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Biomedical subjects

J T Hughes

Publications and source records attributed to J T Hughes.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

The licensing of medical practitioners in Tudor England: legislation enacted by Henry VIII.

The medical profession in all developed countries requires national licensing, to identify trained medical practitioners and to proceed against quacks and mountebanks. England began this process in 1421 in the reign of Henry V, but the required legislation was enacted much later, in the reign of Henry VIII. Seven acts of parliament, directed at different elements of medical practice are described, with comments on England under Henry VIII and the persons and institutions proposing these licensing requirements. Whilst some legal aspects of medicine remained unclear, no further legislation of any significance was undertaken in England until the Medical Act of 1858.

Barber Surgeons↗
PubMed2004

Hugh Cairns (1896-1952) and the mobile neurosurgical units of World War II.

In World War II, Hugh Cairns, Oxford Nuffield Professor of Surgery and brigadier in the Royal Army Medical Corps, designed and administered the mobile neurosurgical units that treated casualties with head injuries in the various campaigns fought by the British Army. Cairns also created the Combined Services Hospital for Head Injuries at St Hugh's College, Oxford, where the staff of the units were trained and where evacuated casualties were received. The excellent outcome of the head-injured in World War II and the impetus to the expansion of neurosurgery in the UK during and after that war were, in large measure, due to Cairns. Others had knowledge of neurosurgery but Cairns inspired surgeons, neurologists and nursing sisters to perform neurosurgery at the highest level on the battlefield.

Africa, Northern↗
PubMed2003

"Alas, poor Yorick!" The death of Laurence Sterne.

The life and death of Laurence Sterne are examined. Sterne's body was taken from his grave and soon after appeared for dissection in Cambridge. The teaching of anatomy, the activities of body snatchers and the passage of the 1832 Anatomy Act are reviewed.

Anatomy↗
PubMed2002

George Scharpe, c.1581-1637. A Scots doctor at Montpellier.

Before the eighteenth century many Scots studied medicine at the medical schools of Europe, of which Montpellier was frequently the choice. George Scharpe, an early student of the University of Edinburgh, graduated in medicine at Montpellier and joined the medical faculty, where his long career can be traced from contemporary records. The practice of Scots studying abroad is described, as is Languedoc in the early seventeenth century a region and period devastated by the religious wars of France.

France↗
PubMed1994

Electromagnetic fields and brain tumours: a commentary.

Brain tumours are of different cell types, the commonest being tumours of glia called gliomas. Many etiological factors of gliomas have been suggested and certain industries have been implicated. Several epidemiological studies have linked electromagnetic fields (EMFs) to gliomas. Health effects of EMFs have been studied, both in humans and in experimental animals, mainly with negative findings. Positive experimental evidence linking EMFs to tumours is the effect of EMFs on melatonin production by the pineal gland. Removal of the pineal gland in rats increases the incidence of tumours. Further epidemiological and experimental evidence is required to elucidate this possible link between EMFs and brain tumours.

Brain Neoplasms↗
PubMed1994

Use of a calcium channel blocker (nicardipine HCl) in the treatment of childhood moyamoya disease.

Moyamoya disease is a cerebrovascular disease characterized radiologically by progressive narrowing and occlusion of the arteries contributing to the circle of Willis and its branches. There is formation of an exuberant collateral network of blood vessels at the base of the brain, which is thought to arise in response to chronic ischemia. Clinically, the course is variable, with patients having repeated transient ischemic attacks, strokes, migraine, and seizures. Effective treatment is not available. The etiology and pathophysiology of moyamoya disease are largely unknown. Two patients with arteriographically proven moyamoya disease were identified. Both patients were symptomatic before age 5 years. Despite successful encephaloduroarteriosynangiosis revascularization procedures, they continued to experience an inexorable downhill course. A calcium channel blocker (nicardipine HCl) was introduced in order to prevent further symptoms. After the introduction of nicardipine, no further strokes occurred in either patient. There were no further episodes of transient ischemic attacks, seizures, or headache in one patient and decreased frequency in the other. In patients with moyamoya disease, nicardipine may have a beneficial effect on cerebral hemodynamics and may prevent ischemic sequelae by optimizing existing collateral circulation.

Carotid Stenosis↗
PubMed1994

Legal aspects of epilepsy.

Legal issues must be considered in caring for patients with epilepsy. Doctors caring for people with epilepsy may be legally involved in three primary ways: as the agent of social control, as patient advocate, and as the target of liability or malpractice suits. This article examines these factors and the implications for patients and their caregivers.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1993

Prion diseases.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Homozygous prion protein genotype predisposes to sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

The human prion diseases, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and Gerstmann-Sträussler syndrome (GSS), are neurodegenerative diseases that are unique in being both infectious and genetic. Transmission of both diseases and the animal spongiform encephalopathies (for example, scrapie and bovine spongiform encephalopathy) to experimental animals by intracerebral inoculation with brain homogenates is well documented. Despite their experimental transmissibility, missense and insertional mutations in the prion protein gene are associated with both GSS and familial CJD, demonstrating that the human familial cases are autosomal dominant diseases. More than 80% of CJD cases occur sporadically, however, and are not known to be associated with mutations. Here we report that 21 of 22 sporadic CJD cases and a further 19 of 23 suspected sporadic CJD cases are homozygous at the polymorphic amino-acid residue 129; 51% of the normal population are heterozygous at this site. We argue that homozygosity predisposes towards sporadic CJD and that this directly supports the hypothesis that interaction between prion protein molecules underlies the disease process.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Differentiation in embryonal neuroepithelial tumors of the central nervous system.

Ninety-six embryonal neuroectodermal tumors were studied histologically and immunohistologically with a panel of antibodies including glial, neuronal, epithelial, mesodermal, and myelin markers. In 71 tumors there was glial and neuronal differentiation and expression both of an S (photoreceptor) antigen and vimentin. In five tumors there was only glial differentiation and in 20 tumors only neuronal differentiation. No reactivity for myelin and epithelial markers was found. Histologic and immunohistologic findings identified various degrees of differentiation in different tumors, which was bipolar (glial and neuronal) in most tumors and unipolar in the remainder. The authors suggest that their findings may be the result of normal or aberrant oncogenic differentiation, agreeing with the nomenclature of the World Health Organization classification for these tumors with and the inclusion of a category for ependymoblastoma.

Adolescent↗