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Biomedical subjects

L Moore

Publications and source records attributed to L Moore.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

Total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage and sudden death in infancy.

The clinicopathologic features of four infants with undiagnosed total anomalous pulmonary venous return who died suddenly and unexpectedly are presented. Two infants were found dead in their beds and two collapsed following very non-specific episodes of mild tachypnoea and tachycardia, respectively. Pulmonary venous blood drained via a common channel to the left innominate vein, the superior vena cava, the inferior vena cava at the junction of the hepatic vein and the supradiaphragmatic portion of the inferior vena cava. All cases demonstrated right atrial and ventricular hypertrophy and in one case there was associated hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Although those mechanisms responsible for sudden infant death syndrome could not definitely be excluded in two cases, the presence of anomalous pulmonary drainage with significant right-sided cardiac cardiac hypertrophy in each patient strongly suggests a contributing role for the vascular malformation in the aetiology of sudden unexpected death. The importance of careful in situ dissection of the major vessels in all cases of paediatric sudden death is emphasised, particularly in the presence of other congenital cardiac anomalies.

Cardiomegaly↗

Effects of a smoker's hotline: results of a 10-county self-help trial.

The effect of a smokers' hotline as an adjunct to self-help manuals was examined. Subjects were 1,813 smokers recruited from a 10-county rural and small urban area. Counties were matched on demographic characteristics and assigned to a manual only or manual plus hotline condition. Subjects were followed over an 18-month period. Hotline services included taped messages and access to paraprofessional counselors. Results show a consistent, significant hotline effect across outcome measures and follow-up periods. This effect emerged either as a main effect for the hotline or as an interaction with enrollment method such that a significant hotline effect emerged for subjects who enrolled through face-to-face methods. These findings indicate the effectiveness of the hotline in enhancing self-help quit rates.

Adult↗

Adrenal cortical tumors in childhood--clinicopathological features of six cases.

Six cases of adrenal cortical tumors are presented with a discussion of the clinical features and histological findings. Five of the 6 children, aged between 6 mths and 6 yrs, presented with symptoms of hyperadrenalism, 4 with virilization and 1 with Cushingoid features. The remaining infant presented with an asymptomatic abdominal mass. In each case there was a unilateral tumor separated from the residual adrenal gland by a thin fibrous capsule. Surgical resection was the treatment employed and, in the 5 cases with functional tumors, perioperative hydrocortisone was given. None of the children received post-operative chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Bizarre cellular morphology, a high mitotic count and extensive necrosis were all seen in clinically benign disease, demonstrating not only the efficacy of local resection but also the difficulty in applying the usual histological criteria of malignancy to these pediatric adrenal tumors. At follow-up, 5 of the 6 patients are alive with no evidence of recurrent disease. The only death resulted from measles pneumonitis in the 1 child who presented with Cushing's syndrome.

Adrenal Cortex Neoplasms↗

Cyclosporine and the renin-angiotensin system.

Much is known about the renin-angiotensin system during cyclosporine treatment: plasma renin or prorenin activity seems to be raised in man and animals; hyperplasia of the juxtaglomerular apparatus has been reported in man and animals; renin concentration is known to be increased in animal kidneys; renin-angiotensin-like alterations in vascular contractility have been identified in animal vessels. Since the major functional side effects of cyclosporine are systemic vasoconstriction and renal vasoconstriction, the renin-angiotensin system could be involved. Also, an infrequent complication in man, vasculopathy, develops only in the afferent arteriole, where renin production is most abundant. Hence, this information is now reviewed and incorporated into a single pathophysiological concept, with the implication that renin activation plays a central role in the pathogenesis of cyclosporine-induced functional and structural lesions, merits further attention.

Animals↗

Heart healthy education. Effectiveness of teaching methods in the workplace.

One fourth to one third of employed workers in this country have at least one of three major risk factors for coronary heart disease. This pilot study examined differences between educational methods used in an occupational setting. The specific aims of the quasi-experimental study were: to determine differences between two groups of subjects who received either group support and instruction or only written instruction; and to determine the association between the practice of heart healthy behaviors and decreased blood cholesterol levels. No significant differences were found between the two groups in cholesterol and behavior changes. However, there was a significant difference between pre- and post-instruction for all subjects. The study documented significant changes in cholesterol levels, cholesterol and fat intake, and weight reduction.

Adult↗

Prostate specific antigen and local recurrence after radical prostatectomy.

We evaluated the location of recurrent disease in 63 patients with carcinoma of the prostate who had abnormal levels of prostate specific antigen (greater than 0.4 ng./ml., Tandem-R assay) 6 to 240 months after radical prostatectomy but who were otherwise considered to be without evidence of disease. The evaluation involved physical examination including digital rectal examinations by 3 urologists, isotopic bone scans, computerized tomography scans of the abdomen and pelvis, cystoscopy, and random needle biopsies of the urethrovesical anastomotic area. In 6 patients metastatic disease to the bone and/or lymph nodes was found and local prostate cancer was discovered in 5. Among 57 patients without evidence of disease by the usual methods of evaluation needle biopsies of the anastomosis revealed local disease in 42%. No local disease was discovered in 30 post-radical prostatectomy patients with normal prostate specific antigen levels. There was a wide range of transrectally palpable contours after radical prostatectomy in patients with and without elevated prostate specific antigen levels. We conclude that prostate specific antigen but not digital rectal examination is an excellent early indicator of possible local recurrence after radical prostatectomy. Whether the prevalence of local disease after radical prostatectomy using prostate specific antigen levels and needle biopsies of the anastomosis is greater than heretofore has been appreciated will require further study.

Aged↗

Impact of halogenated compounds on calcium homeostasis in hepatocytes.

Halocarbons (CCl4, 1,1-dichlorethylene) cause a wide spectrum of effects and injury in hepatocytes. One early effect of these compounds is the inhibition and destruction of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) calcium pump. Subsequent to inhibition of this pump, the ER calcium pool is depleted and cytosolic levels of calcium are increased for a prolonged period of time. This effect of halocarbons has been characterized and is similar in vivo and in vitro. The importance of this redistribution of cell calcium in expression of halocarbon injury of hepatocytes has not been fully resolved. Several degradative enzymes (phospholipases, proteases) have been implicated as calcium-dependent mediators in toxicity. Our preliminary studies of the effect of calcium redistribution suggest that activation of a calcium-sensitive endonuclease in liver does not play a central role in initiating the lethal effect of halocarbons on hepatocytes.

Animals↗

Sudden and unexpected death--a late effect of occult intraesophageal foreign body.

Acute upper airway obstruction in a 4-month-old male infant who presented as sudden infant death syndrome is described. At autopsy external tracheal compression and tracheobronchitis with plugging of the trachea and bronchi by an abundant mucopurulent exudate were found. The source of the inflammation was the adjacent esophagus where previous impaction of a coin had caused pressure necrosis with mucosal erosion and transmural granulation tissue formation. This case is reported to demonstrate that foreign bodies that remain in the esophagus, having by-passed the larynx, may still result in upper airway obstruction and death in early infancy by this unusual mechanism.

Airway Obstruction↗

Disappearance of labelled IGF-2 from plasma of the ovine fetus in late gestation.

The role of IGF-2 in the fetus and its possible influence on fetal growth remains speculative. We investigated the size distribution of unsaturated binding sites for labelled oIGF-2 in ovine fetal plasma. In addition, the disappearance of each form of protein bound IGF-2 in the late gestation ovine fetus (125-135 days, n = 5) was estimated. One minute after injection into the fetal femoral vein, 125IoIGF- circulated in the fetal femoral artery bound primarily to a 50 kDa binding protein. Only a small amount of binding to a 150 kDa binding protein was seen with little to no free IGF-2 present. IGF-2 also circulated in association with a large molecular weight complex (ca. 250 kDa) presumed to be circulating receptor bound IGF-2. The half life of the 250 kDa form of IGF-2 was 385.9 +/- 65.4 min, for the 150 kDa form 308.0 +/- 65.0 min, for the 50 kDa form was 35.5 + 2.6 min and for the free form of IGF-2 was 1.6 +/- 0.6 min. There was no apparent movement of intact IGF-2 out of the fetal circulation into any of the fetal fluids or into the maternal circulation. Similarly there was no consistent placental uptake of IGF-2 from the fetal circulation.

Animals↗

Validation of a role-play measure of children's social skills.

A videotape-administered role-play test of children's social skills was developed and its psychometric properties tested. Performance criteria for the test were derived from popular children's ratings of the effectiveness of different role-play responses. The test was administered to 157 fourth- and fifth-grade boys and girls who had been classified as popular, average, neglected, or rejected, on the basis of sociometric testing. The test evidenced good interrater, test-retest, and internal consistency reliabilities. Children's role-play performance correlated significantly with teacher ratings of social competence and with peer-liking ratings. Neglected children performed more poorly on the role-play test than popular children. When differences in intelligence among social status groups were statistically controlled, social status groups did not differ on the role-play test. Results of the discriminant analyses support the conclusion that teacher ratings are better than role-play tests for identifying rejected children, whereas role-play tests and measures of intelligence appear more accurate than teacher ratings for identifying neglected children.

Child↗

Halocarbon hepatotoxicity is not initiated by Ca2+-stimulated endonuclease activation.

Previous studies from this laboratory have demonstrated that cytosolic Ca2+ rapidly rises to supraphysiologic levels in liver cells exposed to the hepatotoxins carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) and 1,1-dichloroethylene (DCE) in vivo and in vitro. The present study examines whether this increase in intracellular Ca2+ activates endonucleases that could initiate or contribute to the ensuing hepatotoxic events. Initial experiments demonstrated that there was no generalized breakdown of hepatic DNA in intact rats exposed to CCl4 and DCE, as assessed by the appearance of nucleosomal fragments in liver nuclear DNA separated on agarose gels. Nor was generalized fragmentation observed in DNA isolated from primary hepatocyte cultures exposed to halocarbons, except at very late times following loss of plasma membrane integrity. Endonuclease activation was further examined at a more sensitive level by specifically monitoring hypersensitive sites (HSS) in serum albumin gene. Actively transcribed genes, such as albumin in liver tissue, are extremely sensitive to attack by exogenous nucleolytic enzymes at discrete sites. We speculated that subtle halocarbon-induced endonuclease activation would first become evident at these sites. To locate HSS, DNA was digested with restriction enzymes Eco R1 or Hind III, electrophoresed on agarose gels, blotted onto nitrocellulose, and hybridized to a 32P-labeled 1400 bp rat albumin genomic clone. No cleavage at hypersensitive sites was detected in DNA isolated from rat liver or hepatocyte DNA at early times when elevations of Ca2+ were developing. Thus, these data indicate that endonuclease activation by intracellular Ca2+ and resultant nucleolytic destruction of DNA is not an early event in the hepatotoxicity produced by halocarbons.

Animals↗