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Biomedical subjects

T Russell

Publications and source records attributed to T Russell.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

The use of clearplan home ovulation detection kits in unexplained and male factor infertility.

One hundred and five couples with unexplained infertility and 43 couples whose infertility was thought to be due to reduced sperm motility were recruited. The median duration of infertility was 36 months (range 12-168). Couples were randomly allocated to either using Clearplan home ovulation detection kits for 3 cycles or were advised about the optimal time during their menstrual cycle to achieve a pregnancy. The clinical details of the 2 groups were similar. In couples with unexplained infertility over the study period 10 (20.4%) in the Clearplan group and 9 (16%) in the control group conceived with 58% of pregnancies occurring in the first cycle. In couples with reduced sperm motility, the results were disappointing with only 2 (8%) pregnancies in the Clearplan group and 2 (11.1%) in the controls. Assisted reproduction technology may not be justified as the first line of management in patients with unexplained infertility.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Calcium-activated neutral proteinase (CANP; calpain) activity in Schwann cells: immunofluorescence localization and compartmentation of mu- and mCANP.

Calcium-activated neutral proteinase (CANP) activity was determined in cytosolic and membranous subcellular fractions of transformed Schwann cells (tSc). The muM and mM Ca(2+)-sensitive (mu- and mCANP) forms of CANP were separated by DEAE and phenyl Sepharose column chromatography, the latter step enabling removal of the endogenous inhibitor calpastatin. The tSc contained more muCANP than the mM isoform. More than 75% of mCANP activity was membrane-associated and 20% was cytosolic. In contrast, approximately 80% of muCANP was cytosolic and 15% was membranous. Triton X-100 stimulated activity of the whole homogenate and of the membrane pellet but did not stimulate CANP activity in the cytosolic fraction. Immunohistochemical distribution of mM enzyme was studied in both fixed and permeabilized tSc with cytosolic (anti-cyt-mCANP) and myelin (anti-my-mCANP) antibodies. Live cells (non-permeabilized) stained with anti-my-mCANP had a single filamentous ring circumscribing individual cells. Permeabilized cells treated with anti-my-mCANP had immunoreactive deposits throughout the intracellular space but sparing the perinuclear region. No immunohistochemical staining was detected when live cells were exposed to anti-cyt-mCANP whereas permeabilized cells had extensive intracellular staining with the most intense immunoreactivity in the perinuclear region. Our results indicate that both forms of CANP are present in tSc and that the activity of most of the muCANP is cytosolic while mCANP is particulate.

2',3'-Cyclic-Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases↗
PubMed1991

The clinical value of Clearplan home ovulation detection kits in infertility practice.

A home ovulation testing kit, Clearplan, that detects the urinary luteinizing hormone (LH) surge was used by 32 patients on a donor insemination programme for 50 cycles to indicate when to first attend the clinic for a serum LH test to determine ovulation. Using Clearplan significantly reduced the number of clinic attendances (4.06 +/- 1.5) compared to the preceding control cycle (7.06 +/- 2.0 p less than 0.001). One serum LH peak was missed using Clearplan. Ovulation was predicted within 2 days of the serum LH surge in 77% of cycles. Home ovulation determination has the potential to reduce the stress and cost of fertility programmes.

Appointments and Schedules↗
PubMed1990

Giant malignant tumors of the anus. A strategy for management.

Four homosexual male patients with giant anal carcinomas, ranging from 10 to 17 cm in diameter, are presented. These patients were not candidates for abdominoperineal resection because of fixation to adjacent structures. Common symptoms included pain, sepsis, anemia, incontinence, and weight loss. Diverting colostomy was performed in all patients. Two of the four patients were treated by wide local excision of the tumors for palliation. Two patients were treated with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Three of the four patients died within 12 months. The authors conclude that diverting colostomy and wide local excision of giant anal cancers offer effective palliation of local wound problems in selected cases.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Thoracic intervertebral disc protrusion: experience of 67 cases and review of the literature.

Sixty-seven cases of thoracic intervertebral disc protrusion are reported with an analysis of clinical and radiological findings. The findings include the fact that male: female ratio is approximately equal, peak incidence is in the 3rd to 5th decade with another peak at age 30-40 in men. This latter peak appears to be associated with trauma which is otherwise uncommon. Results of surgical treatment indicate that the transthoracic and costotransversectomy routes are almost equally effective; laminectomy is not advised.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Immune complex disease and gynecomastia.

A man with arthritis, gynecomastia and a rash histologically showing leukocytoclastic vasculitis, dermatitis herpetiformis and immunoglobulin G deposits at the dermoepidermal junction is reported. In contrast to cases of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) associated with vesiculobullous eruptions and similar histological features, our patient had neither bullae nor serological evidence of SLE. Conversely, no men already reported had evidence of feminization. Thus, our case appears to be unique.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Transnasal hypophysectomy--an unusual sporting injury.

A case is presented of a traumatic penetrating nasal injury, resulting in panhypopituitarism and memory loss. Certain aspects of the diagnosis and treatment are discussed, and in conclusion some principles of management are suggested. The patient was last seen 8 months after the injury and had not required any desmopressin for 6 weeks.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

The effects of a direct-mail informational campaign on attitudes of industrial managers toward the mentally retarded population.

This study attempted to determine the effects of a direct-mail campaign on the attitudes of managers and presidents of industries toward the mentally retarded. The participants in the study were 99 managers and presidents selected from a total population of 4290 within the State of Alabama, USA. Random sampling techniques were utilized to select and assign managers and presidents into an experimental group (n = 50) and a control group (n = 49), giving a total usable sample size of 99. The size of this sample was adequate to insure that, in 19 out of 20 cases, the sample mean was within 0.50 points of the population mean on the response scale according to Elliot (1980). The pre-test of the attitude scale was administered to the experimental and control groups by mail. A post-test was administered to the control and experimental groups one week after the mailing of the final pamphlet. The major finding of this study revealed positive attitude gains from pre-test to post-test for the experimental group following the direct-mail campaign. No significant difference was noted for the control group from pre-test and post-test. Pre-test scores of the experimental and control groups were not significantly different; however, post-test scores between these groups were significantly different. The results of this research contribute further information on a direct-mail approach for changing attitudes of managers and presidents of industries toward mentally retarded persons.

Alabama↗
PubMed1987

Pre-operative radionuclide localization of intracerebral lesions: a five-year experience.

Intracerebral lesions demonstrated by computerized tomography usually require histological confirmation to determine subsequent management. Tissue samples are generally obtained by craniotomy or burr hole biopsy; either procedure can prove negative if a lesion is small, deep, or very superficial. Pre-operative imaging and localization reduce biopsy failures. Before the introduction of this straight forward radionuclide technique, our biopsy success rate using conventional localization methods was 88%. In a 5-year period, 200 patients underwent pre-operative radionuclide localization, with an improvement in the overall biopsy success rate to 92.7% (95.5% for lesions which took up radionuclide). Patients have benefitted from reduced operating time and improved post-operative recovery rates. About 85% of all intracerebral lesions may be expected to accumulate radionuclide. However in our series, 93.2% were sufficiently well visualized for a siting marker to be placed with confidence. Within this group, low grade astrocytomas (Kernohan Grades I and II) showed a predictably low incidence of imaging (30.8%). For the majority of lesions which present difficulties in biopsy due to size or site, the radionuclide method is a simple procedure which increases the chance of obtaining positive tissue with the minimum of surgical intervention.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1986

Metastasizing meningioma.

A very unusual case of metastatic spread of a meningioma is described. The clinical presentation was of extradural spinal cord compression, without evidence of a primary tumor. Computed tomography did not reveal any intracranial meningioma; the histopathology of the extradural spinal tumor was identical with that of two intracranial meningiomas previously excised.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Effect of mannitol on cerebral blood flow and cerebral perfusion pressure in human head injury.

Patients with severe head injury frequently have evidence of elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) and ischemic neuronal damage at autopsy. Mannitol has been used clinically to reduce ICP with varying success, and it is possible that it is more effective in some types of head injury than in others. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of mannitol on ICP, cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP), and cerebral blood flow (CBF) in patients with severe head injury, and to discover if these effects differed in different types of injury. Measurements of CPP, ICP, and CBF were made in 55 patients with severe head injury. In general, the resting level of CBF was higher in patients with diffuse injury (mean 50.2 ml/100 gm/min) than in those with focal injury (mean 39.8 ml/100 gm/min). Mannitol consistently reduced ICP and increased CPP and CBF by 10 to 20 minutes after infusion. The lowest flows (31.8 ml/100 gm/min) were recorded from the most damaged hemispheres of patients with focal injuries and elevated ICP. The baseline levels of flow did not correlate with ICP, CPP, Glasgow Coma Scale score, or outcome. Only four of the 55 patients had a CBF of less than 20 ml/100 gm/min in either or both hemispheres. The few low CBF's in this and other studies may reflect the steady-state conditions under which measurements are made in intensive care units, and that these patients have entered a phase of reperfusion.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Factors from fibroblasts promote pancreatic islet B cell survival in tissue culture.

A possible role for fibroblasts in promoting the survival and function of islet B cells in tissue culture was examined by the addition of fibroblasts from a mouse embryo cell line (3T3-L2) to islet cell monolayer cultures prepared from newborn rat pancreases. Co-culture of islet cells with fibroblasts significantly increased the recovery of insulin in medium and cells after 7 days of culture in medium supplemented with 10% serum, and prevented the deterioration of islet cells cultured in serum-free medium. Similarly- serum-free medium, conditioned by cultures of either 3T3-L2 fibroblasts or fibroblasts freshly isolated from newborn rat pancreases, maintained the release and content of insulin in islet cell monolayer cultures at levels four- to eightfold higher than in control serum-free medium. Serum-free, fibroblast-conditioned medium also enhanced the survival of intact islets maintained in free-floating culture for 28 days. The active factor(s) in fibroblast-conditioned medium has a high molecular weight and is heat-stable. We conclude that fibroblastic cells produce a macromolecular factor(s) capable of enhancing the survival of functional islet B cells in tissue culture.

Animals↗