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Biomedical subjects

D J Crawford

Publications and source records attributed to D J Crawford.

29 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Stability of oestrogen receptor status in sequential biopsies from patients with breast cancer.

Sequential biopsies of breast cancer tissue were obtained from a total of 210 women in order to assess any change in oestrogen receptor (ER) status arising spontaneously or as a result of intervening therapy. A combined assay measuring both cytosol and nuclear oestrogen receptors was used for all samples. One hundred and fifty-five patients had biopsies of their primary tumour and of a later loco-regional recurrence; 26 had biopsies of their primary tumour and a recurrence or new primary in the opposite breast; and 29 had sequential biopsies of recurrent disease only. Overall only 61.2% of the primary tumours retained their original status with respect to both cytosol and nuclear oestrogen receptors on recurrence. These results were influenced by intervening therapy, however, and if only untreated patients are considered, over 70% of their recurrences contain the same combination of cytosol and nuclear receptors as found in the primary tumours. For tumours 'recurring' in the opposite breast, the pattern was similar with 69.2% retaining the same status as the first primary. The agent found most likely to alter I:R status was tamoxifen and in the samples taken from patients undergoing treatment with this drug, no tumour was found to contain measurable receptor.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1986

Oestrogen receptor status of breast cancers from related patients.

Breast tumours from nine pairs of related women have been studied with respect to their oestrogen receptor (ER) concentrations and histological appearance and grade. 72% of these tumours were oestrogen receptor positive in both soluble and nuclear fractions. in eight of the nine pairs, the tumours were of the same ER status. Apart from a suggestion of a similar host response to the tumours in two related pairs, the histological appearance of the tumours showed no striking similarities. This small study suggests that familial breast cancers are more likely to be hormone dependent.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1985

Pre-operative determination of oestrogen receptor status in breast cancer by immunocytochemical staining of fine needle aspirates.

The results of pre-operative staining of fine needle aspirate (FNA) samples from 48 breast cancers, with a polyclonal antibody raised against highly purified oestrogen receptor (ER) protein, have been compared with our standard biochemical method for measurement of cytosol and nuclear ER. FNA antibody staining correctly predicted the presence of ER in 20 of 21 ERC +/N+ tumours. There were 2 false positive results in 24 ER C-/N-tumours though both these tumours showed marked heterogeneity of staining. Three ER C+/N- tumours were negative by antibody staining, in keeping with the tendency for such tumours to be hormone independent in behaviour. This pre-operative method for ER determination appears to be a reliable alternative to other micro-assays for oestrogen receptors.

Biopsy, Needle↗
PubMed1982

Identifying critical human subpopulations by age groups: radioactivity and the lung.

This work studies the effect of age on lung dose commitments arising from the inhalation of an atmosphere containing radionuclides of varying half-lives and physical sizes. This dependence is significant in many cases, approaching a ratio of 2 in several instances when the maximum dose at a given age is compared with that for an adult. In most instances, the maximum dose occurs between 4 and 8 years of age, due to a combination of small channel radii (allowing greater diffusional deposition), low lung mass, and high breathing rate. Age-dependence is largest for particles in the range 0.01 to 0.1 micrometer, a range coincident with that normally encountered in atmospheric aerosols. Resting activity appears to provide the largest age-dependence, particularly for short-lived radionuclides. The study focused on radionuclides whose half-lives were less than 2 years. Total lung doses for longer lived radionuclides are dominated by pulmonary deposition and may be computed from the data in the figures, given a knowledge of the transit times for the tracheo-bronchial region. From the present results, it appears likely that current maximum permissible levels of exposure to airborne radionuclides may require re-evaluation to ensure that children do not receive unacceptably large dose commitments. Further revision may be required upon the incorporation of age-dependent risk factors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

The effects of strenuous exercise on infection with Francisella tularensis in rats.

To investigate the effects of strenuous forced exercise on the course and complications of a bacterial infection and on myocardial responses and performance capacity, rats with tularemia (characterized by pyogranulomatous hepatic and splenic lesions) were exercised by swimming on days 0-6 of infection. Levels of glutamic oxaloacetic and pyruvic transaminases in plasma, densities of pyogranulomatous lesions, and bacterial counts in blood, liver, and spleen were similar in exercising and resting rats. Although a few exercising rats showed an unusual dissemination of infection, the antibody responses were similar in rest and exercise. Plasma concentrations of beta-glucuronidase, lysozyme and alpha 2-macrofetoprotein were higher with exercise, a result that indicated that more vigorous stress responses were elicited with exercise than with infection alone. Physical performance capacity was reduced by the infection, but forced daily exercise limited this reduction substantially and counteracted the myocardial protein-degrading effects of infection. Thus, exercise evoked normal training responses even during this generalized infection.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Unique effects of infectious or inflammatory stress on fat metabolism in rats.

Infectious or inflammatory stress in the rat causes very typical functional and metabolic alterations. Among the most typical are elevation in body temperature, insulin, and glucagon and depression in the concentrations of plasma ketones and free fatty acids. These changes occur only with infectious or inflammatory stress and not with noninflammatory stresses such as femoral fracture, screen restraint, or exercise. It appears that the depression in plasma ketone bodies during infection or inflammation is closely related to the rise in plasma insulin. During infection imposed on experimentally induced diabetes, inhibition of plasma ketones is not apparent. In a similar fashion, infection in hypophysectomized rats causes no elevation in plasma insulin and no depression in plasma ketones. Discussion concerning the implications of these observations in the rat and primate is included.

Animals↗