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Biomedical subjects

J C Biggs

Publications and source records attributed to J C Biggs.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Red cell deformability and other haemorheological variables in stable coronary artery disease.

In this study, red cell deformability and other haemorheological variables were measured in 40 patients who underwent cardiac catheterization for the investigation of chest pain. The patients were divided into two groups - those with extensive disease and those with less extensive or no disease. Deformability was assessed by a filtration method. There were no significant differences in filterability, haematocrit, plasma viscosity or plasma fibrinogen between the two groups of patients. However, those with extensive disease had significantly higher blood viscosity than those with less extensive disease. Thus the study was able to demonstrate an association between blood viscosity and extent of coronary artery disease but not between the individual determinants of blood viscosity (red cell deformability, plasma fibrinogen and haematocrit) and extent of disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Late onset pyridoxine-responsive sideroblastic anaemia after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.

We report the late development of transfusion-dependent sideroblastic anaemia in two patients who received a bone marrow transplant for chronic granulocytic leukaemia in blast crisis and T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia respectively. Treatment with pyridoxine has either stopped or reduced these transfusion requirements. Red cell transfusion dependence later after marrow transplantation is rare and sideroblastic anaemia must be excluded.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Oral administration of cyclosporin A for recipients of allogeneic marrow transplants: implications of clinical gut dysfunction.

Cyclosporin A (CyA) was used to minimize graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in 28 recipients of allogeneic marrow transplants. When given orally, the absorption of CyA was markedly dependent on normal gut function. Patients without gut dysfunction showed normal serum concentration-time curves while those with diarrhoea from any cause (chemo-radiation enteritis, acute GVHD of the gut, infectious enteritis) showed minimal absorption of the drug. These data indicate the desirability of the intravenous administration of CyA during periods of gut dysfunction in marrow transplant recipients.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1983

Cyclosporin A associated nephrotoxicity in the first 100 days after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation: three distinct syndromes.

Thirty-six patients received allogeneic (34) or syngeneic (two) bone marrow transplants as treatment for severe aplastic anaemia or acute leukaemia. Nineteen of the allogeneic recipients received methotrexate (MTX) and 15 received cyclosporin A (CyA) as the predominant immunosuppressive agent to minimize graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) post transplant. In the first 100 d post transplant renal dysfunction was much less frequent in the MTX recipients than in the CyA recipients who exhibited three distinct syndromes of nephrotoxicity: most commonly. CyA recipients developed asymptomatic azotaemia, proteinuria, urinary casts, impaired urinary concentrating ability and hypertension. Secondly, two CyA recipients developed acute reversible renal failure precipitated by systemic bacterial infection which required dialysis and in which the kidney was the sole target organ; thirdly, two recipients of HLA-genotypically non-identical grafts developed a rapidly progressive fatal syndrome with multiple organ involvement including lung, brain and kidney which clinically and histologically resembled thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.

Acute Kidney Injury↗
PubMed1983

A rational approach to crossmatching blood for elective surgery.

A group-and-screen system was introduced for selected surgical procedures to improve the cost-effectiveness of the hospital blood transfusion service. The mean crossmatch-transfusion ratio for eleven procedures was 11.1 but fell to 3.3 after the change. The overall crossmatch-transfusion ratio in the hospital improved from 2.7 to 2.2 (p less than 0.001) and blood wastage by expiry fell from 12% to 5% (p less than 0.02). The mean age of blood being transfused also improved slightly from 12.3 days to 10.4 days (p less than 0.001). No problems have arisen from the group-and-screen system to date. It has led to improvement in the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the hospital blood bank and resulted in fresher blood being transfused.

ABO Blood-Group System↗
PubMed1983

Human bone marrow allograft recipients: production of, and responsiveness to, interleukin 2.

The production and utilization of interleukin 2 (IL 2) by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 14 bone marrow allograft recipients was examined. PBMC from all patients were impaired in their ability to produce IL 2 when stimulated by phytohemagglutinin (PHA). On the average, the IL 2 activity produced by patients' PBMC was 8% of that from normal donors' PBMC. To examine the basis for this impaired T cell function in marrow recipients, the ability of a resting T lymphocyte population isolated from PBMC to respond to PHA and exogenously supplied IL 2 was analyzed. The proliferative response of resting T cells to PHA and IL 2, although low at early times post-transplant, reached near normal levels by 8 mo. Only two of 11 patients had normal numbers of precursor T cells that could respond. For all other patients the average number of precursor T cells was 10-fold lower than the average determined for normal donors. The impaired production of IL 2 by patients' PBMC may be due to this low precursor frequency. For some patients the rate and/or extent of clonal expansion of activated T cells appears to be greater than that of normal donors. The data suggest that the therapeutic application of IL 2 to such patients is unlikely to be successful in overcoming defects of T cell function before 8 mo post-marrow transplant.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

A survey of haematological values in Sydney.

A survey of haematological values in Sydney was conducted in conjunction with the Sydney Coronary Heart Disease Prevention Programme. The sample consisted of 4374 'self-referred' Sydney inhabitants between 11-90 yr of age. Comparison of the haemoglobin concentrations with those obtained in 2 previous Australian surveys suggested that the haemoglobin values in Australia have not varied in the last 25 yr.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Autopsy findings in bone marrow transplantation.

Autopsies were performed on 2 patients with aplastic anaemia and 7 with acute leukaemia dying after bone marrow transplantation. Neutropenic enterocolitis was found in 2 of the 3 early deaths occurring before marrow engraftment and was related to radiation or cytotoxic drug damage to the bowel mucosa in the presence of profound neutropenia, allowing infection by bowel organisms. Cytomegaloviral infection was universal in engrafted patients. One had cytomegaloviral (CMV) pneumonia, one CMV hepatitis and enteritis and one CMV enteritis. Three patients had occasional CMV inclusions in various organs without obvious harmful effects. One nonengrafted patient also had CMV pneumonia. Graft versus host disease (GVHD) was a significant finding in 4 engrafted patients. This was difficult to separate histologically from the effects of CMV in the bowel, but easier in liver and skin. The skin changes of GVHD were the most easily interpretable. Interstitial pneumonia was due to CMV in one nonengrafted and one engrafted patients and had no obvious infective cause in 2 engrafted patients. The presence of bizarre epithelial cells in the lungs of these patients suggested an aetiological role for radiation or cytotoxic drugs. Modification of the conditioning regimen may reduce tissue damage and lessen many of these side-effects.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Bone-marrow transplantation. A preliminary study in aplasia and leukaemia.

Six patients with aplastic anaemia, and nine patients with acute leukaemia in relapse, underwent bone-marrow transplantation between November, 1975, and November, 1979. All patients with aplastic anaemia developed a functioning marrow graft and four were alive 42, 24, 22, and 17 months respectively after the procedure. Two died within the first four months after the procedure from graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and associated infection, while two of the survivors are still troubled by chronic GVHD. Of the nine patients with acute leukaemia, seven died within the first few months after the procedure. However, two patients remained alive, with no evidence of recurrent leukaemia, 18 and nine months respectively after the graft. These results confirm that bone-marrow transplantation is a useful therapeutic procedure in severe aplastic anaemia, but is of limited value in the treatment of acute leukaemia in relapse.

Acute Disease↗