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Biomedical subjects

J S Lucas

Publications and source records attributed to J S Lucas.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Measuring pulmonary function in infancy.

In recent years there has been a growing interest in the measurement of pulmonary function in infants for both clinical and research purposes. Such measurements remain limited by the complexity of the equipment as well as by the technical and physiological challenges of testing infants and neonates. Despite these problems, assessment of respiratory function in early life provides exciting information about the post-natal growth and development of lungs in health and disease. The aim of this paper is to discuss the physiological, technical and ethical problems surrounding these procedures, as well as reviewing the current methods of testing pulmonary function in the very young. Consideration is given to the developments needed if infant pulmonary function tests are to realise fully, their potential as research and clinical tools.

Forced Expiratory Volume↗
PubMed2000

Measuring lung function in infancy.

Although the earliest reliable lung function tests in infants were performed as long as 40 years ago, there has only recently been a growth in this area, as simpler methods and better equipment and IT resources have been developed. Exciting information is accumulating about the normal physiology and pathology of the infant lung. Many basic questions are still unanswered and the ability to perform these tests remains confined to a few specialized centres. To co-ordinate the development of ILFT and establish standardization in a number of areas including measurement conditions, equipment specifications, methodology protocols and data analysis, international collaboration is necessary between the teams working in this field (Table 5). Collaborative groups are currently addressing these issues and are also developing recommendations regarding the design of randomized clinical trials, multi-centre studies and research agendas. Infant lung function testing remains primarily a research tool. Our aim should be not only to refine and develop the techniques of physiological measurement but to apply ILFT to the objective study of respiratory illness in infants in the clinical setting so as to aid in the prevention and treatment of these common, debilitating and costly diseases.

Clinical Protocols↗
PubMed1999

Colonic wall thickening is related to age and not dose of high strength pancreatin microspheres in children with cystic fibrosis.

OBJECTIVE: Colonic fibrosis causing stricture is a recently described complication in cystic fibrosis (CF). Studies have suggested that ultrasound evidence of bowel thickening predicts this complication and that it is prevalent among children receiving large doses of high-strength pancreatin preparations. We performed ultrasound studies on our patients to look for evidence of bowel wall thickening or early stricture. METHOD: Detailed colonic ultrasounds were carried out in 33 children with CF including 25 who had been receiving high-strength pancreatin (Creon 25,000) continuously for 3 years at the time of study. RESULTS: Median lipase intake was 19 330 U/kg/day (range 0-59 880 U/kg/day) and median protease intake was 387 U/kg/day (range 0-1170 U/kg/day). The combined thickness of mucosa, sub-mucosa and muscle layers was measured in ascending, transverse and descending colon using a 7.5 MHz transducer. Measurements were also made in nine healthy controls. There was no relationship between enzyme dosage and colon thickness but simple regression identified a significant relationship (P < 0.001) between age and maximum colon thickness in all three areas. The colon of CF children was up to 50% thicker than in controls. CONCLUSIONS: Thickening of the order described elsewhere did not occur among any of the children studied. The results suggest that the most important factor determining the thickness of the CF colon is age.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

A caecal diaphragm in cystic fibrosis.

A right iliac fossa mass may be a difficult diagnostic problem in a patient with cystic fibrosis. We present a patient with such a mass who was thought to have a non-obstructing intussusception on clinical and radiological grounds. However, at laparotomy she was found to have a pathology not previously described in cystic fibrosis. She had a partial diaphragm almost blocking the lumen to her appendix. The differential diagnosis of a right iliac fossa mass is considered and the cause of her pathology discussed.

Abdominal Pain↗