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Biomedical subjects

D Willems

Publications and source records attributed to D Willems.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Increase of neurophysin II serum levels in chronic alcoholic patients: relationship with alcohol consumption and alcoholism blood markers during withdrawal therapy.

Neurophysin II (hNpII) but not hNpI serum levels were higher than normal (greater than 2.85 ng/ml) in 9 of 20 patients admitted to the metabolic ward for alcohol withdrawal therapy; a normalization was observed within the first week of alcohol withdrawal. The higher levels of hNpII were felt to reflect alcohol impregnation for the following reasons: 1) on admission, levels of most of the alcoholism blood markers were higher in the group of patients with high hNpII levels than in the group with normal hNpII levels; 2) hNpII levels were correlated with most of the alcoholism blood markers, mainly gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (r = 0.63, P less than 0.001) in the 20 patients of the study; 3) patients with high hNpII levels admitted to greater alcohol and less anxiolytic drug intake immediately before admission. The physiopathological meaning and hypothetical psychological consequence of this hNpII increase remain to be defined.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1983

Factors affecting the determination of ionized calcium in blood.

Reproducibility with the same electrode on the same day is expressed by the CV. For standard solutions CV = 0.68%, for blood CV = 1.36%, for serum CV = 0.92%. The measure with 2 different Orion electrodes performed on blood samples on the same day gives no more variation between electrodes than within electrode. Results of Ca++ measured with SS-20 Orion and ICA1 Radiometer electrodes on the samples of normal blood or serum are significantly higher with the ICA1 electrode than with the SS-20 Orion. The use of decreasing concentration of NaCl (170 to 110 mmol/l) in calibration solutions shows an apparent increase of Ca++ concentration in normal blood. Sampling conditions may affect Ca++ results. The pH of peripheric venous blood drawn without torniquet in 57 normal people was 7.34 +/- 0.03 and differs from the normal arterial pH values (740 +/- 0.02). By applying the following equation: Ca++ (pH 7.40) = Ca++ [1-0.53 (7.40 - pH)], Ca++ can be adjusted to pH 7.40. The correction in pathologic condition should, however, take in account the real arterial pH of the subject. We tested if sitting versus recumbent position could modify Ca++ results. The difference was non significant. Heparin, necessary for blood and plasma sampling, may affect the electrode membrane and binds calcium ions. We compared in the same blood sampling the same dilutions of 2 kinds of heparin. Heparin Radiometer: 10 microliters in 1 ml blood (8 UI) and heparin Roche: 10 microliters in 1 ml blood (50 UI) and observed significantly higher Ca++ results with the lower concentration of heparin. Storage of serum 24 hours at -20 degrees C does not alter the Ca++ results. After 7 days at -20 degrees C the Ca++ decreases by 3.6% in average, mainly due to pH increase.

Blood Preservation↗
PubMed1982

Cadmium telluride detectors in the external measurement of glomerular filtration rate using 99mTc-DTPA (Sn): comparison with 51Cr-EDTA and 99mTc-DTPA (Sn) plasma sample methods.

GFR was determined in 16 patients using an external detector to monitor disappearance of a single injected dose of 99mTc-DTPA (Sn) simultaneously with determinations of GFR using plasma sample methods for 99mTc-DTPA (Sn) and 51Cr-EDTA. Values of GFR were correlated closely between the external determinations of GFR and the plasma sample methods of 51Cr-EDTA and 99mTc-DTPA (Sn) with correlation coefficients of 0.97 and 0.99, respectively. Although the external detector method is apparently accurate, its advantages are as yet insufficient to warrant its adoption as the method of choice for determination of GFR.

Cadmium↗
PubMed1979

Some properties of the chloramphenicol resistance transposon Tn9.

We have isolated variants of the plasmid RTF which have received the transposon Tn9 from bacteriophage P1Cm. We have shown by the formation of heteroduplex molecules between one RTF:Tn9 derivative and R100.1 that Tn9 is homologous to the r-determinant region of R100.1 which carries the determinants for chloramphenicol resistance. This suggests that Tn9 was derived from an r-det like structure by deletion, possibly mediated by one of the flanking IS1 elements. In spite of the similarity in structure between Tn9 and r-det however, we have demonstrated two distinct differences in the behavior of these two elements: 1) Tn9 but not r-det, is able to amplify, by a recA dependent mechanism, when cells harboring RTF::Tn9 are grown in the presence of chloramphenicol, and 2) Tn9, unlike r-det, does not form extrachromosomal circular molecules when RTF::Tn9 is tegrated into the bacterial chromosome.

Chloramphenicol↗
PubMed1975

In vitro cultivation of human tumor tissues.

In order to develop cell substrates suitable for the isolation of human oncornaviruses, a large number of human tumors, mostly sarcomas, were sultured in vitro. All explants yielded primary outgrowth of cells. These were of various nature and morphology and exhibited different growth potentials. About 40% of the tumors yielded cell strains which were undistinguishable from diploid human embryonic cell strains. About 20% yielded 'difficult' diploid cultures; 35% yielded short-term cultures mostly composed of undefinable cells, rarely of clearly recognizable tumor cells. About 5% yielded cell strains or lines which were aberrant in morphology or karyotype, or both. The malignant nature of the cell strains obtained in our study is conjecturable. Although some of the cell cultures showed evidence of tumoral origin, none complied with currently employed in vitro criteria for malignancy such as lack of topoinhibition and high density growth.

Cell Line↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Same-day versus separate-day sigmoidoscopy and double contrast barium enema: a randomized controlled study.

A randomized controlled study was carried out in 400 patients to investigate whether same-day sigmoidoscopy impairs the quality of a double contrast barium enema. There was no difference with regard to spasm, fluid, and air retention as well as barium coat in patients undergoing both procedures during the same day or on different days. The overall quality of the radiographic films received similar ratings in a blind appraisal by an outside radiologist. In contrast, the performance of sigmoidoscopy was facilitated by the more thorough bowel cleansing for same-day procedures. It is concluded that same-day sigmoidoscopy and double contrast barium enema diminishes the cost and patient discomfort for colonic investigation without impairing its quality, provided that CO2 instead of air is used during the endoscopic study.

Barium Sulfate↗