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Biomedical subjects

H N Desai

Publications and source records attributed to H N Desai.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

Tuberculous pericarditis. A review of 100 cases.

A retrospective survey of 100 Black patients with presumed tuberculous paricarditis showed that 82 presented with pericardial effusion while 18 had constrictive pericarditis. The mortality rate was 17%. Of the 82 patients with pericardial effusion, 15 developed 'constricting pericarditis' within 4 months; 12 required pericardiectomy. Sixteen patients died of cardiac tamponade; the effusion had been confirmed by a radio-isotope heart pool scan but had not been aspirated. This emphasizes the need for early and repeated pericardial aspiration. The fate of 38 rural patients with pericardial effusion was not known. Of the 18 patients with constrictive pericarditis, 7 underwent pericardiectomy, while 3 refused operation.

Adolescent

Cell-mediated immunity in measles using the leucocyte migration test.

The cell-mediated immune response was investigated in 21 children with acute measles and in 8 healthy children using the intradermal Heaf and leucocyte migration tests. Tuberculin and purified protein derivative were used as antigens. Whereas all the children with measles were anergic in the in vivo test, two groups of children, i.e. 'reactors' and 'non-reactors' could be delinerated with the in vitro test. The mechanisms responsible for the anergy are discussed.

Child

Failure to obtain positive MEM tests in either cell-mediated immune conditions in the guinea-pig or in human cancer.

The macrophage electrophoretic mobility test described by Caspary and Field (1971) and modified by Pritchard et al. (1973) was investigated in various models of cell-mediated immune conditions in the guinea-pig and in cancer in man. No positive results were obtained in 92 guinea-pig experiments. Only 17 of 154 experiments on 74 patients gave definite positives in experiments with human cancer and a few positive results were obtained with normal healthy subjects.

Animals

Immunological aspects of hepatocellular carcinoma in the guinea-pig.

Experimental observations were made on hepatic cancer induced with diethylnitrosamine (DEN) in guinea-pigs. Two cancer cell lines have been established in tissue culture and their antigenicity investigated. Tumour antignes were not found on normal liver cells, liver cells damaged wtih carbon tetrachloride and fetal liver cells obtained from fetuses more than 35 days old. The possibility of using immunological techniques to investigate the antigenicity of human cancer is discussed.

Animals

Clinical aspects of hepatocellular carcinoma in man.

The clinical and biochemical findings in 207 Black patients with hepatocellular carcinoma are presented. A bruit over the liver was heard in 25% of the patients, a previously underemphasised sign. In 28 of the 30 biopsy-proven cases alpha-fetoprotein levels were elevated. Hepatitis B antigen was found in 41% of the patients.

Adolescent