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Biomedical subjects

J Murphy

Publications and source records attributed to J Murphy.

At least 361 records · Page 20Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

On the accuracy of protein synthesis in Drosophila melanogaster.

We have investigated the accuracy of protein synthesis in somatic tissue of young and senescent Drosophila melanogaster by means of two-dimensional electrophoresis. Electrophoretic heterogeneity characteristic of translational error could not be detected at either age, placing the error frequency below about 4 X 10(-4) per codon. As a positive control on the efficacy of the technique, we showed that electrophoretic heterogeneity is detectable in bacterial cells grown in streptomycin, and that the error frequency calculated from these data is in good agreement with independent measurements. Such cells can tolerate an error frequency of about 3 x 10(-3) without cell lethality, or error catastrophe. Since the Drosophila somatic error frequency is at least eight times lower, even in senescent organisms, translational error is unlikely to be a cause of senescence in Drosophila.

Aging↗
PubMed1981

Outcome for survivors of mechanical ventilation weighing less than 1,250 gm at birth.

We investigated the outcome in 28 survivors of mechanical ventilation weighing less than 1,250 gm at birth. Fifteen infants (54%) had neurodevelopmental sequelae, of whom eight had major handicaps. These eight infants differed significantly from the rest of the infants studied in the following manner: lower mean birth weight and gestational age, delay in transportation to our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and high incidence of bacterial sepsis. The remaining seven infants with NDS were functionally normal or minimally impaired at the time of the study, although significant problems may yet emerge with continued follow-up. Retrolental fibroplasia was diagnosed in 11 infants (39%) and resolved in two. The development of RLF was associated with prolonged oxygen exposure and the presence of bacterial sepsis. However, since major handicap, RLF, and sepsis were all problems observed in the smallest infants, a cause-and-effect relationship between sepsis and these sequelae remains speculative.

Bacterial Infections↗
PubMed1981

Diagnosis of occult gastrointestinal lesions by stool guaiac testing in a geriatric hospital.

In a long-term care facility, the fecal guaiac test for occult blood was used as a screening method to detect gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding lesions. The study involved 450 chronically ill hospitalized patients whose average age was 70 years. Each underwent 6 fecal guaiac tests for three consecutive days while receiving a standardized meat-free, high-fiber diet. The 21 patients in whom the fecal hemoccult test yielded positive findings were further studied with x-ray upper GI series, barium enema, and fiberoptic examination of the upper and lower GI tract when necessary. In 4.7 percent of this population, the guaiac test gave positive results, which usually involved only 1 or 2 of the 6 guaiac slides. On further study it was found that 2 patients had large-bowel tumors, 5 had duodenal ulcers, 1 had gastric cancer, and 7 had diverticulosis. The incidence of colon cancer in this population was the same as that reported in other studies, but the incidence of duodenal ulcers was high. In 20 of the 21 patients with positive test findings, a lesion of the GI tract was found. The therapeutic implications of such screening are important. This study emphasizes the value of routine fecal hemoccult testing of whole institutional populations once or twice a year.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Ventilation by high-frequency oscillation in rabbits with oleic acid lung disease.

The feasibility and efficiency of ventilation by high-frequency oscillation (HFO) were examined in animals with diffuse hemorrhagic lung disease. Twenty-four hours after injection with 0.12 ml/kg oleic acid, 11 spontaneously breathing rabbits had a mean (+/- SD) arterial O2 partial pressure (PaO2) of 65 +/- 16 Torr and arterial CO2 partial pressure (PaCO2) of 38 +/- 7 Torr [inspired fractional O2 concentration (FIO2) of 0.21]. Following paralysis animals were ventilated using a high-frequency oscillator for periods of 20 min followed by three successive hyperinflations to prevent atelectasis. Maintaining a constant mean airway pressure (MAP) of 6 cmH2O and fresh gas flow (FGF) of 2 1/min (FIO2 = 0.21), all combinations of frequency (5, 10, 20, and 30 Hz) and stroke volume (Vs) 2.6, 5.0, and 8.9 ml) were tested. At each frequency, an increase in Vs tended to lower mean PaCO2. At each Vs, CO2 elimination appeared maximal at 20 Hz, an effect attributable to decreasing effective Vs with increasing frequency. With constant Vs, MAP, and frequency, increasing FGF from 1 to 2 or 61/min decreased mean PaCO2 (P less than 0.05). With constant Vs, frequency, and FGF, increases in MAP from 2 to 10 cmH2O increased mean PaO2 (P less than 0.05). HFO, coupled with periodic hyperinflation, supports satisfactory gas exchange in rabbits with oleic acid lung injury. The efficiency of gas exchange is improved by independent increases in Vs, FGF, MAP, or frequency.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Differential effect of sex in experimental hyaline membrane disease in newborn monkeys.

Data from forty-four infant monkeys of 135 to 150 days' gestation were reviewed for the existence of sex-related differences in the development of hyaline membrane disease, post-mortem lung mechanics, biochemistry, and histologic features. Severity of hyaline membrane disease was scored from 1 (severe) to 6 (none) from chest radiographic appearance and arterial PO2 determination. Female monkeys had a lower score (mean +/- 1 SD = 2.7 +/- 1.6) than males (3.8 +/- 1.6, less than 0.05). Females accounted for 70% of animals with scores of 1 or 2, and 33% of those with scores of 5 or 6 (p = 0.045). There was no difference in lung homogenate phospholipid (PL) concentration. Airway lavage PL and the ratio of lavage PL to homogenate PL were both decreased in the female. Surface activity of the lavage material was also less in the female. No significant differences between males and females were noted for mean maximal lung volume air-tissue ratio, as determined by light microscopy, or number of type II pneumocytes per alveolus. Premature female monkeys appeared to sustain a disadvantage in pulmonary adaptation to postnatal life.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Evidence for the hypothalamic origin of the polycystic ovary syndrome.

The effect of suppression of gonadotropin secretion was evaluated in 21 patients with the polycystic ovary syndrome. Medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) was administered intramuscularly in a dose of 400 mg every 15 days for 9 months. A significant decrease in luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone levels (70 and 40%, respectively) was apparent after 3 months. At the end of the treatment period, the ovaries had become impalpable and hirsutism was markedly improved in 13 of 19 women. Side effects of treatment included local pain, vaginal spotting, galactorrhea, and hyperprolactinemia. Discontinuation of therapy was followed by a rapid return of follicle-stimulating hormone levels to baseline values, whereas LH and testosterone levels recovered only partially after more than 1 year. The improvement of hirsutism and ovarian shrinkage persisted for up to 2 years, and endometrial biopsy uniformly showed a pseudodecidual reaction in the stroma. After 1 year, prolactin levels declined to 52% of the baseline value and galactorrhea disappeared. The suppression of all the peripheral abnormalities of the reproductive system in polycystic ovary syndrome with MPA treatment suggests a primary hypothalamic disorder as the cause for the syndrome.

Female↗
PubMed1980

Adrenoleukodystrophy: elevated C26 fatty acid in cultured skin fibroblasts.

Because postmortem brain and adrenal tissue from patients with adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) or adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN) have been shown to contain abnormally large amounts of very long chain fatty acids (C24 through C30), we searched for such an abnormality in cultured skin fibroblasts. Total lipid extracts of cultured fibroblasts were hydrolyzed, their fatty acid composition was determined by gas-liquid chromatography, and the ratio of C26 to C22 fatty acids was calculated. In 29 control cell lines this ratio was 0.064 +/- 0.019. In 5 patients with autopsy-proved ALD the ratio was 0.778 +/- 0.139; in 6 patients with clinical features typical of ALD it was 0.764 +/- 0.092; in 2 patients with autopsy-proved AMN, 0.890 +/- 0.02; and in 2 patients with clinical features typical of AMN, 0.560 +/- 0.079. Abnormal ratios were observed in 4 of 5 ALD heterozygotes. In 3 patients in whom the diagnosis of ALD was suspected, an abnormal ratio (0.860) was observed in 1 and normal ratios (0.06 and 0.074) in the 2 others.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Pediatric follow-up of a randomized controlled trial of intrapartum fetal monitoring techniques.

A controlled prospective study was conducted to evaluate possible effects of the use of three intrapartum fetal monitoring techniques on the offspring of high-risk mothers in labor after at least 34 weeks' gestation. Six hundred and ninety women were randomly assigned to one of the three monitoring groups: auscultation alone, electronic monitoring alone, and electronic monitoring with option to obtain fetal scalp pH. There were no significant differences among the three groups of offspring with respect to neonatal mortality or morbidity, Apgar scores, cord blood gas values, or Brazelton examinations at ages 2 to 3 days. Assessment of the infants at 9 months revealed no significant differences in their growth and development as assessed by physical examination. Bayley Scales of Infant Development, and Milani-Comparetti tests. The frequency of delivery by cesarean section was significantly higher in the electronically monitored group than in the auscultated group. This study failed to show beneficial effects of electronic fetal monitoring over auscultated monitoring for high-risk but relatively mature fetuses.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗
PubMed1979

Is appendicitis familial?

A family history of appendicectomy was sought in two groups of children admitted to Llandough Hospital over sixteen months. The study group consisted of 29 children with histologically confirmed acute appendicitis, while the control group consisted of 29 children admitted for reasons unrelated to abdominal pain. A history of appendicectomy was elicited in first-degree relatives--that is, siblings and parents of 20 of the children in the study group and of four of the controls--a statistically significant difference. The results obtained from this study suggest that a familial predisposition to appendicitis exists.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1979

A controlled trial of the differential effects of intrapartum fetal monitoring.

A controlled prospective study of the differential effects of intrapartum fetal monitoring on mothers and infants has been conducted at Denver General Hospital, Denver, Colorado. A total of 690 high-risk obstetric patients in labor were randomly assigned to one of three monitoring groups--auscultation, electronic fetal monitoring alone, or electronic monitoring with the option to scalp sample. There were no differences in immediate infant outcomes in any measured category (Apgar scores, cord blood gases, neonatal death, neonatal morbidity, nursery course) among the three groups. There were no differences in rates of infant or maternal infections. The cesarean section rate was markedly increased in the electronically monitored groups, especially in the electronically monitored alone (18%) as compared with the auscultated (6%) (P less than 0.005). In this controlled trial electronic monitoring did not improve neonatal outcomes and the mothers were at increased risk of cesarean section.

Apgar Score↗