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P Martin

Publications and source records attributed to P Martin.

At least 469 records · Page 26Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Spanish population data on 7 tetrameric short tandem repeat loci.

Allele and genotype frequencies for 7 tetrameric short tandem repeat loci were determined in a Spanish population sample (N = 186-244) using PCR and subsequent analysis of the PCR products by denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by silver staining. The loci were HUMFES/FPS, HUMVWA, HUMTHO1, HUMF13B, HUMCSF1PO, HUMF13A1 and HUMTPOX and all loci met Hardy-Weinberg expectations. In addition, little evidence was found for association of alleles among the 7 loci. Thus the allele frequency data can be used in identity testing to estimate the frequency of a multiple PCR-based DNA profile in the Spanish population.

Gene Frequency↗
PubMed1995

Solid state NMR and extraction studies on "phenyl"-bonded stationary phases used for solid phase extraction.

The solid phase extraction (SPE) and elution of [14C]-propranolol from aqueous buffer has been studied for a range of phenyl-bonded SPE materials. Differences were noted in the recovery of the analyte using methanol-water eluents depending upon the manufacturer and whether or not phase had been endcapped. Efficient recoveries of [14C]-propranolol were only achieved when triethylamine was added to the eluting solvent as a competing base. Solid state cross polarisation/magic angle spinning (CP/MAS) NMR spectroscopy was used to characterise the phases further, which revealed differences in endcapping between materials as well as differences in the type and extent of cross-linking.

Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy↗
PubMed1995

Living-donor liver transplantation at UCLA.

BACKGROUND: Living-donor (LD) liver transplantation has been developed as an alternative to overcome the shortage of cadaver donor organs for pediatric recipients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We reviewed our experience with 9 LD transplants performed between August 25, 1993 and August 3, 1994. The median recipient age and weight were 13 months and 10 kilograms. Left lateral segments from parental donors, with aortic inflow via saphenous vein grafts, were used in all cases. RESULTS: At a median follow-up of 160 days, all donors were alive and well. Recipient and graft survival were both 89%. Rates of hepatic artery thrombosis, portal vein thrombosis, biliary complications, and acute rejection were 22%, 11%, 11%, and 67%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Excellent outcome can be achieved with LD liver transplantation in small children with minimal donor risk. This procedure has the potential to emerge as the preferred treatment for pediatric liver transplant candidates for whom it is an option.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Mini-Mental State Exam status of community-dwelling cognitively intact centenarians.

Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) scores for 247 community-dwelling, well-functioning individuals in their 60s (n = 88), in their 80s (n = 92), and 100 or older (n = 67) were compared to examine overall and component MMSE differences. The concomitant influences of visual or literacy deficits, gender, education, race, income, and activities of daily living on MMSE performance were analyzed. Mean MMSE scores of 27.8, 27.1, and 24.8, respectively, for the three cohorts were significantly different, even when all concomitant variables were controlled. After the concomitant variables were controlled, results indicated that there were no age group differences on five MMSE items: naming, repeating, listening and obeying, reading and obeying, and writing sentences. Participants with visual or literacy deficits scored 1.5 points lower than other participants, and displayed performance deficits in four items from the Read & Write MMSE division:naming, reading and obeying, writing sentences, and praxis. Education and gender were significant covariates for total and divisional MMSE scores.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1995

Chronic viral hepatitis and the management of chronic renal failure.

Effective control measures to reduce the spread of HBV in dialysis units have had a major beneficial impact on the management of patients with chronic renal failure (Table 3). The exact impact of chronic HBV infection on graft and patient survival following RT remains unclear, and the outcome may depend in great part on the severity of the pre-RT liver disease. RT should only be offered to HBV-infected patients after careful consideration of all the pertinent data, including results of liver biopsy. Advances in HBV vaccination may further decrease the risk of infection in patients on HD. Our understanding of HCV is evolving rapidly, but the question of the risk of transmission of HCV within dialysis units is still unsettled and thus recommendations about isolation of HCV-infected patients are not possible. Although RT does not appear to be deleterious in many HCV-infected patients, histologic and clinical evidence of severe liver disease should also prompt caution in offering RT. Longer term studies are required to assess the ultimate effect of RT in patients with HCV. Clearly, subjective improvement of quality of life associated with successful RT compared to chronic dialysis should not be withheld lightly. Pending further experience, use of organs from anti-HCV-positive donors in non-emergent situations is best avoided. The role of antiviral agents in RT recipients with chronic viral hepatitis also remains to be defined. Improved supportive care of patients with chronic renal disease, including erythropoietin therapy, as well as improved tests for anti-HCV screening of donor blood will help to further diminish exposure to HCV in HD units.

Chronic Disease↗
PubMed1995

Cerebellum and schizophrenia: a selective review.

Structural and functional brain imaging have contributed significant data to our understanding of schizophrenia, but we are still unable to understand the presumably heterogeneous neuronal dysfunctions of schizophrenic disorders. Current disease models define schizophrenia as an exclusively forebrain disorder. Nevertheless, morphological and functional data support the authors' view that cerebellar dysfunction may contribute to schizophrenic disorders. This article presents a critical review of neurological signs, including results of a clinical study performed by the authors, as well as postmortem and neuroimaging findings of cerebellar pathology in schizophrenia patients and studies on other psychiatric features associated with cerebellar lesions. In addition, anatomical, physiological, and behavioral data are reviewed that argue in favor of cerebellar involvement in nonmotor brain functions. A particular cerebellar region, the anterior vermis and corresponding fastigial nucleus, is assumed to be important in schizophrenic disorders, and the neurochemistry and vermian-fastigial-forebrain pathways are shown to correspond well with current hypotheses on neurotransmitter imbalances in schizophrenia. Therapeutic implications are outlined.

Atrophy↗
PubMed1995

Adjuvant chemotherapy improves survival after liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy on the recurrence rate and survival of patients after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Historically, liver transplantation for HCC has yielded poor long-term survival. Multimodality therapy has been initiated in an effort to improve survival statistics. METHODS: Twenty-five patients were placed on 6 months of intravenous fluorouracil, doxorubicin, and cisplatin after OLT. Risk factors, recurrence rates, and survival rates were analyzed and compared with historic controls. RESULTS: Overall long-term survival in the protocol patients was 46% at 3 years, improved over our historic controls of 5.8% at 3 years (p = 0.0001). Overall recurrence rate was 20% (n = 4). Possible risk factors, such as tumor size, vascular invasion, multifocality, capsular invasion, and tumor differentiation, were not found to be significantly predictive of survival. Three patients with long-term, disease-free survival had tumors > 5 cm. Side effects from chemotherapy were common, but rarely severe. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that adjuvant chemotherapy after transplantation for HCC can provide long-term cure and may improve survival, even in patients with stage III and IV disease.

Actuarial Analysis↗
PubMed1995

Influence of heparin thromboprophylaxis on plasma leucocyte elastase levels following lobectomy for lung carcinoma.

Recent in vitro studies and animal investigation indicate that plasma leucocyte elastase (PLE) can dissolve pulmonary structural proteins, such as elastin, and produce lesions in the lung similar to that seen in adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and emphysema. In contrast, heparin strongly inhibits PLE and protects elastin from elastolysis. On the basis of these findings, PLE levels were monitored in 24 patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) undergoing lobectomy. Ten patients from Killingbeck Hospital (Group 1) received 5000 IU subcutaneous (s.c.) heparin commenced 2 h prior to surgery and continued at 8 h intervals until the patient was fully ambulatory. Fourteen patients from Bradford Royal Infirmary (Group 2) received no heparin as standard policy. There was no significant difference in pre-operative PLE levels between groups. The post operative PLE levels in both groups increased significantly (P < 0.02) on the first post operation day (POD). However, PLE levels of Group 2 were 2.5 to 5.3 times higher than those of Group 1 at each postoperative interval (first, third, and seventh POD) respectively (0.002 < P < 0.02). There was no difference in blood loss between groups (P = 0.17). These results indicate that post operative PLE activity is elevated in NSCLC patients following lobectomy and s.c. heparin administration as thromboprophylaxis may inhibit PLE activity post operatively without increasing blood loss. Therefore, heparin may have a role to play in protecting lung tissue against the pulmonary lesions caused by proteolytic activity of PLE, and theoretically reduce post-operative complications, such as ARDS or emphysema.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Improved polymerase chain reaction detection of clonal T-cell lymphoid neoplasms.

We have developed and tested a rapid and sensitive method of detecting expansion of T-cell clones using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and a single set of consensus primers for the V and J regions to amplify rearranged T-cell receptor-gamma (TCR-gamma) genes. Monoclonality was continued in all of the 18 cases of T-cell neoplasms tested, but not in reactive lymphadenopathy, non-Hodgkin's B lymphomas, and Hodgkin's disease. PCR analysis, using the primer sequence outlined in this study, had an overall specificity of 100% when compared with Southern blot analysis. No false-negative results were observed, certainly owing to the choice of consensus primers and to the control of PCR reactions on agarose gels before testing for clonality by separation of PCR products on polyacrylamide gels. This method for the detection of T-cell monoclonality can be especially useful in cases that are diagnostically problematic with standard histological and immunological analysis and in cases where the material available is limited.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Capillary supply during development of individual regenerating muscle fibers.

This study describes the capillary supply of individual regenerating muscle fiber during three stages of its development. Regeneration was induced by the injection of mepivacaine in the anterior tibial muscle of rats. Muscle fiber capillarization during regeneration was analysed in semithin sections, employing the following parameters: the number of capillaries around a fiber and the number of capillaries per fiber cross-sectional area. The results revealed that during development of regenerating fibers, the fiber cross-sectional area increased, the number of capillaries around each fiber increased and the number of capillaries per fiber cross-sectional area decreased. These data indicated a greater capillary supply of the individual regenerating muscle fiber during its early stage of maturation.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

A comparison between ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric nerve block performed by anaesthetist or surgeon for postoperative analgesia following groin surgery in children.

A study was performed to compare postoperative analgesia in children undergoing groin surgery. Patients were randomly allocated to receive ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric (I-I) nerve blocks using 0.25% plain bupivicaine (0.5 ml.kg-1) performed either percutaneously by the anaesthetist after the induction of general anaesthesia, before surgery commenced, or intraoperatively, under direct vision, by the surgeon. Analgesia was assessed by pain scoring in the recovery room and at hourly intervals for eight h postoperatively. Analgesic requirement was also noted. Statistical analysis of the results revealed no difference in pain score between groups treated either by anaesthetist or surgeon. However, children under two years of age had significantly higher pain scores than those over two.

Analgesia↗
PubMed1995

Evaluation of a novel serotyping system for hepatitis C virus: strong correlation with standard genotyping methodologies.

Direct sequencing and analysis of viral genomes are definitive methods for identifying various hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes. However, HCV genome sequencing methods are cumbersome and unsuitable for analyzing large numbers of clinical samples. We have developed a convenient, reliable, and reproducible RIBA strip immunoblot assay system for determining HCV serotype. Briefly, the assay consists of an immunoblot strip on which there are five lanes of immobilized serotype-specific HCV peptides from the nonstructural (NS-4) and core regions of the genomes of HCV types 1,2, and 3. HCV serotype is deduced by determining the greatest intensity of reactivity to the NS-4 serotype-specific HCV peptide band in relation to the intensity of the human immunoglobulin G internal control bands on each strip. HCV core peptide reactivity is used only in the absence of NS-4 reactivity. We used this assay to successfully serotype a high percentage of sera from well-documented HCV-infected patients. Our serotyping results correlated 99% with the findings from the standard restriction fragment length polymorphism genotyping methods. Less than 5% of the serum samples were untypeable. For a selected group of alpha interferon-treated patients we observed that the nonresponders (76.2%) and a majority of the responders who relapsed (72.2%) had type 2 HCV infection. A small population (n= 8) of complete responders was split 3:4:1 as type 1, type 2, and type 3, respectively. Our data indicate that this new serotyping assay has the potential to be a highly specific and reliable method for typing of HCV infection in patients.

Genotype↗
PubMed1995

Towards an understanding of sensory soft signs of schizophrenia.

Neurological soft signs are considered to be non-localizing findings and clinical neurodysfunctional correlates of schizophrenia. Sensory signs in 21 chronic schizophrenic patients were compared with those of healthy subjects. The schizophrenic patients differed significantly from the controls in graphesthesia testing; there was no clear-cut impairment of other somatic sensory modalities. The graphesthesia learning effect was weaker in the patient group. No unequivocal correlation could be found between psychopathology or course variables and dysgraphesthesia. The authors hypothesize that an impairment in graphesthesia testing may reflect a working memory deficit in schizophrenics.

Brain↗
PubMed1995

Impaired thermoregulation in Raynaud's phenomenon.

UNLABELLED: In an attempt to examine the role of the thermoregulatory apparatus in the etiology of Raynaud's phenomenon (RP), the authors exposed 15 women with RP and 12 controls to central body cooling and central body warming. Subjects were placed in an environmental chamber at 25 degrees C. Their right hand was placed in an annex of the chamber, which was insulated from the main chamber and maintained at a constant temperature of 25 degrees C throughout the experiment. Blood flow was measured in the digits of the right hand by venous occlusion strain gauge plethysmography and skin thermometry. Body temperature was measured with an oral thermometer. The temperature of the chamber was then increased to 35 degrees C and then reduced to 13 degrees C for twenty-five minutes with measurements repeated. Following this period patients were rewarmed in an ambient temperature of 35 degrees C for twenty minutes. RESULTS: subjects with RP had significantly lower blood flow at all stages of the test; moreover, their digital rewarming response following central cooling was considerably prolonged when compared with controls. Body temperature was lower and dropped significantly more in the RP group following the cold challenge. The authors conclude that subjects with RP have an impaired thermoregulatory mechanism. This may partially explain cold sensitivity.

Adult↗