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Biomedical subjects

C Miller

Publications and source records attributed to C Miller.

785 records · Page 44Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

The effect of a new antirheumatic drug, triethylphosphine gold (auranofin), on in vitro lymphocyte and monocyte cytotoxicity.

Therapeutic serum concentrations of auranofin, expressed as elemental gold, range from 0.25 - 1.0 micrograms/ml. Monocyte antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) could be reduced by up to 50% at a gold concentration of 0.125 micrograms/ml. Lymphocyte ADCC was much less dramatically affected although 2.5 micrograms/ml produced virtually complete inhibition. The most surprising finding is a marked stimulation of natural killer (NK) cell activity using a variety of targets. NK activity was markedly enhanced by concentrations of 0.125 to 0.5 micrograms/ml (range 2-500%). This is a biphasic dose dependent response. 1.0 micrograms/ml was depressive and 2.5 micrograms/ml completely abolished NK cell activity. Whether these selected in vitro responses play a role in modulating tissue damage in vivo is yet to be determined.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The role of transfusion therapy in the treatment of sickle cell disease.

The probability of recurrent stroke in children with sickle cell disease is high. Routine transfusion therapy has proven to be a successful preventative therapy for controlling the complications of this hematologic disorder. Other complications related to chronic transfusion also can be limited or prevented in most patients. In this article, the author discusses the sickle cell process, pathophysiology characteristics and treatment, transfusion therapy, and the complications that may result from frequent administration of multiple transfusions.

Anemia, Sickle Cell↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Metastatic malignant melanoma in a mandarin duck (Aix galericulata).

A biopsy taken from a mass on the dorsal surface of the bill of an adult female mandarin duck (Aix galericulata) was diagnosed as a malignant melanoma by light microscopy. Two months later, the tumor had enlarged considerably; the duck developed severe dyspnea and was euthanatized. At necropsy, there were metastases to lymphoid tissues in the lower regions of the neck. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a malignant melanoma in a mandarin duck.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A large-scale, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging trial of peroral valaciclovir for episodic treatment of recurrent herpes genitalis. Valaciclovir HSV Study Group.

BACKGROUND: Valaciclovir, the 1-valyl ester of acyclovir, has provided a peroral acyclovir bioavailability 3 to 5 times that of acyclovir itself and is rapidly and completely converted to acyclovir by the liver. Accordingly, valaciclovir has the same antiviral activity as acyclovir, but the potential for enhanced clinical activity and/or less frequent administration because of its superior pharmacokinetics. METHODS: We conducted a double-blind, placebocontrolled, patient-initiated clinical trial of peroral valaciclovir, 500 or 1000 mg, or matching placebo tablets twice daily for 5 days for the acute treatment of 1 episode of recurrent herpes genitalis among 987 otherwise healthy volunteers. RESULTS: Both doses of valaciclovir were equally effective. Patients receiving the lower dose of valaciclovir experienced a median episode length of 4.0 days compared with 5.9 days for those receiving placebo treatment (hazard ratio, 1.9; 95% confidence interval [Cl], 1.6-2.3). Valaciclovir therapy increased the proportion of patients in whom the development of vesicular and ulcerative lesions was prevented in comparison with placebo treatment: 31% vs 21% (relative risk, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1-1.9). Valaciclovir therapy accelerated the resolution of pain (hazard ratio, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.5-2.1) and the time to cessation of viral shedding (hazard ratio, 2.9; 95% CI, 2.1-3.9). Adverse reactions among the valaciclovir groups were comparable with those of the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS: Valaciclovir therapy provided a clinically significant benefit to patients that included shortening of the duration of lesions, the duration of pain or discomfort, and the duration of virus shedding. In addition, this study, to our knowledge, provides the first convincing demonstration that antiviral therapy can prevent lesion development. These results should prompt a reconsideration of the role that episodic treatment plays in the management of recurrent herpes genitalis.

Acyclovir↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Health service use among low-risk newborns after early discharge with and without nurse home visiting.

BACKGROUND: To examine the potential benefits of routine nurse home visiting after early discharge, we compared health service use among low-risk newborns with and without a nurse home visit and telephone follow-up after short hospital stays. METHODS: Records of newborns discharged routinely before (n = 83) and after (n = 91) implementation of a universal postpartum home visiting program were reviewed retrospectively. Acute care visits, rehospitalizations, and well-baby visits for newborns up to 74 days of age were compared between the groups. RESULTS: Acute care visits, rehospitalizations, and missed well-baby visits consistently appeared less likely among newborns receiving home visiting services, in both unadjusted and adjusted analyses. Adjusting for insurance, parity, and breast-feeding, a twofold reduction in acute care visits by 14 days was significant. Although not statistically significant, adjusted analyses of acute care and missed well-baby visits revealed apparently similar patterns at all time intervals. There were too few rehospitalizations for multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the limitations of this small retrospective study, the consistency of the findings suggests potentially important benefits of home visiting services after early discharge of low-risk newborns, with substantial implications for clinical and reimbursement policy. Effects could be greater with more vulnerable populations and shorter stays than those in this study.

Confidence Intervals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species induced by ammonium dinitramide decomposition in aqueous solutions of deoxyribose nucleic acid.

Ammonium dinitramide (ADN), a potential rocket fuel, decomposes in water forming NO2. The chemistry of this ADN-released NO2 in oxygenated biological systems is complex both in the number of potential chemical species and in the number of parallel and consecutive reactions that can theoretically occur. High-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) studies revealed ADN fragmented deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA). Damage to DNA standard solutions was caused by at least two major pathways, one arising from reactions of NO2 with oxygen and one arising from a reaction with superoxide (O2-.). The radical species generated when ADN is incubated with standard solutions of DNA, pH 7.5, in the presence of the spin trap agent n-tert-butyl-alpha-nitrone (PBN) was compared with the PBN-radical adducts generated in the presence of ADN and O2-. or of ADN and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The ADN-induced PBN radical adducts increased linearly over the 90-minute study period. The values of peak intensity in the presence of O2-. and in the presence of H2O2, were 828% and 7.08%, respectively, of the ADN-induced radicals alone. The synergistic effect of ADN with O2- may provide an understanding of the sensitivity of the rat blastocyst to aDN at the preimplantation stage of development and the lack of toxicity in in vivo studies in tissues high in catalase.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Application of a minicomputer-based system in measuring intraocular fluid dynamics.

A complete, computerized system has been developed to automate and display radionuclide clearance studies in an ophthalmology clinical laboratory. The system is based on a PDP-8E computer with a 16-k core memory and includes a dual-drive Decassette system and an interactive display terminal. The software controls the acquisition of data from an NIM scaler, times the procedures, and analyzes and simultaneously displays logarithmically converted data on a fully annotated graph. Animal studies and clinical experiments are presented to illustrate the nature of these displays and the results obtained using this automated eye physiometer.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Ensuring continuing care: styles and efficiency of the handover process.

Handover is seen as an important part of each nurse's shift, not only for information sharing, but from the resource management aspect of both the time and the subsequent financial cost of nurses being involved. This article discusses the four main styles of handover reported in the nursing literature over the past 15 years. These are referred to as the recorded, the bedside, the written and the verbal (traditional). It also comments on 'what to say advice', 'ritual' and 'quality' aspects of handover, which have a bearing on the efficiency of the handover process. This review highlights three recommendations that could aid in maintaining an efficient process. These are: regular reviews of the handover process; written guidelines for the content of handover; and the use of a pre-prepared handover sheet.

Communication↗