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J C Healy

Publications and source records attributed to J C Healy.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Dynamic MR imaging compared with evacuation proctography when evaluating anorectal configuration and pelvic floor movement.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the agreement between measurements of the anorectal configuration made with dynamic MR imaging and with evacuation proctography. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Ten women with constipation were examined sequentially using both standard evacuation proctography and dynamic MR imaging. Correlation and agreement between standard measurements of anorectal configuration at rest and during straining or evacuation of the rectum were evaluated. RESULTS: Significant correlation existed for anorectal junction descent (r = .7, p = .023), change in the anorectal angle (r = .78, p = .008), the position of the rectal axis on straining (r = .62, p = .032), and rectocele depth (r = .82, p = .004). The mean of the measurement differences for anorectal junction descent as measured using the two techniques was -0.23 cm (SD, 1.40 cm). The mean of the measurement differences for change of the anorectal angle was +15.3 degrees (SD, 27.92 degrees). CONCLUSION: Standard measurements of anorectal configuration made using evacuation proctography and dynamic MR imaging show significant correlation. However, in our study statistical agreement was poor for measurement of anorectal junction descent and anorectal angle change as seen on imaging obtained with the two techniques.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Magnetic resonance imaging of the pelvic floor in patients with obstructed defaecation.

BACKGROUND: Evacuation proctography and measurements of anorectal physiology are frequently used to clarify the pathophysiology of obstructed defaecation. In some patients these tests are normal, despite convincing clinical evidence of defaecatory difficulty. The aim of this study was to determine whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could reveal pelvic floor abnormality in patients with obstructed defaecation. METHODS: Eleven women with obstructed defaecation, in whom evacuation proctography and anorectal physiology were normal, were examined by MRI, using a fast gradient echo sequence. Measurements of pelvic visceral and muscular descent were taken at rest and during straining, and compared with those obtained from 13 asymptomatic volunteers. RESULTS: Patients with obstructed defaecation had significantly greater pelvic visceral descent (P < 0.05), levator muscle descent (P = 0.04), levator plate angle change (P = 0.003) and increase in the area of the pelvic floor hiatus (P = 0.0002) than asymptomatic volunteers. CONCLUSION: MRI demonstrated marked pelvic visceral and levator muscle descent in women with obstructed defaecation, despite normal evacuation proctography and anorectal physiology. MRI should be considered if these examinations have been normal.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Sonographic abnormalities of the thyroid gland following radiotherapy in survivors of childhood Hodgkin's disease.

The aims of this study were as follows. (1) To demonstrate the spectrum, frequency and changes on follow-up of sonographic abnormalities in the thyroid gland of survivors of Hodgkin's disease who had received radiotherapy to the neck in childhood. (2) To compare the sonographic findings with clinical examination and radionuclide imaging. (3) To investigate the association between the presence or absence of focal sonographic abnormalities with age at radiotherapy, the interval from radiotherapy, the presence of a raised thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and the length of time the TSH had been raised. 46 patients were scanned prospectively and rescanned at 6-18 months. The mean age at first sonography was 22.7 years, the median age at radiotherapy was 12.5 years, and the median interval post-radiation was 10.3 years. Sonographic abnormalities were seen in all 46 patients. 45 had diffuse atrophy and 30 had focal sonographic abnormalities. 18 patients developed new focal sonographic abnormalities on follow-up. Focal sonographic abnormalities were more commonly associated with longer duration of a raised TSH. Two patients had thyroid carcinoma. Sonographic abnormalities of the thyroid are common in patients following neck radiotherapy in childhood. Focal abnormalities are usually associated with a longer duration of raised TSH.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

The MR appearance of vaginal fistulas.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of MR imaging in revealing complex vaginal fistulas. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Fifteen patients with clinical symptoms of vaginal fistulas were examined with MR imaging, using a combination of T1-weighted, T2-weighted, and fast multiplanar inversion recovery sequences in the axial plane, along with T2-weighted and fast multiplanar inversion recovery sequences in the sagittal plane. Observers examined the scans for a fistula and any associated masses or collections. The MR findings were recorded with the observers unaware of the results of cystoscopy and sigmoidoscopy under anesthesia. The MR findings were correlated with examination under anesthesia. RESULTS: Vaginal fistulas were seen in ten patients. All fistulas were confirmed surgically. Of the five patients with no fistulas revealed on MR imaging, examination under anesthesia also revealed no fistulas in four. However, in the fifth patient, examination under anesthesia revealed an epithelialized track, which was not seen on MR imaging. CONCLUSION: MR imaging was accurate in revealing and delineating the extent of vaginal fistulas in patients with clinical symptoms of such fistulas.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Prospective peer review in surgical pathology.

Quality assurance (QA) in surgical pathology has focused primarily on retrospective audits of randomly selected cases. The authors describe an effective method of prospective audit for a selected class of surgical specimens--diagnostic biopsies--and document the benefits, additional staff time required and impact on turnaround time. Additionally, these results were compared with a retrospective review. During a 6-month period, all diagnostic surgical pathology biopsies (n = 2,694, 55% of all cases) were reviewed by a second pathologist before release of the final report. Errors detected were subdivided into four categories: (1) major: errors in diagnosis that could directly affect patient care; (2) diagnostic discrepancies: errors in diagnosis that should not affect patient care; (3) minor: correct diagnosis rendered, but report correction required to add supportive information; (4) clerical: typographical and grammatical errors. Thirty-two major errors were found, involving 1.2% of cases reviewed. This manner of review caused an increase in overall turnaround time from 1.62 days to 1.79 days, and an increase in turnaround time for diagnostic biopsies from 1.44 days to 1.50 days. Time spent in performing prospective peer review averaged 4 hours per day. For comparison, results were included from a retrospective review performed on 480 of the 5,556 cases accessioned in a 6-month period before the institution of prospective quality assurance. This retrospective review revealed eight major errors (1.7%). In conclusion, the prospective peer review of diagnostic biopsies yields sufficient benefits in increased accuracy of diagnostic reports to justify the slight increase in additional work by pathologists.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1995

An investigation of sources of variation in calcium absorption efficiency.

To examine putative sources of interindividual variation in calcium absorption efficiency, we studied 41 healthy premenopausal women (mean age, 36.4 yr). About half were randomized to pretreatment with supplemental 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD; 20 micrograms/day [corrected] for approximately 34 days) before testing. We measured dietary factors, humoral regulators, intestinal motility, mucosal histology, mucosal vitamin D receptor levels, and calcium absorption efficiency. In winter tests, but not in summer tests, calcium absorption fraction was significantly higher in the pretreated group (mean, 0.465 vs. 0.387). Serum 25OHD, intestinal transit, and urinary calcium to creatinine ratio were all significantly and positively correlated to calcium absorption efficiency. However, neither the level of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D receptors in duodenal mucosa nor circulating 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D was related to calcium absorption efficiency. These findings, which are consistent with other published human data, suggest that 25OHD plays a more prominent role in the regulation of calcium absorption than is generally believed. In a multiple regression model, serum 25OHD, mouth to cecum transit time, and fasting urinary calcium/creatinine ratio explained 44% of the observed variation in calcium absorption efficiency.

Absorption↗
PubMed1994

The radiology of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in childhood: a review of 80 cases.

The clinical spectrum of childhood non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) is different from that in adults, with frequent extranodal involvement. CT scanning as part of routine staging appears to show more frequent sites of extranodal disease than were previously recognized. We have reviewed the CT and other radiological findings in 80 children with NHL to document the incidence and radiological appearance of visceral involvement, to compare this with the pattern of adult disease, and to assess how frequently clinical stage of disease was altered by radiological findings. The age of the children ranged from 9 months to 17 years 4 months (mean 9 years 2 months). The presenting site was in the abdomen in 21 (27%), extranodal sites in the head and neck in 18 (23%), mediastinum in 16 (20%), peripheral lymph nodes in 15 (19%), pelvic organs in four, skin in four, and bone in two. Fifteen children had gastrointestinal lymphoma, the majority involving the ileocaecal junction. The kidneys were involved in 10 children, the pancreas in three; no child with renal or pancreatic involvement had associated retroperitoneal lymph node enlargement. Eight children had bone involvement and only two of the 80 children had pulmonary nodules at presentation. In this series, of the 44 children who had CT of the chest and abdomen, only five had stage of disease increased as a result, three with the primary disease in peripheral lymph nodes, and two with the primary disease in extranodal sites in the head and neck.

Abdominal Neoplasms↗
PubMed1994

Inhibition of 5-hydroxytryptamine re-uptake impairs human gall-bladder emptying.

BACKGROUND: 5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is an important neurotransmitter in the enteric nervous system. The intrinsic neural plexus of the gall-bladder resembles the enteric nervous system and similarly contains 5-HT neurones. The action of 5-HT on gallbladder motility has been investigated in animals but its effect on the human gall-bladder in vivo is unknown. METHODS: The effect of indirect 5-HT agonism using paroxetine, a specific inhibitor of neuronal 5-HT reuptake, on gall-bladder motility was investigated in 12 healthy volunteers. In a randomized double-blind crossover design, gall-bladder motility was assessed after administration of 30 mg paroxetine daily for two days and after placebo. Ultrasonography was used to determine gall-bladder volumes while fasting and at 5 min intervals following a 250 kcal mixed liquid meal. RESULTS: Fasting gall-bladder volumes of 21.8 +/- 3.2 ml on placebo and 28.0 +/- 3.5 ml on paroxetine were similar. Paroxetine impaired postprandial gall-bladder emptying. Residual gall-bladder volume was 10.2 +/- 2.7 ml with placebo and 17.1 +/- 2.7 ml with paroxetine (P < 0.05). Ejection fraction was 57.3 +/- 7.7% on placebo and 40.9 +/- 4.7% on paroxetine (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: 5-HT pathways may participate in the regulation of biliary motility, and this study demonstrates an inhibitory role of 5-HT in the control of human gall-bladder emptying.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Preoperative autologous blood donation in total-hip arthroplasty. A cost-effectiveness analysis.

Preoperative autologous blood donation is employed with increasing frequency, particularly in patients undergoing elective orthopedic procedures. While autologous transfusion decreases the incidence of postoperative infections and other complications, the cost-effectiveness of this therapy has not been fully investigated. We constructed a decision analytic model to study the cost-effectiveness of preoperative autologous blood donation of packed red blood cells compared with allogeneic packed red blood cells in primary hip arthroplasty. We used data from 73 patients presenting at our blood center with a prescription for 2 U of autologous red blood cells prior to hip arthroplasty to establish probabilities for the number of units that would be donated. Patients were able to donate an average of 1.9 U (range, 0 to 2 U) of autologous blood. We also reviewed the charts of 56 patients who underwent primary hip arthroplasty to model the number of units given during hospitalization (1.5 U given; range, 0 to 5 U). We applied the model to a 65-year-old patient undergoing primary hip arthroplasty. Estimates for the incidence of posttransfusion hepatitis, chronic active hepatitis, human immunodeficiency virus infection, postoperative bacterial infection, and fatal hemolytic transfusion reaction were derived from the literature. Patient utility was measured in life-years. Costs included the cost of preoperative autologous blood donation, blood administration, and medical care costs associated with the complications of transfusion. Costs were derived from local data and the literature. Future earnings lost were not modeled. In the baseline analysis, autologous transfusion results in a net cost savings compared with allogeneic blood over a wide range of complication rates, patient ages, and transfusion requirements. The dominant factor in the analysis is the effect of postoperative bacterial infection on length of hospital stay and the resultant increase in costs. The effect of viral infections on the results of the analysis is minimal.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Detection of quantitative polymerase chain reaction products by hybridization on magnetic support with 125I-radiolabeled probes: quantification of c-myc copy numbers.

We present a technique for determining c-myc copy numbers that can be used as a prognosis index for some cancers. The method is based on the use of both competitive polymerase chain reaction and hybridization of amplified products. Coamplification was performed directly on cells with a synthetic oligonucleotide used as internal standard. It recognized the same primer set as the target. Coamplified products were captured on streptavidin magnetic beads as solid support using a 5' biotinylated primer. DNA immobilized on this support was denatured with alkali. Each coamplified product (target and reference gene) was further hybridized to two distinct specific oligonucleotide probes. Gene amplification levels were determined using a standard curve obtained by serial dilutions of peripheral blood lymphocytes run along with the experimental samples. This approach provides a rapid (less than 2 days) and reproducible method for evaluating c-myc gene copy number and may be used to quantify any gene. Moreover, its format allows for automation.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1993

Glycosylated serum proteins and glycosylated hemoglobin in the assessment of glycemic control in insulin-dependent and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

To evaluate the relative value of glycosylated serum proteins (GSPs) versus glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in assessing glycemic control in diabetes mellitus, we performed regular monitoring of GSPs and HbA1c in 30 subjects with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) who performed frequent self-glucose monitoring. Analysis of the relationship between patterns of glycemic control and GSPs and HbA1c demonstrated that subjects with IDDM and NIDDM appeared similar when the more traditional indicators of glycemic control such as mean blood glucose level (166.9 +/- 20.9 v 177.4 +/- 39.6 mg/dL) or HbA1c (83.57 +/- 12.8 v 80.24 +/- 15.7 mmol hydroxymethyl furfuraldehyde [HMF]/mol hemoglobin [Hgb]) were used. However, when GSP levels or the standard deviation of mean glucose levels (SDMG) were used to assess glycemic control, higher levels were found in subjects with IDDM (52 +/- 10.3 mg/g protein and 28.59 +/- 7.60 mg/dL) versus NIDDM (44.6 +/- 15.2 mg/g protein and 21.6 +/- 15.9 mg/dL). Using multivariate analysis, GSPs were predictive of SDMG (P = .046), whereas HbA1c added no significant further information (P = .27). Our results suggest that GSPs may be more sensitive than HbA1c assay to the greater fluctuations in blood glucose levels generally associated with IDDM.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Case report: tuberculous colitis mimicking Crohn's disease.

Although intestinal tuberculosis is rare in this country, increasing numbers of patients are now being seen, particularly in the immigrant population. We present the history of a lady who had acute diarrhoea and in whom the radiological and endoscopic findings looked very similar to those seen in Crohn's disease. The radiological presentation included widespread aphthous ulceration, a feature that has rarely been reported in tuberculous colitis.

Colitis↗
PubMed1992

[Contribution of chemiluminescence for determination of low value TSH in patients with dysthyroidism during negative TRH test].

TSH values performed by immunoradiometric method were compared with chemiluminescent method in 28 hyperthyroid patients with negative TRH-test. This last method gives a better sensitivity (0.020 mUI/L vs. 0.050 mUI/L) and reproducibility (5% V.C. vs. 40%). The measure of undetectable TSH by immunoradiometric assay becomes possible with chemiluminescence. Due to this increase of sensitivity, the TRH-test needs to be reconsidered and allows to discriminate various degrees of TSH suppression.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Significant efficiency findings while controlling for the frequent confounders of CAI research in the PlanAlyzer project's computer-based, self-paced, case-based programs in anemia and chest pain diagnosis.

Richard E. Clark in his widely published comprehensive studies and meta-analyses of the literature on computer assisted instruction (CAI) has decried the lack of carefully controlled research, challenging almost every study which shows the computer-based intervention to result in significant post-test proficiency gains over a non-computer-based intervention. We report on a randomized study in a medical school setting where the usual confounders found by Clark to plague most research, were carefully controlled. PlanAlyzer is a microcomputer-based, self-paced, case-based, event-driven system for medical education which was developed and used in carefully controlled trials in a second year medical school curriculum to test the hypothesis that students with access to the interactive programs could integrate their didactic knowledge more effectively and/or efficiently than with access only to traditional textual "nonintelligent" materials. PlanAlyzer presents cases, elicits and critiques a student's approach to the diagnosis of two common medical disorders: anemias and chest pain. PlanAlyzer uses text, hypertext, images and critiquing theory. Students were randomized, one half becoming the experimental group who received the interactive PlanAlyzer cases in anemia, the other half becoming the controls who received the exact same content material in a text format. Later in each year there was a crossover, the controls becoming the experimentals for a similar intervention with the cardiology PlanAlyzer cases. Preliminary results at the end of the first two full trials shows that the programs have achieved most of the proposed instructional objectives, plus some significant efficiency and economy gains. 96 faculty hours of classroom time were saved by using PlanAlyzer in their place, while maintaining high student achievement. In terms of student proficiency and efficiency, the 328 students in the trials over two years were able to accomplish the project's instructional objectives, and the experimentals accomplished this in 43% less time than the controls, achieving the same level of mastery. However, in spite of these significant efficiency findings, there have been no significant proficiency differences (as measured by current factual and higher order multiple choice post-tests) between the experimental and control groups. Very careful controls were used to avoid what Clark has found to be the most common confounders of CAI research. Accordingly, this research proved Clark's rival hypothesis, that the computer, in itself, does not appear to contribute to proficiency gains, at least as measured by our limited post-testing. Clark's position is that the computer is primarily a vehicle--as is either a pill or a hypodermic needle for delivering a drug.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Anemia↗
PubMed1991

Findings from an evaluation of PlanAlyzer's double cross-over trials of computer-based, self-paced, case-based programs in anemia and chest pain diagnosis.

We report on three years of research trials of the PlanAlyzer I Project--a carefully controlled research study using a microcomputer-based, self-paced, case-based, event-driven system for medical education. PlanAlyzer presents cases, elicits and critiques a second year student's approach to the diagnosis of anemias and chest pain. PlanAlyzer uses text, hypertext, images and critiquing theory. Students were randomized, one half becoming the experimental group who received the interactive PlanAlyzer cases in anemia, the other half becoming the controls who received the exact same content material in a text format. Later in each year there was a crossover, the controls becoming the experimentals for a similar intervention with the cardiology PlanAlyzer cases. Results at the end of the first two years of trials show that the programs have achieved some significant efficiency and economy gains. 96 faculty hours of classroom time were saved by using PlanAlyzer in their place, with no loss in student achievement. In terms of student proficiency and efficiency, combining the anemia and cardiology trials, the 328 students in the two years of full scale trials were able to accomplish the project's instructional objectives. The experimentals accomplished this in 43% less time than the controls. On the average, for both the anemia and chest pain programs, this amounted to students spending 7.5 hours longer on the 30 text cases than on the same 30 computer cases to achieve the same level of mastery. There have been no significant proficiency differences (as measured by current post-tests) between the experimental and control groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Anemia↗