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Biomedical subjects

B Anderson

Publications and source records attributed to B Anderson.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Blood transfusion and the risk of recurrence in stage IB cervical cancer.

The objective of this study is to determine if perioperative blood transfusions increase the risk of recurrence in stage IB cervical cancer. Medical records from all patients with FIGO stage IB cervical cancer undergoing radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy (RH + PLND) at the University of Iowa and the University of Nebraska from 1978 to 1990 were retrospectively reviewed. Data collected included patient age, body mass index (BMI), tumor size, cell type, depth of cervical invasion (DOI), presence of capillary-lymphatic space involvement (CLSI), lymph node metastasis, operating time, estimated blood loss, transfusion, and follow-up data. Three hundred two patients underwent RH + PLND. Transfusions were given to 244 (81%), with a mean of 2.6 units (range 1-18 units). Median follow-up was 49.5 months (range 9-190 months). Twenty patients (6.6%) had pelvic nodal metastasis. There were no periaortic nodal metastases in the 101 patients who had periaortic nodes dissected. There were no significant differences between the transfused and nontransfused groups, with respect to age, BMI, DOI, or pelvic node metastasis. Transfused patients differed significantly from the nontransfused in that they had larger tumors (P = 0.047), more frequent CLSI (P = 0.013), longer procedures (P = 0.02), and greater estimated blood loss (P < 0.0001). Recurrences developed in 29 patients (19 pelvic, 7 lung, 3 bone). There is no difference in disease-free survival (DFS) or calculated projected survival between the transfused and nontransfused groups. Pelvic node metastasis and tumor size were independent poor prognosticators. After controlling for these factors, the number of blood transfusions was not predictive of recurrence or survival. Perioperative transfusions do not increase the risk of recurrence in patients with cervical cancer.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1995

Absence of significant germ line p53 mutations in ovarian cancer patients.

Germ line mutations of the p53 gene have been described in the Li-Fraumeni Cancer Family Syndrome and occur in patients with multifocal gliomas, particularly those with a history of a metachronous cancer or a family history of cancer. p53 dysfunction is often associated with ovarian cancer. Patients with ovarian carcinoma frequently develop synchronous or metachronous cancers and may have a family history of this or related cancers. Thus, we hypothesized that germ line p53 mutations might be associated with a significant proportion of ovarian cancers. Germ line DNA isolated from peripheral leukocytes of 73 patients with ovarian carcinoma was screened for p53 sequence abnormalities utilizing single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis and direct PCR sequencing techniques. As many as 40% of this cohort of ovarian cancer patients from 67 families may represent familial phenotypes. Synchronous and metachronous cancers occurred in 19% of the cohort. Only two intron-based polymorphisms were found. Neither has been previously reported. One of these, in intron 6, occurred in three unrelated patients all of whom had a history of metachronous breast cancer. A polymorphism in intron 10 occurred in a patient with synchronous endometrial cancer. No classic germ line mutations of p53 were found.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Intraoperative autologous blood collection and autotransfusion in the surgical management of early cancers of the uterine cervix.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate intraoperative autologous blood collection with autotransfusion (Cell Saver) with respect to patient acceptance, risk of tumor cell co-transfusion, and risk of recurrence in patients undergoing radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer. METHODS: All patients explored for radical hysterectomy between August 1991 and July 1994 were offered the use of intraoperative autotransfusion. Clinical-pathologic and transfusion-related characteristics were compared for a group of historic controls surgically treated for similar disease. The risk of tumor cell co-transfusion was assessed intraoperatively with peritoneal cytology before blood collection, and postoperatively with Cell Saver blood cytology. RESULTS: Ninety-eight patients were offered enrollment; four declined Cell Saver use, and 71 were acceptable for analysis. Thirty-one women (mean estimated blood loss 1338 mL) were reinfused with their own blood collected in the Cell Saver, whereas 40 patients (mean estimated blood loss 631 mL) were not autotransfused. There was no significant difference in preoperative hemoglobin concentration between groups. Cell Saver use significantly reduced the need for homologous transfusions, intraoperatively (P < .001) and postoperatively (P = .02). Historic controls (mean operative blood loss 1743 mL) were nearly four times more likely to have been transfused and three times more likely to have been transfused postoperatively than was the auto-transfused Cell Saver group. The mean hemoglobin concentration at discharge was lower in the autotransfused group, 9.3 g/dL, than in the historic controls, 10.8 g/dL. Nontransfused Cell Saver blood and all peritoneal cytologies were negative for tumor cells. Three pelvic recurrences, but no disseminated disease, have been noted over a mean follow-up of 24 months: one in the autotransfused group and two in the group in which the collected blood was discarded. CONCLUSION: Cell Saver use is well accepted by patients, decreases the need for homologous transfusions, and does not appear to co-transfuse tumor cells.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

G explained.

This paper presents the hypothesis that the general factor, g, which emerges from psychometric batteries and which has been equated with general intelligence, is the result of a physical brain feature which enhances neural network efficiency and is determined for the brain in general. This conception of intelligence provides a resolution of the unity-versus-modularity debate in the intelligence field and yields specific predictions as to the nature and kind of brain features that will be found to provide a physical explanation for g. To avoid nosological confusion, it is suggested that 'n' be used to represent the neurological concept of general intelligence while 'g' should continue to denote the general factor emerging from mathematical analyses of mental test batteries.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Mandatory toxicology testing and chemical dependence consultation follow-up in a level-one trauma center.

OBJECTIVE: There is a growing body of evidence indicating an association between intoxication and major trauma. This study assessed the prevalence of alcohol or drug intoxication in major trauma admissions to an urban trauma center. DESIGN: Sequential case series. METHODS: Toxicology testing and structural clinical interview assessment. MAIN RESULTS: Seventy-eight percent of patients tested had positive toxicology results. Chemical dependence assessments performed on patients who tested positive revealed that 94% met the criteria for a substance dependence or abuse disorder. CONCLUSIONS: The implications of this data for admission toxicology testing policies and chemical dependence consultation support services to trauma units are discussed.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1995

Characterization of a 17-kilodalton antigen of Bartonella henselae reactive with sera from patients with cat scratch disease.

A library of Bartonella (Rochalimaea) henselae DNA was constructed in the cloning vector lambda ZAPII and screened for expression of antigenic proteins by using a pool of sera from patients who had been diagnosed with cat scratch disease (CSD) and had antibodies to Bartonella spp., as determined by indirect fluorescent-antibody (IFA) assay. Ten immunoreactive phages were subcloned as recombinant plasmids by in vivo excision. All 10 recombinants expressed a protein of approximately 17 kDa when they were examined by immunoblot with the pool of human sera. Restriction endonuclease digestion of each recombinant plasmid indicated seven profiles, suggesting that cloning bias was not the reason for repeated isolation of clones expressing the 17-kDa antigen. The gene coding for the 17-kDa antigen was sequenced and shown to code for an open reading frame of 148 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 16,893 Da. The amino terminus of the deduced amino acid sequence was hydrophobic in nature and similar in size and composition to signal peptides found in gram-negative bacteria. The remainder of the deduced amino acid sequence was more hydrophilic and may represent surface-exposed epitopes. Further subcloning of the 17-kDa antigen as a biotinylated fusion protein in the expression vector PinPoint Xa-2 resulted in a 30-kDa protein that was highly reactive on immunoblots with individual serum samples from patients with CSD. The agreement between reactivity with the 30-kDa fusion protein on immunoblot analysis and the results obtained by IFA assay was 92% for IFA-positive sera and 88% for IFA-negative sera. The recombinant-expressed 17-kDa protein should be of value as an antigen for serologic diagnosis of CSD and Bartonella infections and warrants further study in attempts to develop a subunit vaccine to prevent long-term Bartonella infection in cats and the potential for further spread of these organisms to humans.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Antibody responses to Four Corners hantavirus infections in the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus): identification of an immunodominant region of the viral nucleocapsid protein.

Antibody responses to Four Corners hantavirus (FCV) infections in the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) were characterized by using FCV nucleocapsid protein (N), glycoprotein 1 (G1), and glycoprotein 2 (G2) recombinant polypeptides in Western immunoblot assays. Strong immunoglobulin G reactivities to FCV N were observed among FCV-infected wild P. maniculatus mice (n = 34) and in laboratory-infected P. maniculatus mice (n = 11). No immunoglobulin G antibody reactivities to FCV G1 or G2 linear determinants were detected. The strongest N responses were mapped to an amino-proximal segment between amino acids 17 and 59 (QLVTARQKLKDAERAVELDPDDVNKSTLQSRRAAVSALETKLG). FCV N antibodies cross-reacted with recombinant N proteins encoded by Puumala, Seoul, and Hantaan viruses.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Mathematical model of oxygen transport: a teaching aid for normal physiology adaptable to extracorporeal oxygenation circuits.

The ultimate aim of most intensive care therapies is to improve tissue oxygen delivery; consequently, a detailed knowledge of this area of physiology is important to a wide range of Critical Care Staff. We describe a simple mathematical model of oxygen transport that was initially written as a training aid for extracorporeal oxygenation training. The model has subsequently proved useful for explaining the determinants of oxygen transport to a broader audience. It is based on simple linear equations and is easily displayed with a standard computer spreadsheet. Apart from its teaching value, the model can also generate a graph of oxygen saturation vs. inspired oxygen fraction for different degrees of pulmonary shunt. This provides a noninvasive method for determining the magnitude of pulmonary venous admixture and may also prove to have some clinical value.

Biological Transport, Active↗
PubMed1995

Complicated grief and bereavement-related depression as distinct disorders: preliminary empirical validation in elderly bereaved spouses.

OBJECTIVE: This study sought to determine whether a set of symptoms interpreted as complicated grief could be identified and distinguished from bereavement-related depression and whether the presence of complicated grief would predict enduring functional impairments. METHOD: Data were derived from a study group of 82 recently widowed elderly individuals recruited for an investigation of physiological changes in bereaved persons. Baseline data were collected 3-6 months after the deaths of the subjects' spouses, and follow-up data were collected from 56 of the subjects 18 months after the baseline assessments. Candidate items for assessing complicated grief came from a variety of scales used to evaluate emotional functioning (e.g., the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, the Brief Symptom Inventory). The outcome variables measured were global functioning, medical illness burden, sleep, mood, self-esteem, and anxiety. RESULTS: A principal-components analysis conducted on intake data (N = 82) revealed a complicated grief factor and a bereavement-depression factor. Seven symptoms constituted complicated grief: searching, yearning, preoccupation with thoughts of the deceased, crying, disbelief regarding the death, feeling stunned by the death, and lack of acceptance of the death. Baseline complicated grief scores were significantly associated with impairments in global functioning, mood, sleep, and self-esteem in the 56 subjects available for follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The symptoms of complicated grief may be distinct from depressive symptoms and appear to be associated with enduring functional impairments. The symptoms of complicated grief, therefore, appear to define a unique disorder deserving of specialized treatment.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1995

Diagnosis and hospital readmission rates of female veterans with substance-related disorders.

OBJECTIVES: The study examined the prevalence of substance use, psychiatric, and medical disorders in female veterans discharged from VA hospitals. METHODS: The VA discharge abstract database was used to identify women discharged in fiscal year 1991 who received a diagnosis of substance abuse or dependence or substance-induced psychosis (N = 1,698). They were compared with female veterans who did not receive a substance-related diagnosis (N = 12,037). RESULTS: Alcohol and cocaine use disorders were the most prevalent substance use disorders. Women with substance use disorders were more frequently diagnosed as having personality disorders, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder than women without substance use disorders. Skin and subcutaneous tissue diseases, infectious and parasitic diseases, and digestive diseases were more prevalent among women with substance use disorders than among women in the same age group who did not have substance use disorders. Approximately 44 percent of women with substance use disorders who were discharged during the first six months of fiscal year 1991 were rehospitalized within that year. CONCLUSIONS: Substance use disorders and associated comorbidities are endemic among women treated in VA hospitals. Additional studies examining characteristics of indigent women with substance use disorders are needed.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Axial kinematics and muscle activity during terrestrial locomotion of the centipede Scolopendra heros

For centipedes moving steadily on a treadmill at speeds of 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 L s-1, where L is body length, we obtained video tapes of movement that were synchronized with electromyograms (EMGs) from lateral flexor muscles at six standardized longitudinal positions. Field-by-field analysis of video tapes revealed posteriorly propagated waves of bending at all speeds. Muscle activity was also propagated posteriorly at the same speed as the kinematic wave, and EMGs of the lateral flexors were generally unilateral and alternating (between the left and right sides). The timing of EMG activity relative to lateral bending was consistent with electrical activity during the shortening of muscle fibers; therefore, activity of the axial musculature appears to cause lateral bending. Analysis of variance revealed widespread effects of speed on both kinematic and electromyographic variables, whereas longitudinal position within the centipede (between body segments 8 and 18) generally did not have significant effects on the same variables. For example, as speed increased from 0.5 to 1.5 L s-1, the amplitude of lateral displacement approximately doubled and the amplitude of lateral bending increased approximately threefold. Lag times (in seconds) indicating the propagation of kinematic and EMG events along the length of the centipede decreased significantly with speed. Phase lags among longitudinal sites decreased significantly with increased speed, indicating that the kinematic and EMG wavelengths increased with increased speed. EMG duration approximated 50 % of cycle duration and was unaffected by speed, and the phase of the EMG activity relative to lateral bending was also unaffected by locomotor speed. Hence, all results from all speeds are consistent with active bending of the axial segments during centipede locomotion, conflicting with the widely accepted hypothesis that lateral bending is imposed on the body by the metachronal stepping pattern of the legs and that bending is resisted by axial muscles.

Journal Article↗