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Biomedical subjects

M Hancock

Publications and source records attributed to M Hancock.

24 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Emotional perception and memory in alcoholism and aging.

The ability to identify and recognize emotional materials was studied in 10 male alcoholic Korsakoff patients, 27 male non-Korsakoff alcoholics, and 31 male nonalcoholic controls, across a wide age range (23 to 77 years). Stimulus materials were presented in two sensory modalities; the materials were photographs of faces expressing one of four emotions (happy, sad, angry, or neutral), and recordings of sentences with emotional intonations or semantic meanings expressing the same four emotions. Results of the experiments showed consistently severe deficits in emotional functions in the Korsakoff patients, but only minor alterations in the non-Korsakoff alcoholics. Older subjects, whether or not they had a history of alcoholism, also exhibited significant deficits on most of the tasks. Results of the study did not provide strong support for the premature aging hypothesis of alcoholism, which suggests that alcoholism accelerates aging, beginning either at the onset of heavy drinking early in adult life, or later in life after the normal manifestations of aging have begun to appear. Results are related to brain mechanisms in emotional perception and memory functions.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Therapy for localized Ewing's sarcoma of bone.

Fifty-two previously untreated patients with localized Ewing's sarcoma of bone were treated with nonintensive chemotherapy in combination with surgery or radiation therapy (RT). RT was delivered to limited volumes in a dose dependent on the initial response to induction chemotherapy (30 to 35 Gy v 50 to 55 Gy). Fifty of the 52 patients achieved complete or partial responses with induction chemotherapy, with one nonresponding patient rendered free of tumor with surgery. Fifty patients were evaluable for local control of tumor and overall response to protocol therapy. Seventeen relapses have occurred; three metastatic, four local plus metastatic, and ten local. Two factors predicted worse disease-free survival: high WBC count (P = .03) and size of primary tumor (P = .05). Of the 14 local recurrences, 12 occurred in 28 patients who presented with primary tumors greater than 8 cm in size while only two of 22 patients with lesions less than 8 cm had local recurrence. The Kaplan-Meier estimate of disease-free survival at 3 years is 82% for those with small lesions and 64% for those with larger lesions. Site of primary was of no prognostic value (P = .27). The 5-year survival estimate for all patients is 80% (median time on study, 3.3 years).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

A prospective study of Hickman/Broviac catheters and implantable ports in pediatric oncology patients.

We prospectively studied the continuous function and complication rates of 286 central venous catheters consecutively placed in 264 children and young adults at a single institution over a 19-month period (median follow-up, 376 days). Externalized catheters (91 Hickman [H], 113 Broviac [B]) and implantable ports (n = 82) were compared for complications, including infection and thrombosis. The most frequent major complication of all catheters was infection, although the rates of infection varied with the duration of catheter use and were generally lower than reported by others. Overall, when catheter failures (removal) for infection, obstruction, or dislodgement were considered, ports had a significantly longer failure-free duration of use (P = .0024) than did externalized catheters. Likewise, ports had a significantly longer infection-free (P less than .01) duration of use than H and B catheters. However, differences in patient age and clinical characteristics among the three catheter groups may have affected the outcome. In analysis of pairs matched for diagnosis, therapy, and age, ports had lower infection rates than did B catheters after 100 days (P = .053). This difference became significant at 400 days of catheter use (P = .029). Although there was a trend toward lower rates of infections for ports v H catheters, this difference was not significant. In view of our results in matched pairs, selection of catheter type based on clinical characteristics and patient preferences remains a reasonable therapeutic approach despite the apparent advantages of ports. The superiority of ports for long-term use (greater than 100 days) needs to be confirmed in a large randomized clinical trial.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Beneficial effect of pre-transplant splenectomy on displacement bone marrow transplantation for Gaucher's syndrome.

2 patients with fast and 4 with medium varieties of Gaucher's syndrome were treated by displacement bone marrow transplantation to install a donor enzyme factory for life. Immunoprophylaxis was given to prevent host impairment of normal enzymes. 5 patients showed rapid and remarkable improvement and were leading fully active lives at 310-1207 days postgraft. Hypersplenism caused the death of 1 patient and a stormy time for another. Pre-transplant elective splenectomy hastened recovery.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Changes in plasma and buffy layer vitamin C concentrations following major surgery: what do they reflect?

Plasma and buffy layer vitamin C concentrations have been measured in 19 patients before and following major surgery, and falls of 36% and 43% respectively were recorded on the first post-operative day. However, the change in the buffy layer could not be accounted for by a change in the concentration of vitamin C in platelets, mononuclear cells or polymorphonuclear leucocytes, the cell types which form the buffy layer. The buffy layer change could be explained by a post-surgical increase in the number of polymorphonuclear leucocytes which, when the buffy layer vitamin C is expressed per 10(8) white cells, dilutes the platelet and mononuclear cell contribution to the buffy layer vitamin C concentration. The fall in buffy layer vitamin C does not, therefore, reflect any increased demand for white cell vitamin C in the immediate post-operative period, although the decrease in plasma vitamin C could imply some increased utilisation or redistribution of the non-cellular compartment.

Adult↗