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J H Rees

Publications and source records attributed to J H Rees.

42 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Guillain-Barré syndrome has now become recognized as a clinical syndrome that may be due to several pathological entities, consisting of an acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy as well as an acute motor axonal neuropathy. Campylobacter jejuni infection is a common preceding event and, together with anti-ganglioside GM1 antibodies, is associated with axonal damage and a poor outcome. The mechanism by which such antibodies damage axons is not clear. The Miller Fisher syndrome is very closely associated with antibodies to ganglioside GQ1b that may be important in pathogenesis. Treatment of Guillain-Barré syndrome with intravenous immunoglobulin appears to be as effective as plasma exchange in one controlled trial. Two small series have reported a high incidence of early relapses following intravenous immunoglobulin, and its efficacy is being reexamined in a further controlled trial.

Autoantibodies↗
PubMed1993

Campylobacter jejuni and Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Campylobacter jejuni is the most frequently identified bacterial cause of gastroenteritis in the UK, and commonly precedes Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). There is some evidence that the resultant neurological disease may be a more severe variant of GBS with predominant axonal degeneration. Crossreactivity between neural antigens and C. jejuni may be one of the mechanisms by which GBS is triggered. Unravelling the immunopathogenesis of GBS following C. jejuni enteritis may shed light on the way in which bacterial infections induce autoimmune disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Rheumatoid arthritis and cryptogenic organising pneumonitis.

We describe three patients with rheumatoid arthritis who presented with non-specific pulmonary symptoms, a restrictive defect in lung function and bilateral changes on chest radiograph. Lung histology showed characteristic features of cryptogenic organising pneumonitis and treatment with steroids produced significant improvement. The clinical and laboratory features of cryptogenic organising pneumonitis (otherwise known as bronchiolitis obliterans organising pneumonia, 'BOOP') are discussed and compared with those of bronchiolitis obliterans with which the condition should not be confused. Cryptogenic organising pneumonitis should be considered as one of the pulmonary manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis, but lung biopsy is essential to make the diagnosis.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Use of angioplasty in the prevention and treatment of coronary--subclavian steal syndrome.

PURPOSE: The coronary-subclavian artery steal (CSS) syndrome is caused by critical stenosis in the subclavian artery proximal to a bypass graft from the internal mammary artery (IMA) to the coronary artery. The stenosis results in retrograde flow in the IMA and steal from the coronary artery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) was performed in eight patients (five men, three women). In four patients (group 1), coronary ischemia had developed 0.5-70 months (mean, 31 months) after IMA-to-coronary artery bypass surgery. These four patients (mean age, 58 years; range, 44-68 years) underwent PTA of a single area of focal subclavian stenosis to treat CSS. In four other patients (group 2), atherosclerotic subclavian stenosis had developed proximal to a donor IMA before planned bypass surgery. These patients (mean age, 53 years; range, 50-57 years) underwent PTA of a single focal subclavian stenosis to prevent CSS. RESULTS: Group 1 patients were free of myocardial ischemia at follow-up (mean follow-up, 39.0 months; range, 14-101 months). Three of four patients in group 2 underwent coronary artery bypass grafting with the ipsilateral IMA following PTA of the subclavian stenosis; they were free of angina at follow-up (mean follow-up, 14 months; range, 10-18 months). CONCLUSION: PTA is a safe and efficacious short-term method for prevention and treatment of CSS syndrome.

Adult↗