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Biomedical subjects

M R Millar

Publications and source records attributed to M R Millar.

121 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Double-blind study comparing aztreonam with placebo for prophylaxis of infection following prostatic surgery.

In a prospective, randomised, double-blind study, 179 patients undergoing retropubic or transurethral prostatectomy were given pre-operatively either 1 g aztreonam or a placebo. In patients treated with aztreonam there was a significant reduction in the number with post-operative bacteriuria and in the number requiring treatment of post-operative bacteriuria. Other differences were not significant. The mean duration of post-operative hospital stay for patients receiving aztreonam was 7.1 days compared with 6.9 days for those receiving placebo. In patients treated with aztreonam there was no increase in the frequency of infections due to Gram-positive bacterial species.

Aztreonam↗
PubMed1987

Influence of lysozyme on aggregation of Staphylococcus aureus.

The conditions under which lysozyme aggregates Staphylococcus aureus were studied. Lysozyme was found to aggregate S. aureus at concentrations found in human tear secretions. Aggregate size depended upon lysozyme concentration, ionic strength, and bacterial concentration. There was a low level of adherence of S. aureus to corneal epithelial cells, and the adherence of a recent clinical isolate was not influenced by lysozyme concentrations found in human tear secretions. Lysozyme may enhance bacterial clearance from the corneal surface of the eye by promoting particle aggregation.

Bacterial Adhesion↗
PubMed1986

Beta-lactam antibiotics increase the frequency of plasmid transfer in Staphylococcus aureus.

The transfer of a plasmid specifying tetracycline resistance between different derivatives of Staphylococcus aureus by phage mediated conjugation was enhanced 100- to 1000-fold by exposure of the culture to subinhibitory concentrations of beta-lactam agents. A variety of other antibiotics, including vancomycin and teicoplanin, had no such effect. The enhanced frequency of transfer was probably due to the formation of large bacterial aggregates.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1986

Antimicrobial substances in urine of patients attending department of genitourinary medicine.

The prevalence of antimicrobial substances in the urine of new patients attending a genitourinary department and patients reattending with a new condition (rebook patients) was 4.1% (33 of 812 patients). Only 17 of 33 patients (52%) found to have an antimicrobial in the urine declared their antimicrobial intake at their initial physician interview and examination. The presence of antimicrobial substances had little influence on the diagnosis or management of patients.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1985

Simple microbiological method for the identification of antimicrobial agents prescribed in general practice.

A simple microbiological method to identify antimicrobial agents in urine is described. Of 1,514 consecutive urine specimens received from general practitioners, 302 (19.94%) contained antimicrobial activity. The antibacterial agent was identified confidently in 284 of these. Surprisingly, 83 (5.48%) urine specimens contained an antimicrobial substance not usually used in the treatment of urinary tract infection.

Anti-Infective Agents↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Superbugs: should antimicrobial resistance be included as a cost in economic evaluation?

This paper argues that increasing resistance to antimicrobials is an important social externality that has not been captured at the level of economic appraisal. The paper explicitly considers reasons why the externality of antimicrobial resistance has not generally been included as a cost in economic evaluations comparing management strategies for infectious diseases. Four reasons are considered: first, that the absolute cost of antimicrobial resistance is too small to be worth including; second, that there is an implicit discounting of the costs of antimicrobial resistance on the basis of time preference which makes the cost too small to be worth including; third, that there is an implicit discounting of the costs of antimicrobial resistance on the basis of uncertainty which makes the cost too small to be worth including; and fourth, that the costs are too difficult to measure. Although there does not appear to be methodological justification for excluding the costs of antimicrobial resistance, it seems likely that, because of the practical difficulties associated with measuring these costs, they will continue to be ignored. The paper concludes with a discussion of the applicability of standard policy responses used to deal with externalities in other areas of welfare economics.

Bias↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Inhibin B levels in plasma of the male rat from birth to adulthood: effect of experimental manipulation of Sertoli cell number.

Sertoli cells undergo important changes in their number and function at different ages in the rat and may be the primary source of circulating inhibin B. The aims of this study were 1) to establish the profile of inhibin B levels from birth to adulthood in normal rats and 2) to identify whether experimental manipulation of Sertoli cell numbers was able to alter this profile. Levels of inhibin B, measured by a specific two-site assay, increased fivefold in normal Wistar rats between day 3 and days 10-15, plateaued, and then declined in late puberty to reach adult levels which were approximately 60% of those observed on days 10-15. The increase in inhibin B levels in the neonatal period coincided with the period of Sertoli cell multiplication as indicated by incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine. Neonatal treatment of rats with a GnRH antagonist (GnRHa) reduced Sertoli cell number and adult testis weight by 48% and significantly reduced plasma levels of inhibin B at all ages through to adulthood. Induction of neonatal hypothyroidism in Sprague-Dawley rats by administration of propylthiouracil (PTU) up to day 25 of age increased final testis weight by 41% (indicative of increased Sertoli cell numbers) and resulted in elevation of plasma levels of inhibin B at all ages beyond 7 days of age. The degree of change in inhibin B levels in adult rats in the two experimental treatment groups was approximately proportional to the change in final testis weight. Plasma follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) showed changes opposite to inhibin B, with levels being lowered in PTU-treated rats and elevated (beyond day 25) in GnRHa-treated animals. The present results suggest that final Sertoli cell number per testis exerts an important effect on the circulating level of inhibin B (and FSH) in the rat. These findings are compared to the emerging data for the human male.

Aging↗