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Biomedical subjects

K Griffiths

Publications and source records attributed to K Griffiths.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
PubMed1980

Effect of the CURB campaign on barbiturate prescribing in Northern Ireland.

Barbiturate prescribing in general practice in Northern Ireland was monitored from computer data on prescription pricing for the years 1966 to 1979, and subjected to two methods of statistical analysis.Over the last decade a very marked decline in the prescribing of barbiturate hypnotics was accompanied by progressive decreases in barbiturate anti-epileptic and combination product utilization. During the 1975 to 1977 CURB campaign there was a statistically significant greater decrease in the total quantity of barbiturate hypnotics prescribed, but the downward trend in the numbers of prescriptions written was not significantly greater than before the campaign. The main effect of CURB, therefore, was to reduce the average quantity of barbiturate per prescription. The changes in barbiturate combination product prescribing between the CURB years were consistently large, whilst anti-epileptic barbiturate prescribing decreased less significantly towards the end of the campaign.

Barbiturates↗
PubMed1979

Relationship of oestrogen-receptor status to survival in breast cancer.

The oestrogen-receptor (E.R.) content of the primary tumour was measured in 133 postmenopausal women with operable breast cancer. 79 (59%) were positive for E.R. and 54 (41%) negative. Curves of life survival show that women with E.R.-positive tumours live longer than those with E.R.-negative tumours.

Aged↗
PubMed1979

Oestrogen receptors and prognosis in early breast cancer.

In a study of the role of oestrogen-receptor analysis in early breast cancer the oestrogen-receptor content of the tumour was estimated in 286 patients undergoing mastectomy. These patients were followed for up to 39 months, and the recurrence of disease was noted in relation to the presence or absence of oestrogen receptor.Recurrence-rates were significantly higher in patients whose tumours did not contain receptors than in those whose tumours did. This same relationship was seen when women with and without axillary metastases were considered separately. The highest rates of recurrence were in women with axillary lymph-node involvement whose tumours lacked oestrogen receptors. Women without axillary-node involvement whose tumours lacked oestrogen receptors showed the same high rate of recurrence as all women with axillary-node involvement. The oestrogen-receptor content of a primary breast cancer appears to be an independent guide to early recurrence of the disease.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1979

Plasma spermine concentrations of patients with benign and malignant tumours of the breast or prostate.

A radioimmunoassay has been developed for the measurement of plasma spermine concentrations. The sensitivity of the method is 1 pmol spermine/100 microliters plasma and the crossreactivity was 12% with spermidine and 0.18% with putrescine. Plasma spermine levels of patients with benign and malignant tumours of the prostate or breast were measured using this technique. Concentrations were only occasionally elevated in patients with prostatic tumours compared to normal individuals and there was no difference between those men with benign (mean concn. 0.21 +/- 0.14 nmol/ml plasma) or malignant (mean concn. 0.21 +/- 0.11 nmol/ml plasma) tumours. Only 17% of the patients with breast carcinoma had elevated levels of spermine, although there was a significant difference in the concentrations of the breast cancer group of patients compared to normals. No correlation was found between elevated plasma spermine concentrations and tumour grade or presence or spread of metastases in those patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Plasma 17OH-progesterone concentrations in newborn infants.

Plasma concentrations of 17OH-progesterone were determined in 60 normal newborn infants aged between 3 and 36 hours. Mean levels decreased rapidly during this time after removal of the placental contribution of this steroid. A further 70 normal infants, studied between ages 2 and 7 days, showed a mean plasma 17OH-progesterone concentration of 3.5 nmol/1 (1.2 ng/ml). By comparison, plasma concentrations in untreated infants with congenital adrenal hyperplasia were markedly raised. At 36 hours of age, there was an obvious difference between plasma levels of this steroid in normal and affected infants. Determination of plasma 17OH-progesterone concentrations are valuable in the evaluation of disorders of sexual differentiation and electrolyte balance in newborn infants, provided due care is given to the timing of sample collections.

Adrenal Hyperplasia, Congenital↗
PubMed1979

Internal quality control of radioimmunoassays: monitoring of error.

A cumulative sum technique has been specially designed to monitor the error between replicate determinations made on quality control plasma for consecutive batches of assays. This procedure has played a vital role in assessing assay performance. Special consideration has been given to small sample sizes (n = 2 or 3) which is generally the rule rather than the exception in many situations. This technique has been applied to numerous steroid radioimmunoassays and has ensured that both the mean value and the standard error of hormone levels of a quality control pool were under control. Data from routine assays of oestriol and testosterone in plasma from women are presented. Since this technique provides a sensitive measure of monitoring error, it assists the endocrinologist in elucidating statistical inferences which are a manifestation of assay performance.

Estriol↗
PubMed1979

Purification of the cytoplasmic oestrogen receptor from mammary tumours induced in rats with dimethylbenzanthracene.

The oestrogen receptor from mammary tumours induced in rats by dimethylbenz(a)-anthracene has been extensively purified by affinity chromatography and isoelectric focusing. The unpurified cytoplasmic 8 S oestrogen receptor had a molecular weight of 240,000, a Stokes radius of 5.4 nm and a frictional ratio of 1.32; the Km (dissociation constant) at 4 degrees C for [3H]oestradiol-17 beta was 0.184 nmol/l. At the end of affinity chromatography the molecular weight was still 240,000 but under the conditions of isoelectric focusing it was reduced to 110,000, with a Stokes radius of 4.0 nm, a frictional ratio of 1.26 and an isoelectric point of 6.4.

9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene↗
PubMed1978

Androgenic regulation of elongation of polyribonucleotide chains on rat ventral-prostate chromatin.

The kinetics of polyribonucleotide-chain elongation by rat ventral-prostate RNA polymerase B with homologous chromatin as a template were investigated. Chain elongation was measured under conditions wherein all initiation had occurred, no reinitiation took place and the reaction rate was constant. The kinetic behaviour of prostate RNA polymerase B was consistent with a mathematical model formulated for the multisubstrate enzyme. The addition of each nucleoside triphosphate was independent of the other three. The overall rate of chain elongation was lower when prostate chromatin from castrated rats was used than with prostate chromatin from normal rats. The inclusion of dihydrotestosterone-receptor complexes stimulated the rate of elongation. Androgenic effects did not appear to be directed towards the addition of individual nucleoside triphosphates, but probably towards one of the other major events in RNA-chain elongation, i.e., unwinding of DNA or movement of the enzyme along the template.

Animals↗