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Biomedical subjects

M Finlay

Publications and source records attributed to M Finlay.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Clinical spectrum of cryptogenic organising pneumonitis.

Cryptogenic organising pneumonitis (bronchiolitis obliterans organising pneumonia) is an uncommon condition that often responds to steroids. It is characterised clinically by constitutional symptoms, pathologically by intra-alveolar organising fibrosis, and radiologically by patchy pulmonary infiltrates. Its full clinical spectrum and course are only partially described and understood. Six patients are described, seen over three years, with considerably diverse clinical and radiological presentations (two had diffuse lung infiltrates, two had peripheral lung infiltrates, and two had localised lobar involvement) and with very varying severity of disease (two with a life threatening illness, three with appreciable subacute constitutional symptoms, and one with mild symptoms). It is concluded that cryptogenic organising pneumonitis can present in various ways. A set of diagnostic criteria are proposed which will help in the recognition of this syndrome, which is probably underdiagnosed.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

CT diagnosis of gall stone ileus.

We report a case of gall stone ileus in which only small bowel obstruction was seen on the conventional abdominal film and the diagnosis was made by computed tomography (CT). With the availability of CT and its increasing use in the investigation of the acute abdomen, CT examination will occasionally be performed on gall stone ileus patients. Awareness of the CT findings in gall stone ileus will result in early diagnosis leading to a reduction in the mortality rate.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Chemical synthesis, cloning and expression in mammalian cells of a gene coding for human tissue-type plasminogen activator.

A 1610-bp DNA duplex coding for human tissue-type plasminogen activator has been chemically synthesized using the phosphoramidite procedure, adapted for a custom-built gene synthesizer. The synthesizer, which was designed for both simplicity and speed, permits the rapid construction of relatively large genes and compares favorably in speed with alternative cDNA isolation procedures. The plasminogen activator gene has been expressed in mammalian cells and shown to produce authentic protein by an immuno-activity assay.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1988

The effects of long term methyldopa in patients with hypoxic cor pulmonale.

Methyldopa (alpha-methyldopa) was given to patients with cor pulmonale secondary to chronic obstructive airways disease (COAD) to determine its effect on pulmonary haemodynamics. Twenty-five patients were randomly allocated to methyldopa (750 mg daily) or placebo. Pulmonary haemodynamics were measured twice, 12 months apart. Conventional therapies were continued unchanged. The effects of the drug on pulmonary haemodynamics were inconclusive when considered overall, but total pulmonary vascular resistance (TPVR) fell in all patients on active therapy in whom measurements were obtained both at rest and upon exercise. Only one patient in the placebo group achieved this. Over the trial period there was one death in the active but five in the placebo group. Survival was unrelated to abnormalities in pulmonary haemodynamics at the commencement of the trial in this study although the numbers of patients was small. Postural hypotension developed in patients receiving methyldopa and limited the dose that could be administered. The problems involved in long term trials of vasodilators in hypoxic cor pulmonale are discussed.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

Quantitative changes in the rat pulmonary vasculature in chronic hypoxia--relation to haemodynamic changes.

The anatomical basis of resistance and compliance changes of the pulmonary arterial bed was studied in rats exposed to chronic hypoxia (10% O2, 3 weeks) and the findings were compared with those of normoxic rats. The lungs were perfused with a Ba-gelatine mixture at different pressures and studied by radiology and histology. The diameter of the pulmonary arteries (greater than 0.5 mm), measured from X-rays, was less in chronically hypoxic than normoxic rats when filled at the same perfusion pressure. Diameters increased in both groups with increasing perfusion pressure but at a given pressure those of chronically hypoxic rats were always smaller than those of normoxic rats. We found evidence that arterial length was increased in chronically hypoxic rats. Arterioles of 50 micron or less in diameter adjacent to gas exchange units were of similar external diameter in normoxic and chronically hypoxic rats, but most of the latter had developed a muscular coat and a second elastic lamina internal to the single elastic lamina of control arterioles. These changes reduced the lumen by an estimated 10-14% and would increase pulmonary arteriolar resistance in chronically hypoxic rats, resulting in a changed pressure profile. We found no evidence of arteriolar loss in chronically hypoxic rats although at a given pressure, the Ba-gelatine mixture penetrated less far for reasons which are discussed.

Angiography↗
PubMed1985

A new variant of serum leucine aminopeptidase in the mouse: its development and possible regulation.

Serum leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) isozymes were compared in four strains of inbred mice during postnatal development, adult life, and pregnancy. In pregnancy, no changes in the maternal serum LAP pattern were observed, in contrast to human studies. One strain, DD/S, differs from the other three in serum LAP. Polymorphism in serum LAP has not been previously described in the mouse. Neonatal DD/S mice exhibit a single band of serum LAP upon starch gel electrophoresis; however, between 14 and 18 days of age, two distinct bands appear, which persist throughout adult life. In the strains C57BL/6J, BALB/cJ, and DBA/2J there is a single band of activity at all stages. Crosses and backcrosses between DD/S and C57BL/6J show that the double-band variant is inherited as an autosomal recessive. The variant is independent of both the supernatant malic enzyme (Mod-1) and the intestinal LAP (Lap-1) loci, which are known to be linked on chromosome 9. The serum LAP variant is linked to an intestinal alkaline phosphatase variant. The presence of a separate structural gene is suggested by the genetic independence of the serum LAP variant from Lap-1. Also, the two serum LAP bands of DD/S are not interconverted by treatment with neuraminidase, beta-mercaptoethanol, or heat or by mixing the sera of DD/S and C57BL/6J prior to electrophoresis. The level of serum LAP activity in DD/S is approximately twice that in C57BL/6J. While these observations imply two structurally distinct proteins, the absence of any trace of the second LAP band in the heterozygote strongly suggests that the LAP variant protein is not the result of a separate structural gene. Intestinal LAP in DD/S migrates with the same electrophoretic mobility as the serum LAP variant, implying that the variant might originate in the intestine and its appearance in the serum be modulated by some factor at an unlinked locus.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1985

Results of simple aspiration of pneumothoraces.

The results of simple aspiration in 30 cases of pneumothorax are presented. The procedure was successful in 33% of cases with known pre-existing lung disease, and in 83% of those without. Aspiration was also more successful in those patients under 50 years of age and if the estimated degree of lung collapse was less than 50%.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Cardiac output, pulmonary hypertension, hypoxaemia and survival in patients with chronic obstructive airways disease.

A prospective study of cor pulmonale in 74 patients relates pulmonary haemodynamics to survival. Mean arterial oxygen tension (PaO2) was 7.2 +/- 0.14 kPa and mean arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2) 6.6 +/- 0.12 kPa at entry. Pulmonary artery pressure (PAP), pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), and cardiac output (CO) sitting and supine and where possible on exercise, were measured every one or two years by a floating catheter technique. Survivors showed very little change in pulmonary artery pressure, pulmonary vascular resistance or cardiac output. Those who did not survive, showed a steady increase of PAP and PVR, whether or not they had received continuous oxygen therapy at home. Cardiac output remained normal or slightly elevated despite increasing pulmonary artery pressure. The relationship between VO2 (minute oxygen consumption) and cardiac output remained within the normal or greater than normal range, even on exercise. Although a deteriorating clinical situation may be paralleled by changes in pulmonary haemodynamics, it is questioned whether such changes are causally implicated in mortality.

Cardiac Output↗