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Biomedical subjects

J Hill

Publications and source records attributed to J Hill.

At least 307 records · Page 17Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Antithyroid and goitrogenic effects of millet: role of C-glycosylflavones.

Pearl millet [Pennisetum millet (L.) leeke] is the main source of food energy for the rural poor in many areas of the semiarid tropics. Epidemiological evidence suggests that millet may play a role in the genesis of endemic goiter in these areas, and sparse experimental data in rats support this suspicion. This study was undertaken to determine in vivo in rats and in vitro using porcine thyroid slices and a thyroid peroxidase (TPO) assay the goitrogenic and antithyroid effects of millet diets, extracts of millet, and certain pure compounds contained therein. For use in these studies, whole grain millet was progressively dehulled to yield successively four bran and four flour fractions in which direct analyses revealed progressively lower concentrations of C-glycosylflavones. In vivo feeding of bran fraction 1, that richest in C-glycosylflavones, led to a significant increase in thyroid weight and antithyroid effects. Feeding of bran fraction 2, the next richest in C-glycosylflavones, produced similar, but less marked, changes. In vitro studies of 125I metabolism using porcine thyroid slices indicated that extracts of bran fractions 1 and 2 were most potent, producing changes similar to those produced by methimazole (MMI). At a concentration of 60 mumol/L, glucosylvitexin, the major C-glycosylflavone present in millet, had effects comparable to those of 1 mumol/L MMI. Similarly, in studies of porcine TPO, extracts of bran fraction 1 caused pronounced (85%) inhibition of enzyme activity, and progressively less inhibition was induced by extracts of bran fractions 2, 3, and 4. Overall, the TPO-inhibiting activities of the various millet fractions closely correlated with their C-glycosylflavone concentrations. Three C-glycosylflavones present concentrations. Three C-glycosylflavones present in millet, glucosylvitexin, glycosylorientin, and vitexin, also inhibited TPO activity. Thus, in vivo and in vitro studies revealed that millet diets rich in C-glycosylflavones produce goitrogenic and antithyroid effects similar to those of certain other antithyroid agents and small doses of MMI. We conclude that in areas of iodine deficiency in which millet is a major component of the diet, its ingestion may contribute to the genesis of endemic goiter.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Apparent motion: evidence of the influence of shape, slant, and size on the correspondence process.

Four stimulus elements configured as a notional diamond were flashed in pairs to elicit apparent motion. When the elements were identical (4 Zs), the direction of apparent motion was ambiguous. When the elements were pairs of different letters (Cs and Os, Es and Zs), letters of different sizes (Zs and zs), or oppositely oblique lines, the direction of apparent motion tended to be between identical elements. This was true, however, only for an initial, brief observation period. Subsequently, the direction of apparent motion tended to be determined by the direction of motion perceived at first, regardless of the character of the elements. This quickly established directional set (within 10 sec) largely swamped any tendency to resolve correspondence in terms of a feature of the stimulus. It appears to be based on spatial rather than retinal or egocentric coordinates.

Attention↗
PubMed1989

A clinical and biochemical assessment of prinomide in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Prinomide (CGS-10787B), a potential disease modifying drug, was evaluated clinically and biochemically in 15 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis. The single group study design included monthly assessments of 7 clinical measures and 22 laboratory measures. Twelve patients completed 24 weeks' therapy with prinomide 1.2 g/day. All clinical variables showed improvement which consistently reached statistical significance for articular index from Week 8 (p less than 0.01), for summated change score from Week 12 (p less than 0.01) and for pain score from Week 16 (p less than 0.05). Sustained significant improvement in laboratory variables was seen by Week 2 for erythrocyte sedimentation rate and platelet count (both p less than 0.05), and by Week 4 for plasma viscosity (p less than 0.01), IgG, IgA, IgM (all p less than 0.05).

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Evidence for a direct peripheral effect of clonidine on the norepinephrine release in vivo in pithed rats.

To study the in vivo peripheral effects of clonidine on sympathetic neuronal function we measured, after different doses of clonidine, plasma norepinephrine (NE) and blood pressure (BP) responses during electric stimulation of sympathetic outflow in pithed male Sprague-Dawley rats. In this preparation, clonidine produced dose-dependent inhibition of the sympathetic stimulation-induced pressor and plasma NE responses. The dose of clonidine inhibiting the NE response by 50% (ID50) was 14.2 +/- 0.3 micrograms/kg i.v., while ID50 for the diastolic pressor response was 22.0 +/- 0.2 micrograms/kg i.v. Since clonidine did not alter the relationship between NE released into the plasma and the pressor responses, the entire effect of clonidine in decreasing the pressor response to sympathetic stimulation may be attributed to its presynaptic alpha 2-adrenoceptor-mediated inhibition of NE release.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

A clinical and biochemical evaluation of etretinate in rheumatoid arthritis.

Etretinate (Tigason; Roche), which is effective in the treatment of psoriatic arthritis has immunomodulating activity in vivo. We have therefore assessed this drug in an open clinical and biochemical assessment of 24 weeks duration in rheumatoid arthritis. The treatment dose was 1.0 mg/kg/day for the first 4 weeks reducing to 0.5 mg/kg/day thereafter. There was a modest clinical improvement though this only reached statistical significance for joint circumference at 12 and 16 weeks (P less than 0.05). Biochemical improvement only reached levels of statistical significance for IgM at week 16 (P less than 0.01). Eight out of 15 patients had discontinued the drug because of side-effects by week 12 and only three out of 15 patients showed individual improvement by week 24. Some biochemical parameters (ESR) worsened. These results suggest only modest clinical efficacy and use of the drug in rheumatoid arthritis is likely to be curtailed by unacceptable side-effects. The improvement in biochemical variables that occurs when the drug is used in psoriatic arthritis does not occur in rheumatoid arthritis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

A clinical and biochemical assessment of etidronate disodium in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis.

Diphosphonates reduce the rate of bone turnover. They have additional pharmacological properties improving adjuvant arthritis in rats and lowering ESR in this condition. We have evaluated etidronate disodium, a diphosphonate commonly prescribed in the United Kingdom for Paget's disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Apart from an early improvement in articular index, perhaps reflecting anti-inflammatory activity, no significant change occurred in clinical variables or in laboratory indices of 'secondline' action at a dose of 5 mg/kg/day.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Fracture-dislocation of the ankle with rupture of the deltoid ligament.

Rupture of the deltoid ligament usually occurs in association with a fracture of the fibula. While reduction and internal fixation of the fibula is usually recommended, the deltoid ligament is left unrepaired. A 15-month follow-up of 30 patients with such injuries revealed that 41 per cent of the patients continued to experience pain while walking and 34 per cent were restricted by the pain in their activities. In 34 per cent of patients these symptoms originated from chronic overuse of the attenuated deltoid ligament rather than ankle instability which, though present in 17 per cent of cases, was rarely the cause of symptoms. Surgical treatment of these injuries resulted in morbidity and a poor symptomatic and functional result in 41 per cent of patients.

Ankle Injuries↗
PubMed1988

Diagnostic imaging of post-irradiation changes in the chest.

Thirty-nine patients were studied with regard to post-irradiation changes in the chest. Twenty of these were reviewed retrospectively and 19 studied prospectively. All patients had chest radiographs and computed tomography (CT) of the chest following radiotherapy. Nineteen also had ventilation and perfusion studies of the lung, including single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and these were correlated with the chest radiographs and computed tomography. The majority showed abnormalities on computed tomography, the commonest being areas of lung opacification and evidence of volume loss. Several patients also showed a reduction in the size of pulmonary vessels. In most but not all, the changes were also seen on the chest radiographs. Abnormalities were not confined to the radiation fields, the vascular changes being present in large areas of lung which had not been directly irradiated. The structural and functional abnormalities correlated well as shown by ventilation and perfusion scintigraphy. However, single photon emission computed tomography was more sensitive than planar scintigraphy in showing perfusion defects, and it also showed some defects in areas of lung which appeared normal on computed tomography and the chest film. Computed and photon emission tomography were considerably more sensitive than chest radiography in showing the changes due to irradiation. The chest radiograph is clearly an insensitive indicator of post-irradiation change in the lung. Functional abnormalities are more profound and extensive than the chest film suggests, even when it is positive. There are clear implications for the planning of radiotherapy fields affecting the chest in patients who have good prospects of long-term survival. The maximum damage is related to irradiation of the hilum or mediastinum and this should be avoided wherever possible.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysms: a report of thirty-seven cases.

Of a total of 780 patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms, 37 patients (4.7%) had inflammatory aneurysms. Presenting symptoms included back and abdominal pain (76%), leg edema, melena, uremia, claudication and pancreatitis. Mean erythrocyte sedimentation rate was 45 mm/hr. Weight loss and anorexia were common. Elevated urea and creatinine were seen on 11 patients, nine of whom had obstructive uropathy. Average aneurysm size was 9.3 cm. Thirty-six patients were treated surgically and one was observed. Involvement of the suprarenal (nine cases) or thoracic (three cases) aorta was common. Elective operations included resection and grafting in 21 patients and axillofemoral bypass in four patients. Patients with ureteral entrapment underwent simultaneous ureterolysis. Among the elective operations four deaths were noted (15%). Ten emergency operations were done for posterior rupture (four cases), aortoduodenal fistula (one case), inferior vena cava obstruction or fistula (two cases), hemorrhage into the aneurysmal wall (two cases), or presumed rupture (one case). There were seven deaths (70%) in this group. The operation of choice for inflammatory aneurysm is a bifurcation graft combined with ureterolysis.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

The assessment of lifetime psychopathology: a comparison of two interviewing styles.

A structured respondent-based version of the SADS-L interview was compared with a semi-structured investigator-based version of the same interview in terms of efficiency in assessing lifetime psychopathology. There was substantial agreement across most Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) categories, but there was less agreement on the rating of symptoms. The implications of these similarities and differences between the techniques are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Complications of pregnancy and benign familial joint hyperlaxity.

A family is described in which four generations were affected by benign familial joint hyperlaxity and, in the two generations for which obstetric data were available, pregnancies were complicated by unexplained mid-trimester vaginal bleeding. This prompted a study to determine whether unexplained antepartum haemorrhage (APH) and premature rupture of the membranes (PROM) both of which might reflect the structure of fetal collagen, were associated with joint hyperlaxity in offspring. The joint hyperlaxity of children born from such pregnancies was slightly greater than that found in age matched children born from uncomplicated pregnancies.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Co-trimoxazole in rheumatoid arthritis: a comparison with sulphapyridine.

The antirheumatoid activity of sulphasalazine and sulphapyridine may result from their antibacterial properties. The second line activity of sulphamethoxazole, in the form of cotrimoxazole (CTZ), has been investigated by treatment of 13 patients with RA for 24 weeks with CTZ (480 mg three times a day). The drug was found to be poorly tolerated, only five of the thirteen patients recruited completing the study. High circulating concentrations of sulphamethoxazole were found, with mean (SD) steady state serum concentrations reaching 54.02 (23.38) micrograms/ml. A significant reduction in serum IgM from 280 to 130 IU/l was observed, but otherwise disease activity remained unchanged or deteriorated throughout the course of the study. In contrast, patients with RA treated with sulphapyridine (1.25 g a day) showed improvement in disease activity. The results argue against an antibacterial mechanism of action for sulphasalazine and sulphapyridine in rheumatoid arthritis, unless this occurs at a site inaccessible to sulphamethoxazole.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1988

A comparison of blood loss caused by two prolonged-release formulations of indomethacin ('Flexin Continus' and 'Indocid' R) in normal healthy male volunteers.

Faecal blood loss arising from two prolonged-release formulations of indomethacin was compared in a double-blind, parallel group study in 12 healthy male volunteers. After a 1-week run-in period on placebo, subjects were allocated at random to receive 150 mg indomethacin per day, either as controlled-release 'Flexin Continus' tablets or as slow-release 'Indocid' R capsules, for 2 weeks and followed up for a further 1 week. Faecal specimens were collected over a 4-day period in each week and blood loss calculated using a 51Chromium-labelled red cell count method. Mean blood loss during the placebo run-in period was 2.6 ml/4 days in both study groups. Mean blood loss during treatment Weeks 2 and 3 with 'Flexin Continus' was 8.6 ml/4 days and 7.9 ml/4 days, respectively, and during treatment with 'Indocid' R capsules was 13.9 ml/4 days and 14.2 ml/4 days, respectively. There was a carry-over effect from both preparations as seen by a steady decrease in blood loss during the week after treatment. The mean value for 'Flexin Continus' was 6.9 ml/4 days and for 'Indocid' R was 8.3 ml/4 days during the wash-out week. Faecal blood loss was not statistically significantly different between the two formulations. No significant deterioration in haematological or biochemical results occurred in either group. Adverse symptoms were less frequent with 'Flexin Continus' tablets.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Advocacy reconsidered: progress and prospects.

Advocacy, a much-prized function of health care professionals, is also a largely unexamined concept. A careful review of physician advocacy reveals and ever-growing number of constraints, such as institutional and governmental cost-control policies, that serve to weaken its credibility. These complications, however, present and opportunity for recasting the carte blanche individualism of traditional advocacy along more socially responsible lines. In our view, the lines of meta-advocacy constitute a suitable moral end for policy formulation.

Ethics, Medical↗