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Biomedical subjects

K McCarthy

Publications and source records attributed to K McCarthy.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Prospective randomized trial of high-dose cisplatin and fluorouracil infusion with or without sodium diethyldithiocarbamate in recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

Previous studies have indicated that sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC) can reduce cisplatin's (CP) toxic effects without altering the antitumor activity. DDTC has also been shown to have immunostimulative properties. Sixty patients with objectively measurable recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the head and neck were randomized to receive either (A) CP at 120 mg/m2 over one hour on day 1, plus fluorouracil (5-FU) at 1,000 mg/m2 over 24 hours as a continuous infusion on days 1 through 5, or (B) CP/5-FU as in A, plus DDTC at 600 mg/m2 over 30 minutes administered intravenously (IV) exactly 30 minutes after CP infusion. Group B also received DDTC at 200 mg/m2 administered IV over 30 minutes on days 8 and 15. Each cycle was repeated at 3-week intervals. Objective responses were achieved in 41% of the CP/5-FU group and in 29% of the CP/5-FU with DDTC group (P = .26). Median survival was 9 months in group A and 10 months in group B. CP-related toxicity between the groups was equivalent with respect to nausea and vomiting, renal impairment, neurotoxicity, ototoxicity, and hematologic toxicity. The pharmacokinetics of reactive platinum species in plasma ultrafiltrate and urine samples obtained from both groups were comparable. The immune status of 48 patients was evaluated before and after completion of therapy. There were no significant differences in mean pretreatment and posttreatment values within or between groups A or B, except for absolute pretreatment OKT4 values (P = .02). We conclude that (1) the present dose and infusion schedule of DDTC did not significantly reduce CP-mediated toxic effects, (2) DDTC did not alter the disposition of ultrafilterable platinum species, (3) DDTC did not affect immune responses, and (4) the addition of DDTC improved neither the clinical response nor the survival of patients with recurrent SCC of the head and neck.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Oximeters.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Carboxyhemoglobin↗
PubMed1988

Indium-111-labeled white blood cells in the detection of osteomyelitis complicated by a pre-existing condition.

Forty-six patients (23M, 23F) ranging in age from 19 to 79 yr with a clinical history of a nonunion fracture, surgery, diabetes or a soft-tissue infection were studied with [111In]oxine WBCs to detect osteomyelitis. There were 27 true-positive, nine true-negative, two false-positive and one false-negative. The false-positives and the false-negative occurred in patients with soft-tissue infections overlying the area of interest. All diagnoses were confirmed by intraoperative bone biopsies and cultures. Bone biopsy and scan were performed within 2 days of each other in 39 patients. The overall sensitivity was 97% (27/28), specificity, 82% (9/11) and the diagnostic accuracy, 92% (36/39). The remaining seven patients had negative [111In]WBC scans several months after positive bone biopsies and definite antibiotic treatment. This suggests that [In]WBC scans become negative after appropriate therapy is undertaken. Interobserver data was obtained from four nuclear physicians of varying experience blinded to clinical information. A high degree of agreement was found in over 90% of the cases. This study demonstrates the utility of [111In]WBC scans in the diagnosis and follow-up of complicated osteomyelitis and a high level of interobserver agreement in scan interpretation.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Slow-stream rehabilitation: is it effective?

Fifty-two patients, who were not considered to be suitable for traditional therapy, were evaluated on their admission (53 admissions) to the Slow Stream Rehabilitation Unit at Greenwich Hospital, and on and after their discharge from hospital, with a minimum follow-up period after discharge from hospital of 13 months. Mobility and the capacity to perform basic self-care activities were assessed by means of a set protocol while traditional rehabilitation therapies were employed. Of the 53 admissions to hospital, there were eight inpatient deaths and 45 discharges from the Unit: 19 discharges to home and 26 discharges to institutional care. This represents a considerable improvement over the initial assessment that all patients would need nursing home accommodation or prolonged hospitalization. At the second follow-up examination, seven of the 19 patients who were discharged home originally, still resided at home. There were 15 patients in nursing care while 23 patients had died. Most patients had maintained their discharge levels of mobility and self-care, unless a further disability had supervened. The majority of carers and patients expressed gratitude for the opportunity that the patients had had to undergo therapy, with the possibility of an eventual return to their own homes, rather than to have proceeded directly to a nursing home.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

Genome isomerism in two alphaherpesviruses: Herpesvirus saimiri-1 (Herpesvirus tamarinus) and avian infectious laryngotracheitis virus. Brief report.

Genome isomerism of avian infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILT) and Herpesvirus saimiri-1 (HVS-1) (formerly H. tamarinus) was investigated using restriction endonuclease analysis and scanning densitometry. ILT DNA was found to have 2 isomers with a molecular weight of 109 X 10(6). HVS-1 DNA was found to have four isomers with a molecular weight of 102 X 10(6).

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Characterization of four herpesviruses isolated from owl monkeys and their comparison with Herpesvirus saimiri type 1 (Herpesvirus tamarinus) and herpes simplex virus type 1.

Four herpesviruses were previously isolated from four outbreaks of lethal disease in owl monkeys. All four isolates have been shown to be antigenically closely related to each other and to Herpesvirus saimiri 1 (HVS-1) by kinetic neutralizations. The owl monkey strains also share similarities to HVS-1 and to each other with respect to host range, growth cycles and molecular weights of peptides and of DNA fragments generated by restriction endonuclease (R.E.) digestion. R.E. analysis, however, can differentiate strains by the use of certain enzymes. All four isolates share a common G-C ratio percentage with HVS-1 of 67 per cent. On the basis of these findings, we believe that these owl monkey virus isolates are strains of HVS-1.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Sonography in the follow-up of 100 patients with thyroid carcinoma.

High-frequency, high-resolution sonography was used to detect recurrent thyroid carcinoma in 73 patients with papillary carcinoma, 16 with medullary carcinoma, 10 with follicular carcinoma, and one with small-cell carcinoma. Of the 36 patients with negative sonograms, 35 had no other evidence of recurrence, while one had surgical proof of recurrence. Of 25 patients with positive sonograms, confirmed with surgery or radioactive iodine (I131) scanning (sonographic sensitivity 96%, specificity 83%), palpation was negative in 17 (palpation sensitivity 32%, specificity 100%). Thirty-two patient with positive sonographic findings had no objective clinical proof of recurrence. There were seven false-positive studies. This study suggests that sonography may be the method of choice for earliest detection and localization of recurrent carcinoma of the thyroid.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1986

Familial erythrophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis: immunophenotypic, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural demonstration of the relation to sinus histiocytes.

Familial erythrophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (FEL), a rare, rapidly fatal childhood disease, is characterized by fever, hepatosplenomegaly, pancytopenia, and widely disseminated lymphohistiocytic infiltrates with prominent erythrophagocytosis. Immunophenotypic, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural studies of two siblings with FEL were performed in an effort to determine the nature of the proliferating histiocyte of FEL. These studies demonstrated that the FEL histiocytes lack S-100 protein, T6, and Birbeck granules, which are found in Langerhans and interdigitating dendritic cells. The FEL histiocytes express alpha 1-antichymotrypsin, Leu-M3, HLA-DR, and, variably, lysozyme and Leu-M1. Thus, the proliferating histiocyte of FEL is a member of the mononuclear phagocytic system and has a phenotype similar to that of the histiocytes that normally populate the sinuses of benign and reactive lymph nodes. These studies suggest that FEL may represent uncontrolled proliferation of sinusoidal histiocytes.

Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte↗
PubMed1986

HTLV-III antibody and T-cell subset ratios in haemophiliacs and their spouses.

44% of 63 British patients with either haemophilia A or B were HTLV-III antibody positive (HTLV-VIII+). HTLV-III+ was more frequent in high factor VIII concentrate users and 75% of severely affected haemophilia A patients were HTLV-III+. All eight patients who were exposed to factor IX concentrate were HTLV-III-. 17 haemophilia A patients who received only British made factor VIII concentrate (average 12,000 units/year) were HTLV-III-. Two of 63 patients had evidence of a pre-AIDS type symptom complex and both were HTLV-III+. Information from a cohort of 21 Liverpool haemophiliacs suggests that HTLV-III was first introduced into this country in 1981. OKT4/T8 ratios were abnormal in 52% of 21 patients studied but this finding was not confined to either HTLV-III+ or HTLV-III- individuals. The spouses of 14 HTLV-III+ haemophiliacs were all HTLV-III-.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Accuracy of radiation field alignment in clinical practice.

We present an analysis of simulator and portal films of 71 patients. Twenty-five were analyzed retrospectively, 39 prospectively, but without changing routine filming practice, and 7 had daily portal films taken. Treatment-to-treatment variations in anatomy with respect to the field were determined by comparing sequential portal films. The standard deviation of the variations was approximately normally distributed with an average value of 3 mm independent of site and field shaping technique. Discrepancies between the portal and simulator films were greater and depended on the site of treatment. The mean worst-case discrepancy averaged over all sites was 7.7 mm; the lowest value was 3.5 mm in the head and neck region; the highest value was 9.2 mm in the thorax.

Humans↗
PubMed1985

The bile ducts after a fatty meal: further sonographic observations.

The sonographic appearance of the response of the common hepatic duct to physiologic stimulation by a fatty meal was assessed in 131 patients referred because of right upper quadrant symptoms or abnormal liver chemical studies. In the determination of the presence or absence of biliary obstruction, the sensitivity of the examination was 84%, the accuracy of a positive test was 84%, and the accuracy of a negative test was 93%. This test proved helpful in several circumstances: equivocal duct caliber (6-10 mm); abnormal caliber (6-14 mm) with normal laboratory values; normal caliber duct with abnormal laboratory values; persistent question of cholelithiasis or asymptomatic pancreatic duct dilatation. Measurements of bile duct caliber alone may be insufficient to ascertain the presence of bile duct obstruction and fatty meal stimulation significantly improves diagnostic accuracy.

Bile Ducts↗
PubMed1984

Relationship between type A behavior subscales and measures of positive mental health.

Recent evidence suggests that the student version of the Jenkins Activity Survey, a major measure of the Type A behavior pattern, is composed of heterogeneous items and, as a consequence, attenuates correlations with measures of psychological traits. The present study used two homogeneous subscales from the JAS to establish the relationship between two aspects of positive mental health (self-actualization and self-esteem) and components of the Type A syndrome (N = 68). As expected, self-actualization and self-esteem are related to only one aspect of the Type A behavior pattern. This result is obscured when only total JAS scale scores are used. Implications for future Type A behavior research and for improving the JAS subscales are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1984

Surfactants: a survey of short-term genotoxicity testing.

The available results for tests on over 200 surfactants in nine short-term genotoxicity assay systems were reviewed. These tests included the Salmonella/microsome mutation assay, bacterial DNA repair tests, mitotic recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the mouse lymphoma cell-mutation assay, unscheduled DNA synthesis and sister chromatid exchange assays in mammalian cells, mammalian chromosome damage tests in vitro and in vivo, the dominant lethal test in rodents, and mammalian cell-transformation tests. The collected data cover all four major classes of surfactants: anionic, cationic, nonionic and amphoteric. The results of these genotoxicity tests were overwhelmingly negative. Although there were occasional positive results in bacterial or cell-transformation systems, the testing performed to date indicates that surfactants have negligible potential to cause genetic damage. The available data also indicate that none of the assays were incompatible with testing surfactants for genotoxicity.

Animals↗