Biomedical subjects

J Sylvester

Publications and source records attributed to J Sylvester.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1992

Renal pelvic transitional cell carcinoma. The role of the kidney in tumor-node-metastasis staging.

Renal pelvic carcinoma is a rare tumor. There are several staging systems currently in use based on a bladder cancer staging model. An analysis of the American Cancer Society, Illinois Division, experience with 611 cases of renal pelvic transitional cell carcinoma suggested that the kidney parenchyma may be a determinant in the anatomic spread of disease. A tumor-node-metastasis system for renal pelvic (separate from ureteral) cancer is recommended.

Carcinoma, Transitional Cell↗

PubMed1992

Renal pelvic cancer: a review of 611 patients treated in Illinois 1975-1985. Cancer Incidence and End Results Committee.

Renal pelvic transitional cell carcinoma constitutes about 7 percent of all kidney cancer. This report is a summary of 611 Illinois patients with this tumor treated between 1975 and 1985. Overall, the five-year relative survival rate was 62 percent and the observed five-year rate was 48 percent. Stage was a major determinant of survival, as expected, in these cancer patients. The Illinois experience is reviewed and compared with the accumulated literature experience with renal pelvic cancers since 1944.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1992

Noninvasive assessment of metabolism in wounded skin by 31P-NMR in vivo.

Phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance techniques using shallow penetrating coils have been used to noninvasively monitor severity and metabolic changes over time in skin wounds in rats. Ratios of phosphocreatine (PCr) to inorganic phosphate (Pi) indicate energy status in both thermal wounds and surgical flaps. In partial and full-thickness scald wounds, reductions in PCr/Pi ratios correlated with burn depth and improved over time postinjury, suggesting wound revascularization. No decrease in intracellular pH was noted in these wounds; the phosphate shifts may be primarily the result of tissue degradation followed by restoration of the microvasculature. Distal regions of caudally based dorsal 3 x 10 cm full-thickness skin flaps reveal progressively lower PCr/Pi ratios to 3-6 hours after elevation as well as drops in pH up to 0.5 units, presumably as a result of anaerobic glycolysis in these tissues. After 24 hours, the intracellular pH returned to normal (7.1-7.2) and the PCr/Pi ratios approached 70%-90% of the well-perfused proximal regions within 3-7 days. These results indicate the establishment of a microvasculature from the underlying bed as the distal regions survive as free grafts. The data demonstrate the potential usefulness of the technique in noninvasive measurement of the biochemical response to injury and wound healing in living organisms.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

An assessment of temafloxacin in the treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis.

Based on its in-vitro activity against the majority of organisms associated with bacterial prostatitis and its excellent penetration into prostatic tissue, prostatic secretions and seminal fluid, temafloxacin appears to be a suitable agent for the treatment of prostatic infections. The efficacy and safety of temafloxacin 400 mg bd for 28 days were assessed in 61 patients from ten centres in Germany with symptomatic bacterial prostatitis diagnosed by segmented localizing cultures. Urine and prostatic secretions were obtained for culture. Clinical signs and symptoms were evaluated at two weeks during treatment, and at 5 to 9 days and 26 to 30 days after treatment. Safety was monitored during and at the end of treatment. Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp. were the most frequent pathogens. In 41 clinically and bacteriologically evaluable patients, 37 (90%) were successfully treated at 5 to 9 days; four of these patients did not return for follow-up at the final visit and the remaining patients (33) continued to be clinically cured or improved. Thirty-seven patients (90.2%) had eradication of pre-treatment pathogens at 5 to 9 days after treatment; three of these patients did not return for this final follow-up visit. There were six patients with persistent or recurrent pathogens isolated and six patients with reinfecting pathogens. Thus, 26 of 38 (68%) evaluable patients at visit 5 were free from infection (from either a pre-treatment pathogen or any subsequent new infecting pathogen) up to 26 to 30 days after treatment. One clinically evaluable but bacteriologically non-evaluable patient was classified as a therapeutic failure after nine days of treatment and was not included in the final assessment. Improvement in the severity of specific signs and symptoms was observed in greater than 90% of cases. Mild to moderate adverse events, mostly occurring during the first or second weeks of long-term therapy, were reported in 11.5% of patients. Temafloxacin 400 mg bd, for four weeks was very effective and well tolerated by the majority of patients with documented bacterial prostatitis.

Administration, Oral↗

PubMed1991

Personal and home 222Rn and gamma-ray exposure measured in 52 dwellings.

A personal 222Rn and gamma-ray detector has been developed. The detector precision is limited only by the Poisson counting error and has a lower limit of detection in this study of 4.5 kBq m-3 h (4 pCi L-1 day). The detector was used in a study of 52 homes in Illinois to measure the personal exposure vs. the simultaneous exposure on all levels of the home. The ratio of personal exposure to basement 222Rn concentration averaged 0.22, with a high degree of scatter (R2 = 31%). The ratio of personal exposure to first floor 222Rn concentration was 0.71, with good correlation (R2 = 85%). In the absence of personal monitoring data, the best estimate of personal exposure appears to be from measurements in the first-floor living space of the home.

Air Pollutants, Radioactive↗

PubMed1991

Transcribed and nontranscribed parts of the human ribosomal gene repeat show a similar pattern of distribution in nucleoli.

The distribution pattern of the transcribed and nontranscribed parts of human ribosomal RNA genes were visualized simultaneously in the same cells by nonautoradiographic in situ hybridization. DNA probes labeled with either digoxigenin or biotin were detected in the same cells by different fluorescence systems. The signals from both the transcribed and nontranscribed parts showed a similar distribution pattern. This finding is not compatible with the conclusion, suggested by earlier studies, that the transcribed and nontranscribed parts of the rRNA genes are located at different sites within the nucleoli or in different nucleolar components.

Cell Nucleolus↗

PubMed1991

Pancreatic cancer in Illinois. A report by 88 hospitals on 2,401 patients diagnosed 1978-84.

A retrospective study of survival results for pancreatic cancer was performed. The study had two objectives: 1) to relate the extent of disease and management to survival, and 2) to determine whether newer treatment combinations have altered prognosis. Cancer registrars from 88 Illinois hospitals reviewed original medical records and submitted standardized report forms on 2,401 patients diagnosed between 1978-84. Three-year survival time was longer after laparotomy/bypass plus radiation/chemotherapy than for laparotomy/bypass alone (P less than .02). But the difference in survival between resection versus resection, radiation, and chemotherapy was not significant (P = .16). After resection, the median survival for 78 Stage I patients was 12.5 months, whereas for 181 Stage I patients after laparotomy/bypass it was 6.8 months (P less than .00001). For patients without metastases, 3-year survival was significantly better for 249 patients in whom cancer was resected versus 568 unresected patients (P less than .001). Survival was longer for 568 unresected patients without gross metastases than for 954 patients with metastatic disease found at laparotomy (P less than .05). From this study the authors concluded that: 1) since 3-year survival results were higher than expected after resection for localized cancers, resection is still desirable when it can be done with acceptable complication risks, and 2) the use of multiple treatment modalities for pancreatic cancer warrants further study in organized trials.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

PubMed1990