Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A Kennedy

Publications and source records attributed to A Kennedy.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

The pattern of injury in fatal pedal cycle accidents and the possible benefits of cycle helmets.

OBJECTIVE: To establish the number of fatal pedal cycle accidents occurring in the Sheffield and Barnsley area, UK, and to investigate the possible benefits of helmet wearing by cyclists. DESIGN: All medicolegal investigations into fatal road traffic accidents in the areas of Sheffield and Barnsley (total population 757,300) were reviewed to identify cases in which pedal cyclists had died. The necropsy reports of the cases were compared with those of an equal number of controls (pedestrians and motor vehicle occupants) which were matched by sex, age and year of death. RESULTS: 28 deaths occurred in the last 15 years giving a mortality of 0.25/100,000 per annum, which is lower than the rate for the UK as a whole (0.43/100,000), but in five cases the accidents which eventually led to death occurred outside the area under study. These deaths represented 3.3% of road traffic deaths between 1979 and 1993. Over 80% of both cases and controls had severe head injuries, but the controls had suffered more fatal injuries to other parts of the body. None of the cyclists had worn helmets and, in order to assess the maximum possible benefit of helmet wearing, it was assumed that a helmet would have saved all those who only had head injuries. It was found that helmets might have saved 14 lives in 15 years. A similar calculation based on the controls suggests that if all pedestrians and vehicle occupants had worn helmets, 175 lives might have been saved in the same period. CONCLUSIONS: There is no justification for compelling cyclists to wear helmets without taking steps to improve the safety of all road users.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1996

Attilla the Hun: leadership as a change agent.

This presentation will examine both ideas and successful examples of how some companies are inspiring and empowering their employees through the development of leadership skills within their management ranks. These skills can be learned and used to aid any organization in its goal of continuous improvement. Today's leadership establishes corporate directions while balancing individual and group achievement, both of which can improve the overall company. Power is shared, not used to control. After all, leadership is not about power. It is about setting directions for others, the clearing of obstacles, and then allowing others to believe the direction was their idea. Great leadership is based on the success of others.

Administrative Personnel↗
PubMed1996

Continuous subcutaneous administration of mesna to prevent ifosfamide-induced hemorrhagic cystitis.

Hemorrhagic cystitis is a major potential toxicity of ifosfamide that can be prevented by administering mesna along with the cytotoxic agent. Mesna is generally administered by the intravenous route, although experience with oral delivery of the drug has increased. The continuous subcutaneous administration of mesna has the advantage of not requiring intravenous access. In addition, subcutaneous delivery of the neutralizing agent will not be associated with the risk of inadequate urinary mesna concentrations, such as in a patient taking oral mesna who experiences severe ifosfamide-induced emesis and is unable to absorb the drug. Limited clinical experience with continuous subcutaneous mesna administration suggests it is a safe, practical, and economic method of drug delivery that permits ifosfamide to be administered successfully in the outpatient setting.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1995

Papaverine injures the endothelium of the internal mammary artery.

Intraluminal injection of papaverine may be employed to dilate the internal mammary artery for use as a coronary artery bypass graft. The biochemical and morphological consequences of exposing the endothelium of the internal mammary artery to papaverine have been investigated. Biochemical injury was assessed by measuring changes in basal and vortex-stimulated prostaglandin I2 production, and morphological damage by scanning electron microscopy. Segments of internal mammary artery from 10 patients were placed in one of three solutions; papaverine (1.5 mg/ml of normal saline), normal saline acidified to the pH of the papaverine solution, and normal saline alone. Basal production of prostaglandin I2 was similar in the three groups but vortex-stimulated production was significantly lower in segments stored in papaverine (18.3 pg/mg) and acidified saline (19.1 pg/mg) compared with that of saline alone (43.6 pg/mg). No consistent morphological difference was found by scanning electron microscopy. It was concluded that the low pH of the papaverine solution injured the endothelium of the internal mammary artery.

6-Ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha↗
PubMed1995

Bone marrow and serum connective tissue polypeptides in idiopathic myelofibrosis.

The distribution of collagen type VI and tenascin has been determined in both normal and myelofibrotic bone marrow by immunohistological techniques. In normal sections positivity was demonstrated in the periosteum (collagen type VI and tenascin) and in the walls of small blood vessels (tenascin). In contrast, myelofibrotic bone marrow showed an increased deposition of both proteins, especially collagen type VI, although this increase was restricted to the later fibrotic stages of the disease. Serum concentrations of collagen type I (PICP), collagen type III (PIIIP) and laminin (laminin P1) related polypeptides were determined in a further 26 patients. PIIIP levels were significantly raised, in contrast to PICP and laminin P1 concentrations. All three markers, however, were significantly elevated in patients with active/transforming disease. Laminin P1 and PICP levels showed a strong correlation, indicating a relationship between basement membrane and interstitial collagen metabolism, although they do not appear to offer any advantage over PIIIP for the monitoring of disease activity.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Cyclists' helmets.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1993

Age of onset in familial early onset Alzheimer's disease correlates with genetic aetiology.

Age of onset is the most robust clinical feature demarcating aetiologic subtypes of familial Alzheimer's disease. It has previously been noted that early onset disease (arbitrarily below the age of 65 years) conforms to an autosomal dominant pattern of transmission. Late onset disease is generally thought to have a more complex aetiology. We present data here suggesting that early onset disease can be subdivided by genetic aetiology with which age of onset correlates. In general, those pedigrees showing linkage to the chromosome 14 locus have a mean age of onset in the forties whereas those pedigrees with an APP mutation have an age of onset in the fifties.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Absence of an angiogenic factor in large systemic arteriovenous malformations.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: Large symptomatic arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are currently managed by a combination of surgery, embolization, and supportive measures. If patients with such lesions should have a circulating factor responsible for their growth and development, the evolution of a more rational therapy might be possible. METHODS: To explore this possibility, sera from 14 patients with high-flow systemic AVMs, widely distributed anatomically, were tested for the presence of a circulating growth factor using an assay already successfully used to isolate such a factor in diabetics with proliferative retinopathy. RESULTS: None of the patients tested positive for such a factor. CONCLUSIONS: This result, although negative, contributes to our knowledge of the biology of these uncommon but important lesions and leads us to conclude that, for the foreseeable future, embolization is likely to remain the most effective form of treatment for high-flow AVMs.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Cultured ocular cells and extracellular matrices: role of growth factors, retinoic acid and cell polarity.

Culture of various types of cells on gelled, reconstituted extracellular matrices results in decreased cellular proliferation. In the present study, we evaluated several possible mechanisms for this inhibition, as applied to cultured bovine retinal microvascular endothelial cells (EC) or to retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells: whether the inhibition might be related to (a) inactivation of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) by binding of the molecules present in the medium to a matrix component; (b) release of an inhibitor by the matrix in culture; or (c) inhibitory properties of the matrix macromolecules themselves. Our results suggest that mechanism (c) is most likely. The reasons are, first, that culture of EC or RPE cells on several different extracellular matrix substrates in the presence of logarithmically increasing concentrations of acidic or basic fibroblast growth factors (aFGF or bFGF) leads to a vertical shift of the plots of cell number after 4 days in culture vs. log growth factor concentration for both types of cells. The same result obtains when cells are cultured with logarithmically increasing concentrations of all-trans retinoic acid, which inhibits EC but not RPE cell proliferation in a dose-dependent fashion. This is consistent with mechanism (b) or (c), but not (a), for which one would expect a horizontal shift. Second, washing the matrices prior to the plating of cells with 1M NaCl, which elutes aFGF and partially elutes bFGF molecules from basement membranes, does not alter the growth of cells plated after the wash. This suggests also that growth factor binding to the matrix is not a likely mechanism for the observed inhibition. Incubation of matrices with culture medium prior to plating cells does not usually alter the ability of the medium thus "conditioned" to support cell growth, arguing against the possibility that the matrices release a soluble activator or inhibitor of such growth. However, in some experiments performed with lots of Matrigel (a commercially available basement membrane extract from a murine tumor) obtained prior to mid-1991, media "conditioned" by incubation with this matrix did show enhanced ability to facilitate EC and RPE cell proliferation. Finally, if RPE cells or EC are plated on various substrates, allowed to attach for 24 hr., and then the same or other substrates are poured over the cells, the effect on proliferation of the matrices plated on the apical surfaces of the cells is often less than that of matrices plated adjacent to their basal surfaces. Although in most cases these differences are not statistically significant, there is an apparent trend.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scanning in the diagnosis of phaeochromocytoma.

During the period 1984-90, meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scans were performed in 23 patients with suspected phaeochromocytoma seen at the Hammersmith Hospital. Sixteen patients had a histologically proven phaeochromocytoma and in 14 of these patients the tumour was demonstrated by abnormal uptake of MIBG. Seven patients did not have a phaeochromocytoma and in all of these the MIBG scan was negative. These findings gave the procedure a sensitivity of 87.5% with a specificity of 100%; positive and negative predictive values were 100% and 77.7%, respectively. MIBG scanning is an extremely valuable technique in the management of patients with suspected phaeochromocytoma but is best employed to localise a tumour which has been confirmed biochemically.

3-Iodobenzylguanidine↗