Biomedical subjects
B Stokes
Publications and source records attributed to B Stokes.
Years of practice pay off.
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Central neurocytoma. A clinicopathological, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural study of 7 cases.
Characterised by distinctive clinicopathological features, the central neurocytoma (CN) is an uncommon and possibly under-recognised primary cerebral neuronal neoplasm. We present clinical and pathological details of seven patients with CN. Histological examination revealed a greater diversity of morphological appearances than is typically described in CN. No anaplastic features were identified. Cellular areas resembling both oligodendroglioma and ependymoma were present in all cases, but each tumour also contained stroma rich areas with hyalinised or aneurysmal vessels. Synaptophysin was expressed by all tumours and probably represents the immunohistochemical marker of choice for identifying CN. Distinguishing ultrastructural features included rounded cell bodies separated by numerous cell processes containing microtubules, pleomorphic neurosecretory granules and occasional synapses. Ki-67 immunostaining revealed a low cell proliferation index in each case. The distinction of CN from other pathological mimics can be reliably made using this multiparametric approach to diagnosis. The generally benign behaviour of CN is confirmed, though there was one patient death in the follow-up period of 10-122 months. Aggressive behaviour in this case was not associated with anaplastic histological features.
Gallium nitrate and spinal cord injury. A pilot study of efficacy using an experimental model.
Gallium (Ga) nitrate has been shown to attenuate immune-mediated tissue destruction in models of neurological autoimmunity. Based upon these observations, we evaluated the efficacy of Ga nitrate in attenuating the inflammatory response and modifying clinical recovery in an experimental model of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Using a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design, 12 adult female Sprague-Dawley rats received injections of either Ga nitrate (n = 8) or saline (n = 4) following experimental SCI. Ga treated animals received 30 mg/kg elemental Ga followed by weekly injections of 10 mg/kg elemental Ga. There were no observable differences between the Ga treated and the saline control groups using various behavioral paradigms examined during the study period. Histological and immunocytochemical data qualitatively showed no observable differences between Ga treated (n = 4) and control (n = 2) groups sacrificed 18 days following SCI. Although the efficacy of Ga in this pilot study of experimental SCI was not demonstrated, the potential of Ga to attenuate inflammatory-mediated reactions remains an exciting possibility in the area of SCI. Our preliminary results should not discourage future research endeavors in this regard. A more complete analysis of dose response, time and mode of Ga administration (preinjury or postinjury), and availability of Ga across the blood-brain barrier is needed to further evaluate the efficacy of this compound.
The effects of comprehensive home physiotherapy and supervision on patients with ankylosing spondylitis--an 8-month followup.
OBJECTIVE: Our previous randomized clinical trial showed a 4-month home physiotherapy program was effective for patients with ankylosing spondylitis. This followup study reports on 22 control patients who received the previously withheld treatment and 24 experimental patients who received followup treatment as needed. METHODS: The primary outcome measure was spinal mobility measured by fingertip-to-floor distance using a portable measuring device specially designed and validated for this study. RESULTS: Following treatment, fingertip-to-floor distance did not change in control patients (P2 = 0.145). Between 4 and 8 months, fingertip-to-floor distance did not change in experimental patients (P2 = 0.143); however, initial improvement achieved was maintained. The experimental group at 4 months was better than the control group at 8 months (P2 = 0.038). CONCLUSION: The home physiotherapy treatment program must be delivered as rigorously as it was in the initial trial to be effective. The benefit from this treatment program can be maintained with very little intervention.
Monoclonal antibodies against the ruminal bacterium Selenomonas ruminantium.
Monoclonal antibodies were raised against whole cells of two different strains of Selenomonas ruminantium and tested for specificity and sensitivity in immunofluorescence and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay procedures. Species-specific and strain-specific antibodies were identified, and reactive antigens were demonstrated in solubilized cell wall extracts of S. ruminantium. A monoclonal antibody-based solid-phase immunoassay was established to quantify S. ruminantium in cultures or samples from the rumen, and this had a sensitivity of 0.01 to 0.02% from 10(7) cells. For at least one strain, the extent of antibody reaction varied depending upon the stage of bacterial growth. Antigen characterization by immunoblotting shows that monoclonal antibodies raised against two different strains of S. ruminantium reacted with the same antigen on each strain. For one strain, an additional antigen reacted with both monoclonal antibodies. In the appropriate assay, these monoclonal antibodies may have advantages over gene probes, both in speed and sensitivity, for bacterial quantification studies.
The effects of comprehensive home physiotherapy and supervision on patients with ankylosing spondylitis--a randomized controlled trial.
Fifty-three patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) were randomly allocated; 26 experimental patients received physiotherapy and disease education, 27 control patients received neither. The primary treatment outcome was change in spinal mobility measured at 4 months by fingertip-to-floor distance. Experimental patients had more improvement in fingertip-to-floor distance (p2 less than 0.004) and in function (p2 less than 0.001) than control patients. Physiotherapy with disease education is effective in the treatment of patients with AS.
Effects of isoproterenol and caffeine on calcium transients and action potentials in human ventricular cardiomyocytes.
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Saying goodbye--a dying doctor's reflections on his profession and on his life.
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Extracellular matrix involvement in epithelial branching morphogenesis.
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Sulfated glycosaminoglycan deposition and processing at the basal epithelial surface in branching and beta-D-xyloside-inhibited embryonic salivary glands.
We investigated whether the inhibition of proteoglycan synthesis and salivary branching morphogenesis by beta-D-xyloside was related to the deposition and processing of newly synthesized glycosaminoglycans at the basal epithelial surface that correlates with normal branching activity. Forty eight-hour cultures of control and 0.5 mM beta-xyloside-treated submandibular rudiments were labeled for 2 hr with [35S]sulfate and fixed and processed for autoradiography, immediately or after 2, 4, 6, or 8 hr of postlabeling chase in nonradioactive medium. The data demonstrated that deposition of chondroitin sulfate-rich material at the basal epithelial surface was strikingly reduced in beta-xyloside-treated rudiments, while patterns of label loss during postlabeling chase were not altered.
Filling family planning gaps.
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Urinary tract infections in childhood: the place of the nitrite test.
The effectiveness of the nitrite test available on the N-Multistix (Ames Co.) was compared with that of the microscopic examination of urine as a screening test for the detection of urinary tract infections in children presenting to a general paediatric clinic. The nitrite test gave a positive result in 59% of children with urinary infections, while microscopic pyuria (more than 50 white blood cells per cubic millimetre of uncentrifuged urine) was found in 72% of the same group. Of children who did not have a urinary tract infection, 2.8% had microscopic pyuria compared with only 0.2% who showed a false-positive nitrite test result. The ease and rapidity of the nitrite test make it a useful screening test for the presumptive diagnosis of urinary tract infections, and in certain circumstances it is preferable to the conventional microscopic examination of urine. However, as in the case of microscopic examination, urine culture must always be performed to avoid missing the urinary infections that are not detected by the screening test.
On the uses of intracranial pressure monitoring.
Intracranial pressure monitoring with an intra-ventricular catheter, an external transducer and a continuous chart recorder was undertaken in 15 patients with acute brain damage and in six patients suspected of suffering from long-standing raised intracranial pressure. In the acute cases, monitoring was useful in the diagnosis of raised intracranial pressure and in the assessing of the efficacy of its treatment. In the chronic cases, the clinical suspicion of raised pressure was confirmed or refuted without doubt. Complications were minimal, and the method was judged to be of considerable value in selected cases.
Burst patterns late in chick development and their behavioral implications.
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