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Biomedical subjects

C Muir

Publications and source records attributed to C Muir.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Enzymeimmunoassay of oestradiol, testosterone and progesterone in urine samples from female mice before and after insemination.

ELISA measurements of 17beta-oestradiol, testosterone and progesterone were determined for urine samples collected non-invasively from female mice. Initial samples were collected during 5 successive days while mature female mice were isolated and cyclic. Subsequently, female mice were inseminated and additional urine samples were collected during days 2-6 after observation of copulatory plugs. Measurements of oestradiol and testosterone showed variance over days within individuals and did not significantly differ in measurements taken before or after insemination. Progesterone concentrations were significantly higher after insemination compared with before mating. In a second sample of inseminated females, urinary progesterone was measured during days 2-18 of pregnancy. Most females showed high urinary progesterone up to day 10 of pregnancy and lower concentrations during the remainder of gestation. These results indicate that urinary progesterone reflects established systemic increases of this hormone during pregnancy.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Concurrent paclitaxel and radiation in the treatment of locally advanced head and neck cancer.

PURPOSE: To determine the feasibility of an organ preservation regimen consisting of infusional paclitaxel administered concurrently with radiotherapy to patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-three previously untreated patients with stage III or IV tumors were enrolled onto the study. Paclitaxel was administered as a 120-hour continuous infusion every 3 weeks during the course of radiation therapy. Sixteen patients received a paclitaxel dose of 105 mg/m(2), and 17 patients received 120 mg/m(2). Radiation was delivered in a standard format at 1.8 Gy/d to a total dose of 70.2 to 72 Gy. RESULTS: Three months after therapy, a 76% complete response (CR) at the primary site and a 70% overall CR was achieved. At 36 months, locoregional control was 55.7%, overall survival was 57.8%, and disease-free survival was 51.1%. The median survival duration for all 33 patients was greater than 50 months at the time of this report. Local toxicities including mucositis, dysphagia, and skin reactions were severe but tolerable. All patients retained functional speech, and all but four patients were swallowing food 3 months after treatment. Steady-state plasma concentrations for paclitaxel were not achieved during a 120-hour infusion, suggesting a nonlinear process. Tumor volume quantified by pretreatment computerized tomography imaging was associated with likelihood of response and survival. CONCLUSION: Paclitaxel administered as a 120-hour continuous infusion in combination with radiotherapy is a feasible and promising treatment for patients with advanced HNSCC.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Enzyme immunoassay of 17 beta-estradiol, estrone conjugates, and testosterone in urinary and fecal samples from male and female mice.

ELISA measures of 17 beta-estradiol, estrone conjugates, and testosterone were adapted for fecal and urinary samples from laboratory mice. We will report on validations of these assays and data from interacting males and females. Unconjugated gonadal steroids were consistently measurable in urine and feces of both males and females. Females that were parturient following insemination excreted relatively low levels of urinary testosterone compared to non-parturient females. The results are consistent with evidence that elevated androgens and estrogens are incompatible with intrauterine implantation of fertilized ova, and suggest that steroids in male urine could contribute to pheromonal action. These methods permit repeated noninvasive measurement of steroid activity in this species.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Maximizing the benefit--minimizing the risk: the developing role of radiographers in performing intravenous injections.

Performance of intravenous (iv) injections as part of radiographer role development has become fundamental to the operational management of diagnostic imaging departments in the UK. Through discussion of appropriate areas, this review aims to highlight current issues pertaining to iv injection. More importantly, the framework described could be transposed to other existing or future areas of role development. Within a validated system of delegation, utilization of radiographers' skills in an expanded role improves allocation of resources and may increase radiographer motivation and provide career enhancement. Professional body accreditation as well as civil and employment law provide clear guidelines on medicolegal implications, valid consent and accountability. Implementation of an iv administration policy, based on Royal College of Radiologists guidelines, includes proper delegation of duties and safe administration of substances. This should help ensure acceptance of vicarious liability by an employer. Failure to adhere to these established guidelines could leave employers and radiographers vulnerable to medicolegal action. Furthermore, evaluation of radiographer performance, facilitated by clinical governance and departmental audits, should ensure effective and safe practice whilst minimizing associated risks. Evidence-based radiography will provide the necessary drive for future changes in practice as well as further expansion of the radiographer's role.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed2000

Novel male mice disrupt pregnancy despite removal of vesicular-coagulating and preputial glands.

Exposure to novel males can disrupt intrauterine implantation of fertilized ova in inseminated female mice, an effect established to involve androgen-dependent male excretions. These experiments were designed to examine potential roles of vesicular and coagulating glands, independently or in conjunction with preputial glands. Inseminated females were randomly assigned to conditions of housing below (1) no males; (2) males with vesicular-coagulating gland removal; (3) males with preputial, vesicular, and coagulating gland removal; or (4) males subjected to sham surgery. Males with accessory glands removed disrupted pregnancy to the same extent as did sham-operated males. Long-term testosterone replacement permitted pregnancy disruption in castrated males with vesicular-coagulating and preputial glands removed. Fertility was not disrupted by preputialectomy, but half of the males without vesicular-coagulating glands could not inseminate females. We suggest that males' capacity to disrupt pregnancy could derive from androgen metabolism that is independent of actions on major accessory glands.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

NCCN Practice Guidelines for Cancer Pain.

The overall approach to pain management encompassed in these guidelines is comprehensive. It is based on objective pain assessments, utilizes both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions, and requires continual reevaluation of the patient. The NCCN Cancer Pain Practice Guidelines Panel believes that cancer pain can be well controlled in the vast majority of patients if the algorithms presented are systematically applied, carefully monitored, and tailored to the needs of the individual patient.

Acetaminophen↗
PubMed1999

A novel nanospray capillary zone electrophoresis/mass spectrometry interface.

The high resolution of capillary zone electrophoresis/mass spectrometry (CZE/MS) offers a promising technique to characterize biomolecules in pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. A novel capillary zone electrophoresis/electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (CZE/ESI-TOFMS) interface was designed in this study to successfully integrate ESI-TOFMS, nanospray, and CZE for biomolecular identification. The interface offers a novel way to take advantage of the high resolution separation achieved during CZE and the detection sensitivity of nanospray ESI-MS. The results showed mixtures of peptides were highly resolved within a few minutes (each CZE electropherogram of a peptide is 2-3 seconds). The novel CZE/ESI-TOFMS interface may simultaneously provide sensitivity, data acquisition speed, mass range, and mass resolution while maintaining resolution of the CZE separation.

Electrophoresis, Capillary↗
PubMed1999

Pheromones and novel male-induced pregnancy disruptions in mice: exposure to conspecifics is necessary for urine alone to induce an effect.

Previous research indicates a role of pheromones in novel male-induced early pregnancy disruptions. Although some reports suggest that urine alone is sufficient to produce this effect, others raise procedural concerns and fail to replicate such effects. On Days 1 to 5 after insemination, female CF-1 mice had their nasal regions repeatedly painted with water, urine from males housed in isolation, or urine from males housed in proximity to females. Almost all (87.5%) of the control females delivered litters. There was a small nonsignificant reduction in proportion parturient (78.5%) among females exposed to urine of males housed without social contact. The proportion of females parturient (57.1%) after treatment with urine from males housed in proximity to females was significantly different from controls. The magnitude of the effect of socially stimulated male urine is substantially less than that recorded when males are housed directly above inseminated females separated by a wire-mesh grid. These data suggest that production of pregnancy-disrupting male pheromones is stimulated by contact with conspecifics.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Differential sexual activity of isolated and group-housed male mice: lack of substantial influence of acute or chronic naloxone administration.

Influences of naloxone upon male sexual behavior were examined using two different baseline activity levels: individually and group-housed mice. In Experiment 1, single injections of 0,12.5, or 50 micrograms per animal were administered before testing. Isolated mice showed more sexual activity than did grouped mice; naloxone failed to alter those differences. In Experiment 2, a similar result was obtained despite administration of 50 or 150 micrograms per animal of naloxone. In Experiment 3,0 or 50 micrograms of naloxone was administered to isolated or grouped males daily on the 5 days before testing. Isolated mice showed performance superior to that of grouped mice, but there was no effect of the drug. In Experiment 4, doses of 0. 12.5, or 50 micrograms of naloxone were given to isolated or grouped males twice daily for 7 days prior to testing, producing little effect. These results suggest that the influences of prior social condition on male sexual activity are robust in the face of naloxone administration.

Aggression↗
PubMed1996

Disruption of early pregnancy by direct and indirect exposure to novel males in mice: comparison of influences of preputialectomized and intact males.

Inseminated female CF-1 mice (Mus musculus) were exposed on days 1 to 5 of pregnancy to unfamiliar outbred males. In the first experiment, inseminated females were each housed directly with the sire, a preputialectomized male, or an intact male. Both types of novel male attempted to mate with the female during this period, unlike the sire. Reinsemination occurred in a significant proportion of the females that were exposed to novel males; this effect was equivalent for preputialectomized and intact males. In two subsequent experiments, we refined a paradigm of indirect exposure to novel males through a wire-mesh grid, which prevents mating and reinsemination. Two or three males housed directly above each female through a grid disrupt pregnancy in most cases, but housing the males below the females is much less likely to do so. In a final experiment, each inseminated female was housed below two males that were either preputialectomized or sham-preputialectomized. Whereas 29 of 33 undisturbed controls were parturient, only eight of 32 females exposed to sham-preputialectomized males and six of 32 exposed to preputialectomized males were parturient. These results suggest that nonvolatile pheromones are involved in novel-male-induced pregnancy disruptions, but that preputial gland emissions are not necessary for such disruptions.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Cancer in older persons in Scotland.

BACKGROUND: The average age in many populations in increasing. As the risk of most epithelial cancers increases with age, numbers of people with cancer can also be expected to grow. METHODS: Incidence data from the Scottish Cancer Registry for the period 1981-1990 were used to examine the size of the cancer burden in those aged 75 years and over. The future burden of cancer in Scotland was estimated by applying current age specific rates to population projections. Cancer survival in older cancer patients in Scotland was examined and comparisons made with other selected countries. The place of treatment of people under and over 75 in Scotland was investigated. RESULTS: Approximately 30% of the total cancer burden in Scotland and other countries occurs in the elderly. The total number of incident cases in Scotland in those aged 75 and over is estimated to rise by approximately 60% in males and 20% in females by 2029. A decline in survival is seen with increasing age. Older people with cancer in Scotland are less likely to be treated outwit their area of residence and are more likely to be admitted to institutions which admit small numbers of patients. CONCLUSIONS: Cancer in older persons contributes a significant proportion of the overall cancer burden. The burden of cancer in the elderly is likely to grow. More work needs to be done characterising cancer and its treatment in older persons.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Identification and expression cloning of a leptin receptor, OB-R.

The ob gene product, leptin, is an important circulating signal for the regulation of body weight. To identify high affinity leptin-binding sites, we generated a series of leptin-alkaline phosphatase (AP) fusion proteins as well as [125I]leptin. After a binding survey of cell lines and tissues, we identified leptin-binding sites in the mouse choroid plexus. A cDNA expression library was prepared from mouse choroid plexus and screened with a leptin-AP fusion protein to identify a leptin receptor (OB-R). OB-R is a single membrane-spanning receptor most related to the gp130 signal-transducing component of the IL-6 receptor, the G-CSF receptor, and the LIF receptor. OB-R mRNA is expressed not only in choroid plexus, but also in several other tissues, including hypothalamus. Genetic mapping of the gene encoding OB-R shows that it is within the 5.1 cM interval of mouse chromosome 4 that contains the db locus.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Cancer. Introduction.

This supplement presents the study of various histologic types of cancers diagnosed in the populations covered by the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program. It describes the SEER program and the coding of histologic type by the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology. Each of the 19 articles deals with the histologic types of cancer found in major sites or with specific histologic types, such as lymphomas or melanomas. Histologic types have been grouped based on those developed by Dr. John Berg. Data presented in this supplement are based on more than one million microscopically proven invasive cancers and 98,000 in situ cancers diagnosed during the period 1973-1987 in areas covered by the SEER Program.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Upper aerodigestive tract cancers.

BACKGROUND: Cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract constitute approximately 4% of all malignancies. These include cancer of the lip, tongue, major salivary glands, gums and adjacent oral cavity tissues, floor of the mouth, tonsils, oropharynx, nasopharynx, hypopharynx and other oral regions, nasal cavity, accessory sinuses, middle ear, and larynx. METHODS: The histologically diagnosed cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract reported to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program of the National Cancer Institute in 1973-1987 were tabulated by histologic type, sex, age, and racial group, and according to quinquennium (1973-1977, 1978-1982, 1983-1987). Frequencies, age-specific incidence rates, median age, and extent of spread at diagnosis, stage, and survival were examined. RESULTS: Cancer of the upper aerodigestive tract represented 3.5% of all microscopically proven malignant neoplasms. Except for salivary glands, gums, nasopharynx, and nasal cavity and accessory sinuses, epidermoid carcinomas accounted for greater than 95% of the cancers. For all aerodigestive sites combined, there was a 2-to-1 male-to-female ratio (greater for laryngeal cancer, which was approximately 5 to 1). Incidence in black males was often twice the levels recorded in white males, whereas rates for black and white females tended to be close. The 5-year relative survival was approximately 50% (90% for lip and 65% for larynx), was somewhat better for whites than for blacks, and did not improve significantly over the 15 years studied. Salivary gland adenocarcinoma carried a survival of approximately 80%. CONCLUSIONS: Because many of the cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract are caused by alcohol and tobacco use, the potential for prevention is considerable.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Cancer of unknown primary site.

BACKGROUND: About 2% of more than 1 million cases of cancer diagnosed in residents of SEER areas for the 15-year period 1973-1987 were designated as being cancers of unknown primary site. METHODS: The 26,050 histologically diagnosed cancers of unknown primary site were studied. The small groups of other and ill-defined sites within the respiratory and intrathoracic systems and other ill-defined sites (546 total) were included in this total. RESULTS: Over the 15-year period, there has been a decrease in the number of these cancers for each race-sex group. There has been very little change over time in the distribution by histologic type. The most frequent diagnosis was adenocarcinoma (around 55%), with approximately equal numbers of epidermoid carcinoma and carcinoma, not otherwise specified (about 14%). Changes in the frequency of mucinous, small cell, and large cell carcinoma have been observed. Carcinoid tumors of unknown primary site increased substantially. CONCLUSION: The decline in the numbers of cancers assigned to unknown primary site is to be welcomed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Registration of lung cancer in Scotland: an assessment of data accuracy based on review of medical records.

Lung cancer represents a major public health problem in Scotland. Cancer registration data permit the approximate incidence of this disease to be measured directly and the projected incidence to be modelled. Thus, in addition to epidemiologic studies and survival analyses, cancer registration data may be used for planning and monitoring relevant health services. Since the value of the data depends on their quality, we undertook a large-scale study of the accuracy of cancer registration data in Scotland. The medical records of a random sample of cancer registrations attributed to the year 1990 were sought. The sample contained 340 registrations of lung cancer, 309 (91 percent) of which had relevant medical records available for scrutiny. Registration details were reabstracted from available records and compared with data in the registry. Results revealed 19 discrepancies in identifying items of data (surname, forename, gender, and date of birth) involving 16 (5.2 percent) patients. Most were trivial and would not disturb record linkage. Discrepancy rates were found to be: 7.8 percent in postcode of residence at the time of diagnosis, 10 percent in 'anniversary date' (excluding differences of six weeks or less), 12.5 percent in histologic verification status; 4.2 percent in ICD-9 site code (the first three digits), and 15.5 percent in four digit ICD-O morphology code (excluding 'inferred' morphology codes). This relatively high level of accuracy gives weight to routinely published incidence figures and supports the use of these data for exploratory epidemiologic studies, assessment of health care needs, and calculation of survival.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1995

Strange-male-induced pregnancy disruption in mice: reduction of vulnerability by 17 beta-estradiol antibodies.

It is well-established that novel males can disrupt early pregnancy in house mice. Inseminated female C57BL mice were either left undisturbed or each exposed indirectly to a novel HS male through a wire-mesh grid during days 1-6 of pregnancy. Varied dosages of antibodies to 17 beta-estradiol were administered to females exposed to males. Vehicle-treated females exposed to novel males showed fewer litters than did nonexposed controls. Male-exposed females given 1 ml daily of the antibody showed rates of pregnancy comparable to those observed in controls. These data suggest that estrogen levels might play a role in strange-male-induced pregnancy disruptions, converging with evidence implicating estrogens in stress-induced pregnancy blocks.

Animals↗