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J D McCarthy

Publications and source records attributed to J D McCarthy.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Modifications to methods for the enumeration and detection of injured Escherichia coli O157:H7 in foods.

Reliable methods are required for the detection and enumeration of potentially injured E. coli O157 in food in the presence of outnumbering competing bacteria. Selective agents can prevent or inhibit the recovery and subsequent multiplication of injured cells and direct inoculation, either into selective enrichment broths or onto selective agar plates is still used in many methods for E. coli O157 detection and enumeration. When compared with tryptone soya agar (TSA), sorbitol MacConkey agar (SMAC) was shown to underestimate the concentration of viable E. coli O157:H7 subjected to low pH and high NaCl concentration. Using a resuscitation stage on TSA followed by membrane transfer to SMAC improved recovery to levels obtained on TSA. The membrane method was used to monitor the numbers of artificially contaminated E. coli O157:H7 during the fermentation of a meat product and demonstrated better survival when compared to counts on SMAC. Six rapid methods for the detection of E. coli O157 in food (BAX E. coli O157, Reveal 8 E. coli O157-H7 screening test, VIP EHEC, VIDAS E. coli O157 (ECO), EHEC-Tek and Tecra E. coli O157 visual immunoassay), were evaluated using beetburgers, parsley and fermented meat artificially contaminated with injured cells. Methods using direct selective enrichment, with or without an elevated incubation temperature gave false-negative results. The incorporation of a non-selective pre-enrichment medium improved the detection rates of these assays by up to ten fold.

Colony Count, Microbial↗
PubMed1997

Prostate cancer susceptibility locus on chromosome 1q: a confirmatory study.

BACKGROUND: Recent recognition that a predisposition to prostate cancer can be inherited has led to a search for specific genes associated with the disease. Through a study of families with three or more affected first-degree relatives, a region on the long arm of chromosome 1 (i.e., 1q24-25) has been tentatively identified as containing a gene, HPC1, involved in the development of hereditary prostate cancer. Confirmation of this finding is needed, however, before attempts are made to isolate and characterize the putative HPC1 gene. PURPOSE: To confirm that chromosome 1q24-25 contains a gene relevant to hereditary prostate cancer, we analyzed an independent set of families, each with two or more affected individuals. METHODS: Fifty-nine unrelated families were selected for analysis on the sole criterion that more than one living family member was affected by prostate cancer. DNA samples were subsequently isolated from 130 individuals with the disease. These samples were genotyped at six polymorphic marker sequences (D1S215, D1S2883, D1S466, D1S158, D1S518, and D1S2757) covering the chromosomal region proposed to contain HPC1. The resulting data were analyzed by nonparametric multipoint linkage (NPL) methods, yielding NPL Z scores and corresponding one-sided P values. RESULTS: When the entire set of 59 families was considered, the occurrence of prostate cancer (and, presumably, the HPC1 gene) was most tightly linked to marker D1S466 (NPL Z score = 1.58; P = .0574). Analysis of the 20 families (51 affected individuals) fulfilling one or more of the proposed clinical criteria for hereditary prostate cancer (i.e., three or more affected individuals within one nuclear family; affected individuals in three successive generations [maternal or paternal lineage]; and/or clustering of two or more individuals affected before the age of 55 years) revealed more convincing evidence of disease linkage to chromosome 1q24-25 (maximum NPL Z score [at marker D1S466] = 1.72; P = .0451). The 39 families (79 affected individuals) that did not meet the clinical criteria for hereditary prostate cancer exhibited no significant evidence of disease linkage to DNA sequences at chromosome 1q24-25 (maximum NPL Z score [at marker D1S466] = 0.809; P = .208). The six African-American families in our study contributed disproportionately to the observation of linkage, with a maximum NPL Z score at marker D1S158 of 1.39 (P = .0848) for these families. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Our data confirm that chromosome 1q24-25 is likely to contain a prostate cancer susceptibility gene. Future efforts at positional cloning of the HPC1 gene should focus on families who meet the proposed clinical criteria for hereditary prostate cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Colonic diverticular disease in patients 40 years old or younger.

Diverticular disease in patients 40 years of age or younger has been described as rare but virulent. Previous studies, based on age, on diverticular disease are often confusing because of inexact definitions of the disease status. With these criticisms in mind, the authors studied 322 clinical records on patients admitted with a diagnosis of colonic diverticulosis or diverticulitis to the University of New Mexico Hospital and the Lovelace Medical Center. Of these patients, 285 had documented evidence of colonic diverticula with only 6 per cent of these being 40 years of age or younger. The criteria for acute diverticulitis were met by 86 patients, 17 of whom were 40 years of age or younger. The younger group had disproportionately more men, particularly Hispanics. The authors conclude that acute diverticulitis is more common in the young than suggested by previous reports, but the behavior of the disease is not distinctive.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1986

A strategy for intestinal obstruction of peritoneal carcinomatosis.

Obstruction of the small intestine caused by peritoneal carcinomatosis is properly palliated by resection, bypass, and stoma formation. If none of these procedures is applicable, palliation may be achieved by the permanent placement of a long intraluminal decompressive (Baker) tube. Twelve patients have been treated in this manner, nine of them living long enough to exhibit the capacity to eat and drink without repetitive vomiting. The Baker tube was passed across the abdominal wall, inserted into the proximal jejunum, and then passed as far as practical down to the surgically nontreatable obstruction. Venting of the small intestine distally allows continuing decompression, which thereby permits mucosal functions proximally. This technique allows the surgeon to do something beneficial for these unfortunate patients when the established maneuvers of bypass, resection, or stoma formation are pointless.

Female↗
PubMed1984

Influence of individual and group identity salience in the global self-esteem of youth.

Does a content-free measure of global self-esteem tap the same self-esteem dimensions as that measured by self-evaluations on specific dimensions that are then combined into a summated scale? We address this question by using a sample of 1,528 7th, 9th, and 11th graders. Nine specific self-ratings (e.g., "I am smart" and "I am GOOD-LOOKING") were combined into a scale that used various weightings, in an attempt to maximize correlations with global self-esteem measured by two content-free scales. The correlations do not exceed .453, suggesting that measures based on summations of a large number of specific self-ratings tap a somewhat different phenomenon than content-free global scales. The most effective weighting of specific dimensions for predicting global self-esteem depended on group identity salience rather than individual identity salience--that is, group means of the importance of the separate self-evaluation dimensions were used rather than each subject's own self-rating of the importance of that dimension. This result held even when interactive models of weighting were used.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Intraperitoneal polypropylene mesh support of incisional herniorraphy.

Polypropylene mesh (Marlex) is well accepted for use in the peritoneum. Incisional hernias can be effectively repaired by anchoring Marlex intraperitoneally with a series of U sutures. These sutures pass through the normal body wall which remains after excision of the hernia sac and overlying attenuated fascia. When the sutures are taken up, an impenetrable diaphragm of Marlex is drawn into place beneath the abdominal wall defect. The defect itself is closed with other sutures. Only 2 of 25 patients had recurrences, and each recurrence came past the edge of the mesh. This operation is recommended for the repair of incisional hernias.

Abdominal Muscles↗
PubMed1978

Endoscopic electrocoagulation: an alternative to operative therapy in bleeding peptic ulcer disease.

Twelve patients with severely bleeding peptic ulcers (six duodenal, five gastric, and one esophageal) who were considered to be at high operative risk were treated instead by endoscopic electrocoagulation of the bleeding point. Arrest of the bleeding was permanent in ten, one bled again two days later, and one patient died of nonulcer disease one day later. Although this method to control bleeding from peptic ulceration is new, it seems to offer promise especially when treating desperately ill people.

Aged↗
PubMed1977

Radiomanometric guides to common bile duct exploration.

The accuracy of operative cholangiograms can be increased by radiomanometry. This study identified 17 patients among 198 studied whose choledocholiths would have likely been missed by routine cholangiography. These are almost invariably small stones the fate of which would be conjectural if left behind. In the present study, if the cholangiogram was negative and the passage pressure within normal limits, calculi were seen only once. If the cholangiogram was positive for choledocholithiasis and the passage pressure elevated, stones were almost invariably found (95 per cent). Such accuracy cannot be expected from either roentgenography alone or determination solely of pressure relationships.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

Further experience with the Childs-Phillips plication operation.

The Childs-Phillips plication operation was performed in forty-two patients, as treatment for recurrent small bowel obstruction in nineteen and as prophylaxis against future intestinal obstruction in twenty-three. Intestinal obstruction occurred later in only one patient. Eight of ten patients with acute peritonitis died in the postoperative period. Consequently, the operation is not recommended in the presence of generalized acute peritonitis.

Adolescent↗