The fate of implantable silicone.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to J C Fisher.
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The use of meshed skin grafts allows an evaluation of the biologic properties of stored tissues such as skin. Frozen allograft may serve as an excellent biologic membrane, but it is not a satisfactory product for longer term allografting (intermediate allografting). The method of thawing (microwave oven versus water bath) appeared to have little effect on the ultimate viability and outcome of the frozen allograft.
Sera from 38 of 72 burn patients have been found to be significantly suppressive to the PHA-induced blastogenesis of normal human lymphocytes in culture. In many of these patients, we have observed that suppression levels decline with recovery. In a study of eight of these patients, we have found that the addition of post recovery serum to cultures of normal lymphoyctes blocked the suppressive effect of autologous serum obtained earlier. Blocking appears to be achieved through the formation of antibodies since: a) IgG levels are greatly elevated in serum samples having blocking activity, b) the time of appearance of blocking substances in the serum is compatible with the generation of antibody, and c) blocking activity is contained in the protein-A isolated IgG fraction of such post recovery serum.
We have studied the immune response of six patients admitted to the San Diego Regional Burn Treatment Center for treatment of major thermal injuries. Three of the patients retained skin allografts from unrelated donors for long periods (37, 47, and 67 days) while the remaining three rejected their grafts at 8, 10, and 12 days, respectively. Allograft survival appeared to be directly related to the immunosuppressive activity of patient sera on phytohemagglutinin-induced blastogenesis of normal lymphocytes in vitro. Survival did not appear to be related to patient lymphocyte number or reduced reactivity, nor was graft prolongation accompanied by reduced immunoglobulin production. Our work thus supports the hypothesis that spontaneous immunosuppression may be of importance in the clinical consequences of thermal injuries.
A simplified procedure for the harvest and preservation of human allograft skin for burn treatment is outlined. In establishing a skin bank to serve the San Diego County Regional Burn Treatment Center, our primary goals were to deliver a low-cost product, monitored to be free of significant bacterial contamination. Our own innovations include the use of Falcon 2070 tubes as packaging material, and the use of microwave energy for the safe, rapid thawing of liquid nitrogen stored tissue.
Electrical injury results in serious damage or amputation of the upper extremity in a significant percentage of survivors. Fourteen of sixteen patients with electrical injuries followed over a two and a half year period had major hand wounds. Careful wound assessment, management, and closure combined with appropriate reconstructive technics now available provide the greatest potential for restoration of satisfactory quality of life. Because these injuries are often of an industrial nature, occupational vigilance and prevention remain essential.
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Clinical pathologies with unusually high morbidities in alcoholic populations were analyzed to determine their capacity to diagnose alcoholism. On the basis of five systemic variables it was possible to diagnose correctly nearly 75% of alcoholic and matched control subjects.
On completion of an alcoholism education course, family-practice residents exhibited significant cognitive and affective learning as evidenced by increases in factual knowledge about alcoholism and improved attitudes toward alcoholic patients. Diagnostic patterns were also improved.
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A plastic surgical teaching service has been organized at a women's correctional institution to provide a previously unrecognized medical need and to serve a valuable educational function for our residents in training. A total of 177 surgical candidates demonstrating a wide range of reconstructive problems including tattoos, scars, keloids, neoplasms of the skin and hands, deformities of the face and breasts, and numerous disabilities of the hands were identified among 241 inmates requesting examination. Thus far, 116 operative procedures have been performed on 101 patients. Patient acceptance has been high, and the support of prison authorities has been enthusiastic. Persistent efforts to convince legislators of the wisdom of supporting this program financially have only been partially successful and will require further accumulation of sociologic data bearing on the rehabilitative potential of the detained patient with a correctable deformity. Meanwhile, residents in training gain maturity as they provide a very "private" type of service for what has traditionally been considered a very "public" population of patients.
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Family-practice residents rated alcoholics as weaker, sicker and more hopeless and aimless than average persons on an adjective semantic differential, and diabetics as sicker than average persons. The implications for the diagnosis and treatment of alcoholism are discussed.
The over-all ratings assigned by first- and second-year medical students and housestaff (residents and interns) to alcoholics on a 16-adjectivee bipolar semantic differential measure differed significantly. Mean ratings by the housestaff were lowest and the ratings by the second-year students were lower than those of the first-year students on 5 of the 6 adjective pairs on which the groups differed significantly.
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