Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to J Martin.
A method for achieving and maintaining moderate levels of nutritional iron deficiency in the male albino rat is described. Hemoglobin concentrations and protoporphyrin/heme ratios were the parameters used to assess iron status. The method was based upon the age of the animals when iron-deficient conditions were introduced.
In five normal subjects with pulsus paradoxus (change in systolic blood pressure greater than 10 mm Hg) induced by breathing through external inspiratory resistance, the change in systolic blood pressure was related to swings in esophageal pressure (change in intrapleural pressure [PpI]). Effects of hyperinflation (to 75 to 85 percent of vital capacity) were examined by adding expiratory resistances, and the influence of the configuration of the chest wall was studied by using "intercostal" and "abdominal" breathing patterns. There was a curvilinear relationship between the change in systolic blood pressure and the change in PpI, and hyperinflation was not necessary for the production of pulsus paradoxus. At the same change in PpI, there was no significant difference between "intercostal" and "abdominal" breathing, suggesting that pulmonary overdistention with tensing of the mediastinum is not an important etiologic mechanism. Analysis of sustained Muller's maneuvers suggested that the temporal breathing pattern may be important in determining the degree of paradox and may account for its variability in patients with a given degree of obstruction of air flow.
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A 54-year-old black woman with oculocutaneous albinism was found to have a lentigo maligna and, subsequently, a pigmented compound nevus on non-sun-exposed areas of her body. The diagnosis for these lesions was confirmed by the results of histopathologic study. To our knowledge, this is the first such case reported in the literature. This patient reemphasizes the fact that melanoma development is dependent on the presence of melanocytes, but not necessarily on melanogenesis. We propose that the rarity of melanomas in these patients may be caused by the protective effect of unknown systemic factors.
Two patients on long-term lithium therapy developed the nephrotic syndrome. Ultrastructural study of a renal biopsy in each case showed extensive glomerular epithelial cell foot process fusion. Lithium was withdrawn in each case. The nephrotic syndrome cleared without steroid therapy and has not recurred 18 months later in one patient. The other patient required a further course of treatment with lithium and the nephrotic syndrome returned. Further biopsy revealed a more severe glomerular lesion. The nephrotic syndrome responded again to withdrawal of lithium and institution of steroid therapy. Lithium is known to cause acute renal failure and tubulo-interstitial disease, but the recently described association with proteinuria or nephrotic syndrome is little recognized.
Neuraminidase (acylneuraminyl hydrolase, EC 3.2.1.18) from the influenza virus A/Hong Kong/68 (H3N2) was purified after treatment of the purified virus with sarcosyl (sodium laurylsarcosinate), centrifugation at 110 000 x g, and chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex and Sephadex G-200. It migrated as a single component during electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gel, and its molecular weight was estimated about 270 000. The enzyme was thermolabile, the activity being reduced to 60% in 10 min at 50 degrees C. The purified neuraminidase had an apparent Km value of 4.1 . 10(-3) M for 5-N-acetyl-2-O-(3-methoxyphenyl)-alpha-D-neuraminic acid and was able to release sialic acid with linkages alpha 2-3, alpha 2-6 and alpha 2-8 (with very different efficiency) from fetuin, gangliosides, colominic acid, and bovine and porcine submaxillary mucins. The enzymic activity was measured by several procedures: (A) spectrophotometric determination at 340 nm of the NADH produced in the reaction catalysed by beta-galactose dehydrogenase on beta-galactose + NAD+, this beta-galactose was the product released from lactose by beta-galactosidase and lactose was the product of the neuraminidase activity on N-acetylneuraminyl-lactose; (B) determination of the colored quinone yielded by the liberated methoxyphenol with 4-aminoantipyrine (Santer, U.V., Yee-Foon, J. and Glick, M.C. (1978) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 523, 435-442); (C) periodate-thiobarbiturate procedures (Warren, L. (1959) J. Biol. Chem 234, 1971-1975 or Aminoff, D. (1961) Biochem. J. 81, 384-391). Some peculiarities of these methods are discussed.
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From July 1975 to December 1979 at the Univ.-Klinik für Frauenheilkunde, Innsbruck, 91 female sterile patients were examined due to hyperprolactinaemia. Since hyperprolactin presents common symptoms of different diseases, we established a differentiated clarification and therapy scheme using the guidelines of the W.H.O. and all new knowledge. After disqualification of patients with corresponding tubular sterility, we induced in 24 patients 32 pregnancies with medication or operative therapy. After birth or abortion a prolactin-caused dysfunction reappeared in the reproductive system. With a gradual prolactin increasion in the serum level, the grade of this dysfunction in the reproductive system was worsened. A reduction of the prolactin serum level to 40 ng/ml seems to be the basis for spontaneous ovulation. Present therapeutic possibilities and as a result the reversibility of this disturbance after interruption of prolactin inhibitors, we find that long-therm therapy is necessary.
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During 1968-1978, 68 children presented in six centres in the United Kingdom with lymphoblastic mediastinal masses. The disease was classified as acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in 49 children whose bone marrow aspirates contained > 20% lymphoblasts, and as lymphoma (Sternberg lymphosarcoma - LS) in 19 with < 20% marrow infiltration. Male predominated in both groups, and children with ALL had more visceromegaly and lymphadenopathy, lower haemoglobin levels and platelet counts, and higher white cell counts. The most common chest x-ray finding in both groups was a nonspecific anterior mediastinal mass, but the appearances varied considerably and could be classified into three categories, which are illustrated. Pleural effusions were present in 44%. Cell surface-marker studies showed T cell characteristics in 14 of the 17 patients tested. Response to treatment and complications, such as central nervous system (CNS) and testicular relapse, were similar in ALL and LS, and were related to the size of the initial tumour load. Median remission lengths were 37 weeks for ALL and 89 weeks for LS patients. Leukaemic transformation occurred in 47% of LS children. Compared with the outcome in ALL children without mediastinal mass, the results of treatment were poor, regardless of the protocol used, and prophylactic therapy to the CNS reduced the frequency of, but did not eliminate, CNS disease.
In cortical areas direction-specific receptive fields occur systematically. Direction specifity is based on unsymmetric coupling of neurons. Such a coupling allows an exact localization of moved stimuli. For this task, the asymmetry in the time domain is compensated for by a spatial asymmetry.
Medicines have on a given person desired (therapeutic) effects and undesired (secundary) effects. Similarly, there are desired use and undesired use (abuse) of pharmaceutical drugs by individuals and society. Examples are given and their causes evoked. The means available to fight abuse and promote adequate behavior are particularly information, education, and regulation. For the author, the problems with information are the absence of objectives in terms of attitudes and behaviors, the absence of feedback, the difficulty in selecting information and the temptation of giving preference to the "thrilling". Health education answers these criticisms (it should have clear objectives, allows for feedback through interpersonal contact...), but requires more resources, especially for the adequate training of the (numerous) persons who have to provide it. Regulation is certainly useful, although it goes to an extent counter to the desirable responsabilization of the consumer. The various sectors concerned must commit themselves, ethically and practically, to use these means to the full extent of their possibilities. The article also describes a recent wavelike fad with the abusive consumption of a popular analgesic drug among youth in the part of Switzerland where the author works.
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LOGIST is a general program which can be used for the usual statistical interrogations and also for other basic operations such as a validity check, the transcoding and the listing of data essential to biomedicine and the human sciences. The objectives laid down for this program have enabled almost total transferability (using FORTRAN IV exclusively), simplicity in the interrogation language, clear presentation of results, reduction to a minimum of computer running time and working storage required and the facility for modification of program or addition of new sub-programs. All the possible statistical procedures have not been included yet but any such additions are quite simple. This program, despite its considerable size, can be satisfactorily used on a mini-computer. At present, it is installed on a Mitra 15 computer with a total memory capacity of 32 K words of 16 bits. Use with larger more powerful machines will increase its potential. Routine application to diverse problems (quality control of a file, transcoding, linking of data, etc....) is very satisfactory.