "alert status" is invoked when the number of events exceeds a prescribed excess. An "action status" is indicated if the excess noted in the initial period persists or if the observed number of events in the initial period greatly exceeds expectation. Should an "action status" be justified, level II studies to determine the likely explanation for the significant excess are initiated. This could include the conduct of a "case-control" study using the exposure data available from monitoring the community.

Cluster Analysis↗
PubMed1985

Radiological health implications of lead-210 and polonium-210 accumulations in LPG refineries.

Radon-222, a naturally occurring radioactive noble gas, is often a contaminant in natural gas. During fractionation at processing plants, Radon tends to be concentrated in the Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) product stream. Radon-222 decays into a number of radioactive metallic daughters which can plate out on the interior surfaces of plant machinery. The hazards associated with gamma-emitting short-lived radon daughters have been investigated previously. The present work reports an analysis of the hazards associated with the long-lived daughters; Pb-210, Bi-210, and Po-210. These nuclides do not emit appreciable penetrating radiation, and hence do not represent a hazard as long as they remain on the inside surfaces of equipment. However, when equipment that has had prolonged exposure to an LPG stream is disassembled for repair or routine maintenance, opportunities for exposure to radioactive materials can occur. This paper reports a series of measurements made on an impeller taken from a pump in an LPG facility. Alpha spectroscopy revealed the presence of Po-210, and further measurements showed that the amount on the impeller surface was well above the exempt quantity. Breathing zone measurements made in the course of cleaning the impeller showed that an inhalation exposure equivalent to breathing Po-210 at the Maximum Permissible Concentration (MPC) for 60 hours could be delivered in less than half an hour. It was concluded that maintenance and repair work on LPG and derivitive product stream equipment must be carried out with the realization that a potential radiological health problem exists.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Air Pollution, Radioactive↗
PubMed1985

The occurrence of radioactivity in public water supplies in the United States.

Examination of the collected data for radionuclide concentration measurements in public water supplies in the United States show more than 51,000 measurements for gross alpha-particle activity and/or Ra, 89,900 measurements for U, and 9,000 measurements for Rn. These measurements were made as part of national and state surveys of radionuclide concentrations in utility water supplies for Ra and Rn; and the National Uranium Resource Evolution (NURE) survey for U which included non-utility water supplies. Surface water has low values for Ra and Rn but levels comparable to ground water for U. Separate isotope measurements were not taken for much of the Ra and U data. Because 226Ra to 228Ra ratios and 238U to 234U ratios are not fixed in water, further measurements are needed to establish the specific isotopic concentrations by region. Analysis of the state average values in geological provinces shows the highest provincial areas for Ra are the Upper Coastal Plain, the glaciated Central Platform, and the Colorado plateau. For U, the highest areas are the Colorado plateau, the West Central Platform, and the Rocky Mountains. For Rn, the highest provinces are New England and the Appalachian Highlands-Piedmont. Regional hydrogeological and geochemical models are suggested for guiding the formulation of regional standards and monitoring strategies. Utility supplies serving small populations have the highest concentration for each radionuclide and have the lowest fraction of samples measured, which shows a need for further measurements of these small population water supplies. Risk estimates for the average concentration of Ra in utility ground water give about 941 fatal cancers per 70.7-yr lifetime in the United States. Risk estimates for the average concentration of U in utility surface and ground water give about 105 fatal cancers per 70.7-yr lifetime in the United States. Using 1 pCi/liter in air for 10,000 pCi/l in water, the Rn in utility water risk estimate is for 4,400-22,000 fatal cancers per 70.7-yr lifetime in the United States.

Air Pollutants, Radioactive↗
PubMed1985

A passive diffusion 222Rn sampler based on activated carbon adsorption.

A simple passive sampler for 222Rn with up to 24-hr integration times can be constructed by using a diffusion barrier to regulate the effective sampling rate of an ambient temperature activated carbon bed. The diffusion element serves to make sampler performance relatively independent of the properties of the type of carbon used. Satisfactory results are obtained if the total effective sample volume is kept well below the equivalent air volume of the activated carbon bed. The influence of various temperature and Rn profiles on the sampler's performance have been examined by experiment and by simulation. The amount of Rn adsorbed may be measured by gamma spectroscopy, by outgassing into an alpha scintillation flask, or by desorption into a liquid scintillator. In the latter case, a sensitivity of 0.2 pCi l-1 is obtainable for 24-hr exposures.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1983

A solvent extraction technique for the measurement of 222Rn at ambient air concentrations.

The high solubility of radon in cold organic solvents is exploited to extract radon directly from a sample air stream into a hexane-based liquid scintillation solution. Up to 10 l. of air is passed through 20 ml of solvent held at -78 degrees C in a bath of dry ice and acetone. The solvent is then transferred to an ordinary glass liquid scintillation vial that has been preloaded with 2 ml of concentrated fluors. A large number of samples can be prepared in a short time with minimal equipment, making it possible for field workers to conveniently collect numerous samples prior to returning to the laboratory. After allowing an interval of at least 3 hr after processing for radon daughter ingrowth, the vials are counted on an unmodified liquid scintillation system with a narrow window set around the radon and polonium alpha peaks. The large sample volume more than compensates for the relatively high alpha background of liquid scintillators. Relevant theoretical considerations and alternate sampling strategies are discussed.

Air↗
PubMed1981

Iodine-131 levels in sludge and treated municipal wastewaters near a large medical complex.

Iodine-131 was found to dominate the gamma spectra of dried sludge and concentration liquid effluent samples from a sewage treatment plant serving the area containing the Texas Medical Center in 1975. The concentration of Iodine-131 varied considerably on a time scale of weeks but was fairly stable in the course of a single day. The partition of Iodine-131 between the dried sludge and the liquid effluent was found to be reasonably constant during the sampling period. Knowledge of the concentration in these phases and the daily output of sludge and effluent let to be estimate of an annual discharge of over one Curie of Iodine-131. Circumstantial evidence linking this discharge to the practice of nuclear medicine in the area is considered strong, but an attempt to correlate variation in the effluent activity with actual nuclide use was inconclusive due, among other reasons, to an insufficient clinical data base. An analysis of possible exposure pathway indicated that negligible human exposure resulted from the Iodine-131 released primarily because the receiving body of water is a saline industrial waterway. A more extensive analysis would be in order for a similar plant discharging treated wastewaters into an inland water system.

Academic Medical Centers↗