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Biomedical subjects

J Date

Publications and source records attributed to J Date.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

[Surgically resected lung cancer in patients complicated with diffuse interstitial pulmonary shadow].

In 25 patients operated on for idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP) associated with primary lung cancer, we clinically examined the predictive factors related to the acute exacerbation of IIP preoperatively and during operation. Most were male heavy smokers. Ages ranged 57 to 78 years. Standard surgery was performed in 11 patients, extended resection in 4 patients and limited resection in 10 patients. The incidence of postoperative acute exacerbation of IIP was 40% (10 patients). These patients were treated with steroid pulse therapy, 3 patients died due to acute exacerbation but 7 patients recovered. It seemed difficult to anticipate postoperative exacerbation of IIP based on preoperative patients evaluation and the degree of surgical invasiveness. Seven patients were alleviated with erythromycin before and after the operation and 4 patients were alleviated with high-dose steroid during or after surgery, with these patients not developing exacerbation of IIP. From these results, it was suggested that high-dose steroid administration during or after surgery and erythromycin before and after the operation were effective to avoid postoperative exacerbation of IIP.

Aged↗

Gender and literacy: factors related to diagnostic delay and unsuccessful treatment of tuberculosis in the mountainous area of Yemen.

SETTING: People in the mountainous area of Yemen, having maintained their traditional lifestyle, generally believe that uneducated women are unsuccessful in using modern medical care. Whether this belief applies to tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis and treatment has not been researched in Yemen. OBJECTIVE: To examine how gender and literacy influence TB diagnosis and treatment. DESIGN: Individual interviews and data collection were conducted for 74 smear-positive pulmonary TB patients visiting the National Tuberculosis Institute in Sana'a from December 2001 to March 2002. The treatment outcome for each patient was checked from September 2002 to March 2003. RESULTS: Illiterate patients had a longer diagnostic delay than literate patients (P = 0.006, univariate logistic regression analysis). They also maintained their traditional view of illness, not the illness 'TB'. More females than males completed treatment (P = 0.046, univariate logistic regression analysis). Supervision by male relatives contributed to completion of treatment among female patients. CONCLUSION: Lack of education does not hinder women from receiving TB diagnosis and treatment. The concept of traditional illness, however, causes a longer diagnostic delay among illiterate patients, and the role of male relatives positively influences treatment outcomes for female patients.

Culture↗

[Serum thyroglobulin compared with ultrasonically detected recurrent goiter].

Thirty-nine patients were studied for 13 years following resection of non-toxic goitre in order to correlate changes in serum thyroglobulin (Tg) to relapse. Preoperative serum Tg was elevated. After operation, mean serum Tg declined to 43 micrograms/L at one year and increased to 90 micrograms/L at 10 years. Thyroid hormones showed evidence of compensated hypothyroidism at one month which normalised within one year. 13 years after resection thyroid volume was determined by ultrasonography in 30 patients. In 10 patients the thyroid volume was enlarged (> or = 28 ml). In this group delta Tg after resection was 133 micrograms/L, compared to 26 micrograms/L in the 20 patients without relapse (volume < 28 ml). Thus, repeated serum Tg determinations may provide biochemical evidence of increased growth of thyroid remnants following goitre resection.

Adult↗

Attitudes of patients to medical student participation: general practice consultations on the Cambridge Community-Based Clinical Course.

The clinical medical students on the Cambridge Community-Based Clinical Course (CCBCC) derive part of their training by taking part in consultations between patients and their general practitioners. Patients' attitudes to this arrangement and their support for student training in a general practice setting are an important factor in the development of community-based education. A postal questionnaire seeking information from patients achieved an 84% response rate. Both the numerical results and the patients' comments are presented. Patients proved generally supportive of the community-based course and some identified positive benefits to themselves from this provision. The large majority of patients did not mind the presence of medical students during consultations, although there are some areas in which patients are less willing to involve students.

Attitude↗

Long-term community-based attachments: the Cambridge course.

This paper reports on the establishment of the Cambridge Community-based Clinical Course and places on record details of the organization, goals and teaching arrangements of the course. It also identifies the main questions which are being addressed in the course and which must be answered before it will be clear whether such attachments are generally viable.

Community Medicine↗

Evidence for acute release of thyroid peroxidase during subtotal thyroidectomy.

An immediate reduction of thyroglobulin autoantibodies during subtotal thyroidectomy of thyroglobulin antibody positive patients has previously been shown to indicate an acute release of thyroglobulin into the circulation peroperatively. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether thyroid peroxidase was also released by measuring anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies by a quantitative and antigen specific method both pre- and postoperatively in patients positive for anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies. Twelve anti-thyroid peroxidase positive patients (11 females, 1 male) referred for surgery of toxic goitre were studied. Median age was 43 years (range 24-64) and median goitre size 86 g (25-165). All patients had been pretreated with antithyroid drugs and were euthyroid at the time of operation. Anti-thyroid peroxidase was measured before operation, 1-8 h, 10 days, 1-3 months, and 12 months postoperatively by a commercial method (DYNO-test, Henning, Berlin). The median anti-thyroid peroxidase level before operation was 1048 kU/l (range 68-10 517 kU/l) and fell during operation to 0.63 (range 0.37-1.28) (p less than 0.01) of initial concentration without further decrease during the next 1-8 h. The comparative decrease in thyroglobulin antibodies was 0.19 (0-0.88). The anti-thyroid peroxidase level was increasing after 10 days, but did not reach initial level until between 3 and 12 months after surgery. However, in 3 of 10 patients anti-thyroid peroxidase had disappeared after 12 months, all of whom had low levels before operation, whereas anti-thyroid peroxidase was 2-4 times higher than preoperatively in 3 other patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies in thyroid disorders and non-thyroid autoimmune diseases.

A new commercial method for measurement of anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO DYNOtest, Henning, Berlin) was evaluated in normal subjects and in patients with autoimmune thyroid and non-thyroid diseases, and compared to an immune fluorescence method for measurement of anti-microsomal antibodies (MicAb), and a radioimmunological method for quantifying thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb). The majority of normal subjects had anti-TPO levels below 52 U/ml and patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis had levels above 200 U/ml, with a good correlation to MicAb. In other autoimmune thyroid diseases the correlation was less pronounced. In non-thyroid autoimmune diseases MicAb showed falsely positive reactions in the presence of other autoantibodies, e.g. mitochondrial antibodies. The present study indicates that the anti-TPO method should probably replace measurements of MicAb for routine clinical use, thus providing a sensitive, precise, antigen specific method with the ability to reveal quantitative fluctuations. The study also indicates that TgAb could be abolished in routine diagnosis of autoimmune thyroid diseases and be reserved for special clinical situations, research purposes as well as measurement in sera before evaluation of serum thyroglobulin levels.

Adolescent↗

Nuclear thyroid hormone receptor binding in human mononuclear blood cells after goitre resection.

Nuclear thyroxine and triiodothyronine receptor-binding in human mononuclear blood cells were examined in 14 euthyroid persons prior to and 1, 6, 24 and 53 weeks after goitre resection. One week after resection decreased serum T3 from 1.47 nmol/l to 1.14 nmol/l (P less than 0.05), FT4I from 103 a. u. to 94 a. u. and SHBG from 80 nmol/l to 69 nmol/l (P less than 0.05) followed after 6 weeks by a rise in serum TSH from 1.2 mU/l to 11.0 mU/l (P less than 0.05) suggesting an initial slight hypothyroidism. Nuclear receptor-binding of T4 and T3 increased within one week and eventually decreased to preresectional values. We conclude that the expected alteration of the metabolic state caused by resection of the gland is opposed by increased nuclear binding of T4 and T3.

Adult↗

Lacking evidence for release of thyroid hormones from circulating thyroglobulin during subtotal thyroidectomy.

The effect of subtotal thyroid resection for thyrotoxicosis on concentrations of serum thyroid hormones and thyroglobulin (Tg), was determined in 10 patients during operation and the subsequent 18 days. Mean serum Tg responded drastically, increasing from a pre-operative value of 0.30 nmol/l to a peak value of approximately 26 nmol/l during operation followed by a gradual decline to levels lower than before surgery on day 18. Mean serum total thyroxine was 114 nmol/l pre-operatively and free thyroxine index (FT4I) 105 units. Both fluctuated only slightly during operation. Postsurgically, the mean values decreased to below 50% of the pre-operative level. Mean serum total triiodothyronine (TT3) was 1.46 nmol/l pre-operatively. It decreased during operation, reaching a nadir of 0.55 nmol/l on day 2, whereafter the concentration increased slightly. Mean serum reverse T3 (rT3) was 0.45 nmol/l pre-operatively, increased 62% during surgery, and decreased postsurgically. The mean value of serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) was 0.61 mU/l pre-operatively and remained below 1 mU/l during and after operation, but from day 10 concentration began to rise steadily. It is concluded that the vast release of Tg during thyroid resection did not contribute to the concentration of serum T4 to an extent of clinical relevance.

Adult↗

Urinary iodine excretion in a geographically stratified Danish population sample not affected by iodination programmes. A change towards higher values.

The excretion of urinary iodine was studied in a representative population sample from the county of Funen, Denmark, comprising 505 persons between 25-44 years of age, stratified according to geography, age, and sex. Urine samples were collected for 5 h during late afternoon and early evening. The 24-h iodine excretion was estimated on the basis of iodine and creatinine determinations using correlation equations determined in a pilot study of 50 men and women. The iodine excretion was significantly higher in men: 89 micrograms/24 h (median) than in women: 76 micrograms/24 h; the whole population: 85 micrograms/24 h. No significant differences were observed among the age groups studied. The iodine excretion was significantly higher in people living on small islands: 98 micrograms/24 h (median) compared with 84 micrograms/24 h in urban regions and 78 micrograms/24 h in rural districts. Median iodine excretion per gram of creatinine was 58.8 micrograms for the whole sample. The iodine excretion for men was 77% higher than reported in an earlier investigation performed in Funen, 1969, but still lower than internationally recommended (WHO).

Adult↗

IgG subclass distribution of thyroid autoantibodies: a 'fingerprint' of an individual's response to thyroglobulin and thyroid microsomal antigen.

The IgG subclass distribution of autoantibodies to thyroglobulin and thyroid microsomal antigen was studied in 21 patients with Graves' disease during fluctuations in total IgG class autoantibody levels induced by various forms of therapy. In addition, changes in autoantibody subclass distributions were investigated during the natural course of Hashimoto's disease in seven patients taking thyroxine. The autoantibodies were principally of subclasses IgG1 and/or IgG4 in Graves' patients although IgG2 contributed significantly to thyroglobulin antibodies in 5/7 Hashimoto sera. In Graves' disease the distribution of microsomal and thyroglobulin antibodies among the IgG subclasses remained essentially unchanged over periods of 6 months-2 years whether autoantibody levels decreased during carbimazole therapy or increased transiently following 131Iodine treatment or subtotal thyroidectomy. Similar observations were made for thyroglobulin antibodies in Hashimoto patients studied over 2 1/2-4 years; furthermore, the IgG subclass distribution of microsomal antibodies was usually different from that of thyroglobulin antibodies in the same patient. These observations suggest that the microsomal and/or thyroglobulin antibody subclass distribution is characteristic for a particular individual and may be regarded as the 'fingerprint' of an individual's response to these thyroid autoantigens.

Adolescent↗

Discrepancy between haemagglutination and radioimmunological techniques for measurement of serum thyroglobulin autoantibodies.

Recently, it has been suggested that in some patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases the tanned red cell (TRC) method for detection of thyroglobulin autoantibodies (TgAb) is negative where TgAb measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA) show positive values. To investigate this further, patients with thyroid diseases, pernicious anaemia and a control group were studied for serum concentrations of TgAb by TRC and by quantitative RIA, calibrated against MRC Standard A65/93. Antibodies for microsomes (MAb) were measured immunofluoretically. There was in all patient groups (Hashimoto's thyroiditis (n = 41), Graves' disease (n = 50), idiopathic myxoedema (n = 12), euthyroid Graves' disease (n = 7), pernicious anaemia (n = 81) a discrepancy between TgAb measured by TRC and RIA, respectively, whereas there was a reasonable correlation between the presence of TgAb by RIA and the presence of MAb. A possible interference from antinuclear antibodies and rheumatoid factors was ruled out. There was no increased frequency of TgAb measured by RIA in the control group. Fractionation of TRC negative sera revealed macromolecular TRC-activity, whereas TgAb positive sera by both methods had almost exclusively RIA and TRC activity corresponding to IgG. Based on these results and others it seems that the TRC method for measurement of serum TgAb is of limited diagnostic value. Furthermore, the TRC method is in many cases not sensitive enough for screening for TgAb prior to measurement of serum Tg, which is of importance as this method shows false values in the presence of TgAb due to methodological interference.

Autoantibodies↗

Molecular distribution of preformed thyroglobulin immune complexes.

Thyroglobulin anti-thyroglobulin immune complexes with human antibodies from four patient sera were performed in a wide range of antigen: antibody ratios and run in 5%-40% sucrose gradients. The fractionation showed simple distributions of thyroglobulin molecules in immune complexes, especially in far antigen and far antibody excess. A computer simulation analysis which utilized the experimental presumptions and assumed an association constant in the order of 10(9), showed a large degree of similarity to the experimental results. Thus, a thermodynamically simple explanation of immune complex formation did not contradict the experimental thyroglobulin anti-thyroglobulin complex formation.

Antigen-Antibody Complex↗