PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

W Lynch

Publications and source records attributed to W Lynch.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Effect of electrohydraulic and extracorporeal shock waves on gastrointestinal cancer cells and their response to cytotoxic agents.

Electrohydraulic and extracorporeal shock waves were used to treat the colorectal and gastric cancer cell lines LIM 2412 and MKN45. The effect on viability, cell proliferation, and the action of antitumour drugs was studied. Results showed that electrohydraulic and extracorporeal shock waves were cytotoxic to all cell lines and also caused considerable inhibition of cell proliferation. A significant additional reduction in cell viability was achieved by shock waves in cancer cells treated with methotrexate, 5-fluorouracil, and vincristine. These data indicate that shock waves may be worthy of further evaluation in the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers.

Cell Survival↗
PubMed1992

Costing wound infection in a Scottish hospital.

Data from a trial of preoperative whole body disinfection in postoperative wound infection prophylaxis involving 3733 patients were used to analyse the cost of a postoperative wound infection. The overall wound infection rate was 14.73% (513/3482), 61% of which were diagnosed after hospital discharge (312 outpatient infections versus 201 inpatient infections). This highlights the prevalence of the transfer of the cost of wound infection to the community. The inpatient and outpatient costs were calculated separately for those with and without a wound infection. Operative procedures were placed into 38 different categories. 12 of these 38 categories accounted for over 90% of the total number of operations performed. Overall, infected patients cost society more than noninfected patients. The hospitalisation costs for inpatients for all categories of patients, whether infected or not, comprised over 99% of the total cost. The excess cost for the infected patients in the study was calculated as 312 915 British pounds sterling (1990 British pounds sterling) or 610 British pounds sterling per infected patient, equivalent to 1926 hospital days overall. For some operations (e.g. stripping varicose veins) an excess of 52 hospital days were associated with wound infection diagnosed after discharge from hospital. Wound infections in some operative categories were consistently more expensive to manage (e.g. excess cost/infected vascular patient = 1085 British pounds sterling) while other operative categories had less costly wound infections (e.g. excess cost/infected thyroid patient = 110 British pounds sterling).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Female↗
PubMed1992

A benefit-to-cost analysis of a work-site health promotion program.

An analysis of the benefit-to-cost ratio of a major health promotion program was conducted for the years 1986 through 1990, with projections to the year 2000. Program costs for personnel, capital expenses, materials, and rent were determined and compared with program benefits (discounted to account for increasing pension liability) for heath care cost savings, increased productivity, decreased absenteeism, decreased life insurance claims, and program-generated income. After adjusting future monies to net present value, a benefit-to-cost ratio of 3.4 was estimated for the program. Despite the limitations of the study design, the authors concluded that the program realizes a positive return on its investment. Several program recommendations are presented to increase the probability of achieving positive benefit-to-cost ratios in future program offerings.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed1991

Human and non-financial costs of hospital-acquired infection.

Measurement of morbidity from hospital-acquired infection should include the suffering of patients who are denied treatment, 'the opportunity cost of infection'. We believe that this perspective will also reveal other inefficiencies which may be easier to correct than hospital-acquired infection. Infection control should be seen as a component of quality control and not as an end in itself.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗
PubMed1991

Koilocytotic atypia and underlying dysplasia.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have examined the agreement between Papanicolaou smear cytology and subsequent biopsy results in the diagnosis of cervical dysplasia. However, few studies have focused specifically on koilocytotic (KC) atypia. Given the increasing frequency of reporting KC atypia on Papanicolaou smears, we sought to obtain more information on the relationship between Papanicolaou smears and subsequent colposcopically directed cervical biopsies. METHODS: Retrospectively, we compared the Papanicolaou smears and colposcopically guided biopsy results for 132 college women who had abnormal Papanicolaou smears (KC, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia [CIN], or reactive atypia [RA]). Data were compiled through systematic review of the charts of these women. The cervical biopsies were taken 6 months or less after the Papanicolaou smears. RESULTS: Of 99 women having only KC atypia on cytology, histology revealed concordance in 51 cases and underlying dysplasia in 16 cases. Only one biopsy revealed CIN III, and no biopsies showed invasive carcinoma. We also noted variation in the histologic results between the laboratories that analyzed the biopsy specimens. In comparing the biopsy results after one or two KC atypic Papanicolaou smears 6 months or less apart, we found no statistically significant difference. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that physicians who obtain an initial Papanicolaou smear read as KC atypia could obtain a second smear 3 months later to determine if there is persistent KC atypia before advising a patient to have cervical biopsy. In addition, physicians also should know the limitations of the laboratories providing them with information.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

The relationship between retrospective health insurance claims and a health risk appraisal-generated measure of health status.

This research examined the relationship between a measure of health status (defined as the health index--the difference between actual and appraised ages) derived from a health risk appraisal and retrospective health insurance claims taken from one cooperating work organization. A model was defined consisting of 3-year retrospective medical claims as the criterion and age and the health index as predictors. Using a cube-root transformation of medical claims, a significant inverse relationship for age and the health index was identified for men. No relationships were found for women. It was concluded that, for men when age is held constant, a negative relationship exists between retrospective medical claims and a health risk appraisal-generated health status indicator, the health index.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Identification and localization of immunoreactive forms of caldesmon in smooth and nonmuscle cells: a comparison with the distributions of tropomyosin and alpha-actinin.

Caldesmon is an F-actin cross-linking protein of chicken gizzard smooth muscle whose F-actin binding activity can be regulated in vitro by Ca2+-calmodulin (Sobue, K., Y. Muramoto, M. Fujita, and S. Kakiuchi, 1981, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 78:5652-5655). It is a rod-shaped, heat-stable, F-actin bundling protein and is the most abundant F-actin cross-linking protein of chicken gizzard smooth muscle presently known (Bretscher, A., 1984, J. Biol. Chem., 259:12873-12880). We report the use of polyclonal antibodies to caldesmon to investigate its distribution and localization in other cells. Using immune blotting procedures, we have detected immunoreactive, heat-stable forms of caldesmon in cultured cells having either approximately the same apparent polypeptide molecular weight as gizzard caldesmon (120,000-140,000) or a substantially lower molecular weight (71,000-77,000). Through use of affinity-purified antibodies in indirect immunofluorescence microscopy, we have localized the immunoreactive forms to the terminal web of the brush border of intestinal epithelial cells and to the stress fibers and ruffling membranes of cultured cells. At the light microscope level caldesmon is distributed in a periodic fashion along stress fibers that is coincident with the distribution of tropomyosin and complementary to the distribution of alpha-actinin.

Actinin↗
PubMed1979

Comparison of the size of the arterial vascular bed to the right ventricular mass in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Hearts from patients dying with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were examined for right ventricular mass and coronary arterial vascular bed size. Normal hearts obtained from patients dying of other causes were also examined for comparison. The relationship between the size of the vascular bed and ventricular mass was examined and a definite but low correlation was found. Severe obstructive coronary artery disease was excluded, and chronic hypoxemia did not alter the results. The arterial vascular bed supplying the right ventricle of male patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease appears to undergo a compensatory increase in size as the ventricular mass enlarges, but this is highly variable and incomplete.

Blood Gas Analysis↗
PubMed1976

Relapsing polychondritis treated with dapsone.

Relapsing polychondritis is a rare and sometimes fatal disease of unknown cause and pathogenesis. Results of recent studies suggest that it is an immune disorder probably caused by the production of autoantibodies to possibly the mucopolysaccharides. Perpetuation of the cartilage inflammation may be maintained by a proteolytic process. Treatment primarily has been with orally given corticosteroids. Dapsone has been shown to possibly inhibit lysosomal enzyme activity. We present a patient who, to our knowledge, is the first with relapsing polychondritis to be treated successfully with dapsone. The rapid response of the patient's condition to treatment with dapsone suggests an alternative, if not preferred, method of controlling this disease.

Dapsone↗