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Biomedical subjects

S Venugopal

Publications and source records attributed to S Venugopal.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Caustic strictures of the oesophagus.

Ingestion of caustic material is a major management problem which occurs most commonly in children. Twenty-five patients with caustic ingestion seen over a ten-year period are reported. Twelve patients had severe burns, resulting in oesophageal strictures. Of these, ten were children below six years of age (median age, 3 years). Dysphagia and vomiting were the main presenting features. Oropharyngeal burn was present in 83% of patients with oesophageal burns. The strictures involved the entire oesophagus in two patients, the upper third in four, the mid oesophagus in two and the lower third in four. Periodic dilatations were successful in restoring an adequate lumen in 7 patients with short strictures. Five patients required surgery. There was one death. Caustic damage to the oesophagus is preventable. Education of the public and simple measures by manufacturers of caustics are urgently needed.

Accidents, Home↗
PubMed1989

Antibody to a human DNA repair protein allows for cloning of a Drosophila cDNA that encodes an apurinic endonuclease.

The cDNA of a Drosophila DNA repair gene, AP3, was cloned by screening an embryonic lambda gt11 expression library with an antibody that was originally prepared against a purified human apurinic-apyrimidinic (AP) endonuclease. The 1.2-kilobase (kb) AP3 cDNA mapped to a region on the third chromosome where a number of mutagen-sensitive alleles were located. The cDNA clone yielded an in vitro translation product of 35,000 daltons, in agreement with the predicted size of the translation product of the only open reading frame of AP3, and identical to the molecular size of an AP endonuclease activity recovered following sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of Drosophila extracts. The C-terminal portion of the predicted protein contained regions of presumptive DNA-binding domains, while the DNA sequence at the amino end of AP3 showed similarity to the Escherichia coli recA gene. AP3 is expressed as an abundant 1.3-kb mRNA that is detected throughout the life cycle of Drosophila melanogaster. Another 3.5-kb mRNA also hybridized to the AP3 cDNA, but this species was restricted to the early stages of development.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1987

Sigmoidoscopy in children with chronic mucoid diarrhoea in rural St. Lucia.

Sixty-nine per cent of a group of children with chronic mucoid diarrhoea who would not normally be seen in a tertiary health care facility had endoscopically demonstrable abnormality in the distal bowel, especially in the distal rectum. Sigmoidoscopy and punch biopsy of the rectum are safe procedures which can be undertaken in primary health care facilities. The inclusion of such investigations will facilitate the elucidation of the aetiology of chronic mucoid diarrhoea.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1987

DNA synthesis is blocked by cigarette tar-induced DNA single-strand breaks.

DNA single-strand breaks are caused by aqueous extracts of cigarette tar, due to the reduction of oxygen to superoxide by tar and the subsequent production of hydroxyl radicals. The action of DNA metabolism enzymes on these single-strand breaks has been studied to probe the consequences of these lesions for DNA repair. Our results demonstrate that cigarette tar-induced nicks are blocked at the 3' terminus since they are totally incapable of activating DNA for DNA synthesis by Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I. The 3' termini of these tar-induced nicks are activated, however, for DNA synthesis by E. coli exonuclease III or by the 3' phosphatase activity of T4 polynucleotide kinase. Because of the inability of tar-induced lesions to support DNA synthesis, they probably require a multi-step process for repair in vivo. As a consequence, the overall likelihood of mutation is increased due to the possibility for error at each step of the repair process.

Bacteriophages↗
PubMed1985

Ileocaecal atresia.

Meconium ileus is one of the commonest causes of distal small bowel obstruction in neonates. Within the last six years at our hospital two newborns presented with identical signs and symptoms of meconium ileus. Abdominal x-rays showed distal small bowel obstruction with ground glass opacity in the right lower quadrant. Gastrografin enema in both cases demonstrated a microcolon, but there was no reflux of this contrast material into the terminal ileum. Laparotomy in both babies revealed atresia of the ileocaecal valve with dilatation of the terminal ileum loops which contained normal meconium. Ileocolic resection was carried out in both neonates. Sweat chlorides and eventual recovery were normal. Pathology in one of the specimens showed muscularis passing across the atretic area with a telescoped pattern of the muscularis propria suggesting intussusception in utero. Although the presentation of a newborn may be that of meconium ileus, the fact that the Gastrografin enema is unable to enter the terminal ileum in a retrograde fashion should be an indication for immediate laparotomy rather than persisting in this mode of treatment. It is obvious that occasionally the radiological diagnosis of meconium ileus is incorrect.

Cecum↗
PubMed1984

Role of splenectomy in homozygous sickle cell disease in childhood.

60 Jamaican children with homozygous sickle cell (SS) disease underwent splenectomy, 14 for prophylaxis against recurrent acute splenic sequestration and 46 for treatment of sustained hypersplenism. Age at operation varied from 9 months to 16 years. Patients were followed up for 1 month to 27 years (median 6 years), with a total of 369 years of patient-observation. None of the 3 patients who died, at ages 2 1/2, 6 1/2, and 21 years, had received prophylaxis against infection. Overwhelming sepsis was possible but not confirmed in the first two deaths which occurred 11 months and 2 1/2 years after operation; the third died from chronic renal failure 11 years after splenectomy. After operation, there were no confirmed cases of pneumococcal septicaemia or meningitis, and the commonest clinical event was the acute chest syndrome.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1983

Nosocomial surgical infections: incidence and cost in a developing country.

Eight hundred twenty-nine patients were monitored for nosocomial surgical infections from January to December 1980 at the University Hospital of the West Indies. Two hundred twenty-five patients (27%) had 189 postoperative wound infections (POWI) and 295 other nosocomial infections, with an average of 2.1 infections per infected patient. The incidence of POWI was 22.8%, varying from 7.3% in clean to 82.2% in infected wounds. The most common organisms isolated were gram-negative bacilli and Staphylococcus aureus. The most frequent nosocomial infection other than POWI was urinary tract infection (27.8%). A statistically significant number of urinary tract infections and septicemias were associated with the use of medical devices such as indwelling urethral catheters and central venous pressure lines (p less than 0.001). Septicemia was frequently associated with operations on the lower gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary tracts (p less than 0.001). The postoperative stay of an infected patient was prolonged by an average of 18 days. The total excess cost of hospitalization for the infected patients was U.S. $170,000.

Cross Infection↗
PubMed1979

Meconium ileus: laparotomy without resection, anastomosis, or enterostomy.

During the 14 yr from 1965 through 1978, 49 infants presented shortly after birth with intestinal obstruction due to impacted meconium. Three of these patients did not have fibrocystic disease. Eight patients were cured by a Gastrografin enema. There were 18 patients who had complications that included associated atresia, volvulus, and/or peritonitis. Various operations were done including resection with either primary anastomosis or enterostomy or varieties of the foregoing. Twenty-three babies had the simple uncomplicated form of meconium ileus. Eleven of these underwent resection and six patients died. Twelve patients were treated by laparotomy, ileotomy through a purse-string suture and prolonged irrigations using acetylcysteine. Of this group only one succumbed. This latter course of management is recommended for patients with simple uncomplicated meconium ileus as it involves no resection, no enterostomy, nor any primary anastomosis.

Cystic Fibrosis↗
PubMed1978

Splenic trauma--nonoperative management and long-term follow-up by scintiscan.

1972 TO April, 1977, 28 children with splenic rupture were managed nonoperatively. The diagnosis was confirmed by splenic scintigraphy with 99mTechnetium-sulfide colloid. Those patients whose condition was stable and satisfactory or maintained stable with intravenous fluids or blood transfusions were not operated upon. All patients sustained their ruptured spleens as a result of trauma, except for one spontaneous rupture in a patients with infectious mononucleosis. Emergency laparotomy for deterioration of clinical condition or late complications was never necessary. Splenic scans were repeated in 22 patients to assess resolution. Fourteen patients had minimal residual defects but there were no late complications detected.

Abdominal Injuries↗