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Biomedical subjects

M Lalla

Publications and source records attributed to M Lalla.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in patients with acute spinal cord injury: a comparison with nonparalyzed patients immobilized due to spinal fractures.

The occurrence of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) was studied in the series of 23 consecutive patients with acute spinal cord injury and 14 immobilized patients with spinal fractures without paralysis. The incidence of DVT in paralyzed patients was 100% as detected by the 125I-labeled fibrinogen test and confirmed by contrast venography, and 64% as detected by repeated clinical examinations and confirmed by contrast venography. The respective incidence of DVT in nonparalyzed patients with spinal fractures was 0%. The diagnosis of DVT was reached earlier with the radiofibrinogen test than with the clinical followup (5 days vs. 25 days). Two of the 23 paralyzed patients (9%) developed nonfatal clinical pulmonary embolism (PE). There were no differences in the values of routine coagulation tests. The result justifies prophylactic anticoagulant therapy in all cases of spinal cord injury during the acute post-traumatic phase.

Adolescent↗

Fluorometric assay for phospholipase A2 in serum.

In this fluorometric assay for phospholipase A2 (EC 3.1.1.4) in serum we use the fluorescent phospholipid analog 1-octacosanyl-2-(pyren-1-yl)hexanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatid yl monomethyl ester as substrate. The optimized conditions are: 28 mumol of the substrate per liter of Tris buffer (20 mmol/L, pH 7.4). The hydrolytic reaction is allowed to proceed for 30 min at 37 degrees C. The fluorescent reaction product, (pyren-1-yl)hexanoic acid, is then separated from the unreacted substrate by liquid-liquid phase partition. The concentration of the liberated fatty acid analog is determined fluorometrically. The detection limit is approximately 6 pmol min-1 mL-1. Forty duplicate samples can be assayed in about 2 h. The activity of this enzyme in serum of 20 healthy volunteers averaged 69 pmol min-1 mL-1. For seven patients with clinically diagnosed pancreatitis the average activity was 1092 pmol min-1 mL-1.

Acute Disease↗

Follow-up study of 482 cases with convulsive disorders in the first year of life.

A total of 482 patients who had had one or more seizures in the first year of life were followed for at least five years (most for more than 10 years). The patients were divided into four groups: febrile convulsions, infantile spasms, status epilepticus and 'other'. Of those with febrile convulsions, 62 per cent developed normally, compared with 14 per cent in the group with infantile spasms, 15 per cent with status epilepticus, and 24 per cent in the 'other' group. Findings on recurrent seizures, epilepsy and mental retardation and/or neurological abnormalities are also reported. Epilepsy developed equally frequently among those with partial and with generalised seizures, but the former more frequently became mentally retarded. The effects of severity of seizures and other factors are discussed. In general, this research confirmed the grave prognosis after seizures during the first year of life, and not only for West syndrome and status epilepticus. The outcome was more favourable when the seizures were cryptogenic or febrile, isolated, with onset in the second six months, generalised, and when the EEG was normal between seizures.

Age Factors↗

Serum group I pepsinogens after consecutive stimulations with insulin and pentagastrin in unoperated duodenal ulcer patients and in duodenal ulcer patients after proximal gastric vagotomy.

Ten unoperated duodenal ulcer (DU) patients and 11 DU patients 1 year after proximal gastric vagotomy (PGV) were examined for gastric acid secretion and for serum group I pepsinogens (PG I) during basal conditions and after consecutive stimulations with insulin and pentagastrin. In unoperated DU patients insulin stimulation caused a significant increase both in gastric acid secretion and in serum PG I. In these patients a consecutive pentagastrin stimulation elicited a significant increase in gastric acid secretion but not in serum PG I. In patients after PGV, insulin stimulation caused a slight but significant increase in gastric acid secretion but not in serum PG I. In these patients a consecutive pentagastrin stimulation caused a significant increase both in gastric acid secretion and in serum PG I. Two of the operated patients had negative and nine had positive responses to the postoperative insulin test. According to this study, in consecutive stimulation with insulin and pentagastrin the effect of pentagastrin on serum PG I is inhibited by preceding insulin stimulation in DU patients. By PGV the effect of insulin on serum PG I is eliminated. and then a subsequent pentagastrin stimulation elicits a significant rise in serum PG I. As a test of the completeness of PGV, the serum PG I response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia seems to be less sensitive than the gastric acid response.

Adult↗

Effect of cyclosporine on wound healing.

Two prophylactic immunosuppressive drugs, cyclosporine and methylprednisolone (MP), were compared for their effect on the in situ inflammatory reaction of granulation tissue formation and on wound healing. Granulation tissue was generated via implantation of viscous cellulose sponges in Sprague-Dawley rats. The rats were divided into six groups: One group received 40 mg/kg/day of cyclosporine, the second 10 mg/kg/day of cyclosporine, the third 2.5 mg/kg/day of cyclosporine, the fourth 12 mg/kg/day of MP, the fifth received the cyclosporine solvent, and the sixth group was given only saline. All drugs were given i.p. No reduction in the number of inflammatory cells was observed in the cyclosporine-treated sponges compared with the controls, whereas MP suppressed the inflammation strongly. Differential counts demonstrated a relative enrichment of macrophages in the cyclosporine-treated versus the MP-treated or control sponges. Chemical analyses of the sponge extracts agreed well with the cytological data: MP suppressed the total DNA content of the sponges, a marker of total cellularity, as well as the content of acid phosphatase and beta-glucuronidase, both markers of macrophages, but no such suppression was seen in the cyclosporine-treated sponges. The alkaline phosphatase content, a marker for granulocytes, was similar in all groups. A remarkable suppression in the contents of hydroxyproline, reflecting the amount of collagen, and in that of hemoglobin, reflecting the amount of neovascularization, was observed in the MP-treated sponges, whereas no such suppression--but possibly a slight enhancement of the second parameter--was observed in the cyclosporine-treated sponges. We conclude that, in contrast to MP, cyclosporine does not inhibit the inflammatory reaction of granulation tissue formation or the regenerative process of wound healing.

Acid Phosphatase↗

Serum group I pepsinogens in unoperated duodenal ulcer patients and in duodenal ulcer patients after proximal gastric vagotomy.

Thirty-three duodenal ulcer patients (group A) were examined for gastric acid secretion capacity and serum group I pepsinogens (PG I) under basal conditions. Another group of 36 duodenal ulcer patients (group B), who had undergone proximal gastric vagotomy (PGV) 1 year previously, were similarly examined. Mean basal acid output, mean insulin-stimulated peak acid output, and mean pentagastrin-stimulated peak acid output in the conservatively treated group were 4.5 meq/h, 25.1 meq/h, and 34.4 meq/h, respectively. The corresponding values in the PGV group were 2.5 meq/h, 6.7 meq/h, and 18.5 meq/h. The mean serum PG I concentration in group A was 103.6 ng/ml and in group B 69.9 ng/ml, whereas the mean serum PG I concentration in 34 healthy control subjects was 47.9 ng/ml. The differences in serum PG I concentrations between all three groups were statistically significant (p less than 0.05). An elevated concentration of serum PG I is associated with clinical ulcer disease in unoperated patients, but the wide overlap in the PG I concentration area between duodenal ulcer patients and healthy persons limits the use of PG I determinations in disturbances of gastric acid secretion.

Adult↗

Five-year results of proximal gastric vagotomy.

Between February 1972 and December 1976 100 proximal gastric vagotomies (PGV) were performed on duodenal ulcer patients after failure of conservative treatment. The diagnosis was verified by preoperative barium meal and endoscopy and by peroperative examination. There was no operative mortality. Mean duration of postoperative hospital stay was 9.6 days. The percentual distribution in Visick-grading at the 1-year follow-up was 90% in class I + II, and 10% in class III + IV. The corresponding figures at the 5-year follow-up were 82% and 18%. The mean postoperative basal acid output did not change from one to five years. The reduction in pentagastrin stimulated acid output was unchanged at the 1- and 5-year follow-up. Neither did the mean acid output after insulin stimulation change between one and five years postoperatively. The mean concentration of serum gastrin was raised at one year but decreased to normal at the 5-year follow-up. Ten patients (10%) had ulcer recurrence during follow-up. Seven of these were successfully treated by gastric resection and three by antacids and cimetidine.

Adult↗

Characterization and elimination of a factor in serum that interferes with turbidimetry and nephelometry of lipase.

We studied a serum component ("pseudolipase") that interferes with both turbidimetric and nephelometric lipase measurements. Pseudolipase activity in serum was found in the presence of rheumatoid factor and in other disorders of active immune processes. The incidence of this interferent in sera seems to be greater than reported previously. We describe a method for eliminating its effect without affecting pancreatic lipase activity, by precipitating some of the proteins, including IgM, with polyethylene glycol.

False Positive Reactions↗

Changes in the requirements for blood transfusion in brain surgery.

The amount of blood used in transfusions during certain neurosurgical operations was less in 1978-79 than in 1971-72 and in 1965-66. The operations investigated were for gliomas and meningiomas of the brain, pituitary adenomas, acoustic neurinomas, arteriovenous malformations, and arterial aneurysms. The major change in anaesthetic techniques between 1965-66 and 1971-72 was the introduction of hypocapnia by controlled artificial hyperventilation. We suggest that this was the main factor responsible for the reduction in the need for blood transfusions. The avoidance of halothane, the use of induced hypotension, and microsurgical technique may have been responsible for the smaller drop between 1971-72 and 1978-79. Good neurosurgical anaesthesia demands anaesthetic expertise, reliable apparatus, and instant laboratory service, but may also reduce costs by reducing the need for blood transfusions.

Anesthesia↗

Serum lysozyme: evaluation of a nephelometric assay.

A nephelometric lysozyme (LZM) assay method was compared to two commonly used enzymatic LZM assay methods. LZM concentrations obtained with the nephelometric method correlated well with those obtained with the spectrophotometric (r = + 0.98) and the lysoplate (r =+ 0.93) methods. The precision of the nephelometric method was 5.1% (CV). The nephelometric LZM assay offers a simple, reproducible and rapid assay method for serum LZM determinations.

Adult↗

Sensitivity and nonspeicific staining of various immunoperoxidase techniques.

Optimally fixed paraffin enbedded tissue sections and cytocentrifuged cell smears were used to test the sensitivity and nonspecific staining with the enzyme-bridge, PAP, indirect and direct immunoperoxidase methods using human immunoglobulins and lysozyme as antigens. With the enzyme-bridge method positive staining was seen with primary antiserum dilutions up to 1:20,000. The least background staining was observed with this method. The PAP method was equally sensitive, although false-negative results with low primary antiserum dilutions were seen. Some nonspecific background staining always persisted using the PAP method even with high primary antiserum dilutions. The indirect method was not as sensitive as the enzyme-bridge method and some nonspecific staining always persisted. The direct method was too insensitive with paraffin embedded tissue sections.

Animals↗

Bronchiolar adenomatosis. A case report.

A case of bronchiolar adenomatosis (benign pulmonary adenomatosis) with unusually widespread pulmonary changes is presented. This disease is rare and occurs equally in both sexes. The tumourous growth is slow and can easily be mistaken for alveolar cell carcinoma, alveolar proteins, tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, or malignant pulmonary adenomatosis. The diagnosis can be made on a histological specimen from the affected lung. In spite of a benign histological picture, the disease may ultimately run an unfavourable course because of its malignant potentialities. A distinction between benign and malignant pulmonary adenomatosis may therefore only be made with certainty by a complete and careful postmortem examination.

Adenocarcinoma, Bronchiolo-Alveolar↗