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Biomedical subjects

A Grant

Publications and source records attributed to A Grant.

At least 271 records · Page 15Linked to original sources
PubMed1980

Changing patterns of soft drug use prior to and during pregnancy: a prospective study.

Two hundred and seventeen women were interviewed during various stages of pregnancy to determine the extent and changing patterns of alcohol, nicotine and marihuana use in the year before pregnancy and during each trimester of pregnancy. Nutritional intake did not vary among women in the various drug using categories. Before pregnancy, 18% of the women were heavy social drinkers. During the first trimester this proportion was reduced by two-thirds and, in contrast to the other levels of social drinking, continued to decline during the last two trimesters. Age, income, education and smoking were all positively associated with heavy social drinking. Heavy cigarette smoking was reported by 13% of the women before pregnancy and by 8% during each of the trimesters. Education and income were negatively associated with heavy smoking. Three per cent of the women reported smoking more than five joints of marihuana per week before pregnancy and most continued to smoke marihuana heavily during pregnancy. The heavy marihuana users had a lower family income and less formal education than the overall sample. Marihuana use in general was associated with cigarette smoking and was not reported by women over 32 years of age. Except for heavy social drinking, soft drug habits at all levels of usage remained essentially unchanged after the first trimester. The likelihood of any one particular soft drug being reduced once pregnancy was established did not vary as a function of the concomitant use of other soft drug(s).

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Clinical and histologic study of human pulpal response to new cements containing calcium hydroxide.

Two newly developed cements were used for pulp capping in human teeth. The biologic response and the reaction induced by the cements were assessed both clinically and histologically and compared with those of Dycal. A total of ninety-seven pulps were treated with the materials for periods extended for 2 months in the histologic part and up to 8 months in the clinical part of the study. The response to the cements was very mild, and the pulps healed by the formation of intact dentine bridges. Dycal induced a mild to moderate pulpal response in the early stages of the experiment. Healing took place by the formation of thin dentine bridges at after a period of 2 months under Dycal. The new cements induced faster healing, with the formation of regular complete dentine bridges.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Spinal epidural abscess presenting as acute abdomen in a child.

Spinal epidural abscess is seldom encountered in children and rarely occurs in the absence of spinal pain. A case is described in which a child with a thoracic epidural abscess presented with abdominal rather than spinal pain. Thoracolumbar radicular inflammation and visceroparietal reflexes initiated by a s'spinal ileus' probably produced the symptoms and signs of acute intra-abdominal disease. Consideration of intraspinal disease is advisable in all cases of acute abdomen which exhibit atypical features.

Abdomen, Acute↗
PubMed1979

Isolation of plasma-membrane components from cultured human pancreatic cancer cells by immuno-affinity chromatography of anti-beta 2M sepharose 6MB.

Human pancreatic exocrine adenocarcinoma cells established in tissue culture expressed both HLA and beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2M). Plasma-membrane components of this pancreatic cancer cell line were purified from plasma membrane fractions enriched by sucrose density-gradient centrifugation, using immunoaffinity chromatography on immobilized anti-human beta 2M antibody. Both rabbit and mouse monoclonal anti-beta 2M IgG were used, with a 20--25-fold overall purification of 5'-nucleotidase. The method was applicable to 5 x 10(7) cells and permitted the solubilization of membranes retained on the column, with the selective desorption of components not associated with beta 2M before the subsequent elution at pH 3 of beta 2M-associated macromolecules. The acid eluate contained one major and two minor bands in the 40--45,000 mol.-wt range with two additional enriched components of 18,000 and 22,000 dalton. A major carbohydrate-containing component of high mol. wt was also found to be associated with the pancreatic cancer-cell plasma membrane.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1978

Study of the value of CPK and LDH isoenzyme determinations in the differential diagnosis of ischemic chest pain.

1. One hundred consecutive patients admitted with ischemic chest pain to the Emergency Department of Vancouver General Hospital were studied. The diagnosis was based on clinical assessment, EKG changes and the total CPK and LDH activities. However, unknown to the clinician. CPK and LDH isozyme determinations were also carried out and their possible impact on the diagnosis and management of the patients was evaluated retrospectively. In 37 patients with definitive myocardial infarction by all the above mentioned criteria the isozyme dterminations were of no further help. Similarly, the isozyme analysis was of no value in 22 patients with negative findings. In 26 patients with normal or unchanged EKG but elevations in either LPK or LDH, the isozymes were not absolutely necessary for the diagnosis but would have been highly reassuring to the clinician. 2. In the remaining 15 patients, the isozyme analysis would have enabled the clinician to make diagnosis of myocardial damage in 12 and rule out myocardial infarction in 3.

Clinical Enzyme Tests↗
PubMed1978

The treatment of obesity with a very-low-calorie liquid-formula diet: an inpatient/outpatient comparison using skimmed-milk protein as the chief protein source.

Fifty obese patients were givena 1.34 MJ (320 kcal) formula diet (containing 44 g/day carbohydrate, milk protein supplying 24--29 g protein/day in a total of 31 g/day, fat 2 g/day and the RDA of minerals and vitamins) for four to 12 weeks, either as inpatients (22) or outpatients (28). This regime was followed by a 3.35 MJ (800 kcal) conventional diet as outpatients. All but six outpatients completed the trial. Substantial weight losses were achieved in all patients with a total mean loss of 8.4 kg at four weeks and 11.0 kg at eight weeks. At four weeks the mean weight loss was 9.6 kg for inpatients and 7.2 kg for outpatients (P less than 0.05). There was no statistical difference in weight between the groups at eight weeks. Patients who continued on the 1.34 MJ formula diet for 12 weeks continued to lose weight but those on the 3.35 MJ conventional diet did not. Nitrogen-balance studies were carried out on the inpatients. During the first four weeks there was a small net loss of nitrogen (56 g, equivalent to 350 g protein) but equilibrium was achieved by the fifth or sixth week. There was no evidence of protein deficiency as judged by unchanged serum total protein, albumin, haemoglobin, RBC and PCV. Equilibrium between intake and excretion of sodium and potassium was also achieved throughout, and serum electrolytes were unchanged. A large number of other routine clinical and laboratory tests showed the treatment was safe. Serum bilirubin was elevated (18--48 per cent) and increased slightly above normal in two outpatients. Serum cholesterol was decreased by 21 per cent and triglycerides by 45 per cent after three weeks. Serum lipids in hyperlipaemic patients were normalised. It is concluded that the very-low-calorie formula diet provides a safe and very effective method of weight reduction, and the advantages of hospital compared with outpatient treatment are small.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

High-pressure liquid chromatographic determination of vitamin D3 in resins, oils, dry concentrates, and dry concentrates containing vitamin A.

A high-pressur liquid chromatographic (HPLC) procedure has been developed for the determination of vitamin D3 in resins, oils, dry concentrates, and dry concentrates containing vitamin A. Specificity of the method for vitamin D3 in the presence of isomers and other related constituents was shown by ultimate recovery of the vitamin D3 and the individual constituents and their characterization by other methods such as ultraviolet spectrophotometry. Precision and accuracy are within 2%, and as many as 20 determinations may be completed in a working day. Excellent agreement with the official AOAC biological assay was found. A comparison of the response of isomers of vitamin D3 by the HPLC method vs. other instrumental and chemical procedures shows HPLC to be the most specific method for determining the bioactive isomers.

Chemical Phenomena↗
PubMed1976

A reduction in multiple pregnancies following the use of a clomiphene citrate: human gonadotrophin sequence.

The results of stimulation with gonadotrophins at the Sterility Clinic (Crown Street) are presented. Two different techniques have been employed involving 86 patients. All patients have similar indications for treatment. All have received the same preliminary investigations and all have been treated previously with a minimum of three cycles of Clomiphene Citrate without satisfactory response (i.e. "clomid failures). Technique (1) involved 51 patients and consisted of daily injections of Human Pituitary Gonadotrophin (H.P.G.) followed by an ovulating injection of Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (H.C.G.) and a follow up injection of H.C.G. on post-ovulatory Day 7 or 8. This technique had a pregnancy rate of 64 per cent and a multiple pregnancy rate of 34 per cent. Technique (2) involved 35 patients and consisted of 5 days priming with Ethinyl Oestradiol and Clomiphene Citrate together, followed immediately by daily injections of H.P.G., then an ovulating injection of H.C.G. and a follow up injection of H.C.G. on post-ovulatory Day 7 or 8. The results of this variation in technique were a pregnancy rate of 69 percent, a multiple pregnancy rate of 8 percent. It is suggested that the use of Clomiphene Citrate in the latter technique acts as a "buffer" against the more extreme ovarian responses to H.P.G. acting alone and has the apparent advantage of a higher pregnancy rate, a lower multiple pregnancy rate and a reduction in the number of foetuses in each of the multiple pregnancies.

Chorionic Gonadotropin↗
PubMed1974

The psychogeriatric patient in hospital.

The records of 148 geriatric patients discharged from the Royal Ottawa Hospital over an 18-month period were studied. The readmission rate, 38%, was similar to that of all inpatients in this hospital. The largest diagnostic category was depressive neurosis. More women than men had diagnoses of affective disorders, while more men had organic brain disease; these differences were statistically significant. The average length of hospital stay was 25 days. Those patients with diagnoses of organic brain disease and alcoholism had shorter stays than those with affective disorders. The implications of these findings in terms of setting up a psychogeriatric unit are discussed.

Adjustment Disorders↗