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Biomedical subjects

K Herman

Publications and source records attributed to K Herman.

32 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1982

A rapid quantitative method for the preparation of 123I-iodo-hippuric acid.

The labelling of o-iodo-hippuric acid (hippuran) with 123I by several methods was investigated with a view to producing a simple one-step kit preparation. The requirements for the final product are high labelling efficiency and high radiochemical purity. A method which incorporates CuSO4 . 5H2O as a catalyst was found which gave promising preliminary results. Such variables as pH, mass of CuSO4 . 5H2O, volume of 0.02 N NaOH containing the 123I, reaction temperature and time were investigated in detail and optimum values obtained. The results have led to the production of a kit which can be stored for up to 3 months in liquid form and up to 9 months if freeze-dried. The kit has been used in several thousand patients and has yielded consistently good clinical results.

Humans↗
PubMed1981

Clinical and electroencephalographic characteristics of midline parasagittal foci.

We report the clinical and electroencephalographic (EEG) characteristics of 14 patients with midline parasagittal epileptogenic foci. Montages not including the vertex electrodes demonstrated the abnormal activity poorly or not at all. The clinical manifestations were diverse and included tonic-clonic, atypical absence, and partial seizures. In the majority, no cause could be established. The interictal EEG abnormality did not predict the pattern of clinical attack. Half the patients had evidence of structural brain disease. Four patients had no history of seizures.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

The effect of pentagastrin (I.C.I. 50, 123) on peptic secretion in man.

1. We have studied the peptic responses of the intact human stomach to stimulation by doses of pentagastrin which elicit a maximal acid response.2. In twelve patients an intramuscular injection of pentagastrin (6 mug/kg) was followed by a prompt increase in acid output which attained a peak value eight times higher than the basal value in the period 15-30 min after stimulation. The pattern of the peptic response was similar, but the peak output of pepsin was only three times the output in unstimulated juice.3. In ten subjects the acid and peptic responses to I.V. infusion of pentagastrin (1.2 mug/kg per hr) were studied using a gastric perfusion technique with (14)C-labelled polyethylene glycol as non-absorbable marker. In seven of these ten subjects the pH of duodenal contents exceeded 6, and less than 0.5 m-mole HCl per 15 min entered the duodenum throughout the tests. In this subgroup pentagastrin evoked a strong acid response but no peptic response.4. In three subjects the pH of duodenal juice was less than 5.5 at times when more than 1 m-mole HCl per 15 min entered the duodenum. The acid response to pentagastrin differed considerably in the three subjects, but in each individual the output of pepsin increased each time an excess of HCl entered the duodenum.5. Since pentagastrin infused in a dose which maximally stimulates acid did not significantly increase the output of pepsin provided no HCl entered the duodenum we conclude that pentagastrin does not stimulate the secretion of pepsin in man. The transient insignificant peptic response to pentagastrin infusions, and the small but significant response to bolus injections of pentagastrin, can be explained as a wash-out phenomenon.

Gastric Juice↗
PubMed1978

Pancreatic enzymes in human duodenal juice--a comparison of responses in secretin pancreozymin and Lundh Borgström tests.

We have compared the concentrations and total outputs of trypsin, amylase, and lipase secreted into the duodenum during secretin pancreozymin and Lundh Borgström tests in order to assess the relative intensity of pancreatic stimulation provided by these means. The mean concentration of trypsin, and the mean 10 minute total output of trypsin, amylase, and lipase after the meal (though less than the peak post-prandial responses) were equal to the respective peak enzyme responses after intravenous injection of 2 Crick Harper Raper units per kg of secretin Boots; and after intravenous injection of 2 Crick Harper Raper units per kg of pancreozymin Boots.

Amylases↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A brief method for conducting a negative-reinforcement assessment.

A brief negative-reinforcement assessment was conducted with developmentally disabled children with severe destructive behavior. Five children were trained to engage in a simple escape response (e.g., a hand clap). Then each child was presented with a variety of stimuli or tasks that ranged on a scale from preferred to nonpreferred, based on parent ranking. The participant received a brief break from the stimuli or task, contingent on each escape response. For one child, an avoidance contingency was also implemented in which he could engage in the response to avoid the presentation of stimuli. Results showed that for each child, several stimuli were identified that may serve as effective negative reinforcers. Results also indicated that the procedure did not elicit any negative side effects for four children and low rates of destructive behavior for the fifth child. For one child, the results of the negative-reinforcement assessment were used to develop an effective treatment for destructive behavior. Additional applications of the reinforcement assessment to treatment interventions is discussed, as well as limitations to the procedure.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Retroperitoneal sarcoma--the continued challenge for surgery and oncology.

Retroperitoneal sarcomas (RS) are rare malignant tumours with an incidence rate of about 1-2 cases per million per year. Therefore only a few centres are able to acquire more experience in this field. Tumours are usually of large size, due to slow growth and uncommon symptoms. Different histologic types, grades and rare incidence make any comparison difficult. Radical excision including adjacent organs, called "en-block" resection, is the treatment of choice, however it is very often difficult to obtain adequate free margins around the tumour. Complete tumour excision remains a challenge even for an experienced surgeon. In the published series, resectability ranges from 38 to 100% with radicality rate between 8 and 95%. Local recurrence is very common (33-86%), with rare distant metastases (max. 33%), so local failure is usually the cause of death. It is well known that histological grading and completeness of surgery determine the chance of survival. Five-year survival rates after radical excision ranged from 62-92% in well-differentiated tumours, compared with 16-48% in nondifferentiated sarcomas. There is no evidence that adjuvant or neoadjuvant treatment affects the prognosis. Only the development of an international registry of retroperitoneal sarcoma and co-operative intergroup studies can help in evaluating treatment and in applying innovative multimodal therapies to these neoplasms.

Combined Modality Therapy↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Radiotherapy for stage III, inoperable, asymptomatic small cell lung cancer. Final results of a prospective randomized study (240 patients)].

PURPOSE: To report the results of a prospective randomized study concerning the role of radiotherapy in the treatment of stage III, unresectable, asymptomatic non-small cell lung cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between 1992 and 1996, 240 patients with stage III, unresectable, asymptomatic non-small cell lung cancer were enrolled in this study, and sequentially randomized to one of the three treatment arms: conventional irradiation, hypofractionated irradiation and control group. In the conventional irradiation arm (79 patients), a dose of 50 Gy in 25 fractions in five weeks was delivered to the primary tumor and the mediastinum. In the hypofractionated irradiation arm (81 patients), there were two courses of irradiation separated by an interval of four weeks. In each series, patients received 20 Gy in five fractions in five days, in the same treatment volume as the conventional irradiation group. In the control group arm, 80 patients initially did not receive radiotherapy and were only observed. Delayed palliative hypofractionated irradiation (20-25 Gy in four to five fractions in four to five days) was given to the primary tumor when major symptoms developed. RESULTS: The two-year actuarial survival rates for patients in the conventional irradiation, hypofractionated irradiation and control group arms were 18%, 6% and 0%, with a median survival time of 12 months, nine months and six months respectively. The differences between survival rates were statistically significant at the 0.05 level. CONCLUSION: Although irradiation provides good palliation, the results are disappointing. The comparison of conventional and hypofractionated irradiation shows an advantage for conventional schedules.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Clinical heterogeneity in autosomal dominant optic atrophy in two 3q28-qter linked central Illinois families.

PURPOSE: To examine the clinical and genetic heterogeneity of autosomal dominant optic atrophy among two unrelated central Illinois families. METHODS: Forty-three individuals from two pedigrees had complete eye examinations. Linkage analysis was performed with microsatellite markers from the region 3q28-29. RESULTS: Visual acuity in 21 affected individuals ranged from 20/25 to 20/800. Vision loss was more severe in males than females (P = 0.02). Color vision testing revealed generalized dyschromatopsia. Both visual acuity and color vision deteriorated with age. Linkage was established to chromosome 3q28-29 (LODmax = 4.68 for D3S2305). CONCLUSION: Autosomal dominant optic atrophy linked to chromosome 3q28-29 shows intrafamilial phenotypic variation as well as sex-influenced severity in two Midwestern families.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Differential mRNA expression and production of interleukin-6 in placental trophoblast and villous core compartments.

PROBLEM: Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pleiotropic protein that functions as an immunoregulatory peptide, growth factor, and endocrine hormone. IL-6 has been shown to be produced in whole placental tissue and isolated trophoblast (TC). In addition, the villous core (VC) compartment of the placenta contains cell types (fibroblasts, macrophages) capable of IL-6 production. Consequently, the present study was designed to determine the relative contribution of the TC and VC compartments to placental IL-6 production. METHOD: The VC and TC compartments from term pregnancies were separated using CR-Dispase digestion and Percoll density gradient centrifugation. The VC, TC, and whole placental tissues were cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium over a 28-h period. Relative IL-6 mRNA expression was determined by dot blot analysis and secreted IL-6 protein was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. RESULTS: All three tissues demonstrated linear production of IL-6 protein over the culture period. At 28 h, whole placental tissue produced the most IL-6 (5.1 ng +/- 0.8 ng/microgram/protein) followed by TC (4.0 ng +/- 1.3 ng/micrograms) and VC (0.55 ng +/- 0.24 ng/microgram). Although production rates of IL-6 were 8.4-fold higher in TC compared to VC (P < .05), steady-state IL-6 mRNA expression was 3.5-fold higher in freshly isolated VC compared to TC (P < .0001) and 13-fold higher in VC compared to TC (P < .01) after 24 h in culture. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that: (1) the placenta can produce large quantities of immunoreactive IL-6 in vitro, (2) TC produce significantly more IL-6 than VC although both compartments contribute to placental IL-6 production, (3) placental IL-6 production and secretion are probably posttranscriptionally regulated since steady-state IL-6 mRNA expression in VC and TC compartments did not correlate with IL-6 production.

Blotting, Northern↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Intraoperative ultrasound in gastrointestinal cancer. An analysis of 272 operated patients.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Diagnostic efficacy of the intraoperative ultrasound was compared with pre- and postoperative ultrasound, and with the intraoperative surgical examination. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The prospective study of 272 patients with the cancer of esophagus, stomach, duodenum, colon and rectum was performed. RESULTS: In 103 patients (37.8%) intraoperative ultrasound identified oncological pathology in the liver, other parenchymal organs, lymph nodes or local invasion of the cancer. Sixty-nine liver metastases were found in 45 patients and in 21 patients (7.7%) only intraoperative sonography discovered these deposits. The diagnostic efficacy value of this method in detecting liver metastases is much higher than preoperative ultrasound and intraoperative palpation. Intraoperative ultrasonography, as the only method, has shown local tumor invasion in 13 patients (4.8%) and metastatic lymph nodes in 8 patients (2.9%). In 53 patients (19.5%) information gathered from intraoperative sonography, caused modification of the surgical procedure. CONCLUSIONS: These data show that intraoperative ultrasound is a simple, cheap and useful clinical technique, which can examine not only the liver, but also the tumor and lymph node areas. The method is also very effective in assessment of the completeness of the range of adequate primary tumor resection.

Esophageal Neoplasms↗