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Biomedical subjects

M Johnson

Publications and source records attributed to M Johnson.

At least 757 records · Page 42Linked to original sources
PubMed1982

Early survival after sclerotherapy for bleeding esophageal varices.

Forty-two patients from the University of Minnesota Hospitals and Minneapolis Veterans Administration Hospital underwent sclerotherapy for endoscopically verified esophageal varices. No patient was excluded because of poor hepatic functional reserve or serious co-morbid condition. Eleven patients were actively bleeding at the time of sclerotherapy. Thirty-one were listed as Child class B and C. After sclerotherapy, six of 25 survivors have had obliteration of varices. Substantial improvement was noted endoscopically in eight others. The most frequent complication was rebleeding, which occurred in 20 patients. Rebleeding led to surgical intervention in seven and to seven nonoperative deaths. There were two instances of mesenteric venous thrombosis complication not previously described following sclerotherapy. Twenty-nine patients survived two months, and 16 patients are alive at six months. These figures compare quite favorably with survival figures from other groups of patients who had roughly comparable liver impairment and who underwent medical treatment or portacaval shunts as an emergency measure.

Actuarial Analysis↗
PubMed1982

Gallbladder function in the human female: effect of the ovulatory cycle, pregnancy, and contraceptive steroids.

We have previously shown that in pregnancy fasting gallbladder volume is increased and emptying after a small volume liquid meal is incomplete. In this study we measured gallbladder volume throughout day and night in healthy women ingesting regular meals. Pregnant women, postpartum women, contraceptive-steroid users, and controls in both phases of the ovulatory cycle were studied. After an overnight fast gallbladder volume was measured by realtime ultrasonography in the fasting state and every 5-10 min for 90 min after breakfast. Residual volume was the lowest volume achieved and the rate constant of gallbladder emptying was calculated from the ln/linear regression of gallbladder volume vs. time. Gallbladder volume was also measured hourly from 11 AM to midnight while subjects ate regular, standard meals, allowing the determination of an average hourly volume. There was no effect of phase of the ovulatory cycle on any measure of gallbladder function. Fasting, residual, and average hourly volume were increased in all trimesters of pregnancy, but tended to return to normal in the postpartum period. Women taking contraceptive steroids had an increased fasting volume. Two distinct rates of emptying after breakfast, an early and a late one, were identified. The early rate was the same in all groups. Pregnant women had a slower late rate of emptying, but women taking contraceptive steroids had emptying rates similar to controls. Retention of bile in the gallbladder may be one reason for the increased risk of cholesterol cholelithiasis in pregnant women and in those taking contraceptive steroids.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Luteal phase defect as a marker of imminent ovarian failure.

A case of premature ovarian failure in a patient serendipitously studied with regard to clinical and histologic parameters during the 2 years preceding her diagnosis is presented. Progressively decreasing ovarian function was observed, beginning with a luteal phase defect and culminating in afollicular ovarian failure. Concepts concerning the etiologies and pathophysiology of premature ovarian failure are reviewed, and similarities to the natural climacteric are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Effects of dihydrocodeine, alcohol, and caffeine on breathlessness and exercise tolerance in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease and normal blood gases.

We measured breathlessness and exercise tolerance in 12 patients with chronic airways obstruction, moderate or severe breathlessness, and low or normal arterial carbon dioxide tension, after the patients received dihydrocodeine, alcohol, caffeine, or placebo (through double-blind administration). Forty-five minutes after ingestion, dihydrocodeine had reduced breathlessness by 20 per cent and increased exercise tolerance by 18 per cent, with a reduction in ventilation and oxygen consumption at submaximal work loads but with no change in spirometric volumes. Oxygen also reduced breathlessness and provided additional benefit to that achieved with dihydrocodeine (at three hours after ingestion) when the two were given together: the reduction of breathlessness was 18 per cent with dihydrocodeine; 22 per cent with oxygen; and 32 per cent with dihydrocodeine plus oxygen. Alcohol increased forced vital capacity by 9 per cent, and exercise tolerance by 7 per cent. Caffeine had no deleterious effect on breathlessness or exercise tolerance, despite increasing ventilation during rest and exercise. We conclude that opiates may be valuable for the treatment of breathlessness in selected patients; further evaluation is needed, particularly of the long-term benefits and safety.

Alcoholic Beverages↗
PubMed1981

Are the obtuse angles the key components of the Poggendorff illusion?

An experiment is reported which confirms and extends a previous finding that amputations of the Poggendorff figure do not necessarily result in large positive effects with obtuse-angle stimuli, and small or even negative effects with acute-angle stimuli. Indeed, the acute-angle effects found were significantly greater than the obtuse-angle effects, and the full Poggendorff error was not explicable in terms of the linear summation of the component-angle effects. An 'alignment displacement effect' reported earlier by Hotopf and Obonai was shown to occur, but could not be an important component of the Poggendorff illusion.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

The importance of dietary protein in the zinc deficiency of uremia.

The pathogenesis of zinc deficiency and its relationship to hypogeusia were studied in three chronic dialysis units in Toronto. The difference between low plasma zinc levels at two of the hospitals compared to the normal levels in the third hospital was significantly related to levels of dietary zinc intake which in turn was due to the levels of dietary protein intake. Thus one cause of zinc deficiency in chronic uremia is dietary protein deprivation. In addition, in the hospital with normal plasma levels there was a small but significant rise in plasma zinc postdialysis in contrast to the other two hospitals where there was no change. Thus slight leaching of zinc from dialysis equipment could help prevent zinc deficiency in such patients. Hypogeusia was more common in zinc-deficient patients.

Ageusia↗
PubMed1981

Faecal toxin and severity of antibiotic-associated pseudomembranous colitis.

The relationship between faecal toxin titre, histological evidence of pseudomembrane in the rectum, and severity of antibiotic-associated colitis has been analysed from data on 62 patients whose faeces contained Clostridium difficile toxin. There was a significant correlation between a toxin titre of 6400 or more and the presence of pseudomembrane (p less than 005). There was no correlation between toxin titre, duration of diarrhoea, total white cell count, temperature, serum albumin or serum orosomucoid concentrations. There was, however, a significant correlation between the presence of rectal pseudomembrane and duration of diarrhoea (p less than 0.005). Exposure to clindamycin or lincomycin was also associated with a significantly higher toxin titre than that seen in patients who were given other antibiotics. The duration of diarrhoea of diarrhoea was not longer and rectal pseudomembrane did not occur more often in the patients who had received clindamycin or lincomycin.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1981

Vascular prostacyclin release and metabolic derangement in diabetes.

Diabetic patients have a high susceptibility to microangiopathy, atherosclerosis and thrombosis. Platelet hyper-reactivity, possibly related to an imbalance in platelet/vessel wall arachidonic acid metabolism may be involved. Release of prostacyclin (PGI2) by aorta and renal cortex from diabetic rats and arteries from diabetic patients was significantly depressed. Blood glucose levels in rats at sacrifice did not correlate well with aortic PGI2 release, although in no case was a high rate of PGI2 production found in an animal with a high blood glucose level. Insulin treatment (8 days) restored PGI2 release in tissues from diabetic rats. PGI2 generation by arteries from diabetic patients taking oral hypoglycemic agents was significantly lower than that of diabetics treated with insulin. PGI2 stimulatory activity was increased in plasma from diabetic rats and patients, but diabetic rat aortas were less responsive than those of controls to diabetic plasma. This suggests that decreased values PGI2 release in diabetes is not due to lack of stimulatory plasma factors but may be due to a defect in the vessel wall. Impaired PGI2 release by tissues that develop angiopathy and its normalization in rats by insulin, suggests that depressed PGI2 production may play a role in the vascular complications of diabetes.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Treatment of acute renal failure due to myeloma kidney.

Severe renal insufficiency is considered to indicate a poor prognosis in patients with multiple myeloma, their reported median survival being approximately 2 months. In five consecutive patients with severe renal failure secondary to acute myeloma kidney early aggressive therapy, including chemotherapy and peritoneal dialysis, led to a significant improvement in the renal function of four; the fifth patient received a cadaveric renal transplant after 1 year of peritoneal dialysis. After a median follow-up period of 12 months all the patients were alive and had improved renal function. This experience contrasts with that previously reported and suggests that aggressive management may improve the survival of patients with acute renal failure due to myeloma kidney.

Acute Kidney Injury↗