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Biomedical subjects

K D Macrae

Publications and source records attributed to K D Macrae.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1988

Emphysema in the Blotchy mouse: a morphometric study.

Inheritance of the Blotchy allele at the X-chromosomal Mottled locus of mice results in changes in the lung which resemble emphysema. Previous studies using measurements of mean linear intercept have recognized emphysema in the hemizygous, Blo/Y, male and homozygous, Blo/Blo, female, but not in the heterozygous, Blo/+, female. The aim of this study was to develop a rapid, accurate method for analysis of emphysema and to establish whether it would identify emphysema in the heterozygote. Lungs from wild type and outbred Blo mice were inflated with fixative at a pressure of 25 cm and then sectioned and stained. Transect lengths across air spaces were measured using computerized image analysis and the results were plotted as histograms. Data were also expressed as cumulative frequencies (ogives) and subjected to statistical analysis by the non-parametric Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Emphysema was shown by significantly increased (P less than 0.001) transect lengths in the Blo/Blo female and Blo/Y male compared with the wild type controls. The heterozygous Blo/+ mice form an intermediate group significantly different (P less than 0.001) from the wild and blotchy mice. The sensitivity of the method is illustrated by the fact that the Blo/+ female formed an intermediate group between wild type and the Blo/Y male and Blo/Blo female.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Sexual behaviour in women attending a genitourinary medicine clinic.

In 1025 women attending a genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic, sexual experience had started at an increasingly early age during the past 30 years, from a mode of 19 in the early 1950s to 16 in the early 1980s. Up to the age of 40, sexually active older women had as many recent sexual partners as younger women. Oral intercourse (fellatio) was practised by 714 (70%) women, and 378 (37%) experienced ejaculation in the mouth. Anal intercourse was practised by 200 (20%) women and 90 (9%) experienced ejaculation in the anorectum. The prevalence of all these practices increased with age. Women attending a Family Planning Association (FPA) clinic reported a similar prevalence of these practices, and differed from GUM clinic women only in the number of sexual partners in the preceding year. In the GUM group, black women reported significantly fewer recent sexual partners than did white women, and significantly fewer black women practised oral intercourse or permitted anal penetration. Full anal intercourse with ejaculation into the anorectum was practised at least occasionally by 9% (80/873) of white and 8% (10/131) of black women.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

A randomized, prospective, comparative, multicentre trial of a single combination versus alternating combinations of antitumour drugs in advanced breast cancer.

A prospective, multicentre trial was conducted in 262 patients with advanced breast cancer randomized to receive every 3 weeks either: (i) a single five-drug combination of adriamycin (50 mg), vincristine (1.5 mg) and 5-fluorouracil (750 mg) given intravenously; with methotrexate (50 mg) intramuscularly and chlorambucil (10 mg) orally all at time zero, followed by three further doses of chlorambucil (10 mg) at 6-h intervals, or (ii) one course of two alternating three-drug combinations consisting of regimen A--vincristine (1.5 mg), adriamycin (70 mg) and methotrexate (50 mg) and regimen B--5-fluorouracil (750 mg) and vindesine (5 mg) intravenously with cyclophosphamide (50 mg) orally at time zero, followed by three further doses of cyclophosphamide (50 mg) at 6-h intervals. Results show that overall response rates to chemotherapy were comparable in the two arms of this study being 63% (83 of 131 patients) for the single combination and 64% (84 of 131 patients) for the alternating combinations. Response rates according to menopausal status indicate no significant difference for the two arms of this study. However overall, combining all patients treated with either the single or the alternating combinations, post-menopausal patients had a significantly lower response rate (57%) compared with pre-menopausal patients (76%), P less than 0.05. Overall serious side-effects were minimal and were similar in both treatment groups. Response durations and overall survival data, which are essentially similar for the two treatment groups, proved disappointing with a median response duration of only approx. 6 months and overall median survival only slightly in excess of 1 year. Alternative treatment approaches are needed to maintain the remissions initially achieved in metastatic breast cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Hereditary angioedema and thyroid autoimmunity.

Sera from 91 patients with hereditary angioedema were screened for thyroid antibodies. The results for the 77 patients more than 17 years old were compared with previously published data for the prevalence of thyroid disease in a large community (Whickham). Of the female patients with hereditary angioedema, the prevalence of thyroglobulin antibodies (TGA) was 14.0%, higher than the expected 3% (p less than 0.001). The prevalence of thyroid microsomal antibodies (TMA) was 20%, also higher than the expected 7.6% (p less than 0.01). The age distributions of the females in both groups differed: in the group with hereditary angioedema there was a greater proportion of younger patients which should have resulted in a lower prevalence of thyroid antibodies. Adjusting for related patients with hereditary angioedema, there was still an increased prevalence of TGA (p less than 0.01) and TMA (p less than 0.01).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Sexual lifestyle and clinical findings related to HTLV-III/LAV status in homosexual men.

A study of 304 sexually active homosexual men, most of whom had multiple casual partners, showed that receptive anogenital intercourse, independent of anal bleeding, was the only risk factor for HTLV-III/LAV transmission. There was no evidence that HTLV-III/LAV infection, measured by seropositivity, was transmitted by oroanal or orogenital routes, or that insertive penile intercourse constituted a risk. The strongest predictor of seropositivity proved to be homosexual activity for more than five years, which may lead to enhanced susceptibility to infection. Sexual exposure to European men seemed to be even more hazardous than sexual exposure to men from the United States of America, and emphasised the epidemiological importance of the promiscuous homosexual abroad. Skin complaints were the most common presenting symptoms in men with antibody to HTLV-III/LAV. Extrainguinal lymphadenopathy was the commonest sign, which was present in just under half of those who were seropositive. More than one quarter of seropositive patients had had sexual intercourse with a woman in the five years before being tested.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1984

Comparison of auranofin and aurothioglucose in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: a single blind study.

Fifty-two patients with rheumatoid arthritis were studied in a single blind trial comparing aurothioglucose and auranofin. The duration of the study was 52 weeks. Twenty-six patients, 13 in each treatment group, dropped out during the first year of treatment. The main reason for discontinuing treatment with aurothioglucose was adverse reactions and, in the auranofin group, lack of efficacy. In those patients who continued therapy the results of treatment were comparable; patients on aurothioglucose improved slightly more than auranofin treated patients, although the difference was not statistically significant.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Superficial acupuncture in the relief of chronic low back pain.

A single-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial of superficial acupuncture in the treatment of low back pain was carried out by comparing 8 patients treated by acupuncture with 9 patients treated by placebo. In all five measures of efficacy chosen for study the acupuncture group achieved better responses than the placebo group; four of the five inter-group differences were statistically significant. In addition, an overall mean for all five measures combined showed significant superiority of acupuncture over placebo.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed1975

Proximal gastric vagotomy: interim results of a randomized controlled trial.

In a randomized controlled trial 50 patients with duodenal ulcer treated by proximal gastric vagotomy (P.G.V.) without drainage were compared with 50 who underwent selective vagotomy and gastrojejunostomy. The clinical results were assessed in 99 patients one to four years after operation. Patients who had undergone P.G.V. had significantly less dumping, nausea, and bile vomiting and fared better in their overall clinical grading. The postoperative Visick grading of the 50 patients with P.G.V. was similar to that of 56 controls with no known gastrointestinal disease who had not undergone operation. The results obtained in the patients who had had P.G.V. without drainage were compared with those of a further group of 24 patients subjected of P.G.V. with gastrojejunostomy, and the better results obtained in the former group were thought to be due to elimination of the drainage procedure. The average follow-up period of the trial was just over two years, but there were no indications that the recurrent ulceration rate after P.G.V. would be any higher than after other types of vagotomy and drainage.

Adult↗
PubMed1973

Cyclical combination chemotherapy in advanced breast cancer.

Results with cyclical combination chemotherapy in advanced breast cancer are presented. The overall remission rate, 79 per cent, is superior to that obtained by two conventional endocrine procedures, administration of norethisterone acetate and hypophysectomy. The advantage is especially pronounced in patients with visceral deposits.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The effect of long-term thyroxine on bone mineral density and serum cholesterol.

The effect of thyrotrophin suppression on bone mineral density (BMD) and serum cholesterol concentration was assessed in 31 treated hypothyroid women. Measurements of the BMD of the lumbar spine and femoral neck were repeated in seven of those with the lowest value after an average period of 22.7 months. Final cholesterol concentrations were compared with values before thyroxine was started. The dose of thyroxine was based on clinical assessment, serum triiodothyronine concentrations kept within the normal range, and thyrotrophin values within the normal range or suppressed. The patients had taken thyroxine replacement for a mean of 12.7 years. Two-thirds (21 subjects) had suppressed thyrotrophin concentrations, and it was normal in one-third (10). Fifteen subjects had a past history of thyrotoxicosis. BMD and cholesterol concentrations were compared between those with suppressed and normal thyrotrophin concentrations and between those with and without a past history of thyrotoxicosis. No patient had a pathological fracture. One had a Z value for the femoral neck of -1.6, denoting early but definite osteoporosis, and five had borderline osteoporosis with Z values for one or other site between -1.1 and -1.5. None of the seven with the lowest BMDs had any significant change when measurements were repeated. The difference in Z values between subjects with suppressed and normal thyrotrophin concentrations was not significant for either the lumbar spine (p = 0.68) or the femoral neck (p = 0.28). A past history of thyrotoxicosis had a greater effect on BMD for both sites than thyrotrophin suppression, but again the difference between those with and without a past history of thyrotoxicosis was significant neither for the lumbar spine (p = 0.18) nor for the femoral neck (p = 0.34). The combination of thyrotrophin suppression and a past history of thyrotoxicosis also failed significantly to reduce the BMD of the lumbar spine (p = 0.38) or femoral neck (p = 0.30) in comparison with those who had neither thyrotrophin suppression nor a past history of thyrotoxicosis. The mean fall in serum cholesterol concentration was 2.1 mmol/l (SD 1.78) (p = 0.001) in those with a suppressed thyrotrophin concentration taking a mean daily dose of thyroxine of 171 micrograms (SD: 34.7), compared with a fall of 0.89 mmol/l (SD: 1.04) (p = 0.065) in those whose thyrotrophin concentration was not suppressed on a mean daily thyroxine dose of 140 micrograms (SD: 50). No patient had atrial fibrillation or cardiographic evidence of coronary artery disease (CAD). The serum cholesterol concentration should play at least as important a part in influencing the dose of thyroxine as a fear of osteoporosis. Fractures are not a feature in the natural history of treated hypothyroidism, whereas CAD is a common cause of death in these patients.

Bone Density↗