Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

D R Miller

Publications and source records attributed to D R Miller.

At least 397 records · Page 22Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Methotrexate in rheumatoid arthritis: an update.

Methotrexate, a folic acid antagonist, is being employed more frequently in an attempt to control rheumatoid arthritis that has not responded adequately to conventional therapies. Systemic administration of 7.5-15 mg weekly in a pulse fashion appears to be effective without precipitating serious adverse effects. Concern over potentially serious adverse effects and lack of well-controlled clinical trials have limited its use to severe, refractory disease. Its use in the future is likely to increase in these patients because of its ease of administration and the high response rate noted in clinical studies.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Influence of alloy composition on the hardening of silver-tin dental amalgam.

The objective of the investigation was to examine the reactions of mercury with silver-tin alloys with compositions spanning the phase fields beta, (beta + gamma), gamma, and (gamma + Sn). The experimental methods employed include the application of light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and electron probe microanalysis. These techniques were used to investigate the mechanisms of reaction and to identify the nature and morphology of the reaction products formed on bulk specimens of the alloys. The progress and characteristics of the reactions that occur during hardening of amalgams prepared from powders of these alloys were monitored using a high-sensitivity dilatometer. These results were correlated with direct observations on the development of the microstructures. The reaction of mercury with the beta-phase alloy occurred rapidly and resulted in a very marked and rapid expansion during the initial stages of hardening. gamma-Phase alloys, on the other hand, reacted more slowly and contracted markedly during hardening. The behavior of amalgams made from alloys with compositions lying between these two extremes appeared to be explicable in terms of the characteristics of the separate phases from which they were constituted.

Absorption↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Use of health services before the diagnosis of melanoma: implications for early detection and screening.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether persons with melanoma were integrated into the health care system prior to diagnosis. DESIGN: Population-based survey by mailed questionnaire. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS: 216 persons with malignant melanoma diagnosed in Massachusetts in 1986. MAIN RESULTS: Of the 216 cases, 87% stated that they had regular physicians, 63% had seen those physicians in the year prior to diagnosis, but only 20% had regular dermatologists. Overall, only 24% had examined their own skin prior to diagnosis and 20% reported physician skin examinations. CONCLUSIONS: Persons diagnosed with melanoma reported extensive contact with regular physicians in the year prior to diagnosis. However, most of these persons neither received skin examinations nor examined their own skin during that time. While additional study is necessary to confirm these findings, the authors suggest that physicians caring for patients at risk for melanoma integrate melanoma screening into routine care.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Smokeless tobacco extracts modulate exogenous gene expression in early passage cultured human oral epithelial cells: an in vitro system to study chemical and viral enhancer/promoter interaction.

The increased risk for cancers of the oral cavity from smokeless tobacco use may reflect the interaction of tobacco with genetic factors, such as oncogenes, and other exogenous factors, such as viruses. An in vitro system was developed based on expression of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene to study interactions of chemical treatments with viral enhancer/promoters in early passage cell cultures of oral cavity-derived epithelial cells. Expression of CAT in transfected cells was significantly greater with CAT under the control of the cytomegalovirus immediate early enhancer/promoter (pCEP4/CAT) compared to the Rous sarcoma virus long terminal repeat enhancer/promoter (pRSV-cat) and the simian virus 40 (SV40) early promoter (pSV2-cat). No CAT expression was detected using corresponding control plasmids without the CAT reporter gene. Using this system, smokeless tobacco extracts prepared from either dry snuff or moist snuff delayed maximum CAT expression from Day 4 to Day 5, with sustained, significantly increased CAT expression at 12 days compared to the declining CAT expression observed in untreated control cells. Smokeless tobacco extracts can modulate intracellular gene expression. This system provides an in vitro model to test specificity of toxic agents on enhancer/promoter activity and the interaction on exogenous gene expression.

Avian Sarcoma Viruses↗