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Biomedical subjects

P M Black

Publications and source records attributed to P M Black.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1979

Ultrastructural and electrophysiological features of meningioma whorls in tissue culture.

Cultured cells derived from a psammomatous meningioma were induced to from whorls in vitro by deprivation of nutrients. The ultrastructural features of desmosomes and junctional complexes were similar to sections from the surgical specimen; also prominent were 9-10 nm cytoplasmic filaments. Microelectrode recording of whorled cells showed a larger resting membrane potential than that of similar isolated meningioma cells in culture. Whorl formation seen in this tumor may be a result of relative nutritional deprivation and the need for metabolic cooperation among tumor cells.

Cells, Cultured↗
PubMed1979

Selective treatment of infants with myelomeningocele.

Selective treatment of infants with myelomeningocele is said to be beneficial to the infants, their parents, and to society. One group of arguments intended to support this point of view is analyzed. Recent data do not support the factual basis on which these arguments rest; moreover, the moral assumptions that lie behind them should be emphasized. The values held by participants in a discussion of allowing infants to die are as important as facts about treatment options.

Decision Making↗
PubMed1979

Tension pneumocephalus of the cranial subdural space: a case report.

A case of subdural tension pneumocephalus is presented. Computerized cranial tomography permitted rapid diagnosis including localization of the air, thus facilitating prompt treatment. Tension pneumocephalus should be considered in a patient with a cerebrospinal fluid drainage device who deteriorates after craniotomy.

Aged↗
PubMed1978

Effect of smoking during pregnancy upon the haematological values of cord blood.

Haematological indices in cord blood, measured by a Coulter Counter, in 50 mothers who smoked 10 or more cigarettes a day were compared with those in 75 control mothers who were non-smokers, but of similar age and parity. Smoking during pregnancy was associated with higher levels, of haemoglobin, and the haematocrit, as well as with higher red cell counts and a higher mean corpuscular haemoglobin. The percentage of fetal haemoglobin in cord blood was not affected by smoking. There was no correlation between social class and cord blood haemoglobin; but within social class groups, higher cord blood haemoglobin levels were associated with smoking. It is suggested that smoking during pregnancy stimulates fetal erythropoeisis.

Bilirubin↗
PubMed1978

Tissue cultures from cerebrospinal fluid specimens in the study of human brain tumors.

The authors report a study in which 109 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens from patients with varying neurological disorders were incubated in tissue culture medium for 1, 3, and sometimes 7 days. Strict criteria for malignancy were applied to cells found at these intervals. In 35 patients with verified central nervous system neoplasms, eight cases had malignant cells and 11 others had "doubtful" cells by tissue-culture analysis. Thirty-three of these cases were also examined with standard millipore cytological techniques: six had malignant cells and four had "doubtful" cells. Of 50 cases with inflammatory or other non-neoplastic conditions, cells were cultured in 13. None was considered malignant by our criteria. Tissue culture of CSF has several potential benefits. Even with stringent criteria, it is possible to demonstrate the presence of unequivocally malignant cells in CSF by tissue culture. The systemic application of such criteria may eventually increase the positive identification of malignancies. Further, since these cells are growing, the degree of malignancy may be more accurately determined by a study of growth in culture. Such a study could not be done by conventional methods. Finally, tissue culture can help to guide therapy in certain instances in which a surgical biopsy cannot be obtained.

Brain Neoplasms↗
PubMed1977

Glucosyltransferase production by Streptococcus sanguis 804 (NCTC 10904).

Streptococcus sanguis 804 (NCTC 10904) was grown ih batch culture at constant pH. and the glucosyltransferase activity of the supernatant was assayed over a 40-h growth period. The optimum pH for enzyme production was 7.0 to 7.2. During growth of the culture, three reproducible phases of enzyme activity were observed. The polysaccharides synthesized during each of these phases were characterized as dextran-like glucans by analysis of acid hydrolysates, gas-liquid chromatography, and a specific aggregation technique. The glucans were studied further by infrared spectroscopy, enzymic degradation, and periodate oxidation. Differences in the proportions of alpha-(1 leads to 3)- and alpha-(1 leads to 6)-linkages were observed. The results suggest that glucan synthesis by S. sanguis involves a multienzyme system.

Agglutination↗
PubMed1977

Diagnosis and surgical treatment of pituitary lesions.

The primary care physician has a critical role in the recognition and early screening of pituitary lesions. Often the symptoms are nonspecific--headache, fatigue, and weakness. With menstrual irregularity, visual field loss, growth abnormality, or changes in body habitus or appearance, however, further investigation is needed. A single lateral skull X-ray may be enough to indicate pathology and warrant endocrine referral. If doubt exists even with a normal skull film, endocrine evaluation is worth undertaking. With increasing selectivity and safety of neurosurgical procedures, and with the help of physicians and radiotherapists, the neurosurgeon is able to offer the patient with a pituitary tumor a good chance of cure with minimal morbidity. However, the surgeon must often depend on the primary care physician to discover new visual field loss or endocrine changes that may signal recurrence, as well as to suspect the diagnosis of a pituitary lesion. The diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of these lesions is best handled by an interdisciplinary team of physicians.

Craniopharyngioma↗
PubMed1975

Criteria of brain death: review and comparison.

The concept of brain death has become important in law and medicine, replacing in some instances the concept of circulatory arrest as a definition of death. Yet, brain death has not been established as a clear clinical or pathologic entity, a point brought out here by comparison of criteria for identification. The need for more research is evident.

Angiography↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Subdural hygroma of the spinal meninges: a case report.

A case of a subdural hygroma or chronic subdural hematoma of the thoracolumbar spinal meninges is described. This became symptomatic 9 years after trauma. Terminological ambiguity is discussed, along with the detailed clinical, radiological, and operative presentations of this rare condition.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Chief complaints in a free walk-in clinic: a study of 3,009 consecutive patient visits.

Men under 20 and over 50 years of age used a free walk-in clinic of the Navy more than women of the same age. Women 20-50 years old used it more than men in this age group. This appears to be a result of the distribution of Navy health care facilities in the study area. Teenagers used the clinic as much as patients over 50. Sore throat, skin rash, abdominal pain, earache, and backache were the five most common complaints (302 per 1,000 patients.) These complaints and 19 other problems were responsible for 822 patient visits per 1,000 in a study of 2,272 consecutive new patient visits. Eighteen percent of all visits were return visits for a specific complaint. An analysis of complaints by body system showed that 21.9 percent were otolaryngological, 18.8 percent musculoskeletal, 12.5 per cent gastrointestinal, 9.7 percent dermatological, 8.7 percent cardiopulmonary, 7.8 percent genitourinary, 9.0 percent general (fatigue, nervousness, malaise, or weakness), and 11.6 percent other system (neurological, hematological, and miscellaneous). These data indicate that a physician's time might be used more efficiently in a walk-in setting and that training for such a clinic must be different from traditional training for such fields as internal medicine.

Adult↗