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Biomedical subjects

J L Murray

Publications and source records attributed to J L Murray.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase levels as an aid in the management of human cancer.

Plasma gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGTP) levels were measured in 435 cancer patients, 120 healthy controls, 15 patients with systemic lupus erythematosis, and 10 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The mean GGTP activity of all cancer patients studied, with the exception of malignant lymphoma, was significantly elevated compared to control values. Several patient groups were retrospectively analyzed to determine whether GGTP levels correlated with clinical status. Patients who were disease-free had GGTP levels in the normal range, whereas patients with metastases had elevated levels. Serially increasing GGTP levels were associated with disease progression and death. Persons who remained free of disease had serial GGTP levels within the normal range. Furthermore, decreasing levels were associated with response to therapy. These results indicate that GGTP levels may have prognostic value in various human malignancies.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1983

Inhibition of lymphocyte response by prostaglandin-producing suppressor cells in patients with melanoma.

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 11 patients with metastatic melanoma (group II) had a significant decrease in blastogenesis to concanavalin A (Con A) (38.7 +/- 7.7 cpm X 10(3); mean +/- SE) compared to 21 patients who were disease free (70.6 +/- 6.7) or 16 healthy controls (83.6 +/- 10.3). If PBMC from patients were preincubated for 72 hr prior to exposure to mitogen, blastogenesis was restored to normal. In group II patients a similar improvement in reactivity of fresh PBMC occurred with indomethacin addition or following rigorous depletion of adherent monocytes. Supernatants from cells cultured with and without Con A in several group II patients contained very high levels of endogenous PGE2. Patients had a greater percentage of T lymphocytes bearing Fc receptors for ox erythrocytes (T gamma) than controls, which appeared to correlate with the increased sensitivity to suppression by exogenously added PGE2. These data suggest that the decreased blastogenesis in certain melanoma patients is due to an increase in PGE2 production by monocytes, along with an increase in lymphocyte sensitivity to its effects.

Dinoprostone↗
PubMed1983

Reliability of the MYTH scale in assessing type A behavior in preschool children.

The reliability of the Matthews Youth Test for Health (MYTH) scale in assessing Type A behavior patterns among four-year-old children was evaluated, as was the degree of association between the behavior pattern of teachers and their ratings of the children. The Pearson product-moment correlations for the total MYTH scores and for the competitiveness and the impatience/aggression subscale scores ranged from .68 to .73 over a test-retest interval of three months. The teachers completed the Jenkins Activity Survey. No significant correlations were found between the behavior patterns of the teachers and their ratings of the children. The high degree of reliability that was found in test-retest scores on the MYTH was similar to that found in other studies.

Black or African American↗
PubMed1983

Assessment of type A behavior in preschoolers.

Teachers and mothers of 219 four-year-old preschoolers assessed their children for Type A behavior pattern using the Matthews Youth Test for Health (MYTH). The sample was derived from five day care centers with Black, White, and Hispanic teachers and students from middle and lower class families. This study indicates that Type A behavior can be identified in four-year-old preschoolers on the basis of ratings by their teachers. A statistically significant difference was found between the ratings of Type A/B characteristics by teachers and those by mothers; however, these were not related to the sex or ethnicity of the children. Repeated measurements of Type A ratings in a subsample of the children at age five showed no significant change among boys or girls. However, repeated measurements at age six on a second subsample showed that boys had lower mean scores, i.e. were more Type B at age six than at age four.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1983

Acute leukemia after successful chemotherapy for oat cell carcinoma.

A report of acute myelomonocytic leukemia following successful therapy for oat cell carcinoma is presented. The patient had been treated with extensive cytotoxic and radiation therapy, and was without clinical evidence of disease at one year follow-up. Eighteen months later, a peripheral smear revealed numerous blasts with monocytoid characteristics. This unusual presentation is discussed and compared with several other cases appearing in the recent literature.

Aged↗
PubMed1982

An analysis of skin tests and their relationship to recurrence and survival in stage III and stage IV melanoma patients.

One-hundred-two patients with Stage III and IV malignant melanoma were analyzed to determine whether immunologic status in terms of skin testing along with sex and age played a role in recurrence and survival. Before treatment, patients had skin tests with five recall antigens (monilia, mumps, PPD, SK-SD, trichophyton) along with phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Univariate statistical analysis revealed sex as the major significant variable with respect to survival for Stage IVB patients, with female patients surviving longer than males. Patients with resected disease and greater SK-SD skin test reactivity tended to survive longer than those with impaired reactivity. Similarly, reactivity to trichophyton was associated with improved survival among patients with metastases. A multivariate analysis of the patients shows improved remission duration with mumps positivity in Stage III and Stage IVA patients. It appears that certain skin tets analyzed in this fashion have prognostic importance in these patients and should be analyzed with other variables of disease status.

Antigens↗
PubMed1982

Elevated gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase levels in malignant melanoma.

Serum gamma(glutamyl) transpeptidase (GGTP) levels were measured in fifty patients with malignant melanoma to determine whether the enzyme was a sensitive indicator of disease status. Patients were divided into three groups based on clinical stage. Eighteen patients, following complete surgical resection of their primary disease, had a mean GGTP value of 10.97 International Units/Liter, which was not significantly different from the mean of healthy controls (10.2 +/- 2.5; range, 5.56--15.2). Likewise, eight patients who had undergone resection of regional disease or solitary metastasis had values near the upper range for controls. Serial testing in 15 of the above patients revealed no significant fluctuations on a daily or monthly basis. In contrast, individuals with metastatic disease had significantly elevated GGTP levels and demonstrated stepwise increases with disease progression. In seven patients enzyme levels were predictive of either recurrent disease or response to therapy. We conclude that serum GGTP levels are a useful test in monitoring clinical status of melanoma patients.

Humans↗
PubMed1981

Metastatic tumor to the retina and vitreous cavity from primary melanoma of the skin: treatment with systemic and subconjunctival chemotherapy.

The cases of two young women with metastatic tumors to the retinas and vitreous cavities from primary melanoma of the skin are discussed. Each presented with 20/20 central visual acuity in both eyes and complaints of floaters related to singularly unusual golden brown cellular aggregates infiltrating the vitreous cavities. Some cells appeared to be emanating from the region of the optic nerves whereas others appeared to originate from the superficial retina, presumably from the retinal vessels. The cellular aggregates were comprised of malignant melanoma cells as determined by histocytology of a vitrectomy specimen in one case and an aqueous aspirate in the other. The clinical appearance of cellular aggregates in the form of regular spherules should alert the clinician to the possibility of malignant rather than inflammatory cellular infiltration. The combined administration of repeated systemic and subconjunctival DTIC in case 1 and BCNU in case 2 was unsuccessful in promoting tumor regression. Histology of one eye, removed because of uncontrolled neovascular glaucoma, revealed numerous melanoma cells in the superficial retina and adjacent vitreous.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Heterogeneous mechanisms of imparied lymphocyte responses in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 18 untreated patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) were studied to characterize the cellular mechanisms contributing to impaired in vitro lymphocyte responses after stimulation by the mitogen conconavalin A (Con-A). In vitro reactivity was quantitated by the 3H-thymidine incorporation in response to an optimal dose of Con-A. All patients demonstrated impaired in vitro reactivities compared to normal controls. These in vitro impairments were partially reversible since patient's cells precultured in media alone for 3 days demonstrated enhanced Con-A responses. In greater than half of the patients, the hyporeactive PBMC suppressed the enhanced reactivities of autologous precultured PBMC when assayed in cocultures. Suppressor activity was detected mainly in those untreated patients presenting with either constitutional symptoms or diffuse histology and in general was not marked compared to the severity of impairments. Adherent monocytes were shown to participate in the suppression of autologous lymphocyte reactivity but only appeared partially responsible for the in vitro impairments. In those patients lacking detectable suppressive activity, preculturing also enhanced Con-A reactivities and was compatible with the presence of a reversible, inhibitory mechanism differing from active suppression. Many patients' hyporeactive PBMC, however, failed to demonstrate normal responses after preculturing. This failure could not be directly attributed to aberrant regulatory populations, but rather appeared to possibly represent an additional intrinsic impairment of potentially reactive populations.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Correlation of prognostic factors and blood lymphocyte subtypes in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The total lymphocyte, T, B, and null cell content of peripheral blood from 32 healthy individuals and 30 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was determined. The patients had a significant reduction of B cells (complement receptor and membrane immunoglobulin positive cells) and a significant reduction in T cells. Correlation of patients' characteristics with lymphocyte abnormalities demonstrated several findings. Patients with advanced disease (III and IV) had significantly lower total lymphocyte and T cells than patients with localized disease (I and II) or normal controls. Patients with hypogammaglobulinemia had lower total lymphocyte and T cells than patients with normal gamma globulin status or normal controls. Patients with diffuse histology and B symptoms had lower total lymphocyte and T cells than normal controls. Discriminant analysis of lymphocyte populations categorized patients by disease extent and gamma globulin status with 70 and 68% accuracy, respectively.

Agammaglobulinemia↗
PubMed1977

Estimated median survival times of patients with colorectal cancer based on experience with 9,745 patients.

From the End Results Group file at the National Cancer Institute, 9,745 colorectal cancer patients diagnosed from 1965 through 1971 and classified as adenocarcinoma NOS were selected to evaluate the joint effect of various prognostic factors on MST. A technic was developed which enables a physician to estimate the MST for a patient with a given set of patient/disease characteristics. The results are also summarized in an appendix, allowing the physician to bypass the calculation and refer directly to the MST. These results will aid the physician in determining whether a patient is at sufficiently high risk to warrant adjuvant therapy. The survival experience of this broad historical group of patients with varying prognostic factors can also serve as a basis for comparison of results of studies on highly selected patients treated in various experimental ways.

Adenocarcinoma↗