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Biomedical subjects

C F McCarthy

Publications and source records attributed to C F McCarthy.

151 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

Salivary SIgA and SIgA 1 in coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease and controls.

Levels of secretory IgA1 (SIgA1) in the saliva have not been measured previously in either coeliac disease (CD) or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Saliva was collected from coeliacs, IBD patients and controls. The concentration of total SIgA in saliva was measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with an anti-human SIgA antibody as the bound phase and human SIgA isolated from colostrum as the standard. The concentration of SIgA1 was determined using an ELISA with a lectin with a high affinity for human SIgA1. The IBD patients have a significantly higher concentration of SIgA1 than the controls. The rate of secretion of saliva and %SIgA1 was significantly lower in coeliacs than in the control and IBD groups. The rate of secretion of SIgA1 was significantly higher in the IBD than in the coeliacs. We describe hitherto unreported levels of SIgA1 in CD and IBD.

Adult↗

Pirenzepine in non-ulcer dyspepsia: a double-blind multicentre trial.

In a double-blind multicentre study to compare pirenzepine with placebo in non-ulcer dyspepsia, 71 patients were randomized to receive 50 mg pirenzepine or placebo given orally twice daily for 4 weeks. The trial was not completed by five patients in the pirenzepine group and six in the placebo group. There were no significant differences between the groups in respect to changes in total symptoms (upper abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, early satiety and postprandial bloating, eructation and pyrosis) scores and outcome, although 27/35 (77%) patients receiving pirenzepine were cured or improved compared with 22/36 (61%) receiving the placebo. Adverse effects were reported by 13 (37%) patients treated with pirenzepine and by six (17%) treated with placebo, seven withdrawing due to adverse effects.

Adolescent↗

Rehabilitation of the pitching shoulder.

Shoulder pain is a common complaint among baseball pitchers. Frequently, the nature of shoulder pathology can be traced to lack of flexibility and muscular imbalance. This paper describes: the normal biomechanics of a properly functioning shoulder during a baseball pitch, pathomechanics of shoulder problems, flexibility requirements of the throwing shoulder, and the muscular balance necessary for an effective throwing shoulder. Appropriate examination procedures are described along with remedial exercises which ensure normal glenohumeral motion and integrated muscle action.

Athletic Injuries↗

Evaluation of a 20 minute 14C urea breath test for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection.

The use of 14C-urea breath testing for diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection in gastric mucosa has gained widespread acceptance and utilisation. We evaluated a 14C urea breath test (UBT) in 116 patients undergoing endoscopy. Seventy four patients were administered 185 kBq (5 mCi-conventional dose), and 42 patients reduced dose (92.5 IBq, 2.5 mCi) of 14C-urea. All were tested for H. pylori using culture, direct microscopy of gastric biopsies and histological evaluation of paraffin stained sections. Using the mean + three standard deviations as the cut-off value, a sensitivity of 96% and specificity of 100% was found for the conventional dose test. At reduced dose, sensitivity was 100% and specificity 96%. Positive and negative predictive values were 100% and 93% for the conventional dose test, and 96% and 100% for testing at reduced dose. We conclude that the UBT is a simple, non-invasive and useful diagnostic alternative for detection of H. pylori in infected patients. We advocate its use in patients less than 45 years of age without alarm symptoms, and also in cases where the need for endoscopic evaluation is not vital, such as after eradication therapy.

Adult↗