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Biomedical subjects

J Fletcher

Publications and source records attributed to J Fletcher.

At least 271 records · Page 15Linked to original sources
PubMed1980

Special considerations for minority participation in prenatal diagnosis.

Parents who use information from prenatal diagnosis in family planning may be faced with difficult decisions. For a variety of reasons, the communications and decision-making process may be substantially more complex and difficult if the parents are members of a minority group. Unless a number of special considerations are kept in mind when programs of prenatal diagnosis for minorities are developed, such programs may be more harmful than beneficial.

Cultural Deprivation↗
PubMed1980

Prospective study of the effect of resection of the rectum on male sexual function.

A prospective study to evaluate sexual dysfunction following resection of the rectum was performed in 21 male patients. Following proctocolectomy for inflammatory bowel disease (9 patients), the incidence of sexual dysfunction was 11%, and it was always partial. Following abdominoperineal excision of the rectum for carcinoma (7 patients), the incidence of sexual dysfunction was 50%, and it was total in 16%. After anterior resection with low colorectal anastomosis (5 patients), the incidence of sexual dysfunction was 40%. The risk of dysfunction following operations on the rectum increased with the age of the patient and was minimal below the age of 50 years. In patients with inflammatory bowel disease, careful dissection close to the rectum should avoid damage to the pelvic nerves, and the incidence of sexual dysfunction should be low.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Long-term results of saphenous vein graft arteriovenous fistulas.

The long-term results of autogenous saphenous vein grafts for vascular access were examined in 70 patients. The cumulative patency rate was 66 percent at 2 years and 40 percent at 3 years. No difference could be detected in the occlusion rate of grafts in patients who received a kidney transplant and those who did not. Intraoperative measurement of blood flow through the grafts did not prove useful as an indicator of long-term patency. No deaths were attributable to the grafts, and major complications were limited to infection in three patients and distal ischemia in two; these complications necessitated ligation of the graft in all five patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

The effects of surgical trauma on human granulopoiesis.

Marked changes in the concentration and proliferative state of circulating granulocytic progenitor cells (colony forming units in culture; CFUc) were observed in female patients following surgical trauma. Within one day of an abdominal hysterectomy there was an abrupt fall in the number of blood CFUc to between 10% and 20% of normal and an increase in the proportion synthesizing DNA which coincided with the maximum neutrophilia. Subsequently, as the neutrophil count declined, the CFUc concentration increased to supranormal values and the proliferative response persisted, both parameters returning to normal 2 weeks after surgery. These results suggest that, following surgical trauma, the increased demand for neutrophils is rapidly met by increased CFUc proliferation.

Cell Division↗
PubMed1980

Impaired neutrophil function and myeloperoxidase deficiency in pregnancy.

The ability of neutrophils to phagocytose and kill Candida guilliermondii was investigated in 28 pregnant women and compared wtih 29 healthy controls. Phagocytosis was normal, but the ability to kill and digest Candida was reduced to 65% of normal. Quantitative myeloperoxidase measurement revealed a considerable reduction of this enzyme (55% of normal) while neutrophil alkaline phosphatase levels were nearly twice as high as in normals. It is suggested that both lack of myeloperoxidase and impaired candidacidal ability result from the discharge of the neutrophil's granules during previous phagocytosis of antibody-antigen complexes in the circulation.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1980

The proliferative state of granulocytic progenitor cells in human blood and marrow.

A double layer agar technique was used to investigate the proliferative state of granulocytic progenitor cells (Colony Forming Units in Culture; CFUc) in human peripheral blood and bone marrow. The sensitivity of the progenitor cells to the S-phase specific agent, hydroxyurea, was used as an index of the proportion of cells engaged in DNA synthesis. In the presence of low concentrations of colony stimulating factor (CSF) the CFUc were found to be virtually insensitive to the drug. However, when cultured in the presence of increasing concentrations of CSF the proportion of CFUc apparently killed by hydroxyurea increased to a maximum of 23% for those cells in the blood and 39% for those in the marrow. The results indicate that CFUc which are slowly proliferating are sensitive to low concentrations of CSF. In contrast, those CFUc which are proliferating more rapidly require high concentrations of CSF before they will form colonies in culture. A model has been devised which suggests that as CFUc mature, their cell cycle time shortens and their sensitivity to CSF decreases.

Blood Cells↗
PubMed1980

Life events and social support in puerperal depression.

A 20 per cent prevalence of mild clinical depression was found in 120 women assessed at about six weeks postpartum. The strongest associated factor was occurrence of recent stressful life events. Previous history of psychiatric disorder, younger age, early postpartum blues, and a group of variables reflecting poor marital relationship and absence of social support were also notable. Poor marital support acted as a vulnerability factor, only producing an effect in presence of stressful life events. Previous psychiatric history produced a strong independent effect, both with and without life events. Postpartum blues were only associated with depression in the absence of life events, suggesting a small hormonal sub-group. Overall the findings indicate the importance of social stress in puerperal depression.

Adjustment Disorders↗
PubMed1979

Reduced number of peripheral blood granulocytic progenitor cells in patients with Down's syndrome.

The number of granulocytic progenitor cells (colony forming units in culture: CFUc) in the blood of patients with Down's syndrome was found to be reduced by 73.2% when compared to a group of age and sex matched controls. However, the blood CFUc of the Down's syndrome patients and the controls showed similar sensitivity to hydroxyurea which suggests that the low number of progenitor cells in Down's syndrome is not compensated by a marked increase in their cellular proliferation. The colony size distributions were similar for both the patients and the controls and, in addition, repeated assays at various intervals revealed no marked fluctuation in the number of blood CFUc in either group. The significance of the reduced number of circulating CFUc in Down's syndrome in relation to the known susceptibility of such patients to leukaemia is discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Defective hydrogen peroxide production in chronic granulocytic leukaemia neutrophils.

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production by polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) during phagocytosis was fluorometrically vestimated over an incubation period of 80 min during which dead Candida guilliermondii were ingested. Ten patients with chronic granulocytic leukaemia (CGL) were tested and compared with 15 normal subjects. The production of H2O2 by CGL neutrophils was about 29% of normal. There was no correlation between H2O2 production and the impaired killing of Candida guilliermondii by the neutrophils of CGL patients.

Candida↗
PubMed1979

Meiotic and radiation studies in four oligochiasmatic men.

The meiotic findings in four oligochiasmatic males are described. Radiation studies on the somatic cells of three of them failed to provide evidence for a reduced facility to repair DNA which might also have accounted for the observed failure of chiasma formation at meiosis. The data support the idea that the 'low chiasma count' condition in sterile men is of mixed aetiology.

Adult↗