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Biomedical subjects

J R Chapman

Publications and source records attributed to J R Chapman.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Closed retrograde Hackethal nail stabilization of humeral shaft fractures.

We retrospectively reviewed 48 consecutive humeral shaft fractures treated with Hackethal stacked, flexible, intramedullary (IM) nails. The indications for fixation were polytrauma or fracture patterns not amenable to bracing. The average age of patients was 40 years. Eight had associated primary nerve injuries. All fractures were reduced closed, and the nails were inserted retrograde through a distal posterior cortical window. Follow-up was possible in 33 patients. Ninety-seven percent (32 of 33) had healed at 1 year. There were no iatrogenic nerve palsies. There was one delayed union, one nonunion, one deep infection, and three occurrences of heterotopic ossification at the entry portal. Two patients with distal nail migration required second operations. Clinical examination showed normal range of motion at the shoulder and an average of 5 degrees loss of extension at the elbow. Hackethal's bundled IM nailing was shown to be a reliable, inexpensive, and relatively atraumatic method for stabilization of simple and comminuted humeral shaft fractures.

Adult↗

Costs of bone marrow transplants using unrelated donors.

Bone marrow transplantation is an expensive treatment, rationed primarily by the availability of donors. Recruiting potential unrelated bone marrow donors to a register would add not only to the cost, but also to the volume, of transplantation. Proposals to establish such registries have thus been subject to rigorous financial scrutiny. In Australia, 3 alternative estimates suggest that approximately 200 patients, otherwise suitable for bone marrow transplantation, do not receive transplants because they have no suitable related donor. The population of Australia is approximately 16 million. The alternatives for these patients are thus chemotherapy or unrelated bone marrow transplantation. The costs of chemotherapy and transplantation have been directly compared in 1 trial of treatment for acute nonlymphoblastic leukaemia. The cost per year of life saved was approximately the same for the 2 treatments, with better patient survival from transplantation. The estimated cost difference in both the United States and Australia, between the policy extremes of no patients transplanted, and all transplanted, was between 1.3-2.4% of the total costs of managing these patients. The cost of searching existing registers for unrelated donors for Australian patients, averages A$24,000-28,000 to the point of a successful donor procedure. The cost of establishing and maintaining an Australian Register of a size predicted to find donors for half of the potential recipients, has been estimated at A$ 10,000 per donor procedure. The decision to proceed with unrelated bone marrow transplantation commits resources that are currently used by the alternative therapies. It is thus important to monitor both the costs and effects of the new approach.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Antineoplastic Agents↗

Percutaneous biopsy of bladder-drained pancreas transplants.

Percutaneous biopsy is a valuable investigation in the management of allograft rejection for all solid organs. Pancreas transplants have not been biopsed percutaneously, though open and percystoscopic biopsies have proved useful. We have compared percutaneous needle core biopsy with fine-needle aspiration cytology for the diagnosis of rejection in 18 patients receiving combined kidney and pancreas transplants and in one who was transplanted with the pancreas alone. Percutaneous needle core biopsy was successful in 37 of 40 attempts (93%), while fine-needle aspiration yielded diagnostic material on 33 of 47 attempts (70%). Transient hyperamylasemia occurred in 29%, returning to baseline in three days. One patient twice developed transient macroscopic hematuria. There was agreement between needle core biopsy and fine-needle aspiration on the diagnosis of rejection on six occasions and for the absence of rejection on 16. There was an 8% false-positive rate for fine-needle aspiration. In 13 instances of histologically proved renal rejection, concurrent pancreas biopsy revealed rejection in 69%. Pancreas rejection was not, however, seen in the absence of renal rejection. In this pilot study, percutaneous biopsy of the bladder-drained pancreas allograft was shown to be a practicable and valuable investigation without major complications.

Adult↗

Low dose erythropoietin in maintenance haemodialysis: improvement in quality of life and reduction in true cost of haemodialysis.

Human recombinant erythropoietin (r-HuEPO) improves quality of life in patients on maintenance haemodialysis, but the haemoglobin (Hb) level necessary to achieve this improvement is unknown. In this study, quality of life, functional capacity and symptoms of 28 haemodialysis patients with an initial Hb of 67 +/- 2 (mean +/- SEM) g/L were assessed after 0, 6 and 12 months of r-HuEPO, the dose of which was titrated to achieve a stable Hb of between 90 and 100 g/L. At six and 12 months Hb was 97 +/- 2 and 93 +/- 2 g/L, and mean r-HuEPO dose between three and six, and between nine and 12 months was 88 +/- 6 and 62 +/- 9 U/kg/week intravenously respectively. There was a significant improvement in level of activity and satisfaction with various aspects of life, and a reduction in fatigue, weakness, dyspnoea, angina and restless legs. Patients were able to walk 50% further in six minutes. The improvement in quality of life and function was similar to that reported from other centres whose target Hb was between 100 and 120 g/L, and where the r-HuEPO dose was 75% higher than in this study. Costs of r-HuEPO therapy were assessed. The drug itself costs +A3681/yr/patient, to which was added the estimated cost of additional dialyses and medications, bringing the total to +A5177/yr/patient. There was, however, a reduction in both hospitalisation by 8.3 days/yr/patient and medical consultation by 3.9 hours/yr/patient. Five patients commenced full-time work, one took up full-time study aimed at finding work, three transferred to home haemodialysis and six fewer patients drew social security benefits. The net cost saving from using low dose r-HuEPO was more than +A1,000/yr/patient.

Adult↗

Longitudinal histopathologic assessment of rejection after bladder-drained canine pancreas allograft transplantation.

In preparation for assessment of percutaneous biopsies in our clinical pancreas transplant program, a working knowledge of the histopathologic changes after transplantation was obtained in a longitudinal open biopsy study of 16 dogs receiving bladder-drained whole pancreas allografts. Edema, extravasation of polymorphs, and lymphocytes associated with focal parenchymal injury were early, invariable, and probably nonspecific findings. The initial feature of unmodified rejection was the appearance of capillary and small vein endothelial changes with mainly perivascular inflammatory cell infiltration. Acinar cell loss occurred early and was progressive, whereas islets and ducts were relatively preserved, indicating that acinar tissue may be more vulnerable to lytic necrosis when damaged. Functional rejection, determined by fasting urinary amylase levels, was at a stage of extensive and irreversible necrosis. Functioning grafts in immunosuppressed dogs had minor and transient endothelial changes with absence of class II antigen staining of parenchymal cells.

Acute Disease↗

Dual antibody rises to cytomegalovirus and human herpesvirus type 6: frequency of occurrence in CMV infections and evidence for genuine reactivity to both viruses.

The frequency of high (greater than 256) IgG anti-human herpesvirus type 6 (HHV-6) titers in sera known to be positive for IgM anti-cytomegalovirus (CMV) or IgM anti-Epstein Barr virus (EBV) was significantly greater than in sera from healthy controls or from a group of ill patients who were CMV and EBV IgM-negative (15/25 and 17/25 vs. 1/25 and 2/25, respectively, P less than .001). There was serologic evidence of simultaneous HHV-6 infection or reactivation (a rise in IgG anti-HHV-6 titer or the presence of IgM anti-HHV-6) in sera from 14 of 17 primary CMV infections. In 5 of the 10 patients with concurrent rises in IgG titers to both viruses, the rise in IgG anti-HHV-6 preceded that of IgG anti-CMV. Complete removal of IgG anti-CMV reactivity from 5 sera from patients who had a primary CMV infection with a rise in IgG anti-HHV-6 titer had no effect on the IgG anti-HHV-6 titer of those sera, demonstrating that the rise in HHV-6 IgG titer was not a consequence of anti-CMV antibodies cross-reacting in the HHV-6 IgG assay.

Adult↗

Characterization of lymphocytotoxic antibodies causing a positive crossmatch in renal transplantation. Relationship to primary and regraft outcome.

In a series of 123 renal transplants performed in the presence of a positive crossmatch (either peak positive-current positive or peak positive-current negative), we have analyzed the immunoglobulin class and specificity of the donor-reactive antibodies. The immunoglobulin class was determined by dithiothreitol reduction and the specificity by cytotoxicity inhibition using monomorphic antibodies specific for HLA class I, DR, and DQ antigens. There was good primary graft and regraft survival in the presence of peak positive and current positive crossmatches due to IgM non-HLA antibodies. There was also acceptable primary graft and regraft survival with peak positive-current negative crossmatches due to T and B cell IgM HLA class I antibodies, but not with IgG HLA class I antibodies. Positive B cell crossmatches due to IgM or IgG HLA antibodies were associated with good primary graft survival but poor regraft survival.

Antibodies↗