Biomedical subjects
P Duffy
Publications and source records attributed to P Duffy.
Diabetes mellitus in the Torres Strait region.
A study of the prevalence of diabetes mellitus in the predominantly Melanesian population of the Torres Strait region indicated a rate of 19% in the outer island area and a rate of 13% in the Thursday Island and Bamaga areas. The disease, predominantly of the mature-onset type, was not sex dependent except in subjects over the age of 50 years, in whom there was a significantly greater prevalence amongst females. A positive correlation between blood or plasma glucose levels and blood pressure was found.
Thiamin status of a Melanesian population.
A semiautomated method is described which uses the Abbott ABA-100 bichromatic analyzer to measure the stimulation of erythrocyte transketolase by thiamin pyrophosphate (the thiamin pyrophosphate effect). The method was accurate with a throughput of 30 samples per hour and is suitable for the study of the thiamin status of large populations. A significant proportion (21%) of a total of 1920 individuals of a predominantly Melanesian population were found to have an elevated thiamin pyrophosphate effect (greater than 15% activation). This same proportion with an elevated thiamin pyrophosphate effect was found in an urban hospital patient group of 346 individuals. Statistical analysis indicated a significant inverse correlation between thiamin pyrophosphate effect and plasma potassium concentration (p less than 0.001). Analysis of human fecal samples for thiaminase I activity demonstrated that this enzyme was present in 23 of a total of 46 samples selected from both the Melanesian and urban hospital patient groups. Preliminary findings indicated that the thiaminase originated from a bacterial source.
Drug testing in prisons: the views from inside.
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Parathyroid sonography: a useful aid to preoperative localization.
Parathyroid sonography was used to identify 19 of 23 glands enlarged to over 5 mm in transverse diameter in 22 patients presenting with hyperparathyroidism, both primary and secondary. The false positive and false negative rates were 5 percent and 6 percent, respectively.
Contracting with patients in day-to-day practice.
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A surgical approach to diagnostic ultrasound and its relation to other organ imaging techniques.
Ultrasound can be of considerable help to the surgeon in the diagnosis of non-bowel abdominal lesions and of peripheral soft tissue masses. Its relationship to established radiological and nuclear medicine technqiues and computed tomography is discussed. The place of ultrasound in an organ imaging department is outlined.
Current status of echography (ultrasound).
Ultrasonic demonstration of the anatomy and pathology of solid and fluid-filled organs and structures of the upper abdomen, the retroperitoneum and the pelvis is now well established, as is its use for examination of the thyroid gland, breast, the orbit, the heart, the scrotum and soft tissue masses. Aspiration of cytological and histological material for tissue diagnosis and other purposes is performed in a number of centres. Echography and computed tomography of the abdomen are complementary and there is a trend towards combined units so that each service may be used more efficiently.
Ultrasound demonstration of a 1.5 cm intrarenal angiomyolipoma.
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Ultrasound and computed tomography in abdominal diagnosis.
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Adjuvant nitrosourea therapy for glioblastoma.
An attempt was made to evaluate the potential advantages of chemotherapy in the treatment of 62 patients with glioblastoma. Twenty-four of the 62 patients received adjuvant nitrosourea chemotherapy with carmustine (BCNU), lomustine (CCNU), or semustine (methyl CCCNU) in addition to surgery and radiotherapy. Thirty-three of the 62 patients were involved in a controlled, prospective, randomly allocated study. Quality or quantity of survival was not prolonged in patients who received chemotherapy. Age greater than 64 years, a severe postoperative neurological deficit, or the onset of symptoms less than 12 months prior to surgery were associated with a worse prognosis. The valid evaluation of the effect of a form of treatment on survival in patients with glioblastoma is contingent on the regorous avoidance of preselected factors that may predispose the treated group to a more favorable prognosis.
Polyamine metabolism, RNA synthesis, and proliferation in density-Inhibited 3T3 cells.
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Establishment of a viable homograft cardiac valve bank: a rapid method of determining homograft viability.
A method for determining the viability of homograft valves has been developed based on sequential measurements of glucose and pH levels of the culture medium in which cardiac valves have been maintained for short periods at 37 degrees C. Viable valves, as determined by tissue culture, showed a characteristic pattern of glucose utilization and pH reduction that was absent in nonviable valves. Upon explantation of valve leaflet fragments into tissue culture, only fragments from valves that metabolized glucose produced viable fibroblast cultures. The method reported here is rapid, requires no specialized equipment, is nondestructive, and can directly determine the viability of the valve homograft within 24 to 48 hours.
Trauma - not fatal: another view on community nursing.
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On the role of prostaglandins in parturition in the rat.
Treatment of both intact and hypophysectomized pregnant rats on days 19 and 20 of pregnancy with PGF2alpha results in a rapid fall in plasma progesterone concentrations by day 20 followed by premature delivery on day 21. Administration of depoprovera did not prevent the PGF2alpha-induced fall in progesterone levels but premature littering was adverted. Indomethacin, an inhibitor of prostaglandin biosynthesis, postponed the onset of parturition by 20 h when administered in late pregnancy but rats treated with both indomethacin and PGF2alpha delivered at the normal time. Treatment of both intact and hypophysectomized animals with indomethacin delayed the fall in plasma progesterone concentrations which normally occurs between days 21 and 22 of pregnancy. Concomitant PGF2alpha treatment of rats receiving indomethacin caused plasma progesterone levels to fall in a pattern similar to controls. These findings indicate that endogenous PGF2alpha induces a fall in blood progesterone concentrations which is followed by increased myometrial activity.