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Biomedical subjects

R E Miller

Publications and source records attributed to R E Miller.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Identification of procalcitonin in a rat medullary thyroid carcinoma cell line.

As a first step in studying the biosynthesis of the peptide hormone calcitonin, we have identified procalcitonin species in CA-77 cells, a newly developed rat medullary thyroid carcinoma cell line. mRNA extracted from the cells directed the synthesis of a putative procalcitonin in a reticulocyte lysate translation system containing microsomal membranes. Both this species and a radiolabeled form of immunoreactive calcitonin from intact cells had the same retention time during reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography. The putative cellular procalcitonin was also immunoprecipitated by antiserum to a synthetic peptide whose sequence constitutes the COOH-terminal 16 residues of preprocalcitonin. The polypeptide had a Mr = 13,400, as estimated by gel filtration chromatography under denaturing conditions. Microsequencing of the [35S]methionine-labeled polypeptide indicated that residues 13, 32, and 34 of procalcitonin were methionine. Similar analysis of the peptide labeled with [3H]proline indicated that residues 2 and 11 of the precursor were proline. The positions of methionine and proline could be aligned in a unique manner with the NH2-terminal half of the preprocalcitonin sequence inferred from cDNA analyses. These results indicate that procalcitonin consists of 111 amino acids and suggest that a 25-residue signal sequence is cotranslationally cleaved from preprocalcitonin. From the procalcitonin sequence we can now predict the sequence of likely biosynthetic intermediates and mature secretory products derived from the NH2-terminal as well as COOH-terminal regions of the precursor.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1984

Detection of surgical lesions of the small bowel by enteroclysis.

Enteroclysis is an examination in which barium is infused directly into the small intestine, and compression radiographs are taken on each segment. This method eliminates many of the inherent limitations of the conventional small bowel follow-through examination. This report concerns 45 patients with 48 small bowel lesions. They were missed on the conventional examination but detected within 3 months by subsequent enteroclysis and confirmed surgically. There were 15 patients with Meckel's diverticula, 7 with obstructive adhesive bands, 5 with Crohn's disease, 5 with blind pouch syndrome (1 with a leiomyoma inside the blind pouch), 2 with other leiomyomas, 3 with metastatic carcinoma, two with primary carcinoma 3 with radiation stricture, two with sinus tract lesions and fistulas, and 1 with another lesion. Improved intubation techniques and better barium mixtures make enteroclysis possible in most hospitals. As surgeons appreciate the value of enteroclysis, they can request this examination for appropriate patients to sooner find many surgical lesions of the small bowel which frequently go undiagnosed.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Enteroclysis in partial small bowel obstruction.

In a 5 year period, 56 patients with suspected partial small bowel obstruction were evaluated by enteroclysis or the antegrade small bowel enema. Mechanical partial obstruction was diagnosed by enteroclysis in 38 of the patients, 24 of whom required surgery. The diagnosis by enteroclysis was confirmed in 23 of the patients. In the single patient with "false-positive" enteroclysis, the obstruction had been interpreted as minimal. The thirteen remaining patients were managed conservatively. The possibility of significant mechanical obstruction was excluded by enteroclysis in 19 patients. There were no complications associated with the procedure. Enteroclysis is a safe, rapid, and accurate method for the evaluation of patients with partial small bowel obstruction.

Barium Sulfate↗
PubMed1984

How peers perceive the female adolescent smoker.

Data were collected on peers' perceptions of two fictional 17-year-old females; one a smoker and the other a nonsmoker. A sample of 212 high school seniors completed a form of the personality profile questionnaire which contained a biographical sketch of either Laurie the smoker or Laurie the nonsmoker. Subjects rated the fictional characters on 30 personality traits. Findings suggested that peers perceived the personality traits of the female adolescent smoker more negatively than the nonsmoking counterpart. Recommendations are made for the application of the findings to adolescent smoking prevention and cessation programs.

Child↗
PubMed1984

A comparison of pumps used for enteroclysis.

An electric motor-driven pump for enteroclysis is more efficient than a hand-operated pump. It allows the radiologist to monitor infusion flow rates, protects the technologist from scattered radiation, reduces manpower, is associated with fewer mechanical problems, and improves uniformity of flow during performance of the procedure.

Barium Sulfate↗
PubMed1984

Neural control of pancreatic insulin and somatostatin secretion.

This study had a dual purpose. First, the effects of pancreatic buffer flow on whole organ hormone output were investigated. Second, the receptor mechanisms by which sympathetic nerve stimulation alters the secretion rates of somatostatin and insulin were assessed. Pancreata of mongrel puppies were perfused in situ with nonrecirculated Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate buffer (150 mg/dl glucose). Buffer flow was adjusted between 0.2 and 4 ml/min X g pancreas. Insulin secretion rate (nanograms per min/g pancreas; ISR) as well as pancreatic O2 and glucose consumption increased as flow increased between 1 and 2 ml/min X g, where each reached a maximum plateau. Thus, ISR was shown to be dependent on flow over the middle range of flow investigated. In separate experiments, bilateral stimulation of the splanchnic nerves or pancreatic arterial infusion of norepinephrine to a final concentration of 60 microM decreased ISR and the somatostatin secretion rate (SSR). Adrenergic suppression of ISR was antagonized by phentolamine and phenoxybenzamine. Adrenergic inhibition of SSR was blocked only by phenoxybenzamine. Propranolol had no effects. We conclude that norepinephrine is sufficient to account for sympathetic inhibition of ISR and SSR (e.g. it is not necessary to postulate another transmitter) and that this inhibition may be transmitted through an effect on the islet vasculature or an effect on the islet cells themselves. The types of alpha-adrenoceptors mediating the adrenergically induced decrease in ISR differ from those causing the decrease in SSR.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Acute traumatic vertebral arteriovenous fistula: balloon occlusion with the use of a contralateral approach.

A traumatic fistula of the left vertebral artery to vertebral and epidural veins with an expanding suboccipital false aneurysm was trapped by endovascular occlusion with detachable balloons. The lesion was not amenable to treatment using the left vertebral artery alone for access. Distal trapping was accomplished by catheterizing the (contralateral) right vertebral artery and placing the balloon retrograde into the distal segment of the left vertebral artery. This maneuver extends the range of vertebral artery lesions for which detachable balloons, either alone or as an adjunct to operation, can be used.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1984

Comparative efficacy of colon-cleansing methods: standard preparation vs. Colimmac lavage.

A randomized trial was conducted to compare the efficacy of the following preparations for colon cleansing: (1) 24 hr of clear liquids plus two major laxatives plus tap-water enemas (standard preparation), (2) Colimmac lavage, and (3) Colimmac lavage plus one major laxative. Standard preparation was found to be significantly superior to the other methods. Overall it was thought that Colimmac as evaluated by this study is not satisfactory for clinical use.

Barium Sulfate↗
PubMed1984

Strategies for searching medical natural language text. Distribution of words in the anatomic diagnoses of 7000 autopsy subjects.

Computerized indexing and retrieval of medical records is increasingly important; but the use of natural language versus coded languages (SNOP, SNOMED) for this purpose remains controversial. In an effort to develop search strategies for natural language text, the authors examined the anatomic diagnosis reports by computer for 7000 consecutive autopsy subjects spanning a 13-year period at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. There were 923,657 words, 11,642 of them distinct. The authors observed an average of 1052 keystrokes, 28 lines, and 131 words per autopsy report, with an average 4.6 words per line and 7.0 letters per word. The entire text file represented 921 hours of secretarial effort. Words ranged in frequency from 33,959 occurrences of "and" to one occurrence for each of 3398 different words. Searches for rare diseases with unique names or for representative examples of common diseases were most readily performed with the use of computer-printed key word in context (KWIC) books. For uncommon diseases designated by commonly used terms (such as "cystic fibrosis"), needs were best served by a computerized search for logical combinations of key words. In an unbalanced word distribution, each conjunction (logical and) search should be performed in ascending order of word frequency; but each alternation (logical inclusive or) search should be performed in descending order of word frequency. Natural language text searches will assume a larger role in medical records analysis as the labor-intensive procedure of translation into a coded language becomes more costly, compared with the computer-intensive procedure of text searching.

Abstracting and Indexing↗
PubMed1983

Leucocytozoon simondi infection in European and American eiders.

An adult European eider (Somateria mollissima mollissima) died at the St Louis Zoo and was found to be infected with numerous blood and tissue stages of Leucocytozoon simondi. Necropsy revealed massive air sac aspergillosis, but histologic examination revealed a diffusely distributed protozoon organism that was identified as L simondi. Examination of tissues from a previously necropsied European eider and from 2 American eiders (Somateria mollissima dresseri) that later died also revealed evidence of L simondi infection.

Animals↗