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Biomedical subjects

D Francis

Publications and source records attributed to D Francis.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Rheumatoid pleurisy. Specificity of cytological findings.

The cytological findings in pleural exudates from patients with rheumatoid arthritis are epithelioid cells, giant cells, cholesterol crystals and an amorphous granulated material. An important additional feature, we find, is lack of mesothelial cells. Based on 23 pleural fluids from 7 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 44 pleural fluids from patients with various other diseases, a blind study showed, that these typical cytological findings in combination with lack of mesothelial cells were specific in pointing towards the determined diagnosis rheumatoid pleurisy.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Comparison of the antiemetics metoclopramide and promethazine in labour.

A double blind trial was conducted in 477 mothers in labour to compare the antiemetics metoclopramide 10 mg and promethazine 25 mg and placebo when added to the first dose of pethidine. Metoclopramide and promethazine were equally effective, and both better than placebo, in reducing the incidence of nausea and vomiting after the administration of pethidine. Seventy seven per cent of mothers were drowsy, and 8% slept in the hour after the pethidine injection, with no difference between the groups. The sedative effect was more persistent in the promethazine group, 66% of whom were still drowsy after delivery. One third of the mothers in each group needed further analgesia, with 77% of these ultimately requesting an epidural. The reduction in pain half an hour and one hour after pethidine, assessed by a visual analogue scale, were, respectively, 22% and 22% for placebo; 26% and 23% for metoclopramide; 13% and 9% for promethazine. Analgesia after metoclopramide was significantly better than that after promethazine in terms of pain score, duration of first injection, and need for Entonox. Metoclopramide is therefore to be preferred to promethazine as an antiemetic in labour.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗
PubMed1985

Mutants of Polysphondylium pallidum altered in cell aggregation and in the expression of a carbohydrate epitope on cell surface glycoproteins.

Mutants of the cellular slime mold Polysphondylium pallidum have been selected using a cell sorter and a fluorescentlabeled monoclonal antibody, mAb 293. This antibody blocks cell adhesion when applied as Fab, and recognizes a carbohydrate epitope containing L-fucose. This epitope is expressed on the cell surface and is present on >10 membrane glycoproteins of different apparent mol. wts. Twenty mutants were obtained which did not bind mAb 293 when tested at 2 h of starvation. After longer periods of starvation the epitope became detectable in the mutants. In all these mutants aggregation patterns were atypical. Generally streams of cells that were radially orientated around aggregation centers were missing or were much shorter than in wild-type. Genetic analysis demonstrated that aberrant aggregation was linked to the alteration in carbohydrate epitope expression. One mutant was unstable and gave rise to subclones in which almost no antibody binding was observed, even after 24 h of starvation, and only few aggregation centers with no streams or very short ones were formed. These results indicate that the capability of the cells to aggregate is correlated with the exposure on their surfaces of the carbohydrate epitope recognized by mAb 293, whose function in development remains to be established.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1985

Effects of psoralen on replicon size and mean rate of DNA synthesis in partially synchronized cells of Pisum sativum L.

We have examined by fibre autoradiography the spacing of replicons in pea root meristems during synchronized entry into S phase from arrest at the G1/S boundary. Pretreatment with the DNA cross-linking agent, psoralen, produces a marked shortening of replicon spacing, suggesting that premature arrest of the replication fork results in the recruitment of additional initiation points within a given replicon family. This is discussed in relation to models for the control of DNA replication.

Autoradiography↗
PubMed1985

Tubular carcinoma of the breast. A long term follow-up.

The aim of this study is to provide a long-term follow-up of patients with tubular carcinoma and to investigate whether the separation of the mixed type of tubular carcinoma, tubular component more than 75%, from invasive ductal carcinoma with a major tubular component (ductal carcinoma MTC), tubular component 50 to 75%, is supported by long term follow-up. For this study 388 consecutive breast carcinomas were selected from the files of the Department of Pathology, Bispebjerg Hospital, Denmark for the years: 1956-59. Twenty tubular carcinomas were found and 16 ductal carcinomas MTC were also identified. For each patient with tubular carcinoma and ductal carcinoma MTC, two controls with ductal carcinoma NOS were selected. The patients in these four groups were followed until 1 April 1982. None of the patients were lost to follow-up. Among the 20 patients with tubular carcinoma, 10 died within this period compared to 37 of the 40 controls. Of the 16 patients with ductal carcinoma MTC, 15 died compared to 29 of the 32 controls. The difference in Kaplan-Meier survival curves between the tubular carcinomas and their controls is highly significant. There is no significant difference between ductal carcinomas MTC and their controls. These findings are not changed significantly when 5, 10, and 20 year survival rates are corrected for expected survival. This study demonstrates long-term survival for patients with tubular carcinoma as compared to ductal carcinoma NOS. There is no difference in long-term survival between ductal carcinoma MTC, tubular component between 50 and 75%, and ductal carcinoma NOS. It therefore seems appropriate to set 75% tubular component as a reasonable cut-off point for the mixed type of tubular carcinoma.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1985

Thoracoscopic, histological, and clinical findings in nine case of rheumatoid pleural effusion.

A characteristic thoracoscopic picture of a granular parietal pleural surface was found in nine patients with rheumatoid pleurisy. Characteristic changes could be identified histopathologically in material obtained by biopsy. The rheumatoid pleural effusion resolved within an average of 14 months and no serious complications developed after the pleurisy. It is concluded that in rheumatoid pleural effusion a positive diagnosis can be made by thoracoscopy, preferably supported by the identification of microscopic structural changes in the parietal pleura.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

An increase of cAMP-dependent protein kinase during development in Polysphondylium pallidum.

Polysphondylium pallidum is a cellular slime mold in which, unlike in Dictyostelium discoideum, cAMP is not the chemotactic agent. The occurrence of a cAMP-dependent protein kinase in D. discoideum was demonstrated earlier and we suggested that it may mediate the intracellular effects of cAMP on the development of the organism, particularly since an increase in the amount of the enzyme during development was noted. In D. discoideum cAMP plays a dual role insofar as it serves both as chemotactic agent and as second messenger; it was of interest therefore, to determine whether a cAMP-dependent protein kinase occurred in P. pallidum. We found a cAMP-dependent protein kinase in P. pallidum using Kemptide as substrate. The regulatory subunit of the enzyme has an apparent molecular weight of 41,000 and seems to be similar in its properties with that isolated earlier from D. discoideum. The cAMP-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunits from the two species are also similar. Furthermore, there is a developmentally regulated, parallel, two- to threefold increase in the two subunits of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase in P. pallidum. The increase occurs before aggregates are formed. These findings are compatible with a role of the intracellular cAMP and of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase in the development of P. pallidum.

Darkness↗
PubMed1984

Vasoconstrictors in spinal anesthesia with tetracaine--a comparison of epinephrine and phenylephrine.

A randomized double-blind study was conducted in 50 orthopedic patients to determine the effect of epinephrine and phenylephrine on the anesthetic properties of intrathecally administered tetracaine. Two doses of each vasoconstrictor agent were studied: 0.2 mg of epinephrine, 0.3 mg of epinephrine, 1 mg of phenylephrine, and 2 mg of phenylephrine. The results show that both vasoconstrictor agents in the doses used significantly prolong duration of sensory anesthesia and motor blockade produced by the subarachnoid administration of tetracaine. At equipotent doses no differences existed between the ability of epinephrine and phenylephrine to prolong the duration of spinal anesthesia produced by tetracaine.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Electron microscopy of trans-thoracic fine needle aspiration biopsies.

The purpose of the study was to find out whether electron microscopy (EM) was possible on tumour cells obtained by trans-thoracic fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNB). In a consecutive series of 105 FNB light microscopic (LM) evaluation of the aspirate demonstrated tumour cells in 67 cases. In 43/67 cases (64%) it was possible to make an ultrastructural diagnosis on part of the FNB. In none of the 43 cases did the EM and LM of FNB diagnosis disagree as to major tumour cell type. However, in 11/43 cases EM of the FNB was able to contribute to a more specific histogenetic morphological tumour diagnosis.

Biopsy, Needle↗
PubMed1983

Variation in PCO2 between arterial blood and peak expired gas during anesthesia.

Arterial PCO2 (PaCO2) can be continuously and noninvasively estimated by monitoring peak expired CO2 tension (PpeCO2). The practice of calibrating the estimate by an initial measurement of PaCO2 assumes that the difference in PCO2 tension between arterial blood and expired gas P(a-pe)CO2 remains constant. We examined the stability of P(a-pe)CO2 during anesthesia in 15 patients undergoing major surgery. Mean P(a-pe)CO2 values ranged from 0.8-7.9 torr with maximum P(a-pe)CO2 values ranging from 4.5-13.0 torr. Calibration of P(a-pe)CO2 based on a single initial measurement of PaCO2 often over- or underestimated PaCO2. Mean estimated PaCO2 from calibrated P(a-pe)CO2 varied from -7.9-6.4 torr with extreme estimates of -12.8-12.3 torr. No consistent correlation was shown between P(a-pe)CO2 and duration of anesthesia, variations in ventilation, blood pressure, blood-gas tensions, PpeCO2 or temperature. We conclude that estimation of PaCO2 by monitoring PpeCO2 is not invariably reliable.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

A controlled trial of extradural fentanyl in labour.

In a double-blind trial carried out on patients in the first stage of labour, either fentanyl 80 micrograms (n = 35) or physiological saline (n = 33) was added to the test dose of bupivacaine and administered extradurally. Thereafter analgesia was maintained as necessary with 0.5% bupivacaine alone. Supplementary bupivacaine (a further dose within 1 h) was required to produce satisfactory analgesia in eight patients in the fentanyl group and in 26 patients in the control group. Analgesia was more rapid in onset and more complete in the fentanyl group, and the duration from first dose to first top-up was 2.36 h, compared with 1.66 h (supplements notwithstanding) in the control group. No serious side-effects were encountered in either group, although eight patients in the fentanyl group experienced mild itching, compared with one in the control group.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

A large outbreak of hepatitis A in a day-care center: association with non-toilet-trained children and persistence of IgM antibody to hepatitis A virus.

In early summer, 1979, a large outbreak of hepatitis A occurred in an Oklahoma day-care center. A total of 41 cases were confirmed, all in adults. Of the 115 non-employee households represented by children in the center, 19 households (16.5%) had one or more cases of hepatitis. Hepatitis occurred in 29% of the households with at least one non-toilet-trained child, compared to 2% of the households without such a child (p = 0.00004). At least four (15%) of 27 center employees had hepatitis. Of 26 cases tested serologically, all were positive for hepatitis A antibody (anti-HAV), and 24 of these 26 were also positive for anti-HAV of immunoglobulin class M (anti-HAV IgM), at an average time after onset of illness of 80 days (range, 38-142 days). Three of ten persons remained anti-HAV IgM-positive 164 days after onset.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Paediatric continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.

Ten children in end-stage renal failure were treated by continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). This represents a total of 3.4 patient years. Biochemical control was good, and parent and patient acceptability high. Peritonitis was the chief complication, but after the institution of a specific CAPD education and training programme the incidence declined 10-fold. We regard CAPD as an effective short- and medium-term treatment for children with end-stage renal failure as part of an integrated dialysis and transplant programme, but it requires a devoted and enthusiastic trained staff to ensure success.

Adolescent↗