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Biomedical subjects

G W Williams

Publications and source records attributed to G W Williams.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1979

Ribavirin treatment in murine autoimmune disease. I. Therapeutic efficacy and effect on the immune response.

NZB/W F1 female mice were treated from 20 weeks of age with ribavirin (a broad spectrum antiviral drug), cyclophosphamide, or saline. Treatment with ribavirin (250 mg/kg twice weekly) prolonged survival from 9.8 to 18.5 months, reduced anti-DNA antibodies, and prevented proteinuria. Ability of ribavirin to prolong survival was dose related when given on a twice weekly schedule. However, daily ribavirin (25 mg/kg/day) was as effective as higher intermittent doses. Optimal ribavirin therapy was equal to cyclophosphamide treatment with regard to prolongation of survival. Ribavirin treatment did not significantly alter the body weight, hematocrit, WBC count, serum immunoglobulins, or Coombs reactivity. No alterations in either cellular or humoral immune responses were noted in NZB/W F1 or BALB/c mice treated for prolonged periods with ribavirin. The impressive therapeutic response to a broad spectrum antiviral agent seen in mice already manifesting immune complex nephritis provides a new therapeutic approach to the treatment of autoimmunity.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Haemophilus parainfluenzae mitral valve vegetation without hemodynamic abnormality. Demonstration by angiography and serial echocardiography.

The occurrence of Haemophilus parainfluenzae endocarditis on a previously normal mitral valve of a drug addict is described. A large mitral valve vegetation was demonstrated by serial echocardiography and cineangiography. The vegetation did not produce hemodynamic abnormalities preventing detection by physical examination. Multiple septic emboli to various organs, including brain, resulted in death. The role of serial echocardiography and the levophase of right heart cineangiography in detecting mitral valve vegetation in a patient suspected of having infective endocarditis is emphasized.

Cineangiography↗
PubMed1978

Influenza immunization in systemic lupus eruthematosus. A double-blind trial.

Forty patients with systemic lupus erythematosus randomly received inactivated bivalent (A/NJ and A/Victoria) influenza vaccine or saline in a double-blind study. During 20 weeks of follow-up, no deterioration in major organ function or increase in disease flares was observed in the immunized group as compared with the group that received saline. Preimmunization antibody titers to A/Victoria were lower in the 40 patients with lupus erythematosus than in age-matched control subjects. Response to immunization, as measured by serum antibody titers, was also lower in the patients with lupus erythematosus, indicating that immune responses must be evaluated on an individual patient basis. Nevertheless, influenza vaccination can be safely carried out in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Ribavirin: efficacy in the treatment of murine autoimmune disease.

Ribavirin, a drug with known antiviral activity, was given to mice with established lupus nephritis. Ribavirin was effective in prolonging survival, reducing the titer of antibodies to DNA, and reversing proteinuria. Other antiviral agents were not effective in the dosages used.

Acetates↗
PubMed1977

Normality and other statistical considerations as they relate to selected quantitative measures in the CAP survey.

Investigation of the CAP statistical reports for quantitative tests with respect to the assumption of normality and the method for detecting outliers was performed. Specifically, laboratory measurements of several constituents from the Comprehensive Survey for 1975 were examined. The findings indicate that the assumption of normality, while not exactly valid, is reasonable and not deleterious to the purpose of the Survey, but that the method of determining outliers may be too stringent. A less strict, simpler outlier procedure is suggested as an alternative. It is also observed that other evaluation procedures would be available if more significant digits were reported for the laboratory measurements.

Blood Chemical Analysis↗
PubMed1976

Cluster analysis applied to symptom ratings of psychiatric patients: an evaluation of its predictive ability.

Rating on 39 symptoms were examined for patients admitted to the Neuropsychiatric Institute of the University of Michigan Medical Center. A detailed evaluation was made of the clusters derived by a hierarchical clustering algorithm, using complete linkage and a simple matching coefficient on the binary variables of presence or absence of symptoms. The four groups of patients suggested by the cluster analysis can be characterized as follows: (1) generalized multiplicity of symptoms; (2) capacity to cope except for orientation apart from generally held norms; (3) activity level and thought processes speeded up, intensified, and unselected; (4) inwardly punitive, slowed down and distressed. It is shown that these groups received significantly different treatment and that the effect of treatment was significantly different, while no such differences were noted for groups defined in terms of diagnoses. By means of linear discriminant functions, rules are suggested for assigning other psychiatric patients to one of these four groups.

Antipsychotic Agents↗
PubMed1976

Some statistical implications of rounding in the College of American Pathologists Survey.

Quantitative measurements of constituent concentrations of Survey specimens are generally recorded to the nearest integer or to the nearest tenth. Questions have arisen as to whether this degree of rounding of measurements is appropriate when available laboratory equipment can determine results more precisely. Statisticians have studied the effects of rounding off on an variety of standard statistical procedures. In this report biases that may result for estimates of the mean and variance from several typical data sets obtained in the 1975 College of American Pathologists (CAP) Survey are examined. The study indicates that the amount of bias in the sample mean and variance is generally minimal.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1976

An evaluation of statistical procedures designed to detect outliers resulting from a light degree of contamination in random samples of moderate size.

The literature on statistical outlier procedures applicable to the CAP Survey program is briefly reviewed. Limited Monte Carlo evaluations of selected procedures were performed. For a light degree of contamination in random samples of moderate size, it is shown that the application of these procedures has little effect on estimates of measures of central tendency and spread. Moreover, in this situation these procedures detect a very small percentage of the outliners.

Laboratories↗
PubMed1976

Comparing the joint agreement of several raters with another rater.

In laboratory proficiency surveys which use reference laboratories for the evaluation of participant laboratories, a measure of the agreement of the participant laboratory with the reference laboratories is needed which considers the extent of agreement (or disagreement) among the reference laboratories themselves. In, a measure of nominal scale agreement, is proposed. In is interpreted as follows: Let a specimen be selected at random and rated by a reference laboratory which itself has been randomly selected from the n reference laboratories. If the specimen was also rated by the participant laboratory, this second rating would agree with the first at a rate In of the rate that would be obtained by a second randomly selected reference laboratory. An approximate (large sample) confidence interval for the ratio In is developed. In order to account for the more general case of scaled agreement, a weighted index of agreement is also considered.

Clinical Laboratory Techniques↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Blood glucose and risk of coronary heart disease.

Health status of 1877 Tecumseh Study subjects aged 35-64 years was ascertained in 1977. They represented 77% of the persons in this age range who were apparently healthy and had participated in comprehensive examinations of nearly the entire population of the community in 1959-1960 and 1962-1965. Subjects who developed coronary heart disease had a significantly higher mean blood glucose concentration than other members of the cohort, even after exclusion of diabetics. Similarly, when examined as single variables, age, sex, serum cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, number of cigarettes smoked per day, and relative weight were significantly related to incidence of coronary events. In the multiple logistic function, however, age, cigarette smoking, blood pressure, and blood glucose were the only significant variables. In a two-way interaction model, glucose and cholesterol were a highly predictive pair. After exclusion of diagnosed diabetics, glucose by itself or in interaction with other variables was not significant in the multiple logistic functions.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Basilar and distal vertebral artery stenosis: long-term follow-up.

Forty-four patients with greater than or equal to 50% stenosis of a distal vertebral artery (VA) and/or basilar artery (BA) were followed up for an average of 6.1 years. Angiography was performed for definite vertebrobasilar (VB) transient ischemic attacks (TIA) in 19 (43%), for VB infarcts in 13 (30%) and for non localizing symptoms in 12 (27%). Stenosis in the BA with or without VA involvement was present in 28 patients (64%), while 16 patients (36%) had occlusive disease in one or both distal VA sparing the BA. In follow up, 7 patients (16%) had definite VB TIA and 3 patients had possible VB TIA. Eight patients (18%) sustained a stroke, 5 of which were in the VB territory. The observed stroke rate was 17 times the expected rate for a matched normal population. Eight patients died during follow up, three patients due to stroke (2 brainstem infarctions, one intraventricular hemorrhage). The observed 5 year survival rate was 78% compared to 90% in a matched normal population. In comparing this data with our previous study of 93 patients with proximal VA occlusive disease, distal VB occlusive disease appears to carry a higher risk for brainstem ischemia.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Clinical diagnoses and EEG interpretation.

A sample of 62 electroencephalographers in the United States evaluated 10-second samples of eight electroencephalograms. The evaluations were performed with and without knowledge of the clinical history. Evaluations consisted of multiple choice questions related to electroencephalographic observations, clinical diagnosis, and requests for additional tests such as computerized tomography and cerebrospinal fluid studies. The results indicate that clinical history influences interpretation, with considerable variation among readers in the number and type of additional tests requested.

Brain Diseases↗