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Biomedical subjects

G M Scott

Publications and source records attributed to G M Scott.

85 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1980

Skin reactions to interferon inoculations are reduced but not abolished by purification.

The skin reactions to partially-purified fibroblast-derived (HulFN-beta) and leucocyte-derived (HulFN-alpha) interferons and to HulFN-alpha of increasing purity were studied in normal volunteers. Reactions consisted of an immediate flare followed by a dense well-circumscribed erythema maximal at 4-8 hours. HulFN-beta caused significantly larger reactions than HulFN-alpha of approximately the same purity. Immediate flare reactions occurred even to the most pure preparation tested but the late reactions were significantly reduced. Experiments suggested that the early reactions to impure HulFN-alpha were in part mediated by local histamine release and late reactions in part by local prostaglandin synthesis. This suggests that interferon itself may not be the cause of general symptoms during a virus illness.

Chromatography, Gel↗
PubMed1980

Epilepsy and other factors in the prognosis of gliomas.

A study of 95 patients with gliomas has been made. The 50% survival was 15 months after the first symptom. At the time of presentation all patients had an abnormal brain scan and E.E.G. except some of those who presented with epilepsy. The patients with epilepsy had a significantly better prognosis than those without and this was not due to their having less malignant tumours according to histological appearance. Other factors which were associated with significantly longer survival were a younger age at presentation, partial removal of the tumour rather than biopsy or no operation, lower histological grades of tumour and treatment with radiotherapy or chemotherapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Levamisole therapy for HBsAg-positive chronic liver disease.

Eight subjects with HBsAg-positive chronic liver disease received levamisole therapy continuously for 6 to 8 weeks. Depressed T-lymphocyte concentrations, found in all patients before therapy, transiently returned towards normal. All of the three patients who had normal delayed hypersensitivity responses before treatment showed an acute hepatitic reaction manifested by elevation of serum aspartate transaminase (AsT) and HBsAg levels, with transient cell-mediated immunity to HBsAg. This was interpreted as indicating increased lysis of infected hepatocytes. All of the five anergic patients showed no change in AsT or HBsAg levels. The clinical features and hepatic histology were unchanged. In patients with the capacity to mount normal delayed hypersensitivity responses, levamisole enhanced the cell-mediated response to HBsAg, and there was increased lysis of infected cells. Nevertheless, this treatment failed to eradicate the virus, as all patients remained HBsAg-positive.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Effect of injections of small doses of human fibroblast interferon into genital warts. A pilot study.

Eleven male patients with genital warts were given injections of fibroblast interferon (300 u) and placebo into the bases of two similar warts. The changes in size of the treated warts compared with that of the controls suggested that interferon did inhibit the growth of the warts. The dose given was probably insufficient for a dramatic effect. In one patient, however, a wart on the penile shaft was injected with interferon and did disappear within two weeks whereas an untreated meatal wart increased in size.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Treatment of HBsAg-positive chronic active hepatitis with human fibroblast interferon.

Two patients with HBsAg positive chronic active hepatitis have been treated with human fibroblast interferon 10(7) units daily for two weeks. Before treatment, both patients had high levels of hepatitis B surface antigen, core antibody, and DNA-binding antibody in the blood and one patient had a fourfold rise in serum AST. During treatment there was a striking fall in the core antibody titre and also in the DNA-binding antibody, which has been maintained for several months subsequently; in one patient the initially high AST level fell to normal. No significant adverse effects occurred, and these observations should encourage further trials of fibroblasts interferon in hepatitis B.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Bioelectrical impedance analysis predicts outcome in patients with suspected bacteremia.

Fluid shifts from intracellular to extracellular water (ICW to ECW) are a feature of sepsis, caused by increased vascular permeability and cell catabolism. Changes in ECW and total body water (TBW) were assessed in a prospective observational study of patients with bacteremia by a bedside technique, and its prognostic impact determined. In 78 hospital patients with fever, the resistance ratio (Rinf/RO) and estimated ECW/TBW ratio from multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis, and f1p4m albumin concentration were measured. Rinf/RO and ECW/TBW ratios decreased from day 0 to 2 in patients with significant bacteremia (n = 31), but not in patients with doubtful or negative blood cultures (n = 22 and 25). Increased Rinf/RO at baseline, and further increase of ECW/TBW from day 0 to 2, were associated with lower rate of recovery after 1 week and with higher mortality. Baseline Rinf/RO above the median (0.75) had positive and negative predictive values of 0.31 and 0.95 for death. This prognostic effect was independent of underlying disease and blood culture result in a multivariate model. Hypoalbuminemia at baseline was predictive of outcome, but changes in albumin from day 0 to 2 were unrelated to blood culture results or outcome. In patients with bacteremia, fluid shifts from intracellular to extracellular water occur early, are rapidly reversible by antibiotic treatment but are associated with adverse prognosis. Bioelectrical impedance deserves further study as a tool for bedside monitoring of patients with bacteremia.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Aminosidine (paromomycin) in the treatment of leishmaniasis imported into the United Kingdom.

We report 11 patients with leishmaniasis from different endemic areas, treated in the UK with intravenous aminosidine alone or in combination with other drugs. Clinical and parasitological cures were achieved in all 7 patients from the Mediterranean zone who had visceral disease, with one relapse. Two of 4 patients with cutaneous or mucosal disease were cured; the other 2, from Iraq and Iran, did not respond. Toxic effects were high-tone deafness in 2 patients, one of whom had pre-existing renal impairment, and transient, mild elevation of serum creatinine in 3. Aminosidine is an effective, tolerable and relatively non-toxic alternative to existing antileishmanial drugs for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis. Further studies will be needed to assess its place in cutaneous and mucosal disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Outpatient transesophageal echocardiography with intravenous propofol anesthesia in children and adolescents.

Outpatient transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) was performed in 10 children and adolescents (aged 3 to 19.5 years, mean 13.5 years; weight 12 to 91 kg, mean 49 kg), including two with Down's syndrome and one with autism, for diagnostic evaluation of issues unresolved by transthoracic echo examination (TTE). Issues for TEE: evaluation for atrial septal defect (two patients); anatomy of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (one patient); aortic valve anatomy before valvuloplasty for insufficiency (one patient); evaluation for cause of cyanosis after Fontan operation (one patient); determination of source of high-velocity intracardiac turbulence after atrioventricular septal defect repair (one patient); rule out cardiac embolic source in patient with stroke (one patient); evaluate prosthetic valve function and rule out thrombus (one patient); determination of anatomic relationship of mitral valve to a ventricular septal defect before surgery for complex cyanotic heart disease (one patient); and evaluation for aortic dissection in Marfan's syndrome (one patient). Intravenous propofol anesthesia administered without endotracheal intubation by an anesthesiologist allowed successful outpatient TEE in nine patients; midazolam-conscious sedation was used in one. Outpatient TEE resolved diagnostic issues in all patients without complication, thereby avoiding cardiac catheterization in six patients and supplementing catheterization for preoperative planning in four patients. TEE can be performed safely and effectively with propofol anesthesia in the outpatient setting in carefully selected children and adolescents to provide vital diagnostic information. However, given the invasive nature of the procedure and the use of anesthesia, outpatient pediatric TEE should be used judiciously.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Trials of interferon in respiratory infections in man.

It is not yet clear from these recent volunteer studies (8) and from the results of Merigan et al. (14) what the optimal method and schedule for administering HuIFN should be. Taken together, the results with relatively low doses of interferon (1 to 4 X 10(6) units) plus antihistamine pretreatment, and with multiple doses of HuIFN alpha (total 14 X 10(6) units) indicate the need for better methods of delivery. However, it is of interest that protection was achieved by extremely small amounts of HuIFN alpha protein - Merigan (14) used only about 160 mcg. We anticipate that with better supplies of interferon from HuIFN genes cloned in bacteria, we may seek more efficient means of delivery and obtain better protection of volunteers against respiratory virus infections.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗