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Biomedical subjects

W K Lam

Publications and source records attributed to W K Lam.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Imipenem/cilastatin as initial therapy for febrile neutropenic patients.

Imipenem 2 g daily was administered intravenously to 40 evaluable patients with neutropenia and fever. Twenty-three patients had acute leukaemia and 17 malignant lymphoma. The overall response rate was 70.0%. Of the 14 patients with documented infection, 9 (64.3%) responded. Poorer responses were observed in patients with pneumonia (40%) or pseudomonal infection (50%). The response rate was significantly higher among patients with increasing neutrophil counts during therapy (P less than 0.02). Fungal infection was a common cause of treatment failure. Gastrointestinal side effects and skin rashes were occasionally seen. No patient developed central nervous system toxicity. Imipenem is a practical alternative to antibiotic combinations for management of neutropenic infection. However, careful monitoring is essential in the subgroups of patients with pneumonia or pseudomonal infections, who may require modifications of therapy.

Agranulocytosis↗
PubMed1987

Prediction of postoperative pulmonary complications in oesophagogastric cancer surgery.

In a series of 102 patients with cancer of the oesophagus or gastric cardia in whom surgery had been performed, postoperative respiratory infection, respiratory failure and mortality secondary to respiratory complication occurred in 55.8, 34.3 and 21.6 per cent respectively. The incidence of complications correlated well with the pre-operative peak expiratory flow rate when it was less than 65 per cent of the predicted normal value. However, the predictive ability of peak expiratory flow rate was much less than the patient's age, pre-operative serum albumin level, pre-operative Pa,O2 and number of surgical wounds when all risk factors were considered. Significantly more complications occurred when the patient was greater than 65 years old, Pa,O2 was less than 10 kPa, serum albumin was less than 39 g/l and when the operation required three incisions. These findings may serve as guidelines for identification of high-risk patients in the future.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

5-fluorouracil, adriamycin, and mitomycin-C (FAM) chemotherapy in advanced adenocarcinoma of the lung: comparison of two dosage schedules.

Fifty patients with inoperable adenocarcinoma of the lung were randomized in a prospective study to receive either standard doses or high doses of 5-fluorouracil, adriamycin, and mitomycin-C (FAM versus Hi-FAM). The response/stabilization rate was 32% for FAM and 34% for Hi-FAM (P greater than 0.05), and the median survival was 27 weeks for FAM group and 24 weeks for Hi-FAM group (P greater than 0.05). Myelotoxicity was mild in FAM, but moderate to severe in Hi-FAM. It is concluded that Hi-FAM did not yield a higher response rate or median survival compared with FAM, but caused significantly more severe myelotoxicity.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1987

Melioidosis: a serological survey in a tuberculosis sanatorium in Hong Kong.

A serological survey of 275 Chinese patients with underlying pulmonary diseases in a tuberculosis sanatorium in Hong Kong showed that 39 (14%) had haemagglutinating antibody (HA) against Pseudomonas pseudomallei in a titre of 1: 80 or above. Only 9 of these 39 patients had travelled to endemic areas, suggesting that at least 30 patients (11%) had been exposed to Ps. pseudomallei locally. Females are affected as often as males, and the seropositive rate is the same whether patients are immunosuppressed or not. Because subclinical melioidosis is prevalent and HA may persist for a long time, even at a high titre, after infection, determination of HA alone cannot differentiate between active melioidosis and its masquerade--active tuberculosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Smoking, passive smoking and histological types in lung cancer in Hong Kong Chinese women.

In a case control study in Hong Kong, 445 cases of Chinese female lung cancer patients all confirmed pathologically were compared with 445 Chinese female healthy neighbourhood controls matched for age. The predominant histological type was adenocarcinoma (47.2%). The relative risk (RR) in ever-smokers was 3.81 (P less than 0.001, 95% CI = 2.86, 5.08). The RRs were statistically significantly raised for all major cell types with significant trends between RR and amount of tobacco smoked daily. Among never smoking women, RR for passive smoking due to a smoking husband was 1.65 (P less than 0.01, 95% CI = 1.16, 2.35) with a significant trend between RR and amount smoked daily by the husband. When broken down by cell types, the numbers were substantial only for adenocarcinoma (RR = 2.12, P less than 0.01, 95% CI = 1.32, 3.39) with a significant trend between RR and amount smoked daily by the husband. The results suggest that passive smoking is a risk factor for lung cancer, particularly adenocarcinoma in Hong Kong Chinese women who never smoked.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1987

Clinical significance of tartrate-sensitive and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase indicated from the study of their biosynthetic mechanism.

The tartrate-sensitive prostatic acid phosphatase, bands 2 and 4, are found in the soluble cytosol, and absent in the polysome of the prostate, while the tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase band 5 is present in the polysome and the soluble cytosol of hairy cells. The mRNA isolated from the prostate catalyzes the incorporation of 3T leucine into a protein different from that of bands 2 and 4. On the other hand, the mRNA isolated from the hairy cells catalyzes the incorporation of 3T leucine into band 5. The different biosynthetic mechanism of these two types of acid phosphatases are discussed in light of their different clinical significance.

Acid Phosphatase↗
PubMed1987

Cytochemistry of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase: 15 years' experience.

Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (T-AcP) has been used in the past 15 years as a specific test for the diagnosis of hairy cell leukemia (HCL). However, enzyme activity has been reported to be absent from the hairy cells of rare cases of HCL and to be present in the neoplastic cells of diseases other than HCL. In order to fully utilize T-AcP for the diagnosis of HCL, it is necessary to maximize the sensitivity and specificity of the staining method, to have adequate quality control to ensure technical and interpretative accuracy, and to prepare optimal cytologic and histologic materials for study. In blood, only the presence of cells with intense T-AcP activity is diagnostic of HCL (positive T-AcP test). In tissues other than blood, the presence of cells with intense enzyme activity may not be diagnostic for HCL; assessment of cell morphology and appreciation of the pattern of enzyme localization are also important. In studying the blood of over 1,000 patients, we have found a negative T-AcP test in two of 200 cases of HCL and a positive T-AcP test in three of 800 patients with diseases other than HCL. We believe that the T-AcP test, when performed and interpreted properly, is a useful diagnostic test for HCL.

Acid Phosphatase↗
PubMed1986

Intrahepatic cholestasis associated with an enlarged gall-bladder.

A 60-year-old man with a history of ingesting herbal medication and a 59-year-old woman with malignant lymphoma presented with painless jaundice and palpably enlarged gall-bladders. Abdominal ultrasonography confirmed that the gall-bladders were enlarged, but showed normal-sized biliary trees with no stones. The final diagnoses for these patients were drug-induced hepatitis with intrahepatic cholestasis and lymphomatous infiltration of the liver, respectively. A palpable gall bladder in cholestatic jaundice may not always be caused by extrahepatic biliary obstruction, and ultrasonography is very useful in ruling this out.

Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde↗
PubMed1986

A double-blind randomized study comparing ofloxacin and amoxicillin in treating infective episodes in bronchiectasis.

32 hospitalized adult patients with infective episodes of bronchiectasis were enrolled in an ongoing double-blind, placebo-controlled study comparing ofloxacin with amoxicillin. They were randomized to receive either 200 mg ofloxacin or 1 g amoxicillin, both t.i.d. orally for ten days. In the ofloxacin group (15 patients), clinical response was excellent (clinical cure) in 11 and fair (clinical improvement or early reinfection) in three patients with one failure. In the amoxicillin group (17 patients), clinical response was excellent in six, fair in five, and poor (treatment failure) in six patients. Ofloxacin levels at 2 h (day 5) were 2.3 to 8.2 mg/l (mean 3.9 mg/l) for serum and 1.3 to 15 mg/l (mean 4.5 mg/l) for sputum. Sputum: serum ratio was 1.2:1. Amoxicillin levels at 2 h were 10 to 40 mg/l (mean 19.9 mg/l) for serum and 0 to 1.5 mg/l (mean 0.3 mg/l) for sputum, with no amoxicillin detected in sputum in 10 of 17 patients. Sputum: serum ratio was 0.02:1. One patient in the ofloxacin group had nausea. In the amoxicillin group, four patients had nausea and stomach pain, one had vertigo and one had transient peripheral eosinophilia. Ofloxacin thus yielded higher sputum concentration and appeared to be more effective and better tolerated than amoxicillin in infective episodes of bronchiectasis.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

No association between HLA antigens and adenocarcinoma of the lung in non-smoking Chinese women in Hong Kong.

A high incidence rate of lung cancer with preponderance of adenocarcinoma in non-smokers has been reported in women of southern Chinese ethnic origin. Thirty-three southern Chinese female patients with primary adenocarcinoma of the lung, all lifelong non-smokers, were typed for HLA-A and B antigens to study the possibility of genetically determined susceptibility factors. The antigen frequencies were compared with those of 110 healthy controls. No significant difference in antigen frequencies was found in the patients compared with controls. Studies on other possible factors determining susceptibility to lung cancer in Chinese women are necessary.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1986

Thymectomy in myasthenia gravis during pregnancy.

A 24 year old woman with myasthenia gravis suffered an antepartum exacerbation which failed to respond to increasing dosages of pyridostigmine. Thymectomy performed in the second trimester was followed by clinical improvement and full term vaginal delivery with no puerperal deterioration.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Endobronchial tuberculosis revisited.

Analysis was made of 20 patients with endobronchial tuberculosis proven by fiberoptic bronchoscopy and bronchial biopsy. Unlike prechemotherapy reports, the disease affects the older age group and more men. Only one half of the patients had fever, and the characteristic localized wheeze was found in 15 percent of cases. Chest roentgenogram showed typical collapse-consolidation in most cases; however, it was clear in 20 percent of patients. Sputum/smear was negative for AFB in 85 percent of patients. When the gelatinous granulation tissue was not found during bronchoscopy, a diagnosis of bronchogenic carcinoma was made incorrectly in 30 percent of patients. At a mean period of 27 months postchemotherapy, all 12 patients recalled for study developed bronchostenosis proven by bronchoscopy/bronchography except one. Noninvasive methods such as chest roentgenogram and flow-volume loops were insensitive for detection of stenosis. Steroid therapy probably did not influence outcome of tuberculous endobronchitis.

Adolescent↗