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Biomedical subjects

L G Smith

Publications and source records attributed to L G Smith.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

A comparison between two commercially available activators for determining the partial thromboplastin time.

Activators that are used to determine the activated partial thromboplastin time should be sensitive enough to detect mild deficiencies of coagulation factors in a reproducible fashion. We compared two commercially available activators--a newly modified preparation of ellagic acid activator and a silica activator. Both reagents produced results that were reproducible over a broad range of concentrations of factors involved in the intrinsic coagulation pathway. The ellagic acid activator was more sensitive in detecting a partial deficiency of nearly all of these factors.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Pentamidine treatment of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Association with acute renal failure and myoglobinuria.

A 31-year-old man with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and biopsy-proved Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia developed acute renal failure, elevated creatinine kinase levels, and myoglobin in both serum and urine while being treated with pentamidine. The patient was receiving no other nephrotoxic medications at the time, and these unusual complications were directly related to the pentamidine.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1984

Studies on prenatal and postnatal development in rats exposed to 60-Hz electric fields.

A series of three experiments was performed to determine the effects of 30-day exposures to uniform 60-Hz electric fields (100 kV/m) on reproduction and on growth and development in the fetuses and offspring of rats. In the first experiment, exposure of females for 6 days prior to and during the mating period did not affect their reproductive performance, and continued exposure through 20 days of gestation (dg) did not affect the viability, size, or morphology of their fetuses. In the second experiment, exposure of the pregnant rat was begun on 0 dg and continued until the resulting offspring reached 8 days of age. In the third experiment, exposure began at 17 dg and continued through 25 days of postnatal life. In the second and third experiments, no statistically significant differences suggesting impairment of the growth or survival of exposed offspring were detected. In the second experiment, a significantly greater percentage of the exposed offspring showed movement, standing, and grooming at 14 days of age than among-sham-exposed offspring. There was a significant decrease at 14 days in the percentage of exposed offspring displaying the righting reflex in the second experiment and negative geotropism in the third experiment. These differences were all transient and were not found when the animals were tested again at 21 days of age. Evaluation of the reproductive integrity of the offspring of the second experiment did not disclose any deficits.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1984

Effects of ammonium sulfate aerosol exposure on lung structure of normal and elastase-impaired rats and guinea pigs.

Rats and guinea pigs, pretreated with intratracheally administered elastase or saline, were exposed to 1.03 mg/m3 (NH4)2SO4; MMAD, 0.42 micron. Identically treated controls were sham exposed. Measurements and evaluation of structural changes were conducted using morphometric techniques on SEM photographs and by applying subjective ratings. Pathology studies were conducted by light and electron microscopy. All examination methods confirmed elastase-induced emphysema, which was aggravated by (NH4)2SO4 exposure in the rat. Ammonium sulfate exposure of saline-treated animals produced measurable degrees of enlargement of alveoli, and alveolar ducts and sacs. Electron microscopy revealed increased interstitial collagen in affected lung areas of elastase-treated, (NH4)2SO4-exposed animals. Alveolar-pore size was significantly increased in elastase-treated animals (control and exposed) but not in saline-treated, exposed animals. The data suggest a possible difference between elastase and (NH4)2SO4 in the mechanisms responsible for the increased diameter of alveolar structures. Hypertrophy and hyperplasia of nonciliated epithelial cells of the small airways and of the Type II alveolar cells were observed in otherwise untreated guinea pigs exposed to (NH4)2SO4 but not in elastase-treated guinea pigs, nor in any of the rats.

Aerosols↗
PubMed1984

Comparison of methods for evaluation of experimentally induced emphysema.

Four methods to quantify induced emphysema, in a manner economically applicable to large numbers of animals, are compared by correlation analyses. Lung tissue used was from rats pretreated intratracheally with elastase or saline prior to exposure to air or (NH4)2SO4 or NH4NO3 aerosols. The most sensitive quantitative evaluation was from mean chord length (MCL) measurements on scanning electron micrographs (SEM). Four-corner and parallel-line grids provided similar results, and reducing sample size to one selected field per lobe yielded a high degree of reliability for MCL measurements. Alveolar-pore perimeter and area (also measured on SEM photographs) were increased by induced emphysema, but were not reliable indicators for degree of pulmonary involvement. Both subjective score (grading the degree of emphysema) and percentage-area-affected determinations indicated the presence of emphysema, but with less sensitivity than MCL measurements. However, these two subgross methods (performed with a dissecting microscope) provided valuable information on the distribution of pulmonary lesions; emphysema was induced in a nonuniform but consistent and progressive pattern in the two lobes of the lung studied.

Ammonium Sulfate↗
PubMed1984

Drug-resistance encountered in the retreatment of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections.

Patients who had prior anti-tuberculosis medications for pulmonary tuberculosis and who return to the hospital with culture-positive tuberculosis have been considered to be at risk of harboring resistant bacilli (secondary resistance or acquired resistance). The present recommendation for therapy of these patients is to resume earlier anti-tuberculosis medications and to add two new agents until the drug susceptibilities of the bacilli are known. This study reviewed 112 cases of readmissions for active tuberculosis and evaluated the risk of acquired drug resistance in this group. Patients with 6 months or less of prior therapy rarely harbored resistant organisms. Patients with 6-12 months of prior therapy had an 88% possibility of harboring resistant bacilli, but only a 30% risk of harboring multiple-drug resistant bacilli. Patients with 12 months or more of prior therapy had a 66% risk of harboring multiple-drug resistant, difficult-to-treat bacilli. This data would indicate that only those patients who have had prior therapy for 7 months or more require aggressive initial readmission therapy with 4 or more anti-tuberculosis agents. Hopefully this finding will not only help clinicians to identify readmission tuberculosis patients who are at increased risk of harboring resistant organisms but will also help them to be more selective in prescribing aggressive, potentially toxic, multiple-drug regimens.

Aminosalicylic Acid↗
PubMed1983

Systemic infections treated with amdinocillin in combination with other beta-lactam antibiotics.

Amdinocillin is a semisynthetic derivative of 6-beta-amidinopenicillanic acid, which has bactericidal activity against a broad spectrum of gram-negative bacteria. We report the results of a multicenter study evaluating the safety and efficacy of amdinocillin in combination with other beta-lactam antibiotics in the treatment of 120 serious gram-negative bacterial infections. Amdinocillin was safe and well tolerated and, in combination with other beta-lactam antibiotics, was effective in the treatment of a broad range of gram-negative bacterial infections. Therapy with amdinocillin and other beta-lactam antibiotics was often associated with a demonstrable synergistic effect. Thus, amdinocillin holds promise as an effective antibiotic with synergistic potential when used in combination with penicillins and cephalosporins.

Amdinocillin↗
PubMed1983

Pseudo-prolongation of the partial thromboplastin time.

A patient with a negative personal and family history for bleeding was being prepared for bronchoscopy when an extremely long activated partial thromboplastin time was detected. Analyses for the contact phase factors were normal. It was determined subsequently that the prolongation was artifactual. The prolongation was due to a peculiar set of circumstances requiring an intrinsically short partial thromboplastin time, a rapid-acting commercial accelerating agent, and a clot-sensing device having a built-in lag phase longer than the resulting partial thromboplastin time. The authors wish to bring to the attention of laboratory personnel this curiosity.

Aged↗