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Biomedical subjects

J D Welsh

Publications and source records attributed to J D Welsh.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Recovery of phenytoin suspension after in vitro administration through percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy Pezzer catheters.

Various methods of administering phenytoin suspension through a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) Pezzer catheter were evaluated in vitro to determine which method resulted in the most complete recovery of phenytoin. To determine the effect of temperature on phenytoin recovery, 12 mL of phenytoin suspension (Dilantin-125, 125 mg/5 mL) was administered through three separate 35.5-cm 20 French latex PEG Pezzer catheters under each of three temperature conditions (suspension 11.8 degrees C and catheter 22 degrees C, suspension and catheter 22 degrees C, and suspension 22 degrees C and catheter 37 degrees C). To determine the effect of the administration method, 12-mL aliquots of phenytoin suspension were injected into the catheter by seven methods that varied with respect to catheter temperature, dilution of suspension, and irrigation of catheter. Each method was tested in triplicate, and samples were assayed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Varying the temperature of the catheter or suspension had little effect on the recovery of phenytoin. There was no appreciable loss of phenytoin when the suspension was undiluted, regardless of whether the catheter was irrigated. The greatest losses were seen when the suspension was diluted before administration. Irrigation also caused a decrease in recovery, but to a lesser extent than dilution. Until the effects of administering multiple doses of phenytoin through PEG Pezzer catheters are investigated, phenytoin suspension should not be diluted before administration because of decreased recovery and increased administration time.

Catheterization

Esophageal acid clearance during sleep in patients with Barrett's esophagus.

Sleep-related gastroesophageal reflux and esophageal acid clearance have been shown to be important components in the pathogenesis of reflux esophageal disease. Previous studies have suggested that patients with more severe esophagitis are distinguished by an accumulation of acid mucosal contact time during sleep. These data would suggest that patients with Barrett's esophagus should have particularly severe impairment of acid clearance, most notable during sleep. To address this issue, 16 asymptomatic healthy volunteers and 13 patients with Barrett's esophagus were studied. Acid clearance was assessed by timing the reestablishment of an esophageal pH of 4 following the infusion of 15 ml 0.1 N HCl. Sleep was polygraphically monitored in order to objectively determine sleep and waking. The results indicated that while patients with Barrett's esophagus had a marked increase in the frequency of spontaneous gastroesophageal reflux during sleep, they unexpectedly demonstrated faster acid clearance times during both waking and sleep. A greater percentage of arousal responses to acid infusion during sleep was noted in the Barrett's group. It is concluded from these results that patients with Barrett's esophagus can adequately clear acid from the distal esophagus but experience considerable acid mucosal contact through repeated episodes of spontaneous reflux during sleep.

Adult

Comparative sequence analysis of the 5' noncoding region of the enteroviruses and rhinoviruses.

A comparative sequence analysis of the 5' noncoding region of a subgroup of the picornaviruses, including the polioviruses, coxsackie B3, and the human rhinoviruses, reveals the conservation of certain features despite the divergence of sequence. In this subgroup, for which nine complete sequences are available, two long stretches of sequence, two pyrimidine-rich regions, and 22 hairpins are conserved. Based on these results, similar secondary structures encompassing the entire 5' noncoding regions of these viruses are predicted. The fact that sequence divergence occurred only in a manner that allowed conservation of these structures implicates a biologically functional role for this region. The possible roles it may have in the picornavirus life cycle are discussed.

Base Sequence

Resolutions of control episodes between well and affectively ill mothers and their young children.

Control interactions between 87 well and affectively ill mothers and their 15- to 51-month-old children were studied. Spontaneously occurring control interventions (conceptualized as episodes of interaction between mother and child) were coded from 90 minutes of videotaped interactions in a naturalistic laboratory apartment setting. The results suggest developmental changes in mother-child interaction in the 2nd to 4th years of life: the increase of the rate of immediate maternal success (p less than .05) and compromise (p less than .05), on the decrease in maternal use of power (ultimate success by enforcement, p less than .01). Well mothers achieved compromise with their children, particularly daughters, more often than did affectively ill mothers (p less than .05). Affectively ill mothers more often than well mothers avoided confrontation with their children (p less than .05). The impairments in control interventions of affectively ill mothers were exacerbated by the severity of the disorder.

Bipolar Disorder

A second domain of simian virus 40 T antigen in which mutations can alter the cellular localization of the antigen.

Previous studies have demonstrated that mutations at amino acid position 128 of the simian virus 40 large T antigen can alter the subcellular localization of the antigen. A second domain in which mutations can alter localization of the nuclear antigen has been identified by mutations at amino acid positions 185, 186, and 199. Mutations in this region cause the polypeptide to accumulate in both the nucleus and cytoplasm of monkey cells. These T-antigen variants accumulate to near normal levels, but they don't bind to the simian virus 40 origin of DNA replication and are unable to mediate DNA replication. Furthermore, the altered tumor antigens can no longer transform secondary rat cells at normal efficiency, but they retain the ability to transform established mouse and rat cell lines.

Animals

Intestinal alkaline phosphatase activity in relation to age in humans.

Early studies of a few subjects suggested that intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) activities in children 5 years of age or less were higher than in older individuals. To further investigate this finding, the IAP and disaccharidase activities of 298 subjects (133 were 5 years of age or less) with normal intestinal histology were assayed. Ninety-five of the children had serum alkaline phosphatase determined. The youngest individual with a low lactase activity was 5 years of age, which supported the earlier findings. When the whole population was tested, there was no correlation between the intestinal and serum alkaline phosphatase values. The mean IAP activity of subjects 1 year old and less was greater than in older individuals, but there was greater statistical dispersion and the data were not normally distributed. When studying the natural logarithm of the data, a wide dispersion of values about the mean in the 0 to 3 year-old age group was observed. This qualitative behavior is characteristic of functions involving the base of the natural logarithm and of processes that "age" in a simple way.

Adolescent

Nucleotide and amino acid sequence coding for polypeptides of foot-and-mouth disease virus type A12.

The coding region for the structural and nonstructural polypeptides of the type A12 foot-and-mouth disease virus genome has been identified by nucleotide sequencing of cloned DNA derived from the viral RNA. In addition, 704 nucleotides in the 5' untranslated region between the polycytidylic acid tract and the probable initiation codon of the first translated gene, P16-L, have been sequenced. This region has several potential initiation codons, one of which appears to be a low-frequency alternate initiation site. The coding region encompasses 6,912 nucleotides and ends in a single termination codon, UAA, located 96 nucleotides upstream from a 3'-terminal polyadenylic acid tract. Microsequencing of radiolabeled in vivo and in vitro translation products identified the genome position of the major foot-and-mouth disease virus proteins and the cleavage sites recognized by the putative viral protease and an additional protease(s), probably of cellular origin, to generate primary and functional foot-and-mouth disease virus polypeptides.

Amino Acid Sequence

Concurrent Cushing's and Zollinger-Ellison syndromes in a patient with islet cell carcinoma. Case report and review of the literature.

This report documents the simultaneous occurrence of Cushing's and Zollinger-Ellison syndromes in a patient with islet cell carcinoma. The clinical concurrence of these two syndromes has been recorded in only three previous case studies, while three other case reports record evidence suggesting the presence of both gastrin and ACTH within the tumor but without clinical sequelae. In the present report, evidence based on multiple clinical and biochemical data supports the concept that both syndromes are a result of "ectopic" hormone production by the tumor.

ACTH Syndrome, Ectopic

Stricture location in Barrett's esophagus.

Twenty-eight patients with Barrett's esophagus were studied and strictures were present in 13. Two strictures were malignant. Of the 11 benign strictures, six were located at the squamocolumnar junction, while five were located below the squamocolumnar junction. Contrary to previous reports, benign esophageal strictures often occur below the squamocolumnar junction in patients with Barrett's esophagus.

Adenocarcinoma

Intestinal disaccharidase and alkaline phosphatase activity in giardiasis.

We report results on determinations of small intestinal brush-border enzyme activities in 22 children (aged 11 months to 14 years) with giardiasis. In particular, activities of disaccharidases (lactase, sucrase, maltase) and of alkaline phosphatase were investigated. Forty-one percent of the patients, irrespective of age, had a demonstrable depression of disaccharidase activities, usually in a combination involving two or more enzymes. A depression of intestinal alkaline phosphatase activity was present in 33% of patients, and only in those who demonstrated disaccharidase deficiencies. Mild villus atrophy was present in two mucosal specimens, whereas all others showed normal villus morphology by light microscopy. The results obtained in this study suggest that giardiasis in otherwise healthy children does not cause marked structural damage to the small bowel mucosa, as seen by the light microscope. However, some form of damage to the brush border does occur frequently, as evidenced by a depression of brush-border enzymes. This damage most likely contributes to the diarrhea and also to the carbohydrate intolerance in these patients.

Adolescent

Effect of fiber on breath hydrogen response and symptoms after oral lactose in lactose malabsorbers.

The effect of ingesting cellulose, pectin, and psyllium with orally administered lactose in water or milk was tested in six lactose malabsorbers. Breath hydrogen tests were used to evaluate lactose malabsorption and mouth-to-cecum transit times. Addition of psyllium significantly reduced the breath hydrogen response, and symptoms in each subject; whereas, less diminution of expired hydrogen was seen after cellulose or pectin was added. The effect of each fiber on gastric emptying rates of an equal volume liquid meal was evaluated in three volunteers. Pectin had no effect, while the cellulose and psyllium modestly delayed emptying at approximately 30 min.

Adolescent

Effectiveness of milk products in dietary management of lactose malabsorption.

Eleven lactose malabsorbers were studied to compare the effectiveness of commercially available products recommended for dietary treatment of lactose malabsorption. One product, a commercial lactase preparation, is added to milk for lactose hydrolysis before consumption. The other is a commercial milk product containing lactose-hydrolyzing, nonpathogenic bacteria, Lactobacillus acidophilus. Both of these products are presently recommended for management of lactose malabsorption, although such recommendations have not been validated by controlled studies. Lactose malabsorption was determined by breath H2 analyses after subjects drank four different test doses on 4 different days. The first test dose was 480 ml of low fat milk; the second was 480 ml of milk treated with a commercial lactase preparation; the third was 480 ml of a commercial L. acidophilus-containing milk; and the fourth was 480 ml of the L. acidophilus-containing milk after 1 wk of gastrointestinal exposure to this commercial bacteria-containing milk. The mean breath H2 response to the lactase-treated milk was significantly lower (p less than 0.001) than the mean response to regular milk. However, the mean breath H2 response to either of the test doses of the L. acidophilus-containing milk were not significantly different than responses to regular milk. It is concluded that the lactase-treated milk reduces breath H2 responses and symptomatic discomfort from malabsorption while the L. acidophilus-containing milk does not.

Adult

Breath hydrogen test after oral lactose in postgastrectomy patients.

The purpose of this study was to compare breath hydrogen tests after oral lactose ingestion in nonoperated subjects and postgastrectomy patients. Simultaneous oral lactose tolerance tests and breath hydrogen tests were performed in 50 subjects. Twenty of the 30 subjects without prior gastric surgery had normal lactase activities and low breath hydrogen concentrations. The other 10 subjects had low lactase levels and increased breath hydrogen concentrations. The remaining 20 subjects had prior gastric surgery. Seven of these had normal lactase activities, no history of milk intolerance and low breath hydrogen concentrations. Two of the postgastrectomy patients had low intestinal lactases, milk intolerance, and high breath hydrogens. The remaining 11 postgastrectomy patients had normal intestinal lactases but high breath hydrogens. Eight of the 11 had milk intolerance while two of the other three had not consumed milk since childhood. From these studies the following conclusions can be reached: 1)a low lactose breath hydrogen test in the postgastrectomy subject correctly identifies the individual with normal lactase activity. However, high breath hydrogen responses, may be found in either those with lactase deficiency or normal lactase activity. 2) Lactose malabsorption would appear to explain the milk intolerance in the postgastrectomy patient with normal lactase activity.

Animals

The visible vessel as an indicator of uncontrolled or recurrent gastrointestinal hemorrhage.

Although endoscopic examination in patients with bleeding of the upper gastrointestinal tract has improved diagnostic accuracy, it has not been useful in predicting clinical outcome and has not been shown to improve the patients' prognoses. This article describes a subgroup of patients with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding whose clinical outcome can be predicted at the time of endoscopy. In 28 of 317 patients who underwent endoscopy, a "visible vessel" was seen in an ulcer presumed to be the bleeding site. All 28 were later recommended for operation because of recurrent (86 per cent) or uncontrolled (14 per cent) hemorrhage. In contrast, 75 per cent of the remaining 289 patients in whom vessels were not seen, whether or not bleeding from ulcers, had single bleeding episodes managed medically. Since patients with a "visible vessel" can be expected to have uncontrolled or recurrent hemorrhage, surgical treatment should be considered at the time of endoscopy if such a vessel is seen.

Acute Disease