Inadvertent infertility investigations in pregnant women.
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Biopsy↗
Biomedical subjects
R A Lee
Publications and source records attributed to R A Lee.
Lead poisoning from Indian herbal medicine (Ayurveda)
OBJECTIVE: To present a case of lead poisoning following ingestion of Indian herbal medicine. CLINICAL FEATURES: A 37-year-old man presented with a history of abdominal pain, anorexia and malaise. He had recently returned from a trip to India where he had been taking two different herbal tonics. Investigation revealed low-grade hepatitis and normocytic anaemia with prominent basophilic stippling. The blood lead concentration was high, and analysis of the herbal tablets revealed a very high lead content. INTERVENTION AND OUTCOME: The patient required narcotic analgesia for abdominal pain and was treated with chelation therapy with calcium ethylenediaminetetra-acetate (calcium EDTA) for five days which resulted in a high urinary excretion of lead and resolution of his symptoms over a period of several days. CONCLUSION: Lead poisoning in Australia is usually the result of chronic industrial exposure, but practitioners should be aware of the possibility of poisoning from other domestic sources such as unglazed pottery, cosmetics and herbal remedies, especially those from Asia and India, in which lead may be present in high concentration. Patients from Asia who present with unexplained anaemia or abdominal symptoms should be asked about exposure to such sources.
Adult↗
The environmental checklist--a quality assurance tool.
Most people agree that staff productivity and quality of work are influenced by physical surroundings. This awareness usually kindles a desire to implement a plan of action. The environmental checklist can serve as a quality assurance tool to monitor comprehensively the work environment. In our Central Service department, we have seen a number of positive changes as a result of implementing environmental checklists. The efficiency of work performed has increased through appropriately organized and labeled supplies. Positive images of the department have been emphasized and communicated to others. Awareness of and appreciation for the physical surroundings in which we work each day are integral parts of our management routine. Regardless of how large or small your healthcare facility may be, we believe the efficiency and safety of any Central Service operation will be significantly improved through the consistent use of a well-designed environmental checklist. And yes, you will be better prepared for those unexpected visitors and surprise inspections.
Central Supply, Hospital↗
Overexpression of peroxiredoxin in human breast cancer.
The peroxiredoxins (Prx) are a family of 25 kDa peroxidases that can reduce H2O2 using an electron from thioredoxin (Trx) or other substances. The mammalian Prx family is divided into six groups (Prx I-VI) on the basis of homology of amino acid sequences. They are located in the cytosol and play a role in the cell signaling system. Previous reports have shown that Prx II has proliferative and anti-apoptotic properties and thus may induce carcinogenic changes. We conducted this study to reveal the change in expression of Prx in human breast cancer in comparison to normal tissues. Western immunoblotting using Prx type I, II and III antibodies was undertaken on 24 human breast cancer tissues and normal counterparts. We used antibodies against purified recombinant NKEF-A/PAG, NKEF-B and MER 5 which are the Prx isoforms. Type I Prx was overexpressed in the cancer tissues of 21 patients (87.5%), type II in 18 patients (75%) and type III in 19 patients (79.2%) in relation to normal tissue. However, no significant relationship was found between Prx overexpression and clinicopathological parameters of breast cancer such as tumor size, lymphatic invasiveness, hormone receptor status or nuclear and histologic grade. In conclusion, Prx is overexpressed in breast cancer tissues to a great extent suggesting that Prx has a proliferative effect and may be related to cancer development or progression.
Adult↗