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Biomedical subjects

N C Davis

Publications and source records attributed to N C Davis.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1987

Colorectal cancer: a large unselected Australian series.

An unselected prospective consecutive series of 575 patients with a single adenocarcinoma of the colon and of 331 patients with a single adenocarcinoma of the rectum registered between 1971 and 1984 at the Princess Alexandra Hospital is reported. The tumours were staged according to the Australian Clinicopathological Staging (ACPS) System. Approximately one-quarter of the patients were incurable when they presented. For curative operations for carcinoma of the colon, the operative mortality was 3%. For curative operations for carcinoma of the rectum, the operative mortality was 1% for abdominoperineal resection and 4.5% for anterior resection. The relative 5 year survival for all patients was 54.5%. The findings are compared with other large Australian series as well as with series from the United Kingdom and the United States.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1979

Mortality and complications of large-bowel resection for carcinoma.

The mortality and complications of large-bowel resection for carcinoma performed at the Princess Alexandra Hospital since the Colorectal Project commenced in 1971 are reviewed and compared with the results in other published series. There were 443 patients in this prospective study, and 375 underwent resection of their tumour. The overall operative mortality was 6.4% - for colonic lesions it was 8.0% and for rectal 3.4%. The mortality for elective curative resections was 2.6%, and for emergency resections it was 10.8%. The anastomotic leak rate was 6.8%, but was higher (16.6%) when the anastomosis was done at the time of emergency resection. No patient whose anastomosis leaked but who had had a previous defunctioning proximal colostomy died. There was a wound infection rate of 15.1%.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

The significance of secretory IgA in middle ear fluid.

Studies of immunoglobulin levels in middle ear fluid in children with chronic otitis media show that MEF (middle ear fluid) IgA levels are proportionately higher than serum levels. Disproportionately elevated MEF IgA levels may be due to secretory IgA. Finding secretory IgA in MEF suggests the presence of a secretory epithelium and may define the etiology of chronic inflammation. Resolution of the secretory epithelium may be hastened with adequate ventilation of the middle ear space.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1978

Carcinoma of the large bowel in patients aged 70 years and older.

In a prospective series of 443 cases of large-bowel cancer there were 192 cases occurring in patients aged 70 years and over. The resectability rate in this group was 84.9% and was almost identical with that of the whole series (84.6%). There was an overall operative mortality rate of 7.3% in the older age group, compared with 6.4% in the whole series. However, when octogenarians were considered, the resectability rate fell to 74.6% and the overall operative mortality rate increased to 19%. In the treatment of large-bowel cancer it would seem that special consideration should be given to octogenarians.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Secondary malignant melanoma in lymph nodes: incidence, time of occurrence, and mortality.

During a follow-up period of six to 12 years, 15.4% of patients in the Queensland Melanoma Project (Q.M.P.) developed histologically proven secondary deposits in lymph nodes. The incidence rate in males (21%) was twice that in females (11%), but the mortality rate was similar (M., 67%; F., 61%). Thirty-two patients (2%) had positive nodes with no known primary lesion. Metastases developed in males with lesions on the foot (50%), on the thigh (29%), and on the back (22%); and in females with lesions on the lower leg (9%) and thigh (20%). About one-half of the nodes were removed at the time of treatment of the primary growth or within two months. Three-quarters were removed in the first year. However, it was found that tumour could remain dormant for more than eight years. Dormant tumours behaved in a similar aggressive fashion on regrowth as non-dormant secondaries. Nodal metastases were present in 5% of patients at the time of their first presentation with primary melanoma. Elective node dissections were done in 6% of males and 11% of females.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

An evaluation of leukocyte adherence inhibition in the immunodiagnosis of colorectal cancer.

The leukocyte adherence inhibition technique was used to assess cell-mediated immunoreactivity and serum-blocking factors related to adenocarcinoma of the colon or rectum. In the group of 48 patients with confirmed tumors of this type, 36 of 38 had reactive leukocytes and 46 of 47 had serum-blocking factors. Patients whose tumors had been removed surgically, with no sign of recurrence, retained their leukocyte activity for up to 3.5 years in 6 of 6 cases, but only a small proportion (7 of 30) retained blocking factors. In 67 controls (who were patients with nonmalignant gastrointestinal disorders, patients with gastrointestinal tumors other than colorectal adenocarcinoma, patients with other cancers, or healthy volunteers), negative reactions were obtained, with diverticular disease the only prominent exception. The leukocyte adherence inhibition test appeared to be highly sensitive and specific. Application to the immunodiagnosis of colorectal cancer thus seems to be warranted.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1976

Oncornavirus-like particles in malignant melanoma and control biopsies.

Tests for the presence of oncornavirus-like particles in human biopsies were made by the Spiegelman simultaneous assay for 70S RNA and RNA-dependent DNA polymerase and by detection of 600-900S particles, incorporating 3H-uridine, produced by cultured biopsy cells. Thirty-one malignant melanoma biopsies from 29 patients were studied. Using the simultaneous assay, evidence of virus-like particles was found in 15/26 (58%) of melanoma biopsies, 0/3 naevi pools, 1/4 samples of skin adjacent to melanoma, 0/3 samples of normal adult skin and 0/3 prepuces. The velocity sedimentation technique was shown to be a useful screening test for oncornaviruses in studies of two virus-producing mouse cell lines (TKL-5 and WEHI-22), and was positive with 7/9 melanoma biopsies. Overall, these results are compatible with the earlier findings of similar virus-like particles in malignant melanoma cell lines, but the exact nature of the particles remains to be defined.

Cell Line↗
PubMed1976

Do polyunsaturated fats predispose to malignant melonoma?

The consumption of polyunsaturated fats of patients with malignant melanoma and of a control group of patients with benign naevi has been compared in order to determine whether polyunsaturated fats predispose to the development of malignant melanoma. Patients with malignant melanoma had not consumed excessive quantities of polyunsaturated fats. Thus, there was no evidence to indicate that ingestion of polyunsaturated fats is associated with an increase in incidence of melanoma.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1975

Leukocyte adherence inhibition and specific immunoreactivity in malignant melanoma.

The leukocyte adherence inhibition (LAI) test has been used to assess specific anti-tumour immunoreactivity in 80 patients with malignant melanoma, 21 of whom had apparently been successfully treated by surgery, and 44 control subjects. Reaction with melanoma extracts in vitro enabled the activity of blood leukocytes to be detected by inhibition of their adherence to glass, while serum was tested for factors which modified this inhibition. Of the patients with tumours (ranging from primary melanoma in situ to advanced disseminated disease), 22/24 had active leukocytes and 50/58 has serum blocking factor; two of the sera, from patients with regressing tumours were unblocking. After surgery with no clinical recurrence, leukocytes continued to be active except when tested several years after operation. Blocking factor rapidly disappeared in 16/20 patients tested, and in several patients examined serially the serum became unblocking. In three cases, persistence of serum blocking was followed by clinical diagnosis of metastases. Leukocyte activity was nerver detected in control subjects (0/10), many of whom had other kinds of tumours or skin lesions. Blocking activity in serum was found in only 3/38 controls with no history of melanoma (1 had a fibrosing cellular blue naevus and 2 had liver disease). Thus the LAI test correlated well with clinical and pathological findings, and shows great promise for the reliable, rapid and specific immunodiagnosis of malignant melanoma.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

Multiple primary cutaneous melanomas.

Of 1,444 patients with primary cutaneous melanomas, 57 (3.9%) developed more than one. Most had two primary lesions but one had six. Every effort was made to insure that all melanomas were primary tumors. Most patients developed new primary melanonas within five years of the original operation, but an appreciable number developed them many years later. In the largest group, second and subsequent primary tumors developed in different areas of the body at later times. The subsequent tumors were not diagnosed at an earlier biological stage than the original tumors. Patients with primary cutaneous melanoma should be made aware of increased risk of developing another primary melanoma and physicians should do careful examinations for new primary melanomas as well as for recurrences of the original melanoma.

Adolescent↗