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Biomedical subjects

J Cosemans

Publications and source records attributed to J Cosemans.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1978

Adjuvant therapy with levamisole in resectable lung cancer.

In view of the discouraging results that have been obtained so far with the use of cytotoxic chemotherapy as an adjunct to surgery, a double-blind placebo-controlled evaluation of the adjuvant use of levamisole was conducted in 211 resectable lung cancer patients, following these patients for 2 years after their operation. Levamisole (or the placebo) was given for 3 days every 2 weeks and the dose level ranged 1.1--3.8 mg/kg per day (a fixed dose of 3 x 50 mg was given to all patients). It appeared that recurrences and carcinomatous deaths had occurred significantly less often in patients who had received a high dose (i.e., 2.1--3,8 mg/kg: patients weighing 70 kg or less) but not in the patients who received a lower dose. Patients who had more advanced cancers at the time of surgery seemed to have profited more from the treatment, but the results did not seem to depend upon the histologic type of the tumor or on the immune status of the patients as estimated from the skin test reactivity at the start. There was also suggestive evidence that levamisole may be more effective in preventing hematogenous dissemination than in inhibiting recurrences in the lung or the mediastinal tissues. Levamisole, if dosed adequately, appears to be a very suitable adjuvant treatment in resectable lung cancer patients as judged from its efficacy and its lack of troublesome side-effects.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1978

Comparison of 133Xe washout curves after bolus inhalation, perfusion, and equilibration.

In 6 healthy subjects and 13 patients with chronic obstructive lung disease, 133Xe washout curves after bolus inhalation, perfusion and equilibration were compared, using a gamma camera and computerized data handling. In healthy subjects the washout after equilibration was significantly slower than after the two other procedures. As this phenomenon occurred at the basal zones, it was attributed to the presence of airway closure in some units. In patients, the three washouts were significantly different from each other. This indicated the existence of intraregional inhomogeneity in ventilation, perfusion and ventilation-perfusion ratio. Our conclusion is that comparison of these different washout methods yields valuable information not only on absolute values of pulmonary function but also on the intraregional distribution, which cannot be obtained by other examinations.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Emphysema with minor airway obstruction and abnormal tests of small airway disease.

In 9 patients complaining primarily of exertional dyspnea, the diagnosis of early emphysema was made on the basis of a decrease of the elastic recoil of the lung and of the single breath diffusing capacity, in the presence of only minor airway obstruction as estimated from the routine pulmonary function tests. Closing volume, the alveolar plateau, dynamic compliance and maximal flow at 50% of the vital capacity were markedly abnormal; the maximal flow-static recoil pressure relationships suggest, however, that none of the patients suffered from small airway disease. We conclude that one should systematically consider early emphysema in the differential diagnosis of small airway disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Phentolamine infusion in cor pulmonale due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Continuous phentolamine infusion, produced a marked decrease in pulmonary arterial pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance with an increase in cardiac output, in the majority of a group of 13 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cor pulmonale. Changes in vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in one second, arterial blood gas values and peripheral blood pressure were not significant except in one patient. The changes in the pulmonary circulation are probably due to the alpha blocking effect of phentolamine, although a direct effect of the drug on vascular smooth muscle can not be excluded.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Xenon and nitrogen single-breath washout curves in patients with airway obstruction.

In patients with chronic obstructive lung disease, we determined single-breath N2 and 133 Xe washout curves, and regional distributions of volumes (Vr) and of 133Xe boluses inhaled at residual volume (VIRV). Patients suffering from emphysema with minimal airway obstruction demonstrated large closing volumes and apicobasal distribution gradients, apparently because of a steep pulmonary recoil pressure-volume curve. In one subject with basal small airway disease there was no vertical gradient in regional residual volume; closing volume was increased with the 133Xe technique but almost absent with the N2 technique. Patients with moderate-to-severe airway obstruction had upward-sloping alveolar plateaus without distinct phase IV, and small apicobasal differences in Vr and VIRV. The latter resulted probably from increased regional differences in time constants counteracting the influence of gravity. Finally, patients with severe airway obstruction and basal emphysema demonstrated a rising N2 but a descending 133Xe plateau; the gradient for VIRV was normal, and reversed for Vr. This pattern was attributed to nongravitational differences in time constants causing a first in-first out distribution.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

Horizontal gradient in ventilation distribution due to a localized chest wall abnormality.

Horizontal gradients in the distribution of ventilation and of regional vital capacities, as well as a reversed vertical, esophageal pressure gradient, were observed in a patient with a unilateral painful chest wall lesion. The distribution abnormalities disappeared after surgical treatment. These findings suggest that the interdependency between chest wall and lungs, and within the latter, between lobes, is an important factor determining the regional distribution of ventilation and the pleural pressure gradient in man.

Bronchial Fistula↗
PubMed1975

Diagnostic value of blood pool and transmission scan in cardiovascular and tissue pathology of the thoracic midline.

We reviewed 48 records of combined blood pool and transmission scans, performed in the last three years for mediastinal masses and cardiomegaly. The purpose was to investigate the diagnostic value of this radioisotopic examination, and in particular to compare it with the roentgenographic examination. The accuracy of both methods in visualizing mediastinal tumors or tissue pathology was very similar. The scintigraphic examination was superior for the diagnosis of cardiovascular pathology. False negative results occurred more frequently than false positives, especially in cases of tumors and aneurysms.

Blood↗