Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to W Foster.
Effective care for patients with diabetes and other chronic conditions can be achieved in general practice if goals are set and outcome measured. Clinical audit is a useful method of gathering the necessary information.
Developing female rabbits were studied weekly from Day 22 of life to Day 100. At all ages GnRH (1.5 micrograms/kg) induced a large increase in LH release 15 min later. By contrast, FSH was significantly increased only on Days 22, 29 and 72 and no significant increase was detected up to 2 h after GnRH administration at other ages. Functional corpora lutea were absent at the start of all treatments as indicated by circulating concentrations of progesterone less than 2 ng/ml. It is concluded that the immature rabbit pituitary is functionally capable of responding to GnRH with an increase in LH secretion, whereas the control of FSH secretion may be regulated by other factors.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Two cases of familial, malignant, nonfunctional paraganglioma are reported. Uptake of iodine-131 metaiodobenzylguanidine ([131I]MIBG) by the tumors and metastases was demonstrated. In the first case, with multicentric and locally invasive disease, [131I]MIBG correctly localized a right carotid body paraganglioma which had been missed arteriographically. In the second case, with widespread, symptomatic metastatic disease, a therapeutic dose of [131I]MIBG produced palliation of bone pain after the failure of radio- and chemotherapy. Uptake of [131I]MIBG by paragangliomas does not correlate with catecholamine secretory activity. Iodine-131 MIBG should be considered as a therapeutic option in unresectable, malignant paragangliomas which take up this radiopharmaceutical.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Free thiamine and total thiamine in milk were analyzed by gas chromatography using a nitrogen-phosphorus detector. Sodium bisulfite was used to cleave thiamine into 4-methyl-5-(2-hydroxyethyl)thiazole, which can be extracted by chloroform. The procedure was simplified by the use of 3-(3-pyridyl)-1-propanol as an internal standard. Free thiamine was determined by cleaving the thiamine before reacting it with an enzyme that removes phosphate and allows for the quantitation of total thiamine. The validity of the procedure was demonstrated by analysis of homogenized, nonfat dry, and raw whole milk. Thiamine is reported in microgram/100 ml.
An opportunistic rubella screening programme in a general practice is described. Self-adhesive stickers placed on the medical records envelope were used to alert staff and to record information on rubella status. Out of the total target population of women aged between 10 and 40 years, three sample cohorts were audited: the 15, 20 and 30 years age groups. Between the first and second audits a practice policy on rubella immunization screening was implemented over a period of 11 months. After 11 months the proportions of 20- and 30-year-olds whose rubella status was known had risen from 50% to 88% and from 67% to 87% respectively. For the 15-year-old cohort, which would have been included in the schools immunization programme, the increase was negligible. Serological testing in the practice identified 24 women (7% of all those tested) who were seronegative and to date 19 of these women have been vaccinated. The screening method was shown to be simple and effective and to involve little extra staff time.
Little is known about the significance of one or more septations within a renal cyst. The records of 26 patients whose sonographic and/or CT studies showed evidence of internal septations were reviewed to assess their significance. Thirteen patients underwent surgical exploration; in 10, the final diagnoses were benign lesions, while in three there were elements of renal cell carcinoma. Criteria are suggested to distinguish benign from malignant lesions. One or more thin septations alone is probably of no clinical significance, but if there are solid elements demonstrated, further evaluation is mandatory.
Approximately 10% of patients undergoing computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen will have a pseudomass at the gastroesophageal junction. The technique and value of using the left lateral decubitus position for CT evaluation of the gastroesophageal junction is described.
Nuclear parameters from 24 cases of atypical endometrial hyperplasia were determined by means of graphic tablet and microcomputer. Eight of the 24 hyperplasias progressed to carcinoma, but the remaining 16 did not progress during a mean follow-up period of 11.8 years. A linear discriminant function selected the mean and standard deviation of maximal nuclear diameter as useful predictors of clinical outcome. The linear discriminant function predicted the correct outcome in 83% of the cases. This study suggests that measurement of nuclear parameters in atypical endometrial hyperplasia may provide a more objective means of predicting the behavior of the various forms of hyperplasia.
The results obtained with four laboratory tests on four candidate formulations of Clostridium welchii type C vaccine for use in man have been compared with clinical responses to the same vaccines. Quantal response assays in mice appeared to reflect the ranking of the four vaccines in human subjects better than did the guinea pig tests. They also enabled the potency of the vaccine preparations to be related to an existing International Reference Preparation. Mouse assays in which the animals received two spaced doses of vaccine prior to challenge yielded marginally more satisfactory results in terms of precision and reflection of human responses than did assays involving a single dose of vaccine.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Male Scatophaga stercoraria must prey on other Diptera before they display sexual behavior, develop the accessory cells of their ejaculatory ducts, and achieve full elongation of the testes. The corpus allatum also becomes enlarged after predation and is necessary for the onset of sexual behavior and development of reproductive organs. The complex diet consumed during predation apparently activates the corpus allatum, and the hormone released acts independently on organ growth and sexual behavior.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
In southeastern Turkey during the period of 1955-57, women were accidentally exposed to the fungicide hexachlorobenzene (HCB) after eating contaminated seed grain and developed porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT). While HCB has been shown to be a potent oocyte toxicant in primates and has been identified as an ovarian follicular fluid contaminant in women, its effect on human reproduction is poorly understood. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of HCB on women with a known high dose exposure. A retrospective controlled cohort comparison study of three groups was conducted. Group 1, those with confirmed PCT; Group 2, controls for the region and Group 3, controls for the country of Turkey, were followed-up after approximately 40 years (n=42/group). Blood samples were taken for analysis of serum HCB, estradiol, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and inhibin. Frequency of HCB detection was greatest in Group 3, while number of cases with HCB values exceeding 1 ng/mL was significantly greater in Groups 1 and 2. There were no differences in the other biochemical measures. Interviews were completed for each patient regarding reproductive history (number of pregnancies, live births, spontaneous abortions, still births and sex of live babies). Multiple comparisons of the three groups, based on Fisher's test found the groups were inhomogeneous. When serum HCB was analyzed using correlated response logistic regression, there was a strong relationship between serum HCB levels and risk for spontaneous abortion but not sex ratio of children. The following findings were made. HCB is detectable and ubiquitous in serum samples from women in the country of Turkey with identified and unidentified exposure events. Spontaneous abortion risk is not restricted to women with identifiable exposure to HCB but to a surrogate marker of exposure (serum HCB sample). The risk of spontaneous abortion with HCB exposure requires further investigation.