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Kathleen Duffy

Publications and source records attributed to Kathleen Duffy.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Data collecting in grounded theory--some practical issues.

In this paper, Kathleen Duffy, Colette Ferguson and Hazel Watson discuss the challenges of using grounded theory methodology in research, particularly when used for the first time. With reference to a study of the factors influencing mentors' decisions when student nurses' clinical performance is unsatisfactory, they highlight some of the practical issues relevant to the data collection phase of the research process.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

Leukemic gingival infiltrate as an indicator of chemotherapeutic failure following monoclonal antibody therapy: a case report.

Treatment options are limited for patients with relapsed acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), particularly when the disease is refractory to standard cytotoxic chemotherapy. Targeted drug therapy offers the advantage of delivering higher doses of non-cross resistant chemotherapy with potentially less systemic toxicity. Gemtuzumab ozogamicin (Mylotarg, Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories) is an immunoconjugate that consists of humanized anti-CD 33 antibody linked to the potent anti-tumor antibiotic calicheamicin and has been an effective therapy for some patients with relapsed AML. However, the overall utility of gemtuzumab ozogamicin is not well defined. For instance, it is not known how well this antibody will target extramedullary disease. This article reports gemtuzumab treatment of refractory AML in a 32-year-old man. At the time of recurrence, his bone marrow was hypoplastic and without leukemia, but the condition progressed resulting in marked leukemic infiltration of the oral mucosa. This case history raises the possibility that leukemic sanctuary sites may exist, and that monoclonal antibody therapy may have sub-optimal activity in non-medullary sites of disease.

Adult↗

High rate of invasive fungal infections following nonmyeloablative allogeneic transplantation.

Nonmyeloablative allogeneic transplantation is an emerging therapy for hematologic and solid malignancies and potentially offers patients reduced transplant-related toxicity. Data regarding infectious complications of these protocols are limited, but early studies have demonstrated little infectious morbidity, particularly low rates of invasive fungal infections (IFIs). In the present study, 31 consecutive cases of nonmyeloablative transplantation were reviewed over a 2.5-year period, with a specific focus on infectious complications. Twenty-six patients (84%) had at least 1 significant infection during the year after transplantation, and infection-related mortality was 37%. Cytomegalovirus end-organ disease was diagnosed in 3 patients (10%). Ten patients (32%) were given the diagnosis of IFI; 7 (23%) met criteria for proven IFI. Fungal-related mortality was 80% within the group of patients with IFI and accounted for a significant portion of the overall mortality in the study. Severe graft-versus-host disease, high-dose corticosteroid use, recurrent neutropenia, and relapsed or refractory disease were factors associated with development of IFI.

Adult↗