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E Marshall

Publications and source records attributed to E Marshall.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

A new ultrasensitive assay for quantitation of HIV-1 RNA in plasma.

Nucleic acid-based diagnostic assays for the quantitation of plasma HIV-1 RNA levels are used to monitor disease progression and the response of patients to antiretroviral drug therapy. The LCx HIV RNA Quantitative Assay (Abbott Laboratories, North Chicago, IL) is an assay for the quantitation of HIV type 1 RNA in plasma that uses competitive reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) followed by Microparticle Enzyme Immunoassay, and includes an internal control for inhibition and RNA recovery, that is taken through the entire sample preparation procedure. The performance of the assay was assessed for 1 and 0.2 ml sample volumes. For a 1 ml sample volume, the lower limit of detection was found to be 50 copies/ml with a linear range from 50 to 1 million copies/ml. For a 0.2 ml sample volume, the lower limit of detection was found to be 178 copies/ml with a linear range from 178 to 5 million copies/ml. The assay is able to detect and quantitate HIV subtypes A-G and group O. LCx HIV RNA assay quantitation results are highly correlated to the standard and ultrasensitive Amplicor HIV-1 Monitor assay (Roche Molecular Systems) quantitation results. Assay performance is consistent with the use of this test for routine quantitation of HIV-1 RNA in plasma.

Cross Reactions↗
PubMed2001

Negative-Pressure monitoring of tuberculosis isolation rooms within New York State hospitals.

A previously published study recommended the daily use of visible smoke to test for negative air pressure in isolation rooms occupied by potentially infectious tuberculosis cases. Continuous monitoring devices were found to have poor reliability. Findings from our survey of engineering controls in acute-care hospitals within New York State support this recommendation.

Air Pressure↗
PubMed2001

Emergency department evaluation of chest pain using exercise stress echocardiography.

OBJECTIVE: Patients with a low risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) presenting to the emergency department (ED) with chest pain pose a diagnostic dilemma because a small percentage will suffer an acute myocardial infarction (MI) and sudden death. The authors conducted this study to determine whether exercise stress echocardiography (ESE) could be used to further support the safe discharge of these low-risk patients. METHODS: A convenience sample of patients > or =30 years of age without a prior cardiac history who presented to an academic community hospital with chest pain, normal initial creatine kinase, and electrocardiography without ischemic changes underwent ESE within 6 +/- 1.7 hours (mean +/- SD). Abnormal ESE was defined as regional wall motion abnormality at rest or after exercise. The ED disposition and three- and six-month follow-up for cardiac events were recorded. This was a prospective observational cohort study. RESULTS: Of a total of 149 eligible patients, 145 completed the study. The mean age (+/-SD) was 47 +/- 9 years; 56% were male. No adverse events were noted during ESE. Seven patients (5%) had abnormal ESE (2 with rest wall motion abnormalities and 5 with exercise-induced wall motion abnormalities). Five of the seven underwent cardiac catheterization; three had CAD. All patients received telephone follow-up at three months and six months. Of the 138 patients with a normal ESE, all were free of cardiac events at three months. One patient had a non-Q-wave MI at six months (negative predictive value = 99.3%, 95% CI = 97.8% to 100%). CONCLUSIONS: Exercise stress echocardiography can be used to evaluate low-risk chest pain patients in the ED. Patients with a normal ESE may be considered for discharge with minimal risk of sequelae.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

A phase I trial of a 5-day schedule of intravenous topotecan and etoposide in previously untreated patients with small-cell lung cancer.

A phase I dose-escalation study was undertaken to determine the maximum tolerated dose of the intravenous combination of topotecan and etoposide in previously untreated patients with small-cell lung cancer. Nineteen patients were treated with 30-min infusions of topotecan (0.5 mg/m(2)/day for cohort 1; 0.75 mg/m(2)/day for cohort 2) followed by 1-hour infusions of a fixed daily dose of etoposide (60 mg/m(2)/day) for 5 consecutive days every 3 weeks. Patient cohort 1 (n = 7) received a total of 41 courses of chemotherapy. Grade 4 neutropenia occurred after 17% of the courses of therapy, and there was 1 episode of dose-limiting toxicity in this patient cohort. In patient cohort 2 (n = 12), a total of 64 courses of chemotherapy were administered. Grade 3 or 4 neutropenia occurred following 41 and 37% of the courses of therapy, respectively. Grade 3 thrombocytopenia occurred following 19% of the courses of therapy, and there were 3 episodes of dose-limiting toxicity in this patient cohort. There were no toxic deaths, and all nonhematologic toxicity (except hair loss) was </= grade 2. No further dose escalation was performed because of the degree of myelosuppression seen in patient cohort 2. All 19 patients were evaluable for response. Eighteen (95%) patients responded (14 partial responses and 4 complete responses) and the median survival was 10 months. This 5-day schedule of intravenous topotecan and etoposide administered sequentially on the same day is well tolerated, and the preliminary response rates were high in patients with previously untreated small-cell lung cancer.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Human genome. Storm erupts over terms for publishing Celera's sequence.

A dispute has been raging behind the scenes for weeks over the conditions under which Celera Genomics is prepared to make its human genome sequence data publicly available. The argument went public on 6 December, when geneticist Michael Ashburner e-mailed an open letter to Science's board of reviewing editors and members of the press slamming an agreement on data release that Science had reached with Celera as a condition for accepting its paper for review. This spat is the latest round in an intense rivalry between Celera president J. Craig Venter and leaders of the Human Genome Project, a publicly funded consortium that has produced its own draft human genome sequence.

Biotechnology↗
PubMed2000

Scientific misconduct. How prevalent is fraud? That's a million-dollar question.

How often does scientific misconduct occur? There seems to be no consensus on the answer, although a range of estimates were presented at a conference called last month by a key federal watchdog agency to announce a $1 million grants program to investigate the prevalence of fraud, data fabrication, plagiarism, and other questionable practices in science. The 8-year-old Office of Research Integrity hopes to support studies gauging the frequency of misconduct and assessing efforts to raise ethical standards.

Behavioral Research↗
PubMed2000

Clinical trials. Planned Ritalin trial for tots heads into uncharted waters.

U.S. scientists are gearing up for a major clinical trial intended to measure the effects of a popular but controversial drug used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, methylphenidate (Ritalin), on a previously untested population--children aged 3 to 6. But in doing so, they are running up against ethical concerns about using young subjects in clinical trials. The scientists involved in the study admit that they are concerned about the drug's effect on the children's still-developing personalities and brains, as well as their inability to give informed consent. But they believe that such trials are the only way to answer concerns about rising use of the drug among this population.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗
PubMed2000

Genetic testing. Families sue hospital, scientist for control of Canavan gene.

A successful partnership between parents and a scientist to combat a deadly genetic disease has dissolved into a bitter legal battle over the commercial tests used to identify people with dangerous mutations in their genes. The lawsuit, filed on 30 October in Chicago federal court, is the latest dispute in the growing controversy over who controls and who benefits from human genetics research.

Canavan Disease↗
PubMed2000

Malaria. A renewed assault on an old and deadly foe.

After languishing for decades in the scientific backwaters, malaria research is suddenly being swept into the mainstream. Money is beginning to pour in from international finance and aid organizations, giving researchers who have been doggedly pursuing an intractable foe with limited resources the means to follow new leads. But on the ground, the disease is unyielding, and the current weapons are losing their effectiveness. In a series of related stories, Science explores the World Health Organization's crusade that aims to cut malaria mortality in half over the next 10 years, conditions on the front lines of clinical research in Africa, the challenges that have slowed development of a so-far elusive vaccine, renewed interest in a Chinese herbal remedy that could aid in the fight against drug-resistant malaria, progress in attacking the Plasmodium parasite through its genome, and the dream of building a malaria-proof mosquito.

Africa↗
PubMed2000

Drugs. Reinventing an ancient cure for malaria.

As drug resistance renders cheap antimalarials ineffective, a promising candidate has emerged from an overlooked source: Asia. Used as herbal remedies in China for 2000 years, artemisinins haven't yet been approved for clinical use in Western countries. But abundant clinical data show that a water-soluble form called artesunate knocks down the number of parasites in the blood faster than any other drug does.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Genomics. Public-private project to deliver mouse genome in 6 months.

Research on the mouse genome lurched into the fast lane last week, as private donors joined the U.S. government to step on the gas. A public-private consortium announced on 6 October that it's kicking $58 million into a new fund that will pay to sequence the DNA of the "black six" (C57BL/6J) strain of laboratory mouse. The consortium aims to produce a draft version of the genome by the end of February.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Neuroscience. A ruckus over releasing images of the human brain.

A plan to have scientists deposit functional magnetic resonance images of the brain in a public center at Dartmouth College as a condition of publication has drawn a flurry of objections. Brain scientists warn that if the project goes forward as planned, it could compromise the privacy of research subjects, get tangled up in technical knots, and rob authors of the credit they deserve. A new task force is attempting to elicit a consensus and draft a set of data-sharing guidelines supported by the entire field.

Brain↗