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Biomedical subjects

J Miles

Publications and source records attributed to J Miles.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Stabilisation of the spine affected by malignancy.

A technique for securely stabilising the spine affected by malignancy has been developed. It provides excellent pain relief and some improvement of neurological deficit, and allows of laminectomy and radiotherapy. Although the technique is relatively simple, and the materials used are commonplace and inexpensive, it needs to be learnt which may mean that surgery for spinal malignancy will need the service of a trained surgeon, rather than that of an initiate.

Back Pain↗
PubMed1984

Treatment of malignant pain of the head and neck.

The treatment of pain due to malignancy in the head and neck is difficult, and the pain doctor must take a special responsibility in selecting the appropriate treatment. Specialized and often combined surgical procedures may still offer the best chance of relief, particularly when tumours involve the paranasal sinuses and the petrous bone. Peripheral and central destructive procedures can prove effective, and perhaps thalamotomy is deserving of greater usage. Chronic intrathecal analgesic administration can undoubtedly prove effective, and while the unwanted features may yet have to be established, it provides a welcome additional option in the management of pain in this difficult area.

Cranial Nerves↗
PubMed1984

Electrical stimulation for the relief of pain.

Electrical stimulation can relieve some severe and otherwise persisting pains. At its best it can be associated with either a gradual reduction in the pain or an increased ability by the patient to control his suffering. It seems particularly appropriate for use in the field of benign persistent pain. Equipment design and materials, particularly for implantable circuits, are not perfect. Movement towards percutaneous implantation, obviating the need for open operation, seems progressively more popular. Any unit or group using this form of treatment, must be prepared to provide major technical facilities, both in the form of people and equipment in order to cater for the many purely technical problems that occur. A great deal of knowledge both neurophysiological and neurochemical seems to be accruing from the clinical use of electrical stimulation. We would do well to take advantage of this opportunity, in the hope that it might lead us to a better understanding of the functioning of the nervous system. This consideration remarkably parallels an observation made by John Hunter in his presentation to the Royal Society in 1773 (13) which anticipated the realisation of the part played by electricity in the function of nerves. Following his description of the extraordinary innervation of the electric organs of the Torpedo fish, he wrote: 'How far this may be connected with the power of the nerves in general, or how far it may lead to an explanation of their operations, time and future discoveries alone can fully determine.'

Electric Stimulation Therapy↗
PubMed1983

Lower respiratory tract symptoms in Queensland schoolchildren. The questionnaire: its reliability and validity.

Respiratory symptoms and ventilatory function were recorded on 4549 Queensland schoolchildren. Previously parents of 67 children on two occasions showed that key questions on wheezy breathing and productive cough were reliable, with agreement of responses in 97% and 91% of subjects. These two questions divided the children into four main groups: Group A, those children with attacks of asthma or of wheezy breathing; Group B, those with attacks of cough with sputum; Group AB, those with both symptoms; and Group N, those with neither symptom. The validity of the questionnaire was examined by relating question responses to ventilatory function expressed as normalized residuals. Mean (+/- SD) normalized FEF 25-75 residuals for the major groups were: N, 0 +/- 1.00; B, -0.10 +/- 1.00; A, -0.26 +/- 1.10; and AB, -0.50 +/- 1.07. In subjects with wheeze, residuals distinguished subjects on a basis of frequency of wheeze, total number of attacks, and the association with breathlessness. The proportion of eight year olds in each group (N, B, A and AB) was 44%, 33%, 2.6%, and 20.5% respectively; and of twelve year olds, 52%, 28%, 2.7%, and 18.1%. These results contrast with those of a comparable survey of Tasmanian seven year olds where the proportion was 51%, 33%, 1.8%, and 14.4% respectively.

Asthma↗
PubMed1983

Carcinoma of the tonsillar area treated with external radiotherapy alone.

Seventy patients with carcinoma of the tonsillar area were treated with radiation therapy alone, all with a minimum follow-up of 3 years. Seventeen patients with stages I and II developed six recurrences and three were salvaged by surgery. Fifty-three patients with stages III and IV developed 24 recurrences, and only three could be salvaged by surgery. We conclude that radiation therapy is adequate for stages I and II carcinoma of the tonsillar area. Local control rate is satisfactory and surgical salvage is acceptable. Patients with advanced disease, Stages III and IV, have a poor survival rate with radiotherapy alone. Local recurrence is high and surgical salvage is inadequate. We have decided to offer selected patients with stages III and IV tonsillar carcinoma planned combined radiotherapy and surgery, in an effort to improve the survival rate.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Genetic linkage studies with cleft lip and palate: report of two family studies.

Genetic linkage studies are reported on two families with cleft lip +/- cleft palate. For the first family (LP01) the etiology of the clefting is unknown, and the linkage analyses were done assuming both autosomal dominant and autosomal recessive inheritance. Close linkage is rejected with the Duffy blood group under the dominant model and with four loci (Duffy, Kidd, and ABO blood groups and haptoglobin) under the recessive model. The second family (LP02) is a Mexican-American family segregating the van der Woude syndrome with lip pits. The linkage analyses for this autosomal dominant trait excluded close linkage with seven genetic markers, including three on chromosome one. The maximum lod scores were 0.6 with BF (chromosome 6) and 0.4 with the P blood group, which is not yet mapped.

Cleft Lip↗
PubMed1983

A microfluorometric method for the determination of free fatty acids in plasma.

A rapid and precise microfluorometric method for the determination of free fatty acid concentrations in 2-5 microliters of plasma is described. The assay is performed directly on plasma, eliminating the need for extraction with organic solvents, and is based on the quantitation of AMP generated from the formation of acyl coenzyme A in the presence of ATP and acyl CoA synthetase. Because of the sensitivity of this assay, reagent quantities, and thus costs, are significantly reduced compared with previously described enzymatic spectrophotometric methods. In addition, the inclusion of fatty acid-free human serum albumin in the standards corrects the previously reported underestimate of plasma free fatty acids with enzymic methods.

Fatty Acids, Nonesterified↗
PubMed1981

A 'watchful waiting' policy for in situ carcinoma of the vocal cords.

Forty-five patients with vocal cord (VC) carcinoma in situ diagnosed by biopsy or VC stripping have been retrospectively analyzed. Eighteen patients received irradiation therapy immediately on diagnosis. The initial local control (LC) rate was 72% (13/18); the salvage-augmented LC rate was 94% (17/18). Twenty-seven patients with in situ carcinoma were treated expectantly ("watchful waiting"), receiving definitive radiotherapy or definitive surgery only if invasion was subsequently verified histologically. One third of the patients' carcinomas have not become invasive (mean follow-up, 50 months). Of the two thirds that became invasive, one third were more advanced than T1N0 when treated--often because patients missed scheduled follow-up appointments. Nevertheless, the initial LC rate was 65% (11/17); the salvage-augmented LC rate was 88% (15/17). Total laryngectomy was required twice as often in the watchful waiting group as in the immediately treated group.

Carcinoma in Situ↗