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Biomedical subjects

F Dunne

Publications and source records attributed to F Dunne.

26 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Pregnancy associated osteoporosis.

OBJECTIVE: Previous literature reports have suggested that osteoporosis associated with pregnancy is a rare event. We have examined the prevalence of this condition and compiled data on the largest group of such patients in the literature. PATIENTS AND DESIGN: With the help of the National Osteoporosis Society 35 women with pregnancy associated osteoporosis were identified. These women were matched with a control group from our already established computer data bank for age, weight, height and calcium status. Detailed questionnaires were sent to the osteoporotic sufferers enquiring about their present condition, past medical and drug history, and their menstrual, lactational and obstetric histories. They were also asked to complete a detailed dietary history to establish their calcium status. A questionnaire was also completed by the parents of these women and the parents of the control group, asking specifically about fracture history. RESULTS: Twenty-nine women had idiopathic osteoporosis associated with pregnancy, while in six, the condition may have resulted from drug therapy or associated diseases. Pain occurring late in the first full term pregnancy was the most common presentation. The natural history was for the condition to improve with time. There was a significantly higher prevalence of adult related fractures (P < 0.02) occurring at an earlier age in the mothers of these women compared to a control population. CONCLUSION: We have identified 35 women who have developed osteoporosis during or shortly after pregnancy and in only six of them could a recognized underlying cause be suggested. These findings would suggest that idiopathic osteoporosis associated with pregnancy may be more common than the current literature suggests. The higher prevalence of fractures in the mothers of our population compared to controls raises the question of a possible associated genetic factor in the aetiology of this condition.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Parathyroid hormone-related protein as a tumour marker in humoral hypercalcaemia associated with occult malignancy.

The tumour-derived factor PTH-related protein (PTHRP) is the primary humoral factor responsible for hypercalcaemia in patients with solid tumours. In a woman presenting with anaemia and hypercalcaemia, the finding of raised plasma PTHRP and undetectable serum PTH concentrations led to further investigations and the subsequent identification of a uterine tumour. No evidence of tumour spread was found at operation, and removal of the tumour resulted in normalization of both serum calcium and plasma PTHRP. Expression of PTHRP by the tumour was shown by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. We conclude that the identification of an occult tumour in a patient with hypercalcaemia and raised plasma PTHRP provides evidence of the diagnostic utility of PTHRP immunoassays in the investigation of patients with hypercalcaemia and suspected malignancy.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗
PubMed1992

Parathyroid hormone related protein in hypercalcaemia of Hodgkin's disease.

The role of parathyroid hormone related protein (PTHRP) as a humoral mediator of hypercalcaemia was investigated in a patient with lymphocyte depleted Hodgkin's disease during an episode of hypercalcaemia, using an immunohistochemical staining technique for PTHRP on the tumour tissue and an immunoradiometric (IRMA) assay for PTHRP1-86 on the patient's plasma. The plasma PTHRP was less than 0.23 pmol/l in the range found in normocalcaemic controls, and the immunohistochemical staining was not positive for protein. PTHRP did not have a role in the pathogenesis of hypercalcaemia in this patient.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

Subjective experience of schizophrenia.

A standardized assessment of the subjective experience of schizophrenia and depression was developed in three stages: (1) An open-ended interview covering changes in nine areas of psychological functioning was given to acute, remitted, and chronic schizophrenic patients, and to depressed patients. (2) On the basis of their replies, a structured interview was given on two separate occasions close in time to 20 remitted schizophrenic patients by two different interviewers to test interrater reliability, and to the same 20 remitted patients 6 months later by one interviewer to test intertemporal reliability. (3) The most reliable items were retained in a final version, from which the replies of a new group of 20 remitted depressed and the 20 remitted schizophrenic patients could be compared. Despite the long interval that usually had elapsed between the first episode of illness and the time of questioning, most patients gave a detailed account of their experiences that did not vary much either 6 months later or in an interview by a different psychiatrist. The most reliable items concerned changes in perception, and these also best distinguished the experiences of schizophrenia from those of depression. Perceptual dysfunction appears to be the most invariant feature of the early stage of schizophrenia, but a qualitative disturbance of thinking also occurs.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1986

The nature of the abnormal perceptual experiences at the onset of schizophrenia.

Sixty schizophrenics and 40 depressives in remission from the floridly psychotic phase were given a semi-structured interview concerning their abnormal perceptual experiences at the onset of their illness. About 50% of each set of subjects had experienced an alteration in the quality of their perception. However, there was a fairly characteristic pattern in each case: emotional tainting of the world around, a sense of unreality and noise sensitivity in depression; and an indefinable, qualitative change in visual perception, particularly affecting the way colours, people, space and facial expression were viewed, in schizophrenia. Of the various theories which have been put forward to explain perceptual change in schizophrenia, a breakdown in gestalt appeared to explain these findings best.

Auditory Perceptual Disorders↗