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Biomedical subjects

W C Marshall

Publications and source records attributed to W C Marshall.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1979

Congenital rubella deafness: a preventable disease.

Over a 4-year period (1972-75) an unselected sample of 568 children aged under 4 years attending the Nuffield Hearing and Speech Centre were tested for rubella antibody. Sensorineural deafness was subsequently diagnosed in 349 of these children, and 83 (24%) of this group had rubella antibody. In contrast, only 19 (9%) of the remaining 219 children in whom sensorineural deafness was excluded had rubella antibody. The seropositive and seronegative children with sensorineural deafness showed striking differences in family history, history of maternal rubella, adverse perinatal events, and presence of other defects. Congenital rubella is an important cause of deafness, and the rubella vaccination programme must be pursued more vigorously if this serious defect is to be prevented in the future.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed1979

Immunoglobulin levels in Nigerian cord blood sera.

We have quantified the levels of IgG, IgA and IgM in Nigerian cord blood samples during the dry and the wet seasons. Almost all the samples collected during both seasons had detectable levels of IgG and IgM, while IgA was detected in 71% of those collected in the rainy season and in only 45% of those collected during the dry season. We observed seasonal variations in the levels of each of these immunoglobulins but the variations were not consistent for all three immunoglobulin classes. This suggests that the levels of each immunoglobulin class in the cord blood is probably controlled by different antigenic factors in our environment. The mean values for all three immunoglobulin classes were raised in all our samples above those of UK cord blood samples. This is consistent with earlier reports for samples collected in the tropics. In the paired cord/maternal immunoglobulin estimations, 75% of cord sera had higher levels of IgG than their corresponding maternal samples, suggesting either active transfer of the immunoglobulin across the placenta or increased rate of synthesis or decreased rate of catabolism in utero.

Female↗
PubMed1979

Mycoplasma hominis. A cause of neonatal meningitis.

Two cases of Mycoplasma hominis meningitis in the newborn are described. These infants demonstrate the need to consider M. hominis as a cause of neonatal meningitis, especially if the Gram stain is negative, conventional cultures yield no growth, and there is a history of maternal infection. CSF cultures on appropriate medium can quickly confirm the diagnosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Growth-hormone deficiency in congenital rubella.

Two boys with congenital rubella and concomitant growth-hormone deficiency responded to human-growth-hormone replacement and have already (over a period of 18 mo) achieved a significant increase in height. The association of these two diagnoses requires recognition so that treatable endocrine disorders, which are becoming recognized more often in congenital rubella, are always positively excluded when affected children with inexplicable short stature are seen.

Anthropometry↗
PubMed1977

Rubella vaccination of schoolgirls: factors affecting vaccine uptake.

In a national sample of 16-year-old girls who were aged 12 when the rubella vaccine programme was implemented in 1970, 71% were reported to have received rubella vaccine. There was a high regional disparity in the uptake of rubella vaccine: 81% of girls living in Scotland had been vaccinated but only 61% of girls living in Wales. Similarly there was a difference in reported vaccine uptake according to the family social background, the lowest proportion vaccinated came from professional and unskilled manual families. Girls attending independent schools also had a lower vaccine uptake than girls in schools maintained by the local educational authorities. If rubella immunisation is to be effective uptake of vaccine must increase to almost 100%.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

Neurological complications of childhood leukaemia.

We have reviewed the neurological complications not directly attributable to leukaemic infiltration in a group of 438 children with leukaemia or lymphoma. 61 children had one or more complications due chiefly to bleeding, infection, or drug toxicity. Early death from intracranial haemorrhage occurred in 1% of children with lymphoblastic leukaemia and 7% of children with myeloblastic leukaemia. Measles and chicken pox were the most serious infective complications; one child remains severely retarded after presumed measles encephalitis, one child with chicken pox died, and a second remains disabled. 2 additional cases of measles encephalitis and one of progressive multifocal leucoencephalopathy are described. Drugs which caused neurotoxicity included vincristine, cytosine arabinoside, L-asparaginase, and phenothiazines, but most problems were caused by methotrexate. Methotrexate toxicity was more prevalent and more serious in children who had had previous central nervous system leukaemia. We conclude that viral infections and methotrexate pose the greatest neurological hazards to children with leukaemia.

Adolescent↗