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Biomedical subjects

M Thomas

Publications and source records attributed to M Thomas.

At least 559 records · Page 31Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Clinical and biological prediction of axillary and internal mammary lymph node metastases in breast cancer.

We assessed the relationships among histological axillary (AX) or internal mammary (IM) metastases and clinical and biological variables, and then attempted to evaluate their predictive values for AX and IM metastases in 128 patients with invasive breast cancer. As the results, these clinical and biological variables were significantly correlated with AX and IM metastases. However, a metastatic index calculated from clinical and biological variables was not much better in prediction of the AX metastases than axillary nodal status, whereas it was useful to predict the IM metastases. Thus, the predictive ability was still limited. Since accurate prediction of AX and IM metastases is critical to therapeutic choice, however, further study would be required.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Mastectomy with and without immediate breast reconstruction using a musculocutaneous flap.

We compared surgical cosmetic results in 83 patients who underwent mastectomy with immediate breast reconstruction (MIBR) using a myocutaneous flap with those of 153 patients with breast cancer who underwent mastectomy without breast reconstruction. Cosmetic results were significantly better in patients who underwent MIBR than radical mastectomy or extended MIBR, although no intergroup difference existed in the reconstructive technique. Neither did any difference exist in the incidence of complications between patients undergoing MIBR and mastectomy without breast reconstruction, or between patients undergoing modified mastectomy and radical or extended mastectomy. Finally, MIBR did not appear to adversely effect recurrence or overall survival. We conclude that MIBR using a myocutaneous flap is an acceptable treatment option for patients with breast cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Naso-labial flap in the reconstruction of floor of the mouth defects.

Defects caused by tumour excision in the floor of the mouth can be closed by different methods. We present thirteen cases treated in our department over the last seven years in whom naso-labial flaps were used. Twelve patients had squamous cell carcinoma of the floor of the mouth and one had fibro-sarcoma of the right lower mandible. Five received post-operative radiotherapy, one was resected following radiotherapy and seven were treated with surgery alone. Patient selection is important to give good functional results without compromising tumour clearance.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Further analysis of predictive value of Helix pomatia lectin binding to primary breast cancer for axillary and internal mammary lymph node metastases.

We investigated the relation between Helix pomatia (HPA) staining of primary breast cancer and the presence of axillary (AX) or internal mammary (IM) metastases, and evaluated its predictive value for AX or IM metastases in comparison with the use of clinical variables. There was a significant association between the HPA staining and AX or IM metastases. When HPA staining was regarded as an indicator of AX metastases, a diagnostic accuracy of 72%, a sensitivity of 69% and a specificity of 75% were achieved. As an indicator of IM metastases, these values were 64%, 76% and 62%, respectively. In predicting the presence of AX metastases using a discriminant function with clinical AX status, location of tumour and tumour size, diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity and specificity were 79%, 69% and 87%, respectively. In predicting the presence of IM metastases using the discriminant function with clinical AX status and tumour size, these values were 74%, 71% and 75%, respectively. Therefore, it was concluded that the HPA staining may be useful, but it was equivalent with the discriminant function with clinical variables in prediction of AX or IM metastases.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1993

Prognostic significance of Helix pomatia lectin and c-erbB-2 oncoprotein in human breast cancer.

We investigated the prognostic significance of Helix pomatia lectin (HPA) staining on disease-free and overall survival in 120 primary breast carcinomas. HPA staining was present in 58 (48%) of these carcinomas. It was significantly associated with axillary lymph node metastases (P < 0.001) and c-erbB-2 expression (P < 0.01). A univariate study revealed that disease-free and overall survival were significantly correlated with clinical stage, tumour size, axillary lymph node metastases. HPA staining and c-erbB-2 expression. In a multivariate study, all previous prognostic indicators except HPA staining and c-erbB-2 expression were independent factors. However, stratifying the patients on the basis of HPA and c-erbB-2 status suggested that HPA +/c-erbB-2+ status was predictive of a higher incidence of axillary lymph node metastases (P = 0.000001) and a poorer overall (P < 0.0002) and a shorter disease-free (P < 0.000006) survival when compared with the other subgroups, although this combination did not provide any additional prognostic information for overall (P = 0.3544) or disease-free (P = 0.7152) survival by a multivariate analysis. For patients in whom axillary lymph node dissection has not been performed, therefore, HPA and c-erbB-2 status seems to be a powerful tool to discriminate subpopulations with a high recurrence risk and shorter survival who should undergo more aggressive therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Evaluation of a gastric delivery system for iron supplementation in pregnancy.

The present investigation was undertaken to assess the efficacy of oral iron supplementation during pregnancy by using a gastric delivery system (GDS). Three hundred seventy-six pregnant women between 16 and 35 y of age and 14 and 22 wk gestation were selected if mild anemia was present (hemoglobin concentration 80-110 g/L). The participants were randomly assigned to one of three study groups given no iron, two FeSO4 tablets (100 mg Fe) daily, or one GDS capsule (50 mg Fe) daily. Blood was obtained initially and after 6 and 12 wk for measurement of red blood cell and iron indexes, including serum transferrin receptor. There was a significant and comparable improvement in hematologic and iron-status measurements in the two groups of women given iron whereas iron deficiency evolved in women given no iron supplement. We conclude that by eliminating gastrointestinal side effects and reducing the administration frequency of an iron supplement to once daily, a GDS offers significant advantages for iron supplementation of pregnant women.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1993

Diabetic lumbar radiculopathy: sciatica without disc herniation.

Three patients with diabetic radiculopathy (DR) are presented. The clinical aspects of DR, its management, and differential diagnosis are reviewed. Diabetic radiculopathy commonly presents with severe unilateral pain of sudden onset that is usually located in the lower extremity, frequently in the proximal segments. Occasionally, bilateral asymmetric pain may be observed. The pain is severe and may require narcotic medications. Sphincteric involvement is rare. Weakness of hip or thigh muscles, decreased sensation and hypo- or areflexia are commonly observed. The clinical picture can resemble that of high lumbar disc herniation. Electrodiagnostic and radiological studies may help differentiate between the two conditions.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Poor prognostic value of proliferating cell nuclear antigen labelling index in breast carcinoma.

AIM: To investigate the association between proliferating cell nuclear antigen immunostaining and various clinicopathological variables, and its prognostic value in breast carcinoma. METHODS: A monoclonal antibody PC10 was applied to formalin fixed, paraffin wax embedded tissue in 144 cases of primary breast cancer. PCNA immunostaining was scored by counting 1000 cells; the percentage of positive stained cells was recorded as the PCNA labelling index (PCNA-LI). RESULTS: The PCNA-LI varied from 0-77% with a mean of 18%. When tumours were separated on the basis of the mean value, 93 had a low PCNA-LI of less or equal than 18% and 47 a high PCNA-LI of more than 18%. There was no significant correlation between PCNA-LI and all prognostic factors included in this study. Moreover, PCNA-LI failed to show any prognostic value for overall and disease free survival. CONCLUSION: PCNA immunostaining is not correlated with clinicopathological variables and patient survival in breast cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Adrenergic and pressure-dependent vascular regulation in sedentary and trained rats.

In this study, we determined if aerobic exercise training alters adrenergic or pressure-dependent vascular regulation in the rat hindlimb or intestine. Pressor responses to bilateral carotid artery occlusion and systemic phenylephrine (PE) infusion were not altered by training. During occlusion, peak and steady-state changes in hindlimb vascular resistance (HLR) were significantly greater in trained (24 and 13%) than in sedentary (8 and -3%) rats; a similar trend existed for intestinal vascular resistance (IR). The pressure-dependent contribution was consistent between groups (HLR: peak 55-85%, steady state 25-45%; IR: peak and steady state 40-65%). During PE infusion, increases in IR and HLR were similar between groups. The increase in HLR was substantially pressure dependent in both groups (approximately 50% at highest dose) as was the change in IR in trained rats. However, the IR response to PE was not pressure dependent in sedentary rats. The direct effects of PE were similar between sedentary and trained rats in the hindlimb but were suppressed in the intestine of trained rats compared with sedentary rats. Therefore, aerobic exercise training altered adrenergic and pressure-dependent vasoregulatory mechanisms in both skeletal muscle and intestinal tissues.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Investigation of the effects of coffee on alertness and performance during the day and night.

An experiment was carried out to examine the effects of coffee on performance and alertness in the day and at night. The results showed that caffeinated coffee had a beneficial effect on alertness and improved performance on a variety of tasks in both day and night sessions. The effects were often very large. For example, at night, consumption of caffeinated coffee produced comparable alertness ratings to the day-time ratings given when juice was drunk. In contrast to the effects of caffeinated coffee, the difference between the decaffeinated coffee and juice were small and variable. Overall, these results clearly demonstrate the beneficial effects of consuming caffeinated coffee, and show that this effect is comparable in the day and night.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1993

Detection of chromosome 1 aberrations by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) in the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7.

In situ hybridization using nucleic acid probes specific for a particular chromosome repetitive sequence makes it possible to determine the number of corresponding chromosomes and potential aberrations in each cell of the population under investigation. The number of in situ hybridization spots per nucleus, indicating chromosomal ploidy and/or aberrations, thus marks the possible cell subpopulations having an abnormal karyotype. Applying such an interphase cytogenetics approach on the MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line with centromeric (pUC 1.77) and telomeric (1p-79) probes specific for repetitive sequences on the chromosome 1, we investigated the heterogeneity of the cell population on the basis of the number of fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) spots per nucleus and their location with respect to the others. We also followed the chromosome 1 genetic drift as the cell population aged. Our results confirmed the already known trisomy for the chromosome 1 in this cell line and demonstrated a deletion and a translocation of its telomeric sequence. Moreover, a subpopulation of cells with six chromosomes 1 representing a few percent of the population was transiently detected.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1993

[Prevalence of Clostridium difficile and toxin A in feces of HIV infected patients].

Patients with AIDS are immunodeficient, receive multiple antibiotic treatments, occasionally anti-cancer chemotherapy and are often hospitalised; thus they are susceptible to develop a Clostridium difficile infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of C. difficile in diarrhoea in this patient population. Therefore, C. difficile and toxin A which plays a major role in pathogenicity were examined in faecal samples of HIV infected patients. Between January 1991 and June 1992, 102 stool samples from 67 patients were studied. Ninety p. cent of these patients were hospitalised (length > 3 days), 80% had a diagnosis of AIDS stage IV, and 66% had diarrhoea. Nineteen point four p. cent of the patients were carriers of C. difficile. Different associations were found: 1) presence of non toxigenic strains and absence of toxin A in stool samples (6 patients), 2) presence of toxigenic strains and absence of toxin A in stool samples (6 patients), 3) presence of toxigenic strains and toxin A in stool samples (2 patients). None of the patients developed a colitis or pseudomembranous colitis. The carrier rate was identical to those found in other hospitalised populations without AIDS. The prevalence of C. difficile diarrhoea or colitis is low. In this study, AIDS patients do not seem to constitute a risk group for C. difficile intestinal pathology. However, carriers of C. difficile were subjected to strict hygiene rules to prevent nosocomial spread.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1993

Short course ciprofloxacin therapy for enteric fever.

A short course of ciprofloxacin, 750 mgm b.i.d. for 7 days was found to be effective in the treatment of enteric fever in 21 hospitalized patients with S.typhi (18) and S.paratyphi A(3). Median time for fever response was 3 days. All isolates were susceptible to ciprofloxacin (MIC 0.0078-0.062 mcgm/ml). The mean serum peak and trough levels were 5.4 and 1.6 mcgm/ml respectively. Stool cultures were free of Salmonellae on follow up (11-24 weeks). Two developed recurrence of paratyphoid fever, 17 days and 4 months after therapy.

Adult↗