Biomedical subjects

J Huston

Publications and source records attributed to J Huston.

68 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

PubMed1992

Scombroid fish poisoning. Underreporting and prevention among noncommercial recreational fishers.

Food-borne diseases, including those caused by seafood products, are common and greatly underreported sources of morbidity. In this article we review the epidemiology of scombroid fish poisoning and its possible relationship to the noncommercial and recreational catch and sale of fish. More than 20% of all fish sold in the United States is caught by sport fishers, and outbreaks of scombroid fish poisoning have involved improperly handled fish from private catches. We report an outbreak of scombroid fish poisoning among recreational fishers in California. The unregulated sale of recreationally caught fish for consumption and the prevention of scombrotoxism are discussed from the perspectives of public health agencies, clinicians, and the fishing public. Scientific and policy issues that require further attention are high-lighted.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Comparison of mutagenicity results for nine compounds evaluated at the hgprt locus in the standard and suspension CHO assays.

The Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) assay, which measures newly induced mutations at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (hgprt) locus, has been widely used for mutagenesis testing. The insensitivity of the standard assay to some genotoxic agents has been speculated to be due to the relatively small number of cells used in the assay. In the present study, we have compared the standard monolayer assay with a suspension adapted CHO assay that uses cell numbers comparable to that of the L5178Y mouse lymphoma assay. Nine compounds, ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS), methyl methanesulfonate (MMS), 2-methoxy-6-chloro-9-[3-(ethyl-2-chloroethyl)-aminopropylamino]-acridine 2HCl (ICR 170), methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, tetraethylene glycol diacrylate, trimethylolpropane triacrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate and dicyclopentenyloxyethyl methacrylate were evaluated in the monolayer and suspension assays. Both assays gave the same overall qualitative results for the test compounds. There were some quantitative differences in the mutant frequency for the three compounds found to be mutagenic (EMS, MMS and ICR 170). The acrylates (many of which appear to exert their genotoxic effect through a clastogenic mechanism) were negative in both test systems. The use of the suspension assay did not improve the ability of the hgprt locus to detect the genotoxicity of the acrylates. Thus, increasing the number of cells does not improve the ability of the CHO/HGPRT assay to detect compounds that act primarily by a clastogenic mechanism.

Acrylates↗

PubMed1991

Defining the role of subtotal colectomy in the treatment of carcinoma of the colon.

Seventy-two patients with colon cancer were treated by primary subtotal colectomy, including 23 patients with acute and subacute left colon obstruction. There were two operative deaths and no cases of disabling diarrhea. One death occurred in the group with colon obstruction. Other indications for subtotal colectomy included multiple polyps associated with the primary tumor (32), synchronous carcinomas (15), a previous transverse colostomy for obstruction (8), associated severe sigmoid diverticular disease (2), age less than 50 years with a positive family history (3), adherence of the sigmoid loop to a cecal tumor (2), and metachronous carcinoma (2). There were multiple indications in several patients. Subtotal colectomy has a defined role in a wide variety of clinical settings associated with colon cancer, including management of obstruction of the left and sigmoid colon, particularly if the proximal colon cannot be evaluated before operation by colonoscopy or barium enema. Segmental or regional colonic resections are appropriate if the entire colon can be evaluated before operation and no associated neoplasms are revealed.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Intracranial aneurysms and vascular malformations: comparison of time-of-flight and phase-contrast MR angiography.

Twenty-seven patients with 14 aneurysms and 17 vascular malformations were each examined with both time-of-flight (TF) and phase-contrast (PC) magnetic resonance angiography of the head. Three-dimensional (3D) PC imaging depicted the patent lumen of the aneurysms, while 3D TF imaging depicted the patent lumen and a subacute thrombus if present. The 3D PC techniques were superior to 3D TF methods in depicting aneurysms larger than 15 mm. PC angiography allowed velocity resolution of vascular lesions and yielded functional flow information by directly depicting collateral flow to vascular lesions. Artifacts present on TF images were due to substances with short T1, hemosiderin, and surgical clips. Artifacts present on PC images were due to flow-related aliasing. The results showed that PC techniques have specific advantages over TF techniques, including identification of large aneurysms, velocity resolution of vascular lesions, depiction of flow direction about the circle of Willis, and less degradation by artifacts.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

Treatment of acute vascular occlusions with intra-arterial urokinase.

This study reviewed 57 patients with 71 vascular occlusions treated with urokinase from 1985 to 1988. Of these patients, 89% were candidates for urgent surgery. Total clot lysis was achieved in 73% of cases. The success rate rose with increasing experience (p less than 0.05), and recent occlusions had more favorable outcomes than older ones (p less than 0.05). The length and type of occluded conduit (graft or vessel), age, sex, other medical conditions, and concurrent use of heparin had no influence on success. Of 18 cases successfully lysed and not subjected to any adjunctive therapy directed at the cause of occlusion, 9 (50%) reoccluded within 1 to 88 days (mean: 25 days). Cases successfully treated with thrombolysis and surgery or dilation of the causative stenosis had poor 1-year patencies: 17%, 20%, and 55% for vein grafts, prosthetic grafts, and native arteries, respectively. With additional urokinase treatments, surgical operations, and percutaneous procedures, 1-year patencies were 22%, 45%, and 65%, respectively.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1989

Solitary pulmonary nodules: evaluation with a CT reference phantom.

The Zerhouni computed tomographic (CT) reference phantom was used to study 112 solitary pulmonary nodules that were indeterminate with plain tomography. Of the 112 nodules, 33 were more attenuating than the reference phantom and 79 less attenuating. One patient with a previous endometrial malignancy had a pulmonary metastatic lesion that was more attenuating than the reference phantom, presumably due to microscopic calcification. The nodule in the other 32 cases was benign, as determined from follow-up studies of up to 4.5 years or by means of surgical sampling (two patients). Among the 79 nodules that were less attenuating than the reference phantom, 26 were malignant, 22 were benign, and 31 were followed up for up to 4.5 years with no evidence of malignancy. In this series, the CT reference phantom proved to be a useful adjuvant to plain tomography in patients whose nodules were uncalcified and had an indeterminate shape.

Female↗

PubMed1987

Solitary pulmonary opacities: plain tomography.

New or enlarging solitary pulmonary opacities in 502 patients were evaluated with a plain tomographic procedure. Repeat chest radiographs in 64 patients and tomograms in 115 patients showed that the opacities were not nodules but were due to pneumonitis, rib lesions, thickened pleura, or another benign finding. Tomography demonstrated 85 of the 323 nodules to be calcified granulomas. The shape of the 238 uncalcified nodules was classified as benign, malignant, or indeterminate. None of the 38 nodules classified as benign proved to be malignant during 2 years of follow-up. Of the 33 nodules with a malignant shape, 31 proved to be malignant at operation or clinical follow-up. Among the 167 nodules characterized as indeterminate, 128 were benign and 39 were malignant on follow-up. In this series, the plain tomographic procedure, including fluoroscopy and repeat chest radiography, allowed an accurate diagnosis in 67% of solitary pulmonary opacities.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1986