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Biomedical subjects

I Roberts

Publications and source records attributed to I Roberts.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Fluid resuscitation with colloid or crystalloid solutions in critically ill patients: a systematic review of randomised trials.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect on mortality of rescuscitation with colloid solutions compared with resuscitation with crystalloids. DESIGN: Systematic review of randomised controlled trials of resuscitation with colloids compared with crystalloids for volume replacement of critically ill patients; analysis stratified according to patient type and quality of allocation concealment. SUBJECTS: 37 randomised controlled trials were eligible, of which 26 unconfounded trials compared colloids with crystalloids (n = 1622). (The 10 trials that compared colloid in hypertonic crystalloid with isotonic crystalloid (n = 1422) and one trial that compared colloid in isotonic crystalloid with hypertonic crystalloid (n = 38) are described in the longer version on our website www.bmj.com). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Mortality from all causes at end of follow up for each trial. RESULTS: Resuscitation with colloids was associated with an increased absolute risk of mortality of 4% (95% confidence interval 0% to 8%), or four extra deaths for every 100 patients resuscitated. The summary effect measure shifted towards increased mortality with colloids when only trials with adequate concealment of allocation were included. There was no evidence for differences in effect among patients with different types of injury that required fluid resuscitation. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review does not support the continued use of colloids for volume replacement in critically ill patients.

Colloids↗
PubMed1998

The DUTT1 gene, a novel NCAM family member is expressed in developing murine neural tissues and has an unusually broad pattern of expression.

A new member of the NCAM family mapping to 3p12 has been isolated and predicted to be arranged in five immunoglobulin-like domains and three fibronectin-like domains which are particularly homologous to L1. There is a transmembrane domain and a long cytoplasmic region with no detectable homology to other sequences. Although less closely related to DCC, another family member, both share a loop of positively charged amino acids within the first immunoglobulin domain, unique to these two members of this very large gene family. Preliminary studies of expression in mouse embryos support an inferred role in neural development, but the observation of widespread gene expression in adult human tissues indicates that this protein has additional functions to those performed in neural cells.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Clinical response and temporal patterns of acute cellular rejection: relationship to chronic transplant nephropathy.

The association between acute cellular rejection (ACR) and the development of chronic rejection has been the subject of much debate. Studies have suggested that the two phenomena may be linked, or, conversely that there may be no association at all. In order to clarify this relationship the outcome of 284 renal allografts were examined. The transplants were all performed at a single institution between April 1989 and December 1991, allowing a minimum follow up of 5 years. ACR was classified into three clinical response groups: (1) fully responsive to therapy (type 1 ACR), (2) partially responsive (type 2) and (3) ACR requiring treatment with ATG or OKT3 (type 3). Acute and chronic rejection were determined by histological (Banff) criteria. Chronic transplant nephropathy (CTN) occurred significantly more frequently in those with late ACR after day 60 than in those who had early rejection (53.5% versus 17.3%, respectively, P < 0.00001). Acute rejection that was fully responsive to therapy (type 1) had no association with CTN, but partially responsive rejection and rejection requiring second-line treatment were both significantly associated with CTN (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.001, respectively). This study suggests that it is the clinical behaviour and response to treatment of ACR that is paramount in determining the onset of chronic rejection, and not hte mere presence or absence of the clinical phenomenon.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1998

The health and welfare effects of day-care: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials.

Day-care has long been a controversial aspect of social policy in countries such as the U.K. What evidence is there about the effects of out-of-home day-care on educational, health and welfare outcomes for children and their families? This paper applies to day-care studies, the methodology of the systematic review as pioneered in the health care field, in order to establish the evidence-base for day-care provision. Randomised controlled trials of day-care for pre-school children were identified using electronic databases, hand searches of relevant literature and contacts with authors. A total of 8 trials were identified after examining 920 abstracts and 19 books. All the trials were carried out in the U.S.A. European research on this topic is extensive but we did not identify any studies using trial design. Instead observational, case controlled and cohort studies were prominent. The trials were assessed for methodological quality. Results showed that day-care promotes children's intelligence, development and school achievement. Long-term follow up demonstrates increased employment, lower teenage pregnancy rates, higher socio-economic status and decreased criminal behaviour. There are positive effects on mothers' education, employment and interaction with children. Effects on fathers have not been examined. Few studies look at a range of outcomes spanning the health, education and welfare domains. Most of the trials combined non-parental day-care with some element of parent training or education (mostly targeted at mothers); they did not disentangle the possible effects of these two interventions. The trials had other significant methodological weaknesses, pointing to the importance of improving on study design in this field. There is a need for well designed research on day-care to provide an evidence-base for British social policy.

Child Behavior↗
PubMed1998

Donor-derived Plasmodium vivax infection following volunteer unrelated bone marrow transplantation.

A 14-year-old girl from the UK underwent volunteer unrelated donor bone marrow transplant (VUD BMT) for accelerated phase chronic myeloid leukaemia. On day +40 she became febrile, and peripheral blood smears demonstrated a 1% Plasmodium vivax parasitaemia. Although she had never been outside the UK, her male donor had documented Plasmodium vivax infection during a vacation in Papua New Guinea. Following appropriate treatment, he had been asymptomatic for 11 months before marrow harvesting. This is the first case report of malarial transmission by VUD BMT, and illustrates the potential problem of recrudescence of latent, dormant forms of Plasmodium vivax infection following transplantation into an immuno-compromised recipient. Even after appropriate therapy, malarial infection should be included in the differential diagnosis for all post-transplant febrile episodes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Trends in intentional injury deaths in children and teenagers (1980-1995).

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to describe patterns and trends in intentional injury death rates in children and teenagers. METHODS: Analyses were carried out on data from the Office of National Statistics on all intentional injury deaths in people aged 0 to 19 years, in England and Wales, from 1980 to 1995. Trends in death rates were examined using Poisson regression modelling, and class-specific death rates were estimated using the Registrar General's Standard Classification of Occupations. RESULTS: Between 1980 and 1995, there has been a substantial fall in the unintentional injury death rate, but no reduction in the intentional injury death rate. Intentional injuries made up 13 per cent of injury and poisoning deaths in 1980, and 25 per cent of such deaths in 1995. Each year in England and Wales an average of 335 children and teenagers die as a result of homicide, suicide and injuries of undetermined intent. Older teenagers (15-19 years) account for 70 per cent of intentional injury deaths, children 0-4 years account for 18 per cent, and children 5-15 years account for 12 per cent. Of the 5361 intentional injury deaths, 45 per cent were classified as injury undetermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted, 35 per cent were classified as suicide, and 20 per cent were classified as homicide. With the exception of suicide, there are steep social class gradients for each category of intentional injury. The homicide rate for children in social class V is 17 times that for children in social class I. For all intentional injury, homicide, suicide and injuries of undetermined intent, the relative risk of death for manual vs. non-manual was higher for the four year period 1992-1995 than in the four year period 1980-1983. CONCLUSIONS: Intentional injury is responsible for an average of 335 deaths of children and teenagers each year in England and Wales. Unlike for unintentional injury, there has been no reduction in death rates from intentional injury, which now accounts for 25 per cent of all injury deaths. There is a steep social class gradient in intentional injury death rates, which has widened over the period 1980-1995.

Adolescent↗