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Biomedical subjects

O R McCarthy

Publications and source records attributed to O R McCarthy.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

Getting a feel for percussion.

When Auenbrugger introduced percussion it was direct or immediate percussion of the chest. Corvisart was the first to recognise that percussion not merely gave a sound but also a sensation to the percussing fingers. When Piorry introduced mediate percussion the sensation was more readily appreciable. However, there were many astute clinicians who ignored the sensation and these included Stokes, Hope, Latham and Gerhard. To this day some popular handbooks of physical signs do not mention this valuable component of percussion.

History, 18th Century↗
PubMed1997

Changing pattern of respiratory tuberculosis in the UK in adult patients from the Indian subcontinent.

BACKGROUND: Clinical observations over a 12 year period have suggested a changing pattern of adult respiratory tuberculosis in patients from the Indian subcontinent in two districts of the United Kingdom with a high incidence of tuberculosis. METHODS: Details of all patients for the period 1981-92 residing in the Newham and Blackburn districts aged 15 and over whose ethnic origin was from the Indian subcontinent (n = 1308) were analysed by stepwise logistic regression to determine the relationship between sputum smear positivity, sputum culture positivity, and isolated mediastinal lymphadenopathy, year of notification, age, sex, ethnic group (Indian or Pakistani), and whether the patient had visited the Indian subcontinent within the last three years. RESULTS: The proportion of cases who were smear positive rose over the 12 years of the study, as did the proportion of culture positive cases. The proportion with isolated mediastinal lymphadenopathy fell. These changes took place in both districts. They were not explained by demographic changes in age, sex, or ethnic group, nor was there evidence that smear and culture positivity increased in those who had recently visited India or Pakistan. CONCLUSIONS: The pattern of tuberculosis in adult patients originating from the Indian subcontinent has altered over time towards that seen in the white population in the UK.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Short-course chemotherapy for tuberculous pleural effusion and culture-negative pulmonary tuberculosis.

SETTING: Chest Clinics at Blackburn and Newham, UK. OBJECTIVE: To test the efficacy of a short-course regimen of 6 months rifampicin and isoniazid supplemented by 2 months initial pyrazinamide (2HRZ-4HR), in the treatment of smear and culture-negative pulmonary tuberculosis and tuberculous pleural effusion in routine clinical practice. DESIGN: The results of 152 patients with these forms of tuberculosis treated between 1981 and 1991 were analysed retrospectively. RESULTS: 127 patients, 65 with pleural effusion and 62 with culture-negative pulmonary tuberculosis, completed treatment as planned. 100 were followed up for a mean duration 20.5 months (range 4-72) for culture-negative disease and 14.6 months (range 3-46) for pleural effusion. There were no relapses, giving a relapse rate of 0% (95% confidence interval 0-3.62%). CONCLUSION: Unsupervised self-administered treatment with 2HRZ/4HR is a highly effective regimen for culture-negative pulmonary tuberculosis and tuberculous pleural effusion in service conditions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Short course chemotherapy for pulmonary tuberculosis.

A retrospective survey of the treatment of culture positive pulmonary tuberculosis with a standard 6-month course of unsupervised therapy, comprising rifampicin and isoniazid daily for 6 months with pyrazinamide for the first 8 weeks is reported. Of the 164 patients who commenced this regimen, 110 completed therapy as planned. There were five relapses, three of whom admitted significant non-compliance, giving a relapse rate of 4.59% (95% confidence interval, 1.49-10.7). The regimen gives satisfactory results in routine unsupervised treatment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Six months' chemotherapy for lymph node tuberculosis.

A retrospective report of the experience using the policy of six-month short-course chemotherapy as standard treatment for lymph node tuberculosis is presented. Forty-one patients completed 6 months' treatment as planned. All made a complete recovery, except one who had a 1 cm residual node at the completion of treatment, and one who relapsed four months after treatment, was re-treated and recovered. Nine other patients had changes in treatment because of side-effects (5), drug-resistant organisms (3) and pregnancy (1). Treatment was prolonged in another seven patients, four in error and three because of previous drug treatment. The results suggest that 6 months' treatment of lymph node tuberculosis may be as satisfactory as 9 months', and support the need for a control comparison of these regimens.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Asian immigrant tuberculosis--the effect of visiting Asia.

The intervals between arrival or rearrival in the UK and notification of tuberculosis have been studied in four groups of Asian immigrants according to contact with known cases of tuberculosis in the UK and recent visits to Asia. It appears that about one-fifth of the Asian immigrants who developed tuberculosis in West Ham in a 5-year period did so as a result of a recent visit to Asia. About one-third appeared to have acquired their infection before leaving Asia and developed the disease soon after arrival in the UK. Nearly one-half apparently acquired their disease from known or unknown contacts in the UK.

Adult↗